black rose of sin city

As a detective, it's no problem to go up and down the mountain, but the haunted house...

By the time the three of them actually entered the village, almost half an hour had passed.

Walking through the not-so-flat gravel road, the dew-soaked grass wetted the trousers. When I came to the entrance of the village, I saw a bluestone road leading to the end of the fog. At the end, there was a stone gate similar to an archway. Each is pressing an animal that looks like a lion.

It was the first time that Lu Xuan saw a building with lions under the pillars. The two stone lions opened their mouths wide. Although the carving was a little rough, their expressions could still make people see that they were struggling in pain.Frowning, he raised his head and looked up, and found a wooden plaque hanging on the top of the stone gate. Judging from the degree of damage, it should have been a few years old, but there was no writing on it.

"Let's go in." Yun Chuyang said softly, walking into the village first.

Seeing Lu Xuan still standing there, Shen Chuan stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shook his head.

Shen Chuan looked at him, didn't speak, took his hand and walked forward.

Lu Xuan originally wanted to withdraw her hand, but gave up after trying unsuccessfully.

After entering the village, I realized that it is not as lively, plain and simple as ordinary villages. Even though it was evening, the whole village was shrouded in thick fog, and I felt very illusory when walking on the street.

Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan followed behind Yun Chuyang. Although the latter couldn't see and didn't walk fast, he seemed to be quite familiar with the surroundings.

"You don't look like you can't see it at all!" Lu Xuan sighed.

Yun Chuyang didn't look back, and said softly, "I just remember the way, nothing has changed here."

It's just that they walked along the stone-paved road for a long time, but they didn't meet anyone, and the doors of every house were half-closed, and the cracks in the doors were pitch black, as if something would jump out of the door unexpectedly.

Unable to feel any popularity around, Lu Xuan couldn't help but asked again: "People in your village don't sleep during the day and only come out at night to do activities?"

After hesitating for a while, Yun Chuyang replied slowly, "Although the village is very big, there are not many people in the village. Now this season is the busy farming season. Everyone should be farming on the mountain, and children will also help out." After a moment, he shrugged again. "But I haven't been back for a long time. I don't know what has changed in the village now. Maybe after the sun goes down, there will be more people."

Lu Xuan glanced at the deserted street again. Although it was broad daylight, she seemed to be able to feel a gust of wind.

"Then where are we going now?"

"Ancestral hall."

He oh, turned his head and glanced at Shen Chuan next to him.

He hasn't said anything since he entered the village, looking at the surrounding buildings like an ordinary tourist, his calmness is admirable.

When they arrived at the ancestral hall, the three of them stopped in front of the gate.

This is a single-family mansion, the wooden vermilion door is closed tightly, and the two copper lion handles on the door exude a warm luster that has been deposited for many years.

Lu Xuan raised her head and looked at the roof through the fog. There were two dragons on the roof.

Although it is a green dragon with a magnificent momentum, the expression of the dragon is no better than that of the two stone lions at the entrance of the village. They have the same ferocious faces, and he wants to ask which craftsman made these things. It's true.

Even though he was a little curious about what period the building was from, he really couldn't tell. In desperation, he looked at Shen Chuan again, but the latter just looked at the closed door without any expression.

It looked as if he was the only one making a fuss.Lu Xuan curled her lips and looked away.

Standing at the door, Yun Chuyang felt as if he had returned to the day he left. The only difference was that he had his back to the ancestral hall and didn't dare to look back. Now, he couldn't see it.

Things are different, but that's all.

Standing there for a while, he sighed, still raised his foot, went up the steps step by step, stretched out his hand and pushed open the painted door, the wooden door made a heavy sound, and slowly opened.

After entering the gate, there is still a straight stone road in the yard, with moss growing in the gaps, and several rooms on both sides. It doesn't look like a traditional ancestral hall, but it feels a bit like a courtyard.It's just that there are three floors in the center, and the wooden railings are carved with patterns such as a hundred birds facing the phoenix, revealing an antique flavor of opera.There are two pear trees on the stone steps at the door. Although there is still some time before the flowering season, the two trees are already full of flowers. The faint sweet fragrance permeates the surroundings, and pure white pear blossoms also fall on the ground. , forming an elegant landscape.

