The afterglow of the setting sun shines in from the center of the main hall, dividing the entire room into two sides, yin and yang, and falls on a statue of a smiling old lady with white hair placed in the shrine. A lot of incense ash is piled up in the old incense burner in front of the statue, and it is obvious that it has been worshipped for quite a while.
As soon as you step through the door, you can feel a noticeable drop in temperature, and there is a faint fishy smell peculiar to some animals.
Luo Ying's expression became even gentler, but her eyes were terribly cold. When facing pagans, she always wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. Zhang Bo did not notice her abnormality. As soon as he entered the door, he knelt down in front of the statue, muttered something, and lit three incense sticks.
"Come on, Xiao Lu, Xiao Luo, both of you should bow down too and let Mrs. Hu San bless you." Zhang Bole said with a smile.
Lu Yanli didn't move. His eyes swept across the ground and then looked at Luo Ying.
The light in the room was very dim. I wonder if Luo Ying noticed that there was something wrong with Zhang Bo's shadow on the ground.
Although Zhang Bo had the appearance of a human, the back of his shadow on the ground was arched, and his tail could be seen swinging back and forth.
"Xiao Lu? Xiao Luo?" Zhang Bo stood in the shadows, his mouth almost grinning to his ears, "Don't you guys worship?"
Luo Ying froze in place, her nails digging into her palms.
Lu Yanli stepped aside a little. He wanted to know what Luo Ying would do.
If Luo Ying chose to bow her head temporarily, it meant that she was not here to preach. The fact that she could hide her faith and worship what she considered to be a low-level creature only proved that they had a bigger plan.
Luo Ying tried to hold back, and even her usual gentle smile almost slipped away. After a long while, she managed to force out a gentler smile: "I understand."
After that, she took three incense sticks from Uncle Zhang and walked towards the shrine step by step.
Seeing that she did this, Lu Yanli followed behind her and bowed in the same way.
If you are sincere, your wish will come true. He is not sincere, and I think Luo Ying is not sincere either.
I just don't know what their plan is. How could Luo Ying endure it
Just for this village
Lu Yanli pretended to know nothing and bowed respectfully three times.
On the shrine, the white-haired old lady held a jade ruyi in her hand with a kind smile. But Lu Yanli could clearly see that the curved smiling eyes were filled with undisguised sinister murderous intent.
Just then, a burst of brisk footsteps was heard from the room beside me.
A little girl ran out of the room. She looked no older than six or seven years old and was wearing a bright red flowered dress. Her eyes lit up when she saw Uncle Zhang and she threw herself into the old man's arms: "Grandpa, you're back!"
To be fair, the little girl was very cute, with fair skin and lively eyes, but she always made people feel uncomfortable. A closer look revealed that her lips were frighteningly red, and when she smiled, she pursed her lips, without showing her teeth.
Uncle Zhang patted her head gently: "Stop making trouble, there are guests."
A gentle rebuke came from the room: "Lili, stop making noise. Grandma likes quietness."
Behind her, a pale and weak young man walked out from behind the curtain. Even his steps were a few beats slower than those of ordinary people, and it was obvious that he was not in good health.
The little girl named Lili got off Uncle Zhang obediently, ran back and held the man's hand, her big dark eyes looking at the two strangers in the room curiously.
Uncle Zhang introduced them: "Xiao Lu, Xiao Luo, this is my son, Zhang Huixuan, and my granddaughter Lili."
He was clearly a man, but he had such a feminine name. After Lu Yanli exchanged names with him, Zhang Huixuan, probably seeing his confusion, took the initiative to explain: "I was weak when I was born, and my great-grandmother told me to give me a girl's name to suppress my fate, otherwise I would not live long."
Uncle Zhang also laughed and gave a thumbs up: "Grandma is very effective. After she told him his fortune and changed his name, he rarely got sick and got married and had children."
When the child was mentioned, Lili's big eyes rolled around, and she suddenly looked up and asked, "Dad, I saw my aunt yesterday. She said she was very cold and wanted some clothes to wear."
aunt
Lu Yanli showed no expression, but he took note of it in his heart.
It seems that there is more than one child in Uncle Zhang's family.
Zhang Huixuan's face turned even paler in an instant: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lili insisted: "Dad, can I give some of my clothes to my aunt?"
"You..." Zhang Huixuan wanted to scold her, but the breath was stuck in her throat and she bent over and coughed for a long time.
Strangely, Uncle Zhang did not stop Lili, but just watched his son cough with an unbearable look on his face.
