Chapter 74: Dressing
Using people as a mirror can help one understand gains and losses, but Lin Qiushi still doesn't know what the words "gains and losses" in the clue actually mean.
The girl who had been burned to death last night suddenly appeared in the restaurant, unharmed. Lin Qiushi noticed a hint of discomfort on the faces of some people in the restaurant. These people were probably closer to the room where the incident occurred, and therefore witnessed everything that happened in the hallway. They knew that the girl before them was not human...
Sister Xia, the culprit who killed the girl, obviously didn't know what had happened.
She was still chatting with the girl as if nothing had happened, and said, "Wenjing, nothing happened last night, right? How did you and Xiaomian sleep at night? Nothing unexpected happened, right?" The girl who was burned to death was named Wenjing, and Xiaomian was the girl who lived with her.
"It's okay, Sister Xia." Wen Jing smiled serenely and spoke slowly, "Nothing happened last night..."
Sister Xia smiled when she heard this: "That's good."
The restaurant, which had been bustling with activity, became eerily quiet due to Wen Jing's sudden arrival. Those who knew what had happened the previous night began to leave one after another, casting strange glances at Wen Jing as they departed.
Sister Xia seemed to have noticed these strange looks. She thought for a moment, and her expression, which was originally slightly smiling, became a little serious and indifferent. Then she stood up from her chair, found an excuse and left the restaurant - it seemed that she was very sensitive in observing the atmosphere.
Wen Jing watched Sister Xia walk away, but did not reach out to stop her. She just smiled and looked at Sister Xia's back. The look in her eyes made people feel a chill down their spine.
Cheng Yixie asked, "Are we leaving too?"
Ruan Nanzhu nodded: "Let's go."
There were not many people left in the restaurant at this moment. Apart from Wen Jing who was still eating slowly, there were only a few slow-witted people still sitting in their seats, looking confused as to what was going on.
However, just as Lin Qiushi and the others reached the restaurant door, they heard a fierce quarrel outside.
When Lin Qiushi walked out, he discovered that it was actually Sister Xia arguing with Wenjing's roommate Xiaomian.
"It's all your fault, it's all your fault—if it weren't for what you said, Wen Jing wouldn't have died!" Xiaomian was Wen Jing's roommate. She witnessed Wen Jing's tragic death last night and was close to emotional collapse. Her tearful voice was filled with resentment and anger. "You just wanted to kill us, and now Wen Jing is back to seek revenge on you! Bitch, just wait!"
Sister Xia sneered and retorted rudely, "What do you mean I killed her? Did I know that breaking a mirror can kill people? Little girl, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."
Listening to their conversation, Lin Qiushi whispered to Ruan Nanzhu beside him, "Doesn't this count as Sister Xia killing Wen Jing?"
Ruan Nanzhu shook his head.
"Then how does it count?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused about how the sect judged murder.
"Generally, it's considered murder only if you do it yourself," Ruan Nanzhu explained. "Take their case as an example. Sister Xia certainly didn't know that smashing a mirror could kill someone."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
Ruan Nanzhu: "She just gave Wen Jing a suggestion. As for whether Wen Jing should follow this advice, that is another matter."
This is probably the loophole in the rules within the door.
If that's the case, it means that people who enter the door can kill each other, but the method of killing cannot be so brutal, at least they cannot do it themselves. Apart from doing it themselves, there are obviously many other ways to kill people.
Lin Qiushi said "oh" and understood.
Xiaomian was still crying. She seemed to know the girl named Wenjing from outside the door. She said, "You damn liar, it's all your fault. You clearly promised to protect us—"
Upon hearing this, Sister Xia said coldly: "Are you a three-year-old child? Do you believe everything others say?" After she said this, she waved her hand at Xiaomian in annoyance, turned around and prepared to leave.
However, at this moment, Xiao Mian pulled out a bread knife from her pocket and stabbed Sister Xia. Although the knife was not sharp enough, it was still very pointed. If it really stabbed into the human body, it would definitely be fatal.
Sister Xia reacted very quickly, dodging Xiao Mian's full-strength attack. She saw the knife in Xiao Mian's hand and shouted angrily, "You want to kill me?" She grabbed Xiao Mian's arm and pushed her hard against the wall.
"Ah!" Xiaomian seemed to be no match for Sister Xia at all. Her body hit the wall with a loud bang, and then she fell to the ground.
Sister Xia still felt that it was not enough, so she grabbed Xiaomian's hair and continued to throw her in another direction. Her strength was very strong, and Xiaomian, a girl of nearly 1.6 meters tall, was like a doll in her hands.
Lin Qiushi frowned slightly when he saw this scene. Just as he was about to step forward to stop her, he heard Xiaomian let out a shrill scream, and then bright red blood flowed down her cheek.
