no soul

Lin Hong bit his chopsticks, looked and looked at the lock given by the boss. It was a slender black iron lock, very strong.

He always felt somewhat familiar, but couldn't remember where he had seen it.

After they finished their meal, they went upstairs, Lin Hong was still holding his wine.

The doors of unoccupied houses are always open, and only when people live in do they lock them from the outside after leaving the house.

Lin Hong was observing all the way.

It stands to reason that in the same inn, even if the furniture is not exactly the same, the orientation of the furnishings in the room will be the same.

But in this inn, the furnishings of each room are the same.

Moreover, in a single room, the furniture is just like the tables in the lobby, arranged in a disorderly manner, some wardrobes are slanted, and some even have beds facing the door.

This makes them look a bit messy.

It's amazing.

The two walked to the corner of the stairs on the second floor, Duan Yu tugged Lin Hong, and motioned him to look over.

It was Hu Zhan, who walked into the third-to-last room with his big steel knife on his back.

Lin Hong smirked, "If you know which room he lives in, just look for an opportunity to give him a big gift."

Duan Yu: "..." I let you watch, because I want you to avoid him...

The two continued to go upstairs and turned a corner, so they didn't see Hu Zhan coming out of the room just now.

Hu Zhan slammed the door, "Damn, I went wrong."

Wan Guchuan has been walking in the fog for a long time, no one is around and there is no sound, it seems to be frozen, it is a vast expanse of whiteness, and it is impossible to distinguish the north, south, east, west, and every step is a long step, as if there is no end.

With a wooden face, he wanted to just sit there and melt away, but the fog finally faded a bit.

He saw the inn sitting ahead.

The lively atmosphere in the inn made him frowned.

"Do you want to be a guest officer or stay in a hotel?" The boss stopped his abacus and looked at him with a smile.

Wan Guchuan caught a glimpse of the boss's bright red clothes, couldn't help but blinked, reached out and put a large silver ingot on the counter, "Stay here."

"Hey!" The boss burst into laughter when he saw the silver ingot.

The swordsman sitting and eating looked at Wan Guchuan.

Wan Guchuan glanced sideways at them neither salty nor indifferent.

"Your key and lock! Take it!"

He took the lock handed over by the boss, looked down at it, and played with the handle with his slender hands, "Does your store lock the door with the black iron lock used to lock coffins?"

There was a custom in the Dazheng Dynasty that sometimes the coffin would be locked to prevent fraudulent corpses.

"The guest officer was joking, how could it be, this iron lock looks alike. Don't worry, this lock is strong!" The boss put away the silver ingots, "Your house is the third from the bottom on the second floor!"

Wan Guchuan didn't delve into the lock anymore, and looked up at him, "Boss, I have a few questions for you."

Of course the boss was happy, "Hey! Say what you say!"

"What year is it?"

The boss was taken aback, yo, I answered the second time today, "Dezhi has been around for 23 years."

"Where is this place?"

"Two hundred miles northwest of Jiangfeng City." The boss smiled, "Is this guest officer lost in the area?"

Hearing these words, Wan Guchuan felt a little familiar, and looked around the lobby, but found no acquaintances.

"Boss, you have been here before..." He was thinking about how to describe Lin Hong... um... "A rich young master?"

The boss pinched his beard and thought, remembering the few pieces of silver he just received... "No."

"Oh." It seems that he didn't come.

Wan Guchuan simply went to the room the boss mentioned after eating, the third from the bottom on the second floor—it was the one that Hu Zhan entered by mistake just now.

Lin Hong pushed open the window and looked outside.

This is the back of the inn.

The sky was dark and the mist was vast, only two or three tree shadows were outlined. A solitary lantern downstairs swayed slightly in the wind with a hazy halo, as soft as if it would be swallowed by the fog and night at any time.

Can't see anything.

Lin Hong sighed, closed the window, and put the bolt on.

"Do you think the grieving ghost who came to us was the woman who bit her nails?" Lin Hong walked towards the bed facing the window.

Duan Yu sat on the bed and laid out the boots he had taken off beside the bed, "I don't know."

"Ask you for nothing." Lin Hong laughed at him, and sat on the edge of the bed, kicked off a pair of Luobo cloud pattern boots, and fell on his back on the bed.

Those golden boots are just like everyone else's shapeless crooked.

Duan Yu snorted twice when he heard the words, with a look of naturalness on his face, he folded the clothes he had taken off, "You still ask me if you know that."

"..."

After Duan Yu folded the clothes, he showed a satisfied smile on his face, and put it on the table beside the bed.

As soon as he let go of his hand, the stack of clothes fell apart instantly...

Duan Yu: "..."

"She doesn't know what she wants us to find for her..." Lin Hong was more trouble-free, took off his clothes and put them on the shelf directly, "Forget it, go to bed without a clue, what should come will always come."

Needless to say, Duan Yu has already retracted into the quilt and closed his eyes. Isn't what he has practiced a mentality?

Sleeping until midnight, there was a sound of knocking on a wooden board.

dong dong dong...

