novel
| ← Ch.023 | Ch.025 → |
The doll's hair was only exposed for a moment. Xu Mei's eyes hadn't widened yet and she didn't have a chance to confirm it when it disappeared without a trace. Combined with that phone...
Xu Mei quickly left Xiao Li's room door. She had a bold idea.
She didn't think that Xiao Li could manage ghosts. How could an ordinary person deal with ghosts? In addition, Xiao Li seemed to be a young man who studied every day and never did anything like this in the Xiao home. There was no way for him to control ghosts like Mr Ye. Xu Mei's idea was that Mr Ye left a ghost beside Xiao Li, not killing him right away but making him live in endless fear. The uneasiness originally caused by Mr Ye's disappearance was scattered.
Xu Mei used a soft voice to have a servant bring a bowl of sweet soup. She would educate her son to absolutely not approach Xiao Li. The lady's elegant back soon disappeared below the stairs and behind the rose in the vase, a doll showed one eye and stared after her in a dull manner.
Xu Mei thought it was good but she soon found that the truth wasn't as she wished. Whenever the Xiao family's master wasn't back, she was alone in the master bedroom. The bed was soft and silky and the entire room was filled with an aroma that Xu Mei liked. She always liked flowers and plants and placed a pot of rare orchids by her bed.
She turned off the lamp, closed her eyes and prepared to go to sleep. Xu Mei's usual sleep quality was good but she didn't know why today, there was always some ups and downs in her heart. She lay in bed for 10 minutes before opening her eyes again.
She had just opened them when she saw a shadow sitting at the end of her bed! She had closed her eyes for a long time so Xu Mei could see slightly in the darkness. This thing seemed to be a doll that was very fat. The facial features couldn't be seen.
"What is this ghost thing!" Xu Mei's chest rose violently as she got up from bed and reached for the lamp.
However, the doll moved. Xu Mei made a stunned expression as it grew from small to large, turning into a life-sized ghost in a bloody school uniform. It stood by the edge of the bed and buried its head in the orchids.
This was very close to Xu Mei and the bloody smell spread. Xu Mei's scream was in her throat as her hands and feet moved in another direction.
The figure didn't care about her and just stood in place. It looked up when Xu Mei ran to the door, glanced at the door and left the room.
Xu Mei had never experienced such a thing. She saw the ghost disappeared and stumbled to open the door, screaming, "Ah—! Come! There, there is a ghost!"
******************
Inside the room at the other end, Xiao Li was lounging on a chair, his mouth stuffed with a piece of pastry as he played games on his mobile phone. Since Zhou Ying entered his phone, there was a program called Happy Music running in the background. A child was still a child.
Xiao Li operated his character to get a double kill while thinking. He had already checked the little yellow book this day and also spent all day playing the game. Xiao Li was different from Xiao Ming. Xiao Ming was busy every day. It wasn't only the weekdays. Xu Mei used the weekends for various training courses. Meanwhile, Xiao Li didn't even have to go to class and he was happily idle.
He was playing the game when there were big movements outside the door. It seemed to be coming from the main bedroom. Xiao Li didn't raise his head. He had no feelings or curiosity at all, not to mention the sounds were coming from Xu Mei. Xiao Li couldn't forget about that strange taxi. It wasn't because he felt uneasy that someone wanted to kill him. It was that he was 80% confidence the person behind it was Xu Mei.
He somewhat felt a desire for vengeance. He wasn't as quick an attacker as Xu Mei. He would take his time. A gust of night wind blew the curtains as the doll obediently returned to the window.
After an operation, Xiao Li stared at the settlement interface on his phone. He had received the MVP award again. Then Shen Chenzhi sent him a message in the chat box."Come again?"
Xiao Li replied, "No."
"Okay. When will you go back to school?"
"I'm not sure. Depends on my mood."
Shen Chenzhi gave a short reply and went offline.
Xiao Li put down his phone and glanced at the little yellow book. The small book suppressed under his bag looked very thin. It had vibrated for a long time but it didn't get Xiao Li's attention and now it was quiet.
He walked over to raise the bag and a piece of paper floated from the air down into the young man's hand.
To be precise, it wasn't a piece of paper but a formal invitation. There was a family emblem engraved on the back that he didn't know. It was shaped like a sword and surrounded by roses. Meanwhile, the front had smooth handwriting.
