Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Entering the house, less than a meter in, is a large wooden board covered in movie posters of various sizes. The largest one features Wang Zuxian.

To the left of the wooden board is an empty passage, allowing entry from there, provided you first purchase a ticket at the small table to the right of the board.

Behind the small table sits a woman in her thirties, wearing a red vest and jeans. She’s tall and thin, and the low neckline of her vest reveals a butterfly tattoo on her collarbone.

At this moment, with a cigarette in her left hand and a pager in her right, she asks without lifting her head, "How many people?"

"Four people, Sister Mei. Haven't seen you in a while, you've become even more beautiful."

"Sister Mei, Brother-in-law isn't here. Are you watching the place by yourself today?"

Pan Zi and Lei Zi, while paying, actively approached, speaking flattering words.

They weren't actually that familiar with Sister Mei, but they were at an age that was neither too young nor too old. As long as they were sweet-talking and had a bit of common sense, when there weren't many customers, they could thick-facedly stay here and watch one or two more movies for the price of a single ticket.

Sister Mei took the money and put it in the drawer, handing out four tickets. While blowing smoke rings, she cursed,

"Who knows where that bastard ran off to today!"

Sister Mei’s husband, nicknamed Leopard, was a relatively well-known hoodlum in this town, called Brother Leopard.

Without this background, it wouldn’t have been suitable for a woman like Sister Mei to open this video hall.

Taking the tickets, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng followed Pan Zi and Lei Zi in from the left side. The wooden board not only created a passage but also served to block the light from the door.

The space inside was quite large, with a circle of low, small, long benches in the middle, like a simplified cinema.

In the past, township cinemas could rely on collective tickets from local state-owned factories and units, and also serve as temporary stages for activities to maintain popularity. Now, having gradually detached from their public ownership status, they have inevitably declined.

This also provided space for the rapid and uncontrolled growth and popularization of private video halls like Sister Mei’s.

Under the north wall was a long cabinet. An old color TV was placed on top, and a video player was below.

Runsheng excitedly leaned into Li Zhuiyuan's ear and said, "Xiao Yuan, this TV is much bigger than the one Great-Grandfather bought yesterday."

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and replied, "Even if this one is big, everyone watches it together. Even if the one at home is small, only you watch it."

Runsheng also nodded, "That's true. But after evening, all the channels have a fixed screen that doesn't move, emitting a 'beep' sound.

I almost thought I had broken the new TV I just bought, it scared me to death. Thankfully, in the morning there were channels again."

"Runsheng brother, maybe the TV station people also need a break in the evening."

"Hmm." Runsheng said regretfully, "Too bad, couldn't they just switch to a night shift?"

"Runsheng brother, let's sit."

Although it was afternoon, some people were already sitting inside. The movie playing was "Prison Storm," starring Zhou Runfa and Liang Jiahui.

Currently, the movie was only halfway through.

With no major incidents each day, the broadcast time was basically fixed, so this arrival time to buy tickets was deliberately timed by Pan Zi and the others to get half a movie for free.

It wasn't easy for young boys to have some spare money, so they naturally learned how to stretch every penny, spending as little as possible to maximize their entertainment.

Li Zhuiyuan also noticed a deep, small door with a curtain in the southeast corner of the video hall, which seemed very mysterious.

It didn't seem to be for cooking, as there was no smell of oil smoke.

Even though it was a late start, this didn't prevent everyone from quickly getting invested in the movie plot.

Time passed quickly. The movie ended with the characteristic desolate and melancholy cinematic language of Hong Kong films of this era.

Actually, even before the end, Sister Mei came in and stood next to the TV, waiting. Without caring about ruining the atmosphere, she shouted that the next one would be "A Better Tomorrow," which was already prepared for an additional showing.

After the movie ended, some people left because they had things to do, but most chose to buy another ticket.

Sister Mei's gaze swept over Pan Zi and the others without saying anything, implicitly assuming they were staying for this showing.

"A Better Tomorrow" started playing.

Hong Kong cinema was in its prime at this time, not only dominating the entire Chinese cultural sphere but also having a huge influence in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

The videotapes in the video hall were also mainly Hong Kong films, with occasional foreign films, but those were usually the very explicit kind.