Too obvious in a dark room.

Lin Hong woke up in a daze.

He sat up still half asleep.Who will knock on the door in the middle of the night?

dong dong dong...

The knock was annoying, and Lin Hong rubbed his hair before he regained consciousness.

But the sound came not from the door, but from the window.

Someone is knocking on the window.

The faint halo from the window came in and sprinkled on the floor, and a figure was reflected on the carved lattice.

Due to the light source, the shadow is very distorted, and it is impossible to tell whether it is high, low, fat or thin.

Dimly, just outside the window.

dong dong dong...

The sound of knocking on the window is still intermittent.

Lin Hong's heart also jumped up, he hesitated for a moment, lifted the quilt and walked over slowly.

"Brother!...Brother!" Sitting on the bed, Duan Yu called him in a low voice with the quilt in his arms, his tone was about to cry, "We are on the third floor!"

How could there be a figure standing outside the window on the third floor.

Lin Hong also noticed when looking out the window today, there is no eaves or leverage point in front of the window to step on.

He watched the shadow on the window, but didn't get too close.The light cast on the ground was an inch in front of his feet.

dong dong dong...

Knuckles knock on the window.

Figures stand.

Lin Hong looked down at the light on the ground.

There was no shadow reflected in the light on the ground.

He took a step back.

The old people said that if you don't do anything wrong in your life, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night.

Don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the window!

"Keep sleeping!" Lin Hong walked back to the bed.

The two of them were lying in the darkness, the sound of thumping still rang unhurriedly, every sound hit the heart, as if nothing outside would come in and they would not let it go.

Duan Yu shrank under the quilt, only showing a pair of eyes wandering nervously in the darkness.

Lin Hong patted him comfortingly, and closed his eyes, but his attention was still uncontrollably focused on his ears.

I don't know how long the sound rang, and the two of them finally fell asleep in a daze.

At dawn, Wan Guchuan pushed open the door.

All the doors were closed except his, and seemed full.

He stood by the railing and glanced at the lobby below. The tables and chairs were messy and no one was there.

The entire inn was bathed in silence, and the "babbling" sound he made when he stepped on the wooden board downstairs was particularly loud.

The boss and Xiaoer were not there, but there was a steamer steaming on the stove in the kitchen.

Wan Guchuan picked a white noodle cake.

He lifted the thick cloth in front of the door and stood sideways, with a white flour cake in his mouth, arranging the arrow sleeves in his hands, and looking towards the forest.

The fog has cleared, and the air is fresh and cool. It should be Meng Chun.The morning sun was still setting behind the forest, and the sky was blue and cloudless.

The crown of the tree is green and gorgeous like a cover, covered with a hazy edge by the morning light.

A crisp bird cry was followed by a flutter of wings, and the leaves trembled violently.

The bony hand took the white flour cake in his mouth, the weather was too refreshing, Wan Guchuan wanted to go for a walk in the forest first, looking for clues.

Thinking about it, the long legs moved away.

At the same time, Lin Hong sat up from the bed with his messy hair.

There was nothing to do in the last night, but after all, I didn't sleep well.

He yawned and put on his clothes, looking for his boots by the bed, and after a glance, he gave a fistful.

——The pair of boots that were crooked on the ground last night are now neatly arranged, with the toes facing the bed, and placed together with Duan Yu's pair.

Someone has been in.

Lin Hong was stunned for a while.

Who is in their room?Quietly, they didn't even know.

But the doors and windows were bolted...how did he get in?

There are not too many things missing, what are you doing here?

Could it be... watching them sleep?

This... I'm afraid it's not a person but some dirty thing.

Lin Hong's back felt chilly, and it took him a while to recover, and he put his feet into his boots.

After splashing cold water on his face, he finally calmed down.

It was a kind heart to think that the dirty thing had put away his shoes for him.

After tidying up, Lin Hong went to the bed again and saw that Duan Yu was sleeping soundly with a naive smile on his face. It must be a good dream to keep him asleep (Note 1).

He raised his hand and slapped Duan Yu, "Get up."

He immediately understood how his father felt when he woke him up—very comfortable, with the illusion that his revenge had been avenged.

Duan Yu remained motionless, continuing to giggle in his dream.

good.Now it's time to get angry.

"Get up!" Lin Hong patted him again.

Duan Yu woke up suddenly.

He opened his eyes wide and looked at Lin Hong. After a long silence, he said, "I dreamed that you were dead."

Lin Hong: "..."

"Dreaming that I'm dead, why are you smirking?" Lin Hong wrapped him under the quilt.

Duan Yu struggled, his voice muffled under the quilt, a little vague, "I dreamed about it in the middle of the night!! I was eating roast duck in my dream just now!!"

Lin Hong beat him through the quilt before letting him go.

Duan Yu was still tidying up. When Lin Hong walked out of the room, the entire inn was silent, which was in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle when he came yesterday.

Lin Hong stepped on the stairs creakingly, stretched his waist, and looked up to see that the door of the third-to-last room on the second floor was wide open.