【 Dear Mr Detective, the date of the agreement has been getting closer and closer. Out of fear that you will forget, I will hereby remind you to please come to the Tartarus Manor at 6 p. m. that day. I am looking forward to your arrival. 】
It was signed with an English name.
Tartarus Manor... this name wasn't very good. Xiao Li just had this thought when there was a whirlwind and the scenery in front of him gradually changed.
At first, there was a tree-lined path surrounded by trees towering into the sky, covering the sunlight. Further on, the end of the trail had a straight with a wooden bridge connecting to the other end of the strait. A huge castle stood on the cliff at that end.
The water at the bottom of the cliff beat against the cliff, resulting in constant loud sounds.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the old castle. It was surrounded by a thorny fence that acted as a guard fence. The surface of the castle was covered with traces of the years and was ancient and mysterious. The gate had two stone carvings on it. They were two benevolent angels with white wings and smiles on their faces.
【 The Tartarus Manor is an ancient manor belonging to the Nordic aristocracy. After years of baptism, it is unknown how many truths have been buried. If you have received the invitation, come to this secret appointment. Maybe you can fulfil your wish here or maybe your soul will be harvested here. It is all your choice. 】
Xiao Li opened his eyes again and found he was standing at the door of the estate. The sea breeze blowing from behind him caused him to stand unsteadily.
There were a few others around him. It was far less than the orphanage and they were looking at the buildings and other people. This time, the duration between instances was so short. The invitation letter was still in Xiao Li's hand and the little yellow book floated in front of the young man, the large piece of paper showing:
【 Remaining safety time: 3 minutes. 】
【 Mission:
1. Survival in Tartarus Manor for seven days.
2. Crack the truth here.
The above tasks can be optionally completed and after completion, you will be randomly transmitted back to the real world. 】
【 Hidden tasks:
1. Don't ignore me.
2. Don't neglect me.
3. Give me a kiss.
All the above tasks must be completed. 】
Xiao Li put away the little yellow book, turned over the invitation and paused for a few seconds on the word'detective. ' He wasn't a detective in reality. Did it mean that in this instance... his role was a detective? This was quite consistent with the pseudonym he used.
There weren't many reincarnators this time so the rest of the people came together spontaneously. Each one looked thoughtful and didn't seem new. A brown-haired young man was the first to raise his invitation as he smiled at everyone."Tartarus Manor, this isn't a good name. I think that we are'gambling. '"
"What do you mean?" Another woman with hair in front of her eyes asked.
"Tartarus means'hell' in Greek mythology." The brown-haired young man looked like a gentle big brother."Based on this name, the ghosts are quite scary."
"Are you trying to scare yourself before entering?" An uncle who had both hands over his chest since he came here spoke disdainfully."I don't believe it. I will live even if this is an instance of 100 people."
The young man put away his invitation."I'm just worried and opening that isn't the case. Since the number here is small, shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Xie Lingshi."
"Xie Lingshi, the ling of mingling (order), the shi of shijue (vision)?" (TL Note: they're talking about the character used when writing it out)
A young man who never opened his mouth was shocked. He had obviously heard of this person and a bit of joy filled his voice."The one who is ranked 98th on the forum?"
Xie Lingshi looked up with a smile and spoke modestly."That is indeed my name. This ranking... you don't need to pay much attention. We are only reincarnators and once we encounter high-level ghosts, sometimes we can only rely on luck while struggling for survival."
A golden thigh!
"My name is Wu Tian. Please take care of me." The young man's eyes lit up while several other people looked at the harmless youth. Xiao Li had only seen the forum rankings last night and didn't expect to meet a name on it so soon. It might only be 98 but it was still on the list. Next, they exchanged names. The last person's introduction had just ended when the safety time was up.
An old man with silver hair was standing on the edge of the railing. His hair was carefully combed back. He appeared silently and didn't move at all.
"Dear guests, good evening." The man's movements were slow but there wasn't the usual ghostly stiffness."I'm Ronnie, the housekeeper here. Please follow me."
He spoke and opened the iron gate of the manor. The iron gate was rusted and made an uncomfortable noise as it opened. Ronnie led them into the castle. After entering through the iron gate, the air gave off an ancient smell that was a mixture of grass and rust.
