Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 116

After hearing Zhou Qian’s words, He Xiaowei was still uneasy. He felt that Zhou Qian might still be observing something through him.

However, without Zhou Qian, he would have been dead long ago. With this thought, He Xiaowei no longer hesitated. After swallowing his saliva, he prepared to walk towards the three NPCs. But before he could get there, Zhou Qian suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

“Wait,” Zhou Qian said.

“What’s up?” He Xiaowei asked.

“My son is back,” Zhou Qian replied, then fell silent for a moment.

As He Xiaowei turned around to ask what he meant, he saw a deep blue little dragon standing on Zhou Qian’s shoulder, whispering something to him. After a while, Zhou Qian looked up at He Xiaowei and said, “Paper, rock, scissors, scissors, paper, rock. For the first six rounds of rock-paper-scissors, follow this sequence.”

He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and asked in a low voice, “So, what does this mean? Will I win or lose with this?”

“The final outcome, as I said before, is up to you. But start with these six rounds to buy some time,” Zhou Qian said.

“Just… to buy time?” He Xiaowei frowned.

“Yes. I just need a little time to figure out what’s going on with this game,” Zhou Qian explained. “We still don’t know how many rounds this game will have. No matter who wins or loses at the beginning, eventually there will likely be a need for the players to run around in circles. Just buy some time and leave the rest to me.”

Although He Xiaowei sometimes liked to verbally spar with Zhou Qian after getting to know him, it was all in jest during inconsequential moments.

At this point, he had come to trust Zhou Qian completely in every respect. He immediately memorized the sequence Zhou Qian told him, and as the village chief began to hurry them, he moved towards the final showdown arena.

The other three winning NPCs consisted of two men and a woman. With He Xiaowei joining, it became a rock-paper-scissors game with three men and one woman.

He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian’s advice for six rounds, and indeed, in these six rounds, rock, paper, scissors all appeared simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, the seventh round started.

He Xiaowei wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt the gazes from the two men and the woman on him were somewhat abnormal.

He swallowed another gulp of saliva and looked back. The sun had set a bit more, and amidst the bustling crowd, he couldn’t spot Zhou Qian at that moment. He had no choice but to follow Zhou Qian’s advice—just play it by ear, win or lose, and leave it to fate.

In the seventh round, He Xiaowei and a muscular man both threw scissors, while the other slim young man and the only woman both threw paper. Thus, in the eighth round, it came down to a duel between He Xiaowei and the muscular man.

Before throwing, He Xiaowei swallowed his saliva for the third time, his hands shaking with nervousness, until he remembered Zhou Qian’s confident, glowing eyes in the sunset right before joining the final match. This helped calm his nerves somewhat, and he threw his hand simultaneously with the muscular man—

Meanwhile, Zhou Qian went to look for other clues while He Xiaowei was buying time.

The reason Zhou Qian could instruct He Xiaowei to throw accurately and buy time was, of course, thanks to the little dragon.

The little dragon’s gaze, memory, and agility were all quite impressive.

Earlier, during the initial rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Zhou Qian had the little dragon roam around to memorize. It actually managed to remember the throwing habits of the three winners.

Zhou Qian could then predict their next moves and direct He Xiaowei accordingly. His goal was indeed just to create ties and buy time, not necessarily to make He Xiaowei lose or win.

Thus, it wouldn’t matter if those people suddenly changed their habits midway. Because when throwing, the first two choices among rock, paper, scissors are usually fixed. So, the time bought by these two ties was almost enough for Zhou Qian to make use of.

After instructing He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian patted the little dragon’s head and said with a smile, “My little dragon is really impressive. Is it because your dad is just that great, right?”

After saying this, Zhou Qian turned back to meet Bai Zhou’s gaze not far behind.

“I was praising the little dragon. You’re the big dragon.”

With this tease, Zhou Qian noticed the movements of the innkeeper, Tartar, and made a silencing gesture to Bai Zhou with his index finger, then turned around to walk towards her.

Not long ago, at the start of the in-group rock-paper-scissors competition, Zhou Qian had been keeping an eye on Tartar’s movements. He noticed Tartar speaking to three villagers who weren’t participating in the game, seemingly instructing them on something before they headed towards the inn.

Zhou Qian approached Tartar because those three people had returned from the direction of the inn.

Each of the three people was pulling a wooden cart with wheels, bringing three different things.

