deltrittennovels #605 - myth
#605 - myth
Tang Yin felt his face burning slightly and could only force a calm, dry laugh: "Is that so? It seems there really are no secrets here, hahaha." The laughter sounded particularly awkward in the empty second-floor corridor.
"Calm down." Qin Ming's expression remained serious. Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the window at the end of the corridor, casting slender shadows on the floor. Tang Yin recalled the previous conversation and suddenly felt a surge of unease. Had he said something he shouldn't have?
Qin Ming leaned gently against the wall, his gaze sharp: "Let's not talk about that for now. Tang Yin, can you tell me the basis for your certainty?"
"Uh~ just a hunch." Tang Yin lowered his eyes, avoiding the other's gaze.
"...A hunch?" Qin Ming's voice was laced with obvious doubt.
"Yeah." Tang Yin nodded. In reality, he had been prepared to tell Qin Ming, but on second thought, now was definitely not the time to reveal the truth. Faint voices drifted up from downstairs, making the silence even more oppressive.
"No one can hear you here," Qin Ming said, his tone slightly coaxing.
Tang Yin shook his head gently, a wry smile on his lips: "It really is just a hunch. And, if I may point out one of your mistakes, you can hear me here, right?"
"Uh, that's true. Maybe that's the right approach." Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully. Tang Yin secretly regretted it, realizing he had made a mistake by mentioning Little Meimei. He hoped he wouldn't pursue it further.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Qin Ming suddenly asked, "If Little Meimei dies tonight, can I suspect you?"
The air seemed to freeze. Tang Yin could feel that the other party was testing him; the feeling was subtle. He took a deep breath: "...I don't know why you would think that? If I were the wolf, wouldn't providing you with this information be suicide?"
"...Okay, I understand." Qin Ming's gaze remained sharp. "Then if someone else dies, I'll suspect you."
"That's too strict, isn't it? Can't you trust me a little more?" Tang Yin said with a wry smile. The sunlight outside the window gradually dimmed.
Qin Ming's expression relaxed slightly: "Then I'll trust you to the minimum extent for now. However, until the end of the banquet, I can't completely trust anyone."
"...Even your friends or family?" Tang Yin asked tentatively, then added, "I really want to say I trust you."
"But when I think about what happened to the Gao family in the past, I understand that I can't be so naive." Qin Ming's voice was low, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
...So he also has doubts? Tang Yin looked at Qin Ming's slightly tired profile, unsure of what to say for a moment. The light coming through the window at the end of the corridor grew dimmer, as if foreshadowing something. The sounds of laughter downstairs continued intermittently, forming a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere on the second floor. This secret conversation seemed to reveal more mysteries, but also brought new questions. In this environment full of crisis, trust, like the disappearing sunlight outside the window, became increasingly precious and fragile.
Qin Ming's figure looked particularly thin in the shadows of the corridor. His gaze looked through the window into the distance: "Moreover, someone has indeed died. Let's put aside whether that incident was caused by someone." His voice was low and hoarse, as if recounting an incident he didn't want to mention.
The wooden floor creaked slightly as he turned around. He continued, "If someone dies tonight and no one confesses..." Before he could finish speaking, a gust of cold wind blew in through the window seams, making one shiver.
"Then it means the culprit has accepted the role of the wolf, starting to kill and deceive everyone." Qin Ming's eyes became sharp, as if looking at some invisible enemy. Sunlight reflected coldly on his glasses.
He raised his hand and pushed up his glasses, continuing: "Although it's different from the general legal concept, in this severe situation, doing this actually carries the risk of being punished."
Tang Yin leaned against the wall of the corridor, feeling the rough texture of the wall: "...I see. So you've justified the act of killing."
"Justified... I guess so. You're right, I'm right. If I didn't convince myself of that, I wouldn't be able to stand it." There was a hint of bitterness in Qin Ming's voice. The noise from downstairs seemed to contrast sharply with the heavy atmosphere here.
Tang Yin looked at Qin Ming's slightly tired profile, silently weighing in his mind: Which behavior is more human – changing what's right in order to survive, or sticking to what's right even if it means death? This question swirled in his mind.
