“Why Ren Qiu? Ren Qiu was Ren Chun’s most beloved brother during her lifetime. It’s only fitting that he should be the one to dig. He stubbornly believes that his sister is not the murderer, and being young and impulsive, it’s easy to convince him to dig the grave himself… to prove that his sister’s body is indeed buried there. Moreover, Ren Chun would never harm her own flesh and blood… What if she does? Then it’s just an unfortunate outcome. But Ren Qiu’s head doesn’t have a number. He’s not an NPC we need to protect.”
“If Ren Chun’s body is indeed in the grave, wouldn’t that be perfect? We can take the opportunity to kill her. What if she loses her mind and attacks Ren Qiu…?”
“Better one death than everyone’s. Besides, I’m confident I can ensure Ren Qiu’s safety.”
The young man’s shovel struck the earth repeatedly. The sky, once clear, began to darken as a storm approached. Everyone stood in a circle, silently watching his actions.
Finally, the shovel hit something hard. Yet, the young man’s expression didn’t relax. His lips trembled as he wiped away some dust from the coffin lid—
Another hand grabbed his arm.
“Stop digging,” Chu Tianshu said softly.
The young man paused for a long time before finally shaking his head at Chu Tianshu with a smile.
“No,” he said firmly. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“…Even if you dig up your sister, it won’t change anything. People will still say she’s the one who killed all the villagers,” Chu Tianshu insisted, gripping his hand tightly. “Even if you prove your sister’s innocence—what about you?”
“Me…?”
“You’ll spend the rest of your life thinking about this moment, about how you opened your sister’s coffin and brought out her body,” Chu Tianshu stared at him intently. “If you’re determined to do it… then let me.”
“Why?”
“Because my mission is to protect you NPCs. Both body and soul,” Chu Tianshu smiled. “Who says only NPCs with numbers above their heads need players’ protection? Besides… if I let you open the coffin yourself, I’d never dare to visit your house and use your kitchenware again.”
Watching the two from a distance, Zhang Mingge, who had already drawn his Demon-Slaying Bow, felt his eyelids twitch.
‘…I’ve already dealt with the unstable factor Lin Huai. Everything should’ve gone smoothly. I didn’t expect Chu Tianshu…’ he gritted his teeth. ‘Too bad I only have one immobilization talisman… Wasn’t the driver supposed to keep him busy? How did he manage to come out too?’
At that moment, his sharp eyes noticed the coffin lid behind the two trembling, as if something was about to burst out.
“Move!” he shouted.
Simultaneously, Cheng Xin and the other onlookers screamed. A pale hand pierced through the coffin lid, followed by an extremely terrifying female ghost!
She wore a dirty white dress stained with blood, her skin swollen, and her joints grotesquely twisted. Upon seeing the two figures by the grave, she let out a ghastly cry and lunged towards one of them with boundless hatred!
In that moment, everyone saw that her target wasn’t Chu Tianshu—
It was her own brother, Ren Qiu!
“Watch out!”
Chu Tianshu shouted. Ren Qiu turned around in a daze, completely unprepared for what was happening. The terrifying female ghost, upon seeing Ren Qiu’s face, also froze for a moment.
It was then that Zhang Mingge seized the opportunity. He raised his bow and fired an arrow in one fluid motion, the flaming arrow shooting straight towards Ren Qiu and Ren Chun!
It was the most powerful arrow Zhang Mingge could shoot with his purple-grade Demon-Slaying Bow!
The arrow, carrying an overwhelming sharp killing intent, shot towards the grave. It was supposed to pierce through Ren Qiu and then strike Ren Chun. However, just as it was about to hit Ren Qiu, someone rushed over and grabbed the arrow shaft.
Yet, this didn’t completely stop the arrow’s momentum. It still pierced into Chu Tianshu’s body. Chu Tianshu spat out a mouthful of blood, then turned to Ren Qiu and shouted, “Run!”
“Are you insane?!” Cheng Xin screamed. “You… blocked an arrow for an NPC?”
A commotion erupted among the crowd. Ren Qiu collapsed to the ground, while the terrifying female ghost, after a deep glance at Chu Tianshu, turned and fled into the depths of the forest.
“Damn it…” Zhang Mingge narrowed his eyes and prepared to fire another arrow. But just as he was about to release it, a cold left hand firmly grasped his wrist.
He turned to see Lin Huai’s gloomy face. Taking advantage of this moment, the female ghost had already vanished.
“How did you break free…”
He didn’t hear Lin Huai’s answer. The latter merely gave him a cold glance, and in that instant, Zhang Mingge felt as if he had fallen into an abyss.
Lin Huai walked past him without a word, then made his way through the cursing crowd. After recovering from their fear, they began to berate Chu Tianshu for blocking the arrow. Chu Tianshu sat on the ground, an arrow in his abdomen, his clothes soaked with blood.
He looked up with difficulty and saw Lin Huai approaching, giving a bitter smile. “You’re here.”
“Can you stand?” Lin Huai asked.
