Chapter 42 The Sleeping Curse (6) It seems all the noise has been left behind...
Su He did not answer, but the oppressive feeling in her eyes did not subside.
Xie Tan noticed that Su He was staring at his face, so he smiled knowingly and beautifully, but his words were venomous: "Even if you commit suicide now, it won't be as good as being reborn into my mother's womb. Go find a reliable cosmetic surgery clinic."
Cat No. 7, taking advantage of Su He's inability to see it, paced back and forth on the coffee table in front of the sofa, observing the uncle's face from various angles and nodding its own head.
The foundation is good, and the years have added to the mature charm, but as you get older, you can't compare to when you were young. You still need to pay attention to your image. The host is right, meow.
Su He wasn't angry. There were plenty of people in his family, and a mediocre couple from a collateral branch really wasn't worth his attention.
He was also on this mission, and only briefly met her at the end of the twilight. That wife was indeed a rare beauty.
He thought at the time that she could only marry that rat-looking clansman for money. This clansman had no talent in the family business, but he was quite shrewd in business. The largest chain hotel in Art Harbor was his business, and he had always provided financial support to the family.
If the woman's genes are dominant, then that makes sense.
Xie Tan, exhausted from the journey, was feeling drowsy as he leaned back on the sofa.
Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Su He touched her slightly stubbled chin and laughed, "Do I look that old? I think I'm well-maintained."
Xie Tan, whose dream was about to end, was interrupted by him. She glanced at him without any emotion and said, "I like young people."
Don't ask him, don't do it.
"You little brat!" Su He's aggressive demeanor vanished. To be honest, he kind of liked the kid's personality.
Having landed safely, Su He finally revealed the purpose of her trip: "Alright, wake up. This is a family mission to train you kids. I'll take care of you and subdue the monsters in town, but I just want it to end quickly. I have no interest in taking care of children."
He shook his leg, the cigarette in his mouth obscuring his half-smiling face: "Just enjoy your food, drink, and fun, young master, and don't hold me back."
Xie Tan showed no expression, but he did have questions. He wanted to gather as much information as possible. Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
He paused, the rock music downstairs was so loud that he didn't even notice the footsteps in the hallway.
Xue Hong's voice rang out from outside the door: "You got caught in the rain, didn't you? Did you bring a change of clothes? There are clean ones downstairs."
Xie Tan looked at the new person in the room. Su He raised her eyebrows, her bold posture becoming even more relaxed, showing no intention of moving.
He clicked his tongue inwardly, realizing that it wasn't realistic to expect Su He to hide; the girl was unlikely to cooperate.
He didn't answer immediately, so the veteran detective knocked on the door again: "Are you already asleep?"
You woke me up even though I wasn't asleep.
Xie Tan knew that Xue Hong might have sensed something and had come to check on him on purpose.
He pondered for a moment, then went to open the door right in front of Su He.
Su He doesn't care, so why should he?
As soon as the door opened, Xue Hong was holding a clean change of clothes from the hotel, the hem of which still had local-style patterns.
He handed the clothes to Xie Tan and then looked into the room, as if to make sure he was safe.
"There are no lights in the hallway, and none of the lights are on inside. Does this building have electricity?"
"Because I'm already asleep." Xie Tan's expression was a bit fierce.
"I'm sorry, I was worried you'd fall asleep with your clothes wet. It would be too much of a hassle to catch a cold while traveling. You should get some rest." This wasn't just a simple excuse; he genuinely believed Xie Tan was capable of such a thing.
He glanced inside again, and Xie Tan said "thank you" before closing the door without ceremony, though he was a little surprised.
This performance...
He turned around, and sure enough, the sofa was empty.
The curtains were blown up by the wind, and the window was opened.
Su He has already left.
Xue Hong, who was outside the door, walked down the stairs and frowned. Had he smelled smoke just now?
After seeing off the two great figures, Xie Tan, who had been performing all night, was exhausted and lay back on the big bed.
The room wasn't large, but the wave patterns around him seemed very close, enveloping him and giving him a strange sense of security.
The ceiling pattern was the most intricate, making him dizzy. He picked up cat number 7 and quickly fell asleep.
However, this sleep was not peaceful.
In the dead of night, he seemed to hear noises. When he regained some consciousness in his sleep, the sounds were already very chaotic.
There was a knocking sound on the wall, seemingly from next door, or perhaps downstairs, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location.
There were also sounds of doors and windows opening and closing, and the wind blowing through the hall, whistling like a low sob. The wind chimes at the bottom of the hotel door rang from time to time, as if people were constantly going in and out.
He didn't know why he could hear sounds from so far away.
Then came a cacophony of whispers, as if many people were talking—ordinary conversations, arguments, people gathering to play music and sing, and others playing drinking games and clinking glasses, filling the entire hotel.
