A strange heaviness weighed on everyone's hearts.
If those people from a hundred years ago were also part of the painting, then when exactly did this whole incident originate? Will it continue endlessly, without ceasing, in an infinite loop?
And what will become of us? Will we also struggle endlessly, without ceasing, in an infinite loop between life and death? Either we'll die in one of the paintings along the way, or we'll struggle until we're too old to struggle anymore, finally dying exhausted and in despair.
That's...too tragic.
The group returned to the car and sat quietly for a long time before Ke Xun broke the oppressive silence: "I plan to stay here for a few more days, focusing on investigating the study the old lady's master mentioned. Since her master's ancestors lived here, and those people actively sought her out for fortune-telling, then that study should be in this city."
"What if her master went to another place with those people?" Wei Dong didn't let any possibility slip by.
Ke Xun shook his head: "It's unlikely. That era was the most chaotic and disorderly time in the country. Didn't you hear what the old lady said? People could be shot in the street. In such a chaotic world, even if her master was very curious, he couldn't possibly have chased a few people to another place. So I'm inclined to think that the study was in that area."
"That makes sense," Wei Dong nodded.
"But this won't be easy to investigate, will it?" Wu You asked worriedly. "A study from a hundred years ago probably wouldn't have survived even back then, let alone with all the wars that followed."
"Even if it's difficult, we have to investigate. This is the only clue we can grasp right now," Ke Xun said. "And there's this bone structure the old lady mentioned. Wu You, go back to the old lady's house and ask if she has
taken on any disciples or knows anyone with similar skills. If the old lady's eyesight is failing, we'll find someone with good eyesight to help us take a look." Wu You shuddered several times at the thought of his own bone structure covered with dense black patterns, then nodded repeatedly.
"What about the four of you? What are your plans?" Ke Xun asked the others.
"Brother, I'm fine. I'm anxious staying at home, so I'll stay here with you," Luo Yu raised his hand.
"I'll stay too," Zhu Haowen said simply.
"I'm fine too. I can spend the New Year here," Fang Fei said.
Wei Dong thought for a moment, picked up his phone and dialed the company. After some discussion, he hung up and said, "It's done. I was originally planning to save my annual leave for after the New Year, but I had a brain fart. What's the use of annual leave if I'm about to die? Let's just take it now."
"Okay, then none of us are leaving," Ke Xun gestured to Luo Yi to drive. "Let's go back to the hotel first, drop off our luggage, and then make some arrangements."
On the way to the hotel, Zhu Haowen briefly shared what he had learned that day in the group chat, while Ke Xun called Mu Yiran directly, explaining in detail and telling him that he had decided to stay in City C to continue the investigation.
Mu Yiran seemed a bit busy; after listening to his explanation, he didn't immediately offer any opinions, only reminding him to be careful before hanging up.
The group first took Wu You home, returned the car, and then took a taxi to the hotel.
Ke Xun booked two double rooms, while Wu You booked a single room for Fang Fei. Fortunately, they were all on the same floor. Everyone was gathered in Ke Xun and Wei Dong's room to discuss the next steps.
"I'm thinking that the study must have been destroyed back then," Ke Xun said, sitting cross-legged on the bed and offering the edge of the bed to Zhu Haowen and Luo Yi. "Otherwise, the old lady also lives in this city. She's over eighty years old and grew up in that era. How could she not know which study it was?
" "Well, even if this city is too big and there are too many study rooms, if that study room had existed for a long time, her master would have told her 'it's that study room in our city.' Since he didn't say that, I think the study room must have been gone back then."
"So if we want to investigate, we probably won't find it in modern people's memories. We can only try to find some relevant historical documents from this city."
"Or check some local county annals," Zhu Haowen brought his laptop and was currently logging onto a webpage. "Also, there might be relevant information online."
"Then how about this," Ke Xun said, "Haowen will stay in the hotel and search for information online. Dongzi and I will be one group, and Luobo and Fang Fei will be another. We'll go out and visit relevant places, such as local museums and the city archives."
Wei Dong said, "Luobo, take good care of your Fei-jie. We don't know anyone here, so be careful."
Luo Yi said, "Who takes care of whom is still up in the air. My Fei-jie is so powerful and domineering, I just need to make sure I don't hold her back."
"Let's switch then," Ke Xun said. "You two are a kid and a girl, one unreliable and the other too sharp. Dongzi, you and Fang Fei are a pair, I'll take Luo Bo. We'll head out in a bit, you two go to the archives, and we'll go to the museum."
Wei Dong: "I feel like the archives might be hard to get into. I didn't even bring a proper suit. Wearing this, I'll look like a poor loser. I'm afraid the security guard will kick me out."
Ke Xun: "Do you think Luo Bo and I can get in?"
Wei Dong looked at the two of them. One had the air of a gangster, and the other had platinum blonde hair and was covered in designer brands… okay.
After agreeing on the plan, the group didn't linger. They left Zhu Haowen at the hotel, and the four of them went out together, parting ways at the entrance.
