The trail up the mountain winds and winds, seemingly endlessly in the darkness of the night. The darkness of the night in the mountains is really black, as if the ink has stained it. Fortunately, the trail is gentle, with no gravel or obstacles, and no steep climbs. It's a trail, but it's also a width of two or three people that can walk side by side. Shen Mingde used the flashlight function on his mobile phone to illuminate the distance of a few meters under his feet. Even if they wanted to use a flashlight to observe the distance, the brightness couldn't penetrate the darkness of the night. The sound of insects chirping came from all directions, and the screaming was disturbing. Shen Mingde dug into his ears with his little fingers from time to time, as if his eardrums were about to be punctured by the chirping of this group of insects. All kinds of nameless flying insects flutter and wander in the circle of light of the flashlight. Just now, a few flying insects quickly passed by Xiao Jing's hand and almost hit her hand with a flashlight. She then turned off the flashlight and firmly refused to turn it back on. She tightly grasped Shen Mingde's left arm, which was not holding a flashlight. If it weren't for a long-sleeved shirt, Xiao Jing's nails seemed to be embedded in Shen Mingde's flesh.

The rustling of leaves alerted the two of them. Anyone could tell it wasn't the sound of a breeze blowing through the leaves. Although I kept telling myself in my heart that it was just some kind of small animal in the mountains. But the two noticeably quickened their pace again. Xiao Jing couldn't keep up with Shen Mingde's big stride. She grabbed Shen Mingde's left arm tightly with her right hand, and from time to time used her idle hand to remove the tiny branches that sometimes stood in front of her to drive away the mosquitoes wandering around her. She was also nervous, constantly stroking her arms, neck, and back, and she always felt that there were little bugs that were going to take her whole body. Xiao Jing stood on tiptoe, took small steps, and followed Shen Mingde forward quickly. Regret, complaint, and anger continue to breed along the way.

Suddenly, at a bend, a touch that was so cold that it made people numb all over her body swept over Xiao Jing's bare shoulder. She could no longer restrain her emotions and let out a short exclamation. Shen Mingde immediately stopped and turned around. I saw Xiao Jing standing about a meter away from him, covering his mouth with his left hand and protecting his left shoulder with his right hand. Attracting Shen Mingde's attention, Xiao Jing relaxed slightly, dragged her frightened stiff body and immediately ran to Shen Mingde's side. and told Shen Mingde that there was a cold thing that slid over his shoulder just now. The beam of the flashlight shone on the place where Xiao Jing had just done, and I saw a small branch sticking out of the forest, and there was a "heart"-shaped leaf hanging on it swaying in the breeze. Maybe this is the "monster" that slid over Xiao Jing's shoulder just now. Shen Mingde couldn't help but squeeze out a smile.

Xiao Jing was still shocked. She covered her shoulders with her arms and muttered, "Could it be a snake?" He followed the glimmer of the flashlight to check the movement around him. The trees on both sides of the road were very dense, and the narrow gaps between the trunks and branches seemed to be filled with black velvet. However, in the darkness of black velvet, an oval silhouette gradually emerged. Under Xiao Jing's pull, Shen Mingde also looked at the woods on his right. By the light of the flashlight, they saw that in the woods on the right, the looming oval silhouette had disappeared behind a large tree. The two of them felt a flutter in their hearts. Without any discussion, they all walked down the trail in the direction of the lower mountain. They hadn't taken a few steps before Xiao Jing saw the oval object protruding from the woods on the right, blocking the distance of the flashlight beam in front of them. The thing seemed to be struggling to break free from the branches of the forest. Xiao Jing saw the silhouette of a human figure in a black horse coat, but under the light of the flashlight, she saw that the thing's face was red. This thing is not good, and a sickle that reflects cold light is in the right hand.

Shen Ming picked up Xiao Jing and turned around and ran down the path towards the mountain. The bare-faced fellow lifted his scythe and chased after him. Shen Mingde has never had much confidence in his sports cells, not to mention that Xiao Jing is still by his side. But the bare-faced thing did not rush to catch up with them, but always followed them at a distance behind them. When Xiao Jing turned her head again to check the distance between them, the guy suddenly disappeared from her field of vision. Just as the two of them were about to stop at the bend in the trail to rest, the red-faced ghost once stepped out of the woods in front of them. The guy was still bare-faced, armed with a scythe, and seemed to have an extra lantern in his left hand. In the dim light, it seemed that the guy was a life-seeking demon from the underworld. The thing stood motionless at the edge of the woods in front of them, as if waiting for them to come forward on their own.