Having just watched one Fa Ge movie and now immediately another, Li Zhuiyuan felt a bit difficult to get into it.

This feeling was like the time in the family courtyard when those few brothers, to thank him for helping them with their homework, insisted on dragging him to watch "The Lion King Leo" for a whole day.

Episode after episode, even fast-forwarding through the opening and closing songs. Originally, watching one episode a day was an indescribable joy, but watching a large quantity at once left him aesthetically fatigued from the repetitive routine.

Lei Zi went out briefly when changing the tape and came back from the small shop next door with four bottles of soda, one for each person.

The wages from carrying bricks at the kiln factory weren't much, and half were taken by their parents. The remaining money was just enough for expenses like this.

The movie had only been playing for about fifteen minutes when four young men suddenly came in. The one in the lead, despite the heat, wore an ill-fitting suit vest. The other three all had their shirts off, draped over their shoulders, exuding a ruffian air.

They were smoking and speaking loudly, deliberately letting out exaggerated laughter when talking to each other. They seemed to have already seen this movie, as they were chatting while also spoiling it, and habitually adding a dirty word at the beginning or end of every sentence.

Those around them were dissatisfied, but no one said anything. After all, there were four of them.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi quietly introduced these four people to Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan, including their nicknames on the street.

Teenagers of this age had a strange sense of worship for these kinds of second-rate figures, as if knowing them was a great thing.

However, this generation of the Old Li family, due to Li Lan, all valued education greatly. Pan Zi and Lei Zi both went to high school. If they had dropped out after junior high, it was highly likely they would be hanging out with people like these.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't mind the smell of smoke, after all, Great-Grandfather Li Weihan and the others all smoked, but he disliked the loud voices of these four people. After enduring it as long as he could, he got up and walked to the back row against the wall. There were chairs to sit on there, which were much higher than the low long benches in the front.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi only turned back to continue watching the movie after confirming that Li Zhuiyuan had sat down.

At this moment, the one in the suit shouted towards the back, "Sister Mei, where are the people, where are the people, they've been here so long, where are the people!"

Sister Mei poked her head out from behind the wooden board and cursed, "Shout, shout, shout, shout your mother's soul, don't you see what time it is, they'll arrive after you shout!"

"Heh heh heh." The man in the suit wasn't angry, just whistled at Sister Mei, "Looks like Brother Leopard is sucking too much, look how you're sagging."

"Look at your grandma!"

Sister Mei cursed again, and her figure disappeared behind the wooden board.

Not long after, two women came in, both in their thirties, heavily made up and wearing skirts.

After the two came in, they sat down to the left and right of Li Zhuiyuan, then both lowered their heads, curiously looking at this boy.

"Yo, little handsome guy, sitting here waiting for your sisters?"

"Smooth skin and tender flesh, very fair, but at such a young age you understand these things?"

The two began to tease him.

At this time, two of the little brothers from the suit man's side got up and walked over, sitting down next to each woman. Their hands then started moving irregularly, beginning to explore. The women didn't resist too much and started flirting back.

Li Zhuiyuan realized that these chairs in the back row weren't prepared for normal audiences.

Just as he was about to leave his seat and sit back with Runsheng, the two pairs of men and women next to him got up one step ahead of him, lifted the curtain, and walked into the mysterious passage.

Soon, there were two sounds of doors closing. There should be several small compartments inside.

And at this time, the man in the suit started shouting, "Sister Mei, Sister Mei, change the tape, change the tape!"

Sister Mei poked her head out and cursed, "It's not even evening yet, change what tape!"

The man in the suit said, dissatisfied, "Add some fire, create some atmosphere, change the tape!"

Several other people watching the movie also chimed in.

Although Sister Mei had Brother Leopard behind her, they were all street hoodlums. Sometimes cursing was okay, but she still had to cater to them a bit. Therefore, she could only walk to the video player, take out "A Better Tomorrow," and find one from the long cabinet drawer to put in.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and the others started showing excitement and anticipation, like boys from an African tribe about to undergo the most primitive coming-of-age ritual.

Soon, the new movie started playing. It was a historical drama.

