Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Cheng Miao and her companions returned to the old house after dark. She looked at the neighboring homes. Every one displayed a plump, round lantern.
The villagers delivered food in large porcelain bowls packed to the brim with rice and vegetables.
Cheng Miao and Qi Jiajia had small appetites and stopped after half a bowl. Lin Zhu picked through his food for pieces of meat and said indistinctly, “The villagers stopped looking at us that way later.”
Cheng Miao was not surprised. The Village Head must have warned them after leaving. If they scared the sheep away, what would they eat?
When Lian Ge returned with her slender waist swaying, Lin Zhu asked Cheng Miao with his eyes whether he should continue sharing clues aloud or wait until they were inside and type them out.
Cheng Miao motioned for him to continue. Lin Zhu glanced at Lian Ge and happened to meet her gaze. Most of his face turned red.
“Also, no matter what we asked, the villagers wouldn’t tell us about any taboos surrounding the ancestral ceremony. They only said we were outsiders and didn’t need to worry about the details of village life. We should just follow along with whatever everyone else does.”
The others had found no new clues either. Lian Ge ate two bites, set down her bowl, and went to sit beside the heated brick bed.
The room contained one long brick bed with space for five adults. The house itself was built from packed earth and looked rather dirty.
Lin Zhu worked quickly and enthusiastically. He did not care whether Lian Ge belonged to their team. Sister Miaomiao had invited her to stay, so he entertained no further doubts.
He placed all five bowls outside and drew water from the well. By the time the five of them had casually wiped their faces, night had fully fallen.
Lin Zhu poured the water onto the ground outside. At the sound, heads appeared from both neighboring rooms.
The pigtail girl, the blunt-bangs girl, the brothers Qin Wen and Qin Wu, and Yezi shared one room. The plump girl, the sunny young man Song Yu, Su Shuang, Yan Qi, and the skinny man Zhou Ke occupied the room closest to the mountain.
When she saw that it was Lin Zhu, the pigtail girl’s eyes brightened. Before she could speak, he walked back inside with a wooden expression.
The pigtail girl bit her lower lip, resentment entering her gaze. In reality, she might not have been the prettiest girl, but boys tended to like her. To put it bluntly, she knew how to play the sweet, helpless innocent.
Inside this instance, however, Lian Ge and Cheng Miao were obviously more beautiful, and even Yezi outshone her. The players had no desire to protect a delicate woman, so her little tricks were useless.
That evening, she had watched the veterans leave to search for clues. She and the blunt-bangs girl had been too afraid to go.
She comforted herself with the thought that this was a team Game. Someone else would always contribute. The two of them were weak women and newcomers. Staying obediently in the room was the sensible choice.
Only after everyone returned did she realize that while it was indeed a team Game, the veterans had no time to mentor them, at least not yet.
Qin Wen was busy summarizing his previous instance for Qin Wu and developing his brother’s observation skills for this one.
The moment the pigtail girl approached, one casual glance from the tall, handsome man drove her back.
Yezi was even less approachable. She did not like either girl. Song Yu had gone out with her and spent the entire time asking for guidance. Even then, Yezi offered advice only when he asked a worthwhile question.
The pigtail girl wrinkled her nose in displeasure. What was Yezi acting so superior for? She was only helping Song Yu because he was handsome. What a bitch.
Everyone else either ignored her or clearly had no clues to offer. She could not be bothered ingratiating herself with them.
After tidying up, everyone returned to their rooms and climbed onto the brick beds, each occupied by their own thoughts. Yezi and Qin Wu immediately claimed the spots nearest the wall.
The blunt-bangs girl did not mind. The pigtail girl was unhappy. She did not want to sleep in the middle, where she felt unsafe.
Shortly after midnight, Yezi looked out the window. No lights remained in any of the surrounding houses. The ancestral ceremony had officially begun.
“Sleep. Turn off the light.”
Everyone else had already climbed onto the brick bed. Only the pigtail girl remained reluctantly on the floor.
No matter how unwilling she was, Yezi’s words left her no choice. She walked to the door and pulled the light cord.
Darkness filled the room. No one spoke. Even their breathing was nearly inaudible.
An intense unease suddenly seized the pigtail girl, as though she were the only person left in the room.
“Xiao Xu? Are you there?” She felt her way toward the brick bed, calling the blunt-bangs girl’s name.
Xiao Xu heard her. She was about to answer when Qin Wen, sleeping beside her, suddenly kicked her calf and cut off the words at her lips.
The lack of a response made the pigtail girl panic even more. Then someone lightly knocked twice on the door behind her. Knock, knock.
Su Shuang had knocked in exactly that polite, gentle way when he came earlier to ask whether anyone had hand cream.
The pigtail girl’s fear immediately faded. Knowing she was not alone made her far less frightened.
“Is that you, Su Shuang? I already told you I don’t have any hand cream. You’re still awake?”
She muttered to herself. Perhaps no one in the room had answered while someone outside was at least knocking. Whatever the reason, the thought drove her forward, and she opened the door.
Beneath the blankets, Xiao Xu rubbed the calf Qin Wen had accidentally kicked and wondered why the pigtail girl had not returned.
Then the door creaked. The pigtail girl had opened it.
Why was she opening the door? Did she need to use the restroom?
Xiao Xu raised her head. The door stood open, but the night outside was too dense. There was no light, and she could see nothing.
She silently admired the pigtail girl’s courage. How could anyone dare visit the restroom alone in such an eerie village inside an instance?
This was only Xiao Xu’s second instance, so she still counted as a newcomer. Her stamina was poor, and a full day on mountain trails had exhausted her. She drifted toward sleep. Just before unconsciousness claimed her, another creak sounded as the door closed.
Xiao Xu rolled over and sank into deep sleep.
The next morning, Xiao Xu woke rubbing her eyes. The space beside her was empty. Still groggy, she looked around. Qin Wu appeared the most shaken. “Where’s Li Fei?”
Qin Wu shook his head. “I don’t know. She was gone when I woke up.”
Xiao Xu turned blankly toward Qin Wen. Meeting her gaze, he shook his head. “She didn’t come back last night.”
It was as though someone had poured a basin of ice water over Xiao Xu in the dead of winter. Every trace of sleep vanished. Her teeth chattered with cold. “That’s impossible. I heard her come back!”
“You heard her enter the room?” Yezi raked a hand through her short hair and looked over coolly.
Xiao Xu flinched beneath her gaze. She shook her head and murmured, “No. I only heard her close the door.”
Yezi’s mouth curved in a mocking smile. Before she could speak, Su Shuang called from outside. “Ugh. What a disgusting thing to see first thing in the morning.”
Xiao Xu’s expression changed. She stumbled forward and yanked open the door. Outside, Li Fei stared at her with wide, unmoving eyes.
Li Fei’s body had been nailed to a wooden post beside the door. Like a split water bag, she was drenched in blood so dark it was nearly black. It streamed from her scalp to her feet, then slowly dripped onto the ground.