My vampire princess wants to repay a debt of gratitude.

A talking snowball, how disgusting!

Ye Zimo's eyes conveyed this message, and the great demon Xueqiu instantly sensed it, suddenly becoming somewhat withdrawn.

Lin Mo took the great demon Xueqiu and Ye Zimo back with him. When they arrived on the second floor, they ran into Lin Xuan and Xiao Ju.

"Snowball".

Lin Xuan wiped away her tears, excitedly hugged Snowball, and kissed and stroked it, making the big demon Snowball feel uncomfortable for a while.

Are people all this enthusiastic nowadays? Is it because I'm getting old or because times have changed?

The great demon snowball muttered to itself, forcing itself to remain silent lest the girl dislike it again.

Xiaoju looked at the big demon snowball with suspicion, feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Now that we've found the snowball, let's go back."

"Brother, wait a minute."

Lin Xuan stopped Lin Mo and the others, pointing to the old lady's residence on the second floor.

“I just knocked on the door, but no one answered after a long time. I’m a little worried about Grandma Hua.”

“There was definitely something strange going on. We asked from the 7th floor to the 2nd floor, but only her door was closed. I had a vague feeling that something was wrong.”

Xiaoju rested her chin on her hand and analyzed the situation with a serious expression.

“This old lady hasn’t come out for a long time, but we’re not related to her, so let’s not barge in. Otherwise, let’s call the police.”

Lin Mo has never liked to meddle in other people's business, and when faced with this kind of situation, he felt that calling the police was more appropriate than having a group of people rush in.

Snapped--

Xiaoju burst the door open and gave a thumbs-up: "Let's go in and take a look."

The door opened, and a complex smell wafted out, a mixture of fragrance and stench that made one feel very uncomfortable.

Lin Mo broke out in a sweat and glanced at Ye Zimo.

"I'm not her guardian, why are you looking at me like that?"

Ye Zimo raised her head, ignoring Lin Mo's silent accusations.

"Are there any dead rats in the house?"

Lin Xuan immediately remarked this.

All the apartments in the complex have the same layout. The old lady's apartment is the same as Lin Mo's. It's an 83-square-meter apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. There are no wooden floors or wallpaper. It's just like a bare shell with some furniture moved in. That's how the older generation used to live.

The sofa and coffee table in the living room were covered in dust, and various aromatherapy products were everywhere, with a very pungent smell.

"Grandma Hua?"

Lin Xuan hugged the giant snowball even tighter. She was a bit timid to begin with, and if it weren't for a group of people coming in together, she wouldn't have dared to step into the elderly person's room.

Xiaoju stood in front of Ye Zimo, ready to protect the young lady in case of any danger.

Ye Zimo sniffed the whole room. "There's no sign of life."

"Who?"

An old voice came from the master bedroom, startling everyone.

"Grandma Hua, it's us. You haven't been out for several days."

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it was the old lady's voice.

Lin Mo's heart was in his throat, his face darkened, and thoughts of bloodshed and disaster flooded his mind.

Damn, it can't be that fast, right?

He assumed a defensive stance, ready to grab Lin Xuan and Ye Zimo and run away as soon as possible; Xiao Ju should be able to protect herself.

The old lady didn't make a sound again, and the group slowly walked to the door of the master bedroom.

Xiaoju pushed open the door, and an elderly woman with pale skin and a face etched with the wrinkles of time grabbed the door handle, looking at the group warily: "Young people these days have no manners at all. I didn't even invite you in, what are you doing here?"

"Grandma Hua, I'm so glad you're alright. I smelled a dead rat just now, and I was worried about you..."

Before Lin Xuan could finish speaking, she saw an identical old lady lying in the armchair behind the old lady.

However, her eyeballs had fallen out, and her body was swarming with flies and insects. Even with the aromatherapy around her, the smell of the rotting corpse couldn't be masked. Fortunately, it was winter, and the door blocked out most of the odor. If it were summer, the whole building would stink.

Lin Xuan fainted on the spot. Lin Mo caught his sister and carried her on his shoulder.

The old lady slammed the door shut.

Lin Mo and Xiao Ju exchanged a glance and prepared to turn and leave.

crunch--

The old lady opened the door again.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come in and have a seat?"

The old woman's aged voice was like a soul-reaping messenger from hell, sending chills down Lin Mo and Xiao Ju's spines.

Immediately, the door that Xiaoju had broken suddenly closed, and the entire space began to distort, turning into a chaotic state.