There was no Mandarin dubbing, only Cantonese, but thankfully there were subtitles. However, after watching for a while, you would realize that having subtitles or not didn't make much of a difference.

Initially, the plot was quite normal, with a light comedic feel. Li Zhuiyuan saw a short man selling steamed buns and thought this should be the Hong Kong version of "Water Margin."

Until a man and a woman entered a room, drank, then lay on the table, and their clothes started to come off more and more.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize what kind of movie this was.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi stared with wide eyes, even more engrossed than when watching the Fa Ge movie, afraid of missing any detail, as if they wanted to imprint every frame into their brains for later careful savoring.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that these two brothers of his definitely weren't this serious when looking at the blackboard in class.

Runsheng, meanwhile, started blushing and lowered his head. He wasn't pretending to be shy, but was genuinely too embarrassed to look.

This period was also the golden age of Hong Kong and Taiwan midnight movies, giving birth to a series of classics that left their mark on film history.

Before long, the two men who had gone in earlier came out. They pretended to casually take out cigarettes and light them, seemingly wanting to use the smoke to cover up a certain awkwardness.

"So fast?" The man in the suit, on the other hand, didn't care about his little brother's face. "I haven't even gotten into the mood yet."

That's what he said, but he wasn't willing to wait any longer. He got up and, along with another little brother, also walked into that deep passage.

Then, before the passionate scene in the movie had finished, the two of them came out.

This time, all four of them were sitting on chairs, smoking. They weren't as noisy as before and had finally quieted down.

As if to interpret what it means to put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha.

After a while, the man in the suit started shouting, "Sister Mei, Sister Mei, play 'A Better Tomorrow'!"

In a state of Buddhahood, the heart is compassionate and cannot bear 'killing'.

"Damn it, so much trouble!"

Sister Mei was indeed very annoyed, but she could understand. She came in again, took out the tape, and changed it, also adjusting the progress a bit, dialing the movie back to where it had stopped to continue playing.

After doing so, Sister Mei deliberately looked at them, a smile on her face, laced with sarcasm.

She knew that at this moment, men were like tigers with their teeth pulled out.

The four men indeed avoided her gaze, as if they had suddenly become gentlemen who didn't look at anything non-virtuous.

The two women still sat at the back. They weren't originally supposed to be working so early, but were called over early to provide four temporary quick pleasures.

Now, they were too lazy to go back anyway. They would have to come back in the evening.

Not long after, they got up and started sitting down next to the movie-watchers, sticking to them, talking and chatting, their fingers also fiddling on the men's bodies.

Initially, the two selected men righteously refused, then politely declined, followed by half-hearted pushes...

Then, they all let out a sigh, got up, as if reluctantly feeding their bodies to a tiger, and also as if doing a good deed to help out.

Finally, with a determination of "If I don't enter hell, who will,"

They were pulled into the deep passage.

Meanwhile, Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and Runsheng were ignored from beginning to end.

They had common sense and knew who not to waste time on.

If there were good-looking people, they wouldn't mind sitting with them to watch movies and chat, and would even be happy not to charge, after all, this demand was always mutual.

But unfortunately, Pan Zi and the others didn't meet the standard. Instead, there was a boy who looked very good, but he was too young. It would be good if he were a few years older.

However, there were few people in the afternoon showing anyway, most of them were just here to purely watch movies. They soon had no potential targets, so they didn't sit on the chairs, but walked out and chatted with Sister Mei.

By the time the movie finished, it was already nearing dusk.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi saw that there weren't many people tonight, so they sensibly moved from the middle section to the edge, preparing to watch another movie for free.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to go home and eat. He first said goodbye to Pan Zi and Lei Zi, then walked out of the video hall with Runsheng.

Runsheng liked watching movies, but he preferred eating more.

Li Zhuiyuan went to the small shop next door, bought four bottles of soda and several bags of snacks, preparing to give them to Pan Zi and Lei Zi.

When passing Sister Mei's small table, Sister Mei was talking to the two women.

They had a cooperative relationship. Sister Mei provided the venue and kept watch, and they had to share a portion of the earnings from each transaction with Sister Mei.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan come back again, still holding things in his hands, Sister Mei teased, "Yo, little brother came to give your sisters something to eat, how can I be so embarrassed."

