The Hand of Confession – Chapter 329

Volume 10: Days of Cultivating in the Republic of China

Gathering Information

The Second Victim

Mingyue was dead.

Her body was split in two. One half was at the bottom of the stairs, while the other was being held in An Jing’s arms. The trail of blood stretched for a long distance, enough for them to imagine how Mingyue must have dragged her upper body, arduously crawling from the bottom of the stairs to the very top.

Shen Maomao hadn’t expected Mingyue’s death. Compared to the quiet and unassuming An Jing, Shen Maomao knew a bit more about her. Usually, it was Mingyue who directed the actions of the pair… She had automatically projected her own relationship with Lou Jingmo onto them, but she never imagined Mingyue would be the first to die.

Sisi couldn’t stand the scene after watching for a moment and pulled Shen Maomao and Golden Retriever back.

Shen Maomao felt a little sad, but more than that, she was bewildered by the instance.

Of the three ghosts last night, two were with Kang Yuanhuai, and one was with her. So how did Mingyue die? Why did she leave her room and come downstairs? And how was she sliced in half at the bottom of the stairs?

They had no way of knowing any of this.

The police officers¹ arrived quickly as usual. Just like last time, they collected the body and conducted a round of investigations that were of no real use. Shen Maomao and the others were called out one by one for questioning. By the end of it all, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted.

After the other officers had left, the police chief from yesterday stayed behind again. He looked around and then said to everyone in a low voice, “Why on earth did you people have to stay in this house?”

Sisi quickly pressed, “What’s wrong with this house?”

The police chief said mysteriously, “This house—it’s a famous haunted house in these parts!”

The moment he finished speaking, a water bird suddenly crashed into the windowpane, making a loud “thud.”

The police chief’s expression changed, and he immediately switched topics. “Alright, I’d advise you to move out. It’s not peaceful around here lately. Farewell.”

For a police officer to use the word “farewell” with them, it was as if he was certain they would meet again. But considering the shitty nature² of the game, he probably wasn’t wrong.

An Jing’s mood was somber. She locked herself in her room, and no one knew what she was doing. It was also possible she just didn’t want anyone to see her cry. Everyone could understand how she felt, so they didn’t disturb her for the time being.

Kang Yuanhuai called a housekeeping service again and gave the person who came a large tip. A dozen or so minutes later, there wasn’t a single trace of blood left on the stairs. The person even lit a tray of aromatherapy incense to disperse the smell of blood. By the time they went downstairs again, only the pungent scent of flowers remained in the air.

The traces of someone having died here were wiped completely clean, just like the person Mingyue, who had also vanished completely, unable to leave anything behind.

The sky outside was gloomy, with dark clouds hanging low. It looked as if the heavens would collapse in the next second, but such a thing never happened.

The summer cicadas chirped tirelessly. The entire color palette of Huai Town had a yellowish tint, like a scroll that had been deliberately aged, giving off an air of the wind filling the tower before the mountain rain arrives³.

Kang Yuanhuai picked up a yellow oil-paper umbrella, saying he was going to buy breakfast for everyone and that the players should wait for his return.

Shen Maomao stood on the second-floor terrace and watched him go, speculating in her mind about his identity and the purpose of the umbrella.

He always carried that yellow umbrella. What was so special about it?

“It’s especially yellow?” the Golden Retriever next to her chimed in.

Shen Maomao jumped in fright, only then realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud without noticing.

“Sigh.” She let out a breath. “If you can’t figure it out, then don’t. Just use that brain of yours to control your body’s movements. I’m afraid if you start thinking, you’ll forget how to walk.”

Golden Retriever gave her a gloomy look. “I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere.”

Shen Maomao: “And here I thought you were trying to show me the lower limits of your IQ.”

“Your mouth is so venomous. I’ve noticed you’re becoming more and more like Sister Lou lately, you know?”

“Maybe it’s what they call couple’s resemblance?” Shen Maomao tilted her head innocently.

Golden Retriever felt the blow. He made a face of coughing up blood with his cute girl expression, then said in a male voice, “You should be careful lately.”

Shen Maomao was puzzled. “What? Are you going to shark me within three days?⁴“

Golden Retriever rolled his eyes. “Sis, I’m being serious. I smell an earthy scent on you.”

Shen Maomao: “It’s a shame that nose of yours isn’t handed over to Guo Jia⁵. It’s way too sharp.”

“Do you know where the earthy smell is from?”

“It’s probably from a little ghost. I scared her into crying last night.”

Golden Retriever’s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. He gave her a thumbs-up. “That works too? As expected of you!”

If Lou Jingmo were here, he would probably say something like, “You can even scare a ghost into crying. Shouldn’t you really reflect on yourself?”

Shen Maomao sighed again, missing Lou Jingmo dearly.

She hadn’t seen Lou Jingmo for more than three days, boohoo…

Golden Retriever was desperate to know how she had scared the female ghost and pressed, “What did you do to make the little lady cry?”

Shen Maomao: “I didn’t do much. I just held my card and told her not to make any rash moves, then treated her with the same attitude I’d use on a misbehaving brat at home.”

Golden Retriever was silent for a second, then asked, “You didn’t hit her, did you?”

