"Sister Tan Lin? Sister Tan Lin? Hearing Xiyuan's call, coming from the previous terrifying nightmare, following her voice, Tan Lin's consciousness gradually condensed, but it was still muddy. In the surrounding desolate valleys, the dense forests on both sides of the stream can still hear the cooing of jahins from time to time, and the only halo of the setting sun makes the tender green color more transparent. "Are you okay? When, where is this? Xiyuan looked around, and before the thrilling emotions dissipated, he exclaimed: "Wow, the scenery here is really amazing." ”

Tan Lin came back to her senses, rubbed her sleepy eyes, squinted her eyes in the warm afterglow, and through the crimson halo in front of her, she stared at the rugged stone wall outside the peak was so magnificent and severe, hanging on the outside of the hushan leaf, the young leaves were blown by the breeze, leaning on the inside of the rock formation and nodding. She stood up straight, her rubber shoes soaking wet, and the muffled roar of passing trucks could be heard above the path.

"Oh, you can't miss it." Xiyuan said as she stretched out her left hand and pointed in one direction, the diamond ring on her middle finger glittering in the afterglow.

Although her mood was heavy and her suppressed emotions could not be dissipated, Tan Lin still followed her direction and looked at the vast forests that stretched down on both sides of the stream, which was the most extensive forest she had seen so far, quiet and luxuriant, so dense that people could only catch a large canopy. If you can experience the picture of the sea and the sky connected, you can also feel the shock it gives to the soul. "It's a primeval forest." Tan Lin was dazed but melancholy. "Hundreds of years of history must have never been harvested, and there are few of the most sincere images of nature left."

"yes." Xiyuan also felt the shocking scene, but then a sad face appeared. "But, they ......," she said, looking down at the sparkling stream, wrapped tightly in her thin green raincoat, with a pool of blood remaining under the sleeve, shivering in the wind despite the heat of June.

"Let's get out of here first." Tan Lin felt uncomfortable in her heart, the feeling of panic was the reason for staying here, she didn't want to stay longer for a moment, even if it looked beautiful, those swaying shadows were beckoning, always making people always on guard, and the eve of the storm was so peaceful. "The sheriff was right, we should go to the town first, and then find an inn, I really want to soak in the hot pool." She looked up at the sunset that had already set. "I don't want to fall into the darkness again, maybe Mu Yu is there."

Death had now become so subtle that it no longer seemed to matter, so that it did not grief the two women, and they walked towards the path up the mountain, where an ancient tree fell alongside the asphalt path, its thick trunk and large, rotting leaves, which seemed out of place with the surrounding plants. Tan Lin was suspicious and speculated about it, why did it appear here, why was it uprooted, the old tangerine peel and branches and leaves were rotten, and it exuded a disgusting and pungent smell? Who did it? At this time, the crow had been perched on a raised branch of a broken tree, not paying attention to where it came from, as if it had suddenly appeared, flapping its cloudy wings, raising its little head, rolling its eyeballs seemed to be attracted by Tan Lin's gaze, and then lowered its head to peck, using its sharp beak to pick out some kind of dark green fibrous object.

"He seems to be talking about half an hour, and it looks like there are more than twenty minutes left." Xiyuan looked at the endless stuffy road, and the folds of the wheels could still be seen before, but they disappeared as soon as he walked up the valley. She suspected she was going in the wrong direction, but she didn't hit a fork in the road either.

"Well, it should be."

Xiyuan was a little surprised, because Tan Lin was always absent-minded, which was completely different from her in the past, at least at first sight, she was full of affinity, but now her eyes always exude a sense of worry and suspicion, which makes people psychologically uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" Xiyuan asked subconsciously, leaning closer to her, trying to observe what her messy gaze was catching.

"No, it's okay, I'm fine." Tan Lin smiled very reluctantly, several times worse than her panicked look, she took a deep breath, looked at Xiyuan apologetically, and whispered: "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know why, I feel like I'm always guessing something in my head." ”

"Something? Will you be mentally stressed, after all, they are all killed, if the self-blame is not forgiven, the guilt will be infinitely magnified, which will directly affect the rest of your life and make your life more painful. ”

"What?" Tan Lin didn't expect this to come out of her mouth, but Xiyuan's serious appearance made her heartstrings tense. "No, I don't mean that." She argued, "I mean the sheriff? ”

"Sheriff?" Xiyuan smiled casually, shook his head and said playfully, "What does this have to do with him?" Could it be that he has shown us a path of no return? ”

Tan Lin took a deep breath: "That's not it, he doesn't look like a bad person." Do you think he's familiar? ”

"Familiar? What do you mean? ”