Saying that, Sister Mei made a gesture to reach out and take.

Her original intention was to tease the boy and make a joke. Who knew that this boy not only didn't hug his things to avoid her but instead actively moved closer, making it convenient for her to take.

She really did take a bottle of soda.

Li Zhuiyuan then put down a bag of spicy strips for her.

This action, on the contrary, made Sister Mei a bit awkward.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan went in and gave the soda and the remaining snacks to Lei Zi and Pan Zi.

When Li Zhuiyuan came out again, Sister Mei pointed at the soda and spicy strips on the table: "Take them back, how can I eat a child's things."

"It's okay, it's a treat from me."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He had no intention of flattering Sister Mei, and he probably wouldn't come back to the video hall later, but Sister Mei did let them watch half a movie for free today, and now Pan Zi and Lei Zi were still inside, implicitly allowed to continue watching.

"Hehe hehe."

Sister Mei and the two women behind her all laughed. They only felt this boy was very interesting.

At this time, shouting came from outside. An old man was riding a tricycle while shouting, and on the back was a middle-aged man lying spread-eagled in the middle, his hands and feet hooked onto the outside of the vehicle, like a turtle on its back.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the middle-aged man's fingers were all bluish, and his lips were even more terrifyingly purple.

Sister Mei anxiously ran out and had a loud argument with the old man riding the tricycle.

The old man quickly waved his hand, explaining defensively that he was just paid to transport someone and it had nothing to do with him.

The context of the situation was also made clear during the argument.

The unconscious middle-aged man was Brother Leopard, Sister Mei's husband. He went to a bathhouse in Shigan Town in the afternoon to take a bath, then got a "big back."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know why people would still go to a bathhouse to bathe in the summer.

He also didn't know what "big back" meant.

He only understood it as a kind of massage with greater force, and Brother Leopard probably wasn't feeling well, which is why he lost consciousness halfway through the massage.

The bathhouse boss didn't send him to the hospital, but hailed a tricycle and had the person pulled home.

Going to the hospital required money, and people might not be willing to pay.

Sister Mei's face turned red and white with anger. She forcefully pinched her husband's body several times. The two women next to her continuously tried to calm her down. Finally, Sister Mei could only add some more money, and she also got on the tricycle, urging the old man to ride to the town health center.

But the old man had pedaled to exhaustion bringing the person from Shigan to Shinan. After all, his daily work in Shigan Town was only short distances. Even if Sister Mei was willing to add money, he really couldn't ride anymore.

However, the unconscious middle-aged man's original condition was not good at all. Even slapping his face didn't wake him up. If he wasn't sent to the hospital, he might be gone. Sister Mei was anxiously cursing and crying.

"Xiao Yuan?" Runsheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan understood his meaning and nodded. Runsheng walked forward, signaled the old man to get down and sit in the back, then he got on the tricycle.

Great-Grandfather's family had a tricycle cart, and following Great-Grandfather's instructions, Runsheng had been practicing riding these past few days and could now do it.

However, for transporting goods over short distances, pushing the cart by hand was still more convenient.

At this moment, although there were three adults on the tricycle, this amount of weight was fundamentally nothing to Runsheng. He quickly rode off.

Li Zhuiyuan could only wait in his original spot for Runsheng to come back before going home together. However, he didn't go back into the video hall. Instead, he went to the small shop next door, bought another bottle of soda, and sat on the bench by the side, drinking while waiting.

There was a billiard table placed on the open ground outside the small shop. At this moment, two young men were playing. These two were very poor players. After watching for a while, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but yawn. He leaned against the wall of the small shop and yawned.

Probably about half an hour later, Li Zhuiyuan saw Brother Leopard come back.

Li Zhuiyuan was very puzzled. The patient came back, so why wasn't the person who sent him to the hospital back yet?

Thankfully, before leaving home, he had told Aunt Liu and the others that he was following Pan Zi to town to watch videos. Even if he went back late, Great-Grandfather wouldn't worry, only thinking that the child was greedy and forgot the time while playing.

