Editor's note: This is a very good and exciting story, a fantasy within a fantasy, a mystery within a mystery, like the scenes in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, but also with the strangeness and thrills of fantasy. If there is no external cause, a person will not face the sins he has committed. Or maybe it is in dreams that one can come to terms with one's past. This is also a normal behavior under a state of mental depression. It seems that only in dreams can one be frank, although this can only be accomplished through the strangeness of ghosts and shadows. The novel is not very novel, but the meaning is quite intriguing. The story is not very novel, but the plot is very good, which attracts people to finish it in one breath, especially the ending, which is quite interesting. No matter how brilliant a person is, or how he escapes, he can't escape his conscience. Torture, just like the protagonist in the article, finally escaped to the City of Original Sin, where he opened up about his sinful past and allowed himself to be kissed by the snake.
"Huh!" Zheng Yu finally moved the last piece of luggage into the house and panted heavily. For someone who stayed at home all day writing novels, exercising was almost impossible. Zheng Yu lay heavily on the sofa, looking around the new house.
The new house is not big, but it has a sense of tranquility, which is why I chose this house. The house is an old house from the 1960s and 1970s, and the wooden furniture in the house exudes the old Fortunately, there are necessary household appliances in this room. Overall, Zheng Yu is quite satisfied. Now he can write peacefully in such a quiet room without worrying about his neurasthenia and insomnia.
Zheng Yu packed up his things in the room and walked out to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment. There was also a quiet atmosphere around the house. There were a few lush roses under the shade of the trees. When the breeze blew, he could smell the That subtle fragrance.
"You shouldn't have run out…" An old voice came from behind the rose bushes. Zheng Yu looked out through the gap in confusion. It was a white-haired old woman, hunched over. Standing at a corner of the road, looking at the old woman, I felt a sense of fear. It was as if the old woman's eyes were like a poisonous scorpion that bit people, making people shudder.
"I just went for a walk in the yard…" Zheng Yu explained helplessly. The old woman's eyes became more and more fierce. She raised her cane and knocked it heavily on the stone slab. The old woman was breathing heavily, her eyes were full of desire. Breathing fire. "How many times have I told you not to play in the yard? Why don't you listen?"
Zheng Yu was speechless for a moment, because he didn't understand at all. From the old woman's tone, it seemed as if he had lived here for a long time, but he just moved in today.
"Mrs. Zhou, he is not your grandson. You have recognized the wrong person. He just moved in today." A soft voice freed Zheng Yu from his embarrassment. Zheng Yu looked towards the woman who spoke. The woman looked very simple, without any heavy makeup, but she still gave people a stunning feeling.
"He is not my grandson. My grandson is not as tall as him." The old woman muttered to herself. As she walked away, she turned back and said something incomprehensible to Zheng Yu: "Beware of snakes. Be careful of snake bites."
Zheng Yu didn't let out a long sigh until the old woman left. The old woman gave people a fatal feeling of suffocation. Perhaps the witches described in the book were just like this. Zheng Yu smiled at the woman to show his gratitude. The woman's smile gave people a feeling that was completely different from that of the old woman. "You just moved in, right? We will be neighbors from now on. If you have any problems in the future, you can ask us for help. My husband and I welcome you to our home. A guest. "
Zheng Yu thanked him quickly, but couldn't help asking, "Who was that old lady just now?"
"Alas, that grandmother is also a pitiful person. She originally had a grandson, but a poisonous snake came out of nowhere and bit her grandson to death. Then the grandmother became a little mentally ill." The woman sighed: "Oh, , My name is Lan Ruo, what's your name? " "Oh, my name is Zheng Yu, I'm an online writer, I moved here just to have a quiet place to write novels."
The woman was surprised and said, "So you're a writer, that's amazing!" The woman looked at Zheng Yu deeply, then smiled and said, "Well, I'll go back first. If you need any help, you can come to me. ” “Well, thank you very much!”
