The Priest Kept a Ghost in His Gourd and Let Him Out Every Night novel · Chapter 16 of 24

Chapter 16: Ink Over Everything

The gourd hummed all night and did nothing else.

Pingan put his ear against it at dawn and heard only a faint warm purr.

"It's waiting for something," he said.

"Everything is waiting for something," said Zhuoran. "Go back to bed."

By evening the ribs had stopped screaming.

Auntie Xu's salve and a day of broth, fed to him by a ghost with a scowl, had put some colour back in his face.

At sunset the bell began to toll under the river.

It was slow and deep, and every villager on the waterfront stopped what they were doing and listened.

It said Zhuoran's name nine times.

Then it fell silent.

"Tomorrow," Zhuoran said, from the window. "At first light. He means it."

"Then we go together."

"Yes."

"And tonight?"

Zhuoran turned from the window.

He looked at Pingan for a long time with his dark eyes, and the red ring in them was only a thread.

"Tonight," he said, "I want you to take your time."

Pingan set the lamp on the shelf and the brush case on the quilt.

He was shaking a little, and not from the ribs.

"All of you," he said. "I'm going to write on every inch."

"You haven't enough ink."

"I'll grind more."

"You haven't enough hours."

"It's a long night."

The corner of Zhuoran's mouth went up.

"I have been alone for a hundred and thirty-one years," he said. "I can wait out a priest."

← Chapter 15 · All chapters · Chapter 17 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend