Chapter 80 The Ninth Door
Lin Qiushi counted and confirmed that the door he wanted to enter was indeed the fourth one. Then he walked to the door and reached out to open the iron door in front of him.
Then the scenery around him changed. The rooms around Lin Qiushi turned into low, ancient buildings, and the carpet under his feet turned into a narrow bluestone path.
This was Lin Qiushi's first time entering the house alone. Without Ruan Nanzhu's protection, he felt a bit uneasy. But soon, the trepidation faded, replaced by calmness and indifference. As Lin Qiushi walked toward the bluestone slab, he took in the surrounding scenery.
This time, the world inside the gate seemed to be a quaint little town. The surrounding buildings were all ancient and charming, each with a beautiful red lantern hanging outside. Now that it was dark, each red lantern emitted a bright light, illuminating the path ahead.
The narrow street was deserted, its sides lined with shops and a few residential buildings. Lin Qiushi even spotted majestic stone lions at the entrances of some shops. The shop signs were inscribed in traditional Chinese characters, and Lin Qiushi wondered to himself, "Could this inner world be some ancient world?"
He walked forward and soon found where he was supposed to go.
Having entered the gate so many times, Lin Qiushi had gained experience. Basically, every time he first arrived inside, there was only one path to choose from. Simply follow that path straight ahead, and you'll reach a spacious area where people are usually waiting. But this time, Lin Qiushi seemed to be the first to arrive.
Lin Qiushi walked into a courtyard with its door open.
The courtyard is spacious, with lush vegetation planted in the atrium, and it looks full of life.
Lin Qiushi stood there waiting, not forgetting to take off the bracelet on his hand.
A few days ago, he mailed the bracelet to the high school girl who issued the commission. Only when both of them wear the bracelet at the same time can they enter the same door at the same time.
If the commission is successfully completed, the female student will return the bracelet to him. Of course, some people may be greedy and not want to return it, but everyone who posts a task has mortgaged something very important on the website. If there is any breach of trust, then these mortgages cannot be taken back, and there is even the possibility of being held accountable by the website, so not many people do this.
I don’t know what the girl looks like. Lin Qiushi was thinking about this when he saw someone walking in from the door.
When he saw that person, his expression froze for a moment.
He was a sturdy man about 1.8 meters tall and quite handsome. When he saw Lin Qiushi, he gave him a bright smile.
If it were just that, it would be fine, but the burly man was wearing a blue belly-baring top and a very short white miniskirt. When the miniskirt was blown by the wind, Lin Qiushi even suspected that he saw his white underwear under the skirt.
An orange carrot hairpin hung on the sturdy man's not-too-long hair.
Lin Qiushi looked at the burly man's attire and fell into a deep silence. Although he was extremely reluctant, he still remembered the clothing described to him by the client on the website.
"I'll be wearing a blue midriff-baring top, a white miniskirt, and a carrot hairpin in my hair," a "high school girl" on the forum described herself. "Our codeword will be, I'll say 'Pika Pika' first, and you say 'Pika Pika Chuu~~ Okay~?"
Lin Qiushi had thought this girl was cute at the time, but now...
The burly man probably recognized his attire, so he walked up to him and said in his rough, deep voice, "Pika Pika!"
Lin Qiushi: “…” When he heard the word “pika pika”, he even felt his body shaking.
"Pika Pika!" the burly man repeated it again. His accent had a bit of a Northeastern accent, making him seem even more manly - if he weren't wearing this outfit, he would really be a real hero.
Lin Qiushi heard himself utter a word with difficulty: "Pika pika chu..."
"Brother!" The burly man slapped Lin Qiushi on the shoulder and said happily, "My name is Gu Longming! What's yours?"
Lin Qiushi: "My name is Yu Linlin...you..."
Gu Longming probably also knew that Lin Qiushi was obviously deeply affected by his appearance, so he quickly explained, "I really am a high school student, although not a girl!"
Lin Qiushi: "...You've been held back for over ten years?"
Gu Longming burst into laughter upon hearing this, his laughter full of energy. He reached out to remove the hairpin on his head and said, "I was afraid that you wouldn't recognize me, so I specially bought this set of clothes. Fortunately, you recognized me."
Lin Qiushi felt a little distressed, thinking that if he often encountered people like this, it was no wonder that Ruan Nanzhu often mistook the wrong customers. He didn't want to be a partner with such a "high school girl" at all.
Speaking of Ruan Nanzhu, Lin Qiushi recalled the subtle expression on his face when he told him he had accepted the commission. It seemed he had anticipated this day... They were both wearing women's clothing, so why was there such a big difference? Lin Qiushi couldn't help but miss Zhu Meng and Ruan Baijie.
"How many times have you come in here?" Gu Longming, who was clearly a very cheerful person, sat down on a nearby rock with his arms and legs spread wide open. "This is actually my fourth time, and every time it's so fucking terrifying."
Lin Qiushi: "...pay attention."
Gu Longming: "Ah? What should I pay attention to?"
Lin Qiushi: "Pay attention to your sitting posture."
Gu Longming's legs were spread apart, revealing her white panties under her short skirt... and the subtle bulge was so noticeable that Lin Qiushi felt like he was going blind.
"What's the big deal?" Gu Longming didn't care at all. "Don't you have everything I have? It's nothing to look at!"
Lin Qiushi: “…” Damn it—he almost couldn’t help but curse.
However, despite saying this, Gu Longming still closed his legs.
Before anyone else arrived, Lin Qiushi told Gu Longming the clue about the door.
Gu Longming was confused after hearing this and said, "What's this about a crying boy? I've never heard of it before."
Just as Lin Qiushi was about to explain to Gu Longming, two people, a man and a woman, walked in from outside the yard. Judging from their attitudes when they counted people, they seemed to know each other.
They were still talking, but when they saw Gu Longming sitting in the middle of the yard, they were stunned.
Gu Longming's ability to withstand pressure was obviously very strong. He did not show any discomfort at all about this unusual situation. He even greeted the two of them with a smile.
The woman turned her head to the man and said something. Although her voice was very soft, Lin Qiushi still heard it.
She said: "This should be a psychological barrier. Don't discriminate against people..."
The man quickly looked away and nodded. Lin Qiushi seemed to recognize his own behavior from his expression. If he really was a transvestite, it would be fine, but Gu Longming was obviously acting like this just to trick him into taking the job.
Lin Qiushi thought painfully, all men are really liars.
Seven or eight people came in one after another, including two newcomers who came in for the first time.
The two newcomers, both girls, burst into tears the moment they entered. Everyone tried to comfort them, but when they saw they still cried, they gave up. After all, not everyone has such a strong tolerance, and usually, for everyone, the first door is the most difficult, a true gate to hell.
Taking advantage of the time when people came, Lin Qiushi observed the situation in the yard again.
The courtyard was large, and they were staying in the central atrium, which was densely planted with ornamental plants. Lin Qiushi's keen hearing even caught the sound of gurgling water. This sound seemed to be coming from behind the building. Judging from the sound, it must be a river of at least some size.
There was a large pond near the right side of the yard, but the light was too dark and Lin Qiushi couldn't see clearly what was around the pond. He just wanted to understand it before looking again.
The buildings in the yard were located a little further inward, hidden among a clump of short trees. Lin Qiushi was observing when he saw a spark of light appear from the trees, slowly approaching them.
"You're here." The spark stopped not far from them. It was a woman holding a red lantern. She was wearing a beautiful cheongsam, her long hair fluttering, and her face was a little unclear. She said, "Please come this way."
Everyone followed her forward.
"There are only seven days left before the River God Festival you wish to attend." The woman walked in front, her graceful figure attracting everyone's attention. However, no one was thinking about anything else at the moment. "Just wait a little longer. It won't be long... In just seven days, your wish will be granted."
She smiled, her pale face looking somewhat ghostly in the darkness: "This is where you will live. If you have any problems, you can call the servants. It's getting dark, so go to bed early." After saying this, the woman turned around and slowly disappeared into the darkness.
"Everyone, let's split up into groups. Usually, only two or three people can fit in a room here. More than that could easily lead to accidents." The person who spoke was a man in his thirties. Lin Qiushi remembered his name as Yan Shihe. He looked so experienced, it didn't seem like this was his fourth time entering. Lin Qiushi suspected he was also bringing someone with him.
In an instant, the team of twelve people quickly split into five groups. When Lin Qiushi came to his senses, only Gu Longming was left smiling at him.
"Brother, can we live together?" Admittedly, it wasn't a pleasant experience for a 5'8" tall man in a short skirt to call you "brother." Gu Longming reached out and grabbed Lin Qiushi's arm, shaking it shyly. "Okay, okay, okay?"
Lin Qiushi said with difficulty, "Okay, okay, please stop shaking. My hand hurts."
The others looked at Lin Qiushi with sympathy.
Gu Longming laughed heartily. He was a bass voice, and the way he pretended to be coquettish was simply terrifying. "That's great~"
Lin Qiushi's expression was almost numb. He had never missed Ruan Nanzhu so much.
Although they were divided into six groups, there were actually more than six rooms for them to live in. There were at least twelve or thirteen guest rooms in the row in front of them.
However, Lin Qiushi randomly picked two rooms and observed them, and felt that there was no major difference between these rooms - at least he had not noticed it yet.
It was already late, so he and Gu Longming found a room in the middle and moved in.
The room was similar in style to the courtyard outside, full of antique charm. But the problem was that there was only one bed in the room... although the bed was quite large, but...
Lin Qiushi glanced at the "high school girl" next to him.
Gu Longming burst into laughter at Lin Qiushi's gaze and said, "Alright, alright, now that we've recognized each other, I won't wear women's clothes tomorrow. Stop looking at me like that."
Lin Qiushi: "Isn't this your hobby?"
Gu Longming: "No." He took off his belly-baring top, "But I feel pretty good after wearing it today. Do you want to try it too?"
Lin Qiushi shook his head and thought, No, no, I've tried it, and it's not very enjoyable. After all, I have to be a mute.
The only lighting in the room is an oil lamp. Although the oil lamp is small, it is very bright and illuminates the whole room. I don’t know what kind of craftsmanship it is.
Lin Qiushi and Gu Longming lay down on the bed, Gu Longming slept on the inside and Lin Qiushi slept on the outside.
"Aren't you incredibly powerful?" Gu Longming covered himself with the quilt, only his dark eyes peeked out as he stared eagerly at Lin Qiushi. "You must protect me."
Lin Qiushi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling: "But I only want to protect the high school girls."
Gu Longming: "Then I'll wear it again tomorrow..."
Lin Qiushi: "..." He was quiet for a moment, then resigned himself to his fate. "Well, actually, I think you need protection too." Although you are taller and stronger than me, who can blame you for having a fragile heart?
The two closed their eyes, and Lin Qiushi quickly fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Lin Qiushi, who was half asleep, heard the sound of gongs and drums. Someone was shouting outside, "It's the middle of the night, be careful with candles."
The sound came from far away and then gradually faded away. Just when Lin Qiushi was about to fall asleep again, he vaguely heard a child crying. At first, Lin Qiushi thought it was a cat's cry because it was too soft and small, but his keen hearing allowed him to quickly realize that something was wrong - the sound came from their house.
When he realized this, Lin Qiushi was startled and lost all sleepiness. He opened his eyes and saw Gu Longming's rough sleeping face. He was sleeping very soundly and obviously didn't hear any movement in the room.
Lin Qiushi sat up from the bed. He looked around and quickly found the source of the crying sound - it was the bag he was carrying.
Lin Qiushi hesitated for a moment, picked up his phone, turned on the flashlight mode, stood up and walked to his bag.
When he entered the door, he was carrying a black travel bag with a large capacity. It contained some spare clothes, essential daily necessities, and a small amount of emergency food.
Lin Qiushi opened the bag a little and quickly discovered the source of the crying sound. The crying object inside the bag was the baby's skeleton he had brought back from the Mount Wilford Sanatorium. He had placed the baby's skeleton in a wooden box when he came in, and now Lin Qiushi was certain that the crying sound was coming from that box.
He hesitated for a moment and took the wooden box out of his bag. He heard the faint cry of the baby inside the box. The cry sounded like that of a kitten and was full of sorrow.
Why did the infant corpse suddenly cry? Lin Qiushi held the wooden box and remembered Ruan Nanzhu's words. These things brought out from inside the door were very important and could save lives at critical moments. Why did it suddenly cry at this time? Was it reminding himself of something?
As Lin Qiushi thought about this, he walked around the room with the wooden box and soon discovered something strange - the closer he got to the door, the quieter the baby's crying became. It seemed like it was rejecting this room!
Lin Qiushi's heart trembled, and he quickly went to the bedside to wake up Gu Longming.
"What's wrong?" Gu Longming opened his eyes in a daze.
"Hurry up, let's move to another room," Lin Qiushi said. "Hurry up!"
Gu Longming instantly regained consciousness. He sat up and asked, "Is there something wrong with this house?" He had also heard the child crying. His eyes fell on the box in Lin Qiushi's hand, his expression a little horrified: "What's crying—"
Lin Qiushi said, "Don't ask anymore. Hurry up."
