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墨書 Inktalez
The place where Liu Xin mentioned Mu Yan was quite conspicuous. Even from the entrance of the village, one could see the old high-rise building that belonged to her family. It had a somewhat retro feel, appearing to have been passed down since at least the 1960s or 1970s, standing tall amidst the village, distinctly unique.
Through the car window, following Liu Xin's directions along the narrow path ahead, Zhou Zhen slowly drove forward and soon parked beside the vintage high-rise.
"This is it." Looking at the three-story blue brick building, Zhou Zhen turned to Liu Xin and asked.
Liu Xin nodded and said, "Yes, this is it. This is the Mu Family; the Mu Yan you mentioned is inside."
"Then let's get out." Since they had confirmed the location, Gu Chen said lightly.
As I surveyed the blue brick building before me, I nodded but took a deep breath. Mu Yan—this was where Mu Yan lived.
But who exactly was this Mu Yan that Mingyue and Liu Xin spoke of? Could she be the same person I knew? Moreover, both Mingyue and Liu Xin repeatedly emphasized that Mu Yan was a living dead person.
What did this living dead mean?
I had no way of knowing these things, but a statement made by Mingyue earlier left me feeling somewhat unsettled.
She said she sensed Mu Yan's presence on me, which shocked me and made it hard to believe.
Unless there was one possibility: the Mu Yan she referred to was indeed the same person we knew.
But Mu Yan was a ghost, not a human; she certainly couldn't be some living dead. How could they possibly be the same person?
Even if I racked my brain, I couldn't make sense of it.
The heavy wooden door, painted thickly, had faded over time and now appeared dark and somber. It was tightly shut at that moment.
Liu Xin stepped forward and knocked on the iron ring on the door, gently tapping a few times while calling out, "Big Head, are you there? Hurry up and open the door; we have guests!"
We stood behind Liu Xin, while Gu Chen and the others appeared calm; only I felt a bit unsettled.
Soon, the large door slowly opened, and a stout-looking man stepped out. He seemed to be around the same age as Liu Xin. He glanced at Liu Xin, then at us standing behind him, and asked, "Liu, you didn't set up today. Who are these people?"
Liu Xin chuckled and replied, "I did set up, but I happened to run into these folks who asked me to bring them here, so I brought them along."
Upon hearing this, the man known as Big Head paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over us before he looked back at Liu Xin with a puzzled expression. "But I don't know them. What do they want here?"
Liu Xin smiled and said, "You may not know them, but they know someone from your family."
"Who?" Big Head asked innocently.
"Mu Yan," Liu Xin said, straightening his expression.
"Mu Yan?" Big Head's face suddenly changed upon hearing the name.
"Yes, it's Mu Yan. Mingyue sent them," Liu Xin reiterated, this time emphasizing Mingyue.
"Mingyue sent you?" Big Head furrowed his brow tightly and raised his head to look at us.
I quickly responded, "Yes, it was indeed Miss Mingyue who asked us to find Liu Xin at Qingyang Palace and then have him bring us here."
"Oh, I see." Big Head nodded and then said, "Well then, please come in."
As he spoke, Big Head stepped aside and gestured for us to enter.
I looked at Gu Chen and Zhou Zhen and said, "Master, Uncle Zhou, let's go in."
"Let's go," Gu Chen nodded in agreement. Zhou Zhen also gave a slight nod, and then Big Head welcomed us inside.
Once we stepped in, we found ourselves in a spacious courtyard that was truly vast. Tall white poplar trees were planted throughout the yard, their trunks towering above even three-story buildings and appearing quite robust.
At that moment, I noticed Gu Chen's brows slightly furrowed, and I couldn't help but ask softly, "Master, is there something wrong?"
He nodded and said in a low voice, "The poplar trees in this courtyard are tall and dense, their branches and leaves have blocked the hidden light within the yard."
Hearing this, I took a glance and indeed found it to be true, but what was the significance of that?
I looked at him with a puzzled expression, and he continued, "As the saying goes, 'A large tree invites shadows.' The accumulation of Yin Qi over the years will inevitably affect the feng shui."
Upon hearing this, I immediately understood and said, "So you mean to say that the feng shui here is not good?"
Gu Chen nodded without speaking further.
At that moment, Big Head, who was walking ahead, chuckled and said, "So you understand feng shui too! But these poplar trees were planted by our ancestors when they were young. They loved poplars, so they never moved them."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen nodded slightly again.
The courtyard was quite large. We walked along the corridor, and indeed felt a chill under the shade of the poplar trees.
The courtyard was exceptionally quiet. Big Head led us forward with a silly grin. I was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Big Head, where are you taking us?"
Big Head turned to me with a grin and said, "My name isn't just Big Head; it's actually Big Head. The left part is 'bean' from 'dà dòu,' and the right part is 'page' from 'yè,' referring to this head."
Alright then.
I was somewhat speechless; regardless of how it was written, the pronunciation was almost identical. I thought to myself that perhaps others often got his name wrong, which is why he emphasized it so much.
So I had to repeat my question again, and Big Head naturally replied, "Of course I'm taking you to find Mu Yan. She's in the spirit hall at the back of the courtyard."
"Spirit hall?"
Upon hearing Big Head say this, I couldn't help but frown slightly and asked, "What spirit hall? What is she doing there?"
"What are you talking about?"
At my question, Big Head seemed a bit perplexed, his expression serious as he replied, "Mu Yan is a living dead person, of course she’s placed in the mourning hall. Where else could she be?"
I furrowed my brows tightly. They kept mentioning the term "living dead," so what exactly was Mu Yan's situation?
The more I thought about it, the more curious I became, and I wanted to see her presence as soon as possible.
While I was lost in thought, Big Head and Liu Xin led the way and stopped in front of a house.
It was a room in the backyard, with the door half-open. The light was dim, and it seemed even darker inside. Peering through the crack of the door gave off a somewhat chilling feeling.
Then Big Head pointed and said, "There, that's the mourning hall where Mu Yan is. She's inside; come in with me."
With that, Big Head walked straight over and opened the door.
As I looked inside, my expression changed instantly, and my brows furrowed even deeper.
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