Lili stopped laughing and watched her father finish coughing. She continued to ask in a childish voice, "Dad, is it really not possible? Auntie said she is very cold."
"No! Go back to your room!" Zhang Huixuan took a few quick breaths and finally finished her sentence. Lili said "oh" and ran back to her room, her pigtails swaying.
After she left, Zhang Huixuan smiled weakly at Luo Ying: "I'm sorry, Lili has been spoiled by us."
Luo Ying shook her head to indicate that it was okay. Just as Zhang Huixuan relaxed, she suddenly asked, "What's the matter with the aunt that Lili mentioned just now? Do you have any sisters?"
Inside the main room, the atmosphere suddenly froze.
Zhang Huixuan's face turned even paler, almost like a white painted wall. He said coldly, "What does this have to do with you? Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
Luo Ying still had a holy and gentle smile on her face: "I am also a member of Shangxian Village, of course I want to know."
Zhang Huixuan's expression suddenly became murderous, her eyes narrowed, and even her voice became shrill: "Get out of here!"
Luo Ying looked compassionate: "Even if you don't tell me about this, I will investigate it thoroughly." After saying that, she really turned around and left.
The strange thing was that although Lu Yanli and Luo Ying came together, Zhang Huixuan's anger was only directed at Luo Ying. When Lu Yanli wanted to follow her, Luo Ying shook her head silently, indicating that he should stay here.
Lu Yanli had no choice but to retract his steps and watch her walk away. He showed no emotion on his face, but countless thoughts were running through his mind.
Luo Ying clearly intended to provoke them just to leave alone. What did she want to do
After Luo Ying left, Zhang Huixuan's attitude improved visibly, and so did Zhang Bo. However, Lu Yanli always felt that their attitude was a little too enthusiastic, and he secretly raised his vigilance - this family must be plotting something.
While sitting in the main hall and chatting, we heard the sound of cooking from the kitchen, white steam came out of the chimney, and the aroma of food wafted in, making people hungry.
Lu Yanli had no desire to eat, and Zhang Huixuan was not the only one. When the aroma of roast chicken wafted over, he obviously swallowed his saliva and licked his lips with his long, pointed tongue.
This appearance doesn't look like a human, but more like... a fox.
At dinner time, all the people in Uncle Zhang's family came out. The one who was cooking in the kitchen just now was Uncle Zhang's wife. She was short and fat, with a round face that was not very special, but her eyes were very raised, like a pair of fox eyes.
"Is it Xiao Lu? Just call me aunt." When Aunt Zhang smiled, her eyes curved into slits, which was more obvious. After Lu Yanli followed suit and called her aunt, she was even happier, "Okay, okay, you haven't been home for a long time, come and eat."
Everyone was sitting around the dining table, but she didn't sit down. She picked up one of the whole chickens on the table and walked through the courtyard to the main room. Seeing this, Lu Yanli followed her and said, "I'll pay my respects, too."
Aunt Zhang walked up to the statue in small steps, brought a plate of chicken to the shrine, and prostrated herself, constantly muttering words like "blessing".
In less than two or three minutes, the steam from the dish that exuded an enticing aroma disappeared visibly.
Aunt Zhang clearly breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the plate and walked out.
Lu Yanli asked softly, "Aunt Zhang, how should we deal with this?"
Aunt Zhang said without even turning her head: "It has to be buried. It's for Grandma Hu San to taste. No one else can eat it."
After getting this answer, Lu Yanli returned to the dining table and waited with everyone.
To his surprise, Lili, the youngest child in Zhang Bo's family, was sitting at the top seat with a plate of roast chicken in front of her. Before anyone else started eating, she had already reached out her hand and started eating.
It was not until this time that Lu Yanli understood why Lili smiled without showing her teeth.
She clearly had two rows of sharp white teeth like an animal, and she looked extremely ferocious as she opened her mouth and tore at the piece of half-cooked meat in front of her.
The others were not surprised. Zhang Huixuan even patted the other person on the back and told her to eat slowly and not to choke.
There were family members at the table. Lili's "aunt" was not there, and her mother was not there either. Lu Yanli didn't dare to ask, for fear of accidentally violating some taboo. He planned to let Luo Ying try tomorrow.
After dinner, Uncle Zhang revealed some inside information.
The New Year is coming soon, and every household has to worship their ancestors, and their family is no exception. It happens that there is an old lady in the village chief's family who has been in poor health recently. Grandma Hu San said that she will be gone soon, and every family must send one person to carry the coffin.
