Chapter 133: [Harboring a Ghostly Secret] If I’m Lying, I’m a Dog
“Sorry about that, Village Chief. Don’t be afraid, I didn’t mean anything by it—it’s just that what your son said wasn’t very pleasant, and us city folks aren’t used to hearing that kind of talk.”
The muscles on the chief’s face twitched violently.
nearby players: “…”
Xu Shengsheng stared at Bai Cha in sheer shock.
To be honest, she had never seen this side of Bai Cha before.
“Ask whatever you want and leave as soon as you’re done,” the village chief said through gritted teeth.
“I only have a few questions. First question: Why did you kill Ji Xiaolan back then?”
The chief’s expression turned hideous for a split second before relapsing into its cold, grim facade.
“Who said she’s dead? Isn’t she alive and well?”
“Alright then, let me rephrase the question.” Bai Cha sounded entirely reasonable and easy to talk to.
“Back then, when you drowned her alive, was it because of the child in her belly?”
The moment the words left her mouth, a chilly wind whipped up out of nowhere.
The chief suddenly began to shiver.
Grip of terror seizing him, he cast frantic, repeated glances toward the doorway.
“Stop asking these questions! Do you want to die? If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!”
He even let out a desperate shout.
However, his voice came to an abrupt halt.
Bai Cha had impatiently pressed the blade of her knife right against his throat.
The chief stared at her for a moment before finally deflating, though he still dug his heels in. “She was carrying the Water God’s child! We didn’t ‘drown’ her—we were sending her off to become a deity!”
The biting wind around them grew even heavier.
“So the one she married was the Water God, not Shao Lei. What about the wedding taking place right now, then?”
The chief’s mouth opened and closed silently, seemingly hurling silent curses at her.
After silently mouthing a few insults, he finally spoke up.
“How should I know?”
His eyes darted around, clearly unwilling to spill the beans.
Bai Cha nudged the knife a fraction closer against his neck.
Yet, the chief assumed the posture of a dead pig that didn’t fear scalding water. “Go ahead and kill me! If you have the guts, kill me! Even if you kill me, I won’t say another word!”
Those words were actually the truth.
Bai Cha gave him a cold glance and pulled back her knife.
Leaving the chief’s house, the players decided to split up.
Judging by Bai Cha’s performance, using weapons to directly threaten these villagers didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Thus, everyone dispersed to search for clues on their own.
Once it was just Xu Shengsheng left beside her, Bai Cha noticed the younger girl’s still lingering expression of shock, as well as her hesitant, mouth-agape look of wanting to speak yet not knowing what to say. Bai Cha paused slightly.
Then, looking completely nonchalant, she raised a hand.
“Give me a hand.”
Unsure of what was going on, Xu Shengsheng reached out to support her, only to feel Bai Cha’s body trembling slightly.
Bai Cha instantly looked frail and weak, leaning half her weight against Xu Shengsheng.
“Sheng-sheng, remember this: in this game, many people bully the weak and fear the strong. No matter what you encounter, you must always make yourself look calm, powerful, and confident.”
As she spoke, a trace of pain flickered across her face.
Xu Shengsheng suddenly had an epiphany.
“I knew it… So you were just acting earlier, Sis! That must have taken so much out of you. Don’t worry, I will definitely work hard to survive and gain the ability to protect you as soon as possible!”
Bai Cha straightened herself back up and nodded with a look of deep gratification.
There was no helping it; her younger sister was still too naive.
Once Xu Shengsheng experienced more in this game over time and began to change, she wouldn’t need to put on acts like this anymore.
As for her piece of advice, it was mainly tailored to Xu Shengsheng’s personality.
A girl like her simply wasn’t capable of pulling off ruthless intimidation tactics.
“Huh? Is that Jin Qiao over there? What is she standing there for?”
Xu Shengsheng’s eyes suddenly caught sight of a woman standing in the distant stream.
It was clearly Jin Qiao, but her head was hung low and she was soaked through from head to toe.
As if hearing Xu Shengsheng’s voice, the low-headed Jin Qiao slowly raised her head.
