deltrittennovels #560 - Huangquan people will not turn into wolves
#560 - Huangquan people will not turn into wolves
Dim candlelight flickered within the assembly hall, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Qian Jin's lenses reflected the dancing flames as he abruptly stood up from his chair, his emotions nearly spiraling out of control:
“Don't joke around! She specifically moved to Mist Village and dedicated all her efforts to it. Is this how Mist Village repays her kindness?!” His voice echoed through the empty hall, his fingers trembling slightly from excessive force.
Granny Rong sat hunched in a corner, a hint of hesitation flickering in her cloudy eyes: "...Th-this..." Her aged voice was filled with doubt and unease.
Qin Ming stood by the window, moonlight spilling through the glass onto his gaunt profile.
He took a deep breath, striving to keep his tone calm: “Can you listen to me for a few words? Although mentally unstable, Mom can still communicate, and there's still a possibility of persuading her.”
He turned around, his gaze sweeping across everyone present: “While Hua Lu… has already become a Yellow Spring person, like a beast. Mom's situation is different from hers.” At this point, his voice choked slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: “Even if we hang Mom today, will there be a way to restore Hua Lu to normal tomorrow?”
Qian Jin fell silent. The candlelight danced on his lenses, obscuring his expression.
“It's decided then.” Qin Ming's voice carried a trace of determination.
Suddenly, a bizarre laugh broke the silence. Qian Jin raised his head, emitting a series of almost insane laughter: “...Heh, hahaha!”
His laughter was filled with sarcasm, “Shortsighted! Only knowing how to protect your own family, without any sense of the bigger picture!”
Qin Ming frowned: “What do you mean…?”
Qian Jin adjusted his glasses, a cold glint flashing across the lenses: “Think about it! Our goal is to eliminate the wolves! That's the highest priority!”
His voice suddenly turned cold and rational, “Yellow Spring people aren't wolves, right? In other words, this is enough to prove that Hua Lu isn't a wolf!”
“Huh? Nonsense…” Qin Ming looked puzzled.
Qian Jin's eyes burned with a fanatical light: “Think about the content of the legends, wolves are Yellow Spring Wolves… monsters tainted by the Yellow Spring.”
He walked up to Granny Rong, his voice carrying a certain undeniable force, “Under this premise, can a wolf turn into a Yellow Spring person afterwards?”
“Granny Rong, what do you think!” He stared intently at the old woman's eyes.
Granny Rong trembled as she fiddled with the corner of her clothes: “Th-this… this… what you said should be right…”
Qian Jin's voice suddenly turned low and dangerous: “Assuming that those who are heavily tainted will die a violent death, just like those two reporters and your younger brother.” His gaze swept towards Qin Ming,
“However, those who are lightly tainted will only go mad. Mad 加护者 (untranslatable, possibly Blessed Ones) turn into wolves, and mad humans turn into Yellow Spring people.”
His tone carried a strange excitement: “In other words, if a wolf is tainted, there's only one outcome: death; if a human is tainted, there might be two outcomes: turning into a Yellow Spring person or dying a violent death.”
The air within the assembly hall seemed to freeze. The candlelight cast swaying shadows on everyone's faces, and the mournful sound of the wind came from outside the window, as if lamenting the impending fate.
Qin Ming stood in place, his fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms, yet he was completely unaware of the pain. The gaze he directed at Qian Jin was filled with complex emotions, both anger and an indescribable fear.
Qin Ming suddenly raised his head, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger: “This is just your subjective delusion!”
Qian Jin smiled contemptuously, his eyes behind the lenses flashing with a strange light. He slowly paced back and forth, his leather shoes making dull sounds on the wooden floor: “True, there's no way to prove it now! However, I can offer even more arguments!”
He suddenly turned around, his body beneath the suit as taut as a bow, his entire being exuding an almost insane aura: “If wolves also go mad because of taint, would they turn into that kind of appearance? Can beasts in human skin go mad in that way!”
The moonlight shone in through the window, casting a deep shadow on Qian Jin's face. His voice became increasingly agitated: “I believe that a mad wolf would expose its bestial nature! Its bloodthirsty nature! Is Hua Lu like that!? No!!”