They stopped in the hall of the first floor and the housekeeper Ronnie respectfully pointed upstairs."Dear guests, your clothes have been prepared for you. Please go to the room to change clothes and then come down for dinner."
The old housekeeper led the crowd to their rooms. Every time he came to a room, he let someone go in. Xiao Li was assigned to the middle room on the third floor. He pushed open the door and saw the suit on the bed instantly.
Xiao Li turned back to close the door and entered. The room was covered with a velvet dark red carpet and it was very soft. He took out the little yellow book and thought about it before stuffing it under his clothes. Then he took off his clothes.
The young man's back was revealed inch by inch as he removed his clothes. Once completely naked, it was like smooth jade and another set of clothing covered the precious treasure, blocking all of it.
It was a Western-style shirt with a vest and cloak. The black vest outlined the young man's slim figure and combined with the hate, Xiao Li felt like a famous detective.
The moment he got dressed, the little yellow book asked: 【 Why are you angry? 】
【 Is it because I said I wanted to kiss you? 】
【 This is a normal thing. I like you and want to be close to you. So don't be angry about it. 】
It showed too much at once so halfway through the line, it tried to change to a new topic. 【 This outfit is very good-looking. It suits you. 】
【 Of course, you look good no matter what you wear. You are the best. 】
Xiao Li looked at its innocent manner and wanted to say something to it. He hardly imagined that such a coloured ghost could be so open and pure.
The teenager was worried for a bit before dropping the pen.".. I'm not angry because you want to kiss me. It is because you are perverted."
Right, who would say this if they weren't perverted? Describing in detail and with yellow writing? Still wanting to kiss him like that?
The little yellow book wasn't ashamed and felt some pride. 【 You can call me anything but don't ignore me. 】
Xiao Li suddenly became weak and there was a feeling of being too lazy to care about it. In any case, it was just a little yellow book and had no substance! The two coloured sentences were just... coloured sentences!
He closed the book, organized his cuffs and walked out of the room.
Xiao Li went out and there were already a few people gathered in the hall. They were with the old housekeeper Ronnie and constantly trying to ask him questions. The first person to open his mouth was Xie Lingshi. He had changed into a suit and looked like a modern day elite businessman."Mr Ronnie, dare I ask about the owner here... ?"
He didn't directly ask the reason for their invitations or what was the agreement in fear of exposing himself to the eyes of ghosts. He could only act tentatively.
The old housekeeper replied with a cold face."The duke has his own business. I ask the guests to understand."
Xie Lingshi laughed."There is no way if it is an urgent matter. We don't mind."
During their conversation, the rest of the people came out one after another. Apart from Xie Lingshi, there were four men and one man and woman. They looked like a couple. The man was called He Wei and the woman was called He Yi. They whispered to each other but didn't chat to the others. The old housekeeper saw them and reached out a hand."Everyone, please come this way."
The group walked through the long corridor inside the castle. Waiting for them was a beautiful long table with a white tablecloth. There was a variety of Western foods placed on them and two rows of candles in the middle. The candlelight shone brilliantly in the dark night of the castle.
Xie Lingshi sat down and looked at the table with a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there are no little Indians in the middle." (Based on the nursery rhyme 10 Little Indians that was used in Agatha Christie's novel'And Then There were None. ')
The young man called Wu Tian sounded puzzled."What are little Indians?"
A woman—Xiao Li remembered that her name was Feng Fengqing—was wearing a long European skirt and had white fur wrapped around her shoulders. She hummed, "Then There Were None."
It was a very famous blizzard mountain killing mode novel. It told the story of eight strangers who were invited to the island. There was a nursery rhyme in the phonograph and 10 porcelain statues on the table. Every day after that, people died in the same manner that was described in the nursery rhyme. For every dead person, the porcelain statue on the table was one less, much like their present situation.
"The difference is that the opponents they faced were themselves, humans." Xie Lingshi concluded."We are dealing with ghosts, ghosts."
The ghosts were invincible. All they could do was block the ghost for a while and find a way to escape.
The words of the young man struck the hearts of those present. They faced the dazzling table but couldn't eat because they had no appetite. There was a brief silence before the bearded uncle opened his mouth impatiently."What are you saying? I don't like people like you who are alarmists. Are you happy talking this way?"
