Premier tome de la série Le Magicien Oolong Qui suis-je

Chapitre 110

Where……?

I tried hard to recall... I felt like this mask had appeared in my memory more than once before, but where exactly? And for what reason? I couldn't remember...?

Memory. Like a river frozen beneath an ice sheet, needing to break through!

Oh right... I remember now!

Isn't this something I saw in my hometown when I was a child? At the annual sacrificial ceremony in my hometown!

What's it called...?

Nuo...Nuo dance?

Yes, those are the masks worn by the people during the Nuo dance!

Although there are some variations, they are basically the same.

Nuo dance is a traditional ritual used in my hometown to worship ancestors. It's similar to a dance, yet also resembles a theatrical performance, and it's said to have a very long history. It involves using Zhong Kui (a mythical figure believed to exorcise evil spirits) to drive away demons. Typically, one person wears a mask resembling a draft to portray Zhong Kui, while four others wear different masks to represent Zhong Kui's four generals. They then dance using a step called "Yu Bu" (禹步). It's very complex, but it's an annual tradition in my hometown!

Strange! Nuo dance is rarely known to the general public. How did Zhuang Jing know about it? And clearly, the masks used in Nuo dance are meant to match this ancient costume. Because I saw a sketch on one of the drafts depicting people dressed in ancient costumes wearing masks. But it still feels very strange.

Because in my memory, the people who performed the Nuo dance didn't wear such ancient costumes at all. Instead, they wore the red official robes that Zhong Kui often wore, also known as the judge's robes.

This ancient costume seems even more luxurious, more intricate… more…feminine? Feminine! I finally understand what I found strange! The ancient costume in the sketch was clearly designed for women, while in my memory, the people who performed Nuo dance were always men. Their clothes would naturally be men's clothing!

Women dancing Nuo dance? This has never happened in my hometown, and it's never been allowed. Nuo dance has always been a man's prerogative! Women don't even have the right to touch the props used in Nuo dance!

And now, Zhuang Jing has actually designed a dance in women's clothing? Is it because she is unfamiliar with the customs, or is it intentional?

"Senior! Senior!" Juanzi suddenly called in my ear, startling me.

"What is it?" I asked hurriedly.

"What's wrong? You're staring blankly at these drafts," Juanzi said.

"Oh..." I stammered, my mind still preoccupied with the strange ancient costume.

Ancient costume! So that means it's not the kind of clothing you can just buy anywhere these days?

"By the way, Juanzi, does Zhuang Jing usually stop designing these clothes after she finishes? Does she only design them and not make them?" I asked.

"Of course we'll make them. People from the anime club have even worn them to competitions!" Juanzi said proudly.

"How did you make it?" I asked hastily.

"It was specially made by an old tailor. All of Zhuang Jing's clothes were ordered from him," Juanzi replied.

"Do you know that old tailor? Can you take me there?" If Zhuang Jing cared about this outfit so much, she would definitely have it made. Besides, Zhuang Jing seemed very concerned about this design before she died, even refusing to let Juanzi see it. This shows how important this outfit is, and I always felt that Zhuang Jing's date with Zhao Xing might be related to this outfit.

"What are you going there for?" Juanzi asked curiously.

"Hmm..." My mind raced. I immediately came up with a reason: "Since Zhuang Jing cared so much about this outfit when she was alive, and she loved designing clothes, why don't we make one based on her sketch, so she can wear it at her funeral?"

"That's a great idea!" Juanzi immediately agreed, took my hand, and said, "Let's go find Master Hao now!"

Master Hao's tailor shop was actually located in his own home. However, with ready-made clothes readily available everywhere, fewer and fewer people were having their clothes made by tailors. Naturally, the tailor shop's business was not as good as before.

Stepping into Master Hao's home, there were three or four sewing machines, and all sorts of fabrics and papers were piled up everywhere. Master Hao was an elderly man with a full head of white hair, and it seemed that even his eyes were hidden by wrinkles. But his hands were remarkably well-preserved. You couldn't tell at all that they belonged to a man in his sixties.

