x University Library.
When he passed through the gate and entered the hall, he saw the school's celebrity list hanging on the wall.
At the top is a row of very old black-and-white photos.
The second row also showed older people, but in color. In the middle of the row, there was a color landscape picture.
A single landscape picture mounted on the photo wall is indeed a bit ungentle.
s419m: The landscape picture was previously hung with the grandfather. The police were very efficient, and with evidence and testimony, they quickly identified the suspect. Although this news was not reported at the social level, the school should have received the news, so they removed his photo.
Escape System: Originally the students didn’t know about this, and now the school has suddenly removed the photos. Won’t the students be curious
s419m: Of course they are curious. Privately, the news has gone viral. All the achievements of that grandpa have been wiped out in the school. This is what it means that the more you don't want to lose something, the more you lose it. In order to maintain his image, he has been imprisoning his first wife, and he did not let her go even after his death. If you want to learn how to do things, you must first learn how to be a human being. No matter how outstanding his talent is, if his character is not good, he is just a high-IQ criminal. The honor he has spent his whole life to maintain is so fragile that it can be easily beaten.
The escape system's eyes sparkled: Brother M, well said! You are so tough today.
While the two systems were arguing, Baili Xin's eyes fell on a very black and white photo.
The photo shows a gentle woman, wearing a charming and graceful cheongsam, holding an umbrella and leaning against a granite gate. Because it is an old photo, the woman's facial features are no longer clear, but this does not affect her blurred eyes.
Even though time has blurred the photo, it cannot stop the woman's unique and radiant temperament.
s419m: Is there something wrong with this woman, host
Baili Xin: Do you think this woman is a bit like Luo Mei we saw before
s419m: Not really. Although the woman's facial features in the photo are blurred, I can still make out the details. She doesn't look alike.
Baili Xin: I'm not talking about appearance, I'm talking about the feeling from the inside out, but it's also possible that I'm too sensitive.
His sight slowly moved down from the photo wall, and as expected, Baili Xin found several great talents from the Performance Department on the photo wall at the back.
Shen Mo, Lin Mu, Luo Ran.
Because Lin Mu has passed away, the photo was changed to black and white.
After looking at the baby-faced young man in the photo for a moment, Baili Xin turned and walked into the library.
For a well-known university like X University, the library should have many students preparing for exams day and night. But here it was just the opposite. In the huge library, there were only a few students flipping through books. There were only three or five students reading books on the tables next to the bookshelves.
Empty, deserted and lonely.
This was Baili Xin’s first impression of the library.
"Balisin?"
A tentative question came from behind, the voice was very low, as if afraid to disturb the students in the library.
Hearing the voice and turning around, Baili Xin saw a man in a Taoist robe tiptoeing and taking two quick steps towards him.
"Ah, it's you. Hello, why are you here?" The person who came was the Taoist priest who was one of the seven people who were deceived into participating in the live ghost-exorcism show on TV.
The Taoist stroked his goat beard and said quietly: "I heard that this place is haunted, and someone asked me to exorcise the ghost. Are you one of them?"
Baili Xin secretly looked at the Taoist priest. Unlike the previous two days when he was lightly equipped, the Taoist priest today was carrying a heavy bag on his back, and it was obvious that he came prepared.
"Hey, these are all treasures left by our ancestors," the Taoist priest shook the bag behind him, "I didn't know what happened to the TV station until I went back last time. The people in the TV station were really unkind. They secretly broadcast the video of us catching ghosts. I don't know if they found their conscience later and stopped broadcasting it halfway. By the way, did you see anything in Studio 8 later?"
"Nothing. He must have escaped." Baili Xin shook his neck and did not tell the Taoist priest that Luo Ran was a wolf demon.
The Taoist priest retracted the light in his eyes with regret: "Is that so? Then you must not have received the money either. What a pity."
Baili Xin: “.”
What's up with this Taoist priest? Aren't Taoists indifferent to fame and fortune and pure in mind
Taoist priest: "Meeting is destiny. Since we met here, it is also destiny. Otherwise, how about traveling together? Then we can take care of each other."
This suggestion was neither good nor bad for Baili Xin, and he had no reason to refuse it.
