Chapter 6

When we were kids, we often heard stories about ghosts eating people and monsters devouring humans. But in reality, I was very clear that ghosts couldn't possibly eat people, and I wondered if such things as monsters really existed.

If this incident had happened in isolation, I could have dismissed it as the work of a psychopath with an unusual obsession with corpses. After all, after seeing and hearing so much, I knew that the human heart was the most terrifying thing. However, when combined with Old Zhou's encounter with a "ghost wall" (a typical ghost wall) and the eerie cat calls, I felt that this matter was far from simple.

I didn't see the scene myself; Old Zhou gave me a rough description.

He said that the entire morgue looked as if the bodies had been rummaged through, and the one that had been gnawed on was a woman's body, with a beautiful face (I admired Old Zhou for paying attention to such details under the circumstances). He said it wasn't really gnawed, as the missing parts were minimal, but it seemed as if they had been picked over, leaving a mess.

I thought this "mess" was the key point that made Old Zhou vomit.

I didn't want to hear the details too clearly, and neither did Old Zhou want to describe them in detail.

He just said that this discovery woke him up completely. At that moment, he couldn't stay in the morgue for a second longer and immediately rushed out.

The rest were trivial matters, such as notifying the relevant leaders with the security guard, cleaning up the morgue, and suppressing the entire incident.

After all, the one harmed was not a living person but a corpse, so it didn't have to be exposed. Moreover, this wasn't just a hospital but a medical school. I didn't care much about these details; I just asked Old Zhou two key questions: "What part of the body was missing? How did you know it was done by a human?"

Actually, Old Zhou only said the body had been gnawed on and didn't tell me it was done by a human, but since he didn't specify what else could have done it, I assumed it was a human.

"The missing part, to be precise, was just one part that couldn't be found—the heart. This was discovered later during the cleanup. As for why I'm sure it was done by a human, although there were no useful clues at the scene, there was an important clue on the body. As a doctor, I recognized it immediately—a human tooth mark," Old Zhou said, his face changing again.

I thought my psychological resilience was pretty good, but just imagining it made my stomach churn.

I organized my thoughts, trying to figure out how to comfort Old Zhou. The words that came out were: "Old Zhou, your mental state isn't suitable for work. Take three days off, okay? If you want to get to the bottom of this, I can probably analyze it and give you an answer. What do you think?"

"Give me an answer? Are you a police officer?" Old Zhou's eyes showed some disbelief.

"Have you forgotten that I have decent investigative skills?" I laughed.

Old Zhou didn't really pay attention to my words. He might have just wanted to vent, but he accepted my suggestion to take three days off. He looked at me with some pain and said, "Old Three, can I stay at your place for three days? Under these special circumstances, is that okay?"

"No." I firmly refused. In fact, since I returned, I never let anyone into my home, which was actually a rented apartment.

"I knew it. I'll find other brothers. I knew you couldn't be relied on for this. I feel better now, I'm leaving." Old Zhou was a straightforward person. After his long, detailed narration, he felt relieved, and his mental state improved a lot.

"Alright." I also agreed straightforwardly. Just as Old Zhou was about to leave the shop, I couldn't help but call him back.

"What's up?" Old Zhou turned to look at me.

"Take this with you, and put it under your pillow when you sleep. It's a good thing my grandmother gave me, and I'll let you have it." I handed him a triangular piece of talisman paper, not allowing him to refuse, and put it in his shirt pocket.

"More of this superstitious stuff, I got it." Old Zhou waved his hand impatiently and walked out of the shop. He probably hadn't slept all night, drank here, and recalled the events of last night, so he must have been extremely tired and was rushing to find a place to sleep.

What I gave him was actually a small calming talisman. This talisman wasn't from my grandmother but one I drew myself.

"Calming talisman, don't think it's useless. I drew it well! How many Taoists can draw it well these days?" A voice echoed in my mind, and I thought of a person—irritable, absurd, but unforgettable.

———————————————————分割线———————————————————

8:00 PM was the time I closed my shop, even if there were customers, I had to close the door.

I thought this peculiar practice was why my business was average. But I never really cared about the business. Even if I just wanted to be a small antique shop owner, living a carefree life, ideally not opening for three years and then making enough to last for three years.

But not caring was just not caring. I kept deceiving myself, knowing deep down that this wasn't what I really wanted to do.

I wasn't short of money because I had my own source of income. Applying what I learned was the ideal for most people, and I was no exception.

Actually, I always had a feeling that I was being hidden away, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Whatever, I never understood their thoughts, and I don't need to now." I muttered to myself, cleaned up the mess Old Zhou had vomited, threw it in the nearby trash, and without hesitation, tidied up the shop and closed the door.

It was exactly 8:00 PM, and my daily routine was unchanged. The only difference today was that Old Zhou told me a strange story, and I was hesitating about whether to investigate it. However, if Old Zhou didn't want to know the answer, and I got involved in such an incident, I might get beaten up. So, I should keep a low profile.

Thinking about these things, I finally got home.

Opening the door, I entered a slightly messy one-bedroom apartment. I closed the door, put down my things, and before I could even sit down, the first thing I did was light incense. I bowed three times in front of an altar on one side of the wall, where a portrait hung. The portrait was of a middle-aged man in a Taoist robe, with a strange look, his eyes seemingly admiring a beauty, and a slightly dazed smile on his lips.

Any normal person would probably not worship such a person, but I had no choice. This was my so-called ancestral master, and as a disciple, I had to burn incense and bow three times daily, and I had to be sincere!

After bowing to the portrait and lighting the incense, I went to take a shower as if nothing had happened. The room was cluttered with yellow paper for drawing talismans, various line-bound books, and some Taoist ritual objects.

However, these ritual objects were just things I bought online to look at. I always wanted to find true "kindred spirits" this way, but after buying them, I realized that they were just superficial. The true ritual objects should have contained some energy and power, but these had none.

"Indeed, if these things could be mass-produced, everyone would probably want to learn Taoism." I finished my shower, drying my wet hair, and looking at the ritual objects casually thrown on the floor and sofa, I suddenly had this thought.

Humans are social animals, and when lonely for too long, they always want to find kindred spirits. I was even more lonely at heart, which is why I had the idea that everyone should learn Taoism.

Yes, I am a Taoist inheritor. The person who took me away told me that my sect was a hidden, very powerful Taoist school. However, including me, there were only three people in the entire sect.

But later, in the few years since I returned, I found that three people was a very "large" number. Perhaps my sect was indeed a very powerful Taoist school, as I had been hidden here, feeling lonely and desperately trying to find other true Taoist inheritors, but I couldn't find a single one.

"Speaking of the wonders of techniques, the Li family lineage is the best. Speaking of the lineage of beast control, the Snake Sect in Sichuan, though secretive, cannot be underestimated. Speaking of..." Thinking of this loneliness, I remembered what he told me. In his words, there were many Taoist inheritors, so many that they formed a kind of "jungle."

But in real life, where were all these people? I thought he must have read too many martial arts novels and made up a story for me.

He was my master, a superstitious old man. I also had a senior brother who was equally eccentric. Looking out at the dark night, I found myself missing them.

Are there really so few such inheritors? But why are there so many strange things hidden in the corners of the world? I originally wanted to light a cigarette.

But the alarm clock in the room was ringing wildly, 9:00 PM—a time that needed a reminder. It was time for me to meditate.