Chapter 77
Chapter 77
No one responded to Xiao Xu. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
“But you didn’t find Yan Qi’s body?” Qi Jiajia came over, tugged Cheng Miao’s sleeve, and tilted her head in thought.
“No. Miaomiao and I searched the surrounding area, and it definitely wasn’t there.” Qin Musong rolled up his sleeves, looking every inch the polished gentleman.
Cheng Miao’s gaze followed the motion of his cuffs. “Yan Qi is a veteran player. He may have some way to protect himself. He might not know we’re here, and we didn’t check the old house on our way back. Perhaps he’s already returned. We can ask him exactly what happened when we see him.”
No one replied. As the setting sun slanted across the courtyard, Lian Ge returned with soft, graceful steps. She tossed her ruined lantern beside the gate and strolled inside at her leisure.
Lin Zhu went forward and handed her a finished lantern. Lian Ge lifted it for inspection. The frame was sturdier, and the silk covering had been pasted on with greater care. Her lips curved faintly as she thanked Lin Zhu.
It was the first time Lian Ge had smiled since entering the instance. Everyone in the courtyard stared, transfixed.
Cheng Miao sighed inwardly. Every movement a beautiful person made was a sight worth seeing.
Before long, footsteps sounded outside. The Village Head entered with his back hunched and his hands clasped behind him.
“Well? What did you accomplish today?” His gaze moved between Song Yu, who was stomping on the wreckage of a lantern frame in frustration, and the grim-faced Yezi.
“We only managed to make two.” Lin Zhu offered the two lanterns. They were all in this together. He was not kindhearted enough to perform free labor for others, but since this concerned the entire team, he did not mind helping a little.
Cheng Miao had taught him that.
The Village Head’s gaze moved to the lanterns in Lin Zhu’s hands. Song Yu and Yezi both relaxed involuntarily.
“Very well made. You have real talent.” The Village Head inspected both lanterns, and a faint smile appeared on his deeply lined face. He handed them to the old craftsman, clasped his hands behind his back again, and slowly headed for the gate.
“Let’s go. Come back tomorrow. It’s time to rest.”
This was the perfect opportunity. Cheng Miao signaled to the others with her eyes. She intended to search the Village Head’s home.
Qin Wen drifted backward beside her. In a split second, they reached an understanding and took positions in the middle of the group.
Qin Musong at the front and Lin Zhu at the rear would cover them when the time came.
“Should we use a lantern? If we use one now, it won’t last until tomorrow.” Qin Wen frowned. The paste had not yet dried. Taking a lantern out now would only waste its already short lifespan.
Cheng Miao bit the corner of her lip, searching for the right moment to slip away.
Judging by what had just happened, a lantern that had not dried in the shade would last no more than two hours. Lin Zhu could not make them any faster. They could not afford to use one now.
“No,” Cheng Miao whispered to Qin Wen. “We’re going to the Village Head’s home. It’s on the main road. We’ll stay close to the lanterns outside the houses.”
Qin Wen studied the red lantern hanging at every doorway and decided the plan was workable.
Behind Cheng Miao, Qi Jiajia stamped hard with every step. She wanted to go too, but the fewer people who slipped away, the less likely they were to be noticed. She was the only child in the group. Her disappearance would be obvious.
After venting her frustration on the dirt path, Qi Jiajia yanked the barrette from her hair and shoved it into Cheng Miao’s hand.
Warmth filled Cheng Miao’s heart. Before she could say anything, Qi Jiajia gave a cold snort and stomped to the rear of the group to find Lin Zhu.
She was still angry, after all.
Cheng Miao smiled helplessly and clipped the barrette into her hair. Qin Wen looked back at her with a trace of envy. “You have a wonderful relationship.”
Cheng Miao replied politely, “So do you two.”
Qin Wen turned forward with a smile. “We’re brothers. Of course we’re close.”
They said no more. When the group reached a crowded main road, Qin Musong and Lin Zhu suddenly made their moves. One used his towering frame to block the Village Head’s view when he looked back, while the other pretended to fall and tumbled into a heap with Zhang Min.
Amid the confusion, Cheng Miao and Qin Wen slipped away without a sound.
Worried that Lin Zhu might damage the lantern, Zhang Min did not argue with him. He hurriedly helped them up and continued toward the old house.
When neither the Village Head nor Zhang Min counted heads, Cheng Miao and Qin Wen relaxed in their hiding place among the crowd. They exchanged a glance, then began pushing through the people toward the Village Head’s home.
Every family outside now carried one lantern. Cheng Miao believed they would be safe as long as they followed the villagers.
The crowd thinned as they approached the Village Head’s home, so the pair moved nimbly from one household lantern to the next.
The moment they entered his courtyard, they stared in shock.
“What’s going on with the Village Head? Why does he have so many lanterns?” Qin Wen’s handsome brow furrowed into a maze.
Cheng Miao silently surveyed the scene. Every other household hung a single lantern outside its door. The Village Head’s home had six, creating a sight that was both festive and sinister.
With a twitch of her fingers, Cheng Miao drew the Fishbone Dagger. “Be careful.”
Qin Wen was a veteran player too. Neither of them said anything more as they crept inside.
The Village Head’s home appeared empty. They seized the opportunity and began searching the rooms.
“Strange. A village chronicle really should be kept in the Village Head’s home,” Qin Wen complained without slowing his hands.
Cheng Miao had noticed the same thing. There was no chronicle, although the residents’ records were all there.
“Take them. Put them in your Space Backpack. Even if he notices they’re gone, he can’t do anything about it.” Qin Wen came over to inspect the thick stack of papers in Cheng Miao’s hands.
Cheng Miao was frighteningly cautious whenever she entered an instance. She took out her phone and rapidly photographed the pages. “We should only take pictures. He may not have proof that we stole them, but there are only so many outsiders in this village. It won’t be hard to guess. We still don’t understand the clues, so we shouldn’t create unnecessary conflict with an NPC.”
Qin Wen considered this and agreed. He quickly helped Cheng Miao turn the pages so she could photograph them faster.
Night fell early in the village, which meant they might have only half an hour. Although they had lanterns available, neither wanted to wander through this eerie village at night carrying one.
There were many villagers, and the records were extremely detailed, so the task took considerable time. Cheng Miao finally finished photographing everything and returned the papers to their original place. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed an empty space.
Qin Wen was already heading for the door when he saw Cheng Miao circle back and stare at the bookshelf they had searched. He approached by two steps. “What is it?”
Cheng Miao pointed to a gap on the shelf and ran a finger across it. “There’s no dust. A book should have been here, and it was only removed within the last two days.”
Qin Wen understood. “The Village Head took the chronicle.”
Cheng Miao’s face darkened. “Yes. We don’t know where he put it, so there’s nothing else we can do. Let’s go back.”
They quietly locked the door and started retracing their route. After only a few steps, however, a man suddenly leaped out from behind the Village Head’s home.
The man was filthy, his face smeared with grime, but his features still bore a strong resemblance to Zhang Min. Drool ran from the corner of his mouth as he pointed at Cheng Miao and Qin Wen and shrieked, “None of you will escape! Next! You’re next!”