In the corner, Granny Rong's hunched figure trembled in the candlelight. Her withered fingers incessantly rubbed the corner of her clothes, her aged voice filled with hesitation: “...This... what you said should be right...” She took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision: “Then... let's execute Chen Xiang first...”
“Granny Rong!?” Gao Mei exclaimed, her young face turning pale with shock.
Qin Ming slammed his fist on the table, his palm heavily striking the wooden surface, producing a muffled sound: “Qian Jin's assumptions are all based on legends! But this is reality, people have already died! This is too absurd!”
A cold light flashed in Qian Jin's eyes, and he quickly walked up to Qin Ming, almost roaring: “Just who is absurd! Acknowledging the terror of the taint is acknowledging the legend itself!” His voice carried a certain frenzy: “Even I have acknowledged it…! You want to acknowledge the terror of the taint while denying the legend itself, isn't this a double standard, huh!?”
Qin Ming was stunned by this sudden question and was momentarily speechless. He subconsciously turned to Wang Lina, who had been silent all along: “...Sister Lina...!”
Wang Lina stood by the window, the moonlight plating her gaunt profile with a layer of silver. She lowered her eyes, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible: “...I'm very afraid of gods.”
Her fingers unconsciously stroked the window frame, “The gods who toy with us in the palm of their hands, I'm really afraid of them.”
“...What do you mean, Sister Lina?” Qin Ming's voice was filled with confusion.
Wang Lina slowly raised her head, the moonlight illuminating her firm eyes: “But even so, no, precisely because of this,” her voice gradually became forceful: “we must fight against fear. To fight, we need weapons.”
Suddenly, her gaze became profound: “...Tang Yin...”
Gao Mei nervously wrung her hands: “...Ah, what's wrong, with him?”
Wang Lina was silent for a moment, as if pondering something. Finally, she raised her head, her gaze firmly fixed on everyone: “I vote for Qin Ming.”
“Uh——” Qin Ming froze in place, obviously not expecting this turn of events.
Gao Mei widened her eyes: “——Wh-what's going on, Sister Lina——?”
Qian Jin's face instantly turned ashen, and he stared fixedly at Wang Lina, his voice filled with suppressed anger: “What do you mean, Wang Lina!?”
Wang Lina stood by the window, the moonlight outlining her slender figure, her gaze as sharp as ice: “Qian Jin, start the formal voting. Even if we continue discussing, it's just a waste of time.”
Qian Jin's originally tense expression loosened slightly, and he hesitated to speak: “Uh... but.” Before he could finish speaking, Qin Ming interrupted him.
Qin Ming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: “...We have to make a decision, and Sister Lina has already voted. It wouldn't be fair if we didn't vote.” He paused for a moment, his voice suddenly turning low: “But... whether I can be forgiven is another matter, Sister Lina...!”
A gentle look flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: “I know...” Her voice carried a trace of weariness, but it was still firm.
Qian Jin pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the candlelight: “I have no objections, then let's officially start the voting.”
Wang Lina slowly walked from the window to the center of the room, each step seeming to be taken after careful consideration: “Let me talk about my thoughts. I think Qian Jin is only half right. The goal of the gathering is to find out the identity of the wolf.”
Her gaze swept across everyone present, as if trying to see through their hearts: “However, we shouldn't use legends as arguments. Whether it's Xiao Liang, Grandpa Wolf, or Zhao Gang, they all died at the hands of humans.”
The candlelight cast swaying shadows on her face, making her expression appear particularly deep: “I think we should exclude the factors of legends and take reality as the standard.”
Suddenly, her tone changed, and her voice became sharp: “——First of all, everyone has already decided the order of voting priority, right?”
Her gaze fell on Xiao Mie in the corner, where there was a faint sound of sobbing: “As Qian Jin said, Xiao Mie is too young, she doesn't understand. As for Xiao Mei...”
Wang Lina turned to Gao Mei, a knowing smile appearing on the corner of her mouth: “Let's put it this way, she hates Qian Jin and will definitely support Qin Ming. No matter what, right?”
Gao Mei lowered her head, her cheeks slightly red: “...Um...” Her fingers were nervously intertwined.
