Chapter 283
Chapter 283
Something had happened to Fang Kang.
Was he dead?
If he was, Zhou Jingying would feel the satisfaction of having gotten her revenge. Still, it was a shame she hadn’t seen how he died, and that he hadn’t died by her hand. But if Fang Kang wasn’t dead, that was a shame too. Why couldn’t he have just died?
Zhou Jingying’s feelings on the matter were complicated, to say the least.
However, that emotional turmoil didn’t last long.
She soon had no attention to spare for it.
As they waited, dusk fell and darkness gradually swallowed the sunlight.
Once night had set in, the group relocated.
They all gathered in the dining room, which was the largest room in the house.
There were candles inside, along with some old-fashioned flint and steel.
No matter how clever Jian Fan was, he naturally had no idea how to use something he’d never seen before. Fortunately, they had Lu Jing, whose wilderness survival skills were exceptional.
Lu Jing had never used one either, but many tools operated on similar principles. After studying it for a while, he successfully got a fire going.
The candles in the room flickered to life. At the same time, the last glimmer of light outside was completely consumed by darkness.
Even with a candle burning, the room was still far too dim. Left with no choice, Lu Jing searched out several more candles and lit them as well. Only then was the room barely bright enough to see in.
Just as Lu Jing finished, there was movement outside.
The group was inside the room, but the door had been left open, giving them a clear view of the courtyard.
Lu Jing had just finished lighting the candles, and everyone had barely taken their seats to talk when voices came from the building at the front.
“Hurry up! We’re running out of time. If we miss the auspicious hour, Squire Xie will skin us alive!”
“Don’t worry, dear. I’ve prepared everything. We just need to change our clothes, and then we can head straight over.”
“Mom, is the Groom Miss Xie picked this time handsome?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Stop asking silly questions and hurry back inside. Remember, be sweet later and get as much lucky money out of Squire Xie as you can.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.”
The voices belonged to a married couple and a young girl. By the time their conversation ended, the family of three had already entered the courtyard.
Naturally, they noticed that the room ahead was lit by candles and that several people were faintly visible inside.
Jian Fan and the others saw the family as well. The man walked in front, holding a candle, while the woman and little girl followed behind him. The three had been chatting when they suddenly realized something was wrong in their home and froze on the spot.
“Who are you?” the man shouted into the room. As he spoke, he handed the candle to the woman beside him, grabbed a broom leaning nearby, and raised it defensively.
Jian Fan stood up.
He took two steps forward, then stopped. Turning to Qin Nan, he said, “You go.”
Qin Nan stared at him in disbelief.
Everyone else turned to Qin Nan as well, waiting for him to step forward.
Qin Nan was speechless.
But what else could he do? He had no choice but to face the problem head-on.
He stepped out into the courtyard first, raising both hands beside his head. “Sir, we’re not bad people. We were only passing through this town and wanted to find somewhere to rest for the night. But there wasn’t a single person anywhere in town, and we couldn’t find anyone to ask. Then we saw this house wasn’t locked, so we assumed it was abandoned and decided to stop here for a while. We’re truly sorry.”
Qin Nan had told nothing but the truth, but if he were in that man’s shoes, he wouldn’t have believed a single word of it either.
A whole group of strangers had suddenly appeared in his home, then claimed they weren’t bad people. Who would believe that?
Qin Nan was still trying to figure out what he could say to convince the couple.
Before he could come up with anything, however, the man breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his broom. “Oh, I see. It’s fine, then. No harm done.”
Qin Nan: “?”
He accepted that just like that?
Not only did the couple accept their explanation, but the man even turned to his wife and said, “Hurry and boil some water for our guests.” Then he looked back at Qin Nan and the others with a genial smile. “Why don’t you all come inside and have a seat? Meeting like this must be fate. You’re welcome to stay at our home.”
Everyone: “???”
They exchanged baffled looks. This whole development felt decidedly strange.
Wasn’t he accepting them a little too quickly? Could the couple be planning to poison the water and knock them all out?
While they were still considering the possibility, the family of three walked over to them.
Only when they drew near did Qin Nan and the others get a clear look at their clothes.
All three were unmistakably dressed in ancient attire. Did that mean the instance they’d drawn this time really was set in ancient times?
But…
Everyone instinctively glanced down at their own clothes.
They had also traveled back to ancient times in the previous Murder Mystery Game world, but their clothes had changed to match the era. This time, however, they were still dressed in modern clothing.
What was going on?
And more importantly…
Shouldn’t their outfits look bizarre to people from ancient times? Why wasn’t this family of three surprised at all?
Their minds filled with questions, and their vigilance rose with them. Lu Jing already had one hand on the whip at his waist, ready to strike at any moment.
The man seemed to notice their wariness and chuckled. “There’s no need to be alarmed.”
As he headed into the house, he beckoned to them. “Come on. Let’s talk inside.”
They looked at one another, unable to decide what to do. Xia Zeqin, however, followed the man inside without hesitation, with Jian Fan close behind. Once Jian Fan moved, the rest finally followed them in.
The man began to explain. “Leqing Town is isolated from the outside world, but every few years, visitors from beyond the town arrive. Those guests wore strange clothes we’d never seen before, just like yours. I’d only just gotten home, and finding people inside gave me quite a fright. It took me a moment to realize what was happening.” He then muttered softly, “Judging by the date, it should indeed be around now.”
Around now… What was supposed to happen?
The question immediately sprang to everyone’s mind.
“What did you say, sir?” Qin Nan naturally couldn’t ask him outright. There was no guarantee the man would answer, so he deliberately pretended not to have heard.
The man laughed heartily. “Nothing, nothing. You must all be hungry, right? Unfortunately, we haven’t lit the stove today. Wait a little longer and have some hot tea first. Later, I’ll take you to a banquet.”
“A banquet?” Qin Nan asked in surprise.
That was an invitation he had no intention of refusing. He had some experience by now, after all. This family of three were clearly NPCs, and they were about to lead the group into a mission.
“That’s right. Squire Xie of Leqing Town is marrying off his daughter today. He’s holding an open banquet where guests can come and eat throughout the day, and everyone in town will be there,” the man said.
A wedding banquet… at a time like this…
An ominous thought suddenly occurred to Qin Nan.