If you are an ordinary person, your heart will beat faster, you will feel scared for a while, and then you will start to comfort yourself and give yourself psychological hints, telling yourself that you must be dazzled.
It's just a lifeless painting. No matter how realistic and expressive the painting is, it's just a dead thing after all.
But Jiang Yue's heartbeat neither accelerated, nor did he have any psychological hints.
Instead, he knelt down and picked up the painting.
I just glanced at it casually before and didn't pay much attention to the painting quality of this painting.
Upon closer inspection, although this painting cannot be said to be the work of a master, the skill of the painter is still obvious.
This painting is more than just a portrait. The facial features and expressions of the characters are very good. The eyes and expressions of the characters are very expressive. They fully express the aloof and cool state of the characters. You can even feel the delicacy of the characters in the painting.
psychology.
Jiang Yue's ears suddenly twitched, and he turned his head suddenly and saw a narrow gap in the security door of a house on his right.
There is a person in the gap peeking at the situation on his side.
The moment Jiang Yue turned his head suddenly, the man behind the door hurriedly closed the door. Due to his haste, he didn't even suppress the sound of the door closing, and made a slight bang.
Then, Jiang Yue heard a scurrying and stumbling sound behind the door. It was obvious that the person closing the door was too nervous to stand still.
Jiang Yue was speechless for a while.
Do you think I am so scary?
But he soon realized that maybe it wasn't him that the other party was afraid of.
But all the strangers who appear here, all the weird details...
Jiang Yue could actually hear it very clearly. Even though every house here was closed, there were actually people in many houses.
And when he appeared on the street, many people either stuck behind the door and peered through the peephole, or stood behind the curtains and observed through the glass...
These people are obviously very concerned about what's going on outside, but why are they so cautious and even fearful?
Is it because of the disappearance of the Beauty Snake Gallery?
Just a disappearance seems a bit too far-fetched, right?
Find someone to ask.
Toot toot!
Jiang Yue knocked on the door very softly, trying his best to make his actions appear gentle and friendly to avoid misunderstandings on the part of the people inside.
Any excessive emotions at this time may lead to serious misunderstandings.
Unfortunately, no matter how gentle Jiang Yue was at knocking on the door, the person inside never said a word, let alone opened the door.
"Friend, I don't mean any harm. Could you please open the door and have a few words?"
The person inside the door remained motionless, and Jiang Yue could even hear his breathing that he was trying to suppress and his soft swallowing of saliva.
"I know you are standing behind the door, don't you want to know what's going on in the outside world?"
"Do you think this small door can keep all the trouble out?"
The man seemed determined to remain silent. No matter what Jiang Yue said, he never said a word and would never open the door.
"Hey, it seems no one lives here, so I had to break in." Jiang Yue seemed to be saying this to himself, but in fact he was speaking to the other party.
Sure enough, those previous words with serious intentions were of no use, but this sentence received a timely response.
Someone inside said in a trembling voice: "Don't come in, I'm warning you, I have a knife in my hand, and I will really chop people up. You are breaking into a private house, and it won't be against the law if I chop you up."
"You open the door first, I'll let you chop three times and then we can talk." Jiang Yue said with a smile.
The other party was obviously stern and angry. Hearing Jiang Yue's tone, it seemed that he was not afraid of him having a knife at all. His tone suddenly softened: "Brother, I have no grievances with you, why are you trying to harm me? I beg you, leave quickly. I don't have any enemies at home."
I'm almost out of food. Even if you break in, you won't get anything. You don't want to eat people, do you?"
"Who told you that I was going to steal your food? Do you think I look like a foodie?" Jiang Yue was confused.
"If you don't want to steal food, then you shouldn't come to me. I'm a man, I have an unshaven beard, and I have bad breath... We are not suitable..."
Where is this going?
Jiang Yue had a black line: "Are you mentally ill? What are you thinking about? I was passing by and wanted to inquire about Wu Mei's condition."
"Then don't look for me. I'm an otaku and don't know anything."
Jiang Yue was speechless for a while. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, it still didn't work. This guy was simply out of touch.
The man inside was actually nervous and kept pleading: "Brother, please leave quickly, please. Don't stand in front of my house. I don't want to be..."