Except for the petals on the ground, the whole yard was cleaned fairly clean, but there was still no one there.

Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan followed Yun Chuyang through the stone road, and came to the door in the middle of the room. Yun Chuyang groped and stretched out his hand, hesitated, and finally pushed the door open.

With a sound of "creak", a stale breath came oncoming.

The light in the room was very dark, Lu Xuan frowned, raised her head and looked inside.

On the wall in the center is a huge ink painting of peonies, below is a square table, with a grand master's chair on each side, and plum blossoms are placed on the table, blooming in full bloom, the antique feeling is like entering an ancient big family people.

At this time, an old man with white hair was sitting on one of the grand master chairs. The hair tied behind his head was so long that it almost dragged to the ground, and it was all silvery white.

The old man has a strong figure and doesn't look hunched over at all. However, although there are not many wrinkles on his face, his complexion does not look very good. His face is pale because he has not seen the sun for many years. He is wearing a navy blue long coat. It looked like ancient people, and it was also the first person they had seen since entering the village.

Lu Xuan was a little curious about his age, and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

The moment the door was opened, the old man opened his eyes and saw Yun Chuyang was obviously taken aback.

"You, you are──" He seemed to know, but also seemed to be unconfirmed, he didn't complete the sentence.

Yun Chuyang pursed his lips, raised his head to face the direction of the old man, as if he wanted the latter to know that his eyes were invisible.

"Uncle Master." He bowed his head respectfully and called.

This title surprised Lu Xuan a little, but it also seemed to remind the old man of Yun Chuyang. After looking at him for a while, he closed his eyes again, and his originally bad face became even more gloomy.

"Don't come here without any problems." Yun Chuyang stood there quietly, his tone and expression were very indifferent, as if he had never been excited about going home.

After a while, the old man opened his eyes to look at him again, and then let out a long sigh.

"Since you're gone—what are you doing back here?"

Yun Chuyang still lowered his head, moved his lips, and did not speak.

The atmosphere suddenly became weird, and everyone could tell that the person in front of him didn't want Yun Chuyang to come back.Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan looked at each other, and at the same time looked at Yun Chuyang.

At this moment, the old man shook his head, sighed again helplessly, and waved his hand at Chaoyun Chuyang, "It's fine as long as you're back." After speaking, he turned his gaze to Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan behind him. "These two are—"

"My friend." Yun Chuyang answered quickly, "He came back with me. By the way, I want to take a look around."

The old man looked at Lu Xuan, who subconsciously showed a friendly smile.Then he looked at Shen Chuan again, and his eyes stayed on Shen Chuan for a longer time, as if he was a little surprised and puzzled.

Shen Chuan just nodded slightly.

"...Since the two of you are here, you are guests. We have nothing to entertain you here. Tomorrow, I will ask you to accompany the two of you around." As he spoke, the old man slowly withdrew his gaze. "It's just that the village is not used to having strangers, please don't run around by yourself at night."

"Of course." Lu Xuan replied with a smile, feeling more and more like entering a mysterious village in a movie, full of doubts.

"It's getting dark early here, there's nothing to do at night, so let's go to bed early." After finishing speaking, the old man closed his eyes again, as if he didn't intend to talk to them again, nor did he ask Yun Chuyang's purpose for coming back, let alone anything Greetings.

Yun Chuyang stood still, and said after a few seconds, "I want to burn incense."

After a moment of silence, the old man stood up, turned around, without looking at Yun Chuyang, "Tomorrow."

Yun Chuyang didn't say anything more, just nodded his head lightly, and when the old man disappeared, he turned around and said to Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan, "You should be tired after walking for so long, go to rest early today. You can live in the eastmost room on the third floor, I remember the environment there is better.”

Lu Xuan glanced at the direction the old man left just now, "He──"

Yun Chuyang immediately smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Uncle Shi──has that kind of temper, you don't mind." After speaking, he stretched out his hand and looked ahead, as if to determine how to take the road ahead.

"I still have something to talk to my uncle, you can go back to your room first, someone will call you to eat later."