"Could it be that your ambition is to become a legal scholar or something?" Tang Yin tried to ease the atmosphere.
A wry smile appeared on the corner of Qin Ming's mouth: "...Yes, I wanted to study law. But now, it's probably impossible." The sunlight was gradually blocked by dark clouds, and the entire corridor fell into dimness.
"It's not that pessimistic, is it?" Tang Yin's voice echoed in the empty corridor.
"If I survive, it means that everyone who is a wolf will be hanged." There was an undisguised heaviness in Qin Ming's words.
Tang Yin thought to himself that Qin Ming was indeed very smart, and the logic in these words was so tight that it was difficult to refute. However, he was someone who valued correctness more, and this kind of personality might not be a good thing in the current situation. Tang Yin was a little worried that his theoretical armor seemed perfect, but it was not without flaws. This excessive pursuit of the right way of thinking might end up trapping him.
"Well, I understand. Let's leave it at that." Tang Yin said softly, his eyes falling on the dusty window at the end of the corridor.
Qin Ming sighed deeply: "...Even we are almost out of breath with the current situation. You just moved here, so it must be even more difficult for you." There was a trace of concern in his voice, mixed with an indescribable complexity.
The sky outside the window grew darker, as if foreshadowing an impending storm. The air in the corridor became even heavier, and even the laughter from downstairs sounded particularly grating. This conversation revealed too many truths that people didn't want to face, yet it also built an invisible barrier between the two. Tang Yin looked at Qin Ming's back, realizing that in this environment full of crisis, everyone was struggling to survive in their own way.
The light in the corridor had become increasingly dim. Tang Yin looked at the deepening twilight outside the window and said softly, "How should I put it... I had nothing to lose in the first place, so I'm actually very calm now. Actually, I'm more worried about Xia Hui."
Qin Ming's glasses reflected a faint light in the dim light: "...I want to avoid meaningless sacrifices as much as possible. I hope she can understand." There was a trace of fatigue in his voice.
"I'll keep an eye on that. Also, be careful not to have a head-on conflict with Old Man Gao," Tang Yin reminded, his eyes inadvertently sweeping across Qin Ming's tense shoulders.
"Yeah, you're right." Qin Ming nodded slightly.
This conversation went smoothly, and Tang Yin also gained some of Qin Ming's trust. However, on the way back to the cafeteria, Tang Yin secretly resolved that he must never avoid secret talks with others again. This kind of behavior was too easy to arouse suspicion.
In the cafeteria, the orange lights cast long shadows of everyone. Tang Yin chatted idly with everyone, but his eyes were always looking for the right opportunity. Finally, he saw a figure huddled alone in a corner.
"...Huh?" Xia Hui raised her haggard face, the pen in her hand stopping in mid-air. In front of her was a thick notebook, and densely packed handwriting almost filled every page.
Tang Yin walked closer: "Are you organizing what happened here?"
Xia Hui trembled slightly like a frightened rabbit, and hurriedly stuffed the notebook into the bag beside her: "...Yeah, after all, I have to go to the police after leaving here, so I have to organize my testimony..."
Tang Yin nodded inwardly. This was indeed the right idea. He hadn't even thought of doing that to this extent last time. He pulled over a chair and sat down gently: "...If you have time, can I ask you a question?"
"What question?" Xia Hui pushed up her glasses, and her eyes behind the lenses showed a hint of vigilance.
"As a former paranormal phenomenon columnist, what do you think about the legends here?" Tang Yin asked in a low voice.
Xia Hui smiled wryly and waved her hand: "...It's just a title. Actually, I'm no different from an outsider." Her fingers unconsciously stroked the zipper of her bag. "However, this doesn't really seem like a Japanese legend."
"Yeah." Tang Yin responded softly.
Xia Hui suddenly became a little uneasy: "...Um, should we continue talking about this? Isn't this a topic that will make everyone happy?"
Just then, Tang Yin noticed that it had suddenly become quiet around them. Turning his head, he saw that everyone else in the cafeteria was casting their gazes towards this corner, whether obviously or subtly. Some people pretended to be looking out the window, while others looked down and fiddled with their cutlery, but the oppressive atmosphere clearly indicated that their conversation had attracted considerable attention.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria was so heavy that it felt like water could drip from it, but Wang Lina suddenly raised a smile, her eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Who knows? I'm very interested." Her voice broke the suffocating silence.
