After being forced to debut in metaphysics, I became popular

Or overconfident, but genuinely happy.

These two people are standing at the forefront of the photo. Even though they have white hair on their sideburns and wrinkles around their eyes, they look like high-spirited teenagers who want to achieve a career together.

Master Bai was very happy in this report. He said that with the participation of Master Zheng, the biggest shortcoming of Southwest Shadow Puppetry will be overcome.

Yan Shixun looked at the faces of the two people in the photo for a long time, then turned his head to look at the poster behind him.

And the painting on the wall behind the poster.

There is indeed a carpenter surnamed Zheng on the poster, but his brows and eyes are very gloomy, and the corners of his mouth are pursed and drooping.

And Master Bai, who is at the very edge of the poster, is also getting old and no longer has vitality. He just droops his eyebrows and looks like he has lost confidence in life and even regrets the pain.

Neither of them looked like the original photo.

There is no figure of Master Zheng in the paintings on the wall.

On the contrary, the rest of the masters all beamed and smiled triumphantly.

Over the years... has something happened?

Yan Shixun shook off the dust on the newspaper, carefully folded the newspaper, and put it in his coat, ready to look back on the affairs between these few people.

"Let's go, since the CD player has been turned off and the CD cannot be found, why are you still standing here?"

Yan Shixun greeted Zhang Wubing who was still looking around: "Aren't the others still in the front yard? Go find them first."

Yan Shixun was a little concerned about not being able to find the repertoire and CDs that featured that female character, and felt that something was wrong.

But if it is really dangerous, the most urgent thing is to confirm the safety of the rest of the people first, tell them the possible dangerous situation, and let them be prepared.

Thinking this way, Yan Shixun prepared to go back to the first courtyard, and after he confirmed the safety of everyone with his own eyes and informed Ye Li of the situation here, he would return to this courtyard alone.

Zhang Wubing responded a few times, and trotted over with his hands shaking, followed Yan Shixun, and walked out in a hurry.

The rays of the setting sun cast down.

The trees planted in the middle of the courtyard have withered, and the scene with luxuriant foliage has disappeared. Now there are only huge dead tree wrecks with dead branches that look like ghost dances.

Withered and brittle leaves fell all over the ground.

As soon as the wind blows, there is a rattling sound, and the empty echo echoes in the courtyard, making people feel as if there is nothing left in their hearts.

Zhang Wubing felt that he was completely beaten by the cold wind, he shook, and quickly hugged Yan Shixun's arm, only then felt relieved and warmed up again, he let out a long breath of relief.

The heat came continuously from Yan Shixun's side, making Zhang Wubing feel at ease, but at the same time feel that this winter is indeed cold. Before entering this yard, he was fine. After turning around, the sun went down again. It fell, and even the temperature dropped.

Zhang Wubing thought in his heart, after returning to the front yard later, he had to go back to the car and add some clothes.

But Yan Shixun was not as relaxed as Zhang Wubing.

As a guardian, he is not carefree about all the children whose parents are taking care of him. He needs to be responsible for everyone's safety, so he is more keen to discover what is wrong in the yard.

Dead tree in the courtyard...dilemma.

Yan Shixun frowned, subconsciously calculated with his slender fingers.

The next second, he slightly opened his eyes wide in astonishment.

No Gua.

Heaven and earth are separated.

It seems that in this courtyard, heaven and earth do not exist, and even the avenues are covered, so even the hexagrams that ask heaven and earth are disintegrated.

Yan Shixun stared at the dead tree in the yard, as if hallucinations appeared in front of his eyes.

In the blazing and warm sunlight, the slanted shadows of dead branches fell on the broken stone floor, as if they were twisting and trembling, like ghosts swaying with teeth and claws.

The ghost hid in the dead tree, roaring and screaming, ferociously trying to pounce on the approacher, but was trapped in the tree and could not escape.

"Yan, Brother Yan?"

Zhang Wubing noticed Yan Shixun's stopped footsteps, so he couldn't help but look up and follow Yan Shixun's line of sight: "What's wrong? This tree is not pretty, let's see what it does..."

