“…They, they’re all talking nonsense. My sister has nothing to do with Liu Quan! He’s the one spreading rumors everywhere, saying that my sister and he… And that Feng Ailing, a gossip, always spreading rumors behind people’s backs…”
“My sister wouldn’t become a ghost, and she wouldn’t kill anyone…” Large teardrops fell from his eyes, “She wouldn’t… wouldn’t…”
Ren Qiu’s eyes were red, and even his shoulders were trembling evenly. Anyone seeing such a scene would surely soften, but Lin Huai clapped his hands with joy: “You look much better when you’re angry than when you’re being bullied.”
As he spoke, he put his arm around the other’s shoulder, coaxing in a tone, “Come on, relax. As the family member of a Fierce Ghost, it’s perfectly normal to be isolated by others.”
Ren Qiu pursed his lips. Lin Huai laughed again, “…Since you’re going to be isolated anyway, isn’t it better to make them fear you than to let them mock you? Being the family member of a Fierce Ghost isn’t something to be ashamed of. What’s shameful is… some people live more evil than ghosts, yet they are unaware of their ugliness. Look—”
Several villagers were still peeking at their every move through the door cracks. Lin Huai turned to them, and the villagers immediately retracted in fear. Lin Huai then laughed, “Look at how scared they are, isn’t it fun?”
He patted Ren Qiu’s shoulder, “Let’s go to your place. The sun is about to set, it’s not safe for you to walk alone outside.”
Ren Qiu: “…”
Lin Huai continued, “…And if we don’t go back soon, this fish will die and won’t taste good.”
As he spoke, he shook the fish in his hand.
“Hey hey, you guys!” Liao Guan, who came out for his shift, was dumbfounded seeing them loaded with goods, “We sent you out to stand guard! How did you end up looting!”
Lin Huai looked up at him from the pile of food, “We didn’t loot, these were all voluntarily given to us by the villagers. If you don’t believe me, ask them if we looted.”
As he spoke, he looked towards the villagers who were still peeking.
The villagers shook their heads, not daring to speak up.
“You…”
“We’re going to eat now.” Lin Huai shook the fish and rabbit in his hand, “Do you want to join us?”
“Hey hey, isn’t our current task to protect Feng Ailing?! At such a critical moment, you’re going to eat?!”
“Protecting Feng Ailing is the task given to us by the system, but I never said I would do this task.” Lin Huai smiled with curved eyes, “The system gave us nine people to protect, but in the end, only four need to survive, which means…”
He drew out his tone.
“I have the right to choose which five people will be killed by the Fierce Ghost, don’t I?”
Under the streetlight, the young man’s dark eyes shone like a blade. Liao Guan was speechless for a while, finally managing to say, “…You seem like a villain…”
“No, don’t call us villains.” Chu Tianshu stood beside Lin Huai with a hen in hand, “Call us the Hua Nong Brothers.”
Lin Huai: “You just lowered our standards.”
The two cheerfully took the food and followed Ren Qiu back to his home.
Ren Qiu’s home was in the south of the village, next to Aunt Sun’s. Walking on the country road, Lin Huai turned to Chu Tianshu, somewhat puzzled, “Didn’t you think I was being cold and heartless just now?”
Chu Tianshu was busy struggling with the hen and rabbit in his hands, taking a while to respond to his words. He was somewhat puzzled, “Was there?”
“Really.” Lin Huai said, “I’m disappointed, I thought you would be scared.”
He originally thought Chu Tianshu would stay in Feng Ailing’s courtyard, waiting for the Fierce Ghost to attack and observe, but the other followed him to Ren Qiu’s home, seemingly completely uninterested in the Fierce Ghost. After some thought, Lin Huai explained this as Chu Tianshu also having a craving.
Ren Qiu’s courtyard, though desolate, still bore traces of past wealth. However, the house was still covered in red paint with words like “Pay your debts.” Chu Tianshu stared at the wall for a while, then heard Lin Huai’s joyful voice, “…This family indeed has a gas stove and seasonings, good people indeed get good rewards, as expected of me, choosing you…”
As he spoke, he turned to Ren Qiu, “Can you cook?”
Ren Qiu was somewhat embarrassed, “I… can only make edible food.”
“…I can’t cook either.” Lin Huai was in a dilemma, he rolled his eyes, seeing Aunt Sun in the neighboring yard through a hole in the wall, “Well, let’s kidnap a cook to make dinner…”
“Give it a rest.” Chu Tianshu was both amused and exasperated. He came over and pushed the two out of the kitchen, starting to prepare dinner himself. Lin Huai squatted nearby, leaning on his knees, watching for a while, but soon got bored.
The chicken soup was simmering, and the fish was frying in the pan with scallions and sauce. Lin Huai walked into the house stepping on the fallen leaves, but the inspiration at the back of his head slightly moved.
In the backyard of the Ren family, there seemed to be a rustling sound.
