Chapter 41 The Sleeping Curse (5) "Your room is on the third floor..."
The night sky was shrouded in dark clouds, a murky purplish-gray hue. A light drizzle fell, pattering on the leaves and causing them to sway wildly.
Xue Hong drove along the coastal highway, which was deserted.
The sky made it difficult to discern distances, and all around were the same forests. The road ahead stretched endlessly. Fortunately, the navigation was online; otherwise, Xue Hongzhen would have felt like he was standing still.
We'll reach the end of the twilight in just a few kilometers.
Xue Hong saw the sign from afar, but when he got closer, he was surprised to find that there was another fork in the road.
How could there be a fork in the road? He checked the navigation, but there was no such road on the map.
But no matter what he thought, the road was right in front of him.
Xue Hong slowed down and drove a short distance ahead, hesitating about which road to take, when he saw someone holding a red umbrella walking along the extra road.
The lush green forest, damp with moisture, took on a deeper hue, blending into the dark, rainy night, making the red stand out even more vividly, startling him.
But after a moment's thought, he made up his mind, turned into the path that had appeared out of nowhere, and caught up with the lone figure.
Is it a person, or a ghost?
Upon hearing the car, the figure stopped and turned left, as if waiting for his car.
Xue Hong was also bold; he stopped right next to that figure, the red umbrella leaning forward against the roof of his car, the red liquid flowing through the window like diluted blood.
The car door opened, and Xue Hong tensed up, only to see a familiar face.
The boy's pale face appeared even more inhumanly ashen in the dim light. He coldly folded his umbrella and climbed into the passenger seat.
He was caught in the rain, and his body was covered in mud and faint traces of blood, along with the lingering smell of incense ash.
Xue Hong had many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to voice them. He felt that even the vigilance he showed when facing major criminals wasn't enough.
So he simply softened his tone and asked, as if he were an acquaintance he had met a few times, "Why are you walking by the roadside by yourself?"
Xie Tan replied, "I'll wait for you."
Waiting for him? Xue Hong paused, looked him over, and joked, "Are you sure the kidnappers didn't release you as bait to take another hostage?"
Xie Tan remained indifferent: "I just crawled out of my coffin."
"Oh... huh?"
Xie Tan was getting impatient with his fuss, and with a raised chin, commanded, "Drive."
After only half a day apart, Xue Hong felt that the young man had inexplicably become more difficult to deal with.
Although there were no other vehicles on the road, it was still dangerous to just stop there. Moreover, he knew that in this kind of situation, in an area he was unfamiliar with, he should be more humble. So Xue Hong started the car and drove forward again.
What's ahead?
"hell."
The boy's voice was also cold, and it was impossible to tell whether he was joking or not. But as soon as he finished speaking, the wind blew down a tree branch by the roadside. The branch swept past the car and fell onto the road with a series of thuds, adding a terrifying touch to his words.
Xue Hong suppressed her unease and glanced at him: "Are you in a bad mood?"
“This is an art haven; you should have some artistic talent.” Xie Tan simply looked ahead. “A small town.”
These are the young master's memories.
The young master once traveled all over Art Harbor just to find this hidden town, and he found out that there seemed to be some clansmen here.
He was lucky to find this place, but he didn't find any trace of his clansmen, only their research and diaries.
The car continued forward, and the road gradually rose, forming a long, uphill slope.
After crossing a long slope, which turned out to be a gentle road, the car jolted violently, as if it had gone out of control, and slid all the way down into the forest.
Xue Hong was unable to brake or steer, and could only bounce around in the car. He looked at the passenger seat with some fear. Xie Tan held onto the handrail, his expression unchanged.
Xue Hong didn't know whether to be happy or worried, but Xie Tan's indifferent attitude had already reflexively calmed him down.
At least it's within the boy's grasp.
After passing through a grove of trees, the car returned to the road, and the seaside town unfolded before us. At the entrance of the town stood a black stone tablet inscribed with "Floating Town".
