The family doctor and his assistant came quickly to bandage Wei Jie's wound and invited him to stay in the museum for a few days. Because Wei Guangming's legs began to hurt, he hoped that the family doctor could help him check first. The family doctor finished checking him that night and thought that he should go to the hospital or clinic for a check-up, where they had a full range of equipment.
Wei Guangming also agreed, and the family doctor stayed in the collection hall for one night and wanted to leave the next day. Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily outside in the early morning, and only the hazy shadows of the trees could be seen in the heavy rain. The family doctor's surname was Hao, and he and his assistant temporarily lived in the same guest room.
Doctor Hao opened the curtains and looked at the heavy rain outside, standing there for a long while. After the assistant woke up, he walked into the bathroom and asked, "Doctor Hao, why are you standing at the window? It's raining outside, not to mention the scenery, even the shadows of the nearest trees are blurry. By the way, in this situation, we have to wait until the rain stops before we can go. Otherwise, the rugged mountain road is prone to accidents."
Doctor Hao didn't really listen to his assistant, but stared at the rain in a trance. The continuous downpour, the gloomy weather and the depressing atmosphere in the museum made people feel particularly uneasy. Doctor Hao's eyelids began to twitch. Usually he would just think that his eyelids twitched because he didn't get enough rest, but now he suddenly had a bad premonition.
Suddenly, he saw a woman in white standing on the eaves downstairs, staring at his window. Doctor Hao's scalp was numb. He didn't notice it just now. He didn't know how long the woman in white stood there staring at him.
"Doctor Hao?" The assistant came over and called out in confusion, and Doctor Hao suddenly came back to his senses. The assistant asked in confusion: "Doctor Hao, are you okay?" He noticed Doctor Hao's face and was shocked. He looked pale and terrified, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
Doctor Hao came back to his senses and looked over again, but there was nothing there. He shook his head and murmured, "Have I been too tired recently? I even have hallucinations." He turned and went into the bathroom to wash up, then went downstairs under the strange gaze of his assistant.
Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao met Dr. Hao at the door and greeted each other. Dr. Hao didn't know the identities of the two. Although he was confused, he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded and smiled politely. Chen Yang made way and watched Dr. Hao and his assistant go downstairs. Zhang Qiudao said in a deep voice behind him: "Dark clouds are covering the sky, and wronged spirits are haunting us."
Chen Yang went downstairs and said, "What else?"
"What?" Zhang Qiudao was puzzled.
Chen Yang raised his hand and pointed at his neck: "There are marks on my neck, with a hemp rope tied around it. It's the hanged ghost who is asking for my life." He pointed at Dr. Hao's back and said: "He will not live long. He deserves it."
Although Zhang Qiudao could not see the marks on Doctor Hao's neck, he knew that the hanged ghost's revenge was a serious matter. Doctor Hao must have committed a sin that angered the gods and the people, which caused him to be haunted by the wronged ghost. Facing such a situation, the Heavenly Master had the most difficult time. As a Heavenly Master, he maintained the order of the Yin and Yang worlds. Before the wronged ghosts received the Fengdu Pardon Token, any revengeful behavior by them in the Yang world would be against the law.
The Heavenly Masters have the responsibility to protect those haunted by wronged spirits and to drive them away. However, if the wronged spirits really have a great grievance, the Heavenly Masters will be in a dilemma. Neither the law nor the feelings can be abandoned, which becomes a difficult problem. Zhang Qiudao sighed softly: "I wish the wronged spirits had Fengdu's pardon token." In this way, they can openly turn a blind eye.
Chen Yang: "Whether you have the pardon token or not, whether you will take care of this matter or not, depends on the situation." Walking downstairs, he heard a child calling him. Chen Yang turned around and saw Wei Ning in the small living room next to the stairs. Wei Ning was wearing a handsome little suit today, sitting at the small table, looking very cute.
Wei Ning waved for Chen Yang to come over, and the latter walked up to him. Wei Ning held Chen Yang's hand and said in a baby voice, "Sit down." After Chen Yang sat down, he stared straight into Chen Yang's eyes, then hugged Chen Yang's arm and whispered, "They come to play with me again, so annoying and noisy."
