Chapter 3, The Eccentric Old Man

I only discovered this matter a second before my departure. At that time, Xu Lei was saying something along the lines of "what's done is done, no need to waste time on it," and he was quite persuasive, leaving me feeling confused. In the end, I agreed to let this kid come along.

Then Old Yang led us to the left, arriving in front of a guest room. He pointed to the guest room and said, "You will stay here"

Anyway, this person's shop is not far ahead, and I am not worried about her deceiving us, so I followed her instructions and walked towards the inner direction.

So when I suggested going to find someone first, this guy merely shrugged casually and did not raise any objections

This place feels off! As soon as he closed the door, Xu Lei revealed a worried expression and said directly: "This can't be some haunted house, can it?"

After confirming that the aunt was not joking, I, filled with excitement, requested her to guide me. At first, this aunt hesitated, saying it was inconvenient to leave the shop, and she stammered and stalled for quite a while.

The old man! I have defined this cold, unfeeling old man in my mind, yet I still acted according to his instructions and walked into the room

Although I previously agreed to let Xu Lei come with me, it was not without conditions; at the very least, he must follow my instructions along the way and cannot go against my wishes

I felt a surge of joy, not expecting things to go so smoothly, and quickly explained: "Um, the situation is like this, someone asked us to come find you, saying they would take me to meet another person."

I just find it strange! Xu Lei shook his head, still insisting on his viewpoint. He put down his backpack and walked towards the door, saying: "I feel uncomfortable staying in this place. I will go out for a while and come back later"

I traveled here by train, which took a full four hours, and there were basically no unexpected events during the journey. ... Of course, except for a certain "unexpected" event that cannot really be considered unexpected ...

I asked Xu Lei to go up and try knocking on the door. At first, Xu Lei was a bit apprehensive and did not dare to step forward, saying that this house looked different from the several nearby ones, being eerie and somewhat frightening

After the aunt finished speaking, she reminded me that Old Yang has a peculiar temper and is difficult to get along with, and then she turned and left

At this moment, Xu Lei also went out. I was alone in this dilapidated house, feeling bored, so I wanted to open the window to get some fresh air and, by the way, observe the surrounding environment

Following the instructions of the travel guide and the anonymous letter, I listened to Xu Lei's incessant chatter along the way, until my brain was nearly overwhelmed. I finally arrived at the halfway point, a place where tourists can rest and dine.

I should have anticipated that this fellow was not so kind-hearted, claiming he wanted to help me manage my affairs. In reality, he merely used this pretext to prepare duplicates of everything I needed, making a copy for himself right under my nose

The room was pitch dark, and I fumbled around on the wall by the door for quite a while, but I couldn't find the light switch. After studying the situation for some time, I finally realized that this place is located deep in the mountains, and the electricity supply is not comparable to that of the city. Unlike the hotels at the entrance of tourist attractions, which are more formal, it is likely that this small guest room doesn't even have electricity connected

But don't you think something is off here? Xu Lei pointed towards the paper window, implying that it was about that old man Yang.

I casually walked up to a woman who seemed to be a vendor of groceries in the mountains. After purchasing two bottles of mineral water, I casually inquired about the name Lao Yangtou. The vendor indicated that she knew who I was looking for.

I exchanged a glance with Xu Lei and noticed that this fellow seemed a bit apprehensive. Therefore, without hesitation, I stepped ahead and entered the room. Seeing me go in, Xu Lei had no other choice but to follow me eagerly.

Xu Lei curled his lips upon hearing this, completely unfazed, and continued to walk out, merely leaving behind a remark: "He said it, so I listened; I'm not an idiot!"

Although I also had a bit of this feeling in my heart, I certainly would not admit it at that moment. I exchanged a few words with him, and in the end, I brought up the verbal agreement we had reached earlier. Only then did this fellow muster the courage to walk to the front door and knock on it a few times with the latch.

Look at this big hole, it looks so imposing; could it really have been created by lightning!

Did that old man just say not to let us move around? I said, thinking that the old ghost is so mysterious, this statement shouldn't be made casually

Indeed, it is this eerie old man

However, all these matters were within my expectations and did not exceed my plans. From the current situation, the only significant change is this person beside me.

You said that person asked you to come here to find him, what does that actually mean? This place doesn't seem like a small secluded spot at all

After searching for a long time, I finally found the oil lamp and matches on the table. I lit the oil lamp and then closed the door properly

Fortunately, the wait was not very long; after about half a minute, the wooden door was pushed open from the inside, revealing a slight crack.

I casually glanced at the courtyard, then looked at the guest room across from me. The scene felt overly monotonous and unremarkable, so I was about to withdraw my gaze.