The entire town is built on a gently sloping hillside, with the winding main road called "Sunrise Avenue" dividing the town in two from the center.
The top of the slope is covered with trees, and as you descend, the bottom of the slope leads to the beach.
The winding avenue roughly divides the town's buildings into two parts, left and right, with a mixed architectural style: old tiled houses, old European-style buildings from elsewhere, and modern new buildings.
The orientations are not uniform. Rather than being a result of human planning, these new and old buildings are like naturally growing plants, each with its own ideas, chaotic yet free, like a small microcosm of Diqiu City.
Xue Hong quickly grabbed the steering wheel and regained control of the vehicle.
He drove into the town; it was already ten o'clock.
It was indeed late, but it was the Water Festival, and the lights along the beach in Art Harbor were on all night. But here it was quiet. Although there were some festive decorations, the doors and windows of every house were closed and there were no lights, as if they had gone to bed early.
If it weren't for some obvious signs of life, Xue Hong would have suspected that this was an empty town, so quiet and dark.
He drove through the maze of streets in the small town and soon got lost, not knowing which way to go.
He didn't know where he was going; the appearance of the town was completely outside his plans.
Although this is probably the place he's looking for.
Xie Tan rubbed his temples; his head still ached. He looked out the window at the street, trying to find something useful in the jumbled memories shared by two people.
“Walk along the coast.”
Xue Hong did as instructed. Fortunately, the sea was at the lowest point of the town. Although it was difficult to distinguish the road, he just needed to drive downhill.
Soon they drove onto the road by the sea, and Xue Hong and Xie Tan both noticed that the sea here was very calm, with even the waves whispering softly. If you didn't pay attention, you would completely ignore them, as if there were no sound at all.
Xie Tan didn't need to drive; he just stared at the sea. There was no moonlight, and the sea was completely dark, with hardly any ripples, like a vast expanse of stagnant water.
The fine rain fell into the sea, like ink dissolving, disappearing without a trace.
But how is that possible?
"Is that our destination?"
Xie Tan's attention was drawn ahead by Xue Hong, where, behind rows of trees along the road, the only three-story house was lit up.
He rummaged through the memory box and replied, "If you don't want to sleep on the streets."
As the car drew closer to the villa, Xue Hong could see the words on the plaque: Fallen Hotel.
They parked the car, pushed open the hotel door, and the seashell wind chimes on the door tinkled. Xie Tan looked up and glanced at them.
It was indeed the same as the young master's wind chimes.
The hotel lobby was rather dark, with only a few wall lamps lit, and an oil lamp at the front desk in the style of Picasso's abstract art, which could only faintly illuminate the intricate patterns on the walls and carpets, reminiscent of the style of American civilization.
The hotel owner, an old man wearing a monocle, was wiping glasses behind the counter. Hearing the noise, he looked them over, frowned, and said in a strange tone, "Good evening. Luckily, the rain hasn't gotten too heavy yet. It's just a pity I mopped the floor for nothing. I thought my place would be hard to find."
Xue Hong looked at the dirty footprints they had brought in: "Sorry, this rain came at an inopportune time. Are there any rooms left?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cheer erupted from upstairs, like a group of young people playing cards. There were also a few particularly unpleasant guitar notes in the rock music, and the person playing the guitar obviously couldn't play.
The boss had already efficiently checked him in, glancing at the ceiling as he did so, and then pushed out the room key: "Second floor, east, 206. Not on the same side as those kids. You should thank me."
It seems a group of trendy and lively young people arrived here first. Did they see the extra fork in the road, get curious, and simply drive in?
Xue Hong did indeed see another flashy car with a painted exterior downstairs, and he frowned as well; it was dangerous.
But this place was too unknown. He didn't know if these were just ignorant young people who had stumbled in by mistake, or a group with ulterior motives. Besides, he was too busy to take care of himself.
