Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 127
Tartar Inn.
In the hall, Amei drank bowl after bowl of meat soup and finally asked Tartar, “I feel like someone is listening to our conversation.”
“It doesn’t matter much, does it?” Tartar said with a smile. “Under the effect of the curse magic, what’s meant to happen, will happen. No one can change history.”
Red God Amei was taken aback. “It’s a pity I’m not like you, able to stand outside of time and see all this.”
Tartar simply said, “The power of the gods is great, but so is the burden they carry.”
“You’re right. I don’t need to care so much. It’s just… I’m not quite sure why you’re sheltering them.” Amei asked, “Why would you bring deserters here?”
“I listen to the curses in the human world, so of course, I need a human identity. And as a human, I always need money. It’s all just business,” Tartar said to Amei. “But what about you? What do you think of them?”
“I don’t know anymore,” Amei said. “You know, my lover was executed. Before his head was to be chopped off and hung on the city wall, I begged someone to let me see him. Thanks to the help of these ‘deserters’, I was able to see his intact corpse for the last time…”
“I’m grateful to them, but I also warned them of the prohibitions. I’ve done enough. Although they can’t change what’s going to happen here, they came to Nameless Village and helped the villagers… If they continue, they will also become my enemies.”
Tartar nodded. “Understood.”
At this moment, there was suddenly a noise in the distance.
“Someone’s dead!”
“Dead?!”
“Trouble, trouble!”
Tartar was surprised. “Ah, what’s going on?”
Amei, however, smiled. “We otherworlders didn’t do it. But here, death isn’t strange. Humans love to kill each other, especially those from the four major families. They love to lie and betray the most.”
It seemed that Amei was happy whenever someone died in the village. After saying this, she quickly ate several larger bowls of meat. “It’s so delicious. The food in the human world is much tastier than in the other world. Thank you.”
Just as Amei finished eating several bowls of meat and drained the soup, there was a knock on the door. “Are you all there? Come out quickly! Something happened!”
Amei and Tartar looked at each other. Amei said, “What a buzzkill,” resentfully, and then walked through the walls, leaving the inn in another direction.
Tartar went forward and opened the door.
At this moment, the players upstairs heard the people outside saying, “Someone’s dead. Everyone comes out to see. Tartar, you’re there, right?”
Tartar yawned lazily, and when she spoke, it was in a human voice. “It’s so dangerous outside. Who would dare to go out?”
The people outside said, “Don’t worry. The white dogs have been guarding outside, saying the otherworlders have quickly finished the offerings in the square and left!”
“What’s the deal with the dead person?” Tartar asked.
Then, sounds of weapons being drawn came from outside.
The voice outside became more alert. “This is a human-caused disaster, not the otherworlders’ doing!”
“How so?” Tartar asked again.
The person said, “The murder weapon is a special scimitar. It’s a weapon unique to the Land of Silence. So the murderer must be one of the deserters. Tartar, if you’re not one of them, you’d better open the door and hand them over!!!”
1:20 AM.
All the villagers were called back to the square.
Midnight was the arrival of the Samhain festival, and the time around it was considered the most dangerous.
Now that the most dangerous time had passed, the offerings on the square had been consumed, the otherworlders had left, and the level of danger had significantly decreased. According to past patterns, after 1 AM, only a few scattered otherworlders might still wander around, but if everyone gathered together, there was nothing to fear.
Thus, under the call of Village Chief Ab, everyone gathered again.
On the square, everyone’s expression was solemn.
But now it wasn’t because they were wary of ghosts, but of the murderer.
The village chief’s seven men stood out, wielding various weapons to form a circle.
Encircled within were the seven players, except for Bai Zhou.
As for the so-called victim, he was lying near the center of the square.
He was a very young man, dressed in a ghost costume with spots of animal blood on it, looking very bloody and terrifying.
But now the blood on his chest was no longer animal blood but real blood flowing from his heart.
The man was a member of the Moon Family, Qi Yunsi.
Since Awei of the Moon Family had won the championship in a rock-paper-scissors contest and successfully escaped after throwing the handkerchief to He Xiaowei, the Moon Family members were exempt from participating in the vigil this year.
The young man from the Moon Family had gone straight home after leaving the square earlier.
About ten minutes ago, his neighbor heard sounds of a fight and screams, went to check on his home, and then saw him lying in a pool of blood.