Shen Mingde suddenly burst into flames. Just as he was about to come to the thing, he let go of the hand holding Xiao Jing and flew up in the air with the impact of running. This series of actions takes place in the blink of an eye. The bare-faced guy didn't seem to react at all, and took the blow with a lot of force. The thing shook, and fell into the woods behind it, struggling among the tiny branches and vines. Shen Mingde followed Xiao Jing and continued to run towards the top of the hillside.

They hadn't gone far before they were blocked by a tall white wall at the end of the uphill slope. Shen Mingde immediately turned off the flashlight and pulled Xiao Jing to take refuge in the gap between the white wall and the woods. They saw a faint light flickering below the hillside for a moment, and then drifted slowly in the direction of the downhill.

Xiao Jing said with palpitations: "This place is really haunted. ”

Shen Mingde sneered and said, "Yes, there are quite a few people who pretend to be ghosts. And it's not like it. ”

Xiao Jing asked, "I just don't understand, how did the person chasing us run in front of us?" ”

Shen Mingde replied: "Those are two people." I don't know if the 'ghost' wears shoes or not. But the shoes they wore were different. We were chased by a pair of sneakers. The person I kicked away was wearing a pair of cloth shoes. And these two don't want to hurt us, they just want to scare the people who go up the hill away. If they had murderous intent, we were so close to the woods on the side of the road just now, and the two of them could have slashed out from the woods. If you do that, you will probably not die, but you will also be disabled. ”

Although Xiao Jing also felt that it was indeed two people after calming down. After hearing Shen Mingde's words, he was even more relaxed. She said with a joke: "You are really observing." ”

Shen Mingde didn't seem to hear Xiao Jing's joke, but said to himself: "From the mask they wrew, I feel that something is wrong." Judging from tonight's celebration and Chu Yao's story, they should all be wearing 'puppet' masks. It seems that the villagers believe that only the 'Wu Xi' mask has the effect of warding off evil spirits. If it is really haunted, then the 'ghosts' that appear in Elm Gully should also wear the mask of 'puppet'. However, the two guys just now were wearing 'Peking Opera' masks. Isn't it ridiculous? ”

The two of them hid in front for a long time, and when they saw that no one was chasing them, they got up and touched the white wall and walked towards the gate. Shen Mingde believes that arranging for someone to guard the mountain path leading to the drama school is enough to show that they have found the right place. And inside the white wall at hand, it should be the drama school. But they must move quickly, those two people did not chase after them, I don't know if they went down the mountain to call someone.

But Xiao Jing felt strange that if these two people needed to call someone to support, why didn't they use their mobile phones to make a call? Even if they are farmers, in this day and age, almost everyone has a mobile phone. What's more, Yushugou Village is not a poor mountainous area.

Since they felt that time was limited, the two did not discuss much. Together, they pushed open half of the wide door, a shadow wall of gray-white masonry blocking their view. Bypassing the shadow wall, the two of them walked onto a verandah that led to the left and right. Shen Mingde really doubted whether this drama school was built according to the style of a courtyard house in the capital. Although he couldn't see the whole picture clearly in the darkness, a map of the building had been formed in Shen Mingde's mind. If this building is in a classic Chinese style, then the open space in front of them should be a courtyard surrounded by verandahs on all sides, and through this courtyard, directly opposite them, there should be a main house.

The two of them randomly chose the verandah on the right side and walked down, neither of them involuntarily not having the courage to go into the dark courtyard. Because such a secluded courtyard shrouded in night, it brought them a sense of empty fear. It feels like once you enter the courtyard, you can't get out again. However, their choices are not as good as they would like. Just at the end of the verandah on the right, the road was blocked by collapsed columns, falling tiles, and all sorts of debris. The two had to change their minds about detouring to the main room on the right side, turning around and walking towards the verandah on the left.

The building is said to be similar to a courtyard house, but it is not so complicated. At the end of the verandah on the left, turn a corner and you will find the verandah. On one side of the courtyard is the "corridor", and on the other side of the "corridor" is a row of "wings". The old-looking but sturdy wooden doors are hidden, without much decoration and without too much color. The narrow door with dark brown wood grain and the small window with vertical iron railings next to it remind Shen Mingde of the "prison" of ancient times. The two of them looked inside through the small window of the "prison", only to see that it was about a space of more than ten meters square. A rectangular clay kang was pressed tightly to the wall opposite the door and window, and rows of A4-sized papers were densely nailed to the wall, with children's stick figures on the paper.