When the man said this, his throat seemed to be pinched by something, his voice trembled, and he did not dare to say any more.
"By what? What are you afraid of? What are you hiding?" Jiang Yue asked sharply.
The man was holding his head in his hands behind the door, his whole body was shaking like chaff, his mouth was trembling and he was making a whimpering sound of fear, he looked like he was scared out of his mind.
He was obviously very scared, but he didn't even dare to speak out about this fear.
It seemed that once the truth was revealed, disaster would befall him and he would die suddenly.
What is he afraid of?
Jiang Yue was suspicious. Since the other party didn't want to open the door, he couldn't force the door open. Seeing how frightened the other party was, he would feel bad if he got scared.
Otherwise, ask someone else?
At this moment, a door in the room two or three next door slowly opened a crack, and a kind-faced old man slowly poked half of his face out and looked around warily.
Then he made a waving gesture toward Jiang Yue.
When the old lady made this move, Jiang Yue clearly felt that she was suppressing fear and was under great psychological pressure.
Jiang Yue hurriedly approached, and the old lady suddenly saw the painting in his hand, and a look of extreme fear suddenly appeared in her eyes.
He waved his hands repeatedly, hesitatingly signaling him not to come near.
Jiang Yue lowered his head and looked at the painting in his hand, and didn't notice anything wrong.
Could it be that what they are afraid of is not me, but the painting in my hand?
Jiang Yue thought for a while, then suddenly took out the lighter in his backpack and lit the painting.
Green smoke rose from the fire and slowly rose into the night sky.
Suddenly, Jiang Yue felt that the fire ball was swaying, and the swaying posture seemed very strange.
In the blink of an eye, the ball of fire condensed into a human face, which looked vaguely familiar.
Jiang Yue took a closer look and found that she was the woman in the previous painting.
This time she did not stick out her tongue, but bared her teeth at Jiang Yue. Her eyes were fierce and full of terrifying resentment, as if she wanted to burst out of the fire and eat Jiang Yue alive.
Jiang Yue snorted coldly, and suddenly reached out and grabbed it into the firelight.
It's been a long time since I had a head-to-head confrontation with a ghost, but Shen Gang's ghost-killing hand was still familiar.
But this time, it was in vain.
The fire ball was extinguished quickly, and there was a sharp scream in the void, which seemed to be a bit anxious and frightening, and it quickly swept away into the distance like a storm.
It disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Jiang Yue was startled, was this the work of a ghost?
It seemed to be a ghost, but this ghost was actually different from the ghosts he had encountered before.
Shengang's ghost-killing hand never misses, but the catch just now only caught Lonely, as if this ghost had no substance at all and didn't catch anything at all.
When the fire was extinguished, the painting turned into ashes and was scattered everywhere in an instant when blown by the night wind.
Jiang Yue stood up thoughtfully.
The old lady was probably stunned by Jiang Yue's operation, and she actually forgot to close the door and go back to the house.
"Old lady, can you chat for a few words?"
The old lady did not reply, but looked Jiang Yue up and down, then took Jiang Yue's wrist and looked at it carefully.
"Hunter, are you okay?"
"It's okay, what can happen?"
The old lady looked around with lingering fear. Although her fear was slightly reduced, it was not completely eliminated.
She hesitated for a while, then took Jiang Yue's hand and quickly pulled him back into the house.
The door was closed quickly, so fast that it almost didn't look like an elderly person.
This shows how scared she is in her heart.
"Old lady, what are you afraid of? Is there a ghost causing trouble?"
"Oh, Housheng, you are very lucky. That female ghost just now chose you. I didn't expect you to still be alive. Alas... My poor Qiusheng, he doesn't have such a good life. Wuwuwuwu...
…”
As the old lady spoke, she started to cry.
The cry was sad and desperate, obviously because something happened to a close relative.
When the old lady slowly stopped crying, Jiang Yue asked her why.
"Young man, this painting has appeared in many places in Wumei Village these days. Wherever this painting appears, people will die."
"Old lady, I only have a grandson like this in Qiu Sheng, and he was killed by this painting. That day he was walking on the road, and suddenly someone thrust a painting into his hand. He didn't care, so he took the painting home.
.At night, circles of red lines appeared on his wrists, ankles and neck..."
