fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 15

And her indifference was exactly what Tang Wan wanted.

In the evening, the guests arrived together. In addition to Qin Ge, Sha Bo, Yang Xing and Xiao Fei, there was an uninvited guest. Tan Dong and Tang Wan also knew this person. He was Jiang Nan, the owner of the Night Sleep Inn.

As Jiang Nan entered, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tan Dong, who was waiting by the door: "On your joyous wedding day, I have come uninvited to join in the fun. I wonder if the groom will welcome this uninvited guest."

Tan Dong had changed into a snow-white shirt and a dark blue tie, with a boutonniere tucked into his shirt pocket, looking every bit the groom. A stiff, long-lost smile appeared on his face: "Of course you're welcome. How could we not welcome such an honored guest?"

Everyone went inside, but the bride, Tang Wan, was nowhere to be seen. Tan Dong pointed to the inner room: "Tang Wan is still getting ready in the inner room."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled and sat down around the table. Tan Dong came over and offered cigarettes to everyone: "The wedding preparations were rushed, and there may have been some shortcomings in our hospitality. Please forgive us."

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, Xiao Fei couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up and went to the door of the inner room, shouting that she wanted to see the bride: "Every wedding has bridesmaids in addition to the bride, so I'll be a bridesmaid today."

Shabo patted Yang Xing on the shoulder and forced a smile, saying, "If there are bridesmaids, there must be groomsmen. You should go and get dressed up too."

Everyone burst into laughter, even Tan Dong was laughing heartily this time.

On the way there, everyone had agreed that tonight's wedding conversation would be purely romantic, and no one should ask about the reasons why Tan Dong and Tang Wan were getting married in this remote town, lest they stir up their emotions. Everyone chatted merrily along the way, except for Sha Bo, who was preoccupied and melancholy. What troubled him, of course, was the image on the invitation from the previous night, but considering that a wedding was a major life event, he didn't want his emotions to affect everyone else, so he tried his best to control himself.

Xiao Fei quietly opened the door to the inner room and saw Tang Wan sitting at the table, putting on makeup in front of the mirror. She tiptoed over and peeked at Tang Wan from behind in the mirror.

Two tears were slowly sliding down Tang Wan's carefully made-up face.

Xiao Fei paused for a moment, then put away her mischievous thoughts and obediently sat down opposite Tang Wan. When Tang Wan saw Xiao Fei, she hurriedly wiped away the tears on her face, and her foundation was ruined in two places. She quickly took out a powder puff to touch up her makeup.

"Sister Tang, today is your big day, you can't cry," Xiao Fei said seriously.

"I'm not crying, I'm happy," Tang Wan said with a smile, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Sister Tang, don't lie to me. You must not be very happy." Xiao Fei frowned, as if she had something to say but was trying her best to hold it back. But she finally slammed her hand on the table, "They told me not to ask, but I really can't hold it in anymore. Sister Tang, why did you come all the way to this small town to hold your wedding? Is there some unavoidable reason?"

Tang Wan paused for a moment, then said softly, "You all noticed?"

“If we can’t see it, we’re all blind,” Xiaofei said.

Tang Wan stopped what she was doing, staring blankly at herself in the mirror, speechless for a long time. Just then, Tan Dong walked in and asked Tang Wan if she was ready, as the guests outside were getting impatient.

Tang Wan quickly stood up, nodded, and indicated that she could leave. Xiao Fei then came over and took Tang Wan's arm. When she glanced at Tang Wan, she saw that her eyes were glistening with tears again.

Yang Xing lit firecrackers in the courtyard.

Jiangnan, Shabo, and others scattered some colorful confetti on Tan Dong and Tang Wan.

The wedding was simple, but it proceeded in a proper and respectful manner.

After the wedding ceremony, it was time for everyone to take their seats. The banquet was originally being held in the outer room. Tan Dong and Tang Wan cleared away the candies and melon seeds on the table, and Tang Wan went to the kitchen outside to bring in the prepared dishes, which were mostly local specialties and cooked food that had been bought.

No one paid much attention to this; after taking their seats, they laughed and joked, creating a rather lively atmosphere.

When Tan Dong brought the wine, Jiang Nan waved his hand to stop him: "I came to your wedding today but I don't have any gifts. I brought two bottles of our local wine. Why don't we drink this tonight?"

The others were unfazed, but Yang Xing and Xiao Fei were both taken aback upon hearing this. After exchanging a glance, they echoed each other in unison. Jiang Nan then brought out some wine and filled everyone's glasses. Yang Xing let out a cheer, ignoring everyone else, and poured himself a glass of wine.

It turns out that the wine brought from Jiangnan was the same kind of wine that Yang Xing drank at the doctor's house.