Just like that, a temporary two-person team was formed.
I don't know if it's because the air conditioning in the library is turned on too high or for geographical reasons, but the temperature inside the books is much lower than outside. Even people like Baili Xin, who are not very sensitive to temperature, can feel gusts of cool breeze blowing into their bodies from their sleeves from time to time.
He walked to the window and looked outside.
There is a circle of willow trees planted outside the library. These willow trees seem to be quite old. Each one needs the arms of two young men to hug it. The soft and slender willow branches have already sprouted soft green buds. At this moment, all the willow branches are swaying freely in the May breeze. From a distance, they look like waves beating against the coast, or like endless grassland under the dome of white clouds.
The Taoist frowned as he stared at the willow tree outside, his expression very serious: "No wonder this place attracts ghosts. I've felt a chilly wind here since I came in. Willows represent yin, and we usually use willows when making coffins. Willows attract ghosts and nourish souls, but this library is surrounded by willow trees. If it doesn't attract ghosts, who will?"
"The people who built this library probably didn't believe in feng shui, so they planted so many willow trees around it, turning this Feng Shui treasure land into a haunted place."
Baili Xin clasped his hands on the glass, and the blue veins on the back of his hands bulged slightly, just like a breakwater on the beach.
"Is this a Feng Shui treasured land?" He gazed at the willow trees swaying in the wind outside. His tone was flat, and no fluctuations could be heard, nor could any emotion be interpreted.
"When I came here, I looked at the Feng Shui here. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Behind this school, there is a mountain range that looks like a entrenched dragon. This is the land of dragon veins. If you build a building here, it will be a big hit. Look at this school. Since it was built, it has been going smoothly, developing steadily and all the way. So many celebrities have come out of the school. Don't disbelieve in Feng Shui. This is the added advantage of the dragon veins."
"But the only flaw is this library. The willow tree has dragged this library down, making it the ghost hole in this prosperous area. The library has been sacrificed, and it has attracted all the negative things here like a black hole."
"Ghosts can be nourished here, but if people stay here for a long time, it will only consume their yang energy. Over time, they will suffer from serious diseases at best, or even die at worst."
"I guess the teachers on duty in this library are not in good health."
As he was speaking, a violent cough was heard from a distance.
The two looked back and saw a middle-aged man in his thirties with a pale face walking out of the duty room.
He walked with unsteady steps, his whole body was weak, and he looked sickly.
The Taoist snorted and pointed at the man and said, "See, he is the kind of person I just talked about. Now you should believe what I say, right?"
"…" Baili Xin, "It seems that I never said that I didn't believe what you said from the beginning to the end, right? I believed it from the beginning."
Taoist priest:"."
The sun outside was setting gradually. As the library was blocked by tall willow trees, the night in the library seemed to come much earlier than the sky outside.
The sun hadn't set yet, but the library was already getting dark.
The students who were picking and reading books left the library one after another. Their steps were messy and they walked in a hurry.
In just five minutes, the library was completely shrouded in darkness, and they were the only two people left.
Leaving the library after dark seems to be an unwritten agreement between all teachers and students.
As night fell, the wind outside gradually grew stronger, and a faint fragrance of earth blew into Baili Xin's nose through the gaps in the glass.
It smells like it's going to rain.
Just as I was thinking this, a small lightning suddenly struck overhead. About two seconds after the lightning, a muffled thunder sounded.
The wind outside the window got a little stronger, but the rain had not fallen yet.
"I suffered a loss at the TV station last time, and I'm going to get my revenge today no matter what," the Taoist said to himself as he took out a compass from his backpack, "Let me see how many little ghosts there are here."
The compass has its own fluorescence, emitting a faint green light in dim conditions.
The Taoist held the compass in both hands and muttered something.
At the same time, the compass, which had been still, suddenly swayed.
Then, the red and blue needles on the compass began to move.
When it turned to twelve o'clock, the compass stopped.
Baili Xin subconsciously looked in the direction indicated by the compass. The direction indicated by the compass was exactly the staircase. The dark staircase was obviously darker and deeper than the other spaces around it. The yellow door of the stairwell was open, and looking inside, all he could see was endless darkness.
In the hidden darkness, there seems to be an invisible gaze spying on this place.
