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墨書 Inktalez
"Why does your family live here? Aren't you in business too? You could at least renovate the house," I said, looking at the dilapidated old building in front of me, feeling utterly perplexed.
Li Zhisheng smiled wryly. "This isn't my decision. I usually don't live here; it's my father who stays here. He doesn't like being disturbed by outsiders, so he chose this place. Everything related to the Yin Master is here as well. Besides, this house isn't what it seems; sometimes it's better not to judge things by their appearance."
With that, Li Zhisheng walked towards the entrance of the building. As I followed him, I thought to myself, "If the outside is this shabby, how much better could the inside be? Is this really a place for people to live?"
Moments later, I arrived at his doorstep and was struck by the stark contrast between the dark wooden door and the rest of the building. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the intricate carvings suggested that this door was quite expensive.
"This door alone must be worth more than this entire building," I remarked.
"Not quite, but it was chosen by my father, and it wasn't cheap. Still, compared to this building, it's far from comparable," he replied as he fished out a key from his pocket and unlocked the dark wooden door.
As he opened the door, a familiar yet strange scent rushed out to greet me. "Ghost Oil!" I exclaimed.
"I mentioned before that my home has mechanisms similar to those in the house of the Death Apostle. Did you forget?" Li Zhisheng said, a hint of pride in his voice.
Now it made sense; they lived in such a place and chose a house like this to throw people off. Who would expect that the once-renowned Yin Master would reside in such a location?
With that thought in mind, I followed Li Zhisheng into the house as he closed the door behind us. Instantly, the room plunged into darkness, and the strong smell of Ghost Oil filled my nostrils, making me cough uncontrollably. Li Zhisheng, however, seemed unfazed as he casually turned on the lights.
At that moment, I noticed that the furnishings in the room were extremely ordinary—one might even describe them as shabby. In the center stood a worn wooden table surrounded by a few chairs, with a thirty-inch color television sitting behind it. By today's standards, that television seemed excessively bulky.
"Where's the mechanism?" I asked while pinching my nose.
He retrieved an oil lamp from a hidden compartment beneath a shoe cabinet by the door. "It's in the back room; follow me," he said as he led me toward what appeared to be a bedroom.
Upon entering the room, I found it completely empty; even the floor was bare, resembling a shell of a house. However, due to the lights being on, I could clearly see some gaps on the ground, seemingly left behind by the activation of a mechanism.
Li Zhisheng held a lighter and lit an oil lamp, saying to me, "Step aside a bit; otherwise, we won't have enough time later..." Hearing this, I quickly retreated to the side of the door. Li Zhisheng illuminated the walls of the room with the oil lamp...
After a moment, I noticed that where the lamp's light fell, there appeared a dark compartment that was blood-red. Seeing this, Li Zhisheng hurriedly pressed his hand against it and then extinguished the oil lamp.
Immediately, a series of metallic clashing sounds echoed, almost identical to what we had encountered in Death Apostle's house. As the metallic sounds resonated, a rectangular entrance opened up in the middle of the room, leading straight down at an angle.
"Isn't this passage wider than the one at Death Apostle's place?" Li Zhisheng remarked as he turned to leave the room and returned the Ghost Oil to its original spot.
I looked around and replied, "It's not just a bit wider; it's much broader than his. Plus, you have lighting down here. In comparison, Death Apostle's place seems much more rudimentary."
Li Zhisheng didn't seem to mind my comment; he merely smiled politely at me and gestured for me to go down. Then, I followed him into the dark passage.
Before long, I heard that metallic clashing sound again from behind us as the door to the passage closed shut. Walking down the staircase, I asked Li Zhisheng, "You told me to be cautious with my words; just how terrifying is your father?"
He replied, "His temperament is quite peculiar. He can be accommodating with those he likes, but if he dislikes someone, even a single word can provoke him to act immediately. I was unsure whether you fell into that category of people he dislikes; that's why I hesitated to bring you here. Otherwise, I would have loved to show you these things in hopes they might help you..."
As we spoke, Li Zhisheng and I reached the bottom of the stairs where a pitch-black door appeared before us. This door was identical in shape and material to the one at the entrance but seemed slightly more imposing.
This time, Li Zhisheng did not use a key to open it directly; instead, he stood still at the entrance and listened for any sounds inside. After confirming there was no movement within, he pressed a button beside the door. With a click, the lock released with a sound, and the door slid open.
Once fully opened, I was astonished to see that this underground chamber was incredibly spacious—at least five times larger than my current home—and I noticed another staircase leading further down, suggesting there might be more than one level.
The furnishings in the room seemed to be made of high-quality materials, exuding a unique wooden fragrance. After glancing around, I whispered, "Is the old man not home?"
Li Zhisheng merely gestured for me to be quiet; he didn't even dare to breathe. This felt less like being at home and more like being a thief.
Seeing his demeanor, I also refrained from speaking and followed him down the staircase.
After a moment, we arrived at the second underground level, where the bookshelves were piled high with various ancient texts, including some bamboo slips. There were at least a hundred volumes.
"Are all of these?" I asked softly. But at that moment, Li Zhisheng did not respond; instead, he looked ahead in surprise, his expression revealing a hint of fear.
Noticing his unusual expression, I quickly turned to look in the direction he was staring. To my shock, I saw a figure standing behind several bookshelves. The person was dressed in a Long Robe, hands clasped behind their back, with a serious expression on their face. Upon seeing Li Zhisheng bring someone back, they frowned and spoke with an imposing tone, "Who is this person?!"
The question boomed like thunder, deep and powerful, causing me to shudder involuntarily.
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