Jiang Nan smiled slightly, said nothing more, refilled Yang Xing's glass, and suggested everyone raise their glasses to wish the newlyweds a happy and fulfilling life together. Tan Dong and Tang Wan sat facing the door, both beaming with happiness. Jiang Nan and the others raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp, but Tan Dong and Tang Wan suddenly froze, their glasses stopping abruptly at their lips.

Following their gaze, everyone looked toward the door and saw that there was now another person in the courtyard.

He was dressed in black, black pants, and was extremely thin.

This was the very thin man that Tang Wan least wanted to see.

Everyone knew about Tan Dong's relationship with the skinny guy, so no one told him about Tan Dong and Tang Wan's marriage. They just secretly attended the wedding that evening. Unexpectedly, the skinny guy still came.

The skinny man stood in the shadows of the courtyard, his pale face starkly white. He looked indifferently at the group of people chatting and laughing inside the house, and thought sadly, "Is this the girl's happiness?"

Tan Dong had already left his seat and rushed away, and Sha Bo and the others around him couldn't stop him no matter what they tried.

Now Tan Dong faces the skinny man in black again.

Tan Dong's fists were clenched, veins bulged on his neck, and the muscles in his face stiffened and twisted again. He charged out with a murderous aura, as if the skinny man was a demon who had come to steal his happiness.

He stood before the skinny man, his strength fully charged, confident that a single punch would send him sprawling to the ground. But he couldn't bring himself to deliver the blow.

The skinny man continued to gaze at him calmly. Compared to the sharp murderous intent in his eyes, his gaze was weak and powerless, even devoid of hostility. His posture was also unintentional, with his hands hanging down at his sides, and he looked unusually tired, like a traveler who had wandered for a long time and finally found a house in the wilderness. He stood outside the house, waiting for the owner inside.

Tan Dong's punch failed to land, and everyone inside rushed out of the house.

Qin Ge had been traveling with the skinny guy for the past few days and had become somewhat familiar with him, so she went up and grabbed the skinny guy, while Sha Bo and Yang Xing hugged Tan Dong from behind.

"On such a joyous occasion, everyone who comes is a guest. Please don't act impulsively," Sha Bo said. He felt a pang of sympathy for the thin man. He was so thin that standing before Tan Dong, he gave the impression of a cat and a tiger.

Yang Xing said to the skinny man, "If you want to fight, find another day. Today is someone's wedding day. Don't pick this day to cause trouble."

The skinny man said calmly, "I'm not here to fight."

"Then what do you want to do?" Tan Dong asked sternly.

"I just wanted to attend your wedding and wish you happiness. But it's clear you don't welcome me, so I think I should go."

The skinny man gave Qin Ge a wry smile, and then actually turned around and slowly walked out of the courtyard.

Everyone was stunned, not expecting things to end so simply. Tan Dong felt like he had thrown a punch and missed again. He mumbled something, struggled to break free from Sha Bo and Yang Xing who were holding him, and strode after them. The crowd shouted his name from behind and hurried after him.

But Tan Dong simply stopped behind the skinny man without making any other move. The skinny man heard the sound, stopped, turned around, and looked puzzled in his dim eyes.

“I don’t care what you came here for today, or why you’ve been following us like a vengeful ghost all this way. Now, I just want to say one thing to you: stay away from us, the farther the better. Next time, if you ever appear in our sight, I will definitely not let you leave so easily. I will make you regret ever being born.”

Tan Dong's words were unusually firm, and the threat was quite strong. Even Sha Bo and Yang Xing behind him frowned slightly and felt a chill run down their spines.

The thin man in black became serious, and at that moment, a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes. He didn't say a word, slowly turned around, and slowly walked away.

—Was he intimidated by Tan Dong's threat and left dejectedly, or did he simply not take the formidable Tan Dong seriously?

Tan Dong watched the skinny man leave, his eyes blazing with fury. The skinny man's attitude had clearly enraged him, but he had nowhere to vent his anger. When he turned around, everyone saw that his eyes had turned bloodshot.

Yang Xing stepped forward and pulled him back, while the others persuaded him to go back inside together.

Shabo took the initiative to close the door in the outer corridor. When he turned back, everyone was already inside. Just as he was about to go inside, the door to the west wing opened, and a young woman wearing a blue cloth jacket with a diagonal front came out carrying a basin. Shabo didn't pay attention at first, but when his eyes met the young woman, he was startled.

The young woman had long hair that reached her shoulders, and her face was so pale it was almost transparent. Her cold expression revealed indifference. She was none other than the madwoman that Shabo had seen on the suspension bridge the night before.

The madwoman had no recollection of Shabo at all. As she passed by him, perhaps puzzled by his astonished expression, she glanced at him indifferently before her gaze drifted away, never looking at him again.

