On the walls of the Torakura family's photo studio, there are a large number of photos and some displays of ancient weapons.
Most of the photos are modern-style landscape photos.
There is only one black and white photo in the upper right corner, framed in an inconspicuous corner.
The shooting angle of the photo is very similar to Beethoven's most classic portrait, except that the protagonist in this photo is not holding a pen.
The man in the photo has slightly curly hair and a slightly square face and chin.
"Who is that person?"
Qin Zhibo looked at the photo in the corner and asked.
The old woman looked up at Qin Zhibo's line of sight, and then replied: "He is the ancestor of the Yincang family. It is said that he was the one three generations ago. This is the only photo left by his old man."
"oh……"
Qin Zhibo nodded in understanding, and then asked: "Since your family takes group photos every year, where are the photos taken?"
"I see that the walls here are all modern landscape photos. Except for that photo of your ancestors, they have nothing to do with your family."
"That's because half a year ago, my eldest brother had all the old photos taken down."
Torakura Sano answered while lowering his head to check the camera.
Suddenly, his expression was startled, and he murmured: "It was actually photographed..."
Hattori Heiji and Conan heard it and hurried over to check.
It turns out that when Mao Lilan and Toyama Kazuye noticed the strange shadow in the mirror just now, they happened to press the shutter button and took a photo.
However, since this family respects tradition and still uses an old-fashioned film camera, it is unclear whether they captured anything specifically.
Hattori Heiji raised his chin, "It would be great if I could develop the photos and take a look at them now..."
Tokura Mitsuo immediately replied: "There is a darkroom in this house specifically for developing photos. I can go and do it now."
"What?!"
As soon as he heard that photos could be developed here, Hattori Heiji's expression immediately cheered up.
Although the method of the mysterious shadow in the mirror has been solved, if there are photos, more clues may be analyzed.
And when the police come, it can also be used as evidence.
Hattori Heiji immediately sent Torakura Sano to develop the photos.
When he turned his head, he found that Yuan Shanheye and Mao Lilan had disappeared.
"Huh? Where did the person go?"
Conan raised his hand and pointed in the direction.
When the two chased them all the way, they discovered that the two women had escaped to the kitchen and were asking the chef if there was any garlic.
"garlic?"
"But because the master has become very disgusted with garlic recently, there seems to be no garlic in the kitchen anymore, right?"
The chef's tone was uncertain, indicating that there might still be something.
So Mao Lilan and Yuan Shanheye volunteered to look for it in the kitchen inventory.
Conan and Hattori Heiji put their hands in their pockets and complained helplessly as they watched their girlfriends busying around in the kitchen.
"Because there are vampires, I have to eat garlic..."
"After all, it is something that can be fought against..."
The two straight men just stood at the door and watched, not even thinking of going over to explain the trick of the mysterious shadow in the mirror. In fact, even non-vampires can do it.
The two women rummaged through the cartons, but found no garlic, and were about to open the large refrigerator in the kitchen.
"This refrigerator door... why can't it be opened..."
Yuan Shan and Ye went to pull the handle, but the refrigerator door didn't move at all.
Mao Lilan saw it and was about to step forward to help.
Fortunately, the chubby chef saw it and hurriedly stopped him, "That is the refrigerator that the master bought himself to put things in. I remember that the refrigerator door is locked and outsiders cannot open it..."
"The refrigerator door is locked? Why?"
"I don't know." The chef held his chin and recalled, "I heard from the master before that it contained very high-grade meat and was prepared to entertain the guests who came to visit today."
"As a result, until now, I haven't said anything about using it to entertain guests."
Standing at the door, Conan and Hattori Heiji listened indifferently, and suddenly remembered that at dusk, the Koga housekeeper said that a chef had provided an alibi for Tosakura Sakiya, so they asked the fat chef about it.
The fat chef nodded and admitted honestly.
"Yes, it was indeed the evidence I provided to the police at that time."
"The night before he went to bed, the master said that as soon as he got up, he would taste the freshly made soup, so he asked me to bring the soup to wake him up."