The first person brought a cart full of Jack-o’-lanterns. The second was hauling a cart with peculiar costumes and monster masks. The third brought over a large pot of meat. His cart not only had a pot of meat but also many large iron bowls that wouldn’t break easily.

When Zhou Qian and the others first arrived for the game, they had seen seven large iron pots for stewing meat at the entrance of the inn. It was presumed that the meat came from those pots. But… who was it for?

Recalling his journey from the Tartar Inn to the square, in addition to noticing the head statue facing west turning blue and the glass on the second floor of the inn also shimmering blue, Zhou Qian remembered another detail—all the households in the village had dogs, all of which were pure white.

When Zhou Qian had a guess in his mind, he happened to see Tartar taking down large iron bowls from the third cart, neatly arranging them at the edge of the square, then using a large iron spoon to ladle the meat into the bowls, one by one.

Walking a few more steps forward, Zhou Qian made his way through the crowd to stand before innkeeper Tartar.

With a smile, Zhou Qian asked, “Beautiful innkeeper, may I ask you something?”

Tartar, seemingly pleased to be called “beautiful”, scooped some meat into a bowl in front of her and asked Zhou Qian, “What is it?”

“Who is this meat for?” Zhou Qian inquired.

Tartar smiled without speaking. Zhou Qian then asked, “The villagers are very kind to dogs. Is this for them?”

Tartar gave Zhou Qian a meaningful look before finally saying, “The villagers believe that animals are spirits that can lead humans into other worlds. The purer the animal’s fur color, the stronger its spiritual power, allowing it to communicate with beings from other worlds.”

Zhou Qian asked, “You’ve taken great care of the white dogs, specially stewing meat for them tonight, so they can communicate with beings from other worlds and thus protect you? So, they are important.”

Tartar said, “Dogs, Jack-o’-lanterns, and these costumes are all very important. Dogs can help us identify beings from other worlds through communication, warning us in advance if there is danger. The jack-o’-lanterns and peculiar costumes can make us appear as beings from other worlds, serving a certain deterrent effect. I’ve already prepared some in your rooms. Now take them, and you won’t have to be afraid on your way back to the inn later.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted from Tartar back to the people in the four circles on the square.

If at first he hadn’t noticed anything, now he was increasingly feeling a sense of foreboding.

When he first arrived, everyone was sitting, including men, women, the elderly, and the young, and nothing seemed amiss at a glance. But since the start of the rock-paper-scissors, for the game to proceed smoothly, these people had started to stand up and move around.

From this, Zhou Qian realized one thing—their speed of movement was very fast.

Even the seemingly frail young boys and girls, or the elderly with white hair, moved quickly through the crowds to watch others’ matches. Taking advantage of this time, Zhou Qian discovered that not only were their movements exceptionally swift, but they were also very agile.

Zhou Qian took special note of an old man, so old his back was hunched, who, to get a better view of a neighboring circle’s final match, did a somersault, jumping over three to five people. His movements weren’t clumsy at all; like a gust of wind, he had moved a distance in an instant.

The same was true for the three NPCs currently competing in rock-paper-scissors with He Xiaowei.

When Zhou Qian looked over, coinciding with the defeat of the man and woman, leaving He Xiaowei and a muscular man for the final. The man and woman each returned to the eastern and western sides of the crowd, with the man disappearing in a blink, running back at great speed. As for the woman, she jumped and immediately returned to the west side.

Before noticing this anomaly, just like the unresolved debate between He Xiaowei and the two girls, no one knew whether it was better to lose or win the handkerchief game. Zhou Qian also didn’t know.

But after observing these traits of the NPCs participating in the game, Zhou Qian could undoubtedly make an inference—these people want to win the game.

Therefore, it was highly possible that the “vigil” the losers of the game would face was extremely perilous.

In the center of the nearby square, the final showdown between He Xiaowei and the muscular man was about to unfold.

At this moment, the chaotic crowd returned to their original positions, forming four circles again.

Everyone looked towards the final round with curiosity, excitement, and nervousness, yet their gazes also carried a hint of peculiarity and eeriness.

As the final round was about to start, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately return to his seat.

The reason was that he had noticed something unusual—through the brief movement when those people stood up, Zhou Qian discovered that their clothing had distinctive features.

On the east side, the hem of the men’s shirts and the corner of the women’s skirts were all adorned with a sun.

On the west side, the same parts of the clothing bore stars. The south side had moons, and the north side had clouds.