Chen Yang's expression paused, and then asked, "Where are they?" Those things had places to attach and hide, which was why he couldn't see where they were.
Wei Ning: "Inside the wall. They walked out of the wall."
Hearing this, Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao suddenly turned their heads to look at the wall. The wall was dark gold. Because the entire collection hall was in the same color, the dark gold wall was inconspicuous and no one noticed it. Now, after a closer look, they found that there were strange patterns painted on the wall. After Wei Ning blurted out that sentence, the ordinary wall became distorted and terrifying, like a hideous evil ghost, opening its mouth wide to devour everyone in the hall.
Zhang Qiu said, "Could it be that an evil spirit passed through the wall and the child misunderstood?"
Chen Yang then asked Wei Ning if all those 'people' who came to play with him came out of the wall. Wei Ning played with his fingers and was silent for a long time before he said softly, "No."
Wei Zhizhi ran over and saw Chen Yang and Wei Ning and immediately screamed in displeasure. The screams of children were particularly harsh, breaking the dullness of the collection hall early in the morning, but it made people even more upset. In addition, it was pouring rain outside, and even though the lights were on in the collection hall, there were always dark corners that could not be illuminated. It was these unnoticeable dark corners that caused people's boredom and disgust. Anyone who heard Wei Zhizhi's screams would be angry and irritated.
Wei Zhizhi ran over and pulled Wei Ning away: "You're annoying! Go away!" Then she hugged Chen Yang's arm: "Mine! Mine!" Wei Ning stood there at a loss, and was almost pushed down by Wei Zhizhi.
Wei Guangming already had unbearable leg pain due to the rainy day, and when he heard Wei Zhizhi's scream and saw her overbearing behavior, he immediately lost his temper: "Wei Zhizhi, come here!!"
Wei Zhizhi was a bully in the museum. She was afraid of everything except Wei Guangming, and she was trembling with fear. She usually played on the second floor, and was as well-behaved as a quail on the first floor. If she hadn't seen her favorite Chen Yang being snatched away by Wei Ning, she wouldn't have suddenly screamed and angered Wei Guangming.
Wei Guangming pulled out a feather duster from the vase next to him and started to hit Wei Zhizhi, but he missed. He looked up and saw that it was Chen Yang who had quickly carried Wei Zhizhi away. Wei Zhizhi clung to Chen Yang like she was holding on to a straw, sobbing softly. Wei Guangming said, "Master Chen, my daughter is ignorant, so just give her a lesson. Please don't mind."
"I don't mind." Chen Yang shook his head and said gently, "Zhizhi is still young. Mr. Wei can scold and teach her with words and slowly guide her in the right direction. Beating is the worst way to educate her."
Wei Guangming smiled awkwardly and glared at Wei Zhizhi fiercely, warning her not to make trouble, but he did not beat her again. Wei Zhizhi was frightened and sobbed softly. Wei Guangming looked worried: "She really needs to be taught a lesson. If it weren't for her making trouble, her elder brother's calf would have been pierced. She is so young, but she has a vicious mind."
Chen Yang's face darkened: "When Wei Jie got into trouble, Zhizhi was still with us. How could a little girl like her hurt Wei Jie? Mr. Wei should respect the facts even if he is partial. Don't be too partial."
Wei Guangming's eyes became strange, he hesitated between Chen Yang and Wei Zhizhi, and finally showed a strange smile: "Master Chen is right, I was so angry that I lost my mind. Zhizhi, don't be angry with your father, your father blamed you wrongly, how about asking your mother to make you a bowl of egg custard at noon? But don't scream anymore. It's too noisy, people will say you have a bad upbringing. Also, don't provoke your eldest brother, he has a bad temper now." After that, he said to Chen Yang: "Please take care of Zhizhi and Ningning."
He didn't give anyone a chance to refute, and turned around and walked away with his crutches. Qi Yin came over and looked at the child twice, and with a worried look on her face, she still chased after Wei Guangming, leaving only one sentence: "Zhizhi, Ningning, you two be good and don't make trouble."
Chen Yang put Wei Zhizhi down and let Wei Ning and Wei Zhizhi hold his arms on the left and right: "Stop making trouble and be good, okay?" Wei Zhizhi's little face was full of tears. She snorted but allowed Wei Ning to get closer. Wei Ning remained silent and just hugged Chen Yang's arms tightly.