Just as Xu Shengsheng was about to get a clear look at the other woman’s face, a hand reached out and covered her eyes.
“When you see something like this in an instance, don’t ask questions. Just stay far away.”
Saying this, Bai Cha turned Xu Shengsheng around to face the other way.
Jin Qiao’s cheeks were a sickly blue-black, flecked with faint scales, and her eyes were bloodshot to a terrifying crimson. Under the pitch-black lighting, she looked ghastly and hideous, glaring at them with a gaze dripping with malice.
As Bai Cha pulled Xu Shengsheng along, she casually tossed her butcher knife right at the figure.
The blade bit into Jin Qiao, making her let out a soundless shriek before she dissolved and vanished into the water.
Xu Shengsheng came to her senses after the fact.
“She…” Xu Shengsheng instinctively wanted to turn back and look. Bai Cha didn’t stop her, but when Xu Shengsheng turned around, there was nothing left to see.
A shiver ran down her spine.
She really turned into a ghost! Disappearing just like that—how terrifying!
Just as Xu Shengsheng was telling herself to pretend not to notice if she saw anything weird next time, she bumped right into a child walking toward them.
The child was wearing red clothing and looked to be around five or six years old.
Catching sight of the two of them, he cracked a wide grin.
“Light the sky lanterns! Light the sky lanterns!”
He chanted while hopping toward them.
“Marry the bride! Marry the bride!”
“Hee-hee-hee, lock them all up!”
The child’s crisp yet eerie tone made Xu Shengsheng’s face turn green.
This was even scarier than realizing Jin Qiao had become a ghost.
Bai Cha thoughtfully pulled out a piece of candy.
It was the peppermint candy Papa Gu had given her earlier. Shaking it slightly in her palm, she spoke in a gentle tone.
“Can you tell me who was locked up?”
The little boy stared at the candy in her hand for a moment and said, “Locked up! Everyone was locked up!”
“Then who locked them up?”
The little boy tilted his head, drooling greedily at her candy.
Smiling warmly, Bai Cha waved the candy in front of his eyes before pulling it back.
“If you don’t tell me, I won’t give it to you.”
“Granny Ji! It was Granny Ji!” the boy blurted out immediately.
“Give me the candy! Give me the candy!”
Bai Cha pushed the clamoring little boy aside and stashed the candy back away.
She had never said she would give him the candy if he answered.
She wasn’t going to give this candy to anyone.
Seeing the two of them about to walk away, the little boy instantly burst into loud, wailing tears.
Whether alive or dead, kids at the obnoxious, noise-making age were absolutely unbearable when they threw a tantrum.
“Liar, liar! Liars get hung up for sky lanterns!”
“Who lied to you? My sister never said she’d give you the candy—you misunderstood!” Xu Shengsheng pulled a face at him.
The boy curled his lip and wailed even louder.
“Liars! You’re all liars! The village chief tricked Granny Ji into leaving, and then Granny Ji tricked everyone else! Waaah—”
“Give me the candy! Give me the candy! Waaah—”
Hearing this ear-splitting racket, Bai Cha pulled out both peppermint candies.
The crying stopped instantly, the boy staring fixedly at the peppermint candies in her hand.
“Let me ask you: Do you know how Ji Xiaolan’s boyfriend died?”
She crouched halfway down again, her voice soft and gentle, like a warm breeze in spring.
The little boy glanced at the candies in her hand, then looked back at her.
“If I answer you, will you give me the candy? No lying!”
“Alright, no lying. If I lie to you, my sister is a dog,” Bai Cha said with a smile.
Xu Shengsheng: “?”
The boy swallowed his saliva.
“It was the village chief’s son—I saw it with my own eyes! He pushed Teacher Shao into the well! He even threw several water snakes in after him!”
“I finished answering! Hurry up and give me the candy!”
Bai Cha stashed the candies back away with a pleasant smile and looked over at Xu Shengsheng.
Xu Shengsheng hesitated for a moment: “…Woof?”
The little boy: “…”
Right after that, he broke into an earth-shattering howl of tears.