Shen Mingde showed curiosity about those stick figures, and walked to the wooden door. With the help of a flashlight, he found the knocker handle of the wooden door, but he didn't pull it open at once. Instead, he carefully tugged at the doorknob with one finger. It's like teasing some dangerous critter. Each of his "teasings" will open a little gap, and at the same time, it will also make the characteristic "squeak" sound of the old wooden door. This "squeak" sound seems to be amplified several times by the empty courtyard, echoing in the silence of the night. Hearing this, Xiao Jing's heart was very furious.

Speaking of "silence", Xiao Jing began to become neurotic again. She hid behind Shen Mingde and watched him fiddle with the knocker while pricking up her ears to carefully collect nearby sounds. She heard nothing but the "creaking" sound of the wooden door. Just as she was about to relax her tense mood, it suddenly occurred to her that the harsh insect chirping they had heard on the way up the mountain just now had disappeared. Xiao Jing became nervous again, and this "dead silence" seemed to take her back to the woods full of "gnats cages" that she had been to in the past few days. There were no birds, no insects, no animals, only the horrible villagers and the "dead silence". She seemed to feel a little cold, and tightened her shoulders, wrapped her arms around her chest, and rubbed her arms with both hands. She stared at a pair of large, somewhat hysterical eyes, alertly observing the darkness to the left and right.

Shen Mingde put his index finger on the door knocker and pulled the wooden door open with a bang. Immediately, the wooden door made a lengthy "squeak, squeak, ......" noise. When the wooden door opened large enough, Shen Mingde immediately pressed the door with one hand, and swept around the room with a flashlight beam. Then he interrupted Xiao Jing's ramblings and gently pulled her into the room. The furnishings in the house are very basic. Perhaps the word "simple" cannot describe the emptiness in this 10-square-meter room. In fact, there is only one earthen kang in this house, which is covered with a layer of straw mats, and there is no other furnishings. The floor is made of red bricks. This layout made Shen Mingde even more convinced that this room was a cage.

The two of them couldn't wait to jump onto the kang and use their flashlights to look at the stick figures nailed to the wall. These stick figures look childish and ridiculous. The rough lines and simple composition led the two of them to conclude that the drawings must have been made by children. Drawings are mostly drawn with colored pencils and crayons, but there is not a single bright color in the drawings. The drawings are dominated by oppressive colors such as black, red, and dark brown. Even if you look through all the pictures on the wall, you won't see a trace of colors like golden yellow, emerald green, or pink. Perhaps because these drawings were drawn by children, the meaning of the pictures is very obscure. There are no images of cute animals that children often doodle in the drawings, but a bunch of abstract "symbol" images. For example, one picture depicts a huge eye with a snake-like vertical pupil in the outline of the eye. Outside the outline of the eyes, the upper and lower are made up of six large trees. On the other sheet of paper, it was a messy pitch-black mass smeared with crayons, and in the center of the black mass was a folio with a knocker. There were other drawings, and the two of them had seen them one by one. The most depicted in the picture should be masks, some grinning, some glaring angrily, and some painful and sad. Although all the pictures have different styles, different colors, or different compositions, in the eyes of Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing, they all represent the same meaning - horror.

In the lower right corner of each drawing, in the margin, the name of the person who appears to be the artist is written crookedly. The same name appears multiple times in the lower right corner of several pictures. Shen Mingde counted a total of six names that appeared on these pictures. Three of these names have the surname "Wang" and the remaining three have the surname "Zhao". The two of them seemed to understand something, and immediately rushed to the next room.

The next room is exactly the same layout as the first one, with drawings nailed to the wall opposite the doors and windows. The drawings differ from the first room, with some of them featuring a twisted monster. However, the theme of the reaction is exactly the same, all "horror". There are also six names of the painters. Except for a few two surnames "Wang and Zhao", they are all different surnames such as "Jiang", "Zhou", "Zhang", etc.

