Chapter 37: "Lienü Village"

Tao Yu took the cinnabar pouch out of her mouth and spat twice. “What a weird taste.”

Chi Yi sidled up to her sweetly, “Sister Tao Yu, what’s this for?”

Tao Yu gave her a strange look, seemingly puzzled that she didn’t know, but seeing Chi Yi’s innocent, clueless expression, she explained patiently, “It’s to keep ghosts from possessing you.”

When breaking the stage to drive out ghosts, as the ‘ghost’ runs frantically on stage, there’s a risk it could hide by possessing someone’s body. The cinnabar pouch was used to block that from happening.

With the ritual finished, Uncle Kuang visibly relaxed. They packed up their things and carried the boxes back to the four-courtyard house.

On the way, the players discussed quietly, “Looks like Zhenzhen isn’t in the troupe—she must be someone from this village.”

“Let’s ask around the village tomorrow.”

Back at the courtyard, everyone prepared to rest. The place had no running water, and they had to fetch it from the well, which was inconvenient. The water jars in the yard, unused for ages, were empty and coated with dust. They decided to clean and fill them tomorrow to avoid repeated trips to the well.

Some couldn’t be bothered and just went to bed. Those with more hygiene concerns went to wash up. Earlier, Chi Yi had crawled through the wheat fields, and she’d been itchy all over since, so when she saw Pink Hair and his group preparing to fetch water, she quickly told Li Zhi, who was still making the bed, “Zhizhi, I’m going with them to get some water.”

The four of them carried basins toward the courtyard well. The previous group had just been there, and water stains still marked the ground.

Pink Hair tried to strike up a conversation. “Sister Chi Yi, you and Big Boss Li Zhi must’ve used a team card too, right? You’ve teamed up for three rounds now.”

The word “too” revealed his own secret—they had used a team card.

Chi Yi thought these three really were as dim as expected of someone from Lian Qinglin’s former team. She casually dodged the question and tossed it back. “The three of you teaming up—ever consider how that makes your fans feel? Who are they supposed to vote for?”

Pink/White/Blonde Hair: “……”

Good point.

Pink Hair had been ecstatic when he got the team card. Their idol group had long since disbanded, and aside from Lian Qinglin, the rest of them were washed up nobodies. Pink Hair barely cleared the last round at the elimination line. The moment he got that card, an idea hit him.

Fans always screamed about wanting a reunion. Separately they were irrelevant; together, they might trend again. If they teamed up and cleared instances together, they could showcase some nostalgic “team spirit” and maybe ride a wave of renewed popularity. Better than three nobodies struggling alone.

The three quickly agreed, used their team cards, and even dyed their hair in different colors, hoping their colorful looks would help audiences distinguish them.

It wasn’t until just before entering the instance that they realized—sure, unity meant popularity, but this was a solo competition.

But the team cards were already bound. Regret was useless. They could only grit their teeth and team up. Before entering the instance, they dyed their hair different colors to help fans with face blindness tell them apart.

Now exposed by Chi Yi, Pink Hair gave an awkward yet polite smile. “We wanted to show our team spirit.”

Chi Yi: “…6.”

As the four chatted and passed through the decorative archway, Chi Yi suddenly gave a small exclamation and called cheerfully into the courtyard, “Sister Tao Yu! You’re still up fetching water too?”

Pink Hair added, “Sister Tao Yu, you’re scaring people again!”

In the courtyard, the woman in the blue opera costume sat at the damp edge of the well. Her figure was elegant, her posture poised, face turned toward the well as if admiring her reflection in the water.

But her feet were strange—pointed downward, yet not touching the ground, suspended several centimeters in the air, in a posture unmistakably… hanging.

Chi Yi instantly realized something was wrong and grabbed Pink Hair to stop him from approaching.

The woman by the well slowly turned her head. No amount of makeup could conceal the deathly pallor on her face. She gave them a mournful glance, stood up, and walked silently toward the courtyard’s exit, vanishing into the night.

“Did you see that…” Pink Hair’s teeth chattered. “Her feet weren’t touching the ground…”

Chi Yi’s legs went weak, cold sweat beading on her forehead. “Hurry, get the water! Then leave!”

Pink Hair cracked. “We’re still fetching water?!”

Chi Yi snapped, “We’re already here!”

Without waiting for them, she strode to the well, not daring to look inside, quickly hauled up a bucket of water, poured it into her basin, and carried it off, fast and steady.

Behind her came Pink Hair’s wailing, “Sister Chi Yi! Wait for us!”

Chi Yi bolted back to the room.

As soon as she entered, carrying the basin, she burst into tears. “Zhizhi! We ran into Fang Lin! She was sitting by the well—it was terrifying, sob sob sob—”

The basin only held enough for two people to wash up. After they finished, Chi Yi lay in bed, still trembling with lingering fear. Hugging Li Zhi’s arm, she whimpered, “Zhizhi, did I trigger a death flag? What if she comes for me tonight?”