Worried about the killer continuing their spree, neighbors called upon friends and ventured out together. The most dangerous time of the Saheim festival had passed, giving them the courage to go out in groups.
After circling the victim Qi Yunsi’s house several times without finding any clues about the murderer, they went from door to door to warn that a murderer might be present, while heading towards the square through the village.
Then, near the square, they ran into Village Chief Ab and more than thirty others returning from their night watch.
Upon seeing them, Ab said, “We have seen the Red God. She didn’t ask for sacrifices this year. Look, we all returned safely. It’s wonderful!”
After saying this and noticing no joy on their faces, Ab, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong?”
They immediately informed Ab about the murder. Ab quickly investigated the victim Qi Yunsi’s home with his men, confirming his death was by human hands, unrelated to supernatural forces. The culprit was one of the deserters.
Speculation about the night’s events was rife among the onlookers in the square. Hidden Blade, leveraging his Rank God player’s acute hearing, pieced together the full account from the chatter and whispered it to those around him.
Then he looked at Zhou Qian with concern, asking, “Apart from the boss, everyone who went out for the night watch has returned. What about the boss? He couldn’t have—”
Zhou Qian shook his head, thoughtfully looking at Ab standing in the square, whose face was eerily illuminated by the ghostly blue light of the Bone Fire, making him appear almost ghostlike.
Zhou Qian whispered, “Of the 32 night watchers, 31 returned. Yet a villager who stayed at home was murdered… Hidden Blade, is there any more information about the victim Qi Yunsi? Like, did anyone in his family see anything when he was killed?”
Hidden Blade replied, “He had no family. Everyone laments their misfortune. His parents died in a night watch mission years ago, leaving him an orphan. Many are mourning the loss of a handsome and skilled young man, dead too soon.”
“So, there were no witnesses to his murder,” Zhou Qian said coldly. “He was the ideal victim.”
“Ideal victim?” He Xiaowei, standing behind Zhou Qian, asked, “What do you mean?”
Before Zhou Qian could answer, he met Village Chief Ab’s distant gaze.
As their eyes locked, Ab turned to address the seven players but was interrupted by a familiar loud cry from the square. The cry came from eight-year-old Alayne, which Zhou Qian had heard before after taking the handkerchief from the little girl.
Following the sound, Zhou Qian saw Alayne running towards the center of the square and kneeling beside Qi Yunsi, crying uncontrollably. It was clear she had a close relationship with Qi Yunsi, and his death overwhelmed her with grief.
Not far away, Ab frowned, stepped forward, and gently consoled her. “Alayne, stop crying for now. I know he was your good friend. The most important thing now is to seek justice for him, right?”
Alayne belonged to the Sun Family, and Qi Yunsi to the Moon Family, both part of the Sun-Moon Alliance. It wasn’t surprising for members of these clans to be friends. Zhou Qian wondered—had they not participated in the handkerchief game, how would the rivalry between the four great families have ended?
If Alayne had lost and Bai Zhou was absent, would she still have gone out for the night watch alone?
After a while, Alayne was led away, and Ab approached the seven players. As he moved, the seven tightened their grip on their weapons.
“At least one of you is the murderer of Qi Yunsi. It would be best if you hand them over,” Ab said. “Otherwise, you will all be considered accomplices.”
Zhou Qian chuckled coldly, looking at Ab. “And if we’re considered accomplices, what then?”
Ab replied, “You won’t be able to leave this place. You will all have to die.”
He Xiaowei whispered to Zhou Qian, “Qian’er, it looks like we’re in for a tough fight. What do you think our chances are against all the villagers?”
Qi Liuxing added solemnly, “Zhou Qian, I have a feeling that the village head might set a trap for us to turn on each other. We can’t fall for it. We must find a way out!”
Indeed, Ab told the seven players, “I need to prepare Qi Yunsi’s funeral and continue the night watch with the others. The most dangerous time of the Samhain festival has passed, but it’s not dawn yet. Until the sun rises, Nameless Village is not completely safe. So, I don’t have time to waste here with you.”
“Please point out the murderer among you within five minutes.”
“Just point at them.”
“A vote to identify the murderer?” Zhou Qian laughed at Ab. “You’re making us play a murder mystery game? Five minutes isn’t enough for discussion.”