Zheng Yu returned to the house and didn't want to go out again. He just made some food and had a meal. Then he turned on the computer as usual, but he couldn't write anything after writing for a long time, so he simply closed the computer. I won’t write anymore. After staying up late to write for days and being tired from the journey, Zheng Yu fell asleep in a daze.
Zheng Yu had a dream. He dreamed that when he was a child, he and his friend were playing on the mountain. Then his friend slipped and fell down. Zheng Yu used all his strength to pull him up but failed. Instead, his friend's hand was like a snake. It tightly wrapped around him, and then his playmate's face and body gradually turned into a giant snake with its bloody mouth opened wide. It swallowed Zheng Yu in one gulp, and together they fell into the endless darkness under the cliff…
I woke up from my sleep with my clothes soaked with sweat. The room was dark except for the power indicator of my laptop, which was still flickering. The dim yellow power indicator was shining in the dark room, and the room was filled with strange shadows. , it looks eerie and scary.
Zheng Yu sat quietly in the dark room, thinking about the dream he had just had. He had the same dream more than once, and it seemed that every time he dreamed of a venomous snake that wanted to bite someone. "Beware of snakes, beware of snake bites." "The old woman's words were like a spell in his mind, and he couldn't get rid of them. Zheng Yu couldn't sit still any longer. The fear had made his mouth dry. So he stood up to pour some water, but found that there was The power went out. "It should be the fuse that burned out." Although Zheng Yu was not very good at repairing circuits, he was still able to do basic things like replacing fuses. "Sure enough, the fuse was broken, but there was no new one. "Change it!" Zheng Yu sat down in the dark room depressed. The night outside was particularly dark. Looking outside through the glass, the rose bushes seemed to be swaying their tentacles like a monster under the dim moonlight.
This small town is not as noisy as a big city. The small town dotted with a few lights in the distance seems particularly quiet. Only the night wind blows from time to time, making a whimpering sound. But if you listen carefully, Zheng Yu is sure It was definitely not just the sound of the wind. The melodious singing that seemed to last forever was clearly a woman's voice. Once you heard it clearly, the voice became clearer and clearer. The low singing seemed to have the magic power to summon souls. Zheng Yu couldn't suppress the doubts in his heart and walked out of the house involuntarily.
The song was sometimes far away and sometimes near, erratic. In the thick night, Zheng Yu suddenly recalled that this song, as heartbreaking as the night wind, was clearly the night's requiem. The wind quietly blew away the surrounding In the mist of the rose bushes, Zheng Yu saw a woman in white sitting quietly not far away, and the captivating singing came from there.
Zheng Yu couldn't help but shudder. Perhaps the rose scent stimulated his nasal membrane, and Zheng Yu couldn't help but sneeze. The singing suddenly stopped, and Zheng Yu secretly cursed himself for being too impatient.
"Who?" The woman turned around and asked first. Zheng Yu then realized that the woman was the neighbor who had helped him so enthusiastically today. Zheng Yu apologized and said, "I'm sorry, I'm the newcomer, Zheng Yu. The fuse in my room is broken. I want to ask if there is an extra fuse? "The woman Lan Ruo said "Oh" softly , turned back to the room, and soon took out a tool from the room. He took out the box and said, "Take it back and use it first. There's no rush to return it." After saying that, he went back.
Zheng Yu looked at her from behind. She was completely different from the enthusiastic girl she was during the day. And why did she come out to sing in the middle of the night? Puzzled, Zheng Yu carried his toolbox back to the house and put on new The fuse was fused and the lights in the house finally came on again.
Zheng Yu was sleepless again that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he seemed to hear the old woman's vicious curse and the woman's soul-stirring singing. Zheng Yu simply turned on his computer and searched for writing materials out of boredom. Suddenly, a story attracted him. The girl caught Zheng Yu's eye. It was a passage from A Chinese Ghost Story. Lanruo Temple, Soul Calling Song… Zheng Yu was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He clearly remembered that the woman's name was Lanruo. Maybe they just had the same name, but… What was the meaning of the song she sang in the middle of the night? Zheng Yu was puzzled. Perhaps he was just overthinking. Zheng Yu read the passage about Lanruo Temple in A Chinese Ghost Story over and over again. My thoughts suddenly started to race.