Thinking of this, I also set my mind at ease; it was so simple to find this old Yang. I suppose the subsequent matters should be even simpler than expected

Opening the window, one can see the courtyard of the old residence, as well as the guest room directly opposite the courtyard on the other side.

An old man, who appeared lifeless, poked his head out and asked in an unusually stiff tone: "Who are you looking for"

"You big-headed ghost!" I threw my luggage onto the bamboo bed and replied to Xu Lei in a bad mood.

I calculate the time; it is now noon, and many people are eating. If we go to eat now, we may not find a seat. It would be better to first look for that old Yang, so I can resolve my concerns sooner.

According to the anonymous letter, I need to find a person named Old Yang here, and this person will take me to meet the one who wrote the letter

"That... we are not here to stay overnight," Xu Lei mustered the courage to say, as I estimated he did not want to linger in this dreadful place

This place is truly remarkable, the scenery is exceptionally beautiful! Look here, we must go and take a look. Oh, and there's also this pier; we absolutely have to walk on it!

Tianmen Mountain, located in the Yongding District of Zhangjiajie, Hunan, is a renowned mountain and also the starting point of my journey to reclaim my memories

After the knock, the young man trembled as if ants were crawling all over him, quickly stepping back several paces to stand beside me, waiting to see if anyone would open the door

Why does this fellow think so poorly, insisting on heading in the direction of ghosts and monsters?

This statement is rather vague; in fact, I myself do not fully understand it. After all, the anonymous letter was only so long and merely instructed me to find Old Yang, who would then take me to meet the mysterious person. At this moment, when asked to explain the intent in detail, I too find it difficult to articulate clearly

Suddenly, my eyes glanced towards the guest room directly opposite me, and I noticed that the window of that room was also half open. Upon taking a closer look, I was startled to the point of trembling all over, nearly letting out a scream

I nodded, not denying Xu Lei's feelings, but simply replied: "That old man is a bit strange, but elderly people tend to have this and that issue; it's nothing serious."

This process sounds somewhat complicated, but essentially, as long as I can find that old Yang, I do not need to worry about anything else

I know. Old Yang's gaze remained unchanged as he said stiffly, "Not everyone is here yet; you arrived too early."

Fortunately, this old man was quite clever; after listening to my words, his expression remained unchanged. He merely nodded and uttered an "oh," then opened the door. It seemed he understood!

I originally intended to take this opportunity to inquire about the matter of the letter's author, but from what he is saying now, it seems that the person who is supposed to meet me has not yet arrived

Through the half-open window opposite, a bloodshot eye was staring intently in my direction, and it happened to meet my gaze for a moment

This bungalow has been built for many years, using construction materials from a long time ago. Its specifications are similar to those of a small siheyuan. At first glance, it does appear somewhat strange, resembling the haunted houses found in ghost stories

Not to mention that there are thousands of tourists in this place, just considering the staff and the local residents, there are probably several hundred in total. I estimate that finding one person among so many should not be that easy.

When we arrived at the gatehouse where Old Yang was, we found that his front door was tightly closed, and we were unsure if he was at home

Xu Lei, that bastard who promised me he wouldn't come, ended up following me here anyway

Moreover, what he said was that not everyone was present, which clearly implies that besides the main person and the two of us, there should be others coming to this place. In other words, the person who wrote the letter intends to meet not just me, but at least two people.

Is this the home of Old Yang? Based on the name Old Yang, it is likely the name of an elderly man, perhaps even the person in front of me. However, since I was unclear about the situation, I asked another question: "We are looking for Old Yang regarding a matter."

"Remember, do not wander around." Old Yang shot a cold glance at the two of us, and after saying this, turned and walked towards the center hall, quickly disappearing from my sight

Upon encountering the mysterious person who sent the letter, inquiring about one's past may reveal the reasons behind one's amnesia

The farmhouses at this scenic spot are all run by local mountain dwellers, with the front serving as a storefront and the back as a residence. Under the guidance of this aunt, Xu Lei and I walked to the entrance of a row of bungalows at the back. The aunt pointed to the innermost house and informed us that Old Yang lived in that one.

"It is I." The old man glanced at Xu Lei and me, and said淡淡ly, "I do not know you."

In the end, it was Xu Lei who took out one hundred yuan and handed it to the aunt, which made her excitedly call over a little kid to watch the shop for her, while she led us into the back of a row of small shops

I suppose so, that old man just looks a bit frightening; could he really be a ghost? The lady who sells groceries also mentioned before that this old man has a peculiar personality and is difficult to get along with. This suggests that the neighbors must have had some interactions with him, but perhaps due to his temperament, they are not particularly fond of him.

The search for Old Yang turned out to be unexpectedly smooth, completely contrary to my expectations of it taking a long time and encountering numerous obstacles.

What should we do now?" Xu Lei glanced at the endless crowd ahead, then turned to look at me