Ke Xun and Luo Bo spent half the afternoon at the museum. It did have some local historical materials and photos on display, but the study and such were not representative or symbolic, and were not mentioned in the materials at all.
"What do we do, bro?" The two stood in front of the oden stall, each munching on a skewer of fish balls.
Ke Xun blew out a puff of hot air: "After we finish eating, let's go to the Winter is Coming Art Museum."
Luo Jin nearly dropped the food box in his hand, exclaiming in panic, "Bro, why are we going? I don't even want to think about that place!"
Ke Xun picked up a skewer of tofu and blew on it: "Don't worry, you won't get sucked in again. I want to go to the art museum and ask the staff. I have a suspicion—could the location of that old study be the location of this art museum now?"
Luo Jin thought for a moment and said to the oden owner, "Give me another serving!"
Ke Xun: "...So hungry?"
Luo Jin: "Eat more before we go, let's die a full ghost!"
Ke Xun: "...A rich second-generation ghost who's eaten his fill of oden?"
After they finished eating, they took a taxi and headed straight for the Winter is Coming Art Museum.
The snow outside the museum was just as it had been that day, a day that seemed to paint a picture. The sky was overcast, the snow falling intermittently. With winter approaching, the art museum stood against the gloomy sky, appearing exceptionally cold and desolate.
Luo Jin couldn't help but lean closer to Ke Xun, wishing he could link arms with him.
"Stop acting all gay, okay?" Ke Xun said, giving him a playful rub on the head.
Luo Jin: "???" Who's gay between us?
My brother is so amazing, even he's disgusted with himself.
Aside from a security guard standing at the entrance, the art museum was deserted, and the lobby was completely empty. Ke Xun led the shivering Luo Jin directly to the staff's office, only to be ushered out after a few words.
The reason? The two men didn't look like good guys.
"Damn it, come back tomorrow with a suit," Ke Xun said, leading Luo Jin out of the museum. Instead of leaving immediately, they went to the nearby café.
The owner even remembered Ke Xun—"the handsome guy who paid the bill last time"—and chuckled, "Are you art students? Coming to this art museum in this cold weather? They'll close soon."
"Close so early?" Luo Jin glanced at his Patek Philippe. "It's only four o'clock."
"It's cold," the owner said. "Once the coldest days of winter arrive, nobody comes here. There's no point in keeping the art museum open, so we close early."
"I don't see many customers here," Ke Xun said, looking around. There were only two customers, him and Luo Yu. "Logically, business should be better in winter, right? Wouldn't it be nice to have a hot coffee here in the cold?"
Since there were almost no customers, the owner was quite idle, so he sat down and chatted with Ke Xun. "My little shop has never had good business. You have to look at the location. This is basically the outskirts of the city. There's only one art museum nearby, and it's in the middle of nowhere. Who would come here just for a cup of coffee? My customers are usually people who come to the art museum, but think about it, these days, who has that many people who like to look at this stuff? Basically, it's just artsy young people and couples who come here on dates. There aren't many people all year round."
Ke Xun asked curiously, "So you're not losing money running a shop here? How much is the rent for this place?"
"Hey, this place is my own. Otherwise, why would I be hanging around here?" the owner said.
"You bought this land?" Ke Xun was even more puzzled. "The location doesn't have much foot traffic, why did you buy this land? You could have rented a storefront in the city center with that money."
"I didn't buy this land myself, my ancestors have lived here for generations. Originally, this area was full of residents, but later there was demolition and other things, and everyone moved away. Luckily, our area wasn't affected. Look around, there are still about ten households left..." The shopkeeper was saying when Ke Xun caught the key point: "Wait a minute, you said your ancestors all lived here? Let me ask you—during the Republic of China era, or a few years later, did your family also live here?"
The shopkeeper nodded: "Yes, that's why I couldn't bear to sell this land. It's our ancestral land and home, after all."
"Do you know what facilities were built on this site of the art museum back then?" Ke Xun asked hurriedly.
"How would I know?" the shopkeeper said. "When I was a child, the area around the art museum was just a wasteland."
"Excuse my bluntness," Ke Xun said, "are your father and grandfather still alive?"
Luo Jin: "Brother, they're called 'your grandfather'."
Ke Xun: "…Do you want me to teach you how to say 'your grandfather'?"
Luo Jin: "No, no, don't get excited—shopkeeper, is your grandfather still alive?"
Shopkeeper: "…Yes, why?"
Ke Xun: "We want to ask him something. Could you help us ask him what kind of building was built where the art museum was when he was a child? Just that little question."
The shopkeeper looked at Ke Xun strangely: "Why do you keep asking this?"
"This is our research topic," Ke Xun said without batting an eye, "Whether I graduate smoothly depends entirely on you, shopkeeper!"
"…My grandfather doesn't live here anymore. He lives in the city with my dad," the shopkeeper said, taking out his phone. "I'll make a call. You just want to ask about this, right?"
"Yes, yes," Ke Xun nodded. "It's up to you, shopkeeper. Let's do it."