Translator: Cinder Translations
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"The village doctor has already checked on her," the man said, "There's nothing serious. The doctor especially reminded us that Hong Hong's mother needs to rest."
"Is that so?" Jiang Cheng looked at the closed door and nodded regretfully. "Then I won't disturb her."
"Thank you for your kindness, honored guests." The man bowed as they left.
On their way back, Chen Xiaomeng kept glancing at Jiang Cheng, who appeared calm and composed, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"That man is suspicious," Chen Xiaomeng spoke up. "Hong Hong seems scared of him, and the words 'men and women shouldn't be close' aren't something a child would say. It sounds like something he taught her."
Jiang Cheng squinted, shielding his eyes from the setting sun, and casually replied, "Of course, he's suspicious. Why else would he choose this time to be out in the garden? It's obvious he saw us coming and rushed out."
The sun was about to set, and the night was fast approaching. The night was a nightmare for the villagers, yet the man chose this time to be outside. It made one wonder.
Chen Xiaomeng added, "He doesn't look like someone who would be working in the fields. His shoes are brand new."
A stranger, neatly dressed, claiming to be helping with the farm work at Hong Hong's house... It was hard not to be suspicious.
Both of them fell silent. Having seen through the man's false identity, the next step was to determine his true purpose.
It was simple: pretending to work was just a cover. His true mission was to stop them from getting too close to Hong Hong's family and learning anything important.
Most likely, it was something arranged by the village chief.
The village chief and his people had likely become wary after the three of them visited the village.
As they walked through the village, they saw many small, dilapidated houses. But from the vegetables in the gardens and the clothes hanging on the line, it was clear that people lived here.
Yet, they never saw anyone outside.
Chen Xiaomeng paused for a moment and whispered, "Have you ever considered...?"
"I've thought about it," Jiang Cheng interrupted.
"You know what I'm going to ask?" Chen Xiaomeng asked, surprised.
Jiang Cheng continued walking without slowing down. "You're wondering why, if the ghost has been killing people at this pace for 20 years, there are still so many men left in the village?"
Chen Xiaomeng's eyes widened.
"But now you understand," Jiang Cheng glanced at her, "don't you?"
Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath, her gaze distant. She slowly replied, "It's the village chief and the others."
She looked towards the slightly taller, dilapidated house of the Qian family and spoke meaningfully, "The village chief invited us to stay at the Qian family mansion because the ghost's target is the Qian family. Since we're staying there, the ghost will mistake us for Qian family members and kill us, while the rest of the villagers remain safe."
"This is the secret that has allowed this isolated mountain village to continue surviving. I think every now and then, outsiders are invited into Xiao Shijian Village for various reasons. They're put up at the Qian family mansion and eventually meet a grim fate."
The information they gathered from Anping Town had confirmed this theory. Outsiders who came to Xiao Shijian Village would occasionally disappear, and the woman who entered Anping Inn searching for her husband seemed different from the locals. She was probably one of the outsiders lured into the village.
Her husband had already died at the ghost's hands.
This explained why the people of Anping Town were so hostile towards the villagers of Xiao Shijian.
As the old man at the edge of the village said, "Don't get involved with the people from this village. They bring misfortune."
Jiang Cheng looked at the woman beside him with interest.
He didn't mind bad people, because bad people usually had reasons for their actions. But he hated fools, because foolishness had no excuse. They were just fools.
Fortunately, Chen Xiaomeng wasn't a fool. She was much smarter than Pei Qian and Zhou Rong, the two self-righteous idiots. That was why Jiang Cheng had chosen her.
In nightmares, good and bad people might survive, but only fools die.
"Do you know the way out of here?" Chen Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow.
"I don't."
"Well," Chen Xiaomeng suddenly smiled. "I do."
"Are you leaving now?"
"Why not? Wait for the village chief to tear off his mask?" Chen Xiaomeng shrugged and took out the fruit. Nonchalantly, she took a small bite.
The fruit looked small but was full of juice, making Jiang Cheng's throat tighten in hunger. "If we're leaving, it should be at night. I'm going to check on Hong Hong's house."
"Suit yourself." Chen Xiaomeng casually discarded the fruit pit.
By the time they returned to the mansion, it was completely dark. Fortunately, the charcoal fire inside was still burning, but the room was empty.
Li Lu and Yu Man hadn't returned.
"Where are they?" Chen Xiaomeng asked.
"What do you want from me?" Jiang Cheng hummed. "I didn't go out with them this morning."
They hadn't returned yet, which meant something had happened.
It was unclear whether they had encountered the ghost or if they had uncovered the village chief's plot and were discovered, leading to them being detained or killed.
Jiang Cheng had thought about the balance of the task before. Based on the available clues, it appeared the ghost didn't kill women. But that didn't mean female players were entirely safe in this task.
In Jiang Cheng's understanding, nightmares, despite their eerie nature, operated according to a meticulous and complex system. The survival chances of each player at the start were the same.
Perhaps the ghost was somewhat more merciful to women, but according to the rules of fairness, this mercy would be counterbalanced by other malicious forces.
He could almost imagine the consequences for two attractive young women wandering lost in this village.
They wouldn't die, but their fate would be worse than death.
Chen Xiaomeng realized this too. As a woman herself, her face darkened. "When we go to Hong Hong's house tonight, we need to stay alert. If we can save them, it'll reduce the risks at Anping Inn."
"Tsk," Jiang Cheng gave her a blank look.
Chen Xiaomeng didn't care about the life or death of Li Lu and Yu Man. She simply disliked the villagers' behavior. Her decision to save them was just to extract their remaining value and use them to pave the way for herself.
Logic triumphed over emotion. She was a woman who knew how to distinguish between priorities, and Jiang Cheng was quite satisfied with that.
In contrast, Jiang Cheng suddenly thought of the lazy fatty at home and his irresistible little cabbage braised with pork ribs.
(End of the Chapter)
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