Habitación número 143

Capítulo 17

Lu Ziming was the first to turn on the flashlight. After Shishi saw it, she exclaimed, "This is the child who sold me the cloth!"

All eyes were on the child's back. If there was a shadow, it was a person; if there was no shadow, it was a ghost. Everyone's hearts returned to normal. Thankfully, there was only a dark shadow behind the child; he was alive, not a ghost.

At this moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned their attention back to the child's face. It was a little boy with his eyes closed. He was very handsome, but under the light, he was deathly pale, extremely pale, almost frighteningly so, as if he had never seen sunlight before.

His hand groped through the grass, reaching for Hei Bao's voice, calling out as he touched her: "Little cat, where are you? Come here, I won't hurt you."

This was just a five or six-year-old child, dressed very simply, as if he had woven his own cotton clothes. Hei Bao jumped out and pounced into the child's arms, meowing at Qin Jin.

Qin Jin thought that Hei Bao had deliberately lured the child out, as if he wanted her to follow him.

Sure enough, the child picked up Hei Bao and turned to walk into the bushes.

Suddenly, Shishi called out, "Little friend, do you remember me?"

The sound came so suddenly that it clearly startled the child, who shuddered and dropped the black treasure to the ground.

Shishi excitedly ran up to him and said, "I'm the lady who bought fabric from you not long ago, do you remember me?"

The little boy understood, nodded, and then asked, "Sister, what are you doing here?"

The little boy spoke very slowly, enunciating each word carefully, and his manner of speaking was also peculiar, as if something was stuck in his throat.

Shishi immediately said, "I wanted to return the cloth to you."

The boy said, "Don't bother going back. You're already wearing that cloth, aren't you?"

Shishi was shocked and stepped back.

"Even if you give it back to me now, I can't control that cloth. It's too noisy and always barks. I've sent it away, and it won't come back."

Qin Jin slowly squatted down and asked the little boy, "What's your name?"

"My name is Xiaoyu. There are four of you, right?"

Lu Ziming asked curiously, "How did you know?"

"My mother says that although I can't see, my hearing is better than most people's."

Do you live in the village up ahead?

"Yes, sister, are you coming back with me?"

They all looked at each other and nodded in the moonlight. Yes, they would only know what had happened once they got to the village; otherwise, going back now would be certain death.

Xiao Yu walked at the front, carrying the cat, and everyone followed him. The lights grew brighter and brighter until Qin Jin finally realized that they weren't lights at all, but will-o'-the-wisps.

Will-o'-the-wisps were burning everywhere in the village, and pale green phosphorescence flickered along the paths.

While comforting Qin Jin, Ke Liang said, "Scientifically speaking, will-o'-the-wisps are simply caused by the high phosphorus content in human bones, which can spontaneously combust in the summer."

As he was explaining, a ball of will-o'-the-wisp rushed towards him, and he was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head.

Lu Ziming laughed and said, "Okay, now you're not talking about science anymore."

The little fish turned around and asked, "Are will-o'-the-wisps like green stars?"

Shishi asked curiously, "You've seen will-o'-the-wisps? Can your eyes see them?"

"No, I was born blind and can't see anything. But sometimes I dream about my father and mother, and I see green stars and a round moon. But my mother says it's because I want to see them so much during the day that I've memorized all the things she taught me."

Qin Jin looked at him sympathetically and said, "It's alright. Once your sisters have taken care of this, they'll ask your parents and take you outside to see an eye doctor. One day, you'll be able to see real stars and the moon."

Little Fish turned around happily and smiled. Although his eyes were closed, he could accurately find his way. In contrast, these sighted people seemed to have no eyes at all, wandering around the small village.

Finally, they arrived. Shishi exclaimed happily, "Look, this is the house! I remember the cloth was hanging on this big tree that day; it was very beautiful."

Xiao Yu simply said, "Sister has a good memory." Then he pushed the door open and went inside.

Behind the door was a large courtyard, with a few will-o'-the-wisps scattered throughout. Everyone followed them inside.

Qin Jin asked, "Where are your parents?"

"They've gone out to work, they'll be back in a bit."

Lu Ziming said, "What are you doing working so late?"

