Chapter 39: Station 22: The Hotel

Chapter 39: Stop 22: The Hotel

Upon arriving at the front desk, Ming Yiyang caught the attention of the female receptionist, who was previously engrossed in her notes. She closed her book, offered a practiced smile, and stood up to greet him:

"Good day, how may I assist you?"

The young man's face lit up with an unclouded, cheerful expression:

"I'd like to take my friend to the ski resort. Could you kindly lift the access restriction for us?"

The receptionist, immune to the allure of his handsome features, maintained a steady gaze and a neutral smile:

"Yes, due to the severe snowstorm, the hotel is closed for five days. Once the storm subsides, the ski lift will resume operation."

Sensing something off about her response, Ming Yiyang began to subtly probe further:

"Oh... Well, since there are no tourists, perhaps you could let us in for a tour?"

"Apologies, but for the safety of both you and other guests, we cannot accommodate that request."

"You could pretend you don't know and quietly give us the access card... or would you prefer I call the manager?"

The female receptionist maintained her smile.

"I'm sorry, our manager has already left the mountain... Due to the snowstorm, he won't be returning to the hotel for the next five days."

The silver-haired young man lifted his gaze, which had been slightly downturned, and looked straight at her.

"But wasn't it he who invited us to the hotel for the anniversary celebration? Why did he leave the mountain? Why?"

The female receptionist fell into a brief silence before resuming her fake enthusiastic tone:

"It's his personal privacy, and we don't have any specific information about it."

The young man nonchalantly tilted his head and asked with an effortless ease:

"I see. So how does the ski resort being unable to open relate to your manager going down the mountain? Does your ski resort's access control lie in the hands of your manager?"

The receptionist replied with a radiant smile:

"Yes."

Upon the conclusion of her sentence, a blank expression lingered on her face for a few seconds.

The door to the left stairwell suddenly opened, and the male attendant who had previously been assisting her with various tasks emerged, ready to take over his shift from her.

This time, no matter how Ming Yiyang inquired, the male receptionist would only smile and reply with three phrases:

"No comment."

"We'll be holding a banquet at the Golden Melody later."

"Thank you for your stay. For your safety, we will be closing access to certain areas."

Such a refusal was, in a way, an affirmation to Ming Yiyang.

It seemed he had indeed hit the nail on the head: the key card was connected to the manager.

But now, the manager had descended the mountain for reasons unknown.

Standing pensively by the counter, Ming Yiyang instinctively reached into the inner pocket of his clothing.

Touching the soft cigarette case inside, he involuntarily recalled Chi Zihe's repeated warnings not to bring cigarettes with him.

For some reason, Chi Zihe seemed overly concerned about him offending Yan Qiling.

Although the Taoist had mentioned that it could disrupt the harmony among teammates, there seemed to be more to it than that.

Of course, Ming Yiyang wouldn't heed Chi Zihe's advice; not even the reincarnations of the Three Pure Ones and Four Heavenly Emperors could deter him from smoking.

However...

Unconsciously, he turned back to seek out Yan Qiling's figure, only to find that the man was far from idle. Sometime during his unawareness, he had struck up a conversation with Simon, who happened to be passing by. The blind, golden-haired youth stood nearby as well.

Though the youth was sightless, his unfocused gaze seemed to trail after the man's gentle voice, almost imperceptibly locking onto Yan Qiling's face as it meandered.

A subtle discomfort stirred, like a quiet lake disrupted by a faint ripple, swiftly spreading across his tranquil heart.

With a composed expression, he withdrew his hand from the cigarette case and strode forward with a stern face. The open down jacket flapped in the wind, almost as if it were about to take flight.

Halfway through his rush, a breeze carrying the fragrance of jasmine intercepted him, forcing him to halt.

The distinctive orange-red curly hair allowed him to quickly identify the person, causing him to frown:

"Ada?"

This woman was entirely different from their initial encounter.

She had somehow acquired a large black lace hat adorned with a black silk rose, which oddly resembled the attire of the women in those portraits.

Black lace cascaded down from the brim of the hat, precisely concealing her light brown eyes, leaving only her straight nose and plump lips coated with golden lipstick exposed.

She wore a black down jacket provided by the hotel, suggesting she was preparing to venture out.

With an accent heavy in her English, Ada told him,

"Those portraits carry an ominous aura. One shouldn't stare at them for too long, or else they'll be susceptible to malevolent influences. Moreover... I can sense that there are many malevolent spirits around here... They're watching us, observing our every move."

Ming Yiyang was initially displeased by being stopped, but upon hearing crucial information, he pushed aside his irrelevant emotions and promptly asked:

"Did you catch a glimpse of what was lurking behind those portraits?"

Before she could respond, the man's crisp voice interjected with a gentle tone:

"Madam Ada, you've also noticed the peculiarities in those paintings."

At that moment, Ada was facing Ming Yiyang, allowing him to easily discern from her face... a fleeting, yet undeniable hint of caution and fear that she hadn't managed to conceal.

...Fear?

Fear Yan Qiling...?

Before he could grasp the situation, the woman had already turned to face Yan Qiling, giving him an elegant nod.

"Yes. As Mr. Ming mentioned, there were indeed fleeting auras behind the portrait. However, they disappeared too quickly for me to discern their origin. All I can confirm is that they came from within the painting."

Ada's composed and dignified demeanor left Ming Yiyang in awe, having just witnessed a remarkable display of emotional transformation.

She continued with her advice:

"In any case, it's wise to keep our distance."

Her expression management was quite professional, and with the black veil obscuring her face, there shouldn't have been any giveaways.

Yet, the moment their eyes met, Yan Qiling easily discerned the shift in her gaze.

Disgust, evasion.

