Tao Yu took the cinnabar pouch from her mouth and spat twice: “It tastes weird!”
Chi Yi leaned in affectionately, “Sister Tao Yu, what is this used for?”
Tao Yu gave her a strange look, seemingly puzzled that she didn’t even know this. However, seeing Chi Yi’s innocent and confused expression, she patiently explained, “It’s to prevent ghosts from possessing people.”
When they exorcise a ghost from a stage, the ghost, when chased around, might try to hide by entering a person’s body. The cinnabar pouch is used to seal off the entry points.
The exorcism concluded, and Uncle Kuang visibly breathed a sigh of relief. The group gathered their things, loaded the boxes, and returned to the courtyard where they were staying.
On the way, the players whispered to each other, “It seems Zhen Zhen isn’t part of the opera troupe. She must be a villager here.”
“We should ask around the village tomorrow.”
Back at the courtyard, everyone was ready to head to their rooms and rest. However, there was no running water in this place. To get water, they had to fetch it from the well, which was quite inconvenient. Since the house had been unoccupied for a long time, the water storage tanks were all empty and covered in dust. The group decided they’d clean and refill them tomorrow to avoid fetching water from the well every time.
Some, finding it troublesome, went straight to bed. Others, who had a habit of cleanliness, went to fetch water for washing up. Earlier in the day, Chi Yi had been crawling through the wheat fields and had been feeling itchy ever since. Seeing the others preparing to fetch water, she quickly said to Li Zhi, who was still making the bed, “Zhi Zhi, I’ll go with them to get some water.”
The four of them carried basins and headed to the well. A group had just been there, and traces of spilled water were still visible on the ground.
Pink Hair tried to get close to Chi Yi, “Sister Chi Yi, did you and Sister Li Zhi also use the Team-Up Card? I noticed you two have entered three different instances together.”
The word “also” revealed that the three of them had used the Team-Up Card as well.
Chi Yi thought these three really lived up to their reputation as members of Lian Qinglin’s old troupe—they were all rather simple-minded. She casually dodged the question and threw it back at them: “You three entering the same instances, have you considered how your fan group would feel about this? Who would they vote for?”
Pink, White, and Blonde Hair: “……”
Good question.
Pink Hair had been so excited when he got the Team-Up Card. Their group had disbanded for years, and aside from Lian Qinglin, who was still thriving, the rest of them had faded into obscurity. Last time, Pink Hair barely passed the elimination round, placing last, which scared him. When he got the Team-Up Card, the first thought that popped into his head was to reunite the group.
Fans had always clamored for a reunion. The saying went, “Separately, they fade away, together, they shine.” If they teamed up and cleared the instance together, the resurgence of their so-called group spirit would surely bring popularity back to them. It was better than struggling individually!
He shared this idea with White and Blonde Hair, and the three of them instantly agreed, using the Team-Up Card without a second thought.
It wasn’t until they were about to enter the instance that they realized, while their idea of “separately faded, together shine” made sense, this was an individual competition!
But the Team-Up Card had already been used, and there was no turning back. They had no choice but to brace themselves and enter the instance as a team. Before entering, the three even dyed their hair different colors, hoping the color-coding would help fans who struggled to tell their idols apart remember them.
Now, being questioned by Chi Yi, Pink Hair forced an embarrassed yet polite smile, “We did it to show our group spirit.”
Chi Yi: “…Awesome.”
The four continued chatting as they passed through the decorative archway. Chi Yi suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?”
She greeted the woman in the courtyard with familiarity, “Sister Tao Yu, why aren’t you asleep yet? Are you also here to fetch water?”
Pink Hair chimed in, “Sister Tao Yu, you’re scaring people again!”
In the courtyard, a woman dressed in blue opera robes sat by the damp edge of the well. Her figure was graceful, and she sat upright, her face turned toward the well as if she were gazing at her reflection in the water.
However, something was strange about her feet. They were lifted oddly, with her toes pointing downward, but they weren’t touching the ground. Her feet hovered a few centimeters above the ground in a suspended position… as if she were hanging.
As soon as Chi Yi spoke, she realized something was off and quickly stopped Pink Hair, who was about to approach.
The woman by the well slowly turned her head. Even the heavy makeup couldn’t hide the deathly pallor on her face. She looked at them with a haunting gaze, stood up, and walked towards the door, disappearing into the night.
“Did you see that…” Pink Hair’s teeth were chattering. “Her feet… they weren’t touching the ground…”
Chi Yi’s legs felt weak as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. “Hurry up and fetch the water! Let’s get out of here as fast as we can!”
Pink Hair, on the verge of a breakdown, cried out, “We’re still fetching water?!”
Chi Yi responded, “We’re already here!”
Without waiting for them, she quickly made her way to the well where the ghostly woman had been sitting, not daring to look down into the water. She grabbed the rope and pulled up a bucket of water in just a few swift movements, poured it into her basin, and left in one seamless motion, practically flying as she walked.
Behind her, Pink Hair wailed, “Sister Chi Yi! Wait for us!”
Chi Yi dashed back in no time.
The moment she entered the room with the basin, she burst into tears as soon as she saw Li Zhi. “Zhi Zhi! We ran into Fang Lin! She was just sitting by the well—it was so terrifying, wahh!”
The basin of water was only enough for the two of them to wash up a little. After they lay in bed, Chi Yi was still shaken from the encounter. Clinging to Li Zhi’s arm, she whimpered, “Zhi Zhi, did I just trigger the death condition? What if she comes after me tonight?”
