tailleur

Chapitre 12

The room remained dimly lit, with only a sliver of light filtering through the opposite window allowing one to see clearly inside.

The room was empty except for a thick layer of dust on the floor. The window was open, and the white paper lantern, which looked like a ghostly eye, hung prominently at the window, swaying incessantly with the gusts of eerie wind.

"Strange!" Lin Wei looked around the room and couldn't help but be surprised.

Ningxia remained silent, but she also noticed the strange situation in the room. The white paper lantern was hanging by the window, but there were no footprints in the thick dust on the floor!

"That lantern looks like it was just hung up! It's so new!" Lin Wei carefully walked to the window, leaving a clear trail of footprints on the floor.

"Could it be... that something's strange here?" Ningxia hesitated to utter the word.

Lin Wei turned around, a slightly unnatural smile on his face: "Don't scare yourself!"

Ningxia also walked to the window, looked around at the surroundings, a glint of light flashed in her eyes, and suddenly said to Lin Wei, "I'll go up to the second floor and take a look!" With that, she turned and left.

Lin Wei chased after him: "Wait! I'll go with you!"

Upon reaching the second floor, the dark stairwell entrance did not reveal the large swarm of terrifying bats from before. Ningxia pushed open the central door and went inside.

For some reason, Ningxia suddenly felt that this room seemed cleaner than the one upstairs. Although the room was also empty, the original wood color of the floor was showing, as if someone had cleaned it.

"Let's go!" Lin Wei suddenly suggested, looking somewhat frightened.

"Wait a minute!" Ningxia walked straight to the window, looked up, and laughed, "I knew it! So that's where the lanterns are hung!"

Lin Wei also came over and exclaimed, "There's a footprint here!"

The sky outside the window turned dark and gloomy, and suddenly a heavy rain began to fall. The pitter-patter of the rain filled the room with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Lin Wei quickly grabbed Ningxia's arm: "Quick! It's raining, let's go!"

When Ningxia was pulled to the door by Lin Wei, her eyes were suddenly drawn to something on the ground.

"Wait!" Ningxia released Lin Wei's hand and bent down.

A piece of paper, its color faded and almost invisible, lay on the wooden floor. Ningxia reached out and brushed away the dust, revealing a butterfly-shaped object.

Lin Wei bent down and lit his lighter. The butterfly-shaped object emitted a strange yellow light in the flame. Ning Xia's astonishment was beyond words. The color and shape of this strange butterfly on the floor were exactly the same as the butterfly on the left wrist of the woman in red in the ancient scroll in the Black Town Funerary Artifact Shop! What on earth was this?

With trembling hands, I picked up the butterfly-shaped object from the ground. It was thicker than paper, flat, but felt like leather to the touch. This piece of leather was roughly cut into the shape of a butterfly, but it seemed the tool used for cutting it was somewhat dull, resulting in uneven edges that, at first glance, looked like bite marks. It was clear that the butterfly pattern had originally been bright and vibrant, but due to the passage of time and the dampness of the environment, the colors had become dull and lifeless, like a dying butterfly with its life force exhausted.

"What is this?" Lin Wei asked, puzzled. "It looks like a piece of skin! The patterns on it are tattooed on! Like... human skin!"

Without uttering a sound, Ningxia stared blankly at the butterfly with its extremely strange feel. Suddenly, that confusing and bewildering feeling welled up in her heart again, and an indescribable, strange sadness suddenly filled the entire room.

Lin Wei seemed hesitant to speak. Seeing Ningxia's expression, he hesitated to say anything, so he gently handed her a tissue. Ningxia sighed, took the tissue, and wiped away the glistening tears from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in through the window, carrying raindrops that soaked the floor near the window. Caught off guard by the sudden downpour, she shivered. Lin Wei quickly closed all the windows in the room, leaving only a small crack, temporarily keeping the wind and rain out.

"Looks like I'll have to wait for the rain to stop before I can go back!" Lin Wei closed the door again, seemingly a little afraid of the deep, dark corridor outside.

The room suddenly darkened, and the damp, musty smell intensified. Ningxia seemed unaware that she was still immersed in that familiar yet strangely inexplicable feeling.

Ningxia brushed away the dust from the butterfly before her, and the pattern gradually became clearer. It was a butterfly primarily yellow, its shape seemingly ordinary, with abstract dragon and phoenix patterns on its wings. Dragon and phoenix again? What was most unsettling were the butterfly's eyes. Although painted on, they resembled two black gems, gleaming eerily in the flickering light of the lighter, as if a life force had been drawn into the butterfly's eyes and was now releasing its vitality towards Ningxia.