Chen Yang asked Wei Zhizhi: "Zhizhi, do you get along well with many of the 'people' in the museum?"
"No." Wei Zhizhi proudly puffed up her chest and said, "They can't beat me, so weak. They can't find me every time, so bad. It's so boring to play, but other people don't want to play with me, so I can only ask them to play with me. It's so boring, otherwise, can you play with me? If you play hide-and-seek with me, I won't play with them, and I won't let them play with you. I will play with one person, okay? Okay?"
"No." Before Chen Yang could answer, Wei Ning refused for him. Wei Ning said expressionlessly: "You play your own games, don't let him play with you."
Wei Zhizhi pouted and said angrily, "Why? They always lose, and you always refuse when they ask you to play. Even if you don't want to play, don't stop Chen Xiaoyang from playing with me, okay? You're so annoying, humph!"
Wei Ning ignored Wei Zhizhi, tugged at Chen Yang's sleeve, and said very seriously: "Don't play with her."
Chen Yang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."
Wei Zhizhi was even more unhappy: "Why? Why? Doesn't Chen Xiaoyang like me? Why doesn't he play with me? If Chen Xiaoyang hates them, he can just play with me. If he doesn't agree to them, he doesn't have to play with them."
Chen Yang asked: "Zhizhi played with them because she agreed to it. Ningning didn't play with them because she refused their invitation. But because Zhizhi agreed to their invitation, does she have to play hide-and-seek with them every day?"
Wei Zhizhi clapped her hands happily: "Chen Xiaoyang is so smart, smarter than mom." Then she pouted and said unhappily: "Mom just doesn't understand. She scolds me every time and she doesn't play with me." She asked pitifully: "Can't you really play with me?"
Chen Yang stared at Wei Zhizhi steadily, and after a long moment, he shook his head firmly: "Sorry." He touched Wei Zhizhi's head: "Brother has something important to do, so I can't play with you."
Wei Zhizhi was disappointed and turned her head away in anger, ignoring Chen Yang. However, her little hand still tightly grasped Chen Yang's sleeve, refusing to let go and saying that she would not give Chen Xiaoyang to Wei Ning: "Ningning is a nuisance."
Wei Ning ignored her and acted like a quiet little boy.
At breakfast, due to the mess, only Wei Xiaoxiao and Chen Yang were eating breakfast, but Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi did not come. Mao Xiaoli asked curiously, "They don't want to eat breakfast?"
Zhang Qiudao calmly replied: "I'm probably too tired."
Mao Xiaoli immediately dragged out the tone: "Oh~~~" with ups and downs, containing all kinds of artistic conception.
Chen Yang coughed twice, signaling them to be low-key and restrained. There were unmarried girls and two five-year-old children at the table, so they should pay attention to their image. The two stopped implying about Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi. There were only two children and Wei Xiaoxiao at the table. Wei Xiaoxiao was very quiet and said no more than five sentences throughout the whole process.
She was feeding Wei Zhizhi and Wei Ning, whose parents were in the room talking to Dr. Hao about their condition. After feeding the two children, Wei Xiaoxiao said, "You two go back to the children's room and do your homework. Zhizhi should practice piano well and not be lazy." After that, she stood up, took the two children off the children's chairs, and led them upstairs.
Wei Zhizhi said goodbye to Chen Yang and asked him if he wanted to play. Wei Ning immediately pulled her away forcefully.
Chen Yang watched them go upstairs, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and asked Mao Xiaoli: "Xiaoli, has the previous owner of the painting found out anything?"
Mao Xiaoli: "I found it. But there is other information that I couldn't find because the heavy rain blocked communications and my phone had no signal at all." As the location was a bit far, she got up and took her breakfast to sit closest to Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao and said, "The painting is called "Grotesque", a self-portrait of a serial killer. In his imagination, he thinks he is an evil ghost, and evil ghosts eat people. So those who are killed by him will have some of their organs taken away and eaten, and most of these organs are livers and facial features."
Zhang Qiu said, "So the security guard was not killed by the evil ghost in "The Grotesque"? " The security guard died of asphyxiation. Except for the glass beads overflowing from his mouth, there was no damage to his body.
