"As for how to find the source, I think we might need to trace back nearly a hundred years. I don't believe this started only a hundred years ago. From what we've learned about the predecessors of these art museums, they were basically privately run art shops and study rooms. These people were thousands of miles apart, and it's unlikely they were connected, so there's no possibility they would have set up such a large scheme together.
"So I think that group of people were also passively drawn into the paintings. The people who built those art shops and study rooms were probably influenced by some unseen force, which is why they built their shops in those locations. It's clear that the force and its 'designated' location came first, and then the art shops and study rooms came into being.
"Therefore, we have reason to suspect that this force existed even earlier. Did a third group of people enter the paintings in different forms before that?
"Only by tracing back to the source can we possibly find a way to solve this problem."
Ke Xun listened attentively to Mu Yiran's explanation and said, "But the further back we go, the harder it will be to investigate. How far back do we have to go before we can stop?" "Besides, each time only thirteen people enter the painting. Such a small number of collective deaths is unlikely to attract much attention or be recorded. We probably wouldn't even have anywhere to investigate."
"This is indeed the most difficult problem to solve," Mu Yiran said. "Let's put it aside for now. What we need to do right now is, first, check the surveillance footage of all the art museums, and second, wait for news from Wu You. Perhaps we can find some clues from the bone patterns."
Ke Xun nodded, and Mu Yiran relayed his thoughts to the painting discussion group, and asked Zhu Haowen to get his hands on the surveillance footage from other art museums as well.
In the following days, all the members of the painting discussion group began to work day and night. Everyone was submerged in the massive amount of surveillance video data, painstakingly searching for those similar faces that could bring them a glimmer of hope.
After two or three days, Wu You finally brought some slightly encouraging news—a junior of one of Great Grandma's "fellow Daoists" could read bone patterns.
So all the members of the painting discussion group ... The group reconvened in City C and waited at Great-Grandma's house for the master who could read people's bone structures.
Great-Grandma was quite shocked to find so many people with such strange and ominous bone structures. She kept muttering incantations, seemingly praying, or perhaps... performing a ritual to help these poor souls pass on in advance.
The bone-reading master, around forty years old, had a truly worldly-wise and detached look on his face. However, when he suddenly saw these ten people standing in a row before him, he was also quite startled, even taking three or four steps back before managing to regain his balance.
"This—" The bone-reading master was momentarily speechless, his gaze shifting uncertainly between the group.
Mu Yiran spoke first, his voice calm, slow, and clear as he spoke to the bone-reading master: "You don't need to speak yet. Listen to what I have to say before deciding whether to speak.
"We cannot explain anything to you related to your bone structure.
"We cannot be sure whether you will be implicated if you help us analyze our bone structure."
"If you believe you cannot analyze our bone structure, please leave as soon as possible without saying a word, and do not mention it to anyone.
"If you are able to analyze our bone structure based on your understanding, but cannot tell us, please nod.
"If you are able to analyze our bone structure, but cannot express it verbally, and believe you will not suffer any backlash or harm, please try to hint at it to us.
"Finally, if possible, please draw our bone structure." The bone
physiognomy master looked at Mu Yiran with a complicated expression for a long time. Finally, without saying a word, he picked up the paper and pen he had prepared beforehand and began to draw the bone structures of everyone, comparing them one by one, pondering as he went.
It was a long and agonizing process. Everyone stood there quietly, no one speaking.
Just as darkness fell outside, the bone physiognomy master finally completed ten drawings. Everyone had just breathed a sigh of relief when the master suddenly crumpled up all ten drawings and threw them into the copper basin that Great-Grandma used to burn paper money for worship, instantly reducing them to ashes.
The master left Great-Grandma's house without a word, leaving everyone in the room looking at each other in bewilderment.
This did not include Ke Xun and Mu Yiran.
Ke Xun then strode onto the table and took a cell phone from the chandelier directly above.
"What's going on?" "Wei Dong expressed surprise on behalf of everyone.
"Yi Ran had considered all the possibilities beforehand," Ke Xun said to everyone while wiping the footprints on the table with a rag. "Guys, remember? Our cell phones are practically a bug in all the paintings. Since the last known incident of entering a painting happened nearly a hundred years ago, and the origin of the incident is likely even earlier, Yi Ran and I speculate that even if the force behind it can control some functions of the phone, it can't fully control this technological product that is so far ahead of its time. So, maybe with this, we can escape its 'monitoring' to some extent."
Everyone suddenly understood, but Shao Ling was more cautious and said, "Can you be sure of that? Don't forget, the power of the painting can control some of our behavior even in the real world. For example, if we tell outsiders about the incident of entering the painting, we will suffer a backlash, which means it can still monitor us." "
I think this kind of surveillance is restrictive," Mu Yiran interjected. "Although I don't know how it works, if the forces behind 'Hua' are dedicated to putting us in the most dangerous situations, risking our lives, they wouldn't tolerate our explorations and discussions in the WeChat group, or any of our recent investigations.
If it really wanted to, or could, stop us, we would have already suffered a backlash.
Therefore, it can be inferred that 'Hua' can only monitor our external communication in some way. For example, it's like how a literary website blocks certain taboo words; if a word appears in an article, it will be displayed as '□□'. I think the principle behind Hua's restrictions on our speech is roughly the same.
This time, we didn't directly reveal the taboo content to Master Bone Structure, and Master Bone Structure didn't give us any direct feedback based on our hints. We relayed it through our phones, so I don't think it will implicate him or ourselves.
