“A normal person who draws the short stick would first think, ‘I’m so unlucky,’ and ‘How did I end up with that 1 in 11 chance?’ But you immediately jumped to the idea of cheating.”
“This reaction is as like someone who did something wrong suddenly getting hit by a stone and angrily claiming someone was seeking revenge on them, instead of wondering why they were so unlucky.”
“Take a good look at it, everyone.”
The male players held their bamboo sticks and gradually cast skeptical and scrutinizing gazes toward Duckbill Cap.
“Sun Ning is right. Can you explain why you reacted this way?”
“Yeah, if it were me, I would only think I was unlucky. His reaction is indeed abnormal.”
“Come to think of it, he seemed to have no alibi that day. It was him who claimed he went out to search for clues.”
Duckbill Cap’s face turned pale. “You have no evidence, don’t make baseless accusations. I’m not the culprit. My reaction was because I was scared out of my wits. Please believe me, I’m truly innocent.”
“It’s too late now,” another player pointed to the bamboo stick in Duckbill Cap’s hand. “Whether you’re innocent or not, you’re now the ‘culprit.’”
Duckbill Cap: “…”
—————————-
In the live broadcast room
[I think other players have also noticed the issue with Duckbill Cap.]
[Well, Duckbill Cap incriminated himself. I can testify, it was Duckbill Cap who did it because I watched the livestream!]
[Hahaha, I can also testify.]
[ I wished I could jump into the camera and tell them that the culprit is Duckbill Cap! I was worried that they might accuse the wrong person and let the real culprit escape justice.]
[This player is truly malicious, lusting after men’s bodies and trying to make others take the blame. Speaking of which, it seems he was the one who brought up drawing lots, right?]
[Exactly, it was him! Was he trying to find a scapegoat?!]
[But seeing the ending, it’s quite satisfying. Not all players deserve to be saved.]
[Small Braid: Getting subtly roasted here.]
[This copy seems to involve defeating fire with fore. He’s unscrupulous, but our God Xin is even more unscrupulous.]
————————————-
With the “culprit” issue settled, Bai Lixin and the other two headed directly toward the small house halfway up the mountain as mentioned by Pan Pan.
Before leaving, Bai Lixin asked Pan Pan for something that belonged to her.
It was already 4 PM when they began their ascent, and the sun was preparing to set. This was the eighth day, and despite the many traps on the mountain, there was no time to wait another day to find the hairpin.
So, the three of them quicken their pace up the mountain.
This was their third time climbing the mountain, and compared to the first time, they were much more familiar with the environment.
“God Xin, what’s the deal with that bamboo stick? I clearly saw that you were operating it normally. Did you really cheat? How did you do it?” Li Cancan followed behind Bai Lixin, her thoughts still on the recent draw.
Bai Lixin replied, “We can thank Emil for that. He’s a magician, and I learned a couple of tricks from him.”
He took out a bamboo stick from his backpack and demonstrated. Holding one end of the stick, he lightly pressed it, causing the bamboo stick to retract inward by about half an inch.
Li Cancan quickly took the bamboo stick and examined it. The retracted part was so subtle that it was barely visible to the naked eye.
Bai Lixin continued walking ahead. “This is a magic bamboo stick.”
Li Cancan kept her gaze fixed on the bamboo stick. Suddenly, her shoulder was tugged forcefully, and her body instinctively moved backward, landing on a slender shoulder.
Sun Ning’s voice sounded somewhat stern. “Look at the path first, don’t you want to keep your legs intact?”
Li Cancan subconsciously glanced down at her feet, only to notice a trap right next to her, less than a centimeter from her toes.
If Sun Ning hadn’t pulled her back just now, her leg would have been caught.
Li Cancan shuddered for a moment. “Thank you, Sun Ning. I’m sorry, I won’t lose focus again. I’ll concentrate on watching the path.”
After walking for a while longer, they finally reached the halfway point of the mountain.
“God Xin, did you notice the small house on the mountainside when you came up before? Why didn’t I notice it?” Li Cancan carefully avoided a trap, walking hand in hand with Sun Ning.
Bai Lixin: “To be honest, I didn’t see such a house on the mountain before. Pan Pan probably hasn’t left the village for many years. I speculate that after so many years, the small house might have been demolished or even collapsed and buried in the soil.”
Li Cancan frowned upon hearing Bai Lixin’s words. “If that’s the case, how do we determine where the item is?”
Bai Lixin cleared his throat. “I have a way.”
When Li Cancan heard Bai Lixin say he had a plan, she didn’t inquire further.
When God Xin says there is a way, there is no need for them to question why. Just saying “666” was enough!
—From “The Awareness Of Winning While Lying Down”
Bai Lixin stopped when they reached the halfway point of the mountain.
Li Cancan looked at the young man ahead with curiosity. She saw him leaning against a tree, looking around as if searching for something.
But it didn’t take long for Li Cancan to realize what Bai Lixin was searching for.
From the dense bushes, a chubby figure shot out like an arrow and went straight into Bai Lixin’s arms.
The little wolf cub had soft gray fur all over its body, and its tail hidden among the long fur wagged rapidly, as if trying to fan itself with its tail like a small fan.
Bai Lixin’s originally calm face instantly blossomed with a radiant smile when he saw the little wolf cub, as bright as the sun in the sky.
He intimately held the little wolf cub in his arms and spoke in a voice so sweet it could make people melt, “My little baby, I’ve missed you so much. Let me give you a kiss.”
