SFS #618 - Night talk with Hualu
#618 - Night talk with Hualu
"So, was it the work of a fox or a raccoon dog?" Tang Yin said half-jokingly, his tone casual but with a hint of alertness in his eyes.
Hualu smiled gently, her voice soft but with a touch of mystery: "We serve the Thousand Bright God, so we are also protected by foxes, cats, dogs, and the like."
Tang Yin raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed by the statement, but still followed up: "...But, the Wolf God has been murdered by humans and other familiars, so there must be loopholes here."
Hualu's smile faltered, her eyes lowered slightly, as if to hide something: "We are still not very clear about this matter."
Tang Yin leaned forward slightly, looking directly at her: "What do you mean?"
"Actually, the Wolf God is only said to be dead in the legends of Wuyin Village," Hualu's voice lowered, as if telling an ancient secret, her tone carrying an elusive emotion.
"Wuyin Village?" Tang Yin frowned, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Yes. There is a saying circulating in the homes of the elders of Baifeng Village—that the people of Wuyin Village are companions of the people of the Yellow Springs," Hualu raised her head, her tone becoming softer, but with a subtle warning.
Tang Yin was taken aback, then tentatively asked: "Is that really so?"
"Ah, y-yes," Hualu replied hesitantly, then looked down at the ground, as if deliberately avoiding Tang Yin's gaze, "However, please be sure to keep this matter a secret from the people of Wuyin Village."
"...If they find out about this, what will happen?" Tang Yin continued to ask, his tone more probing.
Hualu pursed her lips, her voice almost inaudible: "It should just be very unpleasant, right?"
Tang Yin leaned back in his chair, his gaze thoughtfully turned to the distant fog. Indeed, it would be too absurd to kill someone just for hearing such a statement. But, are these rumors really just "sayings"?
The words of Granny Rong surfaced in his mind—this matter was told to her long ago when she was a little girl by a Baifeng Village person who was drunk during a mountain festival.
If it's just such rumors... how could it become a motive for murder?
No, the factor that truly caused the sudden change in the Wolf's guardian could not possibly be just words. There must be other more important reasons.
Tang Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind gradually becoming clearer. Good, although there is only a little clue, he vaguely saw the hope of unraveling the mystery. Everything seems to be moving in the right direction.
"Mr. Tang Yin, Mr. Tang Yin." Hualu's voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts, her eyes filled with some worry.
"Ah, sorry, what's wrong?" Tang Yin came back to his senses, realizing that his expression seemed a little stiff.
Hualu lowered her head slightly, her tone cautious: "Your expression is so scary, did I say something bad?"
"N-no." Tang Yin shook his head, forcing a smile, "You misunderstood... Sorry, let's continue the previous topic. What exactly happened to Xiaomei?"
Hualu was silent for a moment, her eyes becoming a little complicated, and finally she said softly: "...The doctor from the Qian family said she has a mental illness."
Hualu's voice was very soft, like a fallen leaf drifting into Tang Yin's ear, but those simple words made his heart tighten.
"However, Baifeng Village and Wuyin Village are still circulating the saying that she is possessed by the Wolf God," Hualu's voice was very light, but like the wind at night, it carried some unspeakable chill and drilled into Tang Yin's ear.
"So, the Hua family once helped her purify the pollution, and then her condition improved..." She lowered her head, twisting the corner of her clothes unconsciously, as if recalling a past she didn't want to mention again.
"...Is it a method similar to blessing and prayer?" Tang Yin asked, his tone probing, while his eyes fell on Hualu's face, trying to capture more information from her slightly shaking eyes.
"Um, something like that." Hualu nodded, seemingly not wanting to dwell on this topic.
Tang Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart churning. So that's how it is...
After all, the four elder families maintain their rule over Baifeng Village through faith. If there are logical loopholes in the foundation of faith, it would undoubtedly be a huge threat to them. The saying "impossible to be possessed by beasts"... is indeed to make their belief system self-consistent.