The Taoist took a deep breath.
There was complete silence around them, with no other sound except the breathing of the two people.
Suddenly, there was a "swish" sound of metal friction.
The Taoist's shoulders trembled visibly, and the two men lowered their heads subconsciously.
The still compass began to turn again.
This time the compass turned twice and finally stopped at the three o'clock position.
Baili Xin looked in the direction the compass was pointing to, which was the bookshelf area. Looking in the direction of the compass, it was right in front of a table.
There was a book on the table that had not been put away in time, and the compass was pointing there quietly, as if there was an invisible soul there reading the book with its head down.
The Taoist priest chuckled twice: "Just two ghosts, no big deal."
As soon as he finished speaking, the "swish" sound of metal friction rang out again.
This time the compass not only rotated faster than before, but also lasted much longer.
The Taoist priest held up the compass and explained: "My compass can not only sense the location of these supernatural things, but also sense how far they are from us. The faster it rotates, the closer it is to us."
The compass suddenly stopped and pointed straight at Baili Xin.
To be more precise, it should be the direction where Baili Xin is.
Behind Baili Xin, there was only a closed window.
The Taoist priest's dry smile suddenly disappeared, and he looked behind Baili Xin with a stiff neck.
Suddenly his expression changed drastically, and his pupils shrank into two small dots at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The corners of the Taoist's eyes twitched uncontrollably, as if he had seen something horrible.
Baili Xin turned his head warily, and suddenly a huge face came into his sight.
It was a face as old as mottled bark, with traces of time crisscrossing across it, the skin was black, and the cheeks were sunken like dead bones.
There was no expression on the old face. It was tightly separated from the glass, and the black skin was stuck to the glass like a deformed piece of gummy candy.
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, briefly illuminating the room with a dim blue light.
Under the blue light, the two could see the face outside the window more clearly.
The face was pressed against the glass without any gap, and the eyelids drooped, almost covering the almost black eyes.
Suddenly, a pair of withered hands stretched out from under the window and slammed heavily on the glass.
There was a loud "ping" sound, and the glass made a loud noise in the silent darkness.
The Taoist's shoulders shook again.
"Hey, who are you two?!"
The old man with a wrinkled face asked, "Get out of the library right away. Don't you know that the library doesn't allow people to stay at night?!"
The words came out of an old man's voice. Although it was old and hoarse, it was a voice they could hear.
The Taoist priest finally calmed down. He bravely looked out the window and asked half doubtfully, "Are you a human?"
The old man's dark eyes suddenly widened, his face filled with anger. He slammed the window several times to vent his anger, "Of course you are a human! You are not a human, who are you anyway?!"
The Taoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the old man outside the window was a human.
He bravely walked to the window, hesitated for a long time with his hand on the window switch, and finally put his hand down and did not open the window.
Through the window, the Taoist priest explained his purpose.
The old man shook his head and cursed: "What a sin, what a sin. You are a bunch of dogs who have nothing better to do than to educate more students. You are destroying our ancestors' things. You idiots, have your heads been squeezed out by the door? You are a bunch of retards, you will regret it sooner or later. You sons of bitches, wait for retribution! Damn them!..."
Baili Xin: "..."
Taoist priest: “…”
Wow, he cursed for so long and not a single word was repeated.
____________________________
Studio.
Curse slowly, curse slowly, I’m remembering it, I’m remembering it.
I am copying homework. Please do not disturb me.
My goodness, is this old man's mouth made of a machine gun? Boom boom boom, boom boom boom, this old man with so much energy, doesn't he need to breathe
"Older gingers are more spicy"
It’s so spicy, brother.
"An old house where a treasure"
Hahaha, I'll give this old treasure to you. I don't want it.
____________________________
It sounds like the old man was scolding the school's top leaders.
After scolding the group of people, the old man's eyes suddenly turned to Baili Xin and the Taoist priest, and said coldly: "Hey, you two."
The Taoist priest was a little flustered by this old man who didn't play by the rules: "What... what are you doing?"
"I'm warning you. Be careful. There lives a powerful being in here who is protecting the school. If you hurt it, you will be punished by God."