Sister Xia was slightly stunned when she saw this scene. She had no intention of killing Xiao Mian outright, she just wanted to teach her a lesson. She slowly helped Xiao Mian up and saw that the picture frame Xiao Mian was leaning against had a sharp nail stuck in it, and the back of Xiao Mian's head was pierced by the nail.
"No, no - I didn't want to kill you, I didn't want to kill you -" Sister Xia panicked. She let go of Xiao Mian's limp body and involuntarily took several steps back. "I didn't want to kill you, it's not me, it's not me -"
Lin Qiushi was also stunned. He didn't expect things to develop like this.
Blood continued to flow out of Xiao Mian's body. She opened her eyes and stared at Sister Xia in front of her with resentment, and then she died.
Sister Xia seemed to have a breakdown. She kept shaking her head and saying no, staggering out of the restaurant with an extremely panicked look on her face.
Lin Qiushi watched this scene with mixed feelings. He asked, "Does this happen often?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Not often." He glanced at Xiao Mian, "It's just that this woman has bad luck." He didn't expect Xiao Mian to die in such an accident. He walked to Xiao Mian's side, squatted down, and carefully observed the nail that led to Xiao Mian's death. "This nail is really interesting."
Lin Qiushi: "Interesting?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Not yet yesterday."
Lin Qiushi was stunned: "Are you sure there wasn't one yesterday?" This corner was not a place that would easily attract attention. In fact, if someone hadn't died here today, Lin Qiushi might not even look at this place before he left this world.
"Of course." Ruan Nanzhu was very confident. He said, "This nail was either hammered in last night or this morning... Was there anyone in the restaurant when you came?"
Lin Qiushi immediately thought of Luo Qianshui, who had arrived at the restaurant before him. He said, "Luo Qianshui arrived first."
"Oh." Ruan Nanzhu stood up, "Is that so."
Lin Qiushi said, "Did she hammer that nail? But..." He was originally thinking about how she knew Xiao Mian and Sister Xia were going to argue and even fight here, with Xiao Mian being pushed against the window frame. But then he thought about it carefully. This was the world within the gate, so nothing seemed impossible. Anyone who could reach the ninth gate was clearly not a good person. If someone had somehow predicted what would happen today and made some adjustments, it wouldn't be impossible.
Thinking of this, Lin Qiushi actually saw Luo Qianshui and her brother in a corner.
The two of them stood in the crowd, making them difficult to spot without careful observation. After meeting Lin Qiushi's gaze, Luo Qianshan smiled at him, while Luo Qianshui maintained a look of disdain. Then, the two turned and walked away, seemingly losing interest in what was to come.
Ruan Nanzhu stood up and said, "Let's go too. I have somewhere I want to go."
"Will Xiao Mian seek revenge on Sister Xia?" This was something Lin Qiushi was particularly concerned about. He had been inside the sect for some time, but he hadn't often witnessed outsiders transforming into ghosts for revenge... He seemed to have only seen it once, and it didn't seem like a pleasant sight. "Will it implicate us?"
"No." Ruan Nanzhu said, "This is just her business."
Lin Qiushi finally felt relieved. He asked, "Where do you want to go?"
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Didn't we go to the burning room during the day?"
Lin Qiushi suddenly realized.
They returned to the 34th floor and found the room that had been burning all night.
During the day, this room was nothing special compared to their house. It was just a very ordinary double room.
But after Cheng Yixie entered the room, he felt uncomfortable and kept coughing.
"Do you smell the burning smell again?" Ruan Nanzhu asked him.
"Hmm." Cheng Yixie said with difficulty, "It's very strong."
Ruan Nanzhu looked around, took out a table knife from his pocket, walked to the corner and started peeling off the wallpaper.
Lin Qiushi stared at the knife in his hand, stunned: "When did you take it?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "When eating boiled eggs."
Lin Qiushi was sitting next to Ruan Nanzhu. He should have seen everything Ruan Nanzhu did, but he hadn't noticed Ruan Nanzhu hiding the knife. He looked helpless, "Why didn't I see that?"
Ruan Nanzhu glanced at Lin Qiushi meaningfully: "There are so many things you haven't seen."
Lin Qiushi was speechless.
After the wallpaper peeled off, the charred wall behind it was exposed, confirming that a fire had indeed occurred in the room.
Lin Qiushi looked around the room and suddenly noticed an interesting little object.
It was a bronze mirror, placed next to the dressing table.
Mirrors are not rare objects here, but the mirror in front of him is the first bronze mirror Lin Qiushi has seen here.
This bronze mirror is only the size of a palm, with flowing cloud patterns around it and a small handle. It is exquisite and simple.
Lin Qiushi picked up the mirror and looked down at it.
Perhaps due to the difference in manufacturing technology, the portrait in the bronze mirror is not as clear as that in the aluminum-coated mirror, and appears a bit blurry and distorted.