"Is it night? No way, it should be daytime. My parents told me it was daytime before they went out to work." Little Fish went to another room.

A chill rose from the soles of Qin Jin's feet.

She said softly to Ke Liang, "Have you noticed how eerily quiet this village is?"

Ke Liang said while shivering, "It's probably because there's no electricity here, so everyone goes to sleep as soon as it gets dark."

Lu Ziming said, "But this village is too strange. I just noticed that many doors are covered with spider webs, and it doesn't look like anyone lives here."

Shishi called Xiaoyuer over and asked, "Are there many people in your village?"

“Yes, every time we came back from work, the village was very lively. Everyone was visiting each other, playing, and eating! But my father wouldn’t let me eat the villagers’ food. He said I was still too young and hadn’t worked yet, so I couldn’t eat with others.”

"Then what will you eat?"

“I eat wheat, corn, and fruit.”

What does your father eat?

"I don't know. He puts all his food on that tall wardrobe and doesn't allow me to steal any."

Lu Ziming moved out a stool and saw what looked like a package on the top shelf of the dark wardrobe. He picked it up, looked at it, and then dropped it with a gasp, clutching the package tightly in his hand.

Everyone shone their lamps on the package, and under the light they could see clearly that it contained incense, candles, and incense paper.

The little fish turned its face curiously and asked, "What is it?"

Qin Jin was the first to recover: "It's nothing, just some cured meat. No wonder we didn't give it to Xiaoyu. It's because Xiaoyu didn't participate in the labor, so she didn't get to eat the cured meat."

Little Fish smiled happily: "I will work hard, and when I grow up, I will eat with Daddy too."

Ke Liang cried out urgently, "No!"

"Why not?" Little Fish asked seriously.

Under everyone's stern gaze, Ke Liang said with difficulty, "Because you are so fair-skinned, eating cured meat will make you dark-skinned, and you won't be pretty anymore, so you won't be able to find a wife."

Little Fish suddenly perked up its ears and said, "Okay, my parents are coming back. I can hear them digging. They're digging and they're almost at the edge of our village."

Shishi squatted down immediately and said to Xiaoyu, "Okay, Xiaoyu, your sister wants to play hide-and-seek with your parents. We'll hide first, and you shouldn't tell your parents that we're here. Let them find us themselves, okay?"

The little fish clapped its hands happily and said, "Great!"

The four quickly turned off the lights and ran up to the top floor of the room, where they could see the entire village from the windows.

The scattered will-o'-the-wisps were slowly approaching the village entrance, like lanterns welcoming someone. The four knew something was wrong, but both the front and back entrances to the village were blocked by the will-o'-the-wisps. The village was located in the middle of a narrow valley, with mountains on both sides, and only the beginning and end of the village were accessible. But now, there was no way out.

Qin Jin said softly, "Ke Liang, why are your earrings glowing?"

Everyone turned around and saw that Ke Liang's earrings were indeed emitting a light purple light.

Shishi also said softly, "My bracelet is glowing too."

The bracelet was a protective charm given to Shishi by her family's guardian spirit, and it now emits a dark red light.

Meanwhile, Hei Bao kept a close watch on the stairs leading up from the attic, and the four of them began to feel genuinely tense.

Lu Ziming said softly, "There's no use in us being nervous now. We need to find a way to leave this village."

"How are we supposed to leave? Didn't you see that the village entrance and exit are blocked?" Ke Liang said irritably.

“In any case, if we stay here for one night, we might really never get out. Let’s split up and run separately. That way, our chances will be better. Let’s not crowd together anymore. If something really happens, none of us will be able to escape. Someone has to run out and ask for help.”

"God, in this godforsaken place, what can we ask for help from? We have absolutely no one to rely on," Shishi said.

But Lu Ziming insisted that everyone should disperse to facilitate escape. This was based on his years of experience in the police force: you can't put all your eggs in one basket. The situation was critical, and every person who could escape was a chance; we couldn't delay any longer.

He peered out of the skylight on the top floor. The night was incredibly beautiful; at first glance, the place looked like a paradise, dotted with stars. No one could have guessed the horror hidden within.

Ke Liang was the second to exit through the sunroof. He sighed, "If this place were developed into a tourist area, we'd have another place to go during the May Day holiday."