His words were fierce and his hostility towards Xie Lingshi was serious. The young man didn't intend to fight back and just leaned back."It is as Brother Qian said. I am just thinking ill-thoughts."
The uncle with the surname of Qian couldn't continue to attack. He scoffed and bowed his head to look at his bowl of steak, complaining, "Blood is dripping. I don't know why anyone likes to eat this. It is disgusting."
As for the couple, He Wei took a piece of cake and placed it on He Yi's plate."Eat a bit?"
He Yi shook her head and pushed the plate away a bit. She really had no appetite. She entered an instance where it was unknown if she would live or die. How could she have the appetite to eat?
Around the silent table, only Xiao Li could freely cut the steak and bring it to his mouth while also pouring himself a glass of red wine. The teenager's appearance made the others look at him several times. Fortunately, he was good-looking. The others might not understand how he was able to eat at this time but no one stood up and accused him. Xie Lingshi looked at him and sighed."Good appetite."
Under Xiao Li's leadership, the rest of the people stuffed something into their mouths despite their poor appetite and the dinner ended.
The old housekeeper stood with his hands behind his back, respectful and silent. Once everyone stopped eating, he personally cleaned up the dishes and didn't ask other servants to help. It was unknown if there were other servants.
Xie Lingshi was very interested in this old housekeeper. He kept talking to the housekeeper and asking how long the housekeeper had been working him. He also asked if there were any arrangements for tonight.
The old housekeeper answered them easily. He had been working here for 10 years and they could freely do what they wanted tonight. Then Ronnie expressed his desire to leave for a bit. Xie Lingshi let him go and turned to the other people to try and explore the entire castle.
Xiao Li touched his pocket and was prepared to go back to his room. He just passed a corner of the second floor when he saw the group of people gathered to look at the painting hanging at the end of the corridor.
It was an oil painting depicting the upper body of a beautiful woman. She had pale blond hair and her eyes were as blue as the sea, covering her rising smile. The thick inks depicted her beauty.
The floor-to-ceiling windows were tightly closed and the sound of waves on the shore was isolated. The full moon in the sky outlined the beautiful woman in the oil painting.
Xie Lingshi stood at the forefront and stared at the beauty for a while."This painting... something isn't quite right."
Feng Fengqing stared quietly at the painting for a long time."What is wrong?"
"The eyes..." Xie Lingshi took three steps back.
The person in this painting was very beautiful and the colour of the painting was extremely bright. According to reason, it should give people a bright feeling. However, this painting was gloomy at first glance, just like there was a layer of shadow.
He had just spoken when he saw the woman in the oil painting suddenly look alive and glance in a certain direction. Then once Xie Lingshi examined it carefully, the oil painting had completely recovered.
Xie Lingshi followed the direction of the painting's look and saw a person. The black-haired teenager stood in place, black cloak covering his body and his cuffs were embroidered with dark red embroidery. He seemed to feel Xie Lingshi's eyes and coldly raised an eyebrow.
Why was the painting looking at this person? Was it accidental? Or... was he the first victim to be targeted? Xie Lingshi remembered this person's very special name and asked, "Sherlock, what do you think of this painting?"
Xiao Li stood still in the distance and commented, "It looks good. Very beautiful."
"... Not in terms of looks. I mean the entire impression the painting gives off."
Xie Lingshi changed the adjective."Very harmonious."
Xie Lingshi couldn't keep up with this person's thinking."Ah?"
"It suits this place." Xiao Li put his hand back in his pocket and his expression didn't change. He didn't see the painting's gaze and didn't follow Xie Lingshi's hints.
Was this person's head lacking roots? He looked so good but he was actually crazy? This was the eldest son of the Xie family's first view of Xiao Li. Xie Lingshi hadn't managed to express any more words when he heard a shrill scream in the distance."Ah—! Come here... someone is dead here!"
The voice belonged to the woman in the couple. The people present ran to the place where the sound came from.
The scream was from the door of a bedroom on the first floor. One of the doors was half open and the interior decoration was similar to other people's rooms. At the door, a man had fallen to the ground with a dagger inserted into his back. Blood stained his clothes and dripped on the carpet, adding another colour to the dark carpet.