He quickly sketched a picture in his mind: the Hua family came forward to purify Xiaomei, ostensibly to solve the problem, but actually to deal with the incident through the logic of faith. In other words, they acknowledged that Xiaomei was some kind of exception in this belief system—an anomaly that could not be easily categorized.
Perhaps the elders' initial plan was to define this as a "disease unrelated to faith." But obviously, this plan failed.
If the elders hadn't sent Xiaomei to another place for treatment, then the occurrence of this situation would not be difficult to understand. Tang Yin couldn't help but think that the saying of being possessed by beasts was no longer new in the outside world. If he asked Xia Hui, she could probably talk about it for three days and three nights.
However, here, in this environment and under these conditions, similar possession events cannot be ignored. It is not a simple superstitious rumor, but more like a deformed phenomenon strengthened by the belief system. Perhaps this matter should be regarded as a special case different from other supernatural events.
"...By the way," Tang Yin pondered for a moment, seemingly understanding something, and suddenly asked: "Have you heard of the legend of being possessed by a Yellow Spring person?"
Hualu's eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly, then she looked up at Tang Yin, her eyes filled with a hint of vigilance: "This is also a strange rumor. Yellow Spring people have no wisdom or morality, and are a terrifying taboo."
Her tone became more serious, obviously this topic was not easy.
"Gaomei's situation should be different from that of a Yellow Spring person." She paused and added, as if emphasizing some important distinction.
Tang Yin nodded, his eyes complex. So, Hualu, who was mentally abnormal last time, was regarded as a Yellow Spring person?
He recalled Hualu's previous appearance, the girl shrouded in fear and confusion, completely different from the current her. And Xiaomei's situation was indeed completely different from Hualu's at that time.
The difference between the two may hide the key to the truth.
"Because no other possibilities could be found, the rumor that she was possessed by the Yellow Spring Wolf appeared...?" Tang Yin asked in a low voice, his tone probing, but his eyes were fixed on Hualu's face, wanting to glean more information from her expression.
Hualu raised her head, her eyes complex, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. After a moment, she nodded lightly, her voice a little lower: "...Well, in fact, most people in Baifeng Village know the legend of Wuyin Village."
"Legend?" Tang Yin asked, his tone with a hint of indifference.
"Even if polluted, the identity of the god will not change." Hualu's voice was tired, but her eyes did not leave the ground, "Moreover, her situation is very strange, so the saying that she was possessed by the Wolf God spread."
Tang Yin frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and asked: "Then she was healed through prayer?"
Hualu hesitated before answering softly: "...Well, the final announced cause of the disease was mild pollution."
Mild pollution? A trace of doubt flashed in Tang Yin's mind. Although he didn't fully understand what these so-called "pollution" meant, since it had been announced that she had recovered, it shouldn't be a big deal. Moreover, this matter seemed to be over—
But now, the disease has recurred.
"Regarding Gaomei's symptoms, those children should have some clues, right?" Hualu suddenly said, her tone a little uncertain.
"However, they probably won't tell me, will they?" Tang Yin sneered, his tone with a bit of self-deprecation.
According to Tong Xiaoliang, this matter has nothing to do with the banquet, and it actually seems to be the case. For Baifeng Village, this is just a somewhat troublesome problem that has nothing to do with the banquet.
Just...
Tang Yin raised his head, a question flashing in his eyes: "What does the word 'rebirth' mean? I seemed to have heard similar words at today's banquet."
Hualu was stunned when she heard this, and after a moment of silence, she slowly said: "...The so-called rebirth means that people who go to the Yellow Spring Country have not been reborn and have returned to the human world."
"In that case," Tang Yin narrowed his eyes, his tone more probing, "does 'see you in the next life' mean... 'never see you again in this life'?"
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Hualu nodded, her movements slow and heavy, as if confirming some kind of taboo.
So that's how it is, Tang Yin thought. He finally understood. Wuyin Village regards returning from the Yellow Springs to the human world as ominous, and this special concept has even penetrated their language. "See you in the next life" is such a resolute farewell.
But even so, how did Gaomei notice these things? The questions in Tang Yin's heart not only did not decrease, but became even deeper.
