Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 9

“You haven’t changed. You’re as handsome as you were thirty years ago, unlike me. I’m old and dying.” She sighed.

"Does Madam regret her choice?" the astrologer asked gently.

Madam Feng slowly shook her head. "Everyone must be born, grow old, get sick, and die. How could I dare to defy the will of Heaven? Besides, Yang Yu had just passed away at that time. My heart was as withered as dead wood, and I wished I could go with him..."

"Seeing Jianzhou brought my parched and dying heart back to life, as if it had been watered by a clear spring. I didn't want him to see me so old, so I came up with this idea... He has photophobia; he needs to wear sunglasses even in normal sunlight, let alone such strong lights..."

"If you had known this beforehand, why were you still so stubborn?" the astrologer said gently. "Human life is indeed short, and youth is even more fleeting. As long as you sign a contract with me, I guarantee that you will remain young and beautiful for all eternity, just like me, watching the world change and the sun and moon rise and set."

“But so what?” Feng Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly. “The meaning of life is not in living forever, but in those heart-stirring moments. You should understand this better than I do.”

"My only regret is that I lived for thirty years too long, allowing others to witness my ugliness... I am a unique swallowtail butterfly in this mortal world, and everyone can only see my dazzling brilliance... Can you grant me one last request?"

"Eliminate this disgraceful behavior completely..."

The astrologer lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand, whispering to her:

"Madam Feng, you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. How much I loved you back then."

"And now?"

The astrologer gazed at her dry eyes, where not a trace of their former beauty could be found. "Now, she is the most beautiful old woman I have ever seen," he whispered in reply.

"Still as talkative as ever, so endearing!" The old woman chuckled. "Let's begin, the swallowtail butterfly is about to fly away..."

When Yan Wuyue found the place, the astrologer was sitting silently by the bed. Blood was trickling from his mouth. Just as Yan Wuyue was about to rush over, Xue Jianchou whispered, "Don't come any closer!"

"Good heavens! Why are you bleeding? Where is Madam?" Yan Wuyue asked nonchalantly as she walked forward. "Everything has been figured out. It was all Granny Lan's doing—quickly tell Madam to kick Granny Lan out..."

She suddenly stopped, her eyes widened, and her face turned deathly pale.

Lying on the bed was not the lady, but a mangled skeleton! The sheets were soaked in blood, and what's more, Xue Jianchou was holding a still-beating, bright red heart in his hands! When he opened his mouth, blood flowed uncontrollably!

"You, you..." Overwhelmed with shock, the bold Yan Wuyue was unable to utter a single word.

Xue Jianchou shrugged helplessly, "Didn't I tell you not to come over? If you just wait a little longer, I promise I'll eat it all up, without leaving a single crumb."

"Eat?" A chill ran up her spine from the soles of her feet, and her whole body trembled. She roared, "Who are you?!"

The astrologer slowly turned around. His green eyes, accentuated by his shaved head, appeared particularly eerie.

“A ghoul,” he said. “I am a ghoul who feeds on humans.”

Postscript – Origin of the Names:

Blue Swallowtail (Phoenix Fluttering) – Blue Swallowtail (Black Swallowtail) Papilio protenor Cramer

The Glass Mansion – Parisian Swallowtail (Papilio paris Linnaeus)

Yang Jianzhou – Pheosiarimosa Packard

Among them, there are also species such as *Clostera anchoreta* ([Denis & Schifferm-ller]) and *Pterostomas ininicum* Moore, which actually hint at the relationship between Yang Yu and Yang Jianzhou, hehe.

Blue snow moss – Cyanasp, the snow moss moth.

Love-longing ribbon—Love-longing ribbon butterfly AthymanefteCramere

The Beautiful Woman – The Beautiful Woman White Butterfly Deliasbelladonna (Fabricius)

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Sloth: A River of Blood Flows Eastward (Part 1)

"Come on, let's test your intelligence. I'll give you a question to answer."

The girls' curiosity was piqued by the boy's words; they stopped holding the microphone and stared wide-eyed.

"Let me make it clear beforehand, this story was told to me by Brother Huang," the boy cleared his throat and said seriously, "It goes like this: one day a boy was standing next to the toilet, flushing the toilet while muttering, 'Son, it's not that Dad doesn't want you...'"

He suddenly stopped talking and started winking at the other boys. The girls, however, were still waiting for him to continue, looking completely bewildered. Only Lin Na pushed him, laughing and scolding, "Cui Lianxi, you little rascal! When did Brother Huang offend you to make such a fuss about him?" She then nudged Yan Wuyue next to her, who was staring blankly into space. "Yan Wuyue, stop thinking about this! It's not a serious matter. Cui Lianxi is just messing with you guys!"