He Yi was screaming and He Wei next to her supported her and covered her eyes. He Wei couldn't bear to see the corpse and turned to look at everyone rushing over."We looked outside for a while and prepared to go back to our room when we saw..."
Their room was next to the dead bearded uncle.
The old housekeeper squeezed out from the crowd. He looked at the scene in front of him and sighed coldly, crouching down to carefully examine the uncle's wound."Dr Feng, can you come and see?"
Feng Fengqing was obviously stunned when she heard this. The word'doctor' was indeed written on her invitation but she wasn't a doctor in reality and didn't know anything about medicine. However, the old housekeeper said this and she couldn't refuse. She just followed Ronnie's meaningful gaze by bending over and putting her hand lightly on the decreased."He can't be saved."
The housekeeper was shocked and sighed sadly. Feng Fengqing also felt awkward. She didn't like this uncle too much but seeing a reincarnator she entered with die so fast, there was a feeling of sadness like a rabbit dying.
At this moment, Xiao Li suddenly acted. He knelt beside the uncle, blocking the eyes of the others with his body and taking the deceased's hand. There was an invitation there. The uncle was invited to be a'butcher. ' After seeing this line, Xiao Li quietly stuffed the invitation back and turned to the puzzled housekeeper."I was checking to see if there were any clues about the murderer."
Ronnie nodded."There is a detective so presumably, the murderer has nowhere to run."
Xie Lingshi immediately reacted. He squeezed past the old housekeeper and knelt on the ground with a sad expression."I am a priest. I will pray for him."
He put his hands on the uncle's body, checked it before making the sign of a cross on his chest."May his soul rest in peace."
The old housekeeper waited for them to pray before picking up the body. Before he left, he told the rest of the group, "I am sorry that this happened. I will inform the duke and hope for your understanding."
Xie Lingshi replied to him, "No one expected that such a thing would happen. We will wait for the duke's message."
Ronnie took the body and left. The remaining reincarnators stood at the bloody door. Xie Lingshi took the lead to walk into the uncle's room and searched it.
"Is it a ghost?" Wu Tian asked in a whisper.
The uncle had just arrived and there was nothing extra in the room. Only the clothes he changed out of had some value. Xie Lingshi saw the uncle's clothes and searched the pockets, finding a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and a Swiss army knife.
The knife wasn't clean and there was still blood on the blade. It was obvious that the uncle wasn't an innocent person but such a dangerous reincarnator had died.
Xie Lingshi muttered to himself, "I don't know what he did to trigger the dead end..."
Xiao Li's eyes swept over the knife, said nothing and left the uncle's room.
He first went to his room, sat at the table and opened the little yellow book. It was because when he saw the painting, the little yellow book had started vibrating. 【 She looks good? Do you like that? 】
【 But I look better. Do you want to see me? 】
【 In fact, I think you are the best to look at. I like everything you do. For example, I really want to see you under that cloak. 】
Xiao Li was afraid of it continuing to talk and defended himself."That is a scene."
Little yellow book: 【 Then you don't think she looks good? 】
Xiao Li coaxed it."No, you look good."
The little yellow book was satisfied.
Xiao Li looked up into the mirror in front of the table. There was no desk, only this dressing table. It was like a woman's room and the mirror in front of the dresser caused some fear this late at night. The teenager stared at his face in the mirror for half a minute. He found no abnormalities and moved his gaze.
After the death of the first person, it was now close to midnight and the moon hanging high outside the window gave the castle a desolate atmosphere. Xiao Li had originally intended to sleep but he rolled over for a moment and felt a bit hungry. He had been full from the steak at dinner but it had digested a long time ago and now he wanted some pastries.
The Xiao family's second master often played games hard and stayed up late eating pastries. Thus, he couldn't bear the hunger. He hadn't taken off his clothes to go to bed so he put on the cloak and went out of his room.
The castle in the middle of the night exuded a distinctive beauty. Every stone here and every embossed relief was extremely refined with a sense of history. Xiao Li walked down the stairs covered with thick carpet. He passed many doors, some of which were engraved with intricate patterns.
He searched for a while but couldn't find the kitchen. Xiao Li paused before coming to the place where he saw the painting. The beauty in the painting was still smiling at him like a bait from hell.