Are they those rebellious teenagers downstairs? They're still up so late, are they going to stay up all night? That's awful.
Perhaps because it was in his dream, the sounds were always veiled, somewhat muffled, and seemed to drift away from him, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Moreover, it seemed as if someone was watching him from the shadows, without missing a moment.
Until he heard the "tap-tap" of high heels, like elegant steps, approaching from afar, and knocking on his door.
Knock, knock.
Knock knock, knock knock knock knock—
The knocking grew more urgent, causing Xie Tan to frown, but he was too lazy to open his eyes or open the door. After waiting for no response, he fell silent, seemingly giving up and leaving.
Why were there no footsteps when they left...?
Click, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.
Key? Aren't the doors here opened with room cards? There's no keyhole. The room card is on the sofa. Su He booked the room, but... the hotel door is really old. The door is the only thing that's somewhat smart.
But the sound was so clear, it sounded like it was coming from his door.
Xie Tan sensed something was wrong. His consciousness struggled to break free from the dream when suddenly, a clear door slammed downstairs, shaking the entire hotel. The sound at his door abruptly disappeared.
It appears someone opened the door, stepped out of the house, and stood in the hallway shouting to express their dissatisfaction.
The noise had all disappeared at some point, leaving only the young man's loud cursing in the entire hotel.
Xie Tan couldn't hear what the person was saying either. Since there was no sound at the door, he stopped paying attention.
I hope that person finishes hurling insults soon and goes home.
Half-asleep, he was holding his cat when he turned over and was about to fall asleep again when a scream pierced the hotel, and he opened his eyes abruptly.
"..."
He turned back and stared intently at the intricate, wave-like patterns on the ceiling for a while.
The surroundings were quiet, without a sound, as if all the noise remained in his dream, and was just a dream.
The cat sat on the edge of the bed, slowly wagging its tail and staring at the sea outside the window.
The dark clouds dispersed somewhat, but the rain continued. Moonlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, just a tiny sliver, illuminating the barely perceptible leopard spots on the cat's glossy black fur.
Xie Tan was genuinely surprised this time, his emotions far more intense than when he realized the hotel was haunted or someone was screaming. He picked up his cat and examined it thoroughly.
It is indeed number 7, and it does have patterns. The system cat is not a genuine black panther after all.
With a scientific spirit, he gently stroked No. 7's warm back, pondering carefully, "So cats have hidden skin?"
Or... teacher, will his cat's color fade?
The cat thought its host was playing with it. The little motorcycle purred and squinted its eyes happily: "Someone screamed just now, should we go out and see what's going on, meow?"
The corridor and downstairs were quiet; the scream didn't seem to have prompted anyone to come out and check.
But given Xie Tan's impression of Xue Hong, this doesn't make sense.
Is the scream a reality, or just a hazy sound from a half-dream state?
Xie Tan remembered his boss's ambiguous warning, so he put the cat back in bed and closed his eyes.
He's not that reckless.
Even if it's intentional, it's unnecessary on the first night.
This time, I slept without a dream and woke up when it was already dawn.
Xie Tan stood by the window. The sky had cleared, the sun was shining brightly, and it had dispelled some of the gloom in the small town.
After he finished washing up, he took his room key and went out. The third-floor corridor was still quiet and deserted.
He walked down the stairs, and the second floor was surprisingly quiet. When he got to the first floor, he learned that the lively and energetic young people had gone to the beach early in the morning, and Xue Hong was with them. He had specifically asked the boss to tell him.
"He said you can come to the beach to find him if you're free." The shopkeeper wiped the photos of a bountiful fishing harvest on the wall.
The photo shows fishing boats on the beach, with residents happily posing for pictures around large fish in fishing nets.
“I’m not as free as him.” Xie Tan ate breakfast at the communal dining table on the first floor. Every few steps, there was a lifelike skull lamp on the table, decorated with different colored doodles, which reminded Xie Tan of Easter eggs.
The tablecloths and plates featured local folk patterns, but were filled with fresh vegetables instead of seafood.
He assumed that the food in a distinctive seaside town must consist of seafood.
The boss chuckled, "Didn't sleep all night, did you? Of course you'll be restless this morning."
His cloudy eyes darted around, scrutinizing Xie Tan's face, and he smiled meaningfully, "You slept quite well."
"I'm used to it." Xie Tan placed the money under the plate, stepped out of the hotel, and the wind chimes tinkled.
After a night's rest and breakfast, he finally recharged a bit and began to think about what happened last night.
He originally thought that Su He would still assign him some tasks, even if it was just to do odd jobs and run errands. Unexpectedly, Su He seemed to just take a quick look and then forget about him, not caring about him at all.
Perhaps they were annoyed that he couldn't even do menial tasks properly, so they did something as brilliant as firing the boss through the company system.
Is this what college students' reputation is like?
No, it should be the reputation of the collateral branch's young master.