After hesitating for a moment, Tan Lin said: "I don't know, I don't know, it may be appearance, it may be some kind of temperament, maybe it is hairstyle?" The tone of speech? I can't remember it for a while, it's vague anyway. Can you remember? She looked at Xiyuan, who was in a daze on the side, and asked urgently, "Who do you think he looks like?" Do you feel something similar? Xiyuan? Xiyuan, who bowed his head and was silent, did not answer, and still followed beside him. Tan Lin was puzzled and reached out to pat her on the shoulder, but there was no reaction. "Xiyuan, you, what's wrong with you? Xiyuan? ”

"Shhhh Suddenly, Xiyuan raised his head and made a boo gesture towards her. Tan Lin realized that an old man who was walking slowly from a distance, with his body bent and wrinkled eyelids, had completely blocked his vision, I really didn't know why he could still walk like a fly, besides, he was very old, in a sense, a bad old man like this should stay for a few seconds every step he took. He was soon able to pass each other, Tan Lin involuntarily leaned out, keeping a distance from him.

"Hey." Unexpectedly, the old man stopped, said hello, squinted his eyes, couldn't see the eyeballs, and really looked like a deformed blind man, very mad.

Tan Lin had to stop and replied, "Hi, you, hello." I didn't know where to look, there was a scar under his neck, like a crack, from some kind of sharp blunt object, almost cutting off his entire head, and I wondered how he had survived.

"Oh, really, it's really you." The strange old man stretched out his old and decayed hand and rubbed the two meat balls (eyes) on his face, it was not clear if he really saw Tan Lin's face clearly, and exclaimed: "Oh, what a great writer, Miss Tan." He held Tan Lin tightly with his damp and soft hands, without the slightest intention of relaxing, and under his weird smile, the row of black porcelain teeth was revealed. Ever since you left town last time, they've been very attracted to your work and have a nostalgic affection for you, and I knew you would come back. "The breath coming out of his mouth is more disgusting than the rotten dead flesh, he must not have rinsed his mouth for more than half a year, Tan Lin avoided it, extremely embarrassed, and wanted to retreat, but was pulled by his wrist tightly. Miss Tan, what is your upcoming work? We're all looking forward to it. ”

"I ......" Tan Lin struggled, finally breaking free from his sticky hands, as if he had just been pulled out of the soaked flesh, and was very disgusted and repulsed by it. She looked at Xiyuan, extremely puzzled by the strange old man's words, and then thought of something. Tan Su? Could it be that he is talking about Tan Su, and he treats me as my sister? That's right, it must be like this! Since childhood, outsiders have said that our two sisters look alike. (I'm sorry, I'm not Tan Su, the person you're talking about is my sister, but she's dead.) was going to tell him the truth, but Tan Lin said: "Yes, I'm still creating." ”

"That's right, it's not unreasonable, it's counterproductive to be impatient and lack creativity." The strange old man nodded, and the two balls of flesh in his eyes squirmed up and down. "I'm not trying to show off, but I'm the host of the night show on the local radio station, can I do an interview if I have the chance? You, a best-selling writer, don't come to us often, and you were in a hurry at the beginning, but now it's really fate. The strange old man squeezed out a triumphant smile.

"I'm ...... this," Tan Lin glanced at Xiyuan next to him. We're here for another important matter, I'm afraid ......."

"I totally understand." The strange old man is unrelenting, his stubbornness remains the same, like water flowing downward, unchangeable. "It's going to delay you for an hour at most, maybe less, you know, and it's also good for your popularity, and the more people who buy books, the more popular you get."

Hmph, Tan Su is no longer alive, even if she is hot, what can she do, can she come back to life? Tan Lin replied coldly: "Forget it, thank you for your kindness, we have to rush to the town to find a hotel, it's not too early, next time, let's talk about it next time we have the opportunity to meet." ”

The sinister smile and gloom on the face of the strange old man are difficult to distinguish, he turned around and left directly, he must be angry, but this is not enough, he has an irritable personality, which is definitely not what the host should have. Tan Lin speculated, shook her head helplessly, and left here with Xiyuan.

"Hmph, although there are many hotels, don't find the Yin Mansion." Tan Lin was surprised for a while, this strange old man's words made her very uncomfortable, even if she refused his invitation, she wouldn't speak ill of her. She turned her head angrily, but in the barren path where the afterglow dissipated, the figure of the strange old man was gone, as if it had never been there.

In this last road, neither of them said much, Tan Lin was suspicious, staring at the house sitting in the distance. Hasn't this kennel town been buried in the sands of time? Anyone else exists? But maybe the people here are too weird.