When the old lady said this, she was so choked up that she could no longer continue.
"Then...his whole body was covered with circles of red threads. At first there was no movement, but at night, these red threads began to exert force, digging into his flesh. My poor Qiu Sheng was still alive.
Circles of red threads were cut off and turned into pieces... Wuwuwu..."
The old lady was in agony and burst into tears.
How could the old man accept that such a dependent grandson suddenly encountered such a change?
"This damn monster, why doesn't she look for my old lady? My old lady has already lived enough, I'm not afraid of death! But Qiu Sheng is still young, he is only in his twenties, why do you want to target him?
"
The old lady was crying and talking at the same time.
Even when facing Jiang Yue, a stranger, the old lady could no longer control her emotions.
These days, she is really too depressed.
The entire Wumei community is surrounded by terror, everyone is in danger, and every family is closed. Even though everyone knows that the old lady's experience is tragic, no one can give her any comfort.
The old lady didn't even have a chance to find someone to cry to.
For this period of time, she has been bearing the pain alone.
At this time, I finally had a chance to vent. Regardless of whether I was facing a stranger, I cried as much as I wanted and told my misfortune.
Losing a loved one is a pain that no words can heal.
Jiang Yue could do nothing but listen silently.
After a long time, the old lady's mood gradually eased and she wiped away her tears.
"Young man, those people won't open the door for you. The painting you hold is a reminder. They want you to take the painting away immediately. How can they open the door for you? What if the monster in the painting targets them?
?”
The old lady's explanation finally made Jiang Yue understand why the person before was obviously very scared, but he didn't even dare to tell the reason why he was scared?
It turned out that what he was afraid of was not himself, but the painting.
Could it be that the ghost in the painting is so scary that it’s hard to even mention it?
The old lady grabbed Jiang Yue's wrist again and observed it carefully for a while.
The dry palms were gently caressed, showing the kindness and care of the elders.
"Hunter, you are younger than Qiusheng, so you must not let anything happen to you. My old lady is eighty-two years old, and she is not afraid of ghosts, let alone death. Just hide in my house. If that female ghost dares to come, I will fight with her!
"
At the age of eighty-two, it is obvious that he is unable to do his best.
But the old lady's intentions were obviously genuine.
After losing her grandson, she obviously put Jiang Yue into the role of her grandson, and developed a strong desire to protect him.
Jiang Yue took the opportunity to ask: "Old lady, do you know who painted that painting?"
The old lady shook her head: "Everyone in Wumei Village is a painter. There are such paintings everywhere. I don't know who painted them."
"Then have you ever heard of the Beauty Snake Gallery?"
"What kind of snake?" the old lady asked blankly.
"Beauty Snake."
The old lady was startled: "Beauty snake? Is that a monster? It comes out in the middle of the night and calls out people's names. If anyone agrees, their souls will be sucked out?"
The old lady is obviously also a lover of folk tales, and this opening speaks of old feudal superstition.
"Old lady, it's not the monster, it's a gallery. The gallery's name is Beauty Snake."
"Oh, gallery. This name is not serious, and it must not be a good thing. I have never heard of it. My Qiu Sheng is also a painter, and he also opened a gallery. Let me show you my Qiu Sheng's paintings."
Qiu Sheng is probably the whole meaning of the old lady's life.
Even though he is no longer here, he still fills the old lady's life.
Three or two sentences are inseparable from "My family's Qiu Sheng", which shows how deep the relationship between grandfather and grandson is.
The old lady laboriously brought out many paintings. Jiang Yue, out of enthusiasm, looked at them carefully for a while.
Qiu Sheng specializes in traditional Chinese painting, especially landscape painting.
At the age of more than 20 years old, he has such attainments, which is indeed quite good.
Jiang Yue praised a few words, then said goodbye and went out.
The old lady was obviously very surprised. He thought Jiang Yue was an outsider who came to Wumei Village and wanted to find a place to stay. Otherwise, why would he knock on the door everywhere?
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yue was about to leave. A pair of rough old hands grabbed Jiang Yue tightly, wiping his tears and said: "My dear, you must not dare to wander around. It's so late at night. This place is full of ghosts. Listen to the old lady.
I advise you to stay at my house. Even if I am hungry, I will not ask you to eat less."