Brother Leopard's body didn't show the decadence of when he was unconscious earlier. When he walked, he displayed the unique casualness and nonchalance of a middle-aged hoodlum, shaking his head and shrugging.

It was a pity that the two young men playing billiards seemed to not understand the ways of the world. When Brother Leopard passed by them, they didn't even understand to actively say hello.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly saw that Brother Leopard's shoes, after he walked out of the billiard table area, had their heels lifted.

This scene instantly reminded him of the posture of the big-bearded father and son when they left home towards the fish pond that evening.

They also walked on tiptoe, with their heels off the ground, so they swayed when they walked.

Li Zhuiyuan's heart suddenly tightened. He suddenly realized something.

At the same time, Brother Leopard seemed to also detect a gaze looking at him. He stopped, stood on tiptoe, slowly turned his head, and swept his gaze towards the small shop.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately also stuck his head against the wall, picked up the soda in his hand, took a sip, and pretended to look at the billiard table very bored.

Brother Leopard's gaze swept back and forth several times without discovering that special gaze.

Then, he continued to tiptoe forward, walking into his own video hall.

Li Zhuiyuan maintained his original posture without moving, thinking in his heart: Although it wasn't yet the seventh day, it was understandable that Brother Leopard was anxious to go home.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan became worried again, because Lei Zi and Pan Zi were still inside the video hall.

But they shouldn't be that unlucky, right?

At this time, a woman in a skirt walked out of the video hall. When Sister Mei sent Brother Leopard to the hospital, she instructed them to help watch the store for a bit.

The woman walked directly towards the small shop, and Li Zhuiyuan was sitting right at the entrance of the small shop, which meant she would have to pass almost right next to him.

Li Zhuiyuan discovered that she was also walking on tiptoe, but unlike Brother Leopard earlier, her feet were stepping on another pair of feet.

It was a pair of shoes, very familiar.

Then, behind the woman's legs, there were also a pair of man's legs tightly pressed against them.

As for the part further up, unless Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head, he couldn't see, but he could probably imagine it: Brother Leopard was almost sticking to her body, her feet were stepping on Brother Leopard's feet, she was almost like Brother Leopard's clothing, or rather, a puppet.

So, what did this count as?

Just, whether it was the "Jianghu Strange Tales" he saw earlier or the "Zhengdao Fumo Lu" he was watching now, the theme was always possession by the dead. Possession by the non-dead was a concept that was beyond the scope for Li Zhuiyuan.

The two young men by the billiard table whistled at the woman. The woman ignored them, walked up to the small shop boss, and asked for a pack of cigarettes.

The boss asked in surprise, "Why smoke this kind?"

The woman replied, "Want to change the taste."

The boss gave her the cigarettes and was about to tease her a few sentences as usual, but discovered that the woman's face was grim, and the teasing words in his throat were swallowed back.

The woman turned around, tore open the cigarette paper, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a strong drag.

"Suck..."

"Suck..."

Li Zhuiyuan heard two sucking sounds, one male and one female.

Obviously, the one who wanted to smoke this cigarette wasn't the woman herself.

The woman obviously wanted to go back to the video hall, but she stopped in front of Li Zhuiyuan, bent down, and looked at the boy who was "half-dozing."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to get by this way. He knew Brother Leopard was invisible earlier, but the woman could be seen by the people around her.

However, the woman reached out and pushed his shoulder. There was no choice, Li Zhuiyuan could only show an expression of just coming back to his senses from a daze, looking at the woman with some doubt.

"Little handsome guy, go inside and wait."

The woman's face was now very close to Li Zhuiyuan, allowing him to clearly see the second man's face behind the woman's head.

When the woman opened her mouth to speak, Brother Leopard's mouth also moved.

"No, it's smoky inside, it makes me dizzy. I'll wait here..."

"It's getting dark, it's not safe outside. Come, follow your sister in." The woman held Li Zhuiyuan's hand.

At that instant, Li Zhuiyuan felt two hands simultaneously grasping his wrist, one warm, one cold.

"I'm not going, I'm not going." Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, then forcefully shook off the restraint of the "double" hands, walked to the billiard table, "I want to watch billiards, I want to learn this. These two brothers play really well."

"Haha, little brother has good taste."