Lin Qiushi gently stroked the mirror with his hand and felt as if it was covered with a light layer of ash. He put the ash to his nose and sniffed it, and smelled a burnt smell - this was not ordinary dust, but the ash left after something burned.
"Bronze mirror?" Ruan Nanzhu walked to Lin Qiushi and saw the mirror in his hand.
"Using copper as a mirror..." Lin Qiushi muttered the clue quietly, "Can it correct my attire?"
Ruan Nanzhu said nothing and took the mirror from Lin Qiushi.
"But what does this clothing and hat mean?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused. "Does it mean that you can see those things that sneak in among the crowd?"
Ruan Nanzhu tilted his head: "Just try it and you'll know."
Lin Qiushi: "Hmm..."
They could try, after all, they had already identified a suspect. They checked other parts of the house, and Cheng Yixie found a photo that had been burned by one-third in a drawer in a corner of the bathroom.
The remaining two people in the photo were a woman and a child. The woman wore a sweet smile, holding the child with her right hand, a pose somewhat similar to the one Lin Qiushi had seen in the corridor that day. The right side of the child had been burned away by the fire; it was obvious that this part belonged to the child's father.
"A family of three lived in the apartment," Ruan Nanzhu said. "In the end, only two bodies were found. Where was the remaining one?" He said this, gently stroking the edge of the photo. "Where did the other one go?"
No one knew the answer. After the fire in the apartment, everyone around seemed to have been replaced. They knew little about the fire, and some people didn't even know that the apartment had ever caught fire.
For the following time, Lin Qiushi and the others wandered around the apartment, and when they saw someone they knew, they would use the bronze mirror in their hands to look at him.
But what puzzled Lin Qiushi was that when they first used a bronze mirror to look at Wen Jing, who was not supposed to be a human, Wen Jing's face in the bronze mirror did not change at all and still maintained the appearance of a human.
Even the deceased Wen Jing hadn't changed, and the same was even more true for the others.
Lin Qiushi was a little confused. He looked in the mirror and said, "Isn't this how a mirror is used?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Then how else can it be used?"
Lin Qiushi smiled bitterly, "How would I know?" He pondered the clue carefully: "Using bronze as a mirror, one can straighten one's attire..." Had they misunderstood this statement? Wait... straighten one's attire...?
"Straighten your clothes." Ruan Nanzhu had the same thought as Lin Qiushi and even spoke out before him. "Did we only take a picture of Wen Jing's face?"
Lin Qiushi: "Try again?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Okay."
So they went to the restaurant on the second floor again, but saw that Wen Jing, who had been sitting there in a daze, was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm a step late." Lin Qiushi felt a little regretful.
Ruan Nanzhu: "It's okay, she will definitely show up again." He was very confident.
"What was Wen Jing trying to do by mixing in with the crowd?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused as to why she had come back. "Murder? But didn't you say she couldn't take revenge?"
Ruan Nanzhu said: "Wen Jing cannot take revenge, but it is not certain whether this person is Wen Jing." Maybe the person who appeared in front of them was not Wen Jing at all, but the ghost inside the door who imitated Wen Jing's appearance.
Lin Qiushi felt that this made a lot of sense.
As they discussed, they planned to return to the 34th floor. The elevator dinged and opened. Lin Qiushi saw the waiter who had given them the room card was also in the elevator. He smiled politely at them and said, "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon." Ruan Nanzhu replied casually.
Cheng Yixie suddenly frowned slightly, his eyes fell on the waiter, and he seemed to feel a little uncomfortable.
Lin Qiushi noticed something strange about Cheng Yixie. With a slight thought in his mind, he pulled out the bronze mirror from his pocket. Using his body as a cover, he carefully shone a light on the waiter.
There was nothing unusual. The waiter in the bronze mirror still maintained that formal smile. Lin Qiushi thought of what they had discussed before and slowly moved the bronze mirror from the top of the head, to the shoulders, to the waist and abdomen... until the bronze mirror moved to the waiter's feet.
The image in the mirror finally changed.
In the bronze mirror, the waiter's feet were reversed.
The heels are in front and the toes are behind, which is weird and creepy.
Lin Qiushi tensed slightly. Ruan Nanzhu noticed something was wrong with him and glanced at the mirror in his hand. He also noticed the waiter's unusual behavior, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued chatting with the waiter about trivial matters.
"How long have you been working here?" Ruan Nanzhu asked.
"Two years," the waiter replied. "That's a long time."
Ruan Nanzhu: "Two years? Were you there when the fire broke out?"
The waiter said, "I wasn't here at that time. It wasn't until after the fire that I applied for the job as a waiter here."
There was a soft ding-dong sound and the elevator door opened.
The waiter made a gesture to invite them to leave first.
