The strange story of Huai'an Inn

Guided into the sea...

ocean……

Chong Liu had indeed seen the sea in his memory, but it was only in a cave by the sea, and he had never boarded a ship.But there is always a deep sea in his mind.

In dreams and hallucinations, it has appeared again and again... the huge ruins on the bottom of the sea, the empty and long roar from the abyss...

He tried to recall the dark deep sea, trying to convey these images.The surrounding rainbows were stirring like boiling sea water.

They refuse to go.

There's food, there's food everywhere.They can keep multiplying, becoming more and more colorful, more and more extensive, and finally devour everything...

Chong Liu became anxious, and even started to stretch out his countless hands...

Countless hands?

When did he have so many hands?

"Liu'er, don't worry." Zhu Helan's voice sounded in his mind, "Wait for me."

Wait?What are you waiting for?

At this moment, with his eyes clearly closed, he saw a piece of red tentacles fluttering like silk ribbons, extending in all directions around him.Those tentacles are light and elegant, and at the end they radiate a wider silk net, like huge petals, blooming in all mysterious colors.

Chong Liu's breath was slightly suffocated, he couldn't understand this scene, but it was too gorgeous.

He lowered his head and saw the same light red silk ribbon wrapped around his body, like vines wrapping him round and round.

But... his body is not his body...

What he saw... were countless cyan-blue tentacles, winding on the ground like the hem of a jellyfish's skirt.The secret stream of light rippling in the depths of his translucent body, entangled with those red silk ribbons...

Chong Liu looked at it in shock, his mind went blank, and he was completely captured by this wonderful and beyond common sense scene.

This is... himself?

What is that red one?Is the shopkeeper?

"Liu'er, I will open up the connection between us, and you can pass on all your perceptions to me."

"all?"

"all."

It is a horrible thing to convey all your thoughts to another person, because it means tearing away all your secrets and disguises, and revealing your dirtiest and ugly side.

That means absolute trust.

Chong Liu's thoughts fluctuated, and finally conveyed a definite signal.

In an instant, the feeling of being invaded appeared again. He felt that his head was unfolded, and every hook and loop of his brain was smoothed out.At the same time, another unusually strong emotion swept over him suddenly.

Steady, gentle, without waves in an ancient well but eternally lonely, just like the sea water that has always been in his dreams.But under the calm, there are turbulent waves and turbulent undercurrents.

He saw memories, countless memories mixed together and entangled into a net.

He saw the shadow of the locust tree, and the shadows of countless people he didn't know. He saw Tianliang City, and he also saw the scorching land covered by huge ancient trees thousands of years ago.

In a short period of time, he seemed to be able to see the shopkeeper's complete life.But soon, his consciousness was extended again by the shopkeeper.He remembered his mission, so he pulled the dark sea over there from the abyss of his memory and conveyed it to Zhu Helan.

Immediately afterwards, a strange scene happened.Some silky mucus suddenly shot out from those red silk ribbons, and scattered in all directions.

In the next moment, all the colors began to boil, bursting out with unprecedented crazy light.At the same time, Chong Liu felt himself being dragged downward by a powerful force. He opened his eyes with a yell, but immediately heard a rumbling sound of collapse.

There was a loud noise like landslides and ground cracks, and a dazzling light that temporarily blinded the pupils.Chong Liu felt that he was being hugged and protected tightly, and the familiar smell of the shopkeeper wrapped him like an indestructible barrier.

Finally, when the dust settled, Chong Liu tentatively opened his eyes.He looked over the shopkeeper's shoulder and looked around.

dark.

total darkness.

There is no brilliance, nor any fog.It is the darkness of the night, and the eyes full of scars.

Yuanchu fell to the ground in the previous shock, and now he is also looking at everything around him in a daze.With the three of them at the center, the earth sank into a deep pit.All the houses, houses, flowers and trees in Tailong Town, and even the people who had been swallowed by the rainbow, collapsed into ashes.For a few miles around, everything was annihilated.

The rainbow is gone too.

Chong Liu raised his head, only to see the shopkeeper looking down at him, with a twinkle in his eyes, "You did a good job."

"What happened?" Chong Liu looked around blankly, not noticing that the shopkeeper's hand was still around his waist, "Where is Hong?"

"Leave." Zhu Helan looked at the eastern sky, "At least I won't be back for the time being, but... why the filth that came in can't get out, this matter needs to be investigated."

At this time, Yuanchu coughed because he was choked by the dust, Chongliu finally realized the ambiguous distance between him and the shopkeeper, and hurriedly stood up straight.Recalling the various intimate perceptions in that strange state of spiritual connection before, it was like a dream separated by a layer.

He remembered that for a moment, he saw the life of the shopkeeper, and knew all the past and all the secrets of the shopkeeper.But now... it was like waking up suddenly after a dream, forgetting everything in an instant.

But... a feeling remains in consciousness...

A dark, bottomless darkness, untouchable darkness.