Suddenly, Zhang Wubing seemed to realize something, and looked at Yan Shixun in horror: "Sure, should there be something wrong with this tree?"

Yan Shixun turned his gaze away, picked up Zhang Wubing and dragged him towards the courtyard gate: "Shut up, let's go."

However, when Yan Shixun stepped over the half-meter-high threshold and stepped into the second courtyard with Martin boots, he looked up and saw the same dead tree as he had just seen.

Even the shadows cast by dead branches are the same.

The door of the next room was half open, and through the crack of the door, you could still see the display inside.

It was exactly the same as the room they had just left.

CD players, TVs, posters, magazines...

Everything sleeps peacefully in the dust.

Looking at the familiar scene, Zhang Wubing realized something belatedly.

"Yan..."

Yan Shixun frowned tightly, dragged Zhang Wubing quickly across the courtyard and continued to walk forward.

However, the next one, the next one...

No second access to the yard.

There is no end and no exit.

Whether it is forward or backward, it is the last yard.

They are like standing in two opposite mirrors, only the same space that extends infinitely, everything is repeated, and there is no way to leave.

Yan Shixun stopped, stood where he was, and slowly turned his head to look back.

Behind him, behind the gate, is another yard and another door.

There is also another Yan Shixun and Zhang Wubing, turning their heads to look back.

Like the montage shooting technique in the movie, there is a door within a door.

There are people after people.

Zhang Wubing was stunned.

"This this?"

He stuck his tongue out, not knowing what to do for a moment.

The golden-red sunset hangs in the sky behind the eaves, warming like candles flickering.

The shadow under the dead tree gradually elongated and spread, covering the broken and old stone slabs of the whole yard, extending to Yan Shixun's feet.

In the half-open room, the CD player that had been turned off automatically turned on, the old TV was buzzing, and the sound of electric current was ear-piercing.

Immediately, the screen jumped out.

The female shadow puppets stand with their hands down and appear on the TV screen.

She raised her head slowly, painted bright red eyes, and looked straight out of the screen.

That gaze seemed to look at Yan Shixun through the gap in the door, and stared at him deeply.

Yan Shixun's heart sank slightly.

His previous premonition came true.

If no female shadow puppet characters corresponding to the repertoire have been found, it is probably not a shadow puppet show.And Zhang Wubing's memory was not wrong, he had indeed turned off the CD player.

However, when the CD player was turned on again, not only did it not play any CDs, but instead... an evil play was staged.

Zhang Wubing accidentally glanced at the female shadow puppet figure, and was immediately frightened by the deadness and resentment, his scalp was about to explode.

The shadow of the dead tree fell on the two of them, like a ghost grinning silently.

Behind every door in the courtyard, there were subtle sounds.

It was as if someone stepped on the ground and was walking towards the door.

A shadow was reflected on the paper door in the setting sun.

He held a bloody knife in his hand.

He was grinning, wide-eyed.

Yan Shixun pursed his lips tightly.

The direction of the shadow is reversed.

The visitor is neither a ghost nor a human being, so what is that...?

Immediately, shadows gradually appeared behind each door, reflecting different images one by one.

A woman with hollow eyes and mouth like a crescent moon, a proud villager with her hips akimbo, a dancing man...

It was like a silent shadow play, staged in front of Yan Shixun's eyes.

All are shadow puppets.

Every door and window is a curtain for shadow puppets.

Shadow play, shadow play.

Wherever there are shadows, it is where shadow puppets are performed.

These figures surrounded Yan Shixun from all directions, trapped him in the courtyard, surrounded by stages, and only he was sitting in the auditorium.

Suddenly, a sad erhu sound broke the deathly silence in the courtyard.

Yan Shixun looked up, and saw the female shadow puppet on the TV behind the door, weeping mournfully.

With this sound, all the shadows in the entire yard instantly came to life.

"Squeak... creak—!"

One after another, the doors were pushed open from the inside.