Xiao Jing said quietly: "Twelve children correspond to twelve sacrificers. But why are there so many children with the surnames Wang and Zhao? Do they all use their own children as 'sacrifices'? ”

Shen Mingde took over the conversation and said, "It's hard to say. But what is certain is that the twelve children were held in these two rooms. These paintings are the world through the eyes of these children. But why nail it to the wall? ”

"It's encouragement," Xiao Jing replied, "I think it's like the 'encouragement' of the kindergarten teacher to hang the children's excellent paintings on the wall for everyone to see." ”

Shen Mingde asked, "But why?" ”

Xiao Jing shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she couldn't understand it either. So Shen Mingde took pictures of these terrifying pictures into his mobile phone. Then the two turned to the front room.

There are no drawings on the walls in this third room. Almost identical to the layout of the first two rooms, but the only difference is that there is a wooden table placed under the small window. The wooden table was covered with a thick layer of dust. Shen Mingde was surprised to find that this small wooden table also had two drawers. He leaned over and slowly opened one of the drawers as if expecting some treasure to be found inside. However, he was disappointed by the fact that only a layer of dust was found inside. As if deflated, he pulled into another drawer. It was really "unintentionally inserted into the willows and willows", and he suddenly saw a folded A4 paper lying at the bottom of the drawer. He impatiently unfolded the piece of paper, only to see the words "Gao Shan Xing" written in the lower right corner. Shen Mingde held the picture of Gao Shan Apricot as if he had obtained a treasure, as if it was Yan Zhenqing's ink treasure in his hand, or Wu Daozi's masterpiece.

The composition of this drawing is simple, but it is very obvious. It depicts another pyramid-shaped mountain with a puddle of water at the bottom. There were six people gathered around the water. Six people have distinct characteristics. The figure standing in the middle was dressed in a robe and a hat like a minaret. Shen Mingde recognized at a glance that this was the image of the "priest" at the celebration. To the left and right of the priest were two old men, with long beards and crutches. One of them wore a hat resembling a "top hat", and the other was bald. Behind the two old men, a man and a woman stood respectively. The man was stocky, bald, and stocky. The woman wears a long skirt with a bun on her head and a hairpin on top. Behind the woman was a man in the prime of life. The man had broad shoulders and a broad back, and had a parted hairstyle.

From the analysis of the pictures, Xiao Jing believes that Gao Shan Xing depicts a scene of "sacrifice". Although Shen Mingde agreed that it was a "sacrifice", he felt that Gao Shanxing used this picture to record the five Wang family members and the Zhao family who had taken her as a "sacrifice" in the past five years. Takayama apricots were sacrificed as a "sacrifice" from the age of eight to the age of twelve, and were sacrificed a total of five times. Every year, a Wang family or Zhao family member obtains "immortality". Did she draw the images of these people every time she was "sacrificed"? Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing discussed in a low voice and left the room.

Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing did not rush into the main room, but went around the opposite side room along the verandah to check. But the road was also blocked by collapsed broken bricks and rubble. Driven by curiosity, the two plucked up the courage to enter the courtyard. They were going to check the collapsed verandah on this side from their position in the courtyard. As expected, there was a fire on this side. From the courtyard, you can see blackened tiles and charred wooden railings. It is estimated that the fire was mainly concentrated in the wing room on this side. The ferocious fire presumably burned off the main beams supporting the verandah, and then caused the collapse.

Suddenly, Xiao Jing stood up from a crouching position and quickly ran to Shen Mingde's side. She said she saw something moving inside the ruins. Under Xiao Jing's instructions, Shen Mingde also slowly squatted down and looked inside. The verandah seemed to have broken into several sections when it collapsed, and the section they were on was supported by the previous fracture to form a slope. Just below the slope, a hole is revealed that can accommodate an adult to climb out. Shen Mingde looked at the sharp objects and rubble on the edge of the cave entrance, and felt that he really didn't have the courage to climb into this hole. She crouched down at the entrance of the cave and checked the inside with a flashlight. From the entrance of the cave, it can be seen that half of the wall of the inner wing has collapsed, and the other half is still "lingering". Shen Mingde used the flashlight to look at the side within his visual range, but he didn't find anything. got up and urged Xiao Jing to hurry up and go to the main room with him to check. Although Xiao Jing looked a little apprehensive, she didn't insist, because she wasn't sure if she had seen something.