“I said, there’s at least one murderer, potentially more. Qi Yunsi was skilled. You deserters, on your own, couldn’t overcome him. It must have been a joint effort. Therefore—”
Without waiting for a response, Ab declared, “Anyone pointed out will be considered the murderer!”
After announcing this crude “voting rule”, Ab called some men to carry Qi Yunsi away for burial at the graveyard.
Soon, a cart arrived to transport the body, and Ab was seen whispering instructions to the men, as if imparting some precautions.
Zhou Qian glanced at Ab’s actions, then turned back, scanning the crowd before his gaze finally rested on Yun Xiangrong.
He approached her, saying, “The first time we met, we played a game similar to this. That game’s rules were much more complicated than now, but the essence was the same. Last time, we were looking for ‘false believers’; this time, it’s a ‘murderer’.”
In that game, Qi Liuxing also participated. Not only did he participate, but he was also thoroughly deceived by Zhou Qian.
Somehow, though, he ended up helping Zhou Qian all the way until they cleared the game and achieved a hidden accomplishment.
At that moment, Qi Liuxing started to worry and stepped forward to look at Yun Xiangrong, saying, “You blame Zhou Qian… but you might as well blame me. It was my fault for not checking the message in time, not being able to deliver the Tick Tock Clock. I share some responsibility for Gao Shan’s death. I—”
He sighed and continued, “The rule of this game is that anyone accused will be treated as the murderer. But if none of us accuses anyone, then no one will be deemed the murderer! We are not in the same situation as before. Back then, facing those two goddesses, we had no means to resist and had to follow the rules. But against these villagers, we have a chance to fight our way out!”
Looking at Qi Liuxing, Yun Xiangrong said, “Another top-tier Rank God player is unaccounted for, and we only have seven people here. Seven people against a few hundred villagers—how can we fight? They are all trained soldiers, not just ordinary villagers. Even if we still have a Rank God player among us, his abilities are greatly limited. Do I need to remind you of this?”
“Besides, putting that aside, do you remember our fourth prohibition? We are not allowed to kill birds.”
Glancing at the villagers, Yun Xiangrong continued, “This is a world filled with magic, where humans can turn into animals and animals into humans. Have you ever thought about why these villagers can communicate with dogs without obstacles? Is it possible that the ancestors of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Cloud were birds? In such a case, once we kill them, we would die for violating the prohibition.”
“So, if we really fought, not only would the numbers be against us, but there would also be no fairness. We dare not truly kill them. We have reservations. But they don’t. They can kill us without hesitation.”
“Are you really suggesting accusing Zhou Qian as the murderer?” Qi Liuxing drew his sword, pointing it towards Yun Xiangrong with a threatening posture. “I can’t tell if you’ve been brainwashed by them. You—”
Then, a distinct hand was extended in front of him.
It was Zhou Qian making a gesture to stop him.
Zhou Qian looked at Yun Xiangrong, his face bearing his usual malicious smirk. “If you accuse me, I will certainly accuse you. You like Shan Ge, don’t you? Why would you want to die with me?”
“Don’t provoke me with that kind of talk. Zhou Qian, see, this is how despicable you are—resorting to anything to achieve your goals, not choosing your words carefully. I will always despise people like you.”
“Right after ‘Wish List’ ended, I indeed wanted to kill you for revenge. As for now… I have even more reasons to kill you.”
Yun Xiangrong’s eyes reddened as she continued, “Zhou Qian, I gave you a chance. I asked you for Shan Ge’s soul, but you refused. I asked you to find a way to release him, to let him return to me, but you also refused!”
“You claim you can resurrect Shan Ge, but I can only believe what I see with my own eyes. All I see is you trapping him, making him a slave and a tool serving you!”
“This is your usual style! Zhou Qian, you pretend to be nice to those around you, only wanting to use them. Including that Rank God player by your side. I think it’s the same principle.”
“What you call ‘resurrection’ is without proof. I won’t let Brother Ge become your slave. But the Peach Blossom Legion has a way to resurrect him. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. They promised me that as long as I kill you, they can take your Rib of God and truly resurrect Shan Ge. Even if…”
“Even if they don’t resurrect him. As long as you die, at least Shan Ge’s soul can be freed.”