The groups associated with the sun, stars, and moon each consisted of sixteen people, enough to form a complete circle for the handkerchief game. But the cloud group only had eight people, and it was only with the addition of eight players, or rather, “refugees” from the Land of Silence, that they could make up a circle of sixteen.

Seizing the last moments, Zhou Qian asked Tartar, “Are people from different circles from different families?”

“Yes. The Day Family, Moon Family, Star Family, Cloud Family. These are the four major families in the village,” Tartar responded with a smile, looking at Zhou Qian. “Everyone from each family wishes to win the game to bring glory to their family.”

After saying this, Tartar continued to ladle meat soup, saying nothing more. At this time, Zhou Qian heard the village chief declare, “Alright, let’s congratulate Awei for winning!”

Awei referred to the muscular man.

In the final round, He Xiaowei threw scissors, and the muscular man threw rock.

Moments later, under the village chief’s guidance, everyone returned to their places and sat down. The muscular man named Awei received a snow-white handkerchief from the village chief and then began to walk slowly around the crowd, starting with someone on the east side.

He was from the southern circle, so this time he was circling the southern circle.

“Now, the person throwing the handkerchief is a burly man. Who will he give the handkerchief to? Oh, the anticipation…”

The NPCs began clapping and singing a song. During this time, Awei slowly moved from the south to the north. The northern circle was where the eight members of the Cloud family and the eight players were located.

He Xiaowei, noticing the man’s actions, felt his heart beat like a drum, whispering to Zhou Qian beside him, “Qian’er, I feel like he’s coming for me!”

“Yes, I think so too. Under normal circumstances, you won’t be able to outrun him. These NPCs move strangely fast,” Zhou Qian said.

He Xiaowei: “Fuck, what do I do then? Can I just give up?”

“Losing this time doesn’t matter. The game has just begun, and there’s still a chance to change the score. Losing just means having to do the vigil, which might be very dangerous, but it doesn’t necessarily mean death,” Zhou Qian said. “What you really need to be wary of now are the bans.”

“Yeah. If this muscular man, Awei, throws the handkerchief to me, I’m bound to lose under normal circumstances. Then I have to be the next one to throw the handkerchief. Damn it… How do I know how to run when it’s my turn to throw?”

Sweat dripped down He Xiaowei’s forehead as the muscular man approached closer. He couldn’t help but ask, “What happens if we break the bans?”

“The specific consequences are unknown for now but given that we received this warning before entering the instance, it must be important,” Zhou Qian said.

“We are refugees here. Perhaps these are some restrictions imposed on us by the villagers to prevent us from causing trouble. This instance seems to have a lot to do with magic and mythical legends. Curses, prohibitions—these are common elements in such myths, so we must not take them lightly.”

“I think, after getting through the current three bans, we may encounter other bans later.”

Hearing Zhou Qian say this, He Xiaowei became anxious. “What should we do about this ban?”

Zhou Qian turned back, his gaze sweeping over the village chief in the center of the square and then Tartar, who was standing on the outskirts among the spectators.

By now, she had filled all the iron bowls with meat and soup and was watching the game with a smile.

Zhou Qian retracted his gaze and adjusted his wide sleeves, revealing a glimpse of the Rib of God to He Xiaowei. “You’re using a weapon?”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes. I just asked Shan Ge to help with something. He’s in spirit form now, invisible to others, but he can use the life force I shared with him to manifest physically when needed and interact with objects in the real world.”

Their voices were very low, and amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowded square, it was hard for others to overhear their conversation. However, Yun Xiangrong was particularly sensitive to the words “Shan Ge” and immediately frowned at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian met her gaze with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say much more.

At that moment, he could see Awei approaching the northern circle, and his speed visibly increased. About 10 seconds later, he started moving at an extremely fast pace around the 16 people in the north, leaving almost just an afterimage behind. By the time most people realized what was happening, the afterimage was almost gone.

Just then, an elderly woman sitting opposite He Xiaowei shouted at him with frustration. “It’s you! Hurry up and chase! By joining our group, you represent our group’s honor! Awei is afraid of the color red. Find something red to scare him with! When he sees it, his speed will slow down!”

He Xiaowei hesitated but then immediately chased according to the game rules.

Meanwhile, all the people in the northern circle from the Cloud family began to frantically wave a piece of red cloth, hoping to scare Awei into slowing down as soon as he glanced their way, allowing He Xiaowei to catch up.

