fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 26

Tang Wan climbed slowly, but she had already stepped on seven or eight knives. Those around the wooden stake, including Sha Bo and Qin Ge, could clearly see that the soles of her feet were completely stained red with blood. She still had at least seven more knives to step on, and the wounds would need to come into contact with the blades again, supporting her entire body weight. Each time she lifted her foot, she would pause for a long time before firmly placing it on the ground, and only then would she lift the other foot at an even slower pace.

Will she be able to reach the top of the pile safely?

Many of the Sleepy Valley residents looking up from below wore expressions of pity. Were they also hoping that this strong girl could reach the top of the stake and rescue her lover?

The knife. The knife was in Yang Xing's hand.

The addition of a knife to his waving arms gave him an even more menacing look. Xiao Fei huddled against the wall, watching Yang Xing's transformation with horror. For the first time, she realized how little she actually knew about him.

Yang Xing suddenly felt a surge of strength coming from nowhere. He brandished his knife and rushed to the broken wine barrel, hacking away repeatedly until he had a large hole in it. Then, he dropped the knife, scooped up the remaining wine from the bottom, and brought it to his mouth.

He was so hungry that the wine could suppress his hunger for a short time, but it would only bring even greater hunger in return. After several rounds, Yang Xing had gone completely mad. He knew the wine was poison, but he still couldn't resist drinking it.

Even if he wanted to drink more now, the wine was gone. Xiao Fei had stabbed the bottom of the barrel earlier, and after so much time, most of the wine had already spilled out. Yang Xing's hands groped aimlessly at the bottom of the barrel; although there was still a thin layer left, he couldn't lift it. He let out a series of desperate groans, trying to lift the barrel, but after several attempts, he couldn't manage it.

He was panting when he suddenly noticed that Xiao Fei had crouched down and slipped to his side, and she was already holding the knife he had dropped on the ground.

Yang Xing roared, startling Xiao Fei so much that she flinched, her hand instantly empty as Yang Xing snatched the knife from her grasp. Yang Xing roared, "What are you doing? What do you want with my knife?"

Xiao Fei was terrified and turned to run. He chased after her, yelling as he ran, "You broke the wine barrel! You ruined all that wine! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to kill me?! Now you're trying to take my knife! Do you think you can kill me with a knife? Do you want to stuff me in the refrigerator too?!"

Yang Xing shuddered, his face contorting even more grotesquely. He roared, "You vicious women are all the same! You all want to stuff men into the refrigerator!"

Xiao Fei circled around Yang Xing, thinking to herself, "Yang Xing has really gone mad."

Fortunately, Yang Xing was slow to react, and the nimble Xiao Fei always managed to narrowly evade his pursuit. As he ran, Yang Xing became even more frantic. At first, he would reach for Xiao Fei's back with his free hand, but later, he even started swinging his knife-wielding hand forward.

Xiao Fei ran with tears streaming down her face, unable to comprehend how one person could have such drastically different sides. She thought about the many people around everyone, and wondered if they too harbored hidden, unseen faces. If those faces were revealed, would they be as grotesque and terrifying as Yang Xing's?

The room was large and spacious, providing Xiaofei with an easy way to hide from Yang Xing. However, after chasing for a while, Xiaofei's legs were sore and tired, while Yang Xing remained unchanged, seemingly without any fatigue even after such a long time. Xiaofei was inwardly distressed but had no other choice. Moreover, she dared not slacken her efforts and had to keep running as fast as she could. She knew that she was now in a life-or-death situation, and she believed that if Yang Xing caught up with her, he would mercilessly slash her with his knife.

Suddenly, her legs gave way, and she stumbled. Although she managed to straighten herself and didn't fall, Yang Xing was already very close to her. A flash of light appeared behind her, and Xiao Fei let out a terrible scream, her body leaning forward before crashing heavily to the ground. Her back was already covered in bright red blood.

Xiao Fei struggled to crawl forward, but Yang Xing stepped on her leg. She turned around in horror and saw Yang Xing's ferocious expression, filled with murderous intent, but with a greedy glint in his eyes.

