fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 25

"What opportunity?" Qin Ge asked.

Du Chuanxiong paused for a moment, then stared intently at Qin Ge, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Climb the Heavenly Ladder!"

The crowd quickly parted behind Du Chuanxiong, revealing a passageway in the middle. The passageway led directly to the base of the tall wooden stakes. Du Chuanxiong made a "please" gesture, and a smile returned to his face: "In any case, since you are at Sleeping Manor and have come at this opportune moment, we will not neglect our guests for such an important event as the worship of the God of Wine."

Qin Ge turned to look at the skinny man, then back at Sha Bo. At this point, they really had no other choice. As Sha Bo helped Tang Wan to her feet, Qin Ge finally stepped out first.

Shabo supported Tang Wan, trying his best to block her view with his body. As Tang Wan passed through the crowd, her entire body slumped into Shabo's arm. Shabo felt a pang of pity, but what could he do at this point?

"Tan—Dong!" Suddenly, Tang Wan screamed. She had already seen Tan Dong, who was tied high to the crossbeam. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she suddenly broke free from Sha Bo's support and ran swiftly towards the wooden stake. The skinny Qin Ge in front tried to stop her, but she overcame him with her sudden burst of strength.

Qin Ge and the other two could only speed up their journey.

Tang Wan was stopped by two people dressed in strange clothes. No matter how she tried to break through their defenses, she could not.

The two wore fan-shaped crowns embroidered with five celestial deities shrouded in auspicious light. Yellow ribbons fluttering from their ears were embroidered with the characters for "sun" and "moon" respectively. They wore wide-sleeved red robes, with the left collar embroidered with "Thousands of Mighty Soldiers" and the right with "Ten Thousand Fierce Generals." The shoulders and back were embroidered with the characters for "sun" in gold and "moon" in silver, and the front and back were decorated with golden Bagua diagrams. They wore eight-panel skirts made of eight separate pieces of cloth, each one foot wide and three feet long, in shades of blue, red, and white.

No matter which direction Tang Wan rushed from, one of these strangely dressed people would always block her way, while the other would shake a copper bell in one hand and hold a cleaver in the other, jumping back and forth while chanting:

My yang eyes are sealed, but my yin eyes are open.

I hear the gods at dawn, and at dawn I hear ghosts!

My yang opening is sealed, but my yin opening is open.

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), people talk about gods; at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), they ramble on about ghosts!

Qin Ge and the others rushed over, and Sha Bo tried his best to pull Tang Wan away. Tang Wan was still screaming Tan Dong's name from the high place, her expression showing that she had lost her mind and fallen into a state of madness.

Tan Dong, lying on the crossbeam, groaned a few times and slightly opened his eyes. Miraculously, his strength returned to his body. He also began to shout Tang Wan's name loudly, his voice filled with sorrow and despair.

At this moment, Du Chuanxiong also came to their side. Qin Ge turned around and glared at him angrily: "What exactly do you want?"

“It’s not that I want to do anything, it’s just that the people in town won’t let your friend go. And he did kill people, three people, one of whom was a local tyrant. It’s only right that debts should be repaid and murderers should be punished with their lives. You must know this principle, right?” Du Chuanxiong said.

Qin Ge was speechless for a moment, but he still said, "Only the law can decide a person's life or death. The people in the town, or you, do not have this power."

"This matter has nothing to do with me, so why would I want him dead?" Du Chuanxiong smiled faintly.

"Then you shouldn't condone them doing such illegal things."

"Illegal acts?" Du Chuanxiong frowned, his expression momentarily agitated. "What exactly is the law? Whose interests does it protect? Countless evils occur in this world every day, yet only a tenth or a twelfth are truly punished by law. This is not only due to the fragility and imperfection of the law itself, but more importantly, because the law itself is a trampling on human nature. Only the trampling on human nature is true evil. The great principles of heaven and earth operate with cause and effect, and the law is merely a cloak used by some to commit evil. The ignorant will remain ignorant forever, just like you, thinking you are educated and can use the law as a weapon to criticize others, but ignoring the most ordinary cause and effect of good and evil in the workings of heaven!"

Du Chuanxiong suddenly turned around, raised his hands towards the silent crowd, and shouted: "If someone comes to destroy the homes you have worked so hard to build, how will you treat him?"

The crowd surged with excitement, and a clamor surged forth like a tidal wave. Those simple faces, screaming hoarsely, were gradually distorted and deformed by hatred.