Ningxia blinked. The butterfly, which suddenly seemed to come alive, was still staring intently at her with its two eyes. Instantly, the hairs on Ningxia's body stood on end, and a chill ran down her spine. She quickly took out a tissue from her backpack, wrapped the eerie butterfly in it, and put it back in her backpack.

Lin Wei watched Ningxia's every move silently, somewhat puzzled, and frowned, asking, "You...like that butterfly?"

"No! It's just that... it feels a bit familiar!" Ningxia couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling.

"Familiarity?" Lin Wei raised an eyebrow. He had always felt that Ning Xia possessed a unique temperament and aura that set her apart from ordinary girls, especially the mysterious and melancholic expression he had when they first met, which inexplicably captivated him. Despite having many questions about her strange behavior, he decided to stop there and not delve any deeper.

Ningxia seemed unable to explain his strange behavior and could only laugh awkwardly.

A bright flash of light descended from the sky, like a sharp blade cleaving straight into the room, instantly illuminating the entire space. Then, a deafening "Bang!" echoed from the sky outside the window, shaking the entire building.

The scene was like a dark night from a Chinese folktale, where a fierce wind howled amidst already desolate ruins, accompanied by thunder and lightning. It seemed as if a monstrous, fanged ghost could emerge from any corner of the room at any moment. Ningxia was startled, but she didn't scream or fall into someone's arms. Instead, she focused her gaze intently on the corner of the room that had been struck by lightning.

"What?" Lin Wei was completely bewildered.

Ningxia shook her head, walked to the north corner of the wall, and muttered to herself, "Strange! I clearly saw it here!" She pointed to the corner. Looking at where Ningxia was pointing, there was nothing there but dust. Could Ningxia be pointing to the ghost floating in the air? At this thought, Lin Wei suddenly shivered, and a strange, eerie aura instantly filled the dimly lit room.

Another silent bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, reflecting off the crack in the window and striking the corner of the wall where Ningxia was located!

Suddenly, a crimson glint appeared in Ningxia's wide eyes as a line of clear, strange characters appeared diagonally at the corner where the two walls met. All the strength seemed to drain from her body in that instant, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

"Look! That line of text!" Ningxia shouted, but as the lightning dissipated instantly, the blood-red text at the corner also disappeared.

"What writing?" Lin Wei was terrified by the shout, fearing that she had seen something she shouldn't have.

"It's that line of text! Didn't you see it?" Ningxia was a little excited. The blood-red text was exactly the same as the text on the back of the sunflower mirror.

Lin Wei stared in surprise at the excited Ning Xia, not knowing how to interrupt, as he had no idea what she was talking about.

Ningxia, still staring intently at the corner of the wall, said to Lin Wei, "Pay attention! During the lightning, keep a close eye on this corner!"

Lin Wei was puzzled, but he remained motionless, watching the corner of the wall with suspicion, not wanting to miss anything. After waiting for nearly five minutes, Lin Wei's eyes began to sting. Suddenly, the lightning outside the window struck again, a beam of pure white light reflecting off the corner of the wall. Lin Wei didn't dare blink, waiting for the miracle that would appear in the lightning.

Ningxia shouted again, "It's those words! It's those words!" Lin Wei stared blankly at the corner of the wall, only daring to blink a dozen seconds after the lightning flashed, but he saw nothing. When she turned around with a look of joy, seeing Lin Wei's confused eyes, she couldn't help but ask, "You didn't see it?" Lin Wei didn't want to disappoint Ningxia, but he still nodded.

"What's going on? Is it just my imagination?" Ningxia paused for a long time before finally closing her mouth.

"Why don't we wait a little longer? I might not have noticed!" Lin Wei suggested, not wanting to disappoint Ningxia.

Ningxia's lips were tightly pressed together, her brows slightly furrowed, and she nodded with a hint of fear in her expression, remaining silent. Why? Those words were so obvious just now, why was she the only one who saw them? Why didn't Lin Wei see them? Was it really just her imagination?

They waited a few more minutes in an awkward atmosphere, but the lightning seemed to be playing a joke on them and disappeared. The sound of rain outside the window gradually thinned out, the sky brightened considerably, and the clouds parted and the rain stopped.

