Gou learns witchcraft in another world

Chapter 69 No. 17 Deep Water Lane

Luo Qiu was certain that No. 17 Sham Shui Lane was a non-existent address.

Deep Water Lane, located near the southern harbor of Chongqing, is a dark alleyway that is talked about by sailors and dockworkers.

During the day, all that comes into view is a deserted, muddy stone path. On both sides are building facades with inconspicuous, dusty doors, but they are usually closed.

Sham Shui Po comes alive at night. When you walk across the street, you can hear the constant clinking of glasses and shouts, and see the warm light shining through the cracks in the doors.

Luo Qiu had visited this place during previous investigations.

He remembered it clearly: when counting the house numbers up to ten, the house numbers before that were neatly arranged, but after that, eleven and twelve were still there, thirteen was skipped, and then seventeen was also skipped.

The number 13 is missing because of religious taboo.

The reason why the address number 17 disappeared is said to be because the sea level rises sharply on the 17th of every month, and the wind and waves are constant, making it impossible to go out to sea. Later, this number became a taboo for people living in the harbor.

However, even though it contradicted her memory, Luo Qiu still appeared near the alley around nine o'clock at night.

Since Mr. Moran had invited him, he should accept the invitation. Although Luo Qiu was very unhappy about it, he seemed to have no power to resist.

The good news is that there shouldn't be too much danger coming here this time, and he's also curious about this non-existent address.

……

"Seven-cup ale, double the whiskey, wanna try it?"

"Do you play blackjack here? I only play blackjack..."

"One hundred a night, twenty for one time, handsome, wanna have some fun?"

Sham Shui Po is not a proper alley; people come here simply to have some fun.

Walking here, the auditory and visual senses are greatly impacted.

The walls on both sides of the alley are gray-black. At night, fog and coal smoke fill the air, and the gas lamps cast a dim, yellowish light, creating a blurry halo.

In the halo of light, most of the doors I passed were half-open, with warm yellow light shining through the cracks, along with noisy voices and the smell of cheap whiskey.

Several sailors leaned against the outside wall, smoking and swearing loudly. They wore jackets with the sleeves rolled up to their shoulders, revealing their dark arms.

At another entrance nearby, a heavily made-up woman stood ostentatiously in the street. She cast half her gaze on the sailor beside her, making no attempt to conceal her scrutiny. When she noticed other people passing by, she would extend her hand, unabashedly displaying her figure.

The air here is thick with the stench of cheap tobacco, cheap perfume, fried fish, and sweat, creating a nauseating stench.

Luo Qiu wasn't used to anything here, but since he had decided to come here to explore, he would naturally keep a low profile.

He wasn't wearing his signature wide-brimmed hat, nor was he dressed in any particularly eye-catching clothes.

To avoid arousing suspicion, he wore a dark gray nylon jacket as an overcoat, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Inside, his shirt collar was open, his trousers were stained with mud, and he wore a pair of worn-out leather boots...

Aside from his slightly off-color skin, his attire made him look no different from a dockworker, even with messy stubble plastered around his face. He blended into the crowd, and no one would give him a second glance.

His expression was no different from the other passersby; his eyes were constantly darting around, seemingly interested in everything and enjoying it all. But whenever someone tried to solicit business, he would check his pockets and then wave his hand dismissively.

And so, by pretending to be broke, he finally reached the vicinity of number 16 a few minutes later.

Further ahead, that should be position 18.

That place must be a tavern, and it's very popular. Luo Qiu had heard passersby talking about it before.

But looking again now, the area was occupied by another unfamiliar building in the fog.

The same gray walls, the same streetlights.

However, under that dim, yellowish light, the wooden door of the building was covered with dense vines. The green vines, with their leaves outstretched, appeared lush and vibrant in the night.

Luo Qiu shuddered.

Although the surrounding area was still bustling with noise, the scene here, so out of place, struck him as incredibly bizarre.

There are sidewalks here, but everyone who passes by keeps walking and walks away, perhaps unaware that they are passing such a building.

His innate vision told him that there were traces of witchcraft on the door of the building.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Qiu slowly approached the wooden door, reaching into his pocket to take out the dark gold card.

Carefully, the card was affixed to the vine.

The next moment, the patterns on the card shimmered with light, echoing the vines.

The vines came back to life.

Twisting and curling, the vines slowly retreated into the cracks in the surrounding walls. A few seconds later, the vines disappeared, revealing the complete wooden door.

An ordinary oak door, with a round iron plaque nailed above it. On the rusted paint, the number '17' can be faintly seen.

On the doorknob of the wooden door, a leather fox mask hung there.

……

squeak-

The door was pushed open, and a man wearing a fox mask walked in.

The mask covered half of the man's face, his two hairy ears stood up high, and his nose was elongated with a black tip.

Beneath the mask, the man's mouth was tightly closed, and his eyes were wide open, as if he were in a tense state.

The man's behavior proved this point; after he came in, he had just closed the door and taken a step when he stopped.

But inside the door, apart from the men, everything was so quiet and peaceful.

Warm yellow light streamed down from overhead, from recessed spotlights in the ceiling, casting a soft, even glow. A faint woody scent filled the air, mingled with the aroma of leather and whiskey.

The floor was dark solid wood, polished and waxed, reflecting the overhead lights. Jazz music drifted from the corner, the trumpet's deep, languid tone whispering like a dreamlike lullaby.

This is a slow bar, and everyone here wears a fox mask.

The bar was on the left, with a black marble countertop, and the liquor cabinet behind it was filled with bottles that gleamed amber under the lights. The bartender was dressed in a white shirt, a black suit, and a tie that was perfectly tied.

There weren't many customers. A woman in a sundress sat on a single sofa in the corner, her fair shoulders generously exposed. Two young people in short-sleeved striped shirts were drinking in another corner, and a man in a suit sat by the bar, seemingly waiting for the bartender to demonstrate his skills…

At that moment, the man sitting at the bar looked towards the door.

"Sir, since you're here, would you like to have a drink first? Whiskey, vodka, brandy? Or just a glass of water. It's on me."

……