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墨書 Inktalez
"What is that?!" Yao Long pointed at the hand in the corner, seemingly having noticed it at the same time as I did.
"Let's go take a look first..." I cautiously moved forward. As the light from my fire drew closer, the owner of the hand slowly became visible.
I saw a person lying face down on the ground, dressed in a cloth garment, with a head full of silver hair. Recognizing her, I rushed forward and called out, "Old woman, what happened to you?!"
Gently, I turned the old woman's body over. As soon as I did, I noticed several dead poisonous insects crushed beneath her. They seemed to be lifeless.
I reached out with two fingers to check for her breath. Finding that she was still breathing, I quickly said to Yao Long, "Hurry, we need to carry her out."
I handed my lighter to Yao Long for illumination while I lifted the old woman onto my back and hurried out of the cellar into the room where Yao Long and I had been sleeping earlier.
I laid her flat on the stone bed and examined her closely. Noticing there were no obvious external injuries or torn clothing, I realized she hadn't been attacked.
"What happened to you two in that cellar last night?" Yao Long asked, standing beside me with a puzzled expression.
In response, I recounted everything the old woman had told me last night, along with what he had said while he was unconscious.
After hearing this, Yao Long took a few steps back in shock, looking at the unconscious old woman with disbelief. "So it was all because of her..."
I expected Yao Long to be angry at the old woman for implanting the Worm King inside him, but instead, he seemed concerned and asked, "What about her now?"
Although his reaction surprised me, it was still within reason. I frowned and replied worriedly, "I don't know. After all, we don't understand Gu Technique. Plus, we're in a mountainous area with scarce medical resources; treating her is nearly impossible."
Upon hearing this, both Yao Long and I sighed in unison, filled with anxiety and despair. Looking at this old woman who had once helped us now in such dire straits while we could do nothing felt incredibly frustrating.
Just as we were feeling dejected, suddenly a few coughs escaped from the old woman's mouth. I hurriedly leaned closer and saw her slowly open her eyes. Upon seeing us beside her, she struggled to speak and murmured, "You don’t need to save me; I am already a person who deserves to die... Just let me die like this."
The Old Woman coughed a few more times, her face contorted in pain, looking extremely distressed.
"Please don't speak, just rest for a moment..." I said, then turned to go outside to fetch some water for the Old Woman. However, Yao Long seemed to sense my intention and said, "I just went out to wash my face and know where to get water. Let me go..." With that, he hurried out before I could.
Seeing this, I had no choice but to return to the bedside. Looking at the Old Woman, who was barely clinging to life, my heart felt like it was turned upside down, filled with mixed emotions. "Buddy, I know you are good people. You really don't have to do anything for me..." she said slowly. "This is all my own doing, and I almost caused you trouble because of the Worm King. You have never blamed me for this, and I am already very grateful..."
Listening to her, I replied, "There's an old saying: 'A virtuous woman who loses her virtue is better than an old prostitute who repents.' Although you have done many bad things, you are a good person now. I believe you will use your Gu Technique to help more people, so I don't want you to die like this."
Upon hearing this, the Old Woman smiled slightly and said, "Your metaphor is quite appropriate, but why does it sound strange to me...?"
Realizing my mistake, I quickly slapped my own face and laughed, "It's my fault; I'm not good with words..."
Just then, Yao Long walked in with a bowl of water. She paused when she saw us and then approached me with a puzzled look. "Shen Xu, what are you doing?"
I quickly coughed twice and lowered my hands. "Cough, cough—it's nothing. There was a mosquito; I was just swatting it."
"What mosquito could there be...?" Yao Long replied as she handed the bowl of water to the Old Woman and gently helped her sit up. "Here, Grandma, have some water..."
The Old Woman grasped Yao Long's hand with her trembling and shriveled fingers. "Thank you so much... truly thank you..." She leaned toward the bowl. But just as she was about to touch it, she suddenly coughed violently, and blood erupted from her mouth, turning the clear spring water in the bowl red.
"Grandma, please don't rush; take your time to rest..." I said urgently as I took the bowl from Yao Long's hands and set it on the nearby table.
Yao Long looked worried as she laid the Old Woman back down again. "Did I hurt you?"
At that moment, the Old Woman lay flat on the bed, her breath faint as she looked at Yao Long. "It has nothing to do with you; it's just that my time has come... Even though I don't know what you're doing, you are all good people and will surely turn misfortune into fortune..."
She reached into the pocket of her shirt with trembling hands and pulled out a small wooden box, about the size of two fingers. The box had a wooden latch that seemed to be easily opened.
"This is a protective charm I've kept with me for a long time. It’s said to ward off evil spirits, and I hope it can help you..." Before Yao Long could take the box, the old man's eyes closed, and her raised arm fell limply to her side.
Seeing this scene, for some reason, my nose tinged with sadness, and a warm flow welled up in my eyes...
I stood behind Yao Long, unable to see his expression, only noticing his shoulders trembling slightly.
For a long time, we remained silent in that dilapidated room, neither of us speaking as we gazed at the old woman who had once saved our lives. Even now, I still did not know her name.
I lost track of how long it had been when the sun outside seemed particularly blinding. I reached out and patted Yao Long's shoulder. "We can't just leave her here like this; we should bury her..." Upon hearing this, Yao Long said nothing but nodded slowly.
Afterward, Yao Long and I found a spot behind the house and dug a hole. After burying the old woman, we found some wooden planks to serve as a tombstone and carved a few large characters on it: "Tomb of the Insect King."
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