"I'm not interested," Qin Yi said, pursing his lips, and turned to look at the deepening night outside the window.
Gao Mei tucked her long hair behind her ears and muttered softly: "...Anyway, I'm bored."
Tong Xiaoliang's skirt swayed gently as she turned to face Hua Lu, who was sitting elegantly to the side: "Sister Hua Lu, what about you? This can be considered your area of expertise, right?"
Hua Lu lowered her head slightly, her fingers gently stroking the edge of her teacup: "...No, the sacrificial rites are Zhao's responsibility. However, actually, I'm also a little interested." She paused, then added: "It's a rare experience to hear foreigners talk about our beliefs."
Granny Rong's hunched figure looked particularly old in the light: "...Since Master Hua Lu has said so, then I have no objections." A complex look flashed in her cloudy eyes.
The others remained silent, their gazes, whether bright or dim, turned towards Xia Hui. Xia Hui took a deep breath, pushed up her glasses, and began her analysis: "...In the worldview of polytheism, most gods will die. However, cases of ordinary people killing gods are surprisingly rare."
Her voice was calm, but her fingers were restlessly stroking the edge of the notebook: "Especially, I can't even think of a case in Shinto mythology where only gods and heroes close to gods can kill gods. This phenomenon may be related to the justification of god-slaying. If the god-slayer does not have the strength close to that of a god, then the act of god-slaying is not convincing."
The light from the cafeteria cast a faint reflection on her glasses as Xia Hui continued: "...In local legends, both wolves and snakes are guardian beasts and servants of the mountain god, which is equivalent to gods, just like the relationship between Inari and foxes. We also have cases of servant worship, including snakes, monkeys, crows, and wolves, all of which have shrines where they are worshiped as messengers of the gods."
"Is that so?" Tang Yin asked, pretending to be relaxed, but in reality, every nerve in his body was tense.
"Yeah, when it comes to wolf worship, the most famous place is Chichibu. Have you heard of Mitsumine Shrine? The stone statues at the entrance of the shrine have been changed from komainu to wolves." Xia Hui's voice gradually lowered.
Tang Yin sighed inwardly. Who can remember all this professional knowledge? But he noticed that as Xia Hui spoke, the atmosphere in the cafeteria seemed to become more solemn. The night outside the window had completely enveloped the earth, and only the dim yellow lights of the cafeteria were still struggling to illuminate this space.
Xia Hui's voice echoed in the cafeteria, as if telling an ancient legend: "In addition, in Kumano worship, there is also the worship of the three-legged Yatagarasu. Hiyoshi Taisha enshrines monkeys." Her fingers unconsciously drew circles on the notebook.
Wang Lina held her cheeks with both hands, her eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Hey... what about snakes?" Her long hair shone softly in the light.
"...Omiwa Shrine is very famous, right? The enshrined deity Omononushi is the snake god." Xia Hui pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the dim yellow light. She paused, her voice gradually sinking: "In short, even if there are legends of ordinary people joining forces with other servants to kill gods... it is extremely rare."
The air seemed to freeze, and Xia Hui's voice came to an abrupt halt. The only sounds in the cafeteria were the chirping of insects outside the window, and the occasional cries of unknown birds, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
After a moment, Xia Hui seemed to suddenly remember something, and her eyes lit up: "By the way, in the story of the banquet, did you find the plot of getting the wolf god drunk and then killing him familiar?"
Tang Yin frowned, tapping the table gently with his fingers: "...Are you referring to the island country legend of Susanoo slaying the great serpent?"
"Ah, I know!" Wang Lina suddenly sat up excitedly. "Is it the legend of Susanoo disguising himself as a woman to be sacrificed, getting the Yamata no Orochi drunk, and then killing it?" There was a hint of excitement in her voice, as if she had completely forgotten the current situation.
Xia Hui nodded slightly, her fingertips gently stroking the edge of the notebook: "That's right. The legends here may be rooted in various stories, including the slaying of the great serpent, just like most myths and folktales."