They are firmly locked in the deepest place of consciousness by the shopkeeper.

Chong Liu suddenly understood, it should be... the memory behind the door...

Zhu Helan suddenly raised his hand, wiped the stain on Chong Liu's cheek, and asked in a low voice, "Are you all right?"

Chong Liu shook his head dully.

Zhu Helan looked at Yuanchu who still couldn't recover, "Hey, little alchemist, are you okay?"

Yuanchu turned his head suddenly, and Chongliu caught fear in his eyes for a moment.

He is afraid of the shopkeeper.

No... Maybe it's not just because I'm afraid of the shopkeeper...

"You... what are you?" Yuanchu took a step back and stared at them warily.

Chong Liu frowned, "Yuanchu, what's wrong with you?"

Yuanchu stared at him and shook his head, seemingly unable to understand.Chong Liu walked over and reached out to pat him on the shoulder, but was dodged by a jerk from Yuan Chu.

Saturday clicked his tongue, "What the hell happened to you! What did you see! Isn't Hong already gone?"

Yuanchu looked at him, and after a while, he took out a few charms from his pocket and handed them to Chong Liu, "These are the charms my master gave me. Maybe it will be safer for you to keep them..."

"Are you going?"

Yuanchu nodded, and glanced at Zhu Helan nervously, as if afraid of being blocked.Seeing that Zhu Helan hadn't moved, he was slightly relieved.

"I...I'm going to investigate some things. Let's see you again!" After Yuanchu finished speaking, he walked quickly to the other end of the pit.

Heavy six is ​​a bit inexplicable.He and the shopkeeper expelled Hong, why did this kid see a ghost instead?

"Liu'er, let's go too." Zhu Helan called out behind him.

"Back to the inn?"

Zhu Helan shook his head, turned around and walked in the opposite direction from Yuanchu.

That is indeed not the direction back to the inn.

Chong Liu hurriedly trotted to follow, "Boss, where are we going if we don't go back to the inn?"

"I have already made arrangements in the inn, and there is enough time for us to go further."

"Further away? Where?"

Zhu Helan turned around and smiled at him, "Go see your master."

............................................................

"Boss! Boss, wait!"

Chong Liu let out an ouch and nearly fell, but Zhu Helan caught him in time.

"Tsk, walk and watch the road." The shopkeeper reprimanded, and helped him dust the dirt on his pants with his sleeve.

Chong Liu hurriedly said with a shy face, "Boss...can we discuss this matter again?"

"Your filth has reached such a point, what can you do if you don't ask clearly? Do you want to live a lifetime without being clear?"

"But...but I..."

"But you haven't been back for eight years, doesn't your master want to see you?"

"No... it was when I left, Master said that I didn't perceive it..."

Before he finished speaking, Chong Liu's face suddenly changed.His vision became dull, his hands covered his chest, and cold sweat oozes from his forehead.

Zhu Helan supported him in astonishment, "Liu'er? What's wrong?"

Chong Liu's lips trembled for a moment, and finally whispered, "Let's go..."

"Ok?"

"Master let me go back."

Zhu Helan raised his brows, showing a rare look of confusion, "Why all of a sudden..."

"Since I was a child, I have a certain connection with Master. At first, I could almost perceive everything he perceived. Later... this synaesthesia gradually weakened, but if he urgently felt that danger was approaching, I could still feel it." Chong Six His voice became tense, and his palms were sweating, "Master is in danger."

Zhu Helan didn't ask any more questions, and completely convinced Chong Liu's words, "Tell me where your secluded cave is, and we will take a shortcut."

"But aren't there dogs on the road?"

"I drove them away once, and they shouldn't appear again for the time being." Zhu Helan suddenly raised his chin with his hand, looked into his eyes, "Don't worry, it will be fine."

Three hours later, the sky gradually turned white, and a majestic red sun dyed half of the blue sky.

When Zhu Helan and Guan Chongliu came out from the shortcut, they were already near a fishing village on the coast of Qihai Sea in the south.Compared with the freezing cold of the twelfth lunar month in the north, the climate in the south is warm and pleasant, and even the wind that blows in the early morning is milder.The winter coat on her body immediately seemed too thick.

Chong Liu opened his eyes and saw the sea, the sea he had seen since he was a child.

A strange nostalgia churned in his chest, and he couldn't help walking to the beach full of oysters and shellfish after low tide, looking at the endless black ocean.

Zhu Helan stood behind him without urging him, but just accompanied him silently.

"When I was a child, I often picked up oysters, shrimps and crabs in the morning on this beach, and took them home to cook food for the day. Sometimes when I looked at the sea, I felt that the sound of the waves seemed to be calling me."

He said, turning his head to look at Zhu Helan.Those bright eyes that could not hide any gloom, were a little dim at this moment.

"Boss, I'm a little scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Zhu Helan asked gently.

Chong Liu took a deep breath and looked down at his hands.

"I'm afraid of knowing the truth..."