Qin Ge and the others paled. This kind of scene of intense emotion was not something they could handle alone. Qin Ge stepped forward and said to Du Chuanxiong, "Even if some evils in this world go unpunished by law, at least the law serves as a standard to restrain the occurrence of certain evils. Everything has a gradual process of improvement. As an observer, you can ignore this process, but you cannot deny it."

"What about the people who are hurt in this process?" Du Chuanxiong stared intently at Qin Ge. "Do they also have to ignore this process? Do they have to sacrifice their life's happiness for this process?"

Qin Ge was speechless, stunned. No matter how hard an order tries, it cannot guarantee the interests of everyone at the same time. People are hurt in it, and these wounds cannot be healed by theories; they remain forever. It's like how humans created airplanes, and every year plane crashes cause grief to countless families, but you can't say it's the airplane's fault.

Du Chuanxiong, on the other side, clearly didn't want to argue with Qin Ge anymore. He frowned and said, "If you can cooperate with today's ritual to worship the wine god, perhaps you still have a chance. The choice is yours."

Qin Ge turned around and met the gaze of the skinny Qin Ge, finally nodding slowly.

Several chairs were placed behind the erected wooden stakes, and Du Chuanxiong gave Qin Ge and the others a privilege that no one else had. Tang Wan was still agitated, but Sha Bo held her down firmly, whispering comforting words in her ear.

The ceremony had begun. The two figures, wearing ceremonial crowns, long-sleeved red robes, and eight-panel skirts, danced incessantly around two wooden stakes. Copper bells were attached to a wooden stick about a foot long, and a dozen iron rings strung on a ritual knife, its handle adorned with five-colored pieces. The bells and knife jingled in their hands. Their dance consisted only of leaping from side to side, wildly brandishing their ritual implements in the air, and constantly chanting incantations.

Du Chuanxiong said, "Your friends killed the Tima in town. Both of them were Tima's disciples, and the people in town called them Dharma disciples."

At this moment, two more people appeared in the arena. Du Chuanxiong said from the side that they were assistant teachers, people who helped the Tima complete the ceremony. Each assistant teacher held a large red flag and waved it around the head of the disciple transmitting the Dharma.

The crowd initially hummed along softly, but gradually the voices grew louder. Because of their heavy dialect, Qin Ge and the others couldn't understand what they were humming. Just then, someone brought up two long, red wooden boxes. The two disciples who were transmitting the teachings danced in front of the boxes before finally opening them.

The box contained more than twenty knives.

The disciples, with a dance-like gesture, took the knives in their hands, twirled and danced a few times, and then, incredibly, inserted the hilts into the upright wooden stakes. Only then did Qin Ge and the others notice the neat grooves on the stakes that perfectly matched the knife hilts. At first, they didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just part of the ritual. However, once the two disciples had inserted all twenty-odd knives into the stakes, the clamor abruptly ceased. The disciples and their assistants stood with their hands at their sides, while Du Chuanxiong stood up and approached Qin Ge and the others.

"As I just said, if you want to save your friends, there is still one chance."

Qin Ge's spirits lifted: "What should we do?"

"Climb the Heavenly Ladder!" Du Chuanxiong said emphatically.

The "Heavenly Ladder" is a knife driven into a wooden stake. Climbing the Heavenly Ladder means that a person must climb the stake barefoot on the blade. If they can untie the rope binding Tan Dong, the townspeople will spare his life. Moreover, climbing the Heavenly Ladder itself is a ritual for the dead.

The knives stuck in the wooden stakes, their blades pointing upwards, gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Qin Ge and the skinny Sha Bo exchanged bewildered glances, speechless for a moment. Tan Dong, bound to the crossbeam, weakly groaned. His feeble gaze fell upon them, his lips moving as if he wanted to speak, but due to his severe injuries, he could only utter indistinct syllables. However, from his despairing eyes, Qin Ge and the others could still discern his true feelings. He was asking everyone to leave him alone; his gaze towards Tang Wan was filled with remorse.

Tang Wan stared blankly at Tan Dong on the crossbeam, her excitement subsiding without her realizing it. This calm made everyone feel uneasy.

Shabo suddenly stood up and said heavily, "I will climb the Heavenly Ladder!"

His expression had taken on a tragic tone as he spoke.

Qin Ge was faster; she stood up and blocked his way: "I'll do it!"

Du Chuanxiong frowned as he stared at the two of them, looking puzzled: "You two have no connection with him, so why would you do something so dangerous because of him?"

“We came together, so we should go back together!” Qin Ge said.

"But unfortunately, neither of you can ascend the ladder to heaven. According to the rules, those who ascend the ladder must be the closest relatives of the redeemed. As far as I know, neither of you are."