"Hehe, I make a living with my hands, so of course I need to take good care of them," Master Hao said with a smile, seemingly noticing that I had noticed his hands.

"Master Hao, I need your help." Juanzi handed the draft to Master Hao and said, "Could you make a garment based on this design?"

"This one?" Master Hao took the draft and looked at it, saying, "Isn't this designed by Zhuang Jing, that girl Zhuang?"

"You know?" I asked.

"Of course, she brought it over a few days ago and even asked me to make it for her!" Master Hao replied.

"Is it done? Where are the clothes?" Juanzi asked.

"Didn't she take the clothes back herself?" Master Hao asked. "Why didn't Zhuang girl come?"

"Zhuang Jing, she..." Juanzi was about to say something when I immediately stopped her and said, "Zhuang Jing had something to do so she didn't come, and we came without telling her."

For an elderly man in his sixties, it's probably best not to tell him about the sudden end of a young and vibrant life! He might not be able to bear it. Judging from his tone, he loved Zhuang Jing so much.

Juanzi seemed to understand what I meant, and just glanced at me without saying anything more.

"Why keep it from her?" Master Hao asked with a smile.

"Oh. I see. Zhuang Jing really liked that outfit, but it was made for someone else, not for her. We saw how much she liked it, so we wanted to secretly make her another one to make her happy. We even used her sketches for the design!" I began to realize that I no longer needed sketches to lie.

"Oh, I see! You're such kind people. Zhuang is so lucky to have you as friends!" Master Hao exclaimed as he turned around and took out a blueprint, saying, "Don't use the draft anymore. I've kept a copy of the complete design."

A complete design? That's fantastic!

I quickly took it, and saw that the drawing depicted a woman walking with strange steps, wearing a mask similar to that used in Nuo dance, and dressed in very beautiful ancient costume. I was almost certain that if it weren't for the women's clothing, I would have been completely convinced that this was a painting depicting a Nuo dance scene.

Because the Nuo dance uses the "Yu Step," a gait inspired by the legend of Yu the Great, who injured one leg while controlling the floods, forcing him to walk with a limp. However, people didn't discriminate against him because of his disability; instead, they were even more grateful for his contributions to flood control. This gait gradually evolved into a unique walking posture, which was then used in rituals to exorcise ghosts and pray for blessings. The Nuo dance, in particular, is a very ancient witchcraft ritual for exorcising ghosts and praying for blessings. Therefore, I immediately recognized that the woman in the drawing was using the Yu Step to perform the Nuo dance.

"You really like this design?" Master Hao suddenly asked from the side.

"Ah...? Yes...yes!" I nodded hurriedly.

"Then take it!" Master Hao said.

"But don't you still use it to make clothes?" I asked hastily.

"Hahaha... It doesn't matter. Once I've carefully reviewed a design, I won't forget it, especially since I've already made a set of them!" Master Hao said proudly.

"What about Zhuang Jing's measurements?" Juanzi asked, a little hesitant.

"No need for that, I know Zhuang girl very well. I can estimate a person's clothing size at a glance!" Master Hao said with a smile.

"Thank you, when can we come and pick it up?" Juanzi asked.

"It will be finished in three days," Master Hao said.

"Alright, we're leaving now. We'll come back in three days."

After saying goodbye to Master Hao, I kept examining the design drawing. Who exactly told Zhuang Jing about the Nuo dance? I believe Zhuang Jing herself shouldn't know, so who told her? It must be someone who also knows a lot about the Nuo dance. Could it be someone from my hometown?

My older sister? No…no way! I remember she never went to the Nuo dance festivals. She always wanted to be part of everything popular, but during the most lively Nuo dance festival in the village, she was unusually quiet. She never went to watch or pay any attention. She even got angry when I went to watch! Usually, the items used in the Nuo dance are kept in the village temple and are not usually seen by others. So, my older sister probably hasn't seen the items used in the Nuo dance many times, and she probably doesn't know much about them. The person who told Zhuang Jing was obviously very familiar with the Nuo dance, so it couldn't be my older sister.