Tan Dong had drunk too much tonight. The men finished the two bottles of wine they brought from Jiangnan, and then drank two bottles of cheap, locally produced liquor. Although Tang Wan tried her best to hide her fear, everyone could see it in her heart. The forced smile on her face, beneath her beautiful makeup, gave off an extremely pitiful feeling. Everyone felt pity for this beautiful woman, while at the same time, they wondered about the connection between her and the thin man.

No one believed that Tang Wan and the skinny man could have any romantic entanglement. But besides that, no one could think of any other possibility. Yang Xing and Xiao Fei tried to ask several times during the meal, but Sha Bo stopped them with his gaze. Later, Xiao Fei, sitting next to Tang Wan, noticed that Tang Wan was constantly trembling slightly, so she gestured to everyone with her eyes.

Tan Dong was also in a depressed mood, his flushed face ashen. The host remained silent for a long time, which made everyone present feel rather bored, but no one thought to blame Tan Dong and Tang Wan.

They sat for a while longer, then got up together to say goodbye. Tan Dong and Tang Wan didn't try to stop them, and saw them to the door. As they left, they wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but the door had already closed impatiently.

On the way back to the Night Sleep Inn, the group discussed Tan Dong and Tang Wan's wedding for a while, all finding the couple's eccentric personalities a headache. Sha Bo suddenly remembered the young woman they had seen in the courtyard and told Jiang Nan about her. Jiang Nan realized and quickly said, "I forgot to tell you, the old couple who took in the crazy woman were Tan Dong and Tang Wan's landlords."

Yang Xing had drunk quite a bit of wine and was now in high spirits. He kept pestering Jiang Nan with Xiao Fei, asking where the wine was made. "You don't know, Yang Xing's strange illness was cured by drinking that wine. Before we leave, we must take a few more bottles with us," Xiao Fei said.

When the topic of wine came up, Jiangnan fell silent.

"Say something! The doctor said the wine was brewed in Sleeping Valley. You've been in Sleeping Valley for ten years, surely you recognize the owner of the winery? Take us to buy a few bottles tomorrow," Yang Xing said anxiously.

Jiangnan sighed, shook his head, and remained silent.

"You're usually such a cheerful person, why are you all so down now?" Xiao Fei rolled her eyes at him, then grabbed his arm and said coquettishly, "Brother Jiang, please say yes to us."

Jiang Nan, shaken by Xiao Fei, could no longer remain silent. He said, "It's not that I don't want to agree, but although this wine is brewed in Sleeping Valley, it's not something that can be easily obtained. Although I've met the owner of the winery a few times, he rarely leaves his home, and it's difficult for me to even see him."

Shabo asked in confusion, "Who is this mysterious person?"

As soon as he said it, he remembered what Jiangnan had once told him: Sleeping Valley is full of hidden talents and no one should be underestimated. Before coming to Sleeping Valley, they may have been influential figures who dominated their respective regions.

"I heard from the doctor that the winery is located in some Sleeping Manor. Where exactly is this Sleeping Manor?" Xiao Fei asked.

"You know about Sleeping Manor too?" Jiang Nan asked, somewhat surprised. "What else did the doctor tell you?"

"He only mentioned that name. When we asked him anything else, he didn't say a word, as if mentioning that villa would bring bad luck," Yang Xing said.

“Sleeping Manor.” Jiang Nan gave a wry smile. “Since you’re so eager to know, I’ll tell you all about it. The people in town don’t want to talk about it because they’re afraid it will frighten outsiders like you.”

Jiang Nan paused for a moment, as if considering in his mind where to begin.

"According to the old folks in the town, about a hundred years ago, a band of bandits appeared in these mountains, specializing in robbing and plundering, and harming the surrounding people. Over a decade, they robbed more than a dozen villages in the area, and the villagers fled the mountains one after another. At that time, the villagers of Sleeping Valley were the most numerous and the most powerful of all the villages. The bandits had long been aware of this, but they never dared to make a move. It wasn't until Sleeping Valley was the last village left in the mountains that the bandits finally made up their minds to come and plunder it."

The villagers had prior knowledge of the situation, and the village chief led them in discussing how to fight the bandits. The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were quickly evacuated to the outside of the mountains, while the able-bodied men remained. Everyone harbored deep hatred for the bandits and hoped to annihilate them in a single battle.

When bandits roamed the village, the villagers of Sleepy Valley spent several years building a circular castle. The castle consisted of an inner and outer ring. The outer ring had high, thick walls, and at its highest point, between the mud and plank walls, was a hidden passageway connecting the entire building, with small doors leading to each household. The castle's main gate had a drainage and sand-leaking system to prevent fire attacks. The inner ring consisted of interconnected houses used for living. This circular castle was built specifically to defend against the bandits.