"Maybe." Chen Yang said, "Xiao Li, continue."
Mao Xiaoli: "The previous owner of the portrait was also a collector of curiosities. He bought the painting from the family of the previous owner. Others said the painting was spooky, but the owner didn't believe it. He bought it and placed it in his collection room. From then on, strange things started happening at home. Every time someone passed by the collection room, they could hear noises coming from inside, but when they opened the door, they found no one. The owner of the portrait didn't believe the strange things reported by his family until his dog disappeared."
During the pause, Mao Xiaoli stuffed an egg into her mouth, drank a mouthful of milk, and then said, "From the surveillance video, the dog disappeared after running into the collection room. After entering, we did find dog hair inside, but we didn't see the dog. The strange thing is that the collection room has only one door, no windows or holes, including the basement. The dog just disappeared out of thin air. Later, the owner of the portrait also disappeared. After entering the collection room, he was never seen again, only his fallen shoes were seen. The servants in their house mentioned this matter, saying that in fact, on the night the owner disappeared, they passed by the collection room and heard chewing sounds at the door. It sounded like someone was chewing meat and biting bones and swallowing them. Then they also found bloodstains on the portrait. After identification, it was found that there was the owner's blood in the bloodstains."
Zhang Qiu said, "Does that mean the missing owner and dog were eaten by the painting?"
"That's what I mean." Mao Xiaoli nodded.
Zhang Qiudao: "Which forum did you read this story from?"
“Not a story!”
"If it's not a story, how could you tell it so long and with such passion? The details are so detailed, it's ninety-nine percent fabricated." Zhang Qiudao said bluntly.
Mao Xiaoli rolled her eyes. "Well, actually there aren't those details, I added them. But I did find out the news, the source is reliable. Basically there are three points, the family was disturbed after the portrait was bought, the dog and the owner disappeared into the collection room, and chewing sounds were heard coming from the collection room. There was indeed blood on the painting, but it was not surveyed. Because they all know that "Grotesque" mixed with the blood of the murderer, it is normal to have blood."
Chen Yang wrote all of this down: "Then I'm asking, have you found anything?"
Zhang Qiudao shook his head: "Nothing big was discovered, it's similar to what we guessed before. Wei Zhizhi is lively and active, and often plays with the 'people' on the second floor. I can sense something strange, but I can't find where those things are. As long as they appear on the second floor, the compass will completely lose its function, spinning wildly, and I can't find those 'people'."
As they were talking, Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi came down to have breakfast. The former looked tired while the latter looked energetic. The three of them immediately put their serious business aside and looked at them with bright eyes: "Are you tired?", "Do you need some refreshment?"
When Kou Xuanling sat down, Chen Yang handed him a soft pillow with great experience. Kou Xuanling took it and said, "Thank you." Then he leaned back on the chair to relax his muscles. With this action, Chen Yang lost interest in gossip. He asked with a dull look, "You guys talked late into the night again?"
Kou Xuanling shook her head: "No, we played Landlord all night long."
Mao Xiaoli and Zhang Qiudao both shushed, not wanting to say a word of trash. Kou Xuanling: "Can't you think of something healthy and positive?"
Mao Xiaoli: "Upwards, one step to the stomach."
Zhang Qiudao stuffed the peeled egg into Mao Xiaoli's mouth: "Be healthier."
Kou Xuanling was helpless: "Last night we heard a lot of noise, people running and shouting in the corridor, but when we opened the door there was no sound. So we ended up playing Landlord for almost the entire night."
Chen Yang: "Why not use soundproofing?"
Lu Xiuzhi peeled the eggshell and put the slippery egg into Kou Xuanling's bowl, then asked him whether it was milk or soy milk. Kou Xuanling said, "Milk." Then he answered Chen Yang, "I wanted to find out what it was, and then I became addicted to playing Landlord."
Lu Xiuzhi brought the milk cup in front of Kou Xuanling, who drank from the cup without even looking at it, like a retired emperor being served. Chen Yang stared at the clean bowl in silence, and suddenly felt that he was outshined.
The author has something to say: Second update tonight.
Also, this one will be longer because I merged the two stories in the outline together.