So, were they from other hometowns? But they've always held Nuo dance rituals in the highest esteem, even scolding children for touching the props. Why would they deliberately change the gender and clothing of the Nuo dancers? They worship these props like gods; they would never alter them. Such a change would be nothing short of blasphemy.

Perhaps they were people from other villages who had come to our village to see the Nuo dance ritual? But even if they were from other villages, why bother changing the gender of the Nuo dancers? It's unnecessary.

What a mess! I scratched my head, feeling that this problem was even more complicated and difficult to understand than the Big Dipper this morning.

Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 54: Map

Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 54: Map

With the design paper in my hand, Juanzi and I returned to school. Juanzi said she had class and left first, leaving me alone to walk slowly while carefully studying the design.

"Excuse me, student!" A voice suddenly rang out behind me. I turned around and saw a middle-aged woman.

"What is it?" I asked, it seemed she mistook me for a student at this school.

"Excuse me, this is my first time at this school. I'm looking for the teachers' office building. Could you please tell me how to get there?" the middle-aged woman asked apologetically.

I smiled. This school was indeed quite large, with lots of trees; it was easy for first-time visitors to get disoriented and lose their way. I looked up at a huge map standing right next to me; these kinds of large maps were easy to find on campus.

I said, "You can see that it's all marked very clearly on this map."

"But...but I can't read maps!" the middle-aged woman said awkwardly.

It seems women have no sense of direction. I pointed to the map and said, "Look, you just need to keep going straight along this road until the second intersection, then turn left, and then keep going straight and you'll get there!"

"Oh, thank you so much! Goodbye." The middle-aged woman nodded to me, then turned and left.

I smiled as I watched her retreating figure, but suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of chaos in my mind... What's going on... What's wrong...?

I feel like something is struggling in my head, like it's stuck in quagmire, trying to break free... No... Something's blocking it... What...?

Guesthouse... Demon Manor...?

Old teaching building... a building for the lonely souls...?

The old laboratory building...

Female teachers' dormitory building...

Forensic Medicine Department Laboratory Building...

Sports equipment storage area...

Why... why in these places...?

This school is so big... why... in these very places...?

It seems like a place chosen unintentionally... a coincidence...?

No... it can't be a coincidence... there must be a reason why these locations were chosen out of so many places!

I looked up at the map again. The red and green colors seemed to mix together like watercolors, then separate... then mix again... then separate again... then rotate... rotate...

Rotation...?!

Yes! Spin! The disc Su Qiao gave me, the pattern on the spinning top that can only be seen by spinning it!

The Big Dipper! The image of the Big Dipper!

The addresses of these murder cases, when connected together... although there are only six... when they are connected together... don't they form the Big Dipper?

Coincidence...? Or... could this be... the secret of the disc?

The location of the murder can be arranged to form the pattern of the Big Dipper! So, does that mean that the hidden reason for Yu Bo's murder was not the book borrowing list but this peculiar location?

No! Yu Bo is already dead. If he was the mastermind behind everything, then the locations of Ni Ming and Zhuang Jing's deaths shouldn't be within the Big Dipper constellation! In other words… Yu Bo wasn't the mastermind behind all the cases. You could even say he was a victim! His death location just happened to fall within the Big Dipper constellation!

So... there are only six locations now, not enough to complete the Big Dipper! The last one... the seventh one...? Where... is it...?

I tried to guess the approximate location of the seventh one on the map. This seventh location should be... the archives? It's there!

I quickly stuffed the design drawings into my bag and rushed to the archives...

Li Yang patted the dust off his clothes. Although the bus ride wasn't long, the dust protection here was terrible; it seemed like none of the windows were working. The swirling yellow dust had left a faint yellowish-brown stain on Li Yang's otherwise clean clothes.

Jiangjia Village seemed even more backward than Li Yang had imagined, perhaps twenty years behind the location of the university he had just visited. A few expressionless locals stood sparsely in the small convenience store along the deserted street.

"Excuse me..." Li Yang realized he really didn't know how to start the conversation. Lin Xiao had only told him to come here to find Jiang Hua's daughter, but hadn't given him any other clues! It felt like he was looking for a needle in a haystack.

"What?" asked Passerby A.