My Older Sister’s Home 8

She slowly opened her eyes, feeling as though she had endured a long, terrible nightmare.

Xu Si rose and left the bedroom, only to find Elder Sister already preparing breakfast in the sitting room. Elder Sister smiled at her. “Did you sleep well?”

Looking at that smile, Xu Si felt a complicated surge of emotion. She nodded without saying a word.

During breakfast, Xu Si noticed another new note on the table:

“This afternoon, a visitor will arrive. No matter how strange the visitor may look, pretend that everything is normal. Do not mention any of the rules to them.”

Xu Si’s heart gave a start. She had no idea who the visitor would be or what kind of danger they might bring.

That afternoon, the doorbell rang right on time. Elder Sister rose to answer it, while Xu Si sat tensely on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

An old man with a hunched back slowly shuffled inside. His face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes hollow and lifeless, and he wore a tattered black robe. The moment Xu Si saw him, a chill swept over her.

The old man entered the sitting room and sat down opposite her, staring straight at her. Xu Si struggled to remain composed, pretending that nothing was amiss as she chatted with Elder Sister.

Suddenly, the old man spoke. His voice was hoarse and deep, as though it had risen from beneath the earth.

“Little girl, you look frightened.”

Xu Si’s heart jolted, but she forced herself to answer calmly. “Not at all, Grandpa. You’re imagining things.”

The old man smiled but said nothing more. Elder Sister rose and poured him a cup of tea. He accepted it without drinking, merely setting it on the table.

His gaze swept around the sitting room before finally settling on a photograph hanging on the wall. It was one of the blurred photographs Xu Si had seen before. Yet for some reason, beneath the old man’s gaze, the face in the picture gradually became clear.

It was the face of a man twisted in anguish.

Xu Si nearly cried out. She clamped down on the sound with all her strength, then secretly glanced at Elder Sister and saw that her expression had also turned grim.

The old man suddenly turned his head toward Xu Si.

“Little girl, do you know who the person in this photograph is?”

Xu Si shook her head, too afraid to speak.

The old man abruptly burst into laughter. The sound echoed through the sitting room, sending shivers down the spine.

“He is my son,” the old man said slowly. “Once, he came here just as you did. He failed to obey the rules, and in the end met a tragic fate.”

Xu Si’s heart tightened. She did not know whether the old man was telling the truth, but at that moment, all she wanted was to leave this place as quickly as possible.

When he finished speaking, the old man stood and prepared to depart. He had reached the doorway when he suddenly turned back to Xu Si.

“Little girl, remember this: rules are not meant to be broken. Otherwise, you will end up just like him.”

With that, the old man vanished beyond the door.

Xu Si collapsed onto the sofa, her heart filled with fear and confusion. Elder Sister came over and sat beside her. After a long silence, she said, “Si’er, I’m sorry for dragging you into all this. The truth is, a secret is hidden within this house. These rules exist to protect us from being consumed by it.”

Xu Si looked at Elder Sister, her eyes full of questions.

Elder Sister drew a deep breath and continued, “Many years ago, a terrible tragedy took place here. An evil spirit was trapped inside the house. It would do everything in its power to tempt people into breaking the rules, and then devour their souls. I asked you to come because I believe you can help me find a way to break this curse.”

After hearing this, Xu Si was filled with conflicting emotions. She had thought she was coming for an ordinary visit, never imagining that she would become entangled in such danger. But when she saw the pleading look in Elder Sister’s eyes, she decided to stay and help her unravel the mystery.

In the days that followed, Xu Si and Elder Sister began searching for clues. They rummaged through every corner of the house, and at last discovered an old, dilapidated diary hidden away in a secluded corner of the basement.

The pages had yellowed with age, and the handwriting had grown blurred, but they were still able to make out the contents with some effort.

The diary had belonged to a feng shui master who had once lived in the house. In it, he recorded what had happened during the tragedy all those years ago.

It turned out that the evil spirit was an ancient demon sealed within the house. Every so often, it would awaken and attempt to break free of its prison. The rules had been established by the feng shui master to suppress the demon.

The diary also stated that to break the curse completely, they had to find three keys hidden in three different places throughout the house. The keys represented courage, wisdom, and kindness. Only by gathering all three could they open the chest containing the demon’s seal and destroy it forever.

Xu Si and Elder Sister decided to follow the clues in the diary.

They first went to the attic. According to the diary, the first key was hidden inside an ancient chest. The attic was piled high with clutter, and dust hung thick in the air. After searching for a long time, the two of them finally found the chest.

A rusted lock hung from its front. Elder Sister took a key from her pocket, one she had previously discovered among Father’s belongings. She had never expected it to come in handy.

The lock opened. Inside the chest lay a key glowing with a faint light—the first key they had been seeking.

Next, they went to the garden in the backyard. According to the diary, the second key had been buried beneath an ancient tree.

Xu Si and Elder Sister took up shovels and began digging. The earth was extremely hard. After a great deal of effort, they finally unearthed a small box.

Inside, the second key lay quietly.

The search for the third key, however, proved extraordinarily difficult. They followed every clue in the diary and searched the entire house, yet found nothing.

Just as despair began to overtake them, Xu Si suddenly remembered a scene from the dream she had seen the night before.

In the dream, a little girl had stood crying at the far end of the hallway. Beside her, set into the wall, was a hidden compartment.

Xu Si told Elder Sister about the dream, and the two of them decided to investigate the end of the corridor.

They examined the walls carefully. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous spot they discovered a concealed compartment.

Strange symbols had been carved into it. Xu Si remembered a spell mentioned in the diary and tried reciting it.

As the words left her lips, the compartment slowly opened. Inside lay the third key.

Carrying all three keys, Xu Si and Elder Sister came to the entrance of a secret chamber in the basement. The chamber door was covered in runes and radiated an air of mystery.

They inserted the three keys into the locks one after another.

With a single click, the door slowly opened.