The main house is a two-storey building and looks very imposing. The underside is raised high by a stone pedestal, and the front of the pedestal is a dozen steps. Walking up the stairs, you will see six large vermilion doors. This architectural style reminds both of them of the official yamen of the ancient dynasties. Pushing open half of the door, they were in an empty main hall. Then they saw that the main hall was a rectangular space with marble tiles on the floor. To the left of the main hall is a staircase leading upstairs, with a narrow arch leading to the back of the main hall. It is true to say that the main hall is "empty", and all the furniture and decorations have been removed, leaving only this empty house. With a feeling of disappointment, the two went up to the second floor again. The sound of "creaking, creaking" when stepping on the wooden staircase and floor is terrifying, and it feels like visiting a haunted house at night. The second floor seems to have been used as a bedroom in the past, and they deduce from the traces of beds on the floor in several rooms. But every room was empty, and there was not even a ghost in sight.

A small room at the back of the main hall leads to the backyard and looks like it once looked like a kitchen. In the backyard, there are six rows of wooden shelves, on which are displayed clay pots and other things, presumably some household utensils. This kitchen was the last room they decided to take a look at. An empty house of up to 12 square meters can be seen at a glance. But Shen Mingde seemed to be attracted by a wooden cabinet placed in the corner of the wall at this time. Xiao Jing also wondered, why all the things in the house were emptied, but this wooden cabinet was not removed? She leaned forward to take a look. There is nothing special about this cabinet, it is boxy, with two doors on it, the style is plain, and the wood is not worth much. The only thing that puzzled her was that the cabinet was firmly embedded in the ground with four thick screws in the four corners underneath.

Xiao Jing believes that it is because this cabinet is extremely ordinary and worthless, so it has no value to take away at all. However, Shen Mingde shook his head. He also walked to the cabinet door, and saw a knocker-shaped metal handle on each of the two doors. The base of the knocker is shaped like a round cake and blooming flowers, and the handle on the right side seems to be able to be turned. Shen Mingde turned the right door knocker and opened the cabinet, and as expected, it was empty. He closed the door again, and looked at it in a daze. He had a sense of déjà vu about the cabinet, but he couldn't remember it. Xiao Jing nudged him lightly, motioning for Shen Mingde and them to get out of here quickly.

As soon as they walked down the door of the room, Xiao Jing said, "Shall we take those children's paintings out?" ”

Shen Mingde immediately turned around sharply and turned back to the front of the cabinet. Xiao Jing asked him what was going on?

Shen Mingde rummaged through his pockets and said, "There is a painting, a painting where darkness covers the door, it is not the door, it may be the cabinet door." I'm going to see what's behind this cabinet. ”

Shen Mingde took out a folding multi-purpose saber from his trouser pocket, opened a gadget similar to a screwdriver, and then he got busy. This gadget is flexible and easy to use, and it only took long for Shen Mingde to remove three screws. The screws on the corner of the wall were indeed a little difficult, but they were successfully removed with Xiao Jing's help. So, the two of them worked together to move the cabinet aside. Surprise arose, they saw a wooden door appear on the floor that was obscured by the cabinet. At the edge of this wooden door, a small brass keyhole is revealed. They pulled the door twice, but it didn't move. Shen Mingde stepped on it twice, and then rushed into the backyard. It didn't take long for Shen Mingde to return to the house, still holding a long-handled iron pickaxe in both hands. He pulled Xiao Jing behind him, then picked up the iron pickaxe and smashed it against the wooden door on the ground. The wooden door was really fragile, and it broke with a pickaxe. After two or three picks, the wooden door ceased to exist.

With a hint of excitement, Shen Mingde cautiously walked down the stairs of the wooden door, and explained: "If adults encourage children to draw those scary things, then children will draw the things they find the most terrifying. So draw this picture, the child must know that there is something terrible hidden in this secret room. The entrance to this secret room is hidden by a cabinet, and I think it's a very important place. The entrance to the chamber was so narrow, and there was a wooden door so thin, and the contents inside must not be living creatures. Maybe we can find something useful in it. ”

Shen Mingde walked in the front, with an indescribable joy and excitement in his heart. He walked in narrow passages, some places that could only be passed sideways. On his right hand side is a stone wall, and on his left hand side is a wooden wall reinforced by long wooden strips. Peeked through the cracks in the sticks, but couldn't see anything. So he could only squeeze between the two walls and continue to explore. This feeling reminded him of a tomb robber digging up a tomb. Although Shen Mingde has never done this kind of business, let alone went to the tomb. However, in recent years, the bridge section of "robbing tombs and touching gold" has been interpreted into the most vulgar theme by various films, television, novels and other works. Many people love literature on this genre, perhaps not because of greed, but because of their desire to explore the unknown.