"This is my duty."
Uncle Xia held a lamp and accompanied Xu Xingguang along the dimly lit corridor. He explained to Xu Xingguang, "This house doesn’t have good lighting. Even during the day, with the curtains drawn, it’s still quite dark. I’m holding the lamp to make it easier for Miss Xu to have a look around."
"Alright."
They first toured the first floor, and upon finishing, stood on the platform that connected to the second floor and the basent. Uncle Xia told Xu Xingguang, "The basent is the Pilot’s activity area. Generally speaking, without his permission, we can’t enter."
However, considering Xu Xingguang’s special status, Uncle Xia did not dare to stop her, so he said, "If Miss Xu wants to visit, then you will have to go alone."
Xu Xingguang didn’t wish to make things difficult, so she understandingly said, "I’ll wait until he recovers and there’s an opportunity to go."
She would be staying on Divine Concealnt Island for a while, until the investigation work at the research institute was completed before returning to the mainland.
"Alright." Xiahou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He took Xu Xingguang around the second floor and noticed her eyes fixed on the door at the end of the hallway. He inford her, "Behind that door is the corridor leading to the East Wing and the building at the back. That place is where the Old Helmsman and his father used to live. If Miss Xu wants to take a look, you’re welco to do so."
"It’s just that no one lives there anymore, and staying too long might not be too comfortable."
Though the servants cleaned there daily, an uninhabited house had an uncertain aura to it.
Even Uncle Xia himself would not usually go there alone.
Xu Xingguang stared at the door that isolated the corridor from the two other buildings, and she beca quite interested. "Uncle Xia, if you’re not busy, why don’t you accompany to take a look?"
"I’m not busy, so let’s go now."
Uncle Xia opened the door, leading Xu Xingguang through the corridor, saying as they walked, "There’s not much to see here. All the furniture was crafted during the Old Helmsman’s father’s ti. To accommodate people living here, it would need significant refurbishnt."
"But now, no one cos to stay here. Even for family banquets, everyone just eats on the first floor and then leaves. The liveliest ti on the island each year is around the festival days, yet those children who co from far away would rather stay in the staff dormitory than here."
As for the reasons, Uncle Xia did not need to spell them out, and Xu Xingguang understood them as well.
After a brief tour of the East Wing, lunchti arrived.
Uncle Xia intended to go back, but seeing Xu Xingguang still eager to explore, he said, "There’s nothing special in the building at the back, just so old photos hanging there."
Uncle Xia inford Xu Xingguang, "In the last few months before the Old Helmsman’s father passed away, he locked himself in that house, staring at the photos. The Old Helmsman thought those things were ominous, and generally, he doesn’t allow us to enter."
Uncle Xia said this hoping to dampen Xu Xingguang’s curiosity.
But Xu Xingguang, on the contrary, grew intensely curious about it.
"Old photos, huh? Then I really want to see them."
Although Uncle Xia was slightly resigned, he could only accompany Xu Xingguang to view those old photos.
The building at the back was dimly lit and damp, making it even more eerie and terrifying. The sound of Xu Xingguang and Uncle Xia’s footsteps on the first floor echoed all the way up to the third floor.
Despite his age, Uncle Xia still felt a chill in his heart.
But Xu Xingguang’s steps showed no signs of hesitation; she was very brave.
Uncle Xia admired Xu Xingguang sowhat.
Though the girl was young, she was indeed bold.
Well, a girl daring enough to date their Young Helmsman couldn’t possibly be a timid little rabbit.
"We’re here." Xu Xingguang spotted the photos Uncle Xia had ntioned.
The photos lined the entire hallway on the first floor, extending all the way to the derelict garden at the corridor’s end. There weren’t many photos, one hanging every ter or so, depicting people and scenery that, over ti, had beco blurred and distorted.
Many photos were faint, and Xu Xingguang examined each old photo one by one, finally pausing before a picture of a plant.
Seeing Xu Xingguang stop, Uncle Xia curiously glanced at the photo, unable to identify what it depicted. "Miss Xu, is there sothing wrong with this photo?"
Xu Xingguang said, "It’s a Star-Yun Worm."
"What is that?" Uncle Xia was utterly confused, having never heard of it before.
Xu Xingguang shook her head, explaining, "The Star-Yun Worm is a creature resembling a grassy plant in appearance, with the ability to mutate."
But what Xu Xingguang didn’t tell Uncle Xia was that among the many ferocious genes of the Corpse Centipede, there were Star-Yun Worm genes.
Strictly speaking, the Star-Yun Worm was an indispensable elent in cultivating a Corpse Centipede, for it alone possessed the potential for transformation!
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