“Granny Rong is the most devout person among us and will definitely make a decision based on legends.” Wang Lina's voice echoed in the silent space. Granny Rong, hearing this, trembled slightly.
Finally, her gaze fell on Qin Ming, her eyes becoming gentle and compassionate: “Qin Ming, I understand your feelings. Your mother is facing the danger of being hanged, you must be very anxious now.”
Qin Ming's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the corner of his clothes. Wang Lina continued: “...But, in order to protect your mother, do you want to induce everyone to hang Hua Lu?”
Her words were like a sharp sword, pointing directly at Qin Ming's heart: “It's indeed easy to induce the people of Mist Village to hang an elder, but you actually know the importance of priority, right?”
The wind howled outside the window, blowing the candlelight, casting eerie shadows on the wall. Wang Lina's voice became even firmer: “This world cannot tolerate Yellow Spring people... Compared to this sentence, the threat of the wolf is more direct, right? We must prioritize finding out the identity of the wolf.”
Finally, her voice carried a certain undeniable force: “The Qin Ming I know, even if he's cornered, wouldn't resort to sophistry.”
Qin Ming stood there, the moonlight shining through the window onto him, illuminating his pale face and clenched fists, the struggle within his heart silently spreading in the darkness.
Qin Ming's hands gripped the wooden chair back tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He raised his head, his eyes flashing with complex light: “——Sister Lina.”
Sweat trickled down his forehead, his voice trembling slightly: “I know what you want to say.”
The candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face, his lips trembling: “...I...”
Suddenly, he abruptly stood up, the chair being knocked over and falling to the ground with a loud crash. His emotions were like a flood that had burst its banks: “I just can't forgive him!!”
Qian Jin was startled by this sudden outburst and took half a step back: “Huh?”
Qin Ming's gaze was like a poisoned blade, stabbing straight at Qian Jin: “It's all because of you, you piece of shit! Gang-ge (Brother Gang), Qin Yi, Xiao Liang, they were all killed by you!”
His voice echoed within the assembly hall, carrying bone-deep hatred: “You even want to kill Mom, I will never forgive you!!”
Gao Mei hurriedly jumped up from her seat, her slender arms grabbing Qin Ming's sleeve: “Wait, Brother!? What's wrong, calm down!” Her voice was full of panic.
Qin Ming shook off his sister's hand, a twisted smile appearing on his face: “Um, that's right, I did ignore the priority. I just wanted to teach him a lesson, so I used Xiao Mei!”
He turned to Wang Lina, the madness in his eyes startling: “Sister Lina, you're right, this is my true nature, I'm just this kind of person!”
The moonlight shone in through the window, illuminating his hideous face: “——Are you satisfied!? Sister Lina!”
Wang Lina stood at the intersection of moonlight and shadow, her voice still as calm as water: “Is that so, this isn't your style.”
She slowly approached Qin Ming, each step taken with careful consideration: “Qin Ming, just consider me being paranoid.”
Her gaze was like a searchlight, shining into Qin Ming's heart: “When Aunt Chen Xiang served the food, you and Xiao Mei weren't there, right?”
The candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the wall: “If the others were to be wiped out, then only you two would be left——and Tang Yin.”
Her voice carried a hint of faint sarcasm: “If you were the wolf, wouldn't this situation be what you'd like to see?”
Qin Ming's body suddenly trembled, as if struck by lightning: “——”
His face instantly turned pale: “——You mean, I let Mom poison them, Sister Lina——”
A trace of pity flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: “This is just my worst guess.”
Her voice echoed in the silent space: “Aunt Chen Xiang probably picked the aconite this morning. Other than that, there would be no other opportunity.”
Finally, her words were like stones thrown into a calm lake, stirring up countless ripples: “In other words, she had the intention to kill from early on… If someone had incited her last night, it would all make sense…”
The assembly hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the wind passing through the window frames, carrying a mournful cry.
Qin Ming stood there, the moonlight stretching his shadow long, like a soul about to collapse.
Gao Mei covered her mouth, tears silently streaming down her face. Qian Jin leaned against the wall, the lenses of his glasses reflecting a cold light, hiding his expression in the shadows.