Xinmiao had somehow appeared in the courtyard, sometimes practicing basic dance moves, sometimes staring blankly up at the rooftop courtyard entrance.
Weidong bought some red bean buns from the restaurant and called her over to eat.
Although the gatekeeper had categorized Xinmiao as outside the realm of "human," she still possessed a "human" instinct when faced with red bean buns.
Old man Li Taiyong said, "You all go look for the seals; I'll watch the child."
So, the other six continued searching for seals and signatures in the building. Six people, exactly six floors, each responsible for one floor, trying to find things from unexpected places.
In Sha Liu's words—"Don't miss a single tile grout line."
Sha Liu volunteered to be in charge of the ground floor shops. Ever since hearing about a shop specializing in secondhand goods, and that some of the merchandise was collected from upstairs residents, Sha Liu was convinced that this shop would have what everyone wanted.
The others were assigned to the upstairs rooms. As the men went up, Qin Ci couldn't help but say, "I just find it strange. Who was knocking on the doors last night? Why did they only knock on 410?"
"And they even left a strange red whistle in front of 410." Ke Xun's expression was somewhat sarcastic.
Wei Dong turned to look at his roommate: "Weren't you watching from the window the whole time?"
Zhu Haowen: "'Giant Face Moment,' I didn't see it."
"..."
"When the knocking started, there was no one at the door of 410." Zhu Haowen said expressionlessly.
This statement was completely consistent with what Mu Yiran had seen last night.
"Could it be that the old man knocking on the door could become invisible? Or was the person knocking on the door someone else entirely?" Qin Ci couldn't figure out the reason.
Mu Yiran suddenly spoke up: "I just want to know, before yesterday afternoon, did Sha Liu discuss anything about 307 with any of you?"
Everyone thought carefully for a moment, and finally Qin Ci said: "Yesterday during our afternoon nap, she knocked on the door of 307, saying she wanted to understand the situation of 307 more deeply, because according to her analysis, the vengeful spirit of 307 was very likely to knock on the door of 410 first, and she wanted to prepare in advance."
"And then?" Several people asked.
"We let her in, and she searched the room for a long time, but didn't find any valuable clues," Qin Ci frowned, lost in thought, "However... we did find some information about that old man in the room's drawer. The old man who used to live in 307 was a very kind person. He was frugal and saved a lot of money to help people who were more in need than him, especially those Hope Primary Schools... There were many letters from the students he sponsored, as well as letters of commendation from the school."
Everyone remembered the old man who helplessly called out "Wang Fu" last night, and realized that he had such a life.
"However, we didn't find the porcelain basin, and it's hard to say what was inside…"
Mu Yiran suddenly asked, "What was Sha Liu's reaction at the time?"
"She was a little disappointed, but Grandpa Li comforted her, saying that the old man who used to live in 307 was probably a kind person and probably wouldn't harm anyone at night… Sha Liu listened, but soon she started worrying about other things, afraid that if no one died at night, there would be a meeting to select people the next day…"
Mu Yiran showed a knowing look: "No one is completely confident about the meeting to select people, so some people will be restless before the meeting."
"No wonder, when we were cracking the bamboo shoot secret on the sixth floor yesterday afternoon, Sha Liu showed a fear that was inconsistent with her personality." Ke Xun also felt that Sha Liu's behavior yesterday was a bit abnormal, "The deduction of the bamboo shoot breaking through the soil is certainly scary, but the atmosphere that Sha Liu created is even scarier, even a bit alarmist."
Wei Dong seemed to realize it as well: "Yesterday at the dinner table, she suggested jumping out of the window."
"Jumping out the window is indeed tempting, because it's a prohibition that the NPCs have never mentioned before. Sha Liu probably wants to know what the consequences of jumping out the window will be, but she herself is unwilling to test the waters, so she has to choose someone to test it for her." Ke Xun glanced at Xin Miao, who was jumping around downstairs—Sha Liu was indeed ruthless. She showed no fear in front of Xin Miao and completely absolved herself of responsibility for Qiu Lu's death.
Qin Ci gradually understood: "If jumping out the window is really a shortcut, then after others have paved the way, Sha Liu can follow suit in the future; conversely, if jumping out the window doesn't work, Sha Liu can take the opportunity to eliminate one or two people, thus avoiding the death election the next day—either way, it's only beneficial to Sha Liu."
After analyzing this matter, the men felt that this woman was even more terrifying.
"Why did that old man choose 410? Who was knocking on 410's door last night?" Wei Dong was still puzzled.
"Did everyone notice that the knocking last night was quieter than usual?" Mu Yiran said.
Qin Ci was the first to nod: "Yes, the sound was a little soft and muffled."
"That's because the knocking came from inside," Mu Yiran slowly revealed.
Everyone was shocked: "What? It was someone from 410 who knocked on the door?! Was it Sha Liu?"
"Yes," Ke Xun spoke up this time, "Sha Liu only needs to find an excuse to go to the living room alone, and then she can knock on the door from the inside and make noise. This behavior fooled all of us last night, not to mention Qiu Lu who was inside—Sha Liu would scream after knocking, making Qiu Lu mistakenly believe that something terrible had happened to 410. Sha Liu would then take the opportunity to knock over many things in the house, creating the illusion that someone had broken in, and then encourage Qiu Lu to jump out the window."
The whole truth came out, and people's expressions varied: some sneered, some were angry, some sighed, and some remained expressionless.
Finally, Qin Ci sighed: "The external troubles are not yet over, and now there's an internal traitor."
