Paintings of Terror

“As for how we find the origin, I think we might need to trace back further than a hundred years. I don’t believe this event started only a hundred years ago. Based on what we learned about the predecessors of these art galleries, they were mostly privately run bookshops or painting shops. These people lived miles apart and were unlikely to be connected, so it’s quite improbable for them to have set up such a big scheme together.

“So, I believe that the last group of people were also forced into the paintings. The people who built those bookshops or painting shops were probably influenced by that mysterious force, which led them to choose those locations to build their shops. This indicates that the force and its ‘designated’ locations existed first, and the shops came afterward. elB6cV

“Therefore, we do have reason to suspect that this force might have existed even earlier? And, in an earlier time, there might have been a third group of people who also entered the paintings through some means?

“Only by tracing back to the origin can we find a way to solve this.”

Ke Xun listened carefully to Mu Yiran and said, “But the further back we go, the harder it will be to investigate. How far back do we need to go to get to the end? Besides, each time only thirteen people enter the painting, and such a small number of collective deaths rarely attract much attention or get recorded. We might not even know where to start even if we want to investigate.”

“This is indeed the most challenging problem to solve,” Mu Yiran said. “Let’s put it aside for now. What we need to do now is, first, check all the surveillance footage of the art galleries, and second, wait for Wu You’s updates. Perhaps we can find some clues from the patterns on the gu-xiang.” Q4WRst

Ke Xun nodded, and Mu Yiran posted his ideas to their WeChat group and asked Zhu Haowen to obtain surveillance footage from the other art galleries as well.

In the following days, everyone worked tirelessly, drowning in a vast amount of surveillance video data, painstakingly searching for those similar faces that might bring a glimmer of hope to everyone.

After two or three days like this, Wu You finally brought some slightly encouraging news—Granny had a junior “colleague” who could read gu-xiang.

Thus, everyone in the WeChat group gathered in City C again and waited at the Granny’s house for the master who could read gu-xiang. kBFDXt

Granny didn’t expect to find that there were so many people with such eerie and ominous gu-xiangs. She was a bit frightened and kept muttering under her breath, seemingly praying or perhaps… preemptively offering blessings for these unfortunate souls to find peace.

The gu-xiang master, who looked to be in his forties, actually had a somewhat enlightened and serene demeanor. However, when he saw the ten people standing in a row in front of him, he was also quite taken aback. He even staggered back three or four steps before steadying himself.

“This—” The gu-xiang master didn’t know what to say for a moment, his gaze, filled with doubt, darted back and forth over the group.

Mu Yiran spoke first, his deep voice calmly and clearly reaching the master’s ears: “You need not speak for now. Listen to what I have to say and then decide whether to speak. VmezEv

“We cannot explain to you anything related to the gu-xiang on us.

“We cannot be sure if helping us interpret the gu-xiang will implicate you.