Qi Wei and Huang Peng were completely clueless as to why Xiao Yi was so enraged, but they weren't foolish enough to overlook the connection.
It seemed clear to them that Lai Yuan must have indeed chanted something the previous night, and it likely had disastrous consequences. A chill ran down Qi Wei's spine as he began to entertain unsettling thoughts. What if Lai Yuan's chant had inadvertently caused the death of the young girl in the other room? What if the chant's purpose was to redirect harm from one person to another? Did that mean Qi Wei had indirectly caused someone's death?
Sensing Qi Wei's growing anxiety, Lai Yuan let out a sigh and rose from his bed, placing a reassuring hand on Xiao Yi's shoulder. "Don't worry, Xiao Yi. This is the lower realm. I can handle this, even with an IV injected into my skin."
"But still—" Xiao Yi began to protest.
"No 'buts', Xiao Yi. Gege is okay," Lai Yuan interrupted firmly.
"I'll inform my brother about this," Xiao Yi declared, stomping her foot before retreating to Huang Peng's bed, muttering about Lai Yuan's foolishness and how her responsibility to protect him had now increased.
Lai Yuan wanted to laugh at the notion of a little girl like Xiao Yi protecting him, but he lacked the energy to do so. The idea seemed absurd to him. Turning his attention to Qi Wei, Lai Yuan smiled gently. "What are you overthinking about, Your Highness?"
Qi Wei knew that the likelihood of Lai Yuan providing honest answers to his questions about the chant's effects was slim. Therefore, he decided to inquire about it later with Xiao Yi. For now, he simply wanted to clarify one thing. "Was the chant you performed last night is the cause of the little girl's death?"
Despite his weakened state, Lai Yuan let out a breathy laugh. "You're really overthinking this, aren't you? Do I seem like that much of a villain, Your Highness?"
Hearing Lai Yuan's response, Qi Wei chose to believe that the chant had nothing to do with the young girl's death.
Seated on his bed, currently occupied by a pouting Xiao Yi, Huang Peng spoke up. "So, what should we do now?"
With this question, the group finally stirred into action, preparing to face the day ahead. The four of them moved together as a unit to the kitchen, where many others were also eating breakfast. The atmosphere in the kitchen was somber, weighed down by the recent death. Fear hung heavy in the air as everyone worried about becoming the next victim.
"Xiao Yi, did you gather any new information about this realm from the first death?" Lai Yuan asked between bites of cereal, as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Observing Lai Yuan's pitiful, weakened state, Qi Wei grabbed a banana from the kitchen counter and handed it to him. "Here, eat."
For Lai Yuan, this simple act felt like the first "romantic" gesture Qi Wei had ever bestowed upon him. A wide smile spread across his otherwise mysterious face, making him look rather silly. Fortunately, only Huang Peng seemed to notice the smile.
Meanwhile, Huang Peng's emotions were a tumultuous mix. He knew he no longer loved Qi Wei romantically, yet witnessing Qi Wei's caring gesture stirred up a hint of bitterness within him. Quickly pushing aside these feelings, Huang Peng focused on finishing his breakfast. In a realm fraught with the possibility of death, dwelling on emotions was a luxury they couldn't afford. It was crucial to focus on survival and seizing any opportunity to claim the prize money.
"Oh, I did find it," Xiao Yi whispered back, her voice low. "And I've burned it too."
Lai Yuan nodded in approval. "Good girl. This time you didn't forget to burn it."
Their exchange was cryptic, leaving Qi Wei and Huang Peng utterly baffled.
"Um, would you mind sharing what the hint was?" Huang Peng ventured to ask.
Xiao Yi nodded. "Of course, ge. I forgot to tell you earlier because I was still angry with Yuan ge. Let's finish our breakfast and find a secluded spot to discuss it. Oh!" Suddenly remembering something, Xiao Yi retrieved four small black cloths from her waist bag. "We need to wear these to cover our faces when we go out."
The cloths were like masks, covering their faces from their noses downward, secured tightly behind their heads.
The three of them did not bother to ask and just complied with what Xiao Yi asked them to do before going out to find a place near the huge old tree to talk about the clue.
"Okay, before I tell you what I have found, I wanted to tell Qi Wei and Huang Peng gege first. Usually, on the body of the first victim, there will be a paper that includes clues about the realm. However, this type of clue only exists in the first three realms, as there are a lot of rookies participating. Usually, long-time players like me and Yuan gege do not bother to find clues in lower realms like this," Xiao Yi explained.
Both Qi Wei and Huang Peng nodded, listening attentively to her.
"So, ge, don't step back when you see dead bodies like before, yeah? You could gain important clues. Also, when you find a paper clue, remember to quickly destroy the paper. You can burn it or soak it in water, but do not just rip it apart. We never know what is in the mind of other participants, so it is always best to be careful," Xiao Yi reminded them.
Lai Yuan stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, proud small smiles painted on his pale face. "Our Xiao Yi has grown up, huh?"
Blushed by the sudden praise, Xiao Yi grinned at her Yuan gege. "Okay, for the clue itself, I got a small newspaper clipping. In there, it was told that there used to be a high bullying case around here. In the village school, there used to be a little girl who used to be called Lulu. Lulu was bullied because she isn't exactly, well, you know," Xiao Yi seemed to have a hard time choosing the right word, "fit the beauty standards?"
Qi Wei sighed. The world is like this, always favoring the good-looking ones and leaving those who aren't fit to the societal beauty standards to suffer all alone. He suddenly feels bad for the Lulu girl.
"And so, one day Lulu decided to stop going to school. She lives in the guest house with her big family. She often bought mirrors to see her reflection in it. At first, she bought one mirror and she didn't like how it reflected her. She bought another and still did not like it. She kept on buying mirrors in hopes that one day one mirror would reflect an image that was pleasing to her eye."
Poor girl, Qi Wei thought. How destroyed her self-esteem must be for her to be like that.
"And then, she kept herself locked in the guest house. She didn't want to go out because she felt like everyone would make fun of her because of her looks if she did. Soon enough, she grew depressed and frustrated. She went berserk and destroyed all mirrors she ever bought, she took a piece of broken mirror and ended her life with it."
"By stabbing her eyes?" Qi Wei guessed.
Xiao Yi nodded.