Lili is too young to go, and Zhang Huixuan is in poor health and cannot be lifted, so Uncle Zhang hopes that Lu Yanli can replace Zhang Huixuan.
Lu Yanli didn't agree at first.
He didn't know the procedure of ancestor worship in this village. What if he rashly agreed and got married to his wife
"Would grandma agree?" he asked.
This question stumped Zhang Bo. After a while, he stood up hurriedly, and it was obvious that he was going to go into the main room.
Uncle Zhang's family was not well off. The dining room was next to the kitchen. Light bulbs hung from wires above the dining table, dangling brightly and dimly. Lili sat at the head of the table. The moment Uncle Zhang stood up, she said, "Don't ask. He can go."
A strong wind blew through the air, and the smell of foxes hit her face. At this moment, her expression was completely unlike that of a six or seven-year-old girl. Her voice was still sharp and soft, and her eyes were narrow and tilted upwards, staring straight at Lu Yanli.
"You go in his place. This is what Grandma wants."
The light bulb swayed, illuminating the shadow behind her. On her head, the two pointed ears stood up particularly clearly.
Lu Yanli's heart sank, and he changed his mind and agreed.
Lili then returned to her normal little girl appearance and jumped away. Lu Yanli stared at her shadow left on the ground.
The little girl's normal image was restored.
Since they needed me to go to the ancestral worship on behalf of Zhang Huixuan, then I would be safe before the ancestral worship. At least they would think of ways to protect themselves. Therefore, Lu Yanli did not refuse Uncle Zhang's invitation to stay overnight. Aunt Zhang prepared a guest room for him, which happened to be at the end of the corridor.
"We are like this in the countryside, we go to bed early. It's been a mess these days, if you hear any noise, don't agree, don't come out, understand?" Aunt Zhang was packing the mattress, taking out an oil lamp and a box of matches from the bedside table and putting them on the table, "There are often power outages at night, it will be the same if you light this."
As soon as he finished speaking, there were two crackling sounds of electricity, and the room suddenly became dark and pitch black.
"Look, while we were talking, the power went out. Really..." Aunt Zhang struck a match and carefully lit the kerosene lamp. A small, swaying flame lit up.
"Thank you. I'll pay attention to that." Lu Yanli moved aside to open the door so that Aunt Zhang could go out.
Before closing the door, he saw Lili standing at the other end of the corridor. She had changed into a red dress. The kerosene lamp in her hand illuminated her snow-white face. Her long hair was loose, and her pair of black round eyes were staring straight at the room where he was.
I don't know if she was looking at him or her grandmother.
Seeing that Lu Yanli had discovered her, Lili opened the door beside her and walked in. The wooden door shook slightly.
After a while, Aunt Zhang followed into the room and closed the door.
Lu Yanli also closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Just as he was about to lie down, a vague black shadow appeared on the yellowed curtains on the right side of the room.
This room was on the far right of the whole house. There was no other room next door, and the window faced the back mountain. Aunt Zhang had told him before that in order to prevent insects and the like from the back mountain from running in, the window of this room was sealed, and thick curtains were specially put on it. Normally, the door was opened for ventilation.
Lu Yanli's breath was choked.
Now, the group of taskers had not arrived, and the world had not changed. So, he chose to deal with it the way he always did in the past, pretending that he had not seen anything, took off his coat and went straight to bed, blew out the kerosene lamp, closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
Wait! Something's wrong!
He suddenly remembered something more serious, and this discovery almost made him lose his breathing, and he forced himself to resist the urge to run away.
Since this family has hired a guardian deity, they still need to take care of themselves. At least for the time being... he will be safe.
Also, this batch of taskers should be arriving soon, right
"Chu Chu, is this really okay for you?" Yu Xianguang followed behind Lin Chu with a conflicted look on his face.
Lin Chu had brought a lot of weapons and several recording and video equipment with her. She stuffed all the places on her body that could hold things. Hearing this, she giggled and said, "This is such a good opportunity to go to another world for research. Of course, I have to make full preparations."
Yu Xianguang: "But, they all said that it's best not to carry too many things with you, otherwise you won't be able to run away if you encounter a ghost."
Lin Chu shrugged: "If you can't run, then die. It's not a bad thing to end a boring life."
"Hey, stop talking nonsense. We will come back safely." Yu Xianguang was horrified.
Lin Chu: "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. By the way, is it really like what you said? In reality, it takes less than a second?"
Yu Xianguang nodded.
"Is the technology in that world similar to this one?"