Lin Mo, Ye Zimo, Xiao Ju, and the others felt as if they were in a chaotic, undeveloped space, surrounded by crimson miasma and unknown substances of various distorted and abstract shapes.

This state lasted only a moment before the space began to reshape itself, with brick walls and black tiles, mahogany tables and lattice windows, a kettle and old porcelain cups, and an old-fashioned radio.

The remodeled environment resembles the 1930s and 40s.

"I crossed?"

Lin Mo frowned. No, this wasn't time travel; it was an illusion created by the old lady.

In the empty house sat a woman wearing a black embroidered cheongsam.

Her black hair was styled in a bun, and the bronze mirror reflected her delicate oval face. There was a beauty mark next to her left eye, which made her look particularly charming. She was drawing her eyebrows.

Aside from her curvaceous figure, her face alone is enough to make countless men fall in love with her.

Seemingly having heard the commotion of Lin Mo and the others, she turned around, her face initially showing excitement, followed by a fleeting disappointment.

"It wasn't her..."

Chapter 54: The Pipa Music of "Hua Nu Jiao"

She put down her eyebrow pencil and sighed deeply.

Her voice was like a wind chime in May, so beautiful. Lin Mo couldn't help but think that such a voice would sound wonderful when singing a little tune.

"Yes, we are not the people you are looking for. Let us go."

Ye Zimo said crisply and decisively.

The woman in the cheongsam glanced at Ye Zimo indifferently and shook her head:

"Although you are not the people I am waiting for, your leaving here will prevent me from continuing to wait for her. Why don't you stay here and keep me company?"

Lin Mo had already guessed some of the truth. The woman in the cheongsam must be Grandma Hua. She was waiting for someone here, so she didn't want outsiders to know that she was dead.

If they leave now, they will definitely call the police, and the police will take Grandma Hua's body away for cremation, and she will never see that person again.

But who exactly is she waiting for? Could it be a relative?

"You can't keep us here."

Ye Zimo found a grand chair, sat down, and turned on the radio.

The radio was broadcasting news of Japan's surrender, and the whole country was celebrating; World War II was over.

How will you know if you don't try?

Suddenly, the doors and windows in the room slammed shut with a bang.

The woman in the cheongsam stopped dressing up and slowly walked to the table, brewing a pot of tea in a leisurely manner: "Since you are all here, why not listen to Nujiao play a piece?"

Lin Xuan woke up at this moment, but she felt like she was dreaming because this place was completely different from the world in her consciousness, as if she had stepped into a TV series.

Since it was a dream, she had nothing to be afraid of.

She decided to enjoy the dream and sat down opposite the woman in the cheongsam, holding the giant snowball demon.

Lin Mo looked at her suspiciously. She was scared to death just now, how come she is so calm now?

Lin Mo sat down in the empty seat next to Lin Xuan, and Xiao Ju also sat down.

Just as the woman in the cheongsam was about to serve tea to everyone, Xiaoju stood up and extended her hand: "Please allow me to do it."

Immediately, she jogged over to the woman in the cheongsam, picked up the tea tray, and served tea to Lin Mo and the others, cup by cup.

He put the tea tray back in its original place, even obsessively wiping away the dust, then sat back down contentedly, picked up the tea, and blew on it to cool it down.

Lin Mo and the woman in the cheongsam both froze for a second.

As expected of Xiaoju, a professional maid... Lin Mo thought to himself.

"My name is Hua Nujiao. I was the top courtesan in the brothel and I am skilled at playing the pipa."

Hua Nujiao took out a black lacquered pipa from the room, placed it on her lap, and plucked the strings a few times, as if testing the sound.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. It's been a while since I've played, so I'm a bit rusty."

"It's okay, take your time."

Lin Xuan spoke patiently, while winking at her brother, "I never expected my brother to be in my dream too."

Lin Mo broke out in a sweat, having already seen through her thoughts from her innocent face.

This girl feels like she's dreaming, which is why she's so calm.

Even the great demon Snowball couldn't help but sigh, "Humans these days are really bold. Despite being so weak, they were not at all alarmed when they encountered the obsessive Ah Piao. This composure alone is something I admire."

Hua Nujiao began to play the pipa and sang in a soft and delicate voice.

"At the head of the Xunyang River, I saw off a guest at night; the maple leaves and reeds rustled in the autumn breeze..."

The host dismounts, the guest remains on the boat; they raise their cups to drink, but there is no music...

Drinking brought no joy, only sorrow at parting; at parting, the vast river reflected the moon...

Suddenly, the sound of a pipa was heard on the water; the host forgot to return home, and the guest lingered...