Lin Qiushi followed Ruan Nanzhu out of the elevator door. Although he did not look back, Lin Qiushi knew that the waiter had been quietly watching them from inside the elevator - because the elevator door had not closed until they reached the door of their room. Lin Qiushi heard another ding-dong sound, and his tense heart finally relaxed.
"It turned out to be him." Ruan Nanzhu said, "I didn't expect it."
Normally, the key NPCs would not be the ghosts inside the door, but this time the key NPCs inside their door were obviously different from before.
"I didn't expect that either." Lin Qiushi said, "Yixie, did you smell something?" If it weren't for the change in Cheng Yixie's expression, he would not have thought of using the bronze mirror to look at the waiter. In fact, until just now, their target range was people coming in from outside.
Cheng Yixie nodded: "Yes, he also has a burnt smell."
Obviously, there are more than one way to discover the identity of this person inside the door. The bronze mirror is one of them. If you have a keen sense of smell like Cheng Yixie, perhaps you can find it without a bronze mirror. Of course, this ability also has certain flaws. If everyone is together, it will be difficult to distinguish the smell carefully.
"Do you think that waiter is the father of the family of three?" Ruan Nanzhu sat on the edge of the bed.
Lin Qiushi shook his head: "I don't know, but I can't rule out this possibility."
Ruan Nanzhu fell silent. He took out a candy from his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, put it in his mouth, and said vaguely, "Do you want some?"
Lin Qiushi was a little puzzled: "Why did you start eating candy?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Isn't this about quitting smoking?"
Lin Qiushi: "Why did you suddenly quit smoking?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "You have liver cancer." He said this in a matter-of-fact tone. "You can't always smoke in front of patients."
In fact, Lin Qiushi almost forgot about his liver cancer. Most people would suffer a lot from liver cancer, but he was lucky enough to enter the door and felt that he was stronger than before.
Lin Qiushi said, "Okay, give me one too."
Cheng Yixie glanced at the candy and stretched out his hand.
So the three grown men started sitting on the bed and eating fruit candies, and the room was filled with a faint aroma of fruit.
The clues about the key are still very vague. Lin Qiushi feels that the key has a lot to do with the father of the missing family of three.
Ruan Nanzhu agreed with Lin Qiushi and believed that their top priority was to find their missing father.
Just as the three of them were discussing, there was a sudden knock on the door. Lin Qiushi walked to the door and saw a familiar face through the peephole - Luo Qianshan.
At this time, Luo Qianshan was standing alone outside the door, smiling at the cat's eye.
Lin Qiushi turned around and asked Ruan Nanzhu, "It's Luo Qianshan. Do you want me to open the door?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Open." He wanted to see what Luo Qianshan wanted to do with them.
Lin Qiushi opened the door. When Luo Qianshan saw him, his smile widened. He said, "I have something I want to discuss with you guys. Do you mind if I go in?"
Lin Qiushi: "Please."
Luo Qianshan nodded at him and walked into the house. As soon as he entered, his eyes fell on Ruan Nanzhu, then he looked away as if nothing had happened and said, "Do you have any clues about the key?"
Ruan Nanzhu was very rude: "If you are here to ask this, you can leave now."
Luo Qianshan smiled bitterly: "Why are you so aggressive?"
Ruan Nanzhu raised her chin, looking like an arrogant queen. "I never waste time talking to a defeated opponent."
Luo Qianshan had nothing to say.
If he hadn't beaten Ruan Nanzhu, it would probably have been a stain on his life. Lin Qiushi wondered if he would feel better if he knew that the man in front of him was a cross-dressing man.
"I came to discuss something with you sincerely," Luo Qianshan said, "My sister and I have found clues to the key."
He originally thought that when he said this, the three people in front of him would be very excited, but who knew that the expressions of these three people were colder than each other.
Not to mention Cheng Yixie's expressionless face, Ruan Nanzhu had seen countless big scenes before, and Lin Qiushi had already been mentally prepared, so he didn't find it surprising.
In the end, it was Luo Qianshan himself who was shocked. He said, "Don't you want to say something?"
Lin Qiushi: "Congratulations?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Oh."
Cheng Yixie didn't say anything.
Luo Qianshan: "..." He was already wondering if the three people in front of him had found the key...
Fortunately, Ruan Nanzhu's next words dispelled his worries. Ruan Nanzhu said, "Okay, what do you want us to exchange for your clues?"
Luo Qianshan: "I..."
Before he could finish his words, Ruan Nanzhu leaned on Lin Qiushi's shoulder and said softly, "Let me be clear, I have a boyfriend. Please don't make any unreasonable demands."
Luo Qianshan: "..." I'm not, I didn't. His expression twisted: "Don't think too much." Although the person in front of him was indeed beautiful, who would dare to attack her with that skill? If there was a dispute in the future, it was not certain who would beat whom.
Ruan Nanzhu: "Oh, you really have no taste."
Luo Qianshan: "..." I'm sorry, I apologize.
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