Having said her piece, Yun Xiangrong seemed to have nothing more to add. She no longer looked at Zhou Qian but directly called out to Village Chief Ab. “Lord Ab, there’s no need to wait for the five minutes to be up. I accuse him as the murderer!”
She pointed directly at Zhou Qian.
“Oh, but in my opinion, she is the murderer.”
Zhou Qian promptly pointed back at Yun Xiangrong.
Both were accused of being the murderer. According to the rules, both were deemed to have killed Qi Yunsi. Ab glanced at both of them, the firelight almost turning his pupils blue.
Then he smiled and looked at the other players. “What about you? Is there anyone else you want to identify?”
Ab looked at Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, Qi Liuxing, Ke Yuxiao, and Yin Jiujiu, but all five of them solemnly shook their heads.
Ab raised an eyebrow, unsure whether he felt regret or satisfaction.
Then he said, “Then, you five can go back to the inn to rest. I’m sorry you encountered so many troubles upon arriving in the village. But you must believe that you will find happiness in Nameless Village in the future.”
“As for the remaining two murderers—” His tone turned cold again. “Please stay in the square. You will be executed.”
During this time, Zhou Qian didn’t look at Ab but glanced around him.
His gaze paused for a few seconds on Innkeeper Tartar among the onlookers.
Her face showed a mix of regret, pity, and dissatisfaction.
Even though the expression was fleeting, Zhou Qian caught it.
That expression seemed to reveal her evil nature.
At the same moment, a pyramid-shaped building suddenly appeared in the farmland not far away. Its special material shimmered in the night, as if covered in silver light by the stars and moon.
Despite the distance, Zhou Qian recognized it—it was the Temple of Prayers.
How could it suddenly appear here?
Some chaotic thoughts were suddenly clarified in his mind at this moment.
Zhou Qian smiled, withdrew his gaze, and calmly faced Ab’s cold eyes, stepping closer to him.
“What?” Ab asked him.
Zhou Qian loudly said, “My companions will not leave. You want to kill me? It won’t be easy. They will fight with me.”
“Is that so?” Abu threatened, “You do not know our real strength! You have no chance of winning!”
Zhou Qian simply said, “We don’t need to defeat you. We just need to delay time.”
“What do you mean?” Ab frowned.
He Xiaowei, standing behind Zhou Qian, also asked quietly in curiosity, “Yeah, Qian’er, what do you mean?”
Zhou Qian looked at Ab and said, “My friend, oh right, the one who went to keep watch with you. I received a message from him. The number 32 is the limit of people the Red God consumes each year. This means not all 32 people will die. I believe in my friend’s abilities. He won’t die. But he hasn’t come back yet, so I guess…”
“You originally intended to kill my friend, right? But he was too powerful. You couldn’t do it. Maybe you couldn’t find him, or perhaps, you didn’t dare to go to where he was to find him.”
“In this case, you might have to sacrifice someone to the Red God, so you returned to the village, killed a villager, planning to offer him to the Red God, exchanging one person for a year of peace for the entire village.”
Looking at Ab’s face, Zhou Qian smiled and said, “All other villagers have families, except for a man named Qi Yunsi, who lives alone, naturally becoming your best target for persecution.”
“After persecuting him, you needed to exonerate yourselves. The most suitable culprits, of course, were the outsiders who had just arrived here, especially if they had the identity of fleeing from an enemy country.”
“So, we became your scapegoats, Village Chief.”
He Xiaowei couldn’t help but let out a “fuck.”
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes at Ab. “You sent people to pretend to transport Qi Yunsi’s body to the graveyard, just to deceive the villagers. But what you actually did was take him to the mountain to offer to the Red God, right?”
“Too bad. I was prepared and had people sabotage all of this.”
“Ah, what would happen if you couldn’t sacrifice someone to the Red God on time? What if your conspiracy was exposed?”
As soon as Zhou Qian finished speaking, a semi-transparent rope suddenly appeared in front of him, wrapping around his wrists like a living thing, making it impossible for him to break free no matter how much he struggled.
Then Ab stepped forward, grabbed Zhou Qian’s collar fiercely, and looked at him menacingly, whispering in his ear, “Even if you guessed we had to sacrifice someone, so what? One thing you got wrong, the timing for sacrificing to the Red God isn’t too strict. It can be done before dawn!”
“Before the sun rises, I will surely kill you! So, you can’t escape!”
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