Gu Longming said "oh" and didn't hesitate any more. He hurriedly put on his belly-button top and miniskirt.
Lin Qiushi: “…” He began to regret letting Gu Longming put on his clothes.
After the two left the room, the baby in Lin Qiushi's hands indeed stopped crying.
Gu Longming said: "Then where should we go...it's so late..."
Lin Qiushi said nothing. He walked around the corridor with the wooden box and discovered that the infant corpse only responded to a few specific rooms. Since it was already late, wandering outside would be extremely dangerous. So, Lin Qiushi chose a room where the infant corpse had not cried after entering and moved in.
"Can I go to sleep now?" Gu Longming lay on the bed and looked at Lin Qiushi eagerly.
Lin Qiushi said, "Go to sleep."
Gu Longming said "oh" and fell asleep. In less than three minutes, he could hear the sound of even breathing beside him.
Lin Qiushi truly admired those who could fall asleep so easily. He sighed and reluctantly closed his eyes. For the rest of the night, Lin Qiushi remained in a state of half-sleep, half-awake. Something was on his mind, and he didn't dare sleep too deeply. Ruan Nanzhu had guarded the previous door, but not this one. Lin Qiushi had to rely on himself, so even with all his preparations, a faint sense of unease still lingered.
Fortunately, nothing happened until the next day.
The twelve people showed up in the main house's hall on time, where a rich variety of steaming hot breakfasts were served.
After successfully recognizing his relatives, Gu Longming finally gave up his miniskirt and put on normal clothes. He had a good figure and looked quite handsome in normal clothes. With his good figure, he should have been a big draw for the girls. But it was impossible to attract attention here. After all, everyone remembered him so well, the terrifying look of him acting like a spoiled brat in a miniskirt.
The breakfast tasted pretty good. Gu Longming liked it very much. He ate five or six fist-sized steamed buns in one go, drank two bowls of porridge, and ate two salted duck eggs, looking very happy.
Compared with other people who couldn't eat and looked sad, he looked like he was just here for tourism.
Lin Qiushi really admired such a thick-skinned person.
After he finished his simple meal, he found an excuse to go out for a walk, especially to visit the rooms where Ying Hai had cried last night.
These houses didn't look like anything special, but Lin Qiushi still found something a little strange—there were a few small holes in the window paper in the house.
These holes are very small and located very low, and no one knows when or how they were made.
But other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything special.
Lin Qiushi was thinking this when he saw several servants in the yard, walking outside with several large fiery red lanterns in their hands.
He thought about it, stepped forward and asked them where they were going.
The servants replied that the River God Festival was approaching and the streets needed to be decorated, with red lanterns like this hung at the door of every household.
Lin Qiushi asked, "River God Festival? What kind of festival is that?"
"It's a festival celebrating Habaek's birthday," the servants replied politely. "It's a very important festival in our town."
When they first arrived, the woman also mentioned the River God Festival. It seems that this River God Festival should have an important connection with the key.
Lin Qiushi was just thinking this when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Gu Longming leaning over and asking, "How's it going, Linlin? Any clues?"
Lin Qiushi said, "No."
Gu Longming said regretfully: "Well, it's only the first day, don't be impatient."
Lin Qiushi said, "I'm not in a hurry." There was no point in being anxious anyway, it would only torture himself.
Gu Longming said: "By the way, do you feel that something is wrong?"
Lin Qiushi said, "What's wrong?"
Gu Longming said, "It's... the feng shui structure of this house."
Lin Qiushi didn't know much about feng shui, but seeing what Gu Longming said, it seemed like he knew something. Lin Qiushi asked, "What do you mean?"
Gu Longming said, "Most houses face south. Even if they don't, they'll try to choose a direction with plenty of sunlight. But this house is different."
Lin Qiushi continued listening.
Gu Longming pointed in the direction of the sun: "This house faces south, and the doors and windows are all facing the shade. Also, I just discovered..."
Lin Qiushi: "Hmm?"
Gu Longming said: "The orientation of some important ornaments in this house is completely opposite to that of a yang house."
Lin Qiushi vaguely understood what Gu Longming meant: "So you're saying... this house isn't a yang residence?"
"Yes." Gu Longming nodded and said, "Yes, usually only a cemetery would do this." A cemetery is a house for the dead to live in.
Lin Qiushi's expression darkened.
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