Zheng Yu found a novel that he had put aside before, flipped through a few pages and couldn't read any more. Zheng Yu was quite dissatisfied with these novels. Perhaps these casually written novels lacked something important. Zheng Yu simply I deleted them all and involuntarily typed the following line: "Requiem for the Night".
That night, the figure of the woman and the eternal soul-calling song lingered in Zheng Yu's mind for a long time. Zheng Yu seemed to be infected with some kind of magic, and his thoughts flowed like a spring. Soon, he wrote a ten thousand-word article. Zheng Yu rubbed his numb arms and looked at the words he had typed. He couldn't help but sighed softly, "Lan Ruo, who are you?"
The sun shone through the dense rose bushes, and Zheng Yu opened his sleepy eyes and woke up from his sleep. He turned on the computer first, then went to wash up and made some food. While eating, Zheng Yu read the book he wrote last night. The novel "Night Requiem" was not finished yet, and Zheng Yu did not know what the next plot would be like, and even did not know how to write the previous plot. Zheng Yu recalled Based on what I saw and felt last night, perhaps this novel will be the best one I have ever written once it is finished.
Zheng Yu took the toolbox and went out, but Lan Ruo next door was not at home. Maybe she would not be back until the evening, so Zheng Yu had to take the toolbox back. Zheng Yu was lying in the corner of the room basking in the sun, and suddenly found The old woman from yesterday was walking on the side of the road. She also saw Zheng Yu in the yard and her expression changed immediately: "You ran out again, go back to the house quickly."
"What bad luck, how could I meet her again? Oh, forget it." Zheng Yu thought, but then he thought of Lan Ruo's words, and he couldn't help but sigh that the old woman was also a pitiful person. Maybe she just missed her grandson. Zheng Yu had to I carried the chair back into the house and spent my time surfing the Internet.
The time spent online passed quickly, and it was already dark. Zheng Yu had to go get some food. To be honest, Zheng Yu was not very good at making food, as his parents took care of him at home. Now he had to rely on himself for everything. There is no other way to make a living. Just enough to fill your stomach.
There was a crisp knock on the door. Zheng Yu opened the door and saw that it was Lan Ruo. "I'm here to get the tool box. What are you cooking?" Lan Ruo asked, sniffing. Just cook something to fill your stomach. Come in and sit down. Sorry, the place is small. "Zheng Yu turned around and went to get the tool box. When he came back, he saw Lan Ruo sitting quietly at the desk. He was sitting in his chair, reading the novel he had written last night.
"That's just something I wrote casually. I told you I'm an online writer." Zheng Yu explained guiltily. Lan Ruo also stood up and took the toolbox from his hand, smiling and saying, "I saw you cooking. The food doesn't seem to be very tasty. Do you want to come to my house for dinner? My husband and I welcome you very much! "Zheng Yu blushed and said, "How can I do that? I can just eat something by myself." "Okay then, whatever you want. I'm leaving now. Goodbye!" Lan Ruo turned around and walked out the door, then smiled faintly and said, "Your novel is really well written!"
Zheng Yu walked her out the door and said shyly, "I'll visit you after dinner." "Okay." Zheng Yu turned back to the house. The food in the pot had already been cooked. It was cooked, and I couldn't eat any more after eating a little. So I put down my bowl and chopsticks, closed the door and went to visit Lanruo's house.
Zheng Yu came to Lan Ruo's door, and the door was not closed. Zheng Yu asked, "Is anyone here?" "Oh, you're here, come in and sit down." Lan Ruo was wearing a white dress and an apron, which made her look even more Unworldly. Zheng Yu walked into the house and sat down, looking at the layout of the house. The layout of the house was also that of an old-fashioned residential house, with a mixture of old-fashioned furniture and modern common electrical appliances. Lan Ruo brought a plate of fruit platter and said: "Have some fruit!" Zheng Yu asked in confusion, "Why are you the only one in this room?"