"I can do it!" Tang Wan appeared in front of Qin Ge and Sha Bo with a solemn expression. "I am his wife. We just had our wedding in this small town. I am his closest relative, so I will climb this ladder to heaven."

"Tang Wan!" Sha Bo came up and grabbed her, but she easily broke free. She faced Tan Dong on the crossbeam and actually smiled slightly. That smile was extremely sad.

Tan Dong, perched on the crossbeam, stared in astonishment at the people below. Suddenly, he let out a heart-wrenching cry: "No—don't—!"

Tang Wan walked step by step towards the wooden stake. Her light blue pajamas were stained, and a pair of pink slippers fell behind her as she walked. Her feet were slender and fair, glistening faintly in the sunlight. Now, those feet were about to step onto the gleaming blade.

— Climb the ladder to heaven!

Chapter 24: The Refrigerator in Mother's Room

"I think I should tell you about my father," Yang Xing said, leaning against Xiao Fei's chest. "I'm afraid if I don't tell you now, I'll never have the chance again."

Yang Xing slept for a long time, his dreams haunted by hunger. When he woke up, he found himself resting his head on Xiao Fei's lap, her eyes red, clearly from crying.

"Let's talk about something, that might make the time pass a little easier," Yang Xing said.

His mind was perfectly clear at that moment, filled with guilt and tenderness for Xiaofei. Memories flooded his mind, and he longed to hold Xiaofei tightly and tell her that she had changed his life.

“You know what? Actually, I was always an insecure student in middle school because the students around me were all richer than my family. They could get things easily, but I could only watch them from afar. There must be quite a few insecure students in our school. The reasons for their insecurity may be varied, but I know that poverty is the root cause for most insecure people.”

Xiao Fei stroked Yang Xing's hair, listening intently. Her concept of poverty was limited to movies and TV shows; she couldn't possibly understand how much poverty could affect a person.

"My parents were very kind people. They scrimped and saved to send me to school and did everything they could to ensure I ate and dressed well. For a long time, I remember they never ate with me because they would wait until I finished eating before they could eat. I also remember that for several years in a row, they wouldn't buy themselves a new piece of clothing for the Lunar New Year, but every year they would secretly put lucky money by my pillow on New Year's Eve. Although the money wasn't much, it felt heavy in my hand. I vowed in my heart that one day I would give them a good life, and I would repay their kindness in raising me."

I was quiet and reserved at school, rarely participating in school activities. Gradually, I became more and more distant from my classmates; everyone said I was eccentric and difficult to approach. But little did they know that interacting with classmates inevitably involved certain expenses, and by staying alone, I avoided adding any extra burden to my parents. This situation continued until I went to university.

When I entered university, I suddenly realized that my personality had become really depressed. I started to panic. I didn't want to live my life in such a repressed way, so I desperately tried to change myself. I became more active in school, I became friends with all my classmates, I disregarded some rules, and deliberately showed a carefree and unrestrained personality in the eyes of others. But in fact, I had never gotten rid of the inferiority complex I had in my youth.

Until I met you.

I once read in a book how much confidence a good woman can give a man. You are that kind of girl; you gave me confidence. At first, I was a little uneasy dating you, subconsciously afraid you'd find out about my family background, afraid you'd look down on me. But my worries were clearly unnecessary. You were so good to me, so good that I felt almost overwhelmed. However, I outwardly acted even more nonchalant, even more indifferent to your concern. Over time, my confidence gradually built up. I realized that your kindness towards me could only be because of who I am, because I have qualities that you find appealing. After a long time, I found I no longer needed to pretend; I truly became more cheerful.

But then, something happened in my family that I didn't know how to face. It weighed on my heart like a boulder, and whenever I thought about it, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I even thought that I would never be able to escape the shadow it cast over my entire life.

The issue is still related to poverty. I told you my parents were extremely frugal, and this was evident in every detail of their lives. When they went to the market, they would walk the entire street, haggling tirelessly with vendors over a few cents. They were very well-informed; they were always the first to know which stores in town had sales and would wait outside early. Even in the summer, when leftover food smelled bad, they couldn't bear to throw it away. They would find some garlic and eat it along with the spoiled food, saying that garlic could kill germs. Every time I told them not to gamble with their health, they would say that they were still very healthy after all this time. But little did they know that the spoiled food was gradually accumulating toxins in their bodies, and one day, they would pay a heavy price. Their frugality seemed to have become an instinct, a habit. Perhaps they didn't particularly care about saving a few cents each time; the frugality itself brought them a lot of pleasure. Later, their frugality became even more extreme. My mother used to be an excellent cook. The few relatives who came to our house for dinner all praised her cooking skills, saying she could be a head chef at a hotel. However, I gradually disliked my mother's cooking because she became so frugal that she even stopped using seasonings. I have subtly pointed this out to her many times. She used plenty of seasonings, but then started saving gas, and some dishes were served hard and dry.