He glanced at Xie Tan beside him; only this young man could remain so calm.
He picked up the only room key: "Is this the only room?"
A double room? I don't know if Xie Tan will agree. He doesn't seem to be the type to share a room with others, but if there's only one room available, then there's nothing we can do about it.
But then the hotel owner said to Xie Tan, "The room you booked is on the third floor, west side, 301, the one at the very back."
Xue Hong looked at Xie Tan in surprise. A room booked in advance?
But he quickly realized that this made sense. Xie Tan had said "wait for him," which meant he had calculated his departure and was waiting to catch a ride with him after dealing with some incident.
The boy knew there were forks in the road, towns, and hotels, and had even booked a room in advance, so he was indeed just a hitchhiker.
Xie Tan nodded calmly, acknowledging that he had no idea when he had booked the room.
But inwardly, I sighed and wondered, what room? Who booked it?
Was it the person who made him the young master's stand-in who decided on the "young master" position?
But why is there no room key?
Xue Hong asked, "Are there any rooms available on the third floor? I can't keep up with the energy of young people staying up all night."
The innkeeper, without even looking up, said impatiently, "No."
They went upstairs together, and the boss spoke quietly behind them again: "Stay in your room and sleep tonight...don't go out."
Xue Hong turned around and saw the boss already grumbling and mopping the floor again, ignoring his further questions.
He had no choice but to suppress his doubts about these ominous words, and parted ways with Xie Tan on the second floor, where the noise from the young people grew even louder.
Although it might not be necessary, Xue Hong still said, "Call me if you need anything."
Xie Tan scoffed lightly, offering no response, maintaining his new persona as an annoying young master, and continued climbing the ranks.
Unlike the second floor, the third floor was very quiet. The corridor lights were off, and the floor was covered in dust, as if no one had been here for a long time.
He passed through a series of silent doors, as if walking through a sleeping world.
The door at the end was unlocked, ajar, like a sinister invitation.
Xie Tan pushed open the door. The room was dark, with the curtains drawn and the walls and carpet bearing unfamiliar ancient patterns, along with various strange decorations, giving it a unique religious feel.
He took a step forward and was suddenly surprised to find a man sitting on the sofa.
His cold, sharp eyes, like those of a wolf, were staring at him.
It's clear that we've been waiting for a long time.
After a moment of silence, Xie Tan calmly closed the door and turned on the light.
The middle-aged man wore a leather jacket and work pants. His temples were already gray, and his features were rugged. Several thin braids hung down from his somewhat messy short hair, with the ends tied with the old red cloth that is used on wishing trees in temples.
He had his arms outstretched on the back of the sofa, legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his lips—his posture was even wilder than his face.
The swirling smoke somewhat blurred his expression, but his sharp eyes stared intently at him like a wild beast eyeing its prey.
Xie Tan recognized him.
Although the Black Goat Clan is one of the two major forces in the comics, their actions are even more elusive than those of the Mirror Cult. They rarely appear in public, perhaps because the clan has been in decline since the beginning of the "Strange Tales" story and has been hiding in the shadows, powerless to reverse the situation, or perhaps they are recuperating and waiting for an opportunity.
The comic also shows the actions of the Mirror Cult members. Some of the characters are familiar to readers, and readers can guess the structure and purpose of the cult. However, the Black Goat family is too mysterious. The biggest piece of information is that the family also has a faith. It used to be a large family, but it seems to be declining now.
The man before him was one of the very few members of the Black Goat family who had ever shown his face. Unlike the distant collateral branches, he held a high position, was highly capable, and was one of the core members, the most ferocious beast kept by the family.
He was indeed flamboyant, completely different from his family's low-key style, which left a deep impression on people.
Xie Tan never expected that the first member of the Black Goat family he encountered would be him.
This is the role he least wants to be involved in right now.
Isn't this like encountering the final boss right after entering a new map?