"Before it gets completely dark, I advise you to leave quickly and not wade into this place, or you won't even know how you died."
"I have already said this much. If you want to listen, then listen. If you don't want to listen, then it's up to you."
Originally, they thought the old man would insist on letting them leave, but they didn't expect that the old man would just leave these words in the end, turn around, put his hands behind his back and left, blending into the willow trees, leaving the Taoist priest and Baili Xin looking at each other in bewilderment.
“Swish!”
The compass was completely unaware of what was happening outside and continued to turn the needle diligently.
After turning a few circles, the compass stopped at the five o'clock position.
Just as Baili Xin and the Taoist priest looked up, the compass suddenly moved again.
Soon, it stopped at the 12 o'clock position again.
This time they were not even given a chance to look around, as the compass turned again.
After that, the compass was like it had a small electric motor installed. It stopped and turned at a high frequency, until finally the compass simply gave up stopping and just spun madly.
The silent compass seemed to want to tell the two that they were surrounded by invisible giaogiao.
Baili Xin glanced at the crazy compass and looked at the Taoist priest with a questioning look.
The Taoist priest just laughed dryly, silently reached his hand under the compass, and gently pressed somewhere with the tip of his index finger.
There was a crisp "click" sound of the switch, and the compass instantly stopped turning like an angry bird that had stopped working.
The Taoist priest put the compass back into his backpack and said, "Haha, don't worry about it. This thing uses electricity. Occasionally, there will be a short circuit and a bug. This should be a bug."
Baili Xin: "..."
____________________________
Studio.
I've taken off my socks, and you're telling me this thing is a battery-powered toy? Is this Taoist priest trying to make fun of me
Wouldn't it be better to use electricity? A small electric motor.
Electric bullshit, I'm talking about compass, what are you talking about
I was also talking about the compass.
This Taoist priest is probably not here to perform.
____________________________
The Taoist priest opened his backpack, took out the compass and then pulled out a peach wood sword from it.
Where he couldn't see, the compass turned several times without any electric light, and the needle stopped at the dark staircase again.
"Although some of my props occasionally malfunction, I have both high-tech ghost-catching props and the most primitive ghost-catching weapons."
"Then the question is, how do you plan to catch ghosts?" The library was already pitch black. Baili Xin walked to the light switch and wanted to turn on the light, but as soon as he pressed his finger on the switch, all the lights above his head lit up immediately.
The dark library suddenly became bright.
The Taoist priest patted his package and said, "Let's start the ritual, but first we have to find the ghost."
"This library has three floors. I heard that ghosts are usually seen on the third floor. Let's go to the third floor and take a look."
The Taoist looked around and his eyes fell on the elevator. Then he hesitated for a moment and his eyes fell on the stairs.
Take the elevator or take the stairs
Remembering the compass that pointed to the staircase twice, the Taoist priest finally looked back at the elevator: "Let's take the elevator up."
Baili Xin had no idea what to do, so he just followed the Taoist priest.
There was only one up button on the elevator, and the Taoist didn't think much about it at first. After all, this was the first floor and there was no floor below it.
But it was not until they took the elevator to the third floor and walked out of the elevator that the Taoist priest accidentally glanced at the wall next to the elevator and his footsteps stopped instantly.
The library has five floors, and the accident happened on the third floor.
Logically speaking, the third floor is the middle floor, so the elevator should be able to go down as well as up.
But now there is only an up button on the wall, and no down button.
The Taoist priest was not the only one who discovered this situation. Baili Xin also noticed it.
In other words, this elevator is most likely a single-row elevator.
You can only go up, not down.
Baili Xin glanced at the Taoist priest and found that the Taoist priest's face looked a little ugly.
Baili Xin: "What happened? Are you okay?"
The Taoist priest curled his lips forcefully: "It's okay, I just haven't seen this kind of elevator before, I'm a little surprised, let's go."
_____________________________
Studio.
Not to mention that it was the first time for the Taoist priest to see this kind of elevator, it was also the first time for me.
Wait, did the compass point to the stairs twice? If the elevator can only go up and not down, then when they get down, do they have to take the stairs? Do you think they will encounter the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons
Damn it, good brother, please spare me, do you want to scare me to death so that you can inherit my points
High energy warning ahead!