I went to university and left home, and their frugality became unrestrained. Every time I returned home, I felt a pang of sadness. I had no right to criticize their frugality; on the contrary, I should be grateful to them because everything they did was for me, their only son. These feelings coalesced into a driving force within me, like a whip constantly motivating me.

But last summer vacation, when I returned home, something happened that almost broke me down.

Yang Xing paused for a moment, his chest heaving, as if recalling the past still made his heart pound. He was already very weak, and the painful memories required him to gather some strength to recount them in one breath; otherwise, he truly feared he would have to bury his feelings deep in his heart forever. At this moment, some hidden but not easily suppressed impulses quietly wandered within him; he could feel them, but couldn't grasp them.

"Coming home for summer vacation has become a tradition. Last summer, when I returned home, I didn't notice anything unusual at first. My mother said that my father had gone to work at a shoe factory in Wenzhou with a group of retired colleagues. She added that my father had been rehired as a technician, and the owner of the private shoe factory valued his skills. I didn't suspect anything when my mother said that, but gradually, I started to feel something was wrong. I could feel a chilling atmosphere at home all the time. I didn't know why, and just assumed it was because I had been away from home for too long and was not used to being back. A week passed, and the eerie atmosphere not only did not weaken but grew stronger. Moreover, I noticed that my mother's behavior had also become quite strange."

We used to have an old-fashioned Xiangxuehai refrigerator at home. My father bought it secondhand at a flea market when I was in high school. It was still in good condition, just quite noisy. The refrigerator had always been in the living room, but this time when I came back, I found it had been moved to my mother's bedroom. And my mother, she often stayed alone in her bedroom, her eyes darting around when she spoke to me, as if she was hiding something very important.

One morning, I woke up but didn't get out of bed. Instead, I listened carefully to the sounds outside. My mother gets up early every day to buy groceries, and this is the only time I'm home alone. Before leaving, my mother came to check on me in my room. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Then she turned and left. As soon as she left, I quickly got out of bed and went to my mother's bedroom, only to find that the door was locked.

I don't remember my parents' bedroom ever being locked. Why did my mother lock it after my father passed away? When she locked the bedroom at home, the only person she could guard against was me. My mother was honest and hardworking all her life. What could she possibly be hiding from me?

When my mother returned, I pretended not to notice anything, but secretly took her key and went out to make a copy. The next morning, as my mother went out to buy groceries, I stood by her bedroom door, holding the newly made key, and suddenly felt a pang of fear. I hesitated at the door for a long time, not knowing why I was so indecisive. The key was in my hand; the lock was no longer an obstacle. I could easily get inside, and perhaps the question that had been lingering in my mind these past few days would be answered in an instant. What was I hesitating about?

I finally managed to unlock the door and enter the room.

The room was as dark as it had been years ago, with the curtains drawn tightly shut through the west window, blocking out the little light that was available. My parents' bedroom was always very simple, containing only a bed, an old-fashioned wardrobe, and a table. I was very familiar with the place, but this time when I went in, I felt cautious, and a very oppressive feeling washed over me as soon as I entered.

The dimly lit room seemed to have a lingering, musty smell, a kind of stale, decaying odor that had accumulated over the years. I looked around the room and quickly spotted the refrigerator in the northwest corner of the bedroom, right next to the table. It was humming softly as it worked. Staring at it, I knew immediately that all my questions could be answered by its presence.

As I walked toward the refrigerator, my legs felt weak, and my palms and soles were instantly covered in sweat. I was extremely nervous.

As I mentioned before, my parents' bedroom was very dark. When I got to the refrigerator, I noticed that it was wrapped with several thick wires around its waist. This was even more unusual. What was my mother hiding in the refrigerator that made her so careful?

This time I didn't hesitate, because I knew my mother's return time was approaching. I went out to find pliers, quickly cut the wire, and then, without giving myself time to think, swiftly opened the refrigerator door..."

Yang Xing groaned, his body suddenly turning over as he gagged. Xiao Fei quickly patted his back, a hint of fear on her face. She was completely absorbed in Yang Xing's story, realizing that a huge secret must be hidden in that refrigerator—a secret that was Yang Xing's deepest wound. Thinking back to how his mother had come to see him at school not long ago after learning of his strange illness, and how he had sent her home that very day, there must be some reason unknown to outsiders. Xiao Fei suddenly felt a little afraid to look at the contents of the refrigerator.