All the able-bodied men in the village entered the castle, eager to fight, just waiting for the bandits to attack.

Later, the bandits really did come. But no one knows the outcome of that battle.

Several days later, the villagers who had moved elsewhere, unaware of the battle's progress, sent one of their more agile members back to the village to investigate. Upon returning, the villager found the round castle gates wide open, and the area eerily quiet with no sign of human presence.

The villager boldly entered the castle, surveyed the outer ring building, and then entered the inner ring building.

The sight he witnessed was unforgettable for him.

The villagers who remained in the village, along with the attacking bandits, lay quietly on their beds in their respective rooms, all of them dead. Moreover, their deaths were peaceful, without any trace of battle.

They looked as if they were asleep, and their faces were even flushed.

No one knows how they died, nor how the villagers ended up lying next to the bandits. From then on, Sleepy Hollow was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

-

The matter was far from over. The villagers returned to their village, buried their loved ones, and began to start their lives anew. But then, people started dying one after another in the village. The victims were all people who had gone out late at night, and their deaths were extremely gruesome; they had all been beaten to death with blunt objects. So, the villagers united to catch the murderer.

After meticulous planning, the mysterious assassin finally appeared. Surrounded by the villagers, he showed no fear. Some recognized him as the leader of the bandits, nicknamed Yaksha. Yaksha had a long beard, was exceptionally tall, and wore animal skin clothing. Legend had it that he was born with extraordinary abilities, his hands as large as cattails, and his strength capable of lifting a cauldron. The villagers had previously found his body in the castle and buried him along with the bodies of other bandits, but they never expected him to reappear.

When the Yaksha reappeared, he was killed by the villagers. Worried that he might regenerate, the villagers dismembered his body and threw the pieces off different cliffs.

But a month later, more villagers died inside the castle, their deaths mirroring the previous ones—beaten to death with a blunt object. The castle's inhabitants said they saw a long-bearded demon again in the dead of night. Others claimed that the bandits and villagers who died inside the castle were still alive, because one night they saw shadowy figures in the castle square, two groups still locked in a fierce battle…

A breeze swept through, and everyone suddenly felt a chill. The small street was now completely silent, the moonlight reflecting off the bluestone pavement, and wisps of mist lingered in the distance. The dim lamplight seemed even more eerie, and a deeper darkness raged above the street. The wind carried the scent of the mountains and forests, mingled with the chirping of insects and the rustling of the wind through the treetops, vaguely resembling the sounds of a battle between villagers and bandits from legend.

"Later, all the villagers moved away from the castle, but the assassin did not stop there. Every now and then, someone would die. The castle was abandoned, and no one dared to go into the castle anymore. The legend of the Yaksha was passed down from generation to generation."

"Is the castle you mentioned the Sleeping Manor that is now?" Shabo asked.

Jiangnan nodded: "The castle turning into a sleeping manor is something that happened in the last few years. About five years ago, a few people came to town, saying that their boss had taken a fancy to the abandoned round castle and wanted to buy it. The villagers told the visitors the legend of the castle, but the visitors obviously didn't care and promised that once their boss moved into the castle, the town would begin a completely new life."

The town's transformation seemed to happen in an instant. Thanks to the castle owner's arrival, electricity was brought in, a satellite dish was installed, and telephone and internet services became available. All sorts of novelties from the outside world flooded the town like rain. The townspeople finally realized how wonderful the outside world truly was. They were filled with gratitude towards the castle owner, but also with a sense of unease, because although he had remained in Sleeping Valley for years, he had rarely ventured out, and few had ever seen him.

But what did it matter? Everyone in the town was living a changed life, and they quickly adapted. Later, news came from the castle that the castle owner's brewery was being established and he was recruiting villagers to work there. Although everyone was tempted by the high wages, no one was willing to apply because of the legend of the castle. The castle owner later tripled the salary, and some young men finally couldn't resist and went to the brewery to apply. A month later, they returned from the castle, each receiving a reward that amazed the townspeople. As a result, the townspeople flocked to the castle like a tide, and they saw a huge stone monument standing outside the castle, and the castle's name was changed to Sleeping Manor.

Working at the estate owner's winery became the main source of livelihood for the townspeople. The wine produced at the castle wasn't sold locally; every so often, trucks would arrive in Sleepy Hollow, load up, and leave. But the estate owner wasn't stingy; he distributed a portion of the wine to the townspeople every month. The wine was sweet, and everyone in town gradually grew to love it. Because it was distributed regularly, everyone cherished it and rarely showed it to others.

Jiangnan let out a long sigh, as if he had said everything he wanted to say. By then, everyone had returned to the Night Sleep Inn.