"My husband is asleep in the house. He won't see anyone when he's asleep." Lan Ruo said softly, as if she was afraid of waking up the people in the house. Zheng Yu couldn't sit there any longer after a while, so he said goodbye and left. Zheng Yu heaved a sigh of relief after he walked out of the house. Zheng Yu didn't know why, but he always felt a sense of oppression in the house that made him feel suffocated.
Time passed day by day, and Zheng Yu listened carefully outside the window every night. But he could no longer hear the nocturne sung softly. Zheng Yu helplessly faced the computer screen. There is still no ending. Zheng Yu wrote countless endings but was never satisfied. Maybe he was waiting…
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the night was as dark as ever. A waning moon, like the sickle of the god of death, hung upside down on the branches of the rose bush. The wind blew gently, and the branches swayed, blurring the view that Zheng Yu was staring at through the window. Suddenly Zheng Yu jumped up. He definitely heard the soul-calling music that sounded like the ancient Buddhist chant. Zheng Yu walked out of the house carefully, but did not see Lan Ruo through the rose bushes. Zheng Yu seemed to be possessed by a demon. He followed the sound and came to the window of Lanruo's house.
The singing was coming from the window. Zheng Yu carefully peeked inside. Zheng Yu's heart was about to jump out. Maybe he thought it was just a dream. Through the window, he could clearly see a Lan Ruo, dressed in white, was quietly watching a man, applying rouge and powder to him while singing a nocturne. But the man sat motionless with his eyes closed, his dry skin like the one in the novel. As eerie and scary as zombies.
Lan Ruo was concentrating on putting makeup on the man. The soft rouge and powder on his face looked so weird. Zheng Yu couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he squatted down and gasped. The man was clearly a shriveled But Lan Ruo was still concentrating on putting makeup on him. What was going on?
"What are you doing here?" Lan Ruo's voice rang in his ears, frightening Zheng Yu so much that his heart almost jumped out of his chest. "Uh…" Zheng Yu didn't know how to explain. Hiding under someone else's window in the middle of the night was really… Unclear. "Don't you want to see my husband? Come inside."
Zheng Yu followed Lan Ruo into the house and immediately felt a sense of suffocation. The scent of rouge and powder mixed with an unknown smell in the house seemed very strange. Zheng Yu held his breath for fear of inhaling more of that strange smell. Lan Ruo had obviously noticed Zheng Yu's actions and turned on the kitchen exhaust fan. Fresh air from outside rushed into the house, and although it was a little cold, it was much better than before.
"Who is he?" Zheng Yu knew the answer but still asked. Lan Ruo was still holding rouge and powder, carefully applying makeup to the man's body. She said, "He is my husband. We have lived here for nearly ten years. "But aren't you afraid? He has already…"
"Hush! He just fell asleep. He loves the smell of rouge and powder, so I just put makeup on him." Lan Ruo said to herself: "Also, he loves listening to my singing, so I often Sing to him.”
"How did he die?" Zheng Yu asked. Lan Ruo suddenly raised her head, with a strange light in her eyes: "Don't mention that word again, he just fell asleep. And he will wake up soon. "What?" Zheng Yu asked in horror. "Don't you know? I have been singing the soul-calling song here for ten years. You are the only one who heard my singing. Maybe all this is God's will. . ” Lan Ruo took out a pair of sharp scissors and pressed them against Zheng Yu’s throat. “Merciful Lord, please remember that you came to the world for me and you left the world for me. The judgment of retribution is fair, and everyone is born guilty. May the Lord forgive our sins, God, please forgive me! This is a day of mourning, when the dead will rise from the dust and sinners will be But God, forgive them. Lord, merciful Jesus, grant them rest in peace. Amen."
Zheng Yu's clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, and Lan Ruo was like a completely different person. She chanted an unknown spell, like a demon from hell, and her eyes pierced into Zheng Yu's soul like a snake. Zheng Yu was completely unable to break free. He could only say blankly: "People are born with sin? What sin have I committed? What sin have you committed?"