There are many capable people in this world. How can the forces behind 'Hua' guarantee that someone we pass by on the street won't be a person with abilities like Master Bone Structure?" If the person with the ability sees our skeletal structure, goes home and draws it, and is then killed by the power behind the painting, then I think the painting's power must be far greater than it currently appears, and it wouldn't be necessary to go to such lengths to select those to be drawn.
"Furthermore, given the special nature of mobile phones, I tend to think that doing this is not considered 'illegal operation' and will not be punished by the painting. Of course, if any of you think it will endanger yourselves, you can bring it up, and we'll think of another way."
When he finished speaking, everyone shook their heads. Shao Ling lowered his eyes and thought for a while, and finally nodded in agreement: "Then let's do it this way. In the end... whether we are inside or outside the painting, we need to risk our lives."
Great-Grandma had already been asked to go to another room when the Bone Structure Master arrived. Now, only all the people to be drawn remained in the room, so there was no need to hide anymore. Everyone gathered around Ke Xun, staring at the mobile phone in his hand.
Ke Xun pulled up the video he had just taken. He saw that the image was relatively clear, and the Bone Structure Master had deliberately leaned back while drawing, leaving a whole page of paper.
This physiognomy master, a seasoned veteran with extensive experience and keen observation skills, had clearly not overlooked the phone above his head, having already surveyed the surroundings upon entering the room.
Everyone stared intently at the screen, their expressions growing increasingly surprised and bewildered as each image of their bone structure appeared.
The white paper was covered with strange patterns drawn in black ink, simple yet vividly lifelike—mountains and rivers, water, fire, clouds, thunder, dragons, phoenixes, beasts, strange creatures, and even terrifying demons and monsters.
But what was most astonishing was that three of the ten people had bone structures completely different from the others.
It was a rope-like pattern, densely and tightly wrapped around their bones, as if these three were heinous, unforgivable sinners, bound by these bizarre and terrifying ropes, their souls wailing and lamenting.
The three people were Shao Ling, Ke Xun, and Mu Yiran.
"Wh-what's going on..." Wei Dong looked at Ke Xun and Mu Yiran with concern. "Why are your bone structures different from ours? Is this pattern really the pattern of a rope? What does this mean?"
Before Mu Yiran or Ke Xun could answer him, Shao Ling was already thinking and said, "Putting aside the three rope patterns, the patterns on the other bone structures look familiar to me, like..."
Shao Ling frowned and pondered. No one dared to disturb him, and they all remained silent. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, a few coughs came from the next room, interrupting Shao Ling's thoughts. Shao Ling subconsciously looked towards the next room, but his view was blocked by the wall. He saw an old brass mirror hanging on the wall, which seemed to be a prop that his great-grandmother used to tell fortunes and "perform rituals".
Shao Ling's brows suddenly relaxed, and he said, "It's a pattern from ancient bronze artifacts! Especially these water, fire, cloud, thunder, dragon, phoenix, and beast motifs, which are the most commonly used."
"But logically speaking," Fang Fei, who rarely spoke, suddenly interjected, "aren't these patterns generally auspicious? Why would they appear in such a perilous situation?"
"Moreover, these patterns aren't all auspicious; there are also ferocious beasts and some rather strange-looking creatures," Wei Dong, being an artist, was more perceptive in observing the details of the patterns than others. "Look at this fish-like creature with bird wings and a three-headed bird, laughing so eerily... This doesn't feel auspicious at all."
"A three-headed bird, is it a crow in the sun?" Luo Yu asked.
"That's a three-legged crow," Wu You said. "Dongzi, take a closer look. I can't quite tell how many tails this three-headed bird has."
Wei Dong took the phone from Ke Xun, held it up to his eyes, and examined it carefully for a while. "It looks like it has six tails."
Wu You's eyes lit up. "Really?! Are you sure it has six tails?"
"I'm sure," Wei Dong nodded firmly. "Look at my sharp eyes."
"…" Wu You looked up at everyone. "I do know a kind of bird with three heads and six tails. I think it's called 'Qi Tu'!"
Mu Yiran and Shao Ling nodded at the same time. "A mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
"If that's the case," Wu You pointed to the fish with bird wings on the phone, "then this fish should be 'Ying Yu,' also a mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The book says that its cry sounds like a mandarin duck's call, and wherever it appears, a flood will occur."
"...So, is Hua Tui'er tattooing our bones based on a black-and-white illustrated edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas?" Wei Dong had a look on his face that said, "I think I've encountered an idiot."
"This result is indeed...how could it be so ridiculous," Ke Xun also scratched his head, "May I ask which mythical beast or creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas that hemp rope is?"
Wu You shrugged.
"No, this style doesn't resemble the illustrated editions of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* that have been published recently," Shao Ling said, taking the phone from Wei Dong and examining it closely. "It looks more like… the patterns commonly found on bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties." He
then took out his own phone and fiddled with it for a while before turning the screen to show everyone: "Look, the decorative patterns on Shang dynasty bronze artifacts are in this style. The upper left is an animal mask pattern, the upper right is a kui dragon pattern, and below that are patterns of cattle, sheep, elephants, tigers, horses, birds, snakes, cicadas, silkworms, and toads. Further down are phoenix patterns, cloud and thunder patterns, and vortex patterns, etc. Compare these closely to the patterns shown on bone sculptors; aren't they extremely similar in style?"
"That's right," Wei Dong was the first to agree. "It's definitely the same style."
"So what you mean is…" Qin Ci looked at Shao Ling.