The Hand of Confession – Chapter 265
by Little PandaVolume 8: The Days of the Ghost Marriage
A New Path
The Gate to a New World
Now that I think back on that sentence, “They are a team,” it turns out this “pair” was not that “team,” they’re really a fucking couple1!
“Cough cough……” Su Han coughed and put on the appearance of someone slowly coming to.
The two women who had been clinging together beside her immediately separated. Shen Maomao looked at her with concern and asked in a soft voice, “Why did you wake up so quickly?”
Su Han: “……” Was she blaming her for waking up too early??
As if she could see the hard-to-describe expression on her face, Shen Maomao added, “Don’t overthink it, we can keep clinging to each other in front of you.”
Su Han: “……”
Lou Jingmo: “……You may be shameless, but I’m not.”
Su Han changed the subject, “What I drank wasn’t alcohol, just a belly full of water. The phenomenon of being drunk must have been my hallucination……”
Shen Maomao asked her, “Did you go with Potato Chip? Where is she?”
Su Han frowned and recalled, “She accompanied me to two wells, but after that, I didn’t pay attention to her whereabouts.”
This is what happened——
That night, Potato Chip said she had personally witnessed the deaths of Lou Jingmo and Shen Maomao and extended a team invitation to her, hoping to form a temporary team with her.
Because of Shen Maomao’s reminder before she left, Su Han was already on guard against Potato Chip due to her preconceived notions, but considering various factors, she still agreed to her team invitation.
The next day, Lou Jingmo and Shen Maomao returned. She and Potato Chip, according to their plan, went around together to steal water to drink.
Because Madam Shao had a sudden accident, the inside of the Shao Manor was in chaos. Plus, getting some well water to drink wasn’t a strange thing to do, so they managed to succeed quite a few times along the way.
They set out from their residence and headed west, going in a counter-clockwise direction to the rockery2, the laundry room, the warehouse, and the young ladies’ courtyard. They couldn’t sneak into the warehouse because it was guarded.
She had no resistance to alcohol to begin with, and with Potato Chip next to her constantly persuading her with “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine,” she ended up successfully getting drunk.
As for when Potato Chip left, and whether she herself kept going after Potato Chip left…… she had no impression at all.
“I’m so lucky to be alive!” Speaking of this, Su Han mocked herself, “To survive even this, am I some kind of Child of Heaven’s Mandate3?”
Shen Maomao: “……You’re probably just really carefree4, right?”
Su Han said, “The result is the same anyway. By the way, that Potato Chip also drank the well water, but she only drank from the well behind the rockery. She took one sip and didn’t continue. I’ve now tasted the water from four wells, and all of them have that Spirit Water function. Adding the one in the Eldest Young Master’s courtyard, there should be five wells that can produce Spirit Water.”
What were the conditions for the Spirit Water to appear?
If it was because ghosts lived in the wells, then according to the timeline, the first place this should have happened was the Second Young Lady’s courtyard. Yet Baozhu and Feicui said only two wells were like that. Could that mean the water in the other courtyards had only changed recently?
Lou Jingmo said, “Perhaps we can consider the problem from another angle——if Potato Chip is a Cleaner, then she has some understanding of the instance’s plot. Her taking the initiative to drink a mouthful of well water proves that drinking the well water is necessary.”
Su Han didn’t know about this yet, and she was instantly stunned upon hearing it. “A Cleaner? The kind they talk about on the forums?”
Shen Maomao deliberately put on a stern face. “Yes, the kind of Cleaner who kills all the players in an instance.”
Su Han: “I’ve never encountered a Cleaner…… I’ve only seen them mentioned a few times on the forums. What kind of existence is a Cleaner, exactly?”
Lou Jingmo said, “Just as she said, a Cleaner’s mission is to kill all the players together with the ghosts in order to obtain a high reward.”
“Then if they fail, what are the consequences?”
Lou Jingmo’s lips curved into a smile. “No consequences.”
After a thought, she added, “At most, they won’t get the instance reward, but they won’t lose anything.”
Shen Maomao had a sudden realization.
No wonder in the school instance back then, that Cleaner gave up on the instance so easily and without any burden. Was it because there were no consequences?
Su Han showed a shocked expression and said, perplexed, “High income should be accompanied by high risk. The game actually has a shortcut like this?”
Shen Maomao said, “Not necessarily, players aren’t all soft persimmons5……”
Su Han murmured, “But since there are no consequences, everyone can just give it a try. It’s fine even if they fail. And I heard that Cleaners can know the instance’s taboos in advance and even get help from the ghosts. If they don’t court death, they absolutely won’t die…… I always thought that a Cleaner would die if they failed to complete the mission in even one instance……”
Lou Jingmo said, “Changing classes isn’t as easy as you think. It’s not like you can become a Cleaner just by having the idea. They have class-change quests6.”