Lu Xuan wanted to ask something more, but seeing Yun Chuyang's appearance, she couldn't ask.

After Yun Chuyang left, he turned around sullenly and looked at Shen Chuan, who was looking at the peony on the wall.

Realizing that Lu Xuan was looking at him, Shen Chuan immediately withdrew his gaze, and asked with a narrow smile, "What's wrong? You've been peeking at me?"

Peeking at the word is really annoying, so Lu Xuan gave him a glare.

Picking up the luggage with a smile, Shen Chuan stretched out his hand to hold his arm. "Let's go! Enter the room, we are all covered in mud, let's take a shower first."

"Just wash it, what are you dragging me to do?"

"Let's wash together──"

"roll!"

The two went upstairs one after the other. The wooden stairs made a creaking sound, as if they were about to collapse at any time. At the same time, there was a musty smell of wood, and there was a feeling of crumbling.

For this reason, Lu Xuan didn't dare to use too much force, wishing he could walk in the air. Halfway through the walk, he finally couldn't help asking: "Do you think something is wrong here?"

Shen Chuan followed behind him, looked at his back and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Nothing seemed right—Lu Xuan felt that her intuition had never been so sharp, but there was no logic at all.

So he didn't speak, and focused on the stairs under his feet.At this time, the sky was completely dark, and there seemed to be no electricity in the house. After going upstairs, the straight corridor was completely dark, and only the general direction ahead could be seen vaguely.

Lu Xuan suddenly felt that this house looked like no one had lived in it for a long time, and just as he had this thought, there was a little blurry light floating towards them not far from them in front—

This is a fucking haunted house!

Fortunately, Lu Xuan is not afraid of ghosts, and Shen Chuan seems to be quite courageous, they just watched the fire light approaching slowly without changing their expressions, and then they could vaguely see that it was a person hiding behind the fire light.

After the other party approached, Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan saw clearly that it was a woman who was holding an old-fashioned kerosene lamp in her hand.

"You two are Young Master Shen and Young Master Lu, right?" A soft female voice sounded, and at the same time slightly raised the lamp, her pretty face was so white that there was almost no blemish under the light, like a piece of suet jade.

"Yes." Shen Chuan didn't seem to feel anything, and smiled at her gentlemanly.

The woman also smiled back, revealing two sweet dimples and neat white teeth, Pingting was lovely.She wore a close-fitting pink blouse and trousers, outlining her exquisite body curves, she looked a bit like a maid on TV.

This made Lu Xuan wonder what era the people in this village lived in.

But even though the clothes are retro, the woman in front of him is still a beauty, but the woman is not very attractive to him.He glanced at Shen Chuan again, and felt that it was very likely that this man could take all men and women.

"I'll take the two of you to your room, please follow me." While he was thinking wildly, the woman turned around and led the way with a lamp.

The dim lights set off the surrounding ancient buildings more tastefully. After a while, the three came to the door of a room. The woman opened the door first and walked in. Lu Xuan and Shen Chuan followed closely behind and entered the room. Then she looked around with the light in her hand.

I saw that in the not-so-large room, the walls were painted with white paint, but it had turned yellow, and water stains were still seeping in some places.There is a large wooden bed in the center, the quilt has been laid, the colorful silk quilt is hand-sewn, it looks very comfortable, there is a desk next to it, facing the window, and there is a big tree outside the window , From time to time, the sound of leaves scraping against the glass can be heard.

"The room has not been lived in for a long time, but it is often cleaned up. It is still clean. Please sleep here tonight." The woman turned to them and said, "My name is Xiuxiang. If there is anything wrong with the two young masters , just tell me."

Lu Xuan was extremely uncomfortable seeing others being so polite, but Shen Chuan replied with peace of mind, "I'm sorry to trouble you."

Xiuxiang smiled, pointed to a door in the room and said: "There is a bathroom, and there is another door inside. Someone will bring hot water in later, and the two young masters can go directly to wash." After finishing speaking, put The oil lamp was handed over, and Lu Xuan reached out to take it, and found that the woman's slender fingers were translucent white, and the fingertips even felt a little transparent.

In addition, he could also smell the strong scent of powder on her body, which seemed to be a very old smell, not popular nowadays.