The wind rolled with yellow sand and falling leaves, directly hitting people’s faces. Lin Huai was hit in the eye by something, peeled off the paper ball, and unfolded it.
It was actually a paper doll.
Lying obediently in his palm were two little dolls holding hands. One doll’s mouth was unwillingly curved, as if laughing, while the other was crying. He followed the source of the sound to the backyard, only to see a white-haired old lady sitting in the yard, holding a red scissors, muttering and cutting paper.
Beside her, there were stacks of yellow paper money. She seemed very skilled, not needing to outline on the paper, only using scissors to easily cut out two little dolls holding hands. The paper dolls were scattered all over the yard, spinning in the wind, blown to one side.
She looked so old.
“This is my mother.” Ren Qiu stood behind him, whispering, “After my sister died… she went mad.”
“Actually, her mental state wasn’t good before.” Ren Qiu thought for a moment, “Five years ago, when the flour factory exploded, her mental state wasn’t good, she often said she shouldn’t have bought that lottery ticket… My parents were good people, they started the factory to help everyone, but they didn’t get good rewards… After my sister died, she got worse and worse…”
“…Although the villagers say my sister became a Fierce Ghost, I… I still don’t want to believe it.” Ren Qiu said in a low voice, “She was such a good person when she was alive, how could she, how could she kill so many people…”
A hand was placed on his shoulder.
Lin Huai turned around, only to see Chu Tianshu, who had somehow already reached behind them. He was wearing a hello kitty apron, looking very ridiculous, but his eyes were firm: “Since you say so, we’ll find a way.”
Lin Huai narrowed his eyes, “You…”
“We’ll find a way to prove your sister’s innocence.” Chu Tianshu said seriously. His face had lost its usual playfulness, leaving Lin Huai speechless. “Having a brother like you who believes in her shows that she was a good girl when she was alive.”
“You…” Ren Qiu was momentarily flustered. He covered his neck, and after a while, said, “I, I’ll call my mom to eat.”
He seemed extremely happy, yet also seemed to be running away.
“Hey, are you turning the infinite flow Game into Detective Conan…” Lin Huai whispered in Chu Tianshu’s ear, “What if, just what if, the Fierce Ghost is really Ren Chun?”
“There will always be another way.” Chu Tianshu said.
“Hey… You’re not going to fabricate evidence and create a pure white lie, are you?” Lin Huai narrowed his eyes, “Even if it’s out of good intentions, I…”
“No, I mean, there will always be another way to prove that Ren Chun is not the Fierce Ghost.” Chu Tianshu scratched his head, “Since I promised him, I will definitely do it… And, I really think Ren Chun is not that Fierce Ghost.”
A vague sense of discomfort crept into Lin Huai’s heart. He said, “Why do you think so?”
“Maybe it’s an intuition. I always feel that a girl who would still wear a white dress in death, if she were to be scolded by so many people as a murderer after death, it would be too pitiful.” Chu Tianshu said softly.
Lin Huai couldn’t help but sneer, “So you think—being a Fierce Ghost is something shameful? Seeking revenge for one’s hatred is something to be condemned?”
“Why would you think that?” Chu Tianshu looked at him inexplicably, “I think it’s too pitiful to have to endure others’ curses while seeking revenge for one’s own hatred.”
Lin Huai: …
As they were speaking, Ren Qiu had already walked in front of the muttering old lady, whispering, “Mom, it’s time to eat.”
The old lady’s cloudy eyes looked up at Ren Qiu, slightly shimmering with tears. She seemed to regain some consciousness, “Mmm.”
However, when Ren Qiu turned to leave, the old lady suddenly started screaming. She seemed to be greatly stimulated, her hand holding the scissors was shaking wildly, almost stabbing herself.
She was saying meaningless words, no one could understand what she was saying. Ren Qiu was startled, just about to turn back to take care of his mother, when he heard another cool voice, “Ren Qiu.”
Lin Huai turned around, only to see Ying Xia, who was staying with relatives, standing there.
He seemed very familiar as he walked over, patting the old lady’s back. The old lady quickly calmed down under his comfort. Ren Qiu sighed in relief, he turned to Ying Xia, “Xiao Xia, why are you here?”
“Bringing something to Aunt Sun, and coming to see you by the way.” Ying Xia patted his shoulder. When he saw Lin Huai, his eyes slightly widened, seemingly somewhat surprised.
Soon, such an expression disappeared, so quickly that Lin Huai almost thought it was his illusion. Ren Qiu was very happy to see his friend, “Have you eaten? Stay and eat with us.”
“Oh, oh, let me introduce.” He pulled Lin Huai over, “This is my good friend Ying Xia, this is Lin Huai, the investigator from the village, and there’s another…”
“No need to introduce, we met yesterday.” Lin Huai smiled at Ying Xia.