"Come, little brother, stand on the side and watch carefully, your brothers will teach you."

The two young men who played billiards very poorly were greatly satisfied by the boy's flattery and actively pulled Li Zhuiyuan into the middle of them, letting him watch their professional moves.

The woman straightened up and didn't continue to insist on bringing Li Zhuiyuan back to the video hall. She walked back by herself.

By the billiard table, although Li Zhuiyuan was staring at the white ball stupidly going into the pocket, the corner of his eye always included the woman's figure.

This picture of two people walking stuck together was truly strange.

For safety, it seemed he should call out his two brothers now.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The small shop boss walked out very dissatisfied, "One game isn't finished yet? Either pay for another game or stop."

At this time, billiards wasn't calculated by time, but by the number of games. If it was two strangers playing on one table, the loser paid for that game.

Therefore, the boss hated it most when a pair of bad players who were friends came, taking too long to play one game.

"What are you shouting about, isn't it just adding money?"

"That's right, as if we can't afford it."

The two young men both started reaching into their pockets, but their hands seemed to have forgotten how to take money out.

He didn't know if they didn't have money in their pockets, or if they were deliberately waiting for the other person to take out the money first.

Li Zhuiyuan also touched his pocket at this time.

The two young men's gazes immediately stared over.

"Little brother, do you have money?"

"Hmm, I do."

"Then you play another table. Your brothers were deliberately teaching you so slowly, the boss is unhappy."

"That's right, we're all doing it for you."

"Oh, sorry, it's my fault." Li Zhuiyuan took out a banknote from his pocket, "I'll pay for you to continue this table."

The two young men's faces immediately lit up with smiles.

Li Zhuiyuan again pointed at the video hall, "My brothers Pan Zi and Lei Zi are inside. Can one of you help me shout for them, let them come out and take me home."

"Little brother, why don't you go in and shout yourself?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied shyly, "They're playing a movie with men and women inside, I'm embarrassed to go in."

"Hahaha ha ha ha!"

Li Zhuiyuan held the money and went to the small shop boss to pay for another table.

One of the young men then walked into the video hall to help shout.

After a while, he came out. Li Zhuiyuan deliberately looked. There was no one behind him, and he wasn't tiptoeing.

However, Pan Zi and Lei Zi didn't come out.

"Little brother, your two brothers said to tell you to go back by yourself, they want to watch the movie."

Another young man asked curiously, "What movie is playing now?"

"Don't know, but it's very exciting. A man is standing, holding a woman upside down, very intense."

The young man made actions while speaking.

"Damn it, they can even film that? How about we go in and watch too?"

"I'm not going to watch. After this table, I'm going home. If I go back too late, my mom will scold me again."

Li Zhuiyuan then frowned. Although Pan Zi and Lei Zi sometimes loved to play, they were very responsible when it came to being brothers.

Not to mention that they should be curious why their little brother, who should have gone home early, was still outside. Even in a normal situation, knowing that he called for them, they would at least come out themselves to explain the situation a bit.

But the result was that they just had someone pass a message out. This was clearly not normal.

However, although the young man who went in to shout came out safely, Li Zhuiyuan felt that there was a high probability that something would happen if he went in.

If Runsheng brother were here now, it would be good. Last time at the Niu family's memorial service, facing the possessed Blind Liu and Grandpa Shan, Runsheng's slap was very effective.

At this time, two people walked out of the video hall, arm in arm, they were two of the original four hoodlums.

There was nothing sticking to their backs, but their steps were floating, swaying like they were drunk. Their eye sockets were sunken, and they had dark circles under their eyes, like they had stayed up for several days and nights straight.

But clearly, when he saw them inside earlier, although they had quieted down after "becoming Buddha," their spirits were still good. How could they become so decadent after watching a movie for a while, as if their whole beings were hollowed out?

The strangest thing was, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that their pants were wet in the crotch area, a dark color all the way down, overflowing along their ankles onto their slippers.

Like urine incontinence...

No, it didn't seem like urine, because it was a bit white and thick.

And gradually, this liquid actually turned brownish-red.

They staggered towards the distance, leaving red slipper prints behind.

Li Zhuiyuan tugged at the sleeve of one of the young men playing billiards next to him and pointed at the prints.