Xiaofei realized something, and a fear deeper than death plunged her into deep despair.

Tang Wan suddenly fell straight down from the wooden stake! At that moment, she was almost touching the top of the stake.

Shabo rushed forward first, Qin Ge followed closely behind, and the skinny man hesitated for a moment before finally following as well. A commotion arose in the crowd, and they surged forward. The two disciples began to dance again, the sounds of copper bells and sabers particularly jarring amidst the noise, and the gang's banner began to flutter in front of and behind them.

Tang Wan's face was ashen; she had already fainted. Her feet were now stained crimson with blood. Sha Bo trembled as he grasped her feet, which bore countless wounds of varying depths, some so deep they had torn the flesh open. The sight sent shivers down Sha Bo's spine. He quickly stripped off his own clothes and used them to wrap around her feet.

Du Chuanxiong stood in front of them again.

The disciples and their assistants danced faster behind him, and the crowd roared in a low, powerful voice. Amidst the roar, someone placed a square plank, about a meter in size, beneath the stake, directly opposite Tan Dong on the crossbeam. The two disciples, barefoot, stepped onto the blades on the stake, yet remained unharmed. They removed the blades one by one and then densely planted them into the plank.

Shabo Qin Ge finally realized what they were up to.

Du Chuanxiong stood before them, his eyes filled with disappointment, and said in a deep voice, "If you can't climb the Heavenly Ladder, then your friends only have one path to take."

Before Shabo Qinge could reply, he said again, heavily, "Rolling Dragon!"

Beneath the two wooden stakes, branches had been piled up. Two gang leaders, who had been standing by the stakes at some point, had lowered their banners and were now holding torches. Without explanation, Shabo and the others already knew what "rolling dragon" meant. It must mean that the two wooden stakes on either side were set on fire, and when they could no longer support the weight of the crossbeam and Tan Dong, Tan Dong would fall and land right on the wooden plank with the knife stuck upside down.

Now, behind the wooden stake, several burly men worked together to carry over a large black stone, taller than a person. The stone was shiny black and appeared irregularly shaped at first glance, but upon closer inspection after it landed, the shape of a head became faintly visible.

Du Chuanxiong raised his arms, muttered something, and then shouted, "Sacrifice to the God of Wine!"

The crowd immediately stirred, countless arms raised simultaneously, countless feet stomping on the ground, all emitting "ho ho" sounds. The two disciples who were spreading the teachings danced even faster, their bodies trembling like leaves, and finally, they knelt down at the same time, prostrating themselves before the large black stone.

Qin Ge knew that in Southwest China, the concept of animism was widely accepted. That large, dark, shiny rock appeared to be the god of wine that Du Chuanxiong had mentioned. The disciples had already prostrated themselves, and the roar of the crowd in the square was deafening. Even the usually indifferent Du Chuanxiong wore a solemn expression.

The torches in Bang Si's hands danced in the air, like two burning venomous snakes, about to fall into the pile of branches beneath the wooden stake...

A sharp, deafening crash drowned out the shouts of the crowd, and the square fell silent instantly. The two disciples who had been prostrate on the ground raised their heads, while the torches held by the two gang leaders froze in mid-air. Du Chuanxiong frowned, seemingly annoyed by the sudden turn of events.

Standing proudly beneath the wooden stake was Qin Ge. His back was ramrod straight, and his not-so-tall stature suddenly exuded a power that was impossible to ignore.

His strength came more from the gun in his hand. It had been tucked under his arm, and he had several times been tempted to draw it, but reason told him that he couldn't reveal his identity until the very last moment, and besides, the gun wasn't meant for ordinary people. The ritual to the wine god was about to begin, and the wooden stakes were about to be set ablaze; then, Tan Dong would truly be doomed. Qin Ge weighed the pros and cons and finally fired a warning shot, halting the impending ceremony.

The square was quiet; everyone stared intently at Qin Ge and the gun in his hand. Even Skinny Shabo was astonished; they had no idea how Qin Ge could be carrying a gun. Du Chuanxiong frowned, clearly realizing that what had happened was beyond his expectations and disrupted his planned procedures. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Qin Ge.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked menacingly, his eyes filled with wariness.