Strange, others are still sleeping with the door closed, what is this Hu Zhan doing so early?Is it possible that the thieves still get up early and work late?Hard work.

Lin Hong walked over and looked inside with his head propped up.

The bed was neatly made, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Lin Hong was amazed, this thief has good living habits.

His eyes fell on the table, he paused, and walked over.

Pick up the black iron lock on the table.

That's right, Hu Zhan opened the door, but it's not locked.Why not lock it?

Are you not afraid of people stealing things or putting things away?

His eyes wandered around the room.It is true that there is nothing to steal, but this inn is full of people, after all, he would not want anyone to enter his room.

Lin Hong looked at the lock carefully.Not bad.

Could it be... there is something wrong with this lock?

Lin Hong thought about it, put down the lock, and turned around.

A little boy stood behind him, looking at him with hanging eyes.

Lin Hong was thinking about something, but this time he was caught off guard. He was taken aback, and couldn't help but take a step back. His lower back hit the table, and the kettle on the table fell to the ground. The porcelain was scattered all over the floor, and the table wobbled as if after a catastrophe.

Lin Hong's heart was still beating wildly, and he breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that it was a little boy, "I was scared to death..."

The little boy was still looking at him with his eyes hanging.

Lin Hong also looked at him.

How long has this boy been standing behind him?Not even a sound at all...

"What?" Lin Hong raised an eyebrow and asked him.

The little boy smiled sweetly, and handed him a black cloth, "Play hide-and-seek with me!"

Lin Hong's eyes turned to the strip of cloth.Obviously to make him blindfolded.

But now he is alone, so it's hard to say what will happen if he is blindfolded.

"Brother is not convenient now, next time." Lin Hong smiled and reached out to rub his head, and walked out of the room.

The little boy was still standing in the room looking back at him.

Lin Hong went downstairs to look for food in the kitchen.

The cage was emitting white mist, and the sound of boiling water was heard below.

He opened it to look, and there were all kinds of food, buns, hair cakes, steamed buns, flower rolls... everything.

He suddenly wanted to eat white flour cakes, and the inn would prepare them.

He looked around but didn't see it, there was an empty space, he gestured, it happened to be a white flour cake.

I suspect that Hu Zhan ate it.Tsk, what a nonsense.

Lin Hong took a steamed stuffed bun without much interest, and gave Duan Yu another.

Walking out of the kitchen, he heard a rustling sound.Just behind the kitchen.

Lin Hong slowed down and walked around to take a look.

A woman squatted on the ground with her back to him, her hands kept moving, as if she was digging for something.

Lin Hong walked over slowly.

The sound stopped suddenly, and the woman suddenly turned her head.

A pair of eyes were staring, bloodshot.

It was the woman who gnawed her nails yesterday!

She is digging the corner of the wall with her hands.

The corner of the wall was sealed with bricks, and it was impossible to dig it open. Her ten fingers were covered with blood, and there were also hideous blood stains on the ground.

She looked straight at Lin Hong, stood up with a grin, and muttered with chapped lips, "Find something for me."

Suddenly getting closer, Lin Hong inevitably looked into her eyes.

He saw a dark figure inside.

That shadow was not his.Reflected in the woman's eyes, it's hard to see clearly.

It was as if someone was standing in front of her...

The woman put her fingers mixed with mud and blood into her mouth, and continued to bite her nails.

Still looking terrified.

What did she see?make her so scared...

Lin Hong felt that he was getting bolder and bolder, so he stepped back a little, "What do you want me to find for you?"

The woman rolled her eyes and grinned, "One thing you have but I don't."

Lin Hong was startled, what is this...

"I... come to you tonight." The woman took out something and put it in Lin Hong's hand holding the bun.

"What did you put on my steamed stuffed bun!?" Lin Hong lowered his head and said, "........."

This is a... jade potential.

It was still stained with blood from the woman's hand, which looked extremely tragic.

Blood stained the snow-white bun.

Lin Hong was speechless. He raised his head and wanted to question the woman, but found that she was gone. He turned around suddenly, and the whole hall was empty and he was the only one left.

"It's strange..." Lin Hong twisted the jade with two fingers in extreme disgust, "I can't bear to look directly..."

Thinking of the woman saying that she came to him at night, Lin Hong couldn't get better.

Since Hu Zhan is so daring and open the door to welcome guests, let's give him a surprise.

Lin Hong walked up to the second floor, stood at the door of the third-to-last room, raised his hand and threw it, and the jade rolled under the bed.

He smiled with satisfaction.

Looking at his hands again, he decided to wash them hundreds of times!

The author has something to say:

Lin Hong gritted his teeth: Whenever you say "handsome" or "Yushu Linfeng", the boss will think of me.

Wan Guchuan: I think the answer is the same.

Lin Hong: ...... Shit!

Welcome to guess the plot and clues. On the day when the answer is revealed, a red envelope will be given to the first cute guess!

Note 1:

Su Muzhe [Song] Fan Zhongyan