"You're that coward's son?" Su He looked him up and down without any attempt to hide it, her eyes filled with aggression, like an arrogant assassin who had been hired.
On the coffee table in front of him was an opened bottle of wine. He was clearly taking good care of himself, so Xie Tan went to find a towel and cleaned himself up, which was covered in dirt.
Su He stared at his face and sneered, "With his shifty-eyed look, how could he possibly have given birth to a male Xi Shi like you? Don't try to fool me with a fake one."
Those eyes were so real, like a knife hanging over his head.
Xie Tan splashed cold water on his face, glanced at his indifferent reflection in the mirror, and said in a less than friendly tone, "He is not my father."
He speaks his mind.
In the young master's memory, his relationship with his biological parents was not good.
He finally pieced together the most useful parts of the young master's memory.
The fact that the young master was able to move so fast is thanks to the fact that his parents had tried every means to send him away when he was young, for fear that he would get involved in things related to the family.
There were few obstacles, because the young master had little talent, the family was declining and preoccupied with its own problems, and couldn't be bothered to help.
Xie Tan realized a crucial point: for the young master's parents, family affairs were dangerous for their child, and the farther away the better, ideally never to have any contact with the family again in this lifetime. Therefore, he sent him to the home of a friend who was also a wealthy family to be adopted.
The wealthy man and his father were classmates in their early years, had a deep friendship, were from the same social class, and had even received help from the young master's father in metaphysics. He raised the young master as his own son, giving him whatever he wanted and spoiling him endlessly.
Unfortunately, the young master did not understand his parents' good intentions. Instead, he was very fond of and interested in his family and had a strong sense of family identity. He felt that his parents had despised his talents, deprived him of the opportunity to enter the core of the family, and even expelled him from the family. He was not only resentful, but also full of indignation and bitterness.
On the rare occasions his parents would visit him under the pretext of going to visit other people's homes or other excuses, the visits always ended unhappily.
For the past seven years, they have not appeared again, disappearing with the family. This only fueled the young master's resentment, as he believed that the family must have a grand plan and be undertaking a great cause, while he was excluded.
He had been gathering intelligence about his family, and after finding a trace of one of his clansmen, he tracked him down to this small town.
Although he did not see anyone, he found the clan's research and diaries, and learned that the ritual of igniting the family totem could summon a powerful evil spirit for the clan's use.
In order to prove himself and gain the favor of his family, he committed a series of murders in the rain.
He probably never imagined that his incompetent death and the failure of the ritual would actually lead to the discovery of his family's whereabouts and unexpectedly fulfill his wish.
So that's how it is. Xie Tan thought, the young master is dead, but the family doesn't know.
Sun Enze told him that before the police arrived, the body was taken away by a monster that suddenly appeared and disappeared into thin air. It must have been taken away by the human-skin monster.
The empty tombstone had no name or portrait; it was kept secret so that the young master's parents couldn't let the family know that he was dead.
The family is planning something big, and they need to find a stand-in to deal with them.
Was it to prevent the revelation of more secrets about sending the young master away back then, or was the young master's death truly fulfilling part of the prophecy and pointing to a more dangerous future that would bring them an even greater crisis?
They desperately need a double, probably because a big shot from the family is coming for this operation.
But they probably didn't expect that it would be Su He who came.
Su He sensed the resentment in his words, but instead seemed to trust him more, laughing gleefully: "He went through all sorts of trouble to send you away, breaking the family rules."
Xie Tan turned his head to wipe his face, the uncle's smile was completely cold.
"If you like, you can call him Dad," Xie Tan retorted calmly.
Su He narrowed her eyes: "Judging by your guts, you're either fake or a genetic mutation."
Xie Tan dried his hair. Since there were other people around, it wasn't convenient to change his clothes, so he wrapped himself in a bath towel and went back to the other end of the sofa, leaning back lazily.
"Isn't that better? You look like you're here to kill his son."
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Author's Note: Sorry I'm late—
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