There is already a picture, it’s really gripping, isn’t it
_____________________________
It was discovered that Giaogiao's room was a special library for history, which displayed many books left over from the past, and many of the ancient books had already turned yellow.
Perhaps because the books are too old, the room has a distinct musty smell.
Not only does the room smell musty, but even the lights in this library are old-fashioned kerosene lamps.
The decoration style is also old-fashioned. When you step into this room, you will even feel like you are traveling through time and space.
However, the room was quiet and there was no ghost. The so-called ghost seemed to be just another rumor.
At seven o'clock in the evening, a private chat message sounded in Baili Xin's system on time.
Baili Xin opened the group chat window and found that some people had already started reporting today's discoveries in the group.
Burr: I seem to have made a discovery today. I delivered food to X University today. When I was delivering food to the college students, I heard them chatting. It seemed that a very good teacher in the school had an eye disease. I listened to it at the time. The students were quite regretful when they chatted. I heard that the disease was found out several months ago, and he took leave for treatment after the diagnosis. At first, he would meet with students, but later he closed the door and did not see them. He has even lost contact for more than a week, and I don’t know whether he is dead or alive.
Burr: Didn't you say that the dead person's eyes might have disease? Doesn't this fit the description
Suit man: X University? I also sold a retired teacher from X University today. He said there is a weird library at X University. Does X University appear so often
Qi Liu Hai: Help, I also came into contact with x University.
There is a parent of a student in our class who is a teacher at X University. However, I didn't pay attention to this clue and haven't talked to this parent. I will try to find out what he thinks tomorrow.
Man in suit: On the fourth day, we finally saw the light. Has anyone of you contacted X University
Xia Chi: I’m in the supermarket now.
Baili Xin: ... I am in the library of X University now.
Then he added: Professional tasks issued by the system.
Man in suit: !!!
Glitch: ! ! Any findings? !
Baili Xin: I just arrived and haven't noticed it yet. I am more concerned about the teacher with eye disease you just mentioned. Do you know his name
Burr: I don't know his name, but I know he is the school librarian. The reason why students like him is that in the past, when students wanted to find a book, they would just tell him directly, and the students didn't need to work hard to find it. The teacher would find it for them and put it in the designated place. Now that the teacher is gone, the new librarian doesn't spoil them like that, so they remember the kindness of the previous teacher.
Qi Liuhai: Oh, after all this time, it turns out that this is why I miss my old teacher. Sometimes people say that they don’t know how lucky they are. Only after losing a child will they miss the past. But this is not because of longing or love, but just because I have become accustomed to a more comfortable environment.
To put it bluntly, they don't miss the teacher at all, they just miss the moment when someone else prepared the books for them. If the teacher who replaced him also prepared the books like him, do you think they would still miss this teacher
It's just sophisticated selfishness.
Plaid shirt: What a painful realization.
Man in suit: Well, Baili Xin, if you find anything, please tell us in the group immediately so we can communicate with each other.
Berry Sin: Okay.
Burr: Babyface hasn’t sent any message today.
Qi Liu Hai: ... Hey.
The group chat at seven o'clock ended and Baili Xin closed the group chat window.
The game time is already halfway through, and the clues provided to the players are now gradually pointing to X University.
Judging from the current clues, X University is indeed the most suspicious.
It had started to drizzle outside the window, and the raindrops hit the window, then flowed down along the winding rain line through the window.
The two of them walked around the entire third floor, but still found nothing.
"Let's wait a moment," the Taoist took out a yellow square cloth from his backpack and spread it on a blank table. As he spoke, he continued to take things out of his backpack.
A bag of millet, a bag of flour, a bottle of purified water, and a bag of black stuff with a strong smell of blood.
Baili Xin leaned over curiously, "Is this the ritual of opening the altar? What is the use of this pure water?"
Taoist priest: "This is not pure water. This is the rainwater I collected when it rained, commonly known as rootless water."
"The sun has just set, so the Yang energy should not have dissipated yet. Let's wait a while. The ghost should appear at twelve o'clock in the evening."
Baili Xin: "What will happen if we catch Piao?"