"Stop talking, Yang Xing. Let bygones be bygones."

Yang Xing gagged a few times, vomiting up some yellow fluid. He struggled to lie back on Xiao Fei's lap, wiping the vomit from his mouth with his arm. His face was contorted in pain, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He seemed not to hear Xiao Fei's words and continued speaking:

"I opened the refrigerator, and I saw my father! It was my father!" Yang Xing screamed hoarsely!

Xiao Fei was startled. This was beyond her imagination. Goosebumps instantly rose all over her body, and she felt even colder.

"My father was in the refrigerator, his body curled up, terribly deformed, his head facing the refrigerator door. His face was deathly pale, like wet quicklime, frost clinging to his protruding features and hair. His mouth was slightly open, but his eyes were wide open, devoid of any remaining light. Looking at my father, it felt as if the blood in my body had frozen along with him in that instant. My father was also looking at me, but his gaze was no longer on me; his wrinkled face seemed to record the hardships and struggles of his life. A deafening roar went through my mind, a burning force surged through my body, my whole body was as cold as ice, yet a fire burned in my heart. I was covered in cold sweat, panting heavily, my stomach churning, a surge of energy rising to my throat, and before I could even run out the door, I vomited."

Yang Xing became increasingly agitated, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. He gripped Xiao Fei's arm tightly, as if a drowning man were clinging to a piece of driftwood. His gaze became unfocused, his expression drifting into a daze, but he still insisted on finishing his sentence.

“I was terrified. I can never forget the moment I opened the refrigerator door and saw my father looking at me from inside. That morning, I ran out of my parents' bedroom, feeling I couldn't stay in that house for another second. I quickly packed my things and fled. My mother, returning from grocery shopping, frantically called my name from behind, but I didn't turn back and ran as fast as I could. I haven't been home since then. My mother called the school, and I learned that my father's cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. But I pressed her to tell me why my dead father was in the refrigerator. It took her a long time to tell me the reason. Do you know what the reason was? It seems so ridiculous to you, but when I heard it, all I wanted to do was cry.”

Yang Xing choked back sobs, his whole body convulsing, his hands and feet trembling as if electrocuted: "My mother told me that my father died at home, and that as long as she hid his body, no one would know he was dead. At that time, the shoe factory on the street where they had worked their whole lives had just been acquired by a company that was doing well and could pay them pensions regularly. My mother hid my father's body just so that she could continue to collect his pension! That five or six hundred yuan pension!"

Yang Xing's voice became hoarse, as each word required all his strength. Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he actually managed to stand up from the ground. His arms flailed wildly, as if lashing out at someone invisible in the air. He screamed repeatedly, "Come out! This is the fate you've ordained! Why is it that some people are born with something, while we spend our entire lives trying to obtain it? You shouldn't have toyed with us! You shouldn't have toyed with my parents! They were honest and kind their whole lives; treating them like this is far too cruel!"

Xiao Fei rushed up in alarm and grabbed Yang Xing, only to find a fierce glint in his eyes that only a caged beast would possess.

Yang Xing completely lost control.

Blood. One drop, two drops...

The pale feet remained pale, glistening slightly in the sunlight, the bloodstains only clinging to the blades it had trodden upon. The blood couldn't conceal the blade's sharpness; it only amplified its chilling aura.

Everyone held their breath, watching Tang Wan, that frail girl who looked like she could be blown away by a gust of wind, ascend the ladder to heaven. Sha Bo's heart was in his throat, as if it would leap out of his throat if Tang Wan fell. Only Du Chuanxiong, the master of Sleeping Manor, stood indifferently to the side, as if watching something he didn't care about.

The one who let out the scream was Tan Dong. He began to twist and struggle violently as Tang Wan's foot stepped on the first blade, letting out a scream that only a dying beast could make.

Tang Wan remained calm, seemingly immersed in a state of emptiness, completely oblivious to Tan Dong's screams. She didn't even glance at him, who was suspended on the crossbeam. She gripped the wooden stake with both hands, her feet slowly alternating as she stepped onto the blade. As the blood dripped down, she didn't even flinch. Her expression was serene and peaceful, like that of a devout believer.

The wooden stakes are about seven or eight meters high, with fifteen knives stuck in each side. Tang Wan only needs to climb to the top of the stake from one side, pull out the knives stuck in the stakes, and cut the rope binding Tan Dong to pass the test of climbing the ladder to heaven.