"The two of you should take a break first. Someone will invite you to dinner." With a slight nod, Xiuxiang turned around and left. Her every move was very orderly without giving off a humble feeling.

Holding the lamp, Lu Xuan watched Xiuxiang leave slowly, with a thoughtful face.

"What's the matter? I've been staring at him." Shen Chuan walked behind him and asked with a half-smile.

Lu Xuan frowned, and muttered to herself, "Bracelet..."

"Um?"

"The jade bracelet in her hand has something like a red thread on it──"

Shen Chuan slightly raised his eyebrows, "Is there something wrong?"

"Normally, there isn't any, but the one in her hand, the color of the red thread has penetrated into the jade. This kind of jade is often a funeral object, and most people don't wear it. It's unlucky."

Shen Chuan couldn't help laughing, "You can see clearly." There was still a bit of teasing in his tone.

Lu Xuan turned her head and stared at him, walked aside and put the kerosene lamp in her hand on the table.The greasy light was not too bright, but instead made the whole room more hazy.

I slept uncomfortably all night on the train, and after walking for so long just now, Lu Xuan was really tired, especially after sitting on the bed, the fatigue seemed to surge up in an instant.

Shen Chuan put down his luggage and looked around again, "This place is good, it will definitely be popular if it is developed into a forest recreation area." He said with a shrewd expression of a businessman, as if he was sketching a blueprint for the future.

Lu Xuan leaned in, "Didn't you run a design company?" Although he always believed that this man was a criminal under the cloak of law.No way, temperament problem.

"No one stipulates that if you start a design company, you can't invest in tourism projects, right?"

"Huh!" Lu Xuan gave him a contemptuous look, and said sarcastically, "You can pave the asphalt road first, otherwise the tourists will be too tired to lie down before they get here."

His "suggestion" was approved by Shen Chuan.

On the dark passage, the woman walked forward slowly with a lamp in her hand, her footsteps were as brisk as a wisp of smoke drifting by, and the lamp in her hand drew a halo of light in the dark night.

Not long after, she gradually slowed down when she saw the person standing by the door ahead.

As if hearing her footsteps, Yun Chuyang raised his head and looked in her direction.

Xiuxiang paused for a while, the expression on her face changed again and again, after several struggles, she finally walked over.

"Master Yun." She bowed her head slowly.

Yun Chuyang was silent for a few seconds, and whispered uncertainly, "Xiuxiang?"

Xiuxiang smiled slightly, but it was more bitter.

"Yes. Master Yun, long time no see, you are already an adult."

Yun Chuyang remembered that he was not even ten years old when he left the village. Now that more than ten years have passed, it is hard for anyone to recognize him.

"It's great that you're still here." He sighed with emotion and smiled slightly.

Xiuxiang moved her lips, frowned and lowered her head, then took a deep breath, and asked in a more relaxed tone, "Master Yun, how have you been all these years?"

He raised the corner of his mouth, "It's okay."

"Your eyes—"

"It's nothing, I didn't see it a long time ago." He didn't explain much.

Xiuxiang didn't ask any more questions, but just sighed.

Yun Chuyang said again: "Listen to the voice, you are still the same as before."

Xiuxiang smiled, "I'm old. When Master Yun left, Xiuxiang was already 25, and it's been more than ten years now──"

Yun Chuyang also laughed.Old or not, he can no longer see it now.Suddenly thinking of the quietness when he entered the village today, he asked again, "Why is the village so quiet?"

Xiuxiang was silent for a few seconds before answering, "The number of people in the village has decreased over the past few years. Some have died and some have left. Now this season, the rest of the people have gone to the mountains to farm or collect herbs. Didn't you see It’s normal to see anyone.”

"Gone? Uncle Master will let them go?" Yun Chuyang was a little surprised.

Frowning, Xiuxiang lowered her head, "So what if I don't let him go? He's old and can't control it anymore."

The uncle who once said that he was the king of the village can't control the people in the village?Although Yun Chuyang was puzzled, he didn't ask any further.

"I want to find my uncle."

Xiuxiang hesitated for a moment, then nodded, just about to reach out to help him, but put it down halfway.