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, violated God's will, and "owed God's glory". They dreamed of a dead snake without a head . This sin was passed on to future generations and became the source of all human sin, disaster, suffering and death. When a person is born, he is a "sinner" in the eyes of God. Even if a baby dies right after birth, although he has not committed any crime, he is still a sinner because he is born with original sin. What sin have I committed? I "You killed my husband. What crime have you committed? Don't you understand it yourself?" Lan Ruo said righteously, as if all this had nothing to do with her.
"You killed your husband? Didn't you love him?" Zheng Yu asked in confusion. "It was because I loved him that I killed him. He was the one who abandoned me first. Since he did this, I have no choice but to Only by killing him can I be with him forever." Lan Ruo said word by word. "You are crazy, you must be crazy." Zheng Yu was about to collapse. "Then what is my fault?" "You The thing you fear most is the source of your sin."
"The thing I fear the most… No… I have never been afraid before…" Zheng Yu tried hard not to think about it, but the past scenes came flooding back like a tide. Zheng Yu held his head and said painfully: "That is not My fault." Lan Ruo let him go and let him fall into painful memories. "I once pushed my best friend off the cliff." Zheng Yu finally slowly told the scene in his mind.
"I said this is the city of original sin. Everyone who comes here is guilty. Sinners will be sentenced, but God will forgive them." Lan Ruo said in a confusing voice, as if it could capture people's souls. Zheng Yu was unable to break free from her spell and could only watch as her pure yet evil face got closer and closer…
"Beware of snakes, beware of snake kisses!" Suddenly the old woman's words woke Zheng Yu up like a revelation, and Zheng Yu struggled to break free of Lan Ruo's hands. In Zheng Yu's opinion at this moment, Lan Ruo was even more terrifying than the beautiful snake. Zheng Yu opened the door and rushed out, perhaps never to come back here again. Zheng Yu ran for a long, long time until he ran to a hill outside the town.
"Do you still want to escape?" Zheng Yu looked at the person in front of him in horror. "Lin Tianming! Why are you here? No, this can't be you. You died more than ten years ago." Zheng Yu squatted down in despair. It seemed that everything was a cycle of cause and effect, and he could not escape. "I just wanted to scare you back then. I didn't expect to push you off the cliff." "No, you are not guilty. In fact, I've been standing on the edge of the cliff wanting to jump off, you're just being used by me." Lin Tianming said with a smile.
"Are you a human or a ghost?" Zheng Yu asked in confusion. "This is the City of Original Sin. Only people who have committed sins come here. You shouldn't be here. Go back." Lin Tianming Zheng Yu was pushed off the cliff and soon swallowed up by the darkness.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The noisy sound from the dormitory woke Zheng Yu up from his sleep. Zheng Yu complained helplessly: "It's so noisy every day. I can't have a good rest. It seems that I should move out. I will go to find Look for a quiet place to stay." Zheng Yu wiped his sleepy eyes and thought: "The City of Original Sin, what is that place?"
After Zheng Yu finished washing up, he went out. He searched for a long time and finally found a relatively quiet place. Zheng Yu then moved out of the dormitory. The new residence was very quiet, and the roses in the yard exuded a Intoxicating fragrance. Then an old voice said: "You shouldn't have run away…"
Zheng Yu looked around, but there was no white-haired old woman as he had imagined. "Young man, you just moved here, right?" a middle-aged man passing by asked. "Well, it's quite quiet here." The young man said, "Well, I'll be leaving now. You have to be careful of snakes. It is said that there are snakes in this yard."
"What happened?" Zheng Yu asked in confusion. "In the past, an old woman and her grandson lived in this yard. Later, a poisonous snake came from nowhere and bit her grandson to death. Later, the old woman also went crazy. No one lived in the yard anymore, so it was rented out."
"Oh." Zheng Yu couldn't help but recall the long dream he had. He asked carefully, "Then where is this place?"
The man said lightly: "This is Qinghe City." Zheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "Then it's okay."
The man turned around and said, "But some people also call this place the City of Original Sin."