Yan Wuyue was indeed lost in thought, but her mind wasn't preoccupied with Cui Lianxi's intellectual puzzles; rather, it was with her strange encounter last week. In preparation for a lecture on astrology, she had "infiltrated" a bizarre place called "The Flesh and Blood Astrology Hall," and by sheer coincidence, was taken to the former famous actress Feng Xiaoxiao's country villa—the Glass Mansion. There, she not only witnessed Feng Xiaoxiao's death but also saw facts that, as an atheist, she could never believe.

Ghoul! He ate Lady Feng!

"Yan Wuyue, it's your turn!" Xiao Yu handed her the microphone, giggling, "Let's hear your best song, 'Fleeting Years,' okay?" Everyone immediately applauded. Yan Wuyue looked helplessly at the unfamiliar faces of the boys opposite her, feeling utterly bored. She hadn't wanted to participate in this singing contest, but Lin Na insisted on dragging her along. Yan Wuyue studied at the prestigious K University, living in dormitory 31 of building 9 with Lin Na, Xiao Yu, and Lu Bing. Of the four, only Lin Na was already in a relationship; the other three were single. Among them, Yan Wuyue was pretty, but most boys couldn't see the wild heart hidden beneath her delicate appearance and were quite fond of her. However, she was extremely oblivious, ignoring the boys' frequent invitations. As for Xiao Yu, her appearance was average, but she was incredibly feminine, every smile and gesture perfectly executed, coupled with a sweet, bell-like voice, which captivated many. Lu Bing, on the other hand, was a bookworm, always wearing thick glasses and glued to "Dream of the Red Chamber," single-mindedly pursuing her dream of becoming a literary girl, ignoring everything else. Fortunately, K University was a renowned science and engineering university with a severely imbalanced male-to-female ratio, meaning even the least attractive girls were highly sought after. Given the high demand and limited supply, the three pretty girls from room 531 naturally became highly coveted.

Lin Na's experience was different from everyone else's. She and her boyfriend were classmates in high school. After they started dating, they supported each other and both got into K University. Now, at just nineteen years old, they had been dating for three or four years, and remarkably, their feelings remained unchanged. This time, she had painstakingly planned the social gathering, hoping to set up some boys in their class. However, Yan Wuyue, the leader, seemed completely distracted, and even Cui Lianxi's attempts to tell jokes failed to liven up the atmosphere, greatly disappointing everyone. After everyone finished singing, they dispersed. Back home, Lin Na couldn't help but complain.

Yan Wuyue had no interest in playing with them. Her mind was completely occupied by the astrologer who claimed to be a ghoul. She simply sat up abruptly and searched for all information about "ghoul" on Baidu.

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne - Ghouls are the basic combat force of the Undead Legion... No, wait!

Lineage 2: Ghouls, no, that's not right either!

She finally found a website—Wikipedia—which had a pitifully small amount of information:

Ghoul:

Ghoul, or al-ghūl, is a monster from Arabian folklore. In Arabia, ghouls are demonic creatures that live in the desert and can transform into animals, especially carrion hyenas. They raid graveyards, feeding on the flesh and blood of the dead or young children, and they lure travelers into the desert wastelands to kill and devour them.

w:Algol is named after this creature from Arabic legend.

Ghouls in fictional works:

HPLovecraft—In the Lovecraft novels, ghouls are a nocturnal, subterranean race. Once human, their persistent habit of consuming only the flesh of the dead transformed them into terrifying, beast-like humanoid creatures. Despite their horrifying appearance, they possess sufficient intelligence to converse with humans.

Dungeons & Dragons – In the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, ghouls are monstrous, undead humans reeking of rotting flesh. Besides carrion, they also prey on unsuspecting living creatures. They can paralyze their prey through contact; only elves are immune. Their close relatives, the ghasts, are even more terrifying, and even elves are not immune to their paralyzing attacks.

In the Dark World series of Geralt of Rivia games, ghouls are creatures that gain some of the supernatural powers of vampires by giving them their blood. Because of the magic in the blood, drinking vampire blood will make them control the vampire and become its servants, at the vampire's beck and call. In addition to humans, some vampires will also transform rats, spiders, and even crocodiles into their loyal servants.

The Tzimisce people of Eastern Europe have a family that breeds naturally born ghouls.

Warcraft III – In Warcraft III, ghouls are the basic combat and resource gathering units of the Undead race.

