Chapter 009: The Willows Are Dark and the Flowers Are Dim

I did not shout "Is anyone there?" nor did I cry out "Let me go quickly." In this situation, doing so would be practically useless. Since I have already been captured, would shouting a few times really lead to my release?

Our teacher, Mr. Tian, has educated me that everything in the world can be analyzed through science

This appears to be an extraordinary and inexplicable matter. In such situations, individuals with weaker willpower are likely to succumb to despair.

Only the two white candles lit on the candlestick flicker in varying lengths, casting shifting shadows throughout the room, creating an especially eerie and frightening atmosphere

I crawled down from the table. This room looks quite peculiar, with a ceiling that is more than twice the height of an ordinary room. The color of the walls is very unusual, a glaring dark red. When I scratched it with my fingernail, it revealed a deep crimson hue, like blood. I leaned in closer to smell it, and there was the scent of vermilion. It seems that a large amount of vermilion was mixed into the walls during the initial construction.

But the house is only this big, and I can see everything at a glance. The floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and the roof and walls are made of earth containing a large amount of vermilion. The furnishings inside the house are also very simple, with only a few wooden tables and chairs, and there are no hidden places at all

"It's settled with a word! Those who don't keep their word are old dogs!" I quickly agreed. I have absolute confidence in the method I just used; if it weren't for that deadpan face suddenly appearing, I would have already escaped for quite a while by now.

This person is debauched and lawless, bringing disaster to the country and suffering to the people. Do you still like him? I cannot figure out what this person is really thinking, so I can only go along with what he says.

I heard the term "gay" from some films from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and I think it fits this old thing perfectly

The corpse's face sat in the chair, suddenly waving its sleeve: "Try again. If you can get out, I will let you go."

However, after watching for a while, cold sweat began to break out on my back. At this moment, the three columns of smoke rose straight up without the slightest fluctuation. This also meant that, at this time, there was not a trace of air movement in the room!

"You are the esteemed individual with the surname Zhong that the Liu family invited, aren't you?" I stared at him

This room has neither doors nor windows, making it a sealed space. Therefore, since there is no air circulation, smoke cannot drift.

"What does it matter who is high or low? I simply have an old acquaintance with the old master Liu, and I can help if I can. " The voice, devoid of any fluctuation, indeed sounded like that of a corpse

I picked up three incense sticks in the past, held them in my hand, and slowly took a step forward in the direction of the drifting smoke. After completing one step, I paused, waiting for the smoke to indicate a clear direction before taking another step forward

The corpse's face gazed deeply at me, making me feel a chill in my heart.

I was completely unaware of how this person appeared. Although I felt uneasy, fear was of no use at this moment. I brushed off the dust from my clothes, moved a chair over, and followed his lead by saying, "So, who do you like? Old Jiang?"

This house has neither doors nor windows, which is inherently illogical. It is highly likely that some sort of illusion has been created within this room, akin to those street magicians who deceive my eyes and prevent me from seeing a way out

I found a chair to sit down, I need to calm down first

I gritted my teeth, just about to take a step and crash into the wall, when suddenly the three incense sticks in my hand snapped simultaneously! Immediately afterward, I felt an immense pulling force from behind, yanking me backward and causing me to fall over, rolling several times on the ground

I felt a stir in my heart when I saw a bag of incense placed on the candlestick, so I took out a few sticks and lit them with the candle flame. I waved them in the air, extinguishing the flames.

Was the method just now taught to you by your third uncle

Cinnabar has the effect of warding off evil spirits. The walls and ceiling of this house have surprisingly been infused with so much cinnabar. What exactly are they trying to protect against

I thought to myself, damn it, is this old man interested in men, is he a gay?

This book looks familiar to me; it is indeed my copy of "Investiture of the Gods," which accompanied me throughout my childhood. And the person reading this book is that old fellow who appeared at my home that evening

I said that Teacher Tian is indeed Teacher Tian, as he is my homeroom teacher

The person who threw me here should be the one who appeared at my house that night. From this person's appearance, it reminds me of someone, the one surnamed Zhong mentioned by Liu Zian. In his fifties, wearing glasses, and looking quite refined, all of these match perfectly.

