Memories flashed back to childhood.
It was then that Shi Heng accidentally discovered the basement.
The deep scratches on the wall were shocking, like traces left by wild beasts.
As a young boy, he just felt scared.
Now I finally understand what that means.
"So... this curse..." Shi Heng's voice trembled slightly.
“It will be passed down from generation to generation.”
Shi Zhengyang nodded heavily and looked at his son with complicated eyes.
"Even the eldest son of the Shi family cannot escape this fate..."
"Bang--!"
A crisp sound suddenly came from the direction of the lounge.
Shi Heng's heart skipped a beat and he rushed to the lounge.
He pushed open the half-open door, and the scene before him made him breathless.
I saw Gu Youran standing barefoot at the door, his face pale without a trace of blood.
At her feet, a glass lay overturned.
The water stains in the cup spread across the carpet.
Shi Heng's gaze shifted from the overturned cup to Gu Youran's face, and he understood instantly.
She must have heard the conversation.
"Youbao, you..."
Just as Shi Heng was about to speak, he heard footsteps behind him.
Shi Zhengyang walked over and sighed deeply after seeing this scene.
"Now that things have come to this, hiding it from you is no longer an option."
"Come on, come with me to the old house. It's time to let you know some things."
…
An hour later, the three arrived at the Shi family's old house.
The corridor leading to the secret room was long and dark, lit only by a few dim wall lamps.
Gu Youran held Shi Heng's arm tightly and could feel cold sweat oozing from his palms.
"arrive."
Shi Zhengyang stopped in front of a wall with a landscape painting hanging on it.
Reach out and press the mechanism hidden behind the mural.
“Click—”
A soft sound.
The entire wall slowly opened to the sides, revealing a hidden room.
As the sensor light automatically lights up, the scene inside the secret room gradually becomes clear.
On the sandalwood exhibition stand in the center, there was a yellowed cowhide-bound book with "The Secret of the Shi Family" written in cinnabar on the cover.
"This is a handwritten note passed down by successive generations of family heads."
Shi Zhengyang put on his white gloves and carefully turned to one of the pages. "It records the truth about Xingyu Village."
On the yellowed pages, simple illustrations are interspersed among the dense handwriting.
Shi Heng's attention was immediately drawn to one of the paintings.
Under a painting of nine stars in a row, a gray-robed man wearing a silver mask was stabbing a dagger into the heart of a woman in red.
Shi Zhengyang said, "Five hundred years ago, when the Nine Stars Conjunction phenomenon appeared, our ancestors led a bloodbath in Xingyu Village in order to seize the Nine Stars secret technique that could reveal the secrets of the heavens."
He pointed to the sandalwood display case next to the booth and said, "These are the evidence left behind from that time."
There are three antiques in the cabinet:
A piece of stiff gray cloth with dark brown stains that looked like dried blood.
A half-broken silver mask with obvious cracks visible at the broken part.
A silver snake-shaped ring with two red gemstones embedded in the snake's eyes.
Shi Heng unconsciously took half a step forward.
The blood-red snake eyes on the ring glowed strangely under the light.
Shi Heng couldn't help but pick up the ring, wanting to see it more clearly.
At this moment, the ring seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand and slid accurately into the little finger of his right hand.
There was a sharp pain, and the ring automatically tightened to the perfect degree.
Shi Heng vaguely saw a flash of red light in the snake's eyes.
But when I looked closely again, I only saw the normal reflection of the gem under the light.
He tried to remove the ring, but found it wouldn't budge.
Shi Zhengyang's expression turned serious. "It's really a blood connection... The ancestor's curse has come true."
Gu Youran suddenly remembered that the person who killed her mother in the dream was wearing this snake-shaped ring on the little finger of his mutilated right hand.
The overlap of reality and dreams sent chills down her spine.
When I walked out of the secret room, the sun had already set and the sky was gradually getting darker.
Shi Zhengyang looked at his watch and said, "I have to go back to the hospital. Your grandma needs a checkup today."
"I'll take you there."
Shi Heng was about to walk out when his father raised his hand to stop him.
"No need, Zhuo Lin is already waiting outside."
Shi Zhengyang's gaze lingered between his son and Gu Youran for a moment, and his voice lowered a few degrees.
"You two... have a good talk. There are some things you have to face on your own."
Only after his father's footsteps faded away did Shi Heng gently hold Gu Youran's hand.
Her fingers were cold and her palms were still wet with sweat.
In the dining room, the butler had already prepared dinner.
The table was filled with dishes such as steamed sea bass, fried shrimp with lily bulbs, and chicken soup with cordyceps flowers.
It is colorful, fragrant and steaming hot.
But neither of them had much appetite.
"At least eat something."
Shi Heng filled a bowl of soup and pushed it in front of Gu Youran.
Looking at his expectant eyes, I couldn't say no.
Gu Youran picked up the spoon, but her hands trembled uncontrollably.
A few drops of soup splashed out when it was stirred, leaving a few light brown marks on the beige tablecloth.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"It doesn't matter."
Shi Heng took a tissue and gently pressed it on the stain. "Just drink a few sips."
At Shi Heng's insistence, Gu Youran reluctantly drank half a bowl of soup and ate half a bowl of white rice.
She was absent-minded throughout the whole process.
Her chopsticks picked up nothing several times, and finally Shi Heng helped her pick up some food.
After dinner, Shi Heng took Gu Youran to his bedroom in the old house.
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