After He Xiaowei left, Bai Zhou was sitting to Zhou Qian’s left, and one seat over to the right were Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, who were discussing something in low voices. Seeing this, Zhou Qian pulled Bai Zhou over one seat to listen to their conversation.

Qi Liuxing spoke first. “Awei threw the handkerchief behind Xiaowei Ge, and Xiaowei Ge was a bit slow to react. The NPCs here immediately reminded him, and everyone helped him against Awei…”

“I think I understand the true essence of this handkerchief game. When the village chief announced the rules, mentioning the final ranking of the 64 participants, plus the preconceived notion of the handkerchief game making us think we’re each fighting alone, it seemed like that. But it’s not actually the case!”

“I think, later, if it’s Xiaowei Ge’s turn to throw the handkerchief, when he throws it into another circle, the people in that circle will also remind each other… and provide ways to catch up with him, just like the people in the northern circle are doing with the red cloth now!”

“Right, Xiao Qi. I completely agree with you.” Ke Yuxiao nodded in agreement. “Within each circle, people are cooperating with each other. So, the final win or loss is likely determined by the circle as a unit, not by individuals. It’s a team game. This means… there might be danger during the vigil. They all don’t want to do the vigil.”

Zhou Qian suddenly interjected, “Then let me test you two further. Besides these points, what else can you deduce?”

Qi Liuxing was reminded of the tense moment in “Apple Paradise” when Zhou Qian calmly questioned him while facing monsters across the lake.

As if not wanting to disappoint Zhou Qian or show that he hadn’t improved, Qi Liuxing crossed his arms and thought hard before speaking. “That old woman knew Awei’s weakness very well… It’s very likely that they have been holding this competition for many years. Also, um, and…”

“And—?” Zhou Qian’s expression became more serious. “Why are there only 8 people in the northern circle?”

“Could it be…” Qi Liuxing frowned tightly. “Maybe, for example, last year, each circle also had 16 people, and the people from the northern circle lost last year. They were assigned to do the vigil, and then… 8 people died last year, so this year they only have 8 people left.”

Zhou Qian indeed had the same guess.

The people from the four major families, competing individually in the “handkerchief” game, sent participants with special skills in speed, agility, and dexterity, hoping to win the game for their family.

No family wanted to lose because the vigil posed great risks. The Cloud Family only had 8 people with special skills left because the rest died in previous games.

Zhou Qian turned his head and squinted at the chase between He Xiaowei and Awei, saying, “However, we can also see something advantageous for us.”

“What’s that?” Qi Liuxing asked curiously.

Zhou Qian said, “This means that standing watch is a risky task, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to death. Therefore, we shouldn’t be too worried about this handkerchief game.”

“I get it now!” Qi Liuxing said. “Taking the vigil is risky, but it’s not restricted by the bans related to windows and firelight, so… in the handkerchief game, winning or losing, for now, doesn’t really matter.”

“That’s how it is for now. Let’s see how this instance plays out. We still don’t know how to clear it. Let’s see how Xiaowei Ge is doing—”

Turning his head, Zhou Qian saw that the Moon Family from the south had temporarily taken the lead.

The Cloud Family from the north had taken out something red to counter Awei. However, Awei was well-prepared and didn’t look back once while running. His speed was too fast, and despite He Xiaowei’s best efforts, drenched in sweat, he couldn’t keep up.

Therefore, the village chief announced that Awei gained two points, while He Xiaowei lost two points.

The next round of throwing the handkerchief fell to He Xiaowei.

He Xiaowei didn’t dare to move. Looking across the crowd and the pile of bone offerings in the center of the square, he looked towards Zhou Qian, waiting for his help.

With the bans against walking clockwise around Tara and counterclockwise around Brega among so many people, he really didn’t know who was who and naturally didn’t dare to run randomly.

Before Zhou Qian could answer him, he shouted out in an attempt to save himself, “Is there anyone here named Tara or Brega?!”

“Don’t say irrelevant words!” Village Chief Ab rebuked him, his tone slightly harsh. “Moreover, it’s not allowed for strangers to inquire about the ladies’ names so casually!”

With that, the village chief completely cut off He Xiaowei’s direct approach to asking names. Besides, whether or not they agreed, it seemed it wouldn’t have worked anyway—if those two people really existed in the game, he wouldn’t dare to run in any direction!