The information Wikipedia could provide ended there, and she fell into deep thought. Ghouls… just monsters that devour corpses? The image of Xue Jianchou involuntarily surfaced in her mind: snow-white skin—no, to be precise, the kind of deathly pallor that seemed to hang in the air; a noble and handsome face, tinged with arrogance and melancholy. He was always dressed in black, completely covered from head to toe, with spotless white gloves on his hands, and sometimes a wide-brimmed black hat, with only a wisp of silver hair, like shimmering moonlight, peeking out from the brim. He never revealed his true nature, making it impossible to guess his true identity. Even when he devoured Madam Feng, he was still dressed like this. On the hand that held Madam Feng's heart, the glove was stained crimson. However, she vaguely remembered that when he took her back to school and waved goodbye to her one last time, the glove miraculously became as white and innocent as a newborn dove.

Who exactly is he?

Through Baidu's related search results, Yan Wuyue quickly discovered a familiar term: vampire. Undoubtedly, Xue Jianchou's image was closer to the pale, noble Child of the Night—a vampire. However, numerous sources indicate that vampires never eat meat—they suffer from indigestion and stomach upset if they do.

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Sloth: A River of Blood Flows Eastward (Part Two)

Only after the lights were turned off did she reluctantly shut down the computer, climb into bed, and toss and turn, lost in thought. It was late at night. Looking out the window, the boys' dormitory across the way was completely dark, except for a fluorescent light flickering at the corner of the corridor. Yan Wuyue lay on her high bed, the dim yellow streetlights shining through the transom window in her door onto her face, creating an uncomfortable, somber atmosphere. She strained her ears, but all around was silence; she couldn't even hear the breathing of her sleeping roommates—it was as if they were dead. She drowsily closed her eyes, when suddenly a sound rang out outside her door, a chilling buzzing sound, a low, hellish chant. Then, the buzzing sound traveled down the corridor, gradually fading until it stopped at the communal washroom. There, it continued its incessant buzzing, endlessly.

Yan Wuyue was puzzled; the sound was exactly like a washing machine running in the washroom. K University uses a dormitory system, with four people per room. Each student has a bunk bed, and underneath the bed are bookshelves, computer desks, and wardrobes. Furthermore, the university allows washing machines in the buildings, so to avoid the hassle of doing laundry in winter, students pooled their money to buy washing machines and placed them in the communal washroom. On the market, ordinary fully automatic top-loading washing machines are almost all over a thousand yuan, quite expensive. Therefore, students usually share one or two dormitories, and Yan Wuyue and her friends were no exception. When they first entered the university, the four of them in dormitory 531 bought a second-hand "Little Baby" brand washing machine from their senior. Although it was second-hand, their senior had only used it for two years, it was still within the five-year warranty period, and the machine was in excellent condition (80% new), yet it was at least half the price of a new one. Lin Na and the others tried it out, and it worked perfectly, so they bought it.

However, this very washing machine was now showing some strange signs. First, the lid wouldn't close no matter what, and several girls couldn't push it down no matter how hard they tried; then, overnight, the lid suddenly worked, but their joy didn't last long—the washing machine's rollers would inexplicably get stuck while washing clothes, only to return to normal overnight after a while. The repairman couldn't figure it out either. Yan Wuyue heard the buzzing sound getting louder and louder and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on: Could it be that the broken washing machine was malfunctioning again? She had no choice but to get out of bed.

The bathroom was brightly lit. Their washing machine was placed in the innermost corner. At this moment, the gray cover was folded up, and the red light on the control panel was flashing incessantly.

It actually started by itself! Yan Wuyue reached out and pressed the "switch" button. She glanced down and saw that the stainless steel inner tank was full of water, swirling violently like a vortex. The water surface formed a sharp cone, and the splashing water, along with the whooshing sound, splashed onto her face.

The water tastes fishy.

She tightened her finger, and the red light went out instantly. The water gradually calmed down, then receded peacefully, while the drainpipe hissed as water drained out. Someone must be playing a prank, running water but not clothes in the middle of the night. She laughed at her earlier nervousness and staggered back to her dormitory.

The next morning, a commotion outside the dormitory woke them all up. "What's all the noise about?" Lin Na asked groggily, turning over in bed. Xiao Yu burst in, "Something's happened!" she cried, flailing her arms and legs in a panic.

"Heh, I thought it was something serious!" Yan Wuyue and Lin Na stood at the door of the water room, shaking their heads dismissively.