"Look."

"What, look at what?"

The young man didn't understand.

"Slipper prints."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head again to look and discovered that the red slipper prints on the ground had disappeared. Even though it was summer now, they couldn't evaporate that quickly, and with color too.

At this time, two more people walked out from inside, it was the man in the suit and another little brother.

These two walked out one after the other, the little brother in front, and the man in the suit behind.

They all looked like they could fall over at any moment.

The man in the suit mumbled, "Too intense, too intense, comfortable, comfortable, this movie is comfortable to watch..."

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell, and he discovered that the man in the suit's pants were already all red.

And the red liquid was dripping non-stop along his pant legs. At first glance, it looked like he had just been soaked in a pool of red paint.

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, but still walked forward and asked the man in the suit, "Brother, how is it inside?"

"How?" The man in the suit looked at Li Zhuiyuan with misty eyes. He seemed drunk and appeared to take a long time to finally determine that the boy in front of him was speaking to him.

"Heh heh heh, let me tell you, there are good things playing inside, but, it's not suitable for children, not suitable for children, heh heh heh."

Saying that, the man in the suit waved his hand and shouted to the little brother in front, "Wait for me, wait for me, let's walk together."

With a "thud," the man in the suit fell, but he immediately climbed up again and continued walking forward. He left a red trail on the ground, like a sprinkler had just passed.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze remained fixed this time. He reached out to pull the young man playing billiards to look again, but just as his hand extended, the prints disappeared from Li Zhuiyuan's line of sight at a visible speed.

The four people who just came out didn't seem to be in life danger, but Li Zhuiyuan could feel that they had lost something.

The sixth volume of "Yin Yang Physiognomy Detailed Explanation" has such a description: [Physiognomy is born from the heart, the heart is tied to the source, the source is lost then the heart scatters, the heart scatters then physiognomy declines.]

Meaning that physiognomy is not fixed, and needs to consider the real-time influence of essence, energy, spirit, and other factors.

Although the original physiognomy of the four people only counted as lower signs, which was one level poorer than ordinary signs, indicating a life of mediocrity, now, the physiognomy on the faces of the four people all had a tendency to collapse, melt, and slide.

Although his own signs were quickly and accurately verified by Xue Liangliang and Zhao Hequan, Li Zhuiyuan was not superstitious about this, nor did he think that looking at a physiognomy and deducing a fate could determine a person's life.

But this was just like doing a checkup when seeing a doctor. At least it could explain that these four people had suffered extremely great losses.

If Pan Zi and Lei Zi continued to stay inside, would they also face the same outcome?

But what could he do now?

He had already discovered that after experiencing the Xiao Huangying incident, his body should have undergone some changes, making him more sensitive to those dirty things.

But the problem was, he also discovered that after gaining this sensitivity, it seemed to make those dirty things more easily interested in him.

Earlier, that woman, or rather Brother Leopard, inexplicably wanted to call him into the video hall.

The young brother playing billiards could go in and come out safely, but Li Zhuiyuan felt that there was a high probability that something would happen if he went in.

Finally,

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell on the telephone next to the small shop boss's hand.

Good, Great-Grandfather had once again left him a sample question.

He walked into the small shop again. The boss was happy. He was quite curious. This boy seemed to have quite a bit of pocket money. He didn't know which family's child he was.

"What do you want to buy this time?"

"Boss, I need to make a call."

"Okay, go ahead."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, then his eyes showed thought, as if recalling a telephone number.

After watching for a while, the boss turned his head and continued to calculate his accounts.

Li Zhuiyuan took the opportunity to quickly dial three numbers,

The telephone at the other end beeped slowly twice before being connected.

Li Zhuiyuan first clearly stated his location, even confirming with the boss halfway through and getting detailed corrections from the boss.

The boss thought this child must be calling his family to pick him up at the store. Yes, his family situation was indeed not bad.

But Li Zhuiyuan's next words made the pen in the boss's hand fall as he was calculating his accounts, and his face also froze.

"I'm reporting Sister Mei's video hall next to this small shop. Not only is it illegally distributing obscene videos, but it's also organizing prostitution!"

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