“Fang Lin was part of the troupe. If she’s going to kill someone, it’s probably tied to the troupe’s rules or taboos,” Li Zhi analyzed calmly. “We only ran into her while fetching water. Shouldn’t count as breaking any rules. Don’t worry.”

Chi Yi felt better hearing that, especially trusting Li Zhi’s judgment. Soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.

Li Zhi, though alert, found the night surprisingly quiet. Nothing disturbed them, and they both slept soundly. By morning, several of the others had already cleaned the dusty water jars.

The players were no longer newbies. They knew that besides avoiding death triggers, they needed to seize every chance to stand out and gain popularity. If you couldn’t shine with intelligence, at least work hard in other areas. More screen time was always better.

By breakfast, Pink Hair’s group had already spread word of their ghostly encounter. No one would dare draw water tonight, so early risers had filled the jars already.

From the back courtyard came the sound of actors warming up their voices. The troupe’s cook prepared breakfast. Li Zhi checked around—everyone was still alive. All ten players accounted for.

No deaths on the first night—that was a good sign.

After eating, they headed out to gather information about Zhenzhen. Moving as a group of ten was too conspicuous, so they split into smaller groups. Li Zhi glanced at Pink Hair’s trio, who had naturally clumped together, and called them out, “You three shouldn’t stick together. Best to pair up with girls.”

“Why?” White Hair asked. “Mixed teams work better?”

Li Zhi explained, “This village values female chastity. Zhenzhen sounds like a girl’s name. If outsiders—especially men—go poking around asking about her, it could cause trouble. Best let women do the talking.”

The guys suddenly understood. Pink Hair immediately ditched his teammates. “Sister Li Zhi, I’ll team up with you!”

Chi Yi glanced at Li Zhi with pained eyes, recalling her earlier vow to be independent, and reluctantly told White Hair, “I’ll go with you two.”

With teams sorted, they headed off in different directions.

Pink Hair, walking beside Li Zhi like a loyal sidekick, said excitedly, “Sister Li Zhi, just tell me what you need. I’m way more useful than Lian Qinglin!”

What’s with the random rivalry? Li Zhi thought, amused. Apparently that W-something group didn’t have the best relationship.

She tilted her head and smiled. “Alright.”

During the day, Lienü Village was bustling with life. Farmers worked the fields, children chased chickens and dogs through the alleys, and women gathered under trees to chat while preparing vegetables. On the surface, it looked like a peaceful, prosperous village.

But beneath that peaceful facade hid mouths lined with sharp teeth.

Li Zhi approached the group of women, casually helping them with their vegetables. “Good morning! Have you eaten yet?”

They glanced at her, recognizing her as part of the troupe, and responded kindly, “We have. Out here in the countryside, we eat early. Where are you from, girl?”

“I was picked up by the troupe leader. This is my younger brother,” she said, nodding toward herself and Pink Hair with a sigh. “I don’t even know where I’m from. Just follow the troupe around to get by.”

The women’s gazes softened, their attitudes warm and sympathetic. “In times like these, having enough to eat is already a blessing. I hear there’s famine outside. Good thing our Lienü Village has good fortune—every household has enough.”

After chatting for a bit, they began to treat Li Zhi like one of their own, even offering her a handful of fresh vegetables.

Li Zhi accepted with a bright smile and asked casually, “By the way, Aunties, where does Zhenzhen live?”

The women’s warmth instantly cooled. “Why are you asking about her? Do you know her?”

Li Zhi remained composed. “I heard the village chief mention her last night. I was just curious.”

It was vague enough that they couldn’t be sure whether the chief had mentioned Zhenzhen or not. They exchanged wary glances, then one finally said, “Outsiders shouldn’t meddle in our village’s affairs.”

Clearly, they wouldn’t say more.

As they walked away with the vegetables, Pink Hair muttered, “Sister Li Zhi, Zhenzhen must be from this village. Let’s find someone else to ask.”

Li Zhi shook her head. “It’s no use. If they don’t want to talk, others won’t either.” Her gaze drifted to a group of kids playing with iron hoops on a nearby patch of dirt. Thinking for a moment, she told Pink Hair, “Go to the room where we stored our boxes yesterday. The third box has a jar of rock candy. Bring some here.”

Pink Hair bolted off on command.

By the time he returned with a bundle of rock candy wrapped in paper, Li Zhi was already laughing and playing with the kids, skillfully rolling hoops and earning their admiration.

She crouched down, smiling, holding up the candy. “Whoever takes me to find Zhenzhen gets this candy. And I’ll teach you the secret to rolling hoops better!”

“I’ll take you!”

“I know where Sister Zhenzhen lives!”

“I don’t want candy—I just want the secret to rolling hoops!”

The kids eagerly fought for the chance to help, dragging the two of them forward.

Ten minutes later, they stopped outside a courtyard wall, pointing at the house adorned with white mourning banners. “Sister Zhenzhen lives here!”