"Then before closing the lid, the master said that he suspected that someone had recently secretly lifted the lid to check while he was asleep, and asked me to put something on the lid of the coffin to confirm whether anyone had lifted the lid."
"So I casually placed three sesame seeds on the edge of the coffin lid. When I came back to wake the master up, I found that the positions of the three sesame seeds had not changed at all."
"That means the lid of the coffin was never opened during that time, right?"
When Conan and Hattori Heiji heard this description, their eyes became slightly alert.
The two of them turned around and left the kitchen with serious faces, and returned to Tokura Sakuya's bedroom on the second floor, which was the house where the coffin was kept.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Qin Zhibo trying to move the coffin.
"You guys are here too... What are you doing standing around here? Come here and help me~"
Hattori Heiji and Conan hesitated for a second before coming over to help Qin Zhibo push the coffin.
As the coffin moved slowly, the marble bricks directly underneath it were exposed.
There is a metal handle on a marble tile in the center.
"This is……"
Hattori Heiji subconsciously reached out to pull it, but Qin Zhibo took the lead and reached out his hand.
As the marble tiles were lifted up, a deep and narrow secret passage was revealed underneath.
As expected...
Qin Zhibo stared at the deep tunnel in front of him, not knowing where it led.
However, this also confirms that the first time Tokura Yukiya suddenly disappeared in the coffin, it should not be due to his ability to change his appearance, but simply using this secret passage.
"Where does this passage lead to?"
"have no idea……"
Hattori Heiji and Conan asked one question and answered the other. Together, they said nothing.
The two brothers looked at each other seriously and planned to get in to find out.
But at this moment, the sound of animals howling suddenly came from outside the window.
Qin Zhibo, Conan, and Hattori Heiji quickly ran to the window and looked at the forest in the distance.
Under the pale moonlight, the lifeless forest seemed to be disturbed by something, and a flock of birds flew out from the dark canopy.
Qin Zhibo's eyes were fixed on that direction, and his eyes gradually became solemn.
But Conan and Hattori Heiji just glanced at it, then quickly withdrew their gaze and continued to study the secret passage.
Hattori Heiji acted as the vanguard and got into the dark secret passage first.
Conan followed.
Because the space in the secret passage was very tight, Hattori Heiji had to climb down almost lying down close to the steps.
At this time, Conan's physical advantage is reflected.
This secret passage is not long, and it only took less than half a minute to climb out.
Hattori Heiji and Conan moved the wooden board and jumped out of the hole in the wall.
At the end of the secret passage is a pitch-black space, the kind of darkness that makes you unable to see even your fingers.
Conan was the second one to climb out of the hole. As soon as he landed, Hattori Heiji could no longer be seen.
"Hattori, where are you?"
"I'm right in front of you..."
In this dark environment, Hattori Heiji activated his passive skill - invisibility.
Conan turned on the lighting function of his watch, and a dark figure appeared directly in front of him.
The light shone around, and the room was filled with some ghastly torture instruments.
"Hey, Hattori, this is..."
"Well, it seems to be a place like a torture chamber."
Conan held a flashlight and Hattori Heiji walked over in front of the torture devices one by one.
Tiger stools, iron maidens, animal traps, pointed vertebrae, nail chairs, swords, guns, swords and halberds are all available, each of which is powerful enough to pry open the mouths of those who are not determined.
In the center of the room, there is a 2-meter-high guillotine, also known as the "Louis XVI Happy Stand".
"Wow, there is such a powerful thing in this place..."
Hattori Heiji put his hands in his pockets and looked up at this backward killing machine.
However, at that time, the guillotine was a very "advanced" execution machine because it executed prisoners cleanly, without leaving any pain, and the process was highly entertaining.
Just as the two of them were observing the various torture instruments in the room, there was a sudden knock on the door from behind.
The two men immediately turned serious and turned to look.
Before the two of them could decide whether to open the door, the door handle was turned open, and a figure stood at the door.
After taking a closer look, I realized it was Qin Zhibo.
"Uncle Qin, why did you come here?"
