Pan Pan angrily pushed Small Braid out of the room.
Small Braid stood in the courtyard with embarrassment, too afraid to leave. If he left this place, the next step would likely be under Sister Song’s blade or at the bottom of the abandoned well.
Although the other players didn’t know the inside story of the gender transformation, they could guess something from Small Braid’s expression. Despite their strong dislike for his previous actions, they didn’t have the habit of killing their teammates. They merely scolded him verbally but didn’t take any real action to drive him away.
Small Braid felt a mixture of gratitude and guilt and carefully huddled in a corner.
He crouched down in the corner, glanced at his clothes, and suddenly stood up as if electrified. He frantically removed the glaring red attire from his body.
Why was he still wearing this thing?
Inside the room, only Pan Pan and Bai Lixin’s group remained.
After Pan Pan had driven Small Braid away, she glanced at the three of them indifferently and asked, “What else do you want?”
Bai Lixin contemplated for two seconds, then took out several books and notebooks from his backpack.
These were all things he had found in the abandoned village.
He handed the tattered notebooks and books to Pan Pan. “Pan Pan, these should be from your family.”
The covers of the books and notebooks were severely damaged. Pan Pan used her index finger and thumb to flip open a few pages and, after seeing the handwriting inside, her head suddenly lifted. ”Where did you find these things?”
Bai Lixin: “I went up the mountain a few days ago, entered the fog on the other side of the mountain, and found these things in a house in an abandoned village.”
Pan Pan became extremely excited. She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed Bai Lixin’s arm as she asked urgently, “Besides these, did you see anything else?”
“Did you see…did you see…”
Bai Lixin: “I also saw a woman in red clothes.”
Pan Pan’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she shook Bai Lixin’s arm very quickly, “A woman in red clothes? Tell me quickly, what does she look like?!”
However, the young man opposite fell into silence.
Pam Pan was anxious. She was short and couldn’t reach too high, so she simply stood up on the stool and stared at Bai Lixin with burning eyes. “Tell me, what does she look like? Is it just her?” Is there anyone else?”
Bai Lixin thought for two seconds, “She…I can’t say it’s just her. In fact, there is another person, there are two people in total. The two of them share the same body. It was shrouded in darkness all day long, so I didn’t see their faces clearly.”
Bai Lixin hesitated for a moment and decided to conceal part of the information.
Just as Li Cancan had said, the two of them were named “Ah Jing” and “Tingting.” However, at this point, one had a severely burned face, and the other had a completely charred face. Regardless of who was who, neither could be accepted.
Pan Pan paused for a moment after hearing that. “A single body…”
“Then they…”
She had only spoken a few words before suddenly falling silent. She swallowed hard, as if she wanted to ask something but didn’t know where to start.
Bai Lixin: “They’ve been searching for something all this time.”
Pan Pan stared blankly at Bai Lixin. “What are they searching for?”
Bai Lixin: “A hairpin. They search for it every day, scouring the entire village, but they haven’t found this hairpin.”
“I think you should know about this hairpin, right?”
Pan Pan’s pupils began to tremble, her already unhealthy complexion paling a few shades, and a hint of fear in her eyes.
Bai Lixin: ??
This was somewhat different from what he had expected. When he mentioned those two women earlier, Pan Pan had appeared quite pleased. However, when he mentioned the hairpin, Pan Pan’s expression suddenly showed fear.
Could it be that the hairpin wasn’t with Pan Pan? If not, then where was it? And why was Pan Pan so fearful of the hairpin? Was she afraid of the hairpin itself…or the person holding the hairpin?
After a long period of silence, Pan Pan finally got down from her chair.
She sat on the edge of the chair and spoke with guily, “The hairpin, the hairpin isn’t with me.”
Sun Ning,: “Then where is it?”
Pan Pan looked like a child who had done something wrong. She lowered her head and fiddled with her clothes. “I, I lost it.”
Li Cancan approached and spoke gently, “Pan Pan, do you remember where you lost it? Can you tell big sister, and big sister will help you find it.”
Pan Pan raised her head, her gaze shifting a couple of times before lowering it again. “I…I lost it in the well, Auntie.”
Li Cancan deliberately ignored the term “Auntie” and asked, “In the well? The well at the school?”
Pan Pan nodded, “Yes.”
The three exchanged glances.
Sun Ning asked, “Pan Pan, are you sure? Are you sure it’s in the school’s well?”
Pan Pan’s expression became flustered for a moment, and she started to fidget with her clothes even more.
She nodded, then shook her head. “I can’t remember for sure.”
Seeing Pan Pan’s anxious expression, the three didn’t press further with questions.
Li Cancan gently patted Pan Pan’s head. “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter if you can’t remember. Don’t think about it.”
As the warm hand covered her head, Pan Pan froze completely. She remained motionless, her body tense, and her cheeks that were almost hidden in her neck flushed red.