"I don't believe you still don't know who I am by now," Qin Ge said calmly. "There seem to be only two kinds of people who carry guns: police officers and criminals. Which kind of person do I look like?"

"Forgive my poor eyesight, but I haven't been able to tell the difference between a policeman and a criminal for a long time."

"That's your problem!" Qin Ge said emphatically. "I'm telling you clearly now, I'm a police officer. Do you think a police officer would let you do illegal things right under his nose?"

Du Chuanxiong shook his head helplessly: "You brought up the law again. Does the law stipulate that murderers don't have to pay with their lives? Your friend killed three people, and he must pay the price for it."

“But you are not an enforcer of the law!” Qin Ge said. “No one has the right to take another’s life before a legal trial.”

Du Chuanxiong grew impatient and waved his hand to stop Qin Ge: "This is Sleeping Manor."

"I'm a police officer, and I'm a police officer no matter where I am!" Qin Ge retorted without backing down.

Du Chuanxiong's helplessness deepened. He suddenly raised his hands and looked directly at Qin Ge: "Then I'll tell you now, in Sleeping Valley, there's no need for police!"

The crowd began to stir again, and the disciples who had been prostrating themselves on the ground began to kneel in worship once more. The clerks holding torches were clearly still hesitant; they looked at Qin Ge and Du Chuanxiong facing off in the center of the arena, and slowly moved their torches toward the pile of branches.

Qin Ge pointed the gun at Du Chuanxiong: "Tell them to stop!"

Du Chuanxiong smiled, but in that instant, his face showed extreme exhaustion: "Your gun can kill me, but it can't save your friend's life."

Before Qin Ge could speak, he suddenly turned around, waved his arm again, and the gang leader there no longer hesitated, throwing the torch in his hand onto the pile of branches. The fire quickly ignited.

Another gunshot rang out, the shrill cry silencing the crowd briefly, but then the commotion intensified. Qin Ge was clearly furious, but he couldn't aim his gun at anyone. He could only fire a warning shot, but the force of the gun was quickly disregarded, and the crowd grew even more agitated.

Before Shabo and the skinny man could move, they were already tightly embraced. Tang Wan, who had been lying on the ground, slowly woke up and, seeing the fire on either side of the wooden stake, let out a heart-wrenching scream. Tan Dong, perched on the crossbeam, never took his eyes off Tang Wan. When the fire started, he became calm. He called out Tang Wan's name loudly, knowing that he might truly be leaving her this time.

Death was imminent for Tan Dong, yet he felt little fear. Living was simply too painful for him. His gaze was fixed on Tang Wan, but he seemed to see a sixteen-year-old boy approaching him from the shadows. The boy's still-developing body was naked, splattered with blood. The blade in the boy's hand was pointing downwards, still dripping blood. Behind the boy, Tan Dong saw a middle-aged couple lying in a pool of blood.

Those were the parents of a sixteen-year-old boy. He killed his own parents with his own hands.

Tan Dong groaned in pain as he felt the ropes binding him loosen slightly.

Even long after the incident, he still didn't understand how he had killed his parents. When those bloody and horrific photos were placed in front of him, he wept bitterly like anyone who had lost their parents, as if their deaths had nothing to do with him.

He spent over two months in the detention center, constantly interrogated by people, some of whom were in white coats. Later, he was transferred to a fully enclosed hospital for treatment. He didn't know what illness he had, but he knew he must be sick; otherwise, why would everyone say he killed his parents?

During the six months he spent in the hospital, he often fell into deep thought. Some childhood memories became a daily lesson he had to review. He thought of the daily noise at home, the sound of things breaking, the lush gardenia tree, and his own weeping by the pit at dusk.

Many years later, the sixteen-year-old boy had grown into a young man and met a girl he deeply loved. That girl was now calling his name hoarsely from below.

Tang Wan. Tan Dong murmured to himself, his heart immediately gripped by immense pain.