Seeing that Ningxia was still staring blankly at the corner, Lin Wei opened the window, making the corner much brighter. He walked over to Ningxia, hesitated for a moment, but still approached the corner.

"Is this the place?" Lin Wei asked, pointing to the corner of the wall, following Ning Xia's gaze.

"A little lower!" Ningxia gestured.

Lin Wei glanced at Ning Xia; her eyes were filled with a strange yet determined look, as if she was certain there was something in the corner. He sighed inwardly, found a broken piece of wood on the floor, and brushed away the dust from the corner, sending a cloud of black ash spreading into the air.

Lin Wei held his breath and forcefully peeled off all the dust from the corner of the wall. Along with the accumulated dust on the wall, the exterior paint on the wooden wall, whose color was no longer recognizable, also peeled off, revealing the original color of the wooden wall, which was a dark red wood base color.

"Cough cough cough..." Lin Wei waved away the dust in front of him and bent down to examine the wall, which was riddled with small holes from insect infestation.

Ningxia also came over, and the dense holes on the wall, riddled with termite holes, suddenly made her feel nauseous.

As the light outside grew brighter, Lin Wei suddenly noticed a faint mark on the red wooden wall. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed in surprise, "There really are words!"

In the corner of the originally dark red wooden wall, a line of strange characters, slightly darker than the red wood, was imprinted on the wall. The color was so faint that it was almost impossible to discern without careful observation. Lin Wei was astonished by the strange characters hidden beneath the paint, but even more so by Ning Xia's eyes. Did she possess some kind of supernatural ability, able to see characters that had been covered by paint for hundreds of years?

"Where are they?" Ningxia hurriedly looked around. The woman's figure had disappeared, leaving only a thick layer of dust. The white-clad woman was also gone from ahead. Only Lin Wei, looking panicked, was shouting at her.

"Ouch! You're hurting me!" Ningxia cried out as Lin Wei pinched her arms painfully.

"You're finally awake!" Lin Wei breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, and slumped to the side, panting heavily. "That scared me to death!"

"What's wrong with me?" Ningxia looked at the expression on Lin Wei's face and found it rather frightening.

"You? You...don't know?" Lin Wei stared at Ning Xia, seemingly incredulous at her question. Ning Xia shook her head, looking at him with a face full of confusion.

"You really didn't know?" Lin Wei's expression seemed worried. He quickly touched Ning Xia's forehead and felt relieved when he found she was alright. He ran his fingers across Ning Xia's face, wiping away the wet tear stains, and said softly, "You were just cowering in the corner, as if you saw something, and you kept crying!" As Lin Wei stroked her cheek, she suddenly felt a strange sensation, and her face flushed. She avoided Lin Wei's concerned gaze and became uneasy.

"Ah! No! No! I just feel... something's strange!" Lin Wei seemed to be thinking about something else, so Ningxia had no choice but to give up.

"How about I go with you to Black Town?" Lin Wei suddenly said, a glint in his eyes.

"You believe me?" Ningxia asked, somewhat surprised.

Lin Wei nodded solemnly: "Next Wednesday! I'll go with you next Wednesday!"

Ningxia smiled gratefully.

The rain outside the window had stopped. Summer rain comes and goes quickly. Soon, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, the sun shone through, and the gloomy atmosphere in the room was instantly dispelled.

As Ningxia went down from the second floor, she glanced casually at the rooms on the first floor and wondered, "Huh! Why is this room locked with an iron lock?"

Lin Wei looked around and saw that it was a relatively secluded side room on the first floor to the right. A large black iron padlock was firmly locked on the door, while all the other rooms were unlocked except for this one.

"Let's go take a look!" Ningxia carefully avoided the scattered debris on the ground and walked towards the secluded room.

Suddenly, Lin Wei stepped forward and stopped her. He looked at the weather and suggested, "Let's go back first today! I'm afraid it's going to rain again. The road must be very muddy now. Let's go back early! We can come back next time when the weather is better! Besides, I'm starving!" He said this with a bit of embarrassment.

"But that room is a bit strange!" Ningxia said.

"The strange thing is Black Town! I think that funerary object shop is the weird one!" Lin Wei's words seemed to make some sense, so Ningxia's attention was diverted. She looked at the weather and saw that more clouds seemed to be slowly approaching. Her stomach was also rumbling. When she checked the time, it was already past 2 p.m., so she gave up on exploring that room and was pulled away by Lin Wei.