This woman seemed to be forced into a blind date with someone important she disliked, desperately wanting to bolt but also afraid of offending them. Beneath her composed facade, her inner world was in chaos.

"I have other matters to attend to, gentlemen. Goodbye."

As she delivered her exit line, one of the men curled his finger to his lips, hiding a brief, amused smile, preventing her from leaving as she wished.

"Ms. Ada, the ski resort is closed, and there's nothing worth seeing outside. Besides, you're dressed rather thinly. What if you catch a cold going out like that?"

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm quite resistant to the cold."

So Ada said, and proceeded to bypass them on her own.

Yan Qiling didn't stop her but instead turned slightly to match her pace, behaving like a caring and reliable adult male:

"If you insist on going out, it's best to have some company. Father Simon and Mr. Patland happen to be free. It would be good for all of you to travel together, looking out for one another."

Simon agreed with his suggestion and proactively invited Ada:

"Ms. Ada, we can accompany you on your outing."

The sound of high heels tapping against the smooth marble floor echoed as Ada quickened her pace, her back to them as she fled, almost in a panic.

"No need, I'll be fine."

She practically jogged out of the cozy hotel, swiftly transforming into an solitary, dark speck that vanished amidst the raging snowstorm.

Unprepared for her strong resistance to such a secure proposition, Simon was momentarily taken aback by her rejection.

Compared to his fervor on the train, Ada's demeanor now is utterly transformed.

His gaze swept over Simon and the blond youth, and Yan Qiling's countenance betrayed a gentle expression of seeming bewilderment, as he softly sighed:

"I know that Lady Ada doesn't favor me. But she was quite amiable towards you on the train, Priest Simon. Did you offend her in some way?"

Simon clenched the cross on his chest and sighed softly, "…I don't know. May God give me an answer."

Observing from the side, Ming Yiyang sensed a faint aura of sarcasm emanating from Yan Qiling, but it didn't seem to be directed at Ada solely. It was more like he was using her to confirm something.

Despite this speculation, Ming Yiyang couldn't decipher the meaning behind Yan Qiling's "interested" smile at Ada.

Could it be that this guy is trying to hit on someone in this realm? !

Ming Yiyang felt like a hedgehog who had swallowed half a watermelon whole in a melon field.

The wedge was stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down, leaving him extremely uncomfortable yet clueless about how to resolve it.

Patland, who had remained silent throughout the conversation, finally spoke up, "Mr. Yan, would you allow me and Priest Simon to follow your actions for now? We haven't decided on our next destination."

Ming Yiyang had originally held no particular opinion of this youth, but now he instinctively disliked the request.

However, this posed no challenge to him at all.

Bowing slightly, he whispered into Yan Qiling's ear.

"Any leads, make sure uninvolved individuals don't trail behind."

The young man's voice softened into a breathy whisper, carrying a mesmerizing rasp. It intertwined with the warmth exhaled by humans, unreservedly brushing against the delicate, sensitive skin behind the other person's ear.

Yan Qiling maintained his smile, its perfection rivaling that of the female receptionist:

"If it's possible, I'd like to ask you and Brother Simon to investigate the Golden Melody Casino, which is required for the banquet."

"My partner and I will examine the basement. For the time being, it's safer if we split up to gather more clues."

Simon had no objections.

A touch of bewildered disappointment adorned Patland's face, a heart-rending expression.

Regrettably, the two people standing before him were equally cold-blooded.

This expression was like scanning a QR code for the heavens to see, but he had picked the wrong target.

When the pair's figures vanished behind the left entrance, Yan Qiling turned to glance at the person standing closely behind him.

"Speak."

"The hotel manager has descended the mountain, but the ski resort's access card is with him. Perhaps there might be clues in his office."

After the young man finished speaking, he promptly established a proper distance between them, appearing nonchalant.

"What did you discuss just now?"

"Simon mentioned that the hotel staff have moved Song Yuan's body to the cold storage. The receptionist couldn't get through to the police station; perhaps the blizzard has disrupted the signal tower."

"That means we've effectively lost contact with the outside world."

"Yes, there's another matter worth paying attention to. Do you recall the two receptionists? Simon said that the two staff who came later to handle the body looked exactly the same as those two receptionists."

"Twins?"

"Yes."

On their way to the manager's office, Ming Yiyang was handed a glass bottle filled with Song Yuan's half-coagulated blood.

"This blood is useless now. The core of the Unseen Master this time should be hidden behind the portrait. But even if we find it, we shouldn't activate it."

Yan Qiling analyzed calmly,

"As long as someone's goal conflicts with our interests, activating the core would do more harm than good. It's better for no one to have it than for someone with ulterior motives to gain that extra power."

Ming Yiyang pondered for a moment before putting the blood in his pocket.

Their conversation might have ended, but Ming Yiyang couldn't shake off the fleeting smile that had graced Yan Qiling's face earlier.

It was the first time he had seen such a smile, indicating interest, on the face of a man who seemed to care about nothing.

Was this some kind of plot where one comes out to take a job and ends up finding true love?

The "gossip" he had swallowed was still stuck in his chest, causing him a subtle unrest.

Fixating on the repetitive octagonal patterns of the hardwood floor beneath his feet, he allowed himself a discreet glance at the person beside him.

That person strolled with leisurely grace, their striking features alternating in the flickering indoor light.

Aware of his gaze, their almond-shaped eyes, reminiscent of peach blossoms, briefly met his own.

Curving into a crescent moon shape, they offered a polite acknowledgment before swiftly parting ways.

The overlooked emotions were as faint as water blots on rice paper, leaving only an invisible, moist impression.

As it dried, the once hidden feelings wrinkled like ripples on the surface.