At this moment, Hualu suddenly spoke, her voice with a hint of self-deprecation, but for some reason, it made people's hearts tense: "...We are ignorant mountain people, isolated from the world, eliminated by the times, and can only struggle here ugly."
She raised her head, looking directly at Tang Yin, her eyes filled with a complex emotion. "Mr. Tang Yin," she said slowly, her tone mixed with temptation and alienation, "It seems you are not going to continue to delve into it, are you?"
Tang Yin did not answer immediately. His eyes wandered in the thick fog, as if looking for something, or avoiding something. A suffocating silence filled the air.
"...What do you mean? I've already said, I'm just an ordinary person and don't have any special abilities," Tang Yin said in a low voice, his tone calm but with a hint of helplessness. His eyes fell on Hualu, trying to see through the hidden meaning behind her words.
Hualu stood on the edge of the thick fog, her figure blurred, only her eyes were bright as if they could penetrate the night. She lowered her head slightly, her voice as light as a falling leaf, but with some irresistible force: "Then do you have any special circumstances? Or special experiences?"
Tang Yin was speechless for a moment. He could feel Hualu's gaze, the heat of that gentleness mixed with exploration, seemed to see through him from the inside out.
"Mr. Tang Yin, I am willing to believe that you are a very special person." She raised her head, looking directly at him, her eyes flashing with complex emotions, like trust, but also struggle.
Tang Yin did not answer. He just stood there silently, his figure particularly lonely in the swirling mist.
Hualu paused, as if gathering her courage, and continued: "...I don't know what the opportunity is, but from that day, when I saw you at a glance through the shade of the trees..." Her voice trembled slightly, as if afraid and relieved, "Your figure has been lingering in my mind."
Tang Yin frowned slightly, as if wanting to interrupt her, but stopped again, as if waiting for her to finish speaking.
"Maybe it's because you helped me when I crashed into the fire, maybe it's because you called my name directly." Hualu's voice became lower and lower, as if immersed in some kind of memory, "I thought of all kinds of reasons, but I still can't find an accurate answer. Perhaps the reason didn't exist from the beginning."
She sighed softly, looked up at Tang Yin, and a hint of undisguised softness appeared on her calm face: "...I admire you, Mr. Tang Yin."
She finally said it.
Tang Yin was slightly stunned, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. His throat moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only uttered her name: "Hualu..."
But Hualu shook her head, interrupting his words. Her voice was still gentle, but with an unquestionable decisiveness: "...It's okay, you don't have to respond to my feelings, I'm not a woman who can hope for such things."
Her eyes gradually became firm, as if finding the final reason for herself: "I said these things... just because there is one more thing I must tell you."
Tang Yin's heart sank, his intuition told him that the following words were not simple. He took a deep breath, his voice low: "...What is it?"
"Run away quickly." Hualu's voice was as light as a falling ash, but with an irresistible urgency.
Tang Yin just smiled faintly, his tone with a bit of sarcasm: "Can't get out, right?"
The thick fog flowed slowly between them, like a barrier isolating reality. Tang Yin knew very well that this was a cage, and he was just a trapped beast.
Last time, he naively thought he could escape, but in the end, he could only helplessly face the ending of the entire army being wiped out. That kind of helplessness and despair is still clear.
"I also know why everyone is so afraid of this thick fog," Tang Yin's voice was low and cold, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, "Because, you can't escape this fog, right? The banquet doesn't end, the fog doesn't disperse."
His eyes fell on Hualu, his eyes revealing some kind of resolute coldness: "So, I—"
"Please don't say it." Hualu suddenly interrupted him, her voice with a hint of pleading, even begging.
Her hands were clenched slightly, her slender knuckles turning white from the force. In her eyes, there was fear, sadness, and more complex emotions that could not be expressed.
The thick fog swirled, like some invisible existence, shrouding the two of them. Tang Yin was silent for a moment, and finally did not speak again. Only their breathing remained in the air, mixed with the wet cold of the thick fog, spreading out.