"I just don't know who the person who put up the whistle is," Ke Xun said.
"It's that old man from 307," Zhu Haowen's eyes glanced at the conspicuous red whistle on the fourth floor. "After the commotion in 410 subsided last night, that old man silently came to the door of 410, hung up the whistle, and disappeared into the stairwell."
"Could it be that last night's terrifying events really are going to repeat indefinitely?" Qin Ci said.
Zhu Haowen said, "No, I think the whistle-hanging thing is full of imagination. Even if it's going to repeat, it should be a spiral-like cycle."
Wei Dong looked at his roommate and suddenly felt that the other person seemed a little abnormal…
The whole day, everyone came up empty-handed.
Sha Liu searched through everything in the secondhand shop, but returned disappointed.
Sha Liu seemed unable to control his emotions, after all, the red whistle was hanging right outside the door of his 410 apartment.
At the dinner table, the old man Li Taiyong said with a serious face, "I have something I want to say to everyone."
Everyone put down their chopsticks and looked at the old man who rarely showed a serious expression.
"Xiao Qin had already explained the rules of the painting to me. If no murder occurs the night before, everyone has to hold a meeting the next day to elect someone to die," the old man Li Taiyong paused. "I think this is a difficult matter. It's not just about breaking ties and hurting feelings; it's about taking the lives of our fellow human beings."
Everyone understands these principles, but rules are rules, and no one can defy them.
"I was thinking, if that day ever comes, don't make things difficult for everyone, just choose me." The old man's serious expression was tinged with kindness.
Ke Xun was the first to object: "Grandpa, we haven't reached that point yet. Maybe we can find the seal tomorrow! Besides, even if it really comes to that, I wouldn't want to choose you."
"Little Ke, listen to me," the old man Li Taiyong smiled, "You are all in the prime of your lives, with so many things waiting to be experienced. I'm 76 years old this year, and I've experienced enough. If I could really exchange my old life for a young life, I think it would be worth it, I think I haven't lived in vain."
Everyone's eyes were a little red, and Ke Xun also felt his eyes welling up. He looked at Sha Liu, who was sitting there with her head down, wanting to ask the old man something, but he felt he didn't know where to begin.
Old Man Li Taiyong continued, "I've been thinking about this for the past few days, and I've made up my mind. If you can follow my advice, that will be the greatest respect you can show an old man like me."
In the paintings Ke Xun had experienced, although they were full of selfishness and calculation, he had also witnessed Zhou Bin's unwavering boyfriend power and the fiercely protective parental love of Geng's parents...
But Old Man Li Taiyong in front of him was different from them. After all, he and his friends were not related to the old man, and their relationship had only lasted four days... Could they be granted a pardon simply because they were young? Did they deserve to die first because they were older?
"Once you get out safely, make full preparations, gain enough experience, support each other, and strive to get through the remaining paintings and truly return to our world! Then you will be the strongest and most fearless group of young people. Those with lofty ambitions can go and build the country, and those without such ambitions can live their own lives well and not leave any regrets."
Ke Xun had always remembered Old Man Li Taiyong's words deeply, and even many years later, he could still recall them clearly.
Mu Yi then talked about the old man, saying he was like a lighthouse.
...
The long-awaited night fell again. Around nine o'clock, Sha Liu came to room 411 for help, saying she couldn't close the large window in her room.
Mu Yi completely ignored her, as if she couldn't hear her.
In the end, Ke Xun went to check 410 and found that the large window facing the cement wall was completely open. Because the window was an old-fashioned outward-opening wooden window, to close it, the window sash had to be closed, but the wood seemed to be rotten and couldn't be closed no matter what. It
was as if everything was to preserve the image of Qiu Lu jumping down last night.
Sha Liu suspected that Ke Xun hadn't done his best to help, so she went downstairs to ask Qin Ci and others for help, even alarming the doorman on the ground floor, but the window was like a dead thing, and no one could close it.
Just as Sha Liu was anxiously trying to find something to nail the window shut, the doorman gave a signal to turn off the lights.
It was almost 11 o'clock, and Sha Liu was on the verge of tears.
Finally, all the lights in the building went out, and all was silent.
Mu Yiran and Ke Xun, just like the night before, stood guard at the small window without curtains.
From this angle, they could just see the bright red whistle hanging in front of room 410, swaying gently in the night breeze.
"If our door is knocked on tonight," Ke Xun said, expressing his premonition. After all, room 411 was closest to room 410, and if Sha Liu was in danger, she was very likely to knock on the door next to it, "then we must find a way to clearly see the strange phenomena that appear in the room the moment the door is knocked on."
The white woman in room 410 the night before last, and the old man holding the basin in room 307 the night before last, both suddenly appeared when the door was knocked on. If they could take the opportunity to carefully observe these strange phenomena, they might gain something.
Mu Yiran nodded, looking at Ke Xun, whose face and body were bathed in moonlight, and then turned his gaze to the window again.
Ke Xun had just felt the other person's slightly moist gaze, only to be gently pulled away by it again. A slightly satisfied sigh rose in his heart, and he turned his gaze to the window.
Outside the window were dark tenement buildings, their corridors winding like bamboo shoots, their tops slowly converging in an arc...
In this slightly eerie night, the red whistle hanging on the clothesline suddenly emitted a sharp whistle. The first note was somewhat short, as if it were being tested.
Soon, a long whistle rang out, sounding like a tune in the darkness—"Wang Fu—"
No one was blowing it; the whistle was sounding by itself.