“Fang Lin is from the opera troupe. If she wants to kill someone, the death condition is likely related to some of the troupe’s rules and taboos,” Li Zhi analyzed. “You were just fetching water and bumped into her. That shouldn’t count as violating any rules. Don’t worry.”
Hearing this and trusting Li Zhi, Chi Yi felt reassured and, despite her earlier fear, quickly fell asleep.
Li Zhi remained cautious but the night passed without any disturbances. They both slept soundly, and when they woke up, the early risers had already cleaned the dusty water tanks.
The players, now experienced with instances, knew that aside from avoiding death conditions, they had to seize any opportunity to stand out and gain followers. If their intellect wasn’t strong enough for puzzles, they could compensate by doing extra tasks and staying visible to the audience.
Pink Hair and his group had already told everyone about the ghostly encounter by the well, and it was clear no one would dare fetch water that night. So, in the morning, they quickly cleaned out the tanks and began hauling water, bucket after bucket, to fill them.
In the backyard, they could hear the faint sounds of the opera actors practicing their vocal exercises. The troupe’s cook had already prepared breakfast, and as Li Zhi glanced around during the meal, she confirmed that all ten players were still alive.
No deaths on the first night—a good omen.
After breakfast, they planned to go into the village to gather information about their target, Zhen Zhen. Ten people moving together would be too conspicuous, so they decided to split into smaller groups. Li Zhi looked at the trio of Pink, White, and Blonde Hair, who had automatically teamed up, and called out to them, “You three shouldn’t stay together. It’s better to pair up with someone of the opposite gender.”
“Why?” White Hair asked. “Isn’t it ‘mixing genders makes work easier’?”
Li Zhi explained, “This village takes women’s reputations very seriously. Zhen Zhen sounds like a girl’s name, so if a man asks about her, it could cause misunderstandings. When we speak to the villagers, it’s best for the women to do the asking.”
The group suddenly understood, and Pink Hair decisively abandoned his teammates, “Sister Li Zhi, I’ll go with you then!”
Chi Yi, recalling her previous bold declarations, painfully glanced at Li Zhi before turning to White Hair. “I’ll go with you guys.”
Once the groups were formed, the players headed off in different directions.
Walking beside Li Zhi, Pink Hair could barely contain his excitement. He acted like a loyal follower, saying, “Sister Li Zhi, just tell me what to do! I’m more useful than Lian Qinglin!”
Comparing himself to Lian Qinglin? It seemed the W-whatever group didn’t have the best relationship.
Li Zhi glanced at him, smiled warmly, and nodded, “Alright.”
In the daylight, the Lie Nu Village was much livelier.
Villagers worked in the fields, children ran around chasing chickens and dogs, and women gathered under the big tree by their doorsteps, chatting and preparing vegetables. To anyone passing by, it looked like a peaceful and prosperous village.
Yet beneath the calm and peaceful surface of the village, there lurked mouths that devoured people.
Li Zhi walked over and casually helped the women pick vegetables. “Good morning! Have you had breakfast?”
The women glanced at her, seemingly recognizing her as part of the opera troupe, and their attitudes were friendly. “Yes, we have. We country folk eat early. Where are you from, young lady?”
“We were picked up by the troupe leader. This is my younger brother.” She pointed to herself and Pink Hair, letting out a sigh. “We don’t really know where we’re from, we just follow the troupe around, trying to get by.”
The women’s expressions immediately softened with sympathy. They all nodded in agreement, “In times like these, just having a meal is already a blessing. I’ve heard there’s famine spreading outside, but luckily our Lie Nu Village has good feng shui, and no family here worries about food.”
After chatting for a while, the women seemed to have taken Li Zhi as one of their own, even offering her a handful of vegetables.
Li Zhi accepted them with a smile and casually asked, “By the way, Auntie, where is Zhen Zhen’s house?”
The once friendly women immediately turned cold. “Why are you asking about her? Do you know her?”
Li Zhi remained calm. “I heard the village chief mention her last night, and I got a bit curious.”
Her answer was vague enough to leave room for doubt. The women exchanged glances, unsure whether or not the chief had really mentioned Zhen Zhen. One of them said, “You’re an outsider. Don’t go poking your nose into the village’s affairs.”
It was clear they wouldn’t get anything more from these women.
As they walked away with the vegetables, Pink Hair couldn’t help but comment, “Sister Li, Zhen Zhen is definitely from this village. Let’s try asking someone else.”
Li Zhi shook her head. “If they don’t want to talk, no one else will either.” She spotted a group of children playing with rolling iron hoops in an open space ahead. After thinking for a moment, she turned to Pink Hair.
“Go back to the room where we left the boxes yesterday. In the third box, there’s a tin of rock candy. Bring a few pieces.”
Pink Hair immediately dashed off to complete the task.
By the time he returned with a few pieces of rock candy wrapped in paper, Li Zhi had already charmed her way into the children’s game, expertly rolling the hoops and earning their admiration.
Li Zhi took the candy, crouched down with a smile, and said, “Whoever takes me to Zhen Zhen will get this candy, and I’ll even teach them my secret hoop-rolling trick!”
“I’ll take you!”
“I know where Sister Zhen Zhen lives!”
“I don’t want the candy, but you have to teach me your trick!”
The children eagerly vied for her attention and soon led Li Zhi and Pink Hair forward.
Ten minutes later, they stopped outside a courtyard wall and pointed to a house adorned with white mourning flags. “Sister Zhen Zhen lives here!”