Yu Xianguang nodded again: "Yes, but in the history of the country, there are some major events that are not the same. In fact, everyone has also traced when it started to be different, but no one has found it."
Lin Chu fell into deep thought.
This is very strange, according to them, no matter how long they spend on the mission, a week, a month, or even half a year, after they come back, this world will not be less than a second.
The speed of time flow in those two worlds is clearly different, but why are the dates so close after going back
Just asking Xiao Yu probably wouldn't reveal anything, so Lin Chu decided to investigate it himself.
She hadn't encountered anything as challenging as this for a long time.
Soon, they arrived at the designated mission location.
The location is in a university town near a university in the city. Find an alley next to an inconspicuous small supermarket. After midnight, walk to the end of the alley and you will reach that world.
Lin Chu and Yu Xianguang arrived the earliest. Under Lin Chu's coercion and inducement, they arrived half a day earlier. Yu Xianguang stood nervously at the entrance of the alley, peering inside with fear.
Although it is daytime now, the alley is lined with tall old-fashioned buildings, blocking the sunlight from shining inside. The further you go in, the darker it becomes.
Lin Chu was knocking on the wall. She had a lot of storage bags in her bag. She was carefully peeling off some dark green moss with tweezers and knocking off some broken soil. She put all of them into a transparent bag and sealed it.
When midnight comes, I will think of taking some materials when I travel to that world to see the difference between the two.
After Lin Chu finished collecting the information, she jumped up and stuck her legs into the crack of the wall. She carefully installed a miniature camera on the side of the high wall, and then did the same in another corner. Soon, she had five or six cameras installed in an area of less than one square meter at the end.
The weather gradually became gloomy.
Lin Chu walked out of the alley. Yu Xianguang finally waited for her to come out and breathed a sigh of relief. The two decided to go eat something first.
Yu Xianguang had already made an appointment with that group of people to meet at the entrance of the small supermarket at 10 o'clock in the evening.
Time passed by, and because this place was in the university town, more and more students came here to eat and drink after school. Lin Chu mixed in with a group of college students and did not seem out of place at all.
Yu Xianguang was terrified. He was a timid person to begin with. Even though other taskers had told him that only that world had ghosts, he was still extremely scared.
Even if there are no ghosts, there have been a lot of strange cases recently.
As the time was about to come, the prosperity of the university town did not decrease at all, and the number of students was increasing. Yu Xianguang pulled Lin Chu, who was obviously in excitement, and said, "Okay, Chuchu, we have to go to do the mission."
Lin Chu came back to his senses: "Yes." After that, he immediately shouted to the boss, "Boss, hurry up, I'm in a hurry to go back and check the dormitories."
The two of them came to the meeting place with a lot of barbecue in their hands. There were already four people standing at the entrance of the small supermarket. Seeing that the two of them had the leisure to bring barbecue over, their eyes widened.
Lin Chu took the initiative to greet them: "Hi, I just received the mission, so I didn't make an appointment with you guys at first. By the way, my name is Lin Chu, and this is my first mission. How many times have you been on this mission?"
When they heard that it was her first time, and then looked at the mess of food in the other person's hand, the others twitched their lips, and it was An Xingyu who took the initiative to say: "My name is An Xingyu, and I am carrying out the seventh mission."
Lin Chu had actually noticed him a long time ago. He was the only young man in the group, with a pair of eyes as dull as a robot. She giggled, changed her hand to hold the plastic bag, and shook the other's hand with her other clean hand: "Big brother, please take care of me."
With An Xingyu taking the lead, the others introduced themselves again. They repeated their situations to each other, came to the entrance of the alley, formed a circle, and discussed the possible ways out of this mission again.
"By the way, this is your first mission. Have you registered on our website?" One of the women named Lin Xueyuan asked Lin Chu.
Because of their same surname and gender, she had some liking for Lin Chu: "Everyone here shares their experiences, which is very useful for newbies like us."
When Lin Chu smiled, she had two dimples on her face. She raised her phone and shook it: "I've joined, and my ID is Hua Deng Chu Shang."
"Are you Hua Deng Chu Shang?" Lin Xueyuan was surprised.
Hua Deng Chu Shang was a first-level small account, but she became famous because she found a new way out of all the difficult tasks in the forum. According to the recollections of the people who carried out the tasks and the analysis of other senior executors, they all thought that the solution provided by this small account was feasible. They originally thought that this was a tasker pretending to be a newcomer, but unexpectedly, she was really a newcomer
Everyone's eyes changed.
"Yes, it's me." Lin Chu patted his chest, "I'll try not to hold you back."