He didn't know when it happened, perhaps after the first earthquake, but he noticed the changes within himself. For years, he had firmly believed that a demon lurked within him, the very demon that had killed his parents. That demon slumbered within him, unaware of when it would awaken. Tan Dong dared not sleep at night anymore, for he sensed the demon stirring, and he couldn't give it the chance to harm Tang Wan.

He once swore to protect Tang Wan with his life, but who could have known that the person he was always on guard against was actually himself.

He was exhausted from his own torment, and his body was covered in wounds.

And now all of this was about to end. He looked down at Tang Wan, who was crying and wailing, and felt only a deep sense of attachment. He suddenly realized that pain could also be a kind of happiness, but this happiness was about to leave him.

Qin Ge turned and used his gun to force back several men who approached him, then pointed the gun at Du Chuanxiong, whose back was turned to him. Although his back remained ramrod straight, he was filled with fear. In this situation, facing a group of unarmed civilians and the seemingly refined but actually extremely cunning Du Chuanxiong, his chances of winning were slim. Moreover, even his own escape was questionable.

As a police officer, what should you do in this situation?

Tang Wan crawled toward the wooden plank riddled with knives, futilely trying to move it. Tan Dong, perched on the crossbeam, screamed her name: "Tang Wan, Tang Wan, don't worry about me, get out of here, get out of here now!"

Tang Wan was speechless. Unable to move the wooden plank, she tried to pull out the knife stuck in it. But as soon as the first knife was pulled out, she was dragged to the side. She struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face. Her desperate eyes made her no longer a gentle woman, but like a dying female beast.

The wooden stake was burning, and the flames, like a crawling snake, gradually climbed up the stake.

Sha Bo, the skinny man, was held down by several burly men and unable to move, yet he struggled desperately; Tang Wan kept crawling towards the wooden plank, only to be dragged away each time she reached it; Tan Dong, perched on the crossbeam, stared at Tang Wan with pity and despair, calling her name loudly; Qin Ge still held his gun pointed at Du Chuanxiong, whose back was to him, but he couldn't bring himself to fire; the crowd was shouting, anticipating the moment Tan Dong was about to fall…

No one could stop the tragedy from happening. A wooden stake suddenly tilted, causing the crossbeam and the bound Tan Dong to sway. Then, the other stake snapped, and the crossbeam, along with Tan Dong, fell straight down.

Lying on the ground, Tang Wan saw the look in Tan Dong's eyes as he fell. There was no fear in them, only guilt and relief. With Tang Wan's piercing scream, Tan Dong landed on the wooden plank. The inverted knives pierced his body, and blood gushed out rapidly, quickly turning him into a blood-soaked figure. But his eyes remained open, fixed on Tang Wan's direction, as if still blaming himself for being unable to protect her.

Tang Wan tried in vain to crawl to his side, but her body was already held down. She stretched out her arms, as if that would bring her closer to Tan Dong. Her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. After an unknown amount of time, her arms finally slowly fell, her head pressed tightly against the ground, her whole body motionless, except that her eyes remained wide open and her mouth continued to move.

It seemed as if her soul had left her along with Tan Dong.

The fire was still burning, the crowd was still cheering, Shabo the skinny was still struggling, Qin Ge had already lowered his gun, and Du Chuanxiong turned around with a contemptuous smile on his face.

Everything became blurry, then turned into a blinding white blur.

As Tang Wan closed her eyes, she thought, "Am I about to die? If I die, I can be with Tan Dong again. In that case, dying might not be such a bad thing."

Tang Wan then thought, "Let me die. There will be no more fear or pain in death. Although I still have some regrets about life, death must be a silent and empty world where I will forget my regrets."

The bright white world turned gray, and darkness finally returned.

Tang Wan fainted.

Chapter 25: Pale Skin in the Secret Chamber

Night had already enveloped the sleeping manor.

Tang Wan slowly awoke, immediately overwhelmed by immense pain. She realized Tan Dong was gone, and then she saw the wooden stake that had been re-erected in the square, with Tan Dong, covered in blood, hanging from it. Was that the Tan Dong she had once loved so deeply? Tang Wan wanted to rush over and lower Tan Dong from the stake, but her body was limp, and she could barely move. Moreover, her heart was pounding violently; Tan Dong's corpse was like a sharp knife, piercing her body, leaving her wounded. She could only lie on the ground, staring at Tan Dong high above, tears streaming down her face, her body convulsing.