Although she knew the possibility was small, Su Han still grew hopeful. “If I encounter a quest like that, I’ll definitely change classes…… Of course, I definitely won’t harm anyone, I just want to use a cheat……”
Beside her, Shen Maomao said faintly, “Using a cheat…… will you be put on the Investiture of the Gods7 list?”
Lou Jingmo smiled and rubbed her rabbit head. “You see things quite clearly on this matter.”
Shen Maomao chuckled. The look the two shared instantly made Su Han feel like there was no place for her here.
Filled with indignation, she broke the ambiguous atmosphere between the two and asked, “So, does this mean Potato Chip definitely knows something??”
Lou Jingmo denied it. “I can’t guarantee it. She isn’t necessarily a Cleaner. Everything is still just speculation.”
Su Han said nonchalantly, “Anyway, the monk can run, but the temple can’t8. We have three people, and she only has one. Why don’t we……”
She deliberately acted mysterious, and only after drawing the gazes of the two women did she say, “Since there are so many of us, why don’t we find a way to tie her up?”
Shen Maomao’s expression went from confused to shocked to a sudden realization, as if she had experienced a baptism and an ascension in a single moment.
In that instant, a faint sense of melancholy rose within her—because she knew she was no longer that naive, ignorant, silly, and cute girl. She, could not go back.
She excitedly slapped Su Han’s arm and praised, “You’re a damn genius!”
Lou Jingmo also fell into thought, clearly considering the feasibility of this method.
The forums described Cleaners in such a terrifying way, things like “not even a blade of grass grows where they pass,” and that they cooperate with ghosts to “slaughter the players until not a single piece of armor remains”; things like “walking in darkness, symbolizing slaughter”……
That was why they had never considered the idea of prying information from a Cleaner’s mouth.
No matter what other Cleaners were like, Potato Chip might have some trump cards for self-preservation, but she was definitely not as sharp as Lou Jingmo. Judging from her performance, she was even less capable than Shen Maomao—unless she was intentionally hiding her skills.
But even if she was hiding her skills, Lou Jingmo felt she wasn’t scared at all.
She gave Su Han a rare look of appreciation. “What you said makes a lot of sense.”
It seemed they had found a good path to clear the instance quickly.
Shen Maomao thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, why did you choose to trust us so firmly? Aren’t you afraid that we’re ghosts tricking you into screwing over Potato Chip?”
Su Han pursed her lips. “How should I put it…… my intuition is quite accurate. I’m not this carefree in front of everyone. The feeling you two give me is very good, unlike her. Sometimes she makes me feel cold all over……”
“Of course, it’s not just because of that—her teammate’s disappearance was baffling. Their relationship was so good before, yet she has no intention of looking for her at all. I wouldn’t believe it if you said there was nothing fishy9. Just now when we teamed up, she clearly knew being alone was dangerous, yet she abandoned me and ran off by herself. Obviously, she can’t be trusted.”
Since the conversation had reached this point, Shen Maomao directly stated the reason for warning her to be careful of Potato Chip. “Our informant saw Potato Chip personally push Milk Tea into the well. That’s why we speculated that she might be a Cleaner. But there’s also the possibility that she was controlled by the female ghost. It’s up to you whether you believe it or not.”
Su Han, however, showed an expression of admiration. “You guys actually have an informant?”
Shen Maomao: “……”
Having thought of a new way to get rich (?), the three of them became lazy.
Lou Jingmo was a little more diligent. She went outside and found a cloth sack, clearly having made preparations to bag someone10.
Su Han thought for a moment, feeling that she shouldn’t just freeload for points11, so she also ran out for a trip. Half an hour later, she returned with two hemp ropes.
Now, everything was ready, all that was missing was Potato Chip12.
The night gradually deepened. Lou Jingmo lit the oil lamp.
The wind outside the window was shrill, sounding like the wail of a female ghost. The “wuwuwuwu” sound was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
Potato Chip, who had been busy all day, walked toward the courtyard with a light spring in her step, completely unaware of what awaited her in the room.
From a distance, she could see the warm yellow light in the room. It seemed someone had already returned.
The smile on her face faded slightly, and her steps became much smaller.
There were three shadows inside the door. It seemed Su Han’s luck was good today.
She stood outside the door for a while, her gaze heavy as she looked at the shadows behind the window, her thoughts unknown.
The people inside the door seemed to have noticed her too. One by one, the shadows moved to the doorway, holding something.
Do they want to question me? Or confront me?