Qin Zhibo explained as he walked in: "I don't like drilling holes, so based on the descent angle of the secret passage, I guessed that the exit should be this room."
Drill holes...
Conan and Hattori Heiji drooped their eyelids, speaking as if they liked drilling holes.
Qin Zhibo didn't pay attention to the looks in their eyes and scanned everything in the room with his night vision goggles.
There are all torture tools, shackles, etc. here, and it looks like a cruel execution room.
However, there is no bloody smell here, and Torakura Sakuya has no intention of hiding this room, otherwise the door would not be locked.
"It seems that the owner here has some special collecting habits..." Qin Zhibo complained lightly.
"This is not what I collected."
As soon as Qin Zhibo finished speaking, an old voice came from the door.
Everyone looked back and saw Butler Koga standing in the corridor at the door.
He came a little closer and explained calmly: "The utensils displayed here are all used by my ancestors. It is said that each one has been stained with human blood..."
"So this place is also called the 'Nanman Room'."
Nanman room?
Is it the Nanman who invaded?
Qin Zhibo thought about it secretly, and then asked: "What did the ancestors of the Yincang family do? So they need so many utensils and weapons..."
Housekeeper Koga, with his old face filled with ravines, replied calmly, "The ancestors of the Torakura family were lords who ruled this land during the Edo period."
"According to legend, the lord had no children. Just when he was about to pass on the title of head of the family to his younger brother, the lord suddenly brought a beautiful woman and wanted to take her as his concubine."
"Not long after, this side chamber gave birth to Linzi, and finally got an heir."
"But one stormy night, the concubine unfortunately fell from the cliff. When he was discovered by his servants, even his body was pierced by the tree trunk."
"The Lord, who suspected that something was fishy, used the props he purchased from Nanman and tortured the men who were serving in the side room at the time. The truth finally came to light."
"It turns out that the lord's younger brother coveted the lord's position and deceived the concubine that the young master went to the forest and never came back."
"So, the angry lord decided to impale his brother and all the men who supported the plan like the concubine, and arranged the corpses in the forest."
"After that incident, the Lord became known as the 'Piercing Daimyo'..."
After hearing this story, Hattori Heiji's expression remained unmoved.
Isn't this the story of the Archduke Vlad III of Wallachia, the prototype of Count Dracula?
Conan, on the other hand, held his chin up and frowned, looking thoughtful.
Qin Zhibo thought of the conversation he had with Maid Xiaoguang while eating just now. Her story sounded very similar to this legend.
Maid Hikaru's mother was also a woman brought by Torakura Kakiya from outside, and she also died outside one night.
However, judging from other people's reactions and Maid Hikaru's own knowledge, she is not Tokura Sakuya's biological daughter.
"Mr. Butler, do you know anything about the car accident that happened to Tokura Sakuya's fiancée two years ago?"
Butler Koga frowned and sighed, "That car accident..."
"I only know that the master was not at home that day. He was busy in the hospital operating on the child brought by his fiancée."
"In the end, the operation was completed successfully and the child was fine."
"But after the fiancée received the news, I saw her leaving the house in a hurry, and she got into a car accident on the road..."
Qin Zhibo thought for a second and then asked: "Did you convey this news after you received it?"
"No." Butler Koga shook his head, "It was Miss Shimizu who received the call from the master that day, and it was she who conveyed it to the master's fiancée."
"But when I saw my fiancée's expression, it didn't look like her expression when she heard that the operation was successful..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhibo's eyes froze, and he suddenly had an epiphany.
If these situations are true, it seems that what is happening now is gradually consistent with the legend.
History is repeating itself.
The only thing missing is the victims among these brothers and sisters...
…
After coming out of Nanman's room, everyone found the Yancang brothers and sisters in the corridor again.
At this time, more than an hour had passed since dinner was over.
Several people from the Tokura family gathered together and were complaining about why Tokura Sakuya didn't come out to announce his will.
And Yancang Sannan also handed the developed photos to Qin Zhibo.
In the mirror in the center of the photo, Tokura Sakuya's head appears in the mirror, with two sharp and slender teeth exposed in his open mouth.