The pristine white tiled floor of the washroom was covered in a layer of water. The girls complained as they waded through the water in their slippers, brushing their teeth and washing their faces over the tap. "What's the big deal? It's just a clogged drain," Yan Wuyue shrugged. "Someone go down and write it on the blackboard, and the cleaning lady can unclog it, right?"

"How did it suddenly get blocked?" Xiao Yu stamped her foot. "Look, it's soaked my pants—it was fine last night!"

Suddenly, a thought struck Yan Wuyue. She waded through the puddles to the sewer opening and examined it closely. A dark mass was wrapped around the metal pipe cap. She tried to pull it off, and it came out easily. A small vortex immediately formed near the pipe opening, drawing in a trickle of water. "Great, it's clear!" Everyone beamed with joy.

"Ugh~ How disgusting~" Xiao Yu screamed after just one glance at Yan Wuyue's hand and turned to run away hastily. Lin Na leaned closer and couldn't help but frown. It was a clump of extremely fine and soft human hair, jet black and thick, tangled together in a knot that was impossible to untangle. "Whose hair is this?" This was the thought that flashed through Lin and Yan's minds in an instant. Girls usually have thick, long hair, so every morning after combing their hair, there is always a lot of hair falling around the chair. But how could hair fall in the bathroom, and so much that it clogged the drain? "Maybe someone washed their hair last night and used a hairdryer," Lin Na guessed. Yan Wuyue, on the other hand, was like a keen police dog, not letting any clue slip by. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. In front of the drain, wasn't that the drain pipe of their washing machine? What's more, there was a long strand of hair hanging next to that drain pipe.

Yan Wuyue immediately perked up. She patted the washing machine lid and asked, "Is anyone doing laundry?"

Xiao Yu was called over. The water in the washroom had mostly receded, but she still refused to come in, standing far away and fanning herself with a handkerchief. "Why did you call me? Are the clothes washed?"

"Are these yours?" Yan Wuyue reached into the inner tub and pulled out a large bunch of clothes that were twisted into a ball.

“Yeah,” Xiao Yu said, puzzled, “Just hand it over, I’m too lazy to go.”

Lin Na quickly pushed her aside and whispered, "Xiao Yu, hurry up and tidy up your things so that others don't see them and it won't look good."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why should I pack my things? I don't understand." Xiao Yu seemed confused.

Linna sighed and leaned close to her ear, "Of course it's your hair, do I have to spell it out for you? Even washing your hair requires the right time and place, there's no need to use the washing machine."

"What?!" Xiao Yu was instantly terrified. She snatched the clothes from Yan Wuyue's hands. Sticking to the brightly colored skirt and cotton T-shirt were clumps of tightly tangled hair. The thick hair clogging the drain had come from her clothes.

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Sloth: A River of Blood Flows Eastward (Part Three)

Poor Xiao Yu dared not use the washing machine again. She said there must be a pervert in the building who threw his hair on her clothes. The girls in the dorm had a heated discussion about this eerie topic until lights out, when they finally fell asleep. Yan Wuyue was incredibly excited. She simply turned on the emergency light and picked up "The Ring" to read it with great interest.

She had to admit, *The Ring* wasn't a good book to fall asleep to. Soon, she felt a chill on her skin, as if a faint, almost imperceptible breeze was blowing, sending shivers down her spine. Just then, she felt the urge to urinate; a persistent ache in her lower abdomen repeatedly warned her that she needed to go to the toilet. But the thought of having to pass through the washroom made her extremely reluctant. However, the urge grew stronger and stronger, and she had no choice but to reluctantly get up.

Fortunately, the washing machine didn't cause any trouble tonight. She stepped out of the bathroom with a satisfied expression, when suddenly she caught a familiar scent. Following the scent, she was surprised to find herself standing in front of the washing machine again.

The washing room was still bathed in a blinding white light, but tonight there was no buzzing of the motor, no flashing red light beside the lid. Yet, the fishy smell of water lingered, and inside the inner tub, a full tank of water was spinning violently at high speed, forming a sharp vortex. Everything was utterly still; even the whooshing sound of the spinning water was inaudible. The only sound was Yan Wuyue's own heartbeat, pounding against her chest. She stared dumbfounded at the intense activity within the washing machine, as if witnessing a silent film, a blur of light and shadow, playing out before her in a silent, unreal way. Water splashed onto her face, fishy, sticky, and cold, but she heard not a sound.

She reached out and tentatively pressed the "switch" button. Silently, the water abruptly stopped, appearing perfectly calm and still. She breathed a sigh of relief; perhaps the red light was broken? She absolutely had to call a mechanic tomorrow. Just as she took a step forward, a sudden thought struck her—a question she had never considered before.