The latter glanced at Ren’s mother, who was still cutting paper in the backyard, and subtly tightened his grip on his wrist.
The four had a lively meal together. Ren’s mother, due to her mental issues, ate alone in the room. Ying Xia was surprised at the sumptuous dishes on the table, “These are…”
Ren Qiu glanced at Lin Huai, who was unashamedly biting his chopsticks, “These were all given to us by the villagers, they were very enthusiastic.”
After the meal, Ren Qiu volunteered to clean up the dishes. Lin and Chu wandered around the yard. They were excited to finally reach the home of the Fierce Ghost’s family.
“This wall is full of curses.” Lin Huai knocked on the wall, “It’s really annoying, let’s clean it up.”
Ying Xia looked at him observing the wall, tightly pursing his lips.
He subtly looked towards the kitchen, where Ren Qiu was busy.
He looked very happy.
…A happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“…We’ll be eating here for a few more days, it’s annoying to look at.” Then, he heard Lin Huai’s voice, “With the excuse of doing a good deed, looting becomes much more reasonable.”
Ying Xia: …
On the other side, Chu Tianshu was also in the yard, working with wood. After a while, he called Lin Huai over to see the strange mechanism he was making, “Tomorrow, we’ll use this to secure the pig, it’ll be much easier to drive it back.”
Ying Xia watched the two from afar. His hand first loosened, then tightened, and finally…
Still loosened.
After eating at the Ren’s, Lin and Chu showed no intention of leaving, as if they had made the Ren’s home their second base. Ren Qiu washed the dishes, mopped the floor, and then quietly sat at the desk reading.
By nine o’clock, Ren Qiu seemed to be getting sleepy. He was reading, but his eyes were almost closing, only staying awake by occasionally shaking his head. Seeing Chu Tianshu browsing up and down the bookshelf, he smiled and said, “Um… Brother Chu, you can just take whatever you want to read.”
“Oh, then I won’t be polite.” Chu Tianshu said, pulling a workbook from the shelf. The workbook had the name Ren Chun written on it, in a delicate handwriting.
He flipped through the workbook from start to finish, then scanned the shelf, not seeing a second workbook belonging to Ren Chun. Just as he was about to ask, the workbook in his hand was grabbed by another hand.
“…After Ren Chun died, Ren’s mother cleaned up all her things to avoid reminders.” The phoenix-eyed youth lowered his voice, casting a glance towards Ying Xia, who was dozing off, “Don’t let him see… he’ll be sad.”
After Chu Tianshu nodded, he let go. From the other side came Ren Qiu’s voice, “Uh… sorry, I’m a bit sleepy… I…”
As he spoke, he yawned, his eyelids almost sticking together. Seeing the host about to sleep, Lin and Chu felt it inappropriate to stay longer, and after a hasty goodbye, followed Ying Xia back.
Tick, tick, tick…
Time passed minute by minute, but the people at Feng Ailing’s home dared not feel sleepy. The awake ones stared with wide eyes, watching Feng Ailing’s every move.
To ensure everyone was awake when the clock struck twelve, before twelve, everyone was arranged to sleep in shifts, with two awake people watching Feng Ailing’s every move. Now awake were Liao Guan, who was bored playing with his phone, and Ruan Tian, who was daydreaming.
As time passed, the crimson “01” gradually faded, and Feng Ailing went from panic-stricken to nearly mad.
However, at ten o’clock, perhaps knowing she was about to die, Feng Ailing finally calmed down. At ten, it was Liao Guan and Ruan Tian’s shift. Liao Guan was excited to be paired with the girl he fancied.
He made every effort to chat with Ruan Tian, but his words turned into awkward small talk that even he found embarrassing. Fortunately, Ruan Tian had a good temper, just smiling, which somewhat comforted Liao Guan.
‘If only I met her in real life.’ Liao Guan thought, ‘But it’s in the Game, and we don’t even know if we’ll survive…’
Feng Ailing looked at the two in the room, and after a while, stammered out, “I… I need to go to the bathroom. The bathroom… is in the backyard, I don’t dare to go alone.”
The two looked at each other, Ruan Tian looked at the “01” above Feng Ailing’s head, estimating there was still over an hour before it cleared, and said to Liao Guan, “I’ll take her to the bathroom, you wait here.”
Liao Guan quickly stood up, “I’ll go with you.”
Ruan Tian waved her hand, “You just wait here, the bathroom is just a few steps away, it’s not convenient for you, a guy, to go with us.”
She refused firmly, so Liao Guan had to say, “Then… you go, remember to come back soon.”
Feng Ailing’s backyard had a small shed, inside was the simplest outhouse. Ruan Tian saw her go in, waited outside, her eyes idly looking around.
“Eh? There’s actually a well here?”
She glanced at it from afar, not paying much attention. Feng Ailing just came out, saw her looking at the well, and walked over saying, “This well was dug by my grandfather, it’s very deep…”