It could also be a superposition state.
Xie Tan thought that, given the young master's temperament, the more he looked down on him, the more he would want to prove himself; he was living his life to gain recognition!
If he doesn't eagerly get involved, he'll be ruining his own reputation.
Today it's his turn to court disaster.
The first task is for the Black Goat Clan to lead the younger members to subdue monsters for the clan.
But is it really about subduing monsters? The Black Goat's sudden appearances in various places seem less like an excessive drive to subdue monsters and strengthen his family's power, and more like a search for something due to the partial fulfillment of a prophecy.
But it's still a clue.
To find the monster, you must first understand what unusual things have happened in the town.
As the sun rises, Xie Tan walks through the town of Fushui in the early morning.
Some townspeople have already begun their day's work and are preparing for the upcoming Water Festival.
The younger buildings in the town generally have thicker walls, and the older buildings also seem to have been reinforced in terms of walls. The doors and windows are all closed very tightly, and the gaps in the doors and windows are stuffed with cotton cloth, fishing nets, dried seaweed, etc.
Xie Tan didn't think that air conditioning was common in this somewhat remote and backward town. Having a fan was already quite good. Why didn't they need to open the windows for ventilation?
Besides, living by the sea but keeping the windows closed is a waste of the beautiful sea view.
Following the trail of his clansmen that the young master had found in his memory, he wandered through the town, quite curious about the owner of the diary.
Some townspeople watched him from afar, silently seeing him off, while others greeted him warmly.
A child playing nearby thought he was good-looking and gave him a pretty seashell he had picked up on the beach that morning.
He thanked him, and the child turned around and accidentally kicked the ball into the yard diagonally in front of him, but he didn't dare to go and retrieve it. He just timidly lingered outside the first courtyard.
Xie Tan stepped closer to look. There was a main building in the courtyard, an old house with blue tiles. There were no other houses with shells, fishing nets, or decorations similar to those of American civilization. It was mercilessly black and gray, and even in the daytime, it exuded a sinister atmosphere.
The two side rooms have collapsed, and moss and flowers are growing on the bricks and tiles of the ruins.
This is the place he's looking for.
Xie Tan asked the child, "Why don't you go inside?"
The child shrank behind him and shook his head: "Grandpa has a bad temper, I don't dare."
Xie Tan entered the room and picked up the child's ball in front of the ruins of the side room, where a faint sense of life had sprouted. He also saw a dented white lantern among the ruins, which seemed to have black animal patterns printed on it, with horns.
He didn't go over to fiddle with it; he already knew it was a black goat pattern. He returned to the gate and gave the ball back to the child.
The child said thank you, then looked at the handsome older brother still standing in the yard with a puzzled expression: "Brother, aren't you coming out?"
Xie Tan didn't answer, but gave him a shark-shaped candy. He had taken it from the hotel owner's table. He only dared to take two after seeing the hotel owner casually take one and eat it.
The child seemed to like him, took the candy, reminded him that the old men here had really strange tempers, and then ran away.
Xie Tan knocked on the door of the main building, but as expected, there was no response.
So he very rudely pushed the door open and entered, as if he were in his own home.
Thanks again to the young master for his good temper. In the young master's eyes, he is a descendant of the Black Goat family. What's wrong with him coming in to take a look when he sees his family's totem? He won't let go of this opportunity to get closer to his family.
Moreover, he is currently "on imperial orders," with the family appointing the most outstanding family member to take him on missions and train him. This shows how much they value him. Do other young family members receive this treatment?
He has returned to the family's sights and is being given high hopes. He will surely be able to enter the core step by step and become a figure like "The Wolf" in the future. If these family members who have long been forgotten by the family have any sense, they should treat him well.
Xie Tan analyzed the annoying young master's thoughts. It was true that an arrogant and impolite person would enjoy the world first. He checked all the rooms on the first floor but didn't see anyone.
I did find that there were many decorations inside the main building that could not be seen from the outside, but more like soundproofing measures than decorations. The doors and windows were almost completely sealed off, making it look like a large coffin that had been nailed into the ground, so that not a breath of wind could get in.
Indeed, once inside the main building and the door closed, the noise outside decreased significantly, becoming almost inaudible.
Xie Tan went upstairs and pushed open the innermost room on the second floor, which was also the only room that could be opened.
A man in his thirties was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep.
He keenly noticed that the man had a braided golden knot hanging from his waist, indicating that he was a member of the Black Goat tribe.
Is this the owner of those studies and diaries?
He felt that the way the man slept looked familiar; his posture was too upright, and it was hard to maintain a normal sleep position. It was as if he had been arranged like that.
Just as he was about to go forward to check, he suddenly saw in the mirror inside the house that behind him stood an old man with a wrinkled face, his eyes lowered, staring at him sinisterly in the mirror.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