A top-loading washing machine uses the counter-rotating motion of the inner tub and the bottom impeller to generate high-speed water flow, which in turn causes the clothes to rub against the tub wall and the impeller to wash them. It always rotates alternately, sometimes clockwise and sometimes counter-clockwise, never always in one direction—so how can it generate such a huge vortex?

She suddenly felt a bucket of ice water poured over her, chilling her from head to toe. Behind her remained light and silence, yet she no longer had the courage to look back.

She took off running.

Day three.

Exhausted, she climbed out of bed, yawning incessantly. The other three beds in the dormitory were empty, with only piles of blankets lying around. They had no classes this morning; they must have gone to study early—such diligent students. Yan Wuyue quickly washed up and picked up her backpack.

As evening fell, the fledglings returned to their dormitories. Lu Bing always waited until the library closed before returning, while Lin Na and her boyfriend lingered downstairs for a long time, only reluctantly parting when the dormitory auntie was about to lock the building. Everyone was quite punctual, except for Xiao Yu. She always returned to her dormitory at 10 o'clock sharp, going through a series of elaborate processes including washing her face, applying a face mask, facial care, body care, and a foot bath before finally going to sleep contentedly. It was almost 11 o'clock, and everyone was preparing for bed. A row of girls stood by the washbasins in the washroom, each standing by a tap, their feet soaking in the foot bath. Some had even added bath salts to the water, making it very comfortable. Meanwhile, they were brushing their teeth and washing their faces, cleaning themselves at the same time. With a mouthful of toothpaste foam, Yan Wuyue mumbled to Lin Na, "This washing machine, shouldn't we call someone to fix it? It's incredibly noisy at night, and it's filthy."

Lu Bing chimed in from the other side, "It's broken again? Didn't it just have major repairs a few months ago? This is outrageous. The repairmen wouldn't even come up. It's all thanks to Lin Na and her brother-in-law that they managed to keep it going."

Lin Na smiled faintly, "You can't blame them for that. Back then, the girls' dormitory was always being burglarized, and the school stipulated that non-students were not allowed to go upstairs. It's nothing, anyway, the washing machine isn't a heavy thing."

Yan Wuyue winked mischievously, "Oh right, we haven't thanked brother-in-law yet! How about we ask him to come up again tomorrow, and go all the way to help, and take our washing machine down to get it fixed?"

"You little rascal!" Lin Na laughed as she pulled her wet hand out to pinch Yan Wuyue's cheek. "Who's your brother-in-law? What are you calling him? You're always ordering him around. If you keep calling him that, I'll pinch you to death!"

"I feel so sorry for my brother-in-law! I feel so sorry for him!" Yan Wuyue clapped her hands and shouted, then jumped straight from the foot basin into her slippers with a "bang" and ran off. Lin Na quickly put on her shoes as well and called for Lu Bing to surround her. Lu Bing laughed so hard she bent over, and joined the fray. The two of them worked together and finally caught her. Lin Na held down her arms, tickling her armpits while asking fiercely, "Will you call me that next time?"

Yan Wuyue laughed, panting heavily, "Hahaha... Lin Na, please forgive me, I'll never dare to do it again... Ah—!"

A piercing scream shattered everyone's eardrums, reaching the deepest recesses of their nightmares. Never before had they seen the audacious Yan Wuyue like this. Her mouth gaped open, her face turning deathly pale, and one hand trembled as she pointed at the washing machine beneath her. From beneath the dark brown, semi-transparent lid, a woman's face stared lifelessly back at her.

That was clearly Xiao Yu, who had disappeared!

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Sloth: A River of Blood Flows Eastward (Part Four)

Xiao Yu, rescued from the washing machine drum, was taken back to bed by Yan Wuyue and the others. She wasn't dead, but rather unconscious. This was understandable; although slender, she had been folded up and stuffed into that small stainless steel drum for a whole day—it would be strange if she didn't fall unconscious. After warming herself in bed for a while, she gradually woke up, but when asked about what had happened from last night until now, she had no recollection of anything. The only certainty was that she had been put into the washing machine between Yan Wuyue's trip to the bathroom at night and this morning, because she was still wearing the same pajamas she had worn the night before.

They dared not sleep, and all gathered around Xiao Yu's bedside, chatting idly about random gossip. However, each of them knew very well what they were truly thinking. Soon Xiao Yu closed her eyes, and Yan Wuyue, seeing that Lin Na and Lu Bing were still forcing themselves to stay awake, told them to go back to sleep, "I'll stay with Xiao Yu tonight."