"Come with me. Do you need——I help you?"

Yun Chuyang shook his head, "I'll just follow you."

So the two walked forward, one behind, slowly following the dimming lights, until the last bit of flame went out, and no one cared.

"It's right here." Xiuxiang stopped in front of a door with Yun Chuyang, turned around and said to him.

Yun Chuyang asked: "Aren't you going in?"

"No. He doesn't like being disturbed when he's free."

Yun Chuyang still remembered that Xiuxiang and his uncle had a very good relationship in the past, if he hadn't left that year, maybe he could have seen their wedding.He didn't know if Xiuxiang and his uncle were married now, and he didn't want to ask, after all, everything might change.

Xiuxiang opened the door for Yun Chuyang, and Yun Chuyang hesitated before entering, as if he wanted to say something, but Xiuxiang just patted him on the shoulder lightly.

"go in."

After nodding his head, Yun Chuyang walked into the room, while Xiuxiang slowly closed the door for him.

After walking a few steps forward, Yun Chuyang stopped and stood there for a while before making a low sound. "Uncle."

Directly in front of him, the old man was sitting on the grand master's chair, and an oil lamp was placed on the table beside him. The dim light shone on his face, blurring his expression.

None of them spoke at first, but the old man looked at Yun Chuyang with a hint of fierceness in his eyes.

"Why do you want to come back?"

Yun Chuyang did not answer.

"You hate me and want to come back to take revenge on me?" the old man asked coldly, as if answering for him.

This time Yun Chuyang smiled slightly.

"Uncle Shi didn't do anything wrong to me, so why should I hate you? As for revenge──" he smiled sarcastically, "I am in this state, can I get revenge on Uncle Shi?"

The old man remained silent, but the defense in his eyes did not disappear.After a while, his tone slowed down slightly, "Stop talking about this, come and sit down."

Yun Chuyang responded, and groped for the seat next to the old man based on his feeling.And the old man kept staring at him without blinking while he was moving.

When Yun Chuyang sat down, the old man asked casually, "How have you been doing these years?"

"Fortunately, it's just that I'm blind." Yun Chuyang replied casually, "Uncle Shi also looks good, his body is tough, and his voice sounds full of energy."

His words made the old man a little embarrassed to be exposed, because he didn't really care about it, and the sentence "you're doing well" was just a superficial effort. After all, he didn't even care about Yun Chuyang's blindness, and asked him how he was doing It's almost like a joke.

His face darkened, the old man held back the unhappiness in his heart, and asked again: "You came back just to burn incense?"

"Yes." Yun Chuyang only replied with one word.

After a moment of silence, the old man turned his gaze back and muttered to himself, "You still can't let go──"

"It's not that Chuyang can't let it go, it's that everything is resigned." Yun Chuyang shook his head, "No matter what happened in the past, it is fate. I know this best, so I don't blame anyone, including my uncle. you."

Without making a sound, the old man stared at him, and after making sure that he didn't see any perfunctory or guilty conscience on his face, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Who are those two people who came with you?"

Yun Chuyang raised his head slightly, "Friend."

"Both?"

"One of them is."

The old man thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you know that tall man?"

"What does Uncle Master want to ask?" Yun Chuyang asked back, after thinking for a while, he added, "Uncle Master also knows him?"

Without continuing to speculate with him, the old man directly pointed out: "Is he the one who took you away back then?"

"No." Yun Chuyang answered without even the slightest hesitation. "He's just someone I just met. Besides, he's not the right age."

The old man frowned and finally sighed.

"Okay, you're tired too, let's stop talking here today. Go to rest early, after you go to incense tomorrow, you can stay for a few more days, I will let Xiuxiang take care of your daily life. But don't run around , the village is not the same as before, there are some things---" He didn't go on talking, Yun Chuyang also showed a knowing smile and blinked. "Trouble master uncle, I thank you on behalf of my two friends."

"Um."

After he left, the old man stood up and walked slowly to the window, looking at the pitch-black village, except for the darkness and gloom, there was no sense of peace and tranquility, and the occasional sparks were quickly extinguished.

"Impossible...it can't be his..." the old man muttered to himself.