He Xiaowei instinctively looked towards Zhou Qian again. Zhou Qian nodded at him, and soon after, he received a message from Zhou Qian. “Just walk straight ahead for now. Don’t circle around. Buy some time. About half a minute should do.”

Steadying his nerves, He Xiaowei stepped carefully, ensuring he walked in a straight line. And after half a minute, he was indeed saved.

Suddenly, from the periphery of the square, there came the sound of metal falling to the ground. Looking in the direction of the noise, He Xiaowei saw a bizarre scene and quickly realized what had happened—

Two pure white dogs, chasing an extremely agile, deep blue little dragon, ran from somewhere in the village towards the center of the square.

As they passed the peripheral area, the little dragon swiftly flew over a row of iron pots, not lingering at the contents. But the two dogs that followed were different; they rushed over like hungry wolves, knocking over the pots along with the soup.

Just as the dogs bit into the meat on the ground, before they could enjoy their meal, the little dragon returned. With a flick of its tail, two bones flew hundreds of meters away towards the other end of the square. With another flick of its tail, the dragon disappeared from the spot.

The dogs, furious, barked angrily and chased ahead, either to settle the score with the little dragon or in eager pursuit of the meat bones.

People from all four families, regardless of their participation in the game, suddenly erupted in panic.

“Oh my God! The white dogs have run away!”

“Whose white dogs have escaped…”

“Let’s hurry back and check, shall we?”

At that moment, Zhou Qian smiled, pulled out a megaphone from his bag, and shouted through it, “I know whose dogs these two are. They belong to the Brega and Tara families. You two better go chase your dogs now! Otherwise, you might be in danger tonight.”

Zhou Qian’s words immediately calmed the commotion. After all, most people were thinking—just as long as it wasn’t their own dog that had escaped.

In the gaming circles on the field, indeed, one man and one woman from both the east and west sides stood up, their faces pale and panicked, and chased in the direction of the two white dogs.

Even though the village chief looked displeased, he said, “Getting the white dogs back is more important. The rest of you, continue with the game!”

Brega and Tara had run off! The two bans could now be avoided!

He Xiaowei immediately rejoiced and glanced at Zhou Qian. The setting sun cast a red glow on Zhou Qian’s face.

Noticing He Xiaowei’s gaze, he raised his head and smiled distantly at him.

He Xiaowei gave a thumbs up and shouted, “Qian’er, you’re really so cool!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s smile brightened even more. However, soon he could no longer see He Xiaowei, and vice versa—Bai Zhou’s body subtly moved to stand between them.

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes slightly, tilting his head before continuing to look at Bai Zhou with a smile, “Zhou Ge, are you jealous?”

Bai Zhou smiled, reached out to tousle his hair, and simply said, “The sun shining on you looks particularly beautiful.”

As he said this, the sunset cast Bai Zhou’s eyes a deep red. Zhou Qian, hearing this and looking into his eyes, felt his heart skip a beat.

……

He Xiaowei casually threw the handkerchief onto someone nearby and was about to run when the little dragon, likely due to Zhou Qian’s previous instruction, suddenly appeared in front of him and quickly carried him back to the original northern circle. With this move, He Xiaowei won a round and quickly squeezed next to Zhou Qian to sit down.

“Oh, Qian’er, really, thank you. What would I do without you—” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but say. “By the way, what’s with the salt? Can you tell me?”

Zhou Qian didn’t answer.

He Xiaowei turned his head and saw him staring blankly at Bai Zhou.

“Um, Qian’er? Salt? Sodium chloride?” He Xiaowei tapped his shoulder.

After a moment, Zhou Qian turned his head to look at him and said in a somewhat unkind tone, “Simple. It’s an optics problem.”

He Xiaowei, clearly not good at reading the room, continued to ask, “Optics? Physics, huh?”

Zhou Qian quickly and coldly explained, “Yes, optics. The glass on the second floor of the inn is blue. Sodium ions burn to produce a yellow flame. Transparent objects only allow light of the same color as themselves to pass through. So, if you add a lot of salt to the fireplace, it will produce yellow light, which cannot pass through the blue glass.”

“’You must not spend the night in a house where the firelight can still be seen from outside after sunset’—this ban is thus easily resolved.”

“Oh, so that means—”

“Stop talking for now.”

“Eh?”

“Go find your master!”

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The author has something to say:

Study your physics and chemistry well~

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