Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Zhang Duo watched them with cold eyes before spitting out a few words: “Let’s exchange clues.”

Shen Yubi raised an eyebrow. “No.”

“You!” Zhang Duo’s eyes widened. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her beautiful face contorted with rage.

Shen Yubi didn’t even look up. “Me?”

Zhang Duo looked at his indifferent expression, then glanced at her man sitting at another table, before finally sitting back down in frustration.

“Everyone here is a veteran player, right?” she whispered. “This Instance isn’t that difficult, and there are enough newbies to go around. There’s no need for us to kill each other, is there?”

Her meaning was crystal clear.

Since this was only Chu Yue’s second Instance, he wasn’t sure how the Players in this game viewed such matters, so he remained silent.

“Oh?” Shen Yubi smiled, though the warmth didn’t reach his eyes. “Weren’t we all newbies once?”

If every veteran player acted like her, they wouldn’t be standing here alive today.

Though he didn’t say the last part out loud, his implication was obvious.

Zhang Duo’s expression shifted through several shades of anger before she finally couldn’t help but sneer. “Well, aren’t you all just such good people.”

She then got up and left.

Guan Doujin let out a scoff. “She’s got thin skin. Can’t even handle a single comment from someone else.”

She was the one doing dirty deeds, yet she acted as if she were the one being insulted.

The remaining eleven people were divided into three camps.

Their group consisted of three people. Zhang Duo and her man led three newbies, while the remaining group consisted of one Veteran leading two newbies.

That last trio kept a low profile. Aside from occasionally running into them in the Hall during meals, they basically never crossed paths while out searching for clues during the day.

After finishing their meal, the three of them strolled back out onto the street.

As they looked around, they still couldn’t find the paper-cutting patterns for the remaining three rooms.

Eventually, they arrived at that familiar spot again.

Today, the same two familiar faces were still there.

Guan Doujin walked up with a beaming smile to greet them.

“You two are out at your stall again today? You really work too hard.”

As he spoke, he fluttered a folding fan in front of him.

This was an accessory that had appeared in his hand when he changed his outfit. He hadn’t carried it before; it wasn’t the middle of summer, and he didn’t have the habit of posing like some ancient young master. However, he had happened to pick up the fan before heading out today.

The reason was simple: the fan could be described with only one word-extravagant.

The ribs were made of top-grade wood, the paper was a rare type that couldn’t be bought for a thousand pieces of silver, and the painting on it was a masterpiece by a famous artist. This fan alone couldn’t be measured in silver; it would have to be valued in gold.

He watched the two of them, waving the fan back and forth in front of their faces. Then, with a twist of his body, he began picking through the paper-cuttings on the neighboring stall.

He randomly pulled one out and tossed a small piece of broken silver directly onto the stall.

“Sigh, sometimes you just have to admit it. Having money in your hand really gives a person confidence. With so much money, I don’t even know how much stock I can buy. I can’t even spend it all.”

He sighed as he spoke, putting on an act as if having too much money was a great burden.

Chu Yue looked up. The two people opposite them were stiff-faced, their complexions turning a shade of sickly green. And sure enough, the woman was wearing a jade hairpin in her hair.

If they really were the ones who sent the paper puppets last night, and if they hadn’t failed, then the wealth Guan Doujin was currently squandering would have been theirs.
But now, having to watch the trio spend a fortune on something that wasn’t worth the price at all felt just as painful as if they were spending their own money.

Guan Doujin’s actions didn’t have any deeper meaning; he wasn’t trying to trick the two of them into anything. He had specifically come over just to show off-to let them see exactly how much wealth they had failed to steal yesterday, hoping they’d be so fuming they wouldn’t be able to eat all day.

Once he was done gloating, he snapped his fan shut and swaggered past their stall.

Shen Yubi glanced at the pair, pulled several banknotes from his sleeve, flicked them ostentatiously in his hand, and followed after him.

Chu Yue could hardly bear to watch their childish behavior.

However, after a moment’s thought, he unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and followed them while dangling it from his fingertips.

He had to admit, the feeling was actually quite nice.

Guan Doujin stood not far away, hands on his hips, and spat on the ground. “Hmph. They dared to try and rob me? This’ll show them.”

Knowing those two harbored ill intentions meant that what they had said previously might have been lies.

The three of them sought out a few more people to ask around, but it turned out that regarding Zhou Laoda, the pair hadn’t seemed to be lying.

Though not many people remembered anymore, those in their thirties or forties all knew what had happened to Zhou Laoda’s family back then.

Whether it was a rumor or a legend, that was indeed how the story of Zhou Laoda’s family had been passed down.

The three returned to Zhou Laoda’s house, intending to conduct a more thorough search this time.

However, when they reached the entrance, they discovered that the padlock on the gate was broken.

When they had left yesterday, they had clearly hung the lock back properly.

Someone else had come here after them.

This wasn’t surprising. The town wasn’t large, and there weren’t many useful clues to be found; it was only natural that the remaining people would find their way here.

The three pushed the door open and entered. The weeds in the courtyard were still waist-high.

They hadn’t walked more than two steps when Guan Doujin’s foot caught on something. He stumbled forward several paces, nearly face-planting into the grass.

“What the hell is that?”

When they had passed through here yesterday, they hadn’t felt any obstructions underfoot.

Seeing his reaction, Chu Yue and Shen Yubi stopped and looked toward that spot.

Chu Yue used a wooden stick to push the grass aside.

There did indeed seem to be a large object lying there.

However, once they got a clear look, the sight was horrifying.

A corpse was lying in the tall grass.

It was a red, completely skinned corpse, lying there silently. It was impossible to tell how long the person had been dead; the blood on the body had already dried, leaving behind a layer of dark red scabs.

Normally, such a scene wouldn’t be so terrifying, but they were certain they were the first ones to arrive at Zhou Laoda’s house today.

This meant that this person had died last night at the latest.

It meant that since last night, an unknown Monster had already infiltrated their group.

That Monster had eaten with them in the Inn’s Hall and had even slept in the Inn alongside some of them for the entire night.