“I think so…” Chu Tianshu supported himself with a peach wood plaque on the ground and stood up. “Just a bit dizzy… need to find a place to drink a health potion.”
“Alright.” Lin Huai ignored the villagers shouting around them. His right hand was in his pocket, and he only extended his left hand to pull Chu Tianshu up. “Let’s go—are you coming with us?”
He looked at Ren Qiu beside them.
Ren Qiu stared at the two, his expression a mix of wanting to cry and laugh. After a long pause, Lin Huai said, “Forget it, we can’t take care of you right now.”
With that, he hoisted Chu Tianshu onto his back and disappeared into the bushes.
“Ah… ah…” Ren Qiu clutched his head, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying, his body shaking uncontrollably. After a while, he let out a scream, covered his head, and stumbled away.
The planned hunt ended in chaos. Zhang Mingge slammed his fist into the ground in frustration. Cheng Xin, the driver, and Yan Chuchu walked over, silently watching him.
After a long while, Zhang Mingge regained his composure. “There’s no other way. Now we need to find Du Xiaoran and Gu Bei, then gather at the Wang family’s house. No matter what, we must protect these people’s safety!”
Lin Huai carried Chu Tianshu for a long time before finding a patch of grass to rest. The rain began to fall, and Chu Tianshu, clutching his abdomen, collapsed into the grass, gritting his teeth as he pulled the arrow from his body.
This brief action required him to drink three health potions. Then, he tossed another potion to Lin Huai. “Here, yours.”
“Mine?”
“Your hand’s injured—I noticed you’ve been keeping your right hand in your pocket since earlier,” Chu Tianshu said.
Lin Huai took the potion and drank it silently. In his pocket was his right hand, which he had twisted out of shape to break free from the immobilization talisman. After sensing the talisman’s effect dissipate, he restored it to its normal shape and took it out. Seeing Chu Tianshu’s arrow wound, he asked, “What’s next?”
“Next?” Chu Tianshu was still applying medicine to his wound. “Next, we need to find a place to sleep…”
“I mean the mission.”
“The mission?”
As the two talked, the rain began to pour heavily. Chu Tianshu looked up and saw a dark red temple in the distance. “Let’s take shelter in the temple.”
Lin Huai didn’t object.
The old temple was hidden in the woods. They climbed the hill quickly and were about to push open the temple door when they heard a young voice from behind, “Stop!”
Lin Huai turned to see a young man in a green shirt holding an umbrella, standing in the pouring rain. Seeing them stop, he sighed in relief.
“Ying Xia? What are you doing here?”
“…I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” Ying Xia said. “I heard about what happened today. Come on, let’s go back with me. I won’t betray you.”
Lin Huai silently watched him without speaking. Ying Xia continued anxiously, “Anyway, you… the village is in an uproar.”
“Why are you helping us?” Lin Huai asked. “We let the village’s fierce ghost escape.”
“Because…” Ying Xia paused for a moment. “Because you’re different from them.”
He led the two to an old house. The house was clean and well-furnished. Ying Xia said, “This is where my mother used to live.”
“Your mother?”
“She abandoned me and left me here,” Ying Xia replied coldly.
“How long have you known Ren Qiu?” Lin Huai asked.
“Six years,” Ying Xia said.
As he spoke, he looked out the window at the distant rain.
“You can rest here for now,” he said. “I’ll come back to check on you tomorrow.”
The next day, news of the fourth death arrived. Before Ying Xia could return, Lin Huai slipped out alone.
Chu Tianshu, still recovering from his injuries, stayed behind to rest. Lin Huai walked through the village, enjoying the sidelong glances and fearful looks from the villagers. He made his way out of the village and soon arrived at a small hill.
Atop the hill stood a dark red temple, hidden among the trees.
For some reason, the temple gave Lin Huai an uncomfortable feeling. He closed his eyes, gently pushed open the temple door, and walked in.
The air carried a faint scent of blood, but no one was in sight. Lin Huai looked towards the inner hall and saw a shadowy figure sitting in the darkness. The figure was too tall, its neck and head shrouded in deep shadow, making it impossible to see clearly.
He gazed at the figure for a while, when suddenly a strong impulse compelled him to kneel and voice his wish.
But just as he was about to step forward, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
He turned to the temple door and saw Yan Chuchu standing outside, watching him. Upon seeing him, she panicked and ran away.
Lin Huai narrowed his eyes. He was about to follow when his foot kicked something.
—It was a severed arm with a watch.
When Ying Xia returned to the old house, it was already dusk. To his surprise, the house was empty.
He frowned, but on the table he found a note.
“Meet at Ren Qiu’s house at 9:30 PM.”
A sense of foreboding washed over him. He put down the food, turned around, and ran straight to Ren Qiu’s house.
By the time he arrived, it was already 10 PM. Ren Qiu, completely unaware of the group’s arrival, was happily welcoming the two, holding their hands and thanking them.
Ying Xia watched the scene, his heart tightening.
