NIP #554 - Strange noise
#554 - Strange noise
As dusk deepened, the air in the room grew heavier. Wang Lina stood by the window, moonlight casting mottled shadows on her face through the glass. Her voice seemed to come from a great distance: "The murderer must be someone I know... and, the murderer is definitely human."
Tang Yin felt a jolt, instinctively wanting to retort: But doesn't that contradict what you said about the gods? However, when he met Wang Lina's eyes, the words he was about to say died in his throat. What kind of eyes were those? Her once clear pupils were now turbid, as if covered by an impenetrable mist.
"However," Wang Lina said, word by word, her tone carrying a strange rhythm.
She paused for a moment, then continued: "No one can escape the palm of the gods."
Tang Yin felt a nameless chill and subconsciously looked away. At that moment, he didn't want to hear her mysterious words at all. But Wang Lina didn't seem to notice his resistance and continued to speak, unprompted: "Can escape the palm of the gods."
More of these inexplicable words. Tang Yin couldn't help but shudder. Compared to those ethereal gods, Wang Lina frightened him even more at that moment. Every word she said seemed to hide countless secrets, and every look seemed to see through people's hearts.
Moving a corpse was strenuous work, and Tang Yin originally wanted to call Qian Jin to help. But Wang Lina stubbornly insisted on handling it herself, and her unyielding attitude left Tang Yin with no choice but to cooperate.
Following Zhao Gang's method from yesterday, they carefully removed the door panel. The corpse's stiff limbs made the carrying process exceptionally difficult. They exerted a great deal of effort to place the body on the door panel. Then, the two of them, one in front and one behind, lifted the door panel and began the arduous transfer.
Zhao Gang's body was surprisingly heavy, a weight that would be difficult even for two adult men. However, Wang Lina silently bore nearly half the weight, seemingly to alleviate Tang Yin's burden. Her slender arms trembled slightly from the effort, but her face showed no sign of fatigue.
They carried the door panel in this way, moving slowly through the silent night. Moonlight poured down like water, stretching their shadows long. Qian Jin paced anxiously outside, not looking like he was waiting for them, but waiting for Hua Lu, who hadn't come out yet.
Tang Yin had no energy to speak, because if he was careless, the body would slip off the tilted door panel. Every step required extreme concentration, for fear that a moment of carelessness would undo all their efforts.
Throughout the process, the two remained silent. Only when they couldn't bear it any longer would they use rapid breathing as a signal, tacitly putting down the door panel to rest for a moment. They would take the opportunity to move their sore arms and backs, adjust their posture, and continue forward.
When they finally reached the vicinity of the cliff, Tang Yin noticed a subtle change in Wang Lina's expression. A hint of undisguised sadness suddenly appeared on her always calm face. In the moonlight, her profile looked particularly pale, and there seemed to be glistening tears in the corners of her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Moonlight was like water, and by the misty cliff, Wang Lina's voice was somewhat choked: "Gang-ge was the closest in age to me among the elder generation in Mist Hidden Village."
Tang Yin quietly looked at her, without asking further. Silence at this moment was better than a thousand words. He knew that some things didn't need to be said, and some pain didn't need to be dug up. In the moonlight, Wang Lina's profile looked particularly cold, and tears swirled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"Mm," Tang Yin nodded gently, signaling her to continue. In this cold night, listening might be the only warmth he could give.
Wang Lina's gaze looked into the distance, as if seeing the silhouettes of the past through layers of mist: "We used to play together often, and he always protected me whenever we made the elders angry." Her voice carried a faint reminiscence, as if telling a distant dream.
"Mm..." Tang Yin responded softly, not wanting to interrupt her memories.
The night wind blew Wang Lina's long hair, and she continued: "Even in this godforsaken place, Gang-ge loved everyone in Mist Hidden Village..." As she said this, her voice trembled slightly, as if some emotion was surging in her chest.
"Mm, I know," Tang Yin replied gently. In the night, the fog grew thicker, as if it wanted to engulf the entire world.