On seeing this, Li Cancan understood and her stroking movements became more gentle. In the end, despite having survived for many years, Pan Pan’s psychological age was still that of a child.
Faced with the confrontation and exclusion from the villagers, as well as having a fake mother, she had likely been lonely all these years and hoped for companionship.
After lowering her head in thought for a long time, Pan Pan finally raised her head and looked at Bai Lixin. “Have they been searching for the hairpin all this time? Did they tell you why they wanted to find the hairpin?”
Bai Lixin: “I don’t know. They’re not very willing to communicate with me, but despite that, they still told me they wanted to find the hairpin.”
After thinking for a long time, Pan Pan bit her lip and said, “I know where the hairpin is, but I can’t go. Only you can.”
Li Cancan and Sun Ning’s eyes lit up.
Pan Pan continued, “The hairpin should have fallen on the mountain. If you go to the mountainside, you’ll see an abandoned small house. The hairpin should be somewhere near that small house. That’s all I know, I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Li Cancan: “No, Pan Pan, you’ve already helped us a lot. Thanks to you, these people can find refuge here.”
Pan Pan glanced outside and shook her head regretfully . “I can’t protect them for long. I’ve heard about your situation. Although they’re afraid of me, if you don’t find the culprit before the time runs out, they will still come in and take them away.”
Li Cancan was shocked. “Ah? How can this be?”
Pan Pan felt even more guilty. “I’m sorry.”
Li Cancan hurriedly said, “No, no, it’s not your fault. Well, I was not blaming her, I was just surprised.”
Pan Pan responded with an “Oh,” and added, “You need to be quick.”
After thanking Pan Pan, the three of them didn’t leave but gathered together.
Bai Lixin: “While you’ve been in the village these past few days, did you find anything? Any suspicions about which players or villagers might be involved?”
Li Can Can: “We did investigate after you left. I’m not very clear on it, let Sun Ning explain.”
Sun Ning: “After my investigation over these past two days, I suspect three people.”
“The first person is Xiao Lin, who just returned to the village. Although the mute woman claimed that an outsider did it, Xiao Lin is still a stranger to her. Moreover, he wasn’t in the public eye that day, giving him the opportunity to commit the crime.”
“Look back, do you see that player in camouflage clothes? He’s the second person I suspect. That day, he worked until after six o’clock, then went to play cards. But midway through, he claimed to have a stomachache and went to the toilet for more than ten minutes, which would have been enough time for him to commit the crime.”
“The third is the male player wearing the duckbill cap.”
“He didn’t help that night, and when I asked where he went, he said he was wandering around the village, and there were no witnesses.”
“I asked everyone else once again, and there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Bai Lixin took four teacups from the table and arranged them. He pointed to one of them and said, “This one is the mute woman.”
Then he pointed to the other three cups, “These are Xiao Lin, Camouflage Clothes, and Duckbill Cap.”
“Tell me what they all said to you.”
Sun Ning nodded. “Alright.”
“First is Xiao Lin,” Sun Ning pointed at Xiao Lin, “That day, he said he had a headache and couldn’t sleep well due to anxiety. At around 8 p.m. when everyone was still busy, he went back to his room to rest.”
Sun Ning moved her finger to the second teacup. “Next is Camouflage Clothes. That day, at around 7 p.m., he was playing cards as usual. Then, he suddenly had severe stomach pain, claiming he had eaten something bad, so he took the cards and went to the toilet for over ten minutes. His actions attracted a lot of scolding from the villagers.”
“Lastly, it’s the one wearing the duckbill cap.” Sun Ning’s finger landed on the third teacup. “I suspect he might be involved because he lied.”
Bai Lixin: “Why?”
Sun Ning explained, “He claimed he was going to investigate the iron house that day. However, the day before had been rainy, and everything around was muddy. I checked his shoes; they were very clean. Also, I asked the family he stayed with, and he had been wearing those shoes all the time without cleaning them.”
“They hadn’t been cleaned, and they weren’t stained after going to the iron house. It can’t be that he changed his shoes just before this investigation.”
“Although Camouflage Clothes left for over ten minutes, the fact that he took the cards away in a hurry indicates his focus was still on the card game. Someone who had premeditated the crime wouldn’t be so focused at that point. So, we can rule out Camouflage Clothes.”
“As for Xiao Lin,” Sun Ning glanced at Li Cancan and lowered her voice, “Li Cancan and I stay at his house. On the night of their wedding, we heard noises from their corner, and it seems Xiao Lin had trouble performing.”
Bai Lixin, who had been listening attentively, suddenly looked up, “What?”
Sun Ning: “It seems Xiao Lin knows that the women are actually men, so he couldn’t perform. I guess he must have been through many cycles in this village and is an old reincarnator.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Ah, this.
Either way, resorting to “inability” to clear one’s name was simply outrageous.