This is a restaurant run by a local farmer. Although it is not large, it is clean and tidy. The small courtyard surrounded by several brick and tile houses exudes a strong rural charm.

The aroma of roasted corn wafted from the courtyard, instantly making Ningxia's stomach rumble. Lin Wei casually ordered a few side dishes, and the two of them wolfed them down under a trellis in the courtyard. They only stopped when they had almost completely devoured the food on their plates, letting out satisfied burps.

While Lin Wei went to the room to pay the bill, Ningxia carefully admired the flowers and plants in the farmhouse courtyard. Suddenly, a chill ran down Ningxia's spine; for some reason, she felt as if a pair of eyes were staring intently at her from behind. Turning around, she saw a vegetable garden cultivated by the farmer, planted with fresh seasonal vegetables. Beyond the garden was a slope, and above that, a forest. Apart from the occasional birdsong from the forest, there was only a gentle breeze; not even a wild rabbit was in sight, and no one else could be seen.

Looking at the deserted forest, Ningxia felt very strange. The feeling of being watched was still very strong on her back, but there was nothing in her sight except for patches of lush greenery.

"What's wrong?" Lin Wei paid the bill and returned.

"I think there are people in there!" Ningxia pointed to the forest covered with dense trees. Just then, a breeze blew by, and the treetops swayed, filling the air with the fresh scent of green grass.

"You're being too suspicious! Watch too many horror movies?" Lin Wei couldn't help but tease, then greedily inhaled the rare fresh air in the city.

Ningxia still felt chilly and couldn't help but shiver. Seeing this, Lin Wei quickly said, "Alright! Let's go down the mountain! It wouldn't be good if we caught a cold!"

The chill that had gripped Ningxia didn't dissipate until the car drove away from the farmhouse. At that moment, under a pine tree in the forest, a figure disappeared into the greenery as the two departed.

When Lin Wei returned to Lingyun Road in the city where Ningxia lived, it was already close to dusk. The setting sun slanted through the car window, casting a soft, gentle glow on Ningxia. Her skin, as smooth as silk, reflected a captivating radiance that shimmered and undulated with her even breathing. This was the beautiful scene Lin Wei saw when he drove to the entrance of Ningxia's workplace and waited for her to wake up. He stared blankly at the beautiful figure beside him, a wave of tenderness washing over him.

A crisp ringing sound came from Lin Wei's phone in the car. Lin Wei hurriedly answered, whispering "Hello," afraid of waking Ningxia beside him. A faint voice came from the other end, and Lin Wei's expression immediately changed. His face darkened, and after a few words, he hung up.

Ningxia was groggily awakened by the ringing of the phone. She opened her eyes and said, "Hmm! We're at my house? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Lin Wei put on his previous expression and smiled slightly: "I was afraid of waking you from your sweet dream!"

Seeing the smile on Lin Wei's face, a warm feeling welled up in her heart. When her beautiful eyes met Lin Wei's captivating gaze, her cheeks immediately flushed. A wave of shyness made her unable to look him in the eye. She quickly grabbed her backpack, hurriedly got off the bus, and said, "Goodbye! I'm leaving!"

Lin Wei laughed and shouted behind Ningxia, "I'll call you tonight, don't turn off your phone!"

Ningxia didn't even dare to turn her head, just grunted an "Mmm" and quickly ran towards the building.

Lin Wei watched Ningxia's fleeing figure and laughed, but then suddenly realized something, his expression immediately turned serious, he sighed deeply, and drove away.

Just as Lin Wei's white car left the building where Ningxia lived, a figure emerged from a nearby shop, watched Lin Wei's car drive away, and then walked towards the building where Ningxia lived.

"Ding-dong!" Ningxia had just changed her dirty clothes when the doorbell rang. Could it be Lin Wei? Ningxia immediately opened the door with great joy.

"It's you?" Just as Ningxia was feeling disappointed, she opened the door, and Fang Jian's figure flashed in.

"Is there something you need?" Ningxia couldn't hide her disappointment, and her tone was somewhat cold.

Fang Jian frowned, looking at Ning Xia with a serious expression: "You went out with Lin Wei?"

"Yes! What's wrong?" Ningxia was slightly annoyed by Fang Jian's aggressive tone.

"Do you know who he is?" Fang Jian seemed unaware of his own attitude.

Ningxia suddenly turned around, looking at Fang Jian with some surprise: "Who are you? How do you know Lin Wei? Also, how did you know I went out with Lin Wei?"