At this moment, the square was illuminated by countless torches, and everyone was doing one thing—drinking.

Everywhere you looked, people were completely drunk. The inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow were like madmen, constantly chugging the wine down their throats like water. Barrels taller than a person were scattered throughout the crowd, all opened, their aroma filling the night air. People stood around these barrels, using various containers to scoop out the wine, and some even stuck their heads directly into the barrels, remaining motionless for long periods.

Many people were drunk, jumping around wildly and making loud "hoho" noises. Most of the drunks were elderly people, women, and children. They were sweating profusely as they jumped, and many of them casually took off their clothes and threw them aside.

More people began to dance, and some men joined in, their shouts growing louder and their movements more frenzied. They quickly stripped off their clothes, letting sweat roll freely down their bodies. Some women began to swirl around the men, whose eyes darted about, grabbing women who interested them, pulling them into their arms, and beginning to make lewd gestures.

Flames soared into the sky, and the people in the square were like a group of wildly dancing demons, all of them having lost their minds.

Beside Tang Wan, Qin Ge was squatting on the ground, vomiting incessantly. He kept sticking his fingers into his throat, groaning in pain, and then vomiting up a dark purple liquid mixed with undigested food. Qin Ge didn't stop until he vomited up some colorless sour liquid. Not far away, Sha Bo and the skinny man were being held down by several burly men. They were forced to tilt their heads back, open their mouths wide, and someone poured wine directly into their mouths. They had clearly drunk quite a bit; their faces were flushed, and their eyes were beginning to glaze over. Later, the burly men released them, and they went to find more wine to drink, seemingly beyond their control.

Qin Ge rushed over and grabbed Shabo, who was about to plunge his head into the barrel of wine. Shabo was surprisingly strong at that moment; he retaliated by punching Qin Ge in the shoulder, causing Qin Ge to stumble and almost fall. Qin Ge pounced again, grabbing his arm and pinning him to the ground. Then, he shouted in Shabo's ear. Shabo sobered up a bit and heard Qin Ge say, "Spit out the wine you've drunk!"

Shabo seemed to only then notice the frenzied crowd in the square, and a look of fear appeared on his face. Qin Ge released his grip on Shabo's hands, pinched his cheeks, and forced him to open his mouth.

Shabo also started vomiting on the ground.

Qin Ge searched for the skinny man in the crowd again, but the skinny man had already disappeared without a trace. He had drunk more than Sha Bo, and when Qin Ge hugged Sha Bo, he danced and rushed into the crowd. By this time, no one recognized him anymore, and he didn't need to recognize anyone. A fire burned within him, and this fire needed to be channeled through action; otherwise, it would set him ablaze.

The skinny man set his sights on a woman. She was petite and well-proportioned, and she had completely removed her top. Her fair skin, illuminated by the firelight, possessed an indescribable, eerie beauty. The skinny man danced around her, his hand resting on her shoulder, and she coiled herself around his body like a snake.

Beside the thin man, an elderly man with a full head of white hair carried a teenage girl on his shoulders, walking towards the darkness at the edge of the square. Other men and women had already begun to writhe on the ground…

The clamor in the square had subsided considerably, replaced by a somber, decadent murmur. Sweat beaded on the skin illuminated by the firelight, twisting, swirling, and tangling, some disappearing into darkness, others remaining bathed in the firelight.

Men began to fight, all for a woman. Blood mingled with deep red wine, and the night was filled with the mingled scents of blood and wine.

Everyone has gone mad. A frenzied crowd, a frenzied Sleeping Manor.

Qin Ge and Sha Bo helped each other, avoiding the staggering man who rushed towards them and the woman who was swaying and stretching her limbs, and walked towards Tang Wan who was lying on the ground.

Tang Wan was unable to move; her eyes were still fixed on Tan Dong, who was hanging high above her, and her body was convulsing uncontrollably.