Bai Lixin glanced at the player wearing the duckbill cap outside the window, who was now chatting with someone next to him.
“In fact, it is almost certain that it is him, so why not identify him?”
Sun Ning: “I’m just speculating, there’s no evidence. He talks in a roundabout way, and I couldn’t do anything about him.”
Bai Lixin stood up: “Then let’s draw lots.”
Sun Ning and Li Cancan were stunned. Li Cancan said, “Huh? Drawing lots? Are we just giving up?”
Bai Lixin pinched his fingers in the air and casually grabbed a bamboo stick from thin air.
Li Cancan saw this and couldn’t help asking, “God Xin, how many treasures do you have hidden in your backpack? Are you some kind of interdimensional merchant?”
“No, that’s not what I want to say.” Li Cancan quickly changed his words, “Are we really just going to draw lots like this? Is it okay to be so casual?”
Sun Ning seemed to understand something and slapped her forehead, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of such a simple solution. God Xin, your mind works quickly!”
Li Cancan: “If you keep doing this, I might get angry.”
‘In this trio, I often felt a bit inadequate for being too normal.’
Sun Ning chuckled apologetically, “Since we can’t find the culprit, let’s decide by drawing lots. Drawing lots is fair, and anyone could draw the lot, even God Xin, or perhaps the one in the duckbill cap.”
After speaking, Sun Ning winked at her.
Li Cancan took a moment, then suddenly understood. “Oh, I get it now! This method is good.”
She looked up towards the door and noticed that Bai Lixin had already opened the door while holding bamboo sticks.
As the two quickly got up and followed to the doorway, Bai Lixin had already entered the courtyard. “Since the culprit hasn’t been found yet, how about we draw lots first? I have a task to complete tonight, and I might not be able to return on time tomorrow. In case you label me as the culprit, I won’t be able to defend myself.”
The players were getting a bit restless as they had been here for two days and had had enough.
Upon hearing Bai Lixin’s words, one of the players spoke up quickly. “Actually, I have a task too, but I’ve been afraid to leave here and haven’t completed it. If I don’t do it soon, the task will be considered incomplete. Plus, we’ve been on edge without the culprit getting found. We need to decide on someone sooner or later. It’s better to know early. Plus the one in wedding clothes, it’s a one in eleven chance, so let’s see who gets unlucky.”
The one In the wedding clothes referred to Small Braid.
Suddenly being named, Small Braid twitched.
He glanced around at the male players gathered together and then at the door. They all knew he wasn’t the culprit, but since he chose to stand in the courtyard, it meant he was willing to share the risk with them.
It was a choice between staying to draw lots, or leaving to continue living with Sister Song.
These were the only options.
The choice was clear.
Small Braid thought for only two seconds before quickly walking up. “I’ll draw lots too.”
With the risk shared a bit, the other players didn’t say anything more.
“Alright, whether we die early or late, it’s still death. It’s better to know sooner. Being undecided is the most dangerous time. Let’s draw lots now!”
“Yes, the Village Head said the deadline is three days, but he didn’t say we can’t decide early. There is a high probability we won’t be able to find this person, and if only one person has to bear the mental stress, why should everyone be burdened? I wanted to say this a long time ago, but you were all waiting, so I didn’t.”
If this had happened a few days ago, they might not have agreed to Bai Lixin’s proposal to draw lots early.
In another copy, these people might not have agreed either.
But with just a day’s difference, the players had been immersed in Gentle Village and had adopted a somewhat laid-back attitude.
Bai Lixin led, Sun Ning supported, and soon they gained the players’ support.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for everyone to accept the idea of drawing lots now.
“I have a question. If we draw lots now, and the person drawn later turns out to be innocent before the deadline, what should we do?”
Bai Lixin: “That would be even better. We can just hand over the real culprit and everyone will be happy.”
He took the bamboo sticks in his hand, a total of 11 sticks, 10 long and 1 short. The one who drew the short stick would naturally be the “culprit.”
To ensure fairness, he deliberately shuffled them in plain view of everyone and held the sticks under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Everything was so fair that when Duckbill Cap drew the short stick, no one could voice any doubts.
At the moment the short stick appeared in Duckbill Cap’s hand, his expression changed noticeably.
It wasn’t just fear but also surprise, doubt, and suspicion.
He was doubting, doubting that Bai Lixin had been fair and not cheated.
“Wait a minute!” Duckbill Cap gripped the bamboo stick and exclaimed, “You cheated! You definitely cheated!”
“It can’t be me, why would I cheat?”
“Why would he cheat?” Sun Ning chimed in slowly, “Shuffling the sticks and drawing lots were done right here, in front of so many pairs of eyes. Do you think he could have cheated in front of over twenty pairs of eyes? Some of those eyes are even enhanced.”
“Plus, your reaction is a bit strange, isn’t it?”