Xiao Li held up his mobile phone torch and looked at her for a moment. Then he heard his voice echoing in this world."Where is the kitchen?"
The blonde beauty, "..."
The beauty's smile stiffened for a moment.
Xiao Li added, "Or where can I eat?"
The blonde beauty stopped smiling. Once she stopped smiling, the tone of the entire painting completely reversed. She even looked awkward as she stood up gracefully and walked out of the frame. Once she stepped out of the frame, she became a shadow on the wall. She was like a court woman as she held the hem of her dressed and shuttled through the walls.
The blonde beauty walked through the castle with Xiao Li and finally stopped in front of a door near the top floor. The door was engraved with the same emblem as the invitation. The leaves of the roses wrapped around the door like a spider web waiting for prey.
Xiao Li pushed open the door and found that it was a studio. The bright moonlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the easel in the studio. There were brushes and oil paints on the table, a sofa in front of the easel and a snack stand next to the sofa with delicate snacks on it.
The blonde walked over and sat on the sofa. It seemed she wanted to lie down lazily on it but she looked at Xiao Li and changed her mind, sitting on the sofa in a dignified manner. Xiao Li turned over the canvas on the easel and saw a woman with blonde hair but no face. There were no facial features.
Xiao Li thoughtfully put down the canvas and asked the woman sitting on the sofa."Do you want me to paint you in exchange for food?"
The other person nodded. Xiao Li picked up the brush with some hesitation. He hadn't learned how to paint and didn't have any talent for this."I'm not very good at painting."
The smile on the beauty's face deepened and she didn't move. She sat in the same place and showed no signs of regret.
Xiao Li picked up a brush with some golden paint, sprinkled the colour on the canvas and started to paint. The teenager painted very slowly. He held a palette in one hand and touched it with the brush from time to time. It was like he was born to paint and in front of him was a dignified beauty. This was actually a very beautiful scene on the surface.
It was only when the eyes were focused on the painting that the scene became weird. For those who never studied oil painting, it was difficult to paint well. Thus, this painting looked... it could faintly distinguish the hair based on the colour and the eyelids, but nothing more. It was an implicit description.
Xiao Li hesitantly took the painting off the easel and handed it to the blonde beauty. Then he directly grabbed the plate of food.
The beauty lowered her head and turned over the canvas in her hand. She silently stared at the face and then touched her face with her other hand, as if wondering what happened. Then she lost the smile on her face and returned the painting to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li shrugged. He held the painting under his arm and held the plate of food in his right hand as he left the studio. The blonde beauty sat there watching his back. Once Xiao Li disappeared, she turned her head and entered the wall.
Xiao Li walked down the hallways with the plate in one hand and the painting in his other hand. He had no hands free to hold his phone so he didn't turn on the flashlight and returned to his room by relying on the moonlight outside the window.
He had just walked down to his floor when he bumped into a young man.
The young man might have a smile on his face but his head kept going back and forth, looking over whenever there was wind. He was obviously a bit scared of the surrounding environment. He held a candlestick in one hand, which was clearly more in line with the castle's temperament than his phone.
The young man was Xie Lingshi. He was thinking about a clue in the middle of the night and wanted to go into the first deceased's room to see. In the instance world, going out at night was a very dangerous thing. Therefore, he was a bit fearful despite having some means.
The faint candlelight elongated his shadow. Once he moved forward a certain distance, there was another shadow on the wall. Xie Lingshi was shocked and his heart almost stopped beating. Then he found the person looking at himself and felt a bit better."Mr Sherlock, you... what are you doing here?"
In addition, with no lighting!
Xiao Li raised the plate in his hand."Looking for food."
Xie Lingshi, "???"
Someone in a haunted instance world went outside just to find something to eat? The young man's suspicious eyes bypassed the plate and focused on Xiao Li's other hand.
Xiao Li saw the interested expression and didn't wait for him to ask."By the way, I painted this."
Xie Lingshi, "..."
Shouldn't it by going out to paint this image and then looking for food? The primary and secondary relationship was wrong! Wait a minute, why did he go out in the middle of the night to paint? Sherlock, this logic wasn't right!
The author has something to say:
Xiao Li: I didn't make a mistake about the primary and secondary relationship. It was you who made the mistake.
| ← Ch. 023 | Ch. 025 → |