The sixth picture is of an upside-down hangman who resembles a tarot card. With one foot hanging and his hands tied behind his back, he hung from the battlements of a castle with a small closed door beside it. From the archery hole of the castle stretched out an armoured hand with a flaming sword in his hand.

The seventh picture shows a king and a beggar playing chess pieces on a chessboard. The moon could be seen outside the window, two dogs were fighting under the window, and a closed door was next to it.

The eighth picture shows a kneeling young girl about to be beheaded outside the city walls, and the executioner is a warrior in armor with a sword in his hand. In the distance there was a wheel with three figures on it, one on it, one climbing up, one descending.

The ninth picture shows a ** riding on a dragon with seven heads. A book is open in her hand, and a crescent moon covers her pussy. On a hillside in the distance, a castle burns in flames, and its doors are closed, just like the other eight.

Ji Ran put down the book in his hand, stretched his waist, and yawned.

The whole room was in darkness, except for the dim glow in the candlestick.

He walked slowly to the window, and the moonlight was faintly shining.

Ji Ran searched for something inexplicably, and he didn't know what he was looking for.

He always felt that a pair of eyes were watching him secretly.

He sat back on his bed, his eyes fixed on the pages of illustrations.

The smoke of the candles curled up like a translucent gray curtain.

Ji Ran went back to study his "Devil's Bible".

Everything was a little strange, he said to himself, his eyes resting on the book, mechanically opening it, and looking at the various illustrations again.

More memories came flooding back.

Ji Ran immediately grabbed the familiar image that flashed in his mind.

This time, he finally caught it before it disappeared, and it was the same person with a scar on his face in front of Liu Yifei's house.

Ji Ran thought about it, and suddenly felt puzzled again.

It was late at night.

He wasn't going to think about it anymore.

But the good thing is that he has a plan for tomorrow.

Wooden signboards hang on dusty doorrails.

Written Shang Ru Book Society.

The signboard is square in shape, weathered and cracked by the wind and rain.

The bookstore is not very big, but the door is facing the street.

But the hour had not yet come, and the door was still tightly shut.

Ji Ran knocked on the door twice but did not respond.

What could he do, just leaning against the wall and waiting.

After a quarter of an hour, the door slowly opened, and he saw two men walking side by side, both dressed in dark blue robes, half-new, but straight and spirited.

After a closer look, the sunken cheeks and pale and bloodless skin looked as old as 60 years old.

They look very similar in appearance: the same big nose and obedient ears.

It seems to be two brothers.

The only difference between the two is in height and the amount of words.

The man who looked like his brother was taller and quieter than his older brother, who was a hopeless old smoker, who was always coughing, with a hoarse nasal voice, and his hands trembling, smoking cigarette after cigarette.

"Childe is good, but you want to buy books?"

The two men were neither obscene nor arrogant.

Ji Ran smiled and took out the Devil's Bible from his arms and put it on the table.

"I'd like to ask you about this book. ”

It was the first time he had come to ask them for advice.

The two of them slowly leaned over and looked at it for a long time, and the elder brother spoke first:

"The Devil's Bible?" he said, stroking the book, his wizened and sallow fingers caressing a living animal, "I didn't expect to see it again in my lifetime." ”

He has mouse-like gray pupils. Although he dresses like a scholar, he doesn't look like him at all. He crooked his mouth greedily.

"Have you two seen this book before?"

"Yes. Less than five years ago, Wu Zizhi once took a book to ask for advice. ”

"Asking for advice?"

"Yes, he seems to be interested in exotic myths and legends, especially the so-called god Nus, and he asked us to check the authenticity of this book!"

"This book is Wu Zizhi," Ji Ran whispered, "at least two people have died for this book." ”

The two brothers looked at each other.

"Dead again?" muttered his brother in displeasure, "Dead again?"

"Dead again, it looks like the curse has started again. The younger brother repeated like an echo.

So whether the book is real or not, or is it a replica. Ji Ran looked at the two of them, but he still couldn't help but interrupt.

"Replica?" the brother was visibly surprised.

"Ji Gongzi, why would you say that?" the younger brother continued, "If this is a fake, no one will die!"

Ji Ran raised his hand and begged for mercy.

"I'm not saying that the whole book is fake, I mean maybe some of the pages are fake. Some of the missing pages of an ancient book can be reproduced from other originals......"

Of course, this is a basic skill that all connoisseurs know. But there is a big difference between copying those missing pages and actually forging those missing pages. That's what it ...... to follow," he continued to stare at Ji Ran, half-turned to his younger brother and said, "You tell him, brother." ”

"There are rules for copying a book, and not everyone can do it. The younger brother added a commentary.

Ji Ran showed a deferential look, he was very interested in this speech.

"Why? How the hell are you two sure it's a rare book. ”

"Because my father was involved in the reproduction of this book!"

"And we know a lot of things that outsiders don't know. ”

The elder brother shrugged his narrow shoulders and didn't know where to get a cigarette pouch. As he took his first puff of cigarette, he coughed dryly. But he continued to smoke quietly.

"But you'll have to get other books!"

"I'll figure it out. Ji Ran smiled and paused before continuing: "But do you remember when Wu Zizhi took the book to appraise?"

The elder brother looked at his brother, then at the book, and then shook his head.

"When it was handed over to us, it didn't stand out in any particular way. Wu Zizhi is very interesting and open-minded, and he has a bit of a free and easy temperament between his words. ”

"Yes, freely. The younger brother said emphatically.

"But he killed himself!"

"Suicide?"

The elder brother took a deep breath of the cigarette in his hand, and then knocked the cigarette pouch and pot on the ground twice.

Only then did Ji Ran realize that there was a lot of such soot on the ground.