Shen Maomao was speechless. “What kind of image do I have in your eyes? Didn’t you say you liked me?”

Golden Retriever: “The child was once young and foolish.”

Shen Maomao: “Scram, now. Or I’m warning you with a shoulder throw.”

Golden Retriever scrammed nimbly.

Before long, the rain began to fall. The surface of the distant lake rippled a thousand times over. The air felt like a hydrogen balloon being heated, ready to explode at any moment.

Kang Yuanhuai returned with people from a teahouse. A team of them, carrying waterproof food containers, simply walked in the rain. Only Kang Yuanhuai held an umbrella. The yellow canopy of the umbrella was somewhat jarring amidst the gray, misty vapor, just like him—he had a faint sense of disharmony with this place, Huai Town.

In the misty rain, Kang Yuanhuai raised his head, umbrella in hand, and his gaze actually pierced through the curtain of rain to meet Shen Maomao’s eyes.

Shen Maomao’s heart skipped a beat for a moment, but Kang Yuanhuai quickly smiled, lowered his head again, and stepped into the Western-style house.

An Jing didn’t come down to eat. The dining table, now missing three people, seemed rather empty.

Everyone was somewhat silent, and the atmosphere in the dining room was tinged with a bit of oppression.

After the meal, Kang Yuanhuai said, “Let’s call it a day. Everyone is quite tired. We can investigate the local customs tomorrow.”

The group dispersed on the spot. Sisi’s mind became active, and she called for Shen Maomao and Golden Retriever to go for a walk with her.

Shen Maomao, sitting in the main hall, glanced at the rain outside and said after a two-second silence, “Are you sure?”

The rain was countless times heavier than before. It had now formed a solid sheet, splattering mud and sand on the ground and washing clean the dust-colored floorboards.

The rain was so heavy that going out would only mean getting pelted.

Sisi said, “Who knows when the rain will stop? This is such a good opportunity. If we don’t go out to investigate now, it’ll be hard to get a chance to look for clues alone later.”

Shen Maomao glanced outside again and sighed. “Let’s wait a little longer. At least until the rain lets up a bit…”

Sisi looked at the curtain of rain and said worriedly, “I’ve been having nightmares every night these past few days. I think I might be next…”

Shen Maomao paused, looked back at her, and said, “Don’t overthink it. When you encounter a ghost, don’t be afraid first. Face it with a smile…”

Sisi gave her a look like an old man on the subway looking at a smartphone. “You’re so lame.”

Shen Maomao: “It’s a bit lame, but it should actually work. A ghost came for me last night, but I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, I scared it pretty badly. These things are like a spring: the weaker you are, the stronger it gets.”

Sisi was skeptical. “Really?”

Shen Maomao didn’t make an absolute promise. “Well, it worked for me. Different people might have different results?”

Sisi still looked worried. “You make it sound so easy, but who can guarantee they won’t be scared at all? I’m really afraid of ghosts…”

“I can’t help with that,” Shen Maomao said helplessly. “Once the rain lets up, we’ll go out and look for clues. Let’s try to leave this instance as soon as possible.”

After about another hour, the rain finally began to subside. All that remained between heaven and earth was a gray, hazy mist. The mountains and water were hidden in the thin fog, and the sky was almost entirely gray clouds. As a whole, it looked like a hazy ink wash painting, carrying an indescribable sense of unreality.

The players went out one after another, preparing to wander around and gather information. Shen Maomao was also a bit curious about the haunted house the police chief had mentioned and planned to grab someone nearby to ask about it.

Sisi chose to go with her, and Golden Retriever naturally followed. A Nan and Dahai teamed up. An Jing was still in her room and hadn’t come out.

Shen Maomao thought for a moment but decided not to disturb her. If she continued to be immersed in her friend’s death and couldn’t move on, then she probably wouldn’t be able to go much further on the path ahead…

A Nan and Dahai left a step ahead. Shen Maomao led her two followers, who had inexplicably started treating her as their leader, downstairs. The three of them walked outside. As they reached the middle of the courtyard, the swing in the small flower garden suddenly began to move without any wind, creaking as if singing a life-reaping song.

Golden Retriever was so scared he jumped, and a “Wocao”⁶ almost escaped his lips, but he managed to hold it back.

Shen Maomao looked at him with contempt. “Don’t be scared. You’re a long way from death.”

Golden Retriever shot her a look.

Sisi watched them interact, looking thoughtful, but said nothing.

The three of them left together under umbrellas, walking along the river towards the town.

The people in town seemed no different from the past few days. Everyone was hurrying along, and the streets were bustling with people, like meaningless and aimless NPCs in an online game. And what they had to do was find the special few among these NPCs and get information about the game from them.

But with so many people in this instance, trying to find them by sight alone was no different from fishing for a needle in the great sea⁷. Shen Maomao set her sights on places like teahouses and restaurants, where there were many people and much gossip.

She asked, “Do you still have any money on you?”

Sisi fumbled in her pockets. “I still have a few silver rounds⁸. What are you planning?”

“If we have enough money, I’ll take you to a restaurant to eat and gather some information at the same time. If not, we’ll go squat by a roadside stall together. We should be able to gain something either way…” Shen Maomao’s tone shifted. “So, how much money do we have?”

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