The Taoist priest skillfully pulled out a few wooden bowls from his backpack and poured the things he had taken out at the beginning into the bowls one by one: "According to the rules, your soul will be scattered."
Baili Xin: "So cruel? If it didn't do anything bad, isn't it a bit too cruel?"
Taoist priest: "The ancestor once said that ghosts are neither good nor bad, but those who show up to disturb the souls in the world of the living are definitely not good."
"We in the Dao sect follow the path of ruthlessness. We would rather kill a hundred people by mistake than let go of a dangerous existence that may disturb humanity."
"Although our martial arts are very powerful, if you practice for too long, you will suffer backlash and retribution. Therefore, our ancestors also set a rule that you must retire at the age of 30 and concentrate on seclusion."
Baili Xin glanced at the Taoist priest's face and asked, "You are not yet thirty?"
"Ahem," the Taoist coughed dryly, "Although I look young, I am already thirty-three years old this year. Alas, I also want to retire, but now I can't find any descendants to inherit my mantle. What else can I do? I can only continue to do it."
Baili Xin: "Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"Hehe," the Taoist smiled slyly, "I cheated a little. In the past, I should have made the ghosts fly away. But my magic power is not very strong, and most of the ghosts nowadays are not very strong, so I usually keep them alive. This way my backlash will be much smaller. There is a saying that goes, we must keep up with the times and learn to innovate. Isn’t this innovation?"
"In fact, most ghosts remain in this world for a reason, whether it's obsession, greed, or revenge. I won't kill such ghosts."
"But I have killed some too. They are evil ghosts who are evil by nature. They harmed countless people when they were alive, and they want to continue harming people after they die."
"The more evil the ghost is, the harder it is to deal with. Isn't it ironic? The power of good ghosts is weak, while the power of evil ghosts is strong. Just like the world, some people do their own things in peace and order, they don't do anything bad, they live docilely, and when they are treated unfairly, they have no power to fight back, while some evil people can be violent and tyrannical."
Baili Xin: "..."
While the Taoist priest was speaking, he had already placed everything on the table one by one.
Raindrops pattered against the glass. The Taoist priest found a random chair and sat down, chatting aimlessly with Baili Xin: "Hey, Baili Xin, how did you come up with the idea of becoming a haunted house sleep tester? Isn't this a difficult job?"
Baili Xin: "... I don't want to be one either."
But the system won’t allow it.
The Taoist sighed: "Actually, I am the same as you. I don't want to be a Taoist priest either, but I have no choice."
"My parents died of illness when I was very young. The elders in my family said that I was unlucky and gave me to my master. If not for the fact that my master treated me like his own son over the years, I would have died long ago. I swore at that time that I would be filial to him in the future and let him spend his old age in peace."
"Oh, how can there be any such thing as a bad luck to my father or mother? My master has predicted my fate and said that I have a good fate. It is the fate of the Purple Star and I will definitely achieve great things in the future."
"My own grandma and grandpa were unwilling to raise me, but my master, who had no blood relationship with me, taught me so carefully. This is a bond, which is not weaker than blood relationship, and can even be stronger than blood relationship."
"Do you have such a bond, Baili Xin?" The Taoist seemed to be a social cow. He chatted a lot without any awkwardness and finally threw the question to Baili Xin.
Baili Xin put one hand on his temple, stared at his fingernails, and said calmly, "Yes."
"Really? What is your bond like?" The Taoist priest continued to ask, "Is it family like mine? Or friendship? Love?"
Baili Xin: "... Actually, I can't use a single word to summarize our bond. He is my lover, and also my comrade-in-arms who is both my father and my brother. In many cases, we only have each other. Although we are often separated and the time we spend together is not long, even if we haven't seen each other for a long time, when we meet again, we will still smile at each other frankly without any grudges."
The Taoist was silent for several seconds. His eyes silently swept towards Baili Xin. After a moment, he slowly said, "It sounds like a good relationship."
Baili Xin: "Yes, he is someone I can completely trust my back to."
Taoist priest: “I’m really envious.”
The two of them didn't go out again after that, and they chatted for a long time.
Before I knew it, twelve o'clock had arrived.
Suddenly there was a loud "boom" outside.
The next moment, the dim kerosene lamp above my head made a crackling sound.