Qin Jin patted his foot from below: "What time is it? You still have the mood to talk about this?"

He turned around and smiled, then suddenly took the Crimson Moon off his ear and handed it to Qin Jin.

"Wear this. It will protect you. Grandpa said that the Crimson Moon can protect a person."

"And what about you?"

"I am a descendant of the Ke family, why would I need that thing to protect me?"

Qin Jin looked up at him. No one knew how good the chances were for the four of them to escape. If they were to encounter misfortune, having a spirit creature protecting them would at least prevent them from dying. But at this moment, Ke Liang had clearly given up his own chance and given it to Qin Jin.

Qin Jin remained silent, her eyes filled with tears.

Lu Ziming watched with great heartache. He was aware of what had happened these past few days, but the constant pressure of danger had prevented him from thinking about personal matters. But now, he had no choice but to face it, whether he wanted to or not.

At this critical juncture, sentimentality is no longer relevant. Shishi looked at Lu Ziming, her eyes filled with pain, but she suppressed it and pulled Qin Jin up, saying, "Let's stay together. Separating will be more dangerous. You two should run separately."

But Qin Jin nudged Shi Shi and said, "You go up to the skylight first."

Shishi went up to the skylight. Just then, the courtyard gate rang. Urged by Qin Jin, the three people on the roof secretly slipped out from the back of the house. Qin Jin couldn't get out anymore. The skylight was directly opposite the gate. If she stuck her head out, she would definitely be seen.

Qin Jin gently held Hei Bao and hid in a corner of the attic. Through the window, she could clearly see the situation in the courtyard. Although there were no lights in the village, there was a pale light that resembled moonlight, but was a little brighter. The light did not come from the sky, but seemed to emanate from the ground, illuminating the village brightly.

Little Fish called out joyfully, "Daddy, Mommy, you're back!"

Several will-o'-the-wisps began to circle around the little fish, the sound of the gate growing louder and louder, and finally someone pushed the gate open and entered the courtyard.

Qin Jin's heart was pounding in her chest. She looked at Xiao Yu's parents with curiosity, wanting to know what was going on.

Two figures entered through the courtyard gate. They spoke in the exact same tone as Xiaoyu—very slow, enunciating each word carefully. Qin Jin knew that Xiaoyu had learned to speak like that from her parents. The voice wasn't just grating; it had an inexplicable, unsettling quality.

"Little Fish, I'm back. Go fetch some water for us to wash our faces!"

Little Fish ran happily to fetch water. He moved quickly and seemed skilled. Soon he carried the water to the yard and handed his father a towel. Although he couldn't see, Little Fish was familiar with everything.

Qin Jin looked at the basin of water in the yard, its light gleaming coldly in the night. She saw Xiao Yu's father slowly squat down. Qin Jin was afraid to see a rotting face, but everything was fine. Although the face reflected in the water wasn't very handsome, it was still a living face. Only the eyes were covered by hair, making it difficult to see clearly.

They sat at a small table in the courtyard, and Little Fish's mother hummed some songs softly, telling stories of the fun they had while working.

Qin Jin thought she was being paranoid. She thought, this is just a relatively backward mountain village. The people here are very simple and honest. Maybe there are no power lines at all, so they go to bed early and go out to work at night. There aren't that many ghosts in this world!

She chuckled to herself at her own cowardice as she tried to stand up and go inside to greet Xiaoyu's parents. Just then, she suddenly saw something in Heibao's eyes.

Hei Bao's eyes shone brightly for a moment, like a mirror, clearly reflecting the situation in the yard. Logically, this was completely impossible. But Qin Jin truly saw the scene in the yard through the peephole. There weren't just three people in the yard, but five. Yes, she was all too familiar with the postures of the other two: one sitting on Xiao Yu's father's head, and the other gently resting on Xiao Yu's mother's back. She had seen these scenes countless times, on Shi Shi and Ying Qi, but seeing them often didn't mean she was used to them. The female ghost was lying there, digging her fingers into Xiao Yu's parents' eyes and putting them into her mouth.

The wind blew, lifting the hair covering the little fish's parents' eyes, revealing two empty holes, but no blood, and they didn't seem to feel any pain.

They are not human; Qin Jin has come to understand this fact.