"He was a very sincere person," Wang Lina's tone was full of reminiscence and reluctance, and the moonlight cast a faint silver glow on her pale face.
"Mm," Tang Yin nodded again. A kind of indescribable sadness permeated the air.
Wang Lina lowered her head, her voice almost inaudible: "I don't want to throw him into the Godhood Valley."
Looking at her painful expression, Tang Yin felt a pang in his heart: "...Mm, I understand your feelings, and I don't want to do this either." He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said: "Why don't we just forget about it? Anyway, only Zhao Gang himself and Granny Rong would care about this."
"...No, we have to do it," Wang Lina shook her head firmly, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
"The pollution?" Tang Yin asked softly.
"Mm," she responded briefly, her tone filled with helplessness.
Tang Yin looked at her determined eyes and finally gave up trying to persuade her. Some things were perhaps truly beyond one's control.
They proceeded carefully through the thick fog, and gradually, the outline of the legendary Suicide Pine loomed in the depths of the mist. The ancient pine tree was like a silent watchman, quietly watching the actions of the young couple.
When they reached the edge of the cliff, the two tacitly put down the door panel. The night wind howled, as if mourning what was about to happen. Together, they pushed outward with force, and the door panel began to tilt.
"Goodbye... Gang-ge," Wang Lina said softly at the moment the body slipped, her voice as light as a falling feather.
The body plunged into the abyss and disappeared into the thick fog. Tang Yin looked at that nothingness, and a bitter feeling couldn't help but well up in his heart: Was this empty ritual the endless way of farewell in Mist Hidden Village?
They waited quietly for the sound of falling water, the sound that should have signaled the end of the ritual. However, the expected sound of water did not come. Instead, there was an eerie silence, as if even time had frozen at that moment.
What's going on? Tang Yin and Wang Lina looked at each other, a sense of unease rising in their hearts. What exactly happened in the bottomless Godhood Valley? The cold wind howled by the cliff, Tang Yin frowned, staring at the bottomless canyon: "No sound?" His voice carried a hint of confusion. The fog rolled in the moonlight, like a giant white dragon swimming in the valley.
Wang Lina's face was as pale as paper, her fingers trembling slightly: "I don't know." Her gaze penetrated the layers of mist, trying to capture any possible movement.
"Did we hear wrong?" Tang Yin muttered to himself, a sense of unease rising in his heart. Logically speaking, from this height, the sound of water should be clearly audible.
Wang Lina suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of mystery: "I heard that the bottom of Godhood Valley is connected to the Land of the Yellow Springs." Her eyes became ethereal, as if telling an ancient legend.
Tang Yin couldn't help but smile wryly: "...Isn't that a little too fantastical?" He instinctively wanted to deny this unscientific claim, but in this village shrouded in eerie fog, anything seemed possible.
"No one knows what's in the depths of the fog, and no one can prove it," Wang Lina's tone was firm, her eyes flashing with an elusive light. The moonlight cast a faint silver glow on her delicate profile.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and made a bold decision: "I'll go down and take a look."
"Then you won't be able to come back," Wang Lina said decisively, her tone carrying a chilling certainty.
Tang Yin looked at her firm eyes and suddenly understood something. This was Wang Lina's worldview. In her eyes, this village shrouded in mist held too many unknown secrets.
"Let's go back," Tang Yin said softly. For safety's sake, they decided to re-investigate Zhao Gang's house.
When they returned to the flat area, they saw Qian Jin pacing back and forth in front of Hua Lu's house from a distance. His tall figure cast a long shadow under the dim streetlights, and his whole person exuded an anxious and uneasy aura.
"Still not out?" Tang Yin approached and asked.
Qian Jin frowned, his face full of worry: "No, you said she was okay just now, what's your basis for that?"
"There are rustling sounds inside the house..." Tang Yin was interrupted by Wang Lina before he could finish speaking.
"You've just been standing at the door, haven't you knocked at all?" Wang Lina's voice carried a hint of mockery.
Qian Jin revealed an incredulous expression: "How could I be so impolite?"