I was afraid that the deceased would have second thoughts, so I hurriedly brought out the incense holder from earlier, took three sticks of incense, lit them at the candle flame, extinguished the flame, and placed them in the incense holder

Now that there is drifting, it can only indicate one thing: there is actually air convection in the room, but I cannot perceive it

"Tell me about it." The corpse's face seemed quite interested

Then I moved a fragrant incense stand to the center of the room and inserted several lit incense sticks into it I took a few steps back and stared intently at the rising smoke from the incense sticks

The man closed the book, looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and slowly said: "King Zhou. He is my favorite."

I read it from the beginning again, but I still do not like Daji" The old man said slowly while flipping through the book

You haven't answered me yet, was the method just now taught to you by your third uncle

I shook my head and said that my third uncle knows nothing about these things; it was my teacher Tian who taught me. The corpse-like face let out an "oh" and asked who Teacher Tian was

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one in the room, I wanted to make a quick escape. However, after taking a careful look around, I was stunned. This room not only had no windows, but it didn't even have a door.

However, for those of us in this profession, we usually deal with the deceased and supernatural matters, and we encounter many strange occurrences. We are well aware of the principle that unusual events often indicate something sinister. At such times, one must absolutely not panic or show fear. If you panic or show fear, you will first lose your own composure, and then no one will be able to save you

I do not care whether continuing like this will lead me to bump into the table or hit the wall, I hold my breath and concentrate, with only a few incense sticks in my sight. I walk intermittently, tracing a path through the room that is as winding as a maze. Ultimately, the direction indicated by the smoke is towards the wall, which is approximately a few inches away from my nose

I got up from the ground, looking disheveled and dusty, and saw that there was an additional person sitting in the chair I had occupied earlier. With gray-white hair and dressed in a dark blue Tang suit, he was reading a book.

This is fundamentally unreasonable. This house appears to be somewhat old, and it cannot possibly be newly built. Since I was able to be thrown into this house, it indicates that there must be an entrance.

I groped along the wall inch by inch, but did not notice anything unusual. There is nothing particularly clever here, nor are there any secret doors or anything of the sort

I was taken aback: "Do you know my third uncle?"

I simply can't be bothered with him. You say I'm a blockhead, and I am a blockhead, aren't I? I could just as easily say you're a deadhead; why haven't you gone and died?

How is this possible

The clever child. The deadpan face clapped its hands a few times, producing an extremely unpleasant sound, "It's a pity that your so-called Teacher Tian has turned you into a blockhead. Truly foolish beyond measure!"

At that moment, I felt dizzy, and with a thud, I collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness

However, regardless of the circumstances, a sleight of hand is still a sleight of hand; it can deceive the eyes and confuse the senses, but it cannot defy the laws of nature. As long as there is air circulation in the room, it cannot be a sealed space, and smoke will inevitably drift

All of this effort has gone to waste

I am now certain that the one who instructed Liu Zian to transport the coffin to my home must be this old scoundrel! This black-hearted individual clearly cannot handle that ghostly girl Liu Nan, so they have shifted the blame onto us. This is an attempt to ruin our village!

From my position, I can clearly see that several plumes of smoke do not rise straight up, but instead curl like snakes, drifting in one direction

When I woke up, I found myself in a room with no windows on any side. My face was down, resting on a large table. The room was dark, with only a few simple wooden tables and chairs, and a candlestick. In the corner, two white candles were lit, their flickering light creating an unsettling atmosphere.

Dead man's face shook its head: "I have heard of it. It is said that in your line of work, your skills are the best within a hundred miles."

Then I stepped back a few paces and focused on the smoke wafting from the incense. First, I needed to capture the path of the air currents by observing the direction in which the smoke dispersed.

I felt a stir in my heart upon hearing this. The person said "your line of work," which indicates that they are not in the same profession as us. Could it be that there is someone else who uses the method of tying the chalk line with the Seven Star Knot? Or does this person have considerable knowledge of our trade as well

This is really abnormal, he is a homosexual! I shivered, my whole body was covered in goosebumps, and I hurriedly said: "Of course, you can like whoever you want, it's your freedom!"

Although this old thing has a decent appearance, its complexion is pale, its eye sockets are deeply sunken, and it has a naturally cadaverous face that is unsettling to behold. It glanced at me with its dead fish eyes, a strange smirk curling at the corners of its mouth, and said: "Is it not permissible to take pleasure in causing disaster to the country and its people?"