After saying that, he planted a “smooch” right on the cub’s forehead.
He sweetly cooed, and the cub responded with a series of high-pitched calls, seemingly replying to Bai Lixin.
‘Wow, this divine love could bring tears to one’s eyes!
So sweet, incredibly sweet!’
One moment, Li Cancan was shedding tears over God Xin and the big boss’s divine love.
But in the next moment, when she saw Bai Lixin’s next move, Li Cancan was left dumbfounded.
She saw Bai Lixin quickly take out the item he had asked Pan Pan for from his backpack and placed it in front of the wolf cub. Then, with a tone meant to deceive a child, he smiled while shaking the item, saying, “Good baby, do you want me to kiss you again? Then help me find this scent on the mountain, and I’ll reward you with more.”
After saying that, Bai Lixin directly lifted the cub that he had just cuddled high into the air and tossed it to the ground. He also threw Pan Pan’s toy on the ground.
The wolf cub landed on all fours and froze for a couple of seconds.
It raised its head, looking at the young man crouching in front of it, with a look of disbelief in its eyes.
“Awoo, awoo, awoo!”
Bai Lixin cleared his throat. “If you can find it, I’ll let you have a bunch of little wolf cubs with me once you’ve recovered.”
The cub’s tail shot up instantly, and without a second word, it put its nose to the toy and began sniffing.
After sniffing, the cub immediately controlled its chubby body and dashed out.
Come on, it’s all to have a bunch of little wolf cubs with his wife!
Li Cancan: “…”
Sun Ning: “…”
In this copy, not only was there a Gentle Village but also the Beauty Trap.
The Beauty Trap never goes out of style!
——————————
In the live broadcast room
[A true working dog.]
[It’s clearly a working wolf.]
[I mean, even though the big boss isn’t human, Bai Lixin is the dog. Is this the most powerful child laborer?]
[Hahaha, a big boss working while still in diapers. I’ve seen it all today.]
[After the big boss turned small, it seems like his intelligence has regressed.]
[The beauty trap that can never be escaped.]
—————————-
Don’t be fooled by Dijia’s transformation into a little wolf cub, its speed remained impressive, and it moved with agility.
It nimbly weaved through the traps, stopping in a particular spot after a short while. After coming to a halt, it turned back, letting out two calls towards Bai Lixin, then proceeded to dig into the soil.
Li Cancan: “…”
‘The big boss is truly treating himself like a dog now.
Is this something I can witness?
Won’t he eliminate me to keep this secret after turning back to his original form?’
Shivering.gif.
The three quickly caught up. Just as Bai Lixin was taking out a shovel from his backpack to start digging, the wolf cub raised its head, sniffed the air for a moment, then howls twice towards Bai Lixin before dashing off in a certain direction.
Sun Ning set down the shovel, frowning slightly as she watched the wolf cub’s departure. “What’s going on? Is there more?”
Bai Lixin pondered for two seconds, then used another shovel as a marker. “Let’s check the next one.”
The wolf cub soon stopped again not far from the first location. Just like before, it howled twice and then started digging.
After digging, it raised its head again and sniffed the air.
The three: “…”
The smiles gradually faded from their faces, and Sun Ning’s expression turned serious.
After marking with another shovel, the wolf cub continued running.
This process was repeated, and the wolf cub led them to four different spots.
When they confirmed there were no new locations, the three started digging with heavy hearts.
Starting from the fourth spot, the first thing they dug out was a small skeleton. It was quite small, estimated to be around six or seven years old based on the size of the bones.
All three of them have experienced many copies, so when the wolf cub kept finding new locations, they realized something was amiss.
So, when the skeleton was unearthed, they weren’t greatly shocked, but it still evoked some sorrow.
Sun Ning took out a bag from her backpack to place the skeleton inside. Then, the three went to the third spot.
Li Cancan dug the second location, and they found two arms.
Next wefe two legs, and finally, a skull.
Beneath the skull, there was a bundle of clothing.
These clothes had been weathered over time, and were worn and tattered. However, you could still faintly see that it was a pink floral dress, similar to the one Pan Pan wore now.
While Li Cancan was organizing these tiny clothes, something fell out from inside. The three lowered their heads to look, and saw a slightly deformed hairpin.
Both the hairpin and the clothes had traces of blood.
There was no need for words; just from these torn clothes and the fragmented skeleton, one could imagine what little Pan Pan went through.
“How could this happen?” Li Cancan’s voice trembled. “Wasn’t Pan Pan fine?”
“What happened after Auntie Jing left back then?”
“Is her death related to the curse of Gentle Village?”
The sky gradually darkened, and the three looked back at Gentle Village. Its lights were dim, as peaceful as ever. However, in their minds, this village had become a hellish place.
Bai Lixin: “I’m going to the abandoned village across. You can go give me the hairpin and go back first.”
Li Cancan handed the hairpin to Bai Lixin. “God Xin, can I come along?”
Bai Lixin was about to take the hairpin, and his fingers paused slightly when he heard this.
Sun Ning immediately followed up, “Yes, we’ve come this far, and if you make us go back now, with so many traps at night, it’s dangerous for us. Why not let us accompany you? We might also provide some assistance.”
Bai Lixin looked at Sun Ning and then at Li Cancan. Finally, he cradled the wolf cub that’s been howling by his side, “Alright, but I warn you both, the red-clothed ghost isn’t pleasant to look at. Be mentally prepared.”
Li Cancan’s eyes lit up instantly: “Okay!”