Wang Lina narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming meaningful: "...Why are you so considerate of Hua Lu? Is the Qian family's status higher than the Hua family's?"
This sentence caught Tang Yin's attention, and he looked at the two thoughtfully. It turned out that even in this closed village, there were subtle differences in status between the elders.
Qian Jin responded somewhat angrily: "...Shouldn't men be considerate of women?"
"I'm also a woman," Wang Lina snorted lightly, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes.
Qian Jin sneered: "Is there any need to be considerate of someone who is hostile to me? Hmm?" His tone carried an obvious hint of gunpowder.
Just as the two were on the verge of conflict, Tang Yin said in a deep voice: "Don't argue... We just buried Zhao Gang, right?"
This sentence was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the fire between the two. Zhao Gang's death was like a heavy stone, weighing on everyone's heart. The three people fell into silence at the same time, only the night wind howling under the eaves, as if mourning for the dead.
As night deepened, the wooden door of Hua Lu's house cast a shadow in the moonlight. Tang Yin took a deep breath and spoke as if he had made up his mind: "I'm also very worried about Hua Lu, it would be troublesome if she's sick or injured, let me try, at worst, I'll break down the door."
"Such impolite behavior..." Qian Jin frowned, his face full of disapproval. The moonlight shone on his angular profile, making his expression even more serious.
Tang Yin looked at Qian Jin's rigid expression and shook his head secretly. If this kind of person saw someone taking off a woman's clothes for treatment, they would definitely report it, they don't even have the concept of priority, and they value etiquette more than human life.
"Hua Lu! Miss Hua Lu!" Tang Yin stepped forward and pounded on the wooden door. His voice was particularly loud in the silent night air.
Suddenly, a slight sound of clothes rubbing came from inside the house, like something dragging on the floor. Tang Yin's heart tightened, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind - could she have fallen in the house?
"Hua Lu, open the door!!" Tang Yin's voice was anxious, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.
There was still no response, only the unsettling sound of clothes rubbing, faintly discernible. Tang Yin's gaze became solemn, and a question arose in his mind: Is Hua Lu really in the house?
"...Let's break down the door," Tang Yin gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
Wang Lina nodded silently, her pale face looking even more bloodless in the moonlight. Even Qian Jin, who had been opposing it, could only reluctantly acquiesce to Tang Yin's approach at this time.
Tang Yin carefully examined the door panel. This was a typical rural simple door, assembled from wooden frames and plywood. He estimated that he should be able to break it open with some force.
Looking around, a few old farm tools leaned quietly against the wall of the hut, casting long shadows in the moonlight. The wooden shovel and wooden pestle were already decayed beyond recognition and were obviously useless.
Suddenly, a wood-chopping axe caught his eye, the blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Tang Yin's eyes lit up: "You're the one!"
"Ready--" Tang Yin raised the axe, his muscles tensed, ready to chop down.
Just at this critical moment, a strange thing happened.
Gada, gada gada...
The wooden door suddenly shook on its own, making a creepy sound. Tang Yin was startled by this sudden change and took a few steps back, the axe in his hand almost slipping out.
He subconsciously looked back at his companions and found that their expressions were also full of surprise, no, it should be said, naked fear. Wang Lina's face was pale, her lips trembling slightly: "...Wh-wh-what's going on?"
"Is this... Hua Lu?" Qian Jin's voice carried a trace of trembling, his usual composure gone.
"Hua Lu!!!" Tang Yin shouted loudly, his voice particularly harsh in the silent night.
No response... After a few seconds of deathly silence, gada, gada... the wooden door began to shake gently again, as if some invisible force was controlling it. Then, everything returned to calm again, as if everything just now was an illusion.
Tang Yin's brain was racing: Could she have fallen on the door? If that's the case, breaking down the door rashly might hurt her.
He put down the axe and walked cautiously towards the door. Just as his fingers were about to touch the door panel, squeak, squeak, that eerie sound rang again, as if it were some kind of warning. The cold night wind blew, bringing a kind of inexplicable chill.