She curled her lips in contempt, having long ago figured out how to turn the tables13 and catch them off guard.
She stood outside the door for a few seconds, only raising her hand to push it open after her ears caught the wailing cries in the wind.
Next second, a burlap sack fell from the sky, directly covering her head.
“What are you doing?!” She began to struggle, but her arms were pinned down through the sack. In the next moment, a rope began to wind around her, binding her body tightly and making it impossible for her to move her arms.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and laid her on the ground. She wriggled on the floor like a caterpillar, her lips trembling as she asked, “What on earth do you want to do? Let me go! If you keep this up, I won’t be polite to you!”
Shen Maomao clapped her hands, stood up straight, and said with a grin, “How else do you plan to not be polite to us?”
Footnotes
- 此“對”非彼“隊” | cǐ “duì” fēi bǐ “duì” | This is a pun based on two words with the same pronunciation, “duì”. The first word, 隊 (duì), means “team” or “squad”. The second word, 對 (duì), means “a pair” or “a couple”. The original sentence plays on this ambiguity, revealing that the two characters weren’t just teammates, but romantic partners. The phrase structure X非彼Y (X is not that Y) is a common way to point out such a distinction.
- 假山 | jiǎ shān | Literally “fake mountain”. A common and important feature in traditional Chinese gardens, these are man-made rock formations designed to mimic natural mountain landscapes, often incorporating caves, paths, and pavilions.
- 天命之子 | tiān mìng zhī zǐ | Literally “Child of Heaven’s Mandate”. A common term in Chinese fiction and culture referring to a “chosen one” or someone destined for greatness, who is protected by fate and often possesses incredible luck or plot armor.
- 心真大 | xīn zhēn dà | Literally “heart is truly big”. This is a colloquial expression that doesn’t mean generous, but rather describes someone as being very carefree, unconcerned, or even oblivious to dangers or subtleties around them. It can be used admiringly or critically depending on the context.
- 软柿子 | ruǎn shì zi | Literally “soft persimmon”. A common metaphor for a pushover, someone who is easy to bully or take advantage of.
- 轉職任務 | zhuǎn zhí rènwù | “Zhuanzhi” (轉職) means to change profession or class, and “renwu” (任務) means quest or mission. This is standard terminology from RPGs, referring to a specific quest a player must complete to change their character’s class.
- 封神榜 | fēng shén bǎng | The “Investiture of the Gods” is the title of a famous 16th-century Chinese fantasy novel. In the story, deities and mortals who die in a great war are posthumously granted official positions in the celestial bureaucracy, their names inscribed on a list or “榜” (bǎng). In modern usage, “making it onto the Fengshen Bang” can be a sarcastic or humorous way to refer to achieving something legendary, notorious, or, in this context, getting “banned” or punished for cheating (as if being immortalized for one’s infamy).
- 跑得了和尚跑不了庙 | pǎo dé liǎo héshang pǎo bù liǎo miào | A Chinese proverb that literally means “the monk can run away, but he can’t take the temple with him.” It signifies that a person can’t escape their fundamental responsibilities, problems, or the consequences of their actions. No matter where they go, their base of operations or the source of the issue remains.
- 猫腻 | māo nì | Literally “cat’s greasiness”. A colloquial term for something suspicious, shady, underhanded, or a secret trick; fishy business.
- 套麻袋 | tào mádài | Literally “to put on a burlap sack”. This refers to the act of putting a sack over someone’s head to abduct, interrogate, or beat them up anonymously. It’s a common trope in Chinese media, often used for comedic effect or to portray a crude but effective method of dealing with an enemy.
- 混吃蹭分 | hùn chī cèng fēn | A colloquial phrase. “Hunchi” (混吃) means to drift along and eat without doing any real work. “Cengfen” (蹭分) means to leech or freeload for points/credit. Together, it describes someone who contributes nothing but still shares in the rewards or success of a group.
- 万事俱备，只欠东风 | wàn shì jù bèi, zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng | This is a famous proverb from the classic novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. It literally means “Everything is ready, all that is missing is the east wind.” It refers to a situation where all preparations for a plan are complete except for one final, crucial element. The author here humorously adapts the saying to “万事俱备，只欠薯片” (wàn shì jù bèi, zhǐ qiàn shǔ piàn), replacing “east wind” (dōng fēng) with “Potato Chip” (shǔ piàn), indicating she is the last piece needed for their plan.
- 倒打一耙 | dào dǎ yī pá | An idiom that literally means “to strike back with a rake”. It describes the act of making a false counter-accusation against one’s accuser; to blame the victim or shift blame back onto the person who first raised an issue.
0 Comments