What's the progress on Chapter 152, "The Rules of Burial"? Don't ask, I've already taken a look around.
The live stream comments were still chattering away, but the young man in the stream had already put away his phone and stood up at a leisurely pace.
Thus, they once again saw the familiar scene—
The young man passed through the covered walkway, skirted the rockery, paused for a moment under a few ornamental trees, and then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
He seemed aimless, his pace neither hurried nor slow, his expression calm and composed.
The live stream comments fell into a brief silence, then exploded.
[... Is Master Xu Xi starting his 'stroll' again?]
[Got it, 248's daily routine: eat, sleep, stroll around the manor]
[What's the hurry? Is he really just strolling around a manor? That's clues!]
[But to be honest, it really looks like my grandpa taking a walk ()]
[So what if it's just a walk, it's a strategic walk]
[Master, you keep walking, I'll go scout out other streams first and come back]
Many viewers began frantically switching screens, trying to find more clues from the perspectives of the other players.
*
Said to be looking for the person wearing the white flower, but actually just idly strolling, Xu Xi was currently standing in a small courtyard, his gaze vacant as he stared blankly at the half-dried water vat in the corner.
The vat wasn't large, with a shallow layer of rainwater accumulated at the bottom, reflecting the gray, overcast sky.
Occasionally, a few withered leaves drifted into it, yet failed to stir even the slightest ripple.
It was about the same as his brain at this moment.
He truly didn't have any clear objective.
Therefore, he decided to continue the approach from the last instance—
One word: stroll.
...
Before You Hour, beside the Moon Gate.
By the time Xu Xi sauntered over, the others had already arrived one after another.
Yu Hao was leaning against a corridor pillar, having procured a folding fan from who-knows-where, fanning himself intermittently.
Seeing Xu Xi approach, he immediately straightened up.
"Everyone's here, let's share our respective findings."
Still six people.
"Unfortunately, I did not find any trace of that young man with the earring, and there were no clues in his room either," Yu Hao first sighed.
What this represented was clear to everyone present.
"Additionally, a few letters were found in the study, written by Master Shen before his death. Although the content of those letters was ambiguous, they all mentioned one thing."
Yu Hao paused, lowering his voice:
"The Shen family seems to have encountered some crisis in the past. To resolve the crisis, they incurred a certain debt, and that debt is related to the 'Well'."
Xu Xi's expression remained unchanged, but his heart stirred slightly.
The Steward had also said that the thing in the well was the Shen family's debt, and Master Shen had been trying to repay it during his lifetime.
"What exactly the crisis was, and what debt they incurred, is unclear."
"Debt?" A flicker of contemplation passed through Lin Zuo's eyes. "A debt of life?"
Yu Hao shook his folding fan. "Who knows."
He joked, "Anyway, it definitely wasn't any proper kind of debt."
Lin Zuo suppressed his thoughts and continued, "There were also findings in the kitchen. The things burned in the stove hearth weren't just offerings; there was also paper ash, as if some kind of document had been burned. Also—"
He lifted his gaze, his eyes falling on Shi Weiwei and Tang Shutong.
"There's a small door behind the stove, leading to a remote corner of the Rear Courtyard."
Shi Weiwei's expression shifted slightly, and she nodded. "We also made progress on our side. We successfully met the Seventh Concubine."
The gazes of Yu Hao and the others immediately focused on her.
That "Seventh Concubine who suffers from hysteria and whose words cannot be trusted," who manages the Rear Courtyard, yet prepared the purple mourning garments—which violate the rules and directly clash with the taboos—for each "returning child" on the eve of the funeral.
This excessively deliberate abnormality made it impossible for everyone to simply categorize her as an ordinary NPC.
"She..." Shi Weiwei seemed to be weighing her words, "is probably in her early thirties, but her complexion is very poor, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, as if she hasn't slept well for a long time."
"Her first reaction upon seeing us was fear," Tang Shutong suddenly spoke up, her voice low and hoarse.
Yu Hao unconsciously stopped fanning himself. "Fear?"
"And then?" Xing Ge asked.
"She requested something of us," At this point, Shi Weiwei's usually calm tone became subtle, "She wanted us to help her cross out a name from the clan genealogy."
The rest of the people present were momentarily stunned.
Lin Zuo's brows furrowed slightly. "Whose name?"
Tang Shutong said calmly, "Her son, Shen Jiayang."
... The Seventh Concubine's son?
Everyone reacted differently.
Yu Hao asked curiously, "The specific reason?"
"We only know her son is under ten years old. She wasn't willing to say more about the rest," Shi Weiwei shook her head.
The Steward had said the clan genealogy was only for Shen family members to view; those not of the Shen surname were not allowed to read it. That was probably why the Seventh Concubine requested the players' help.
But, why cross it out?
What connection does it have with the so-called debt the Shen family owes?
"Also," Tang Shutong's expression carried a hint of something elusive, "she said Master Shen liked purple during his lifetime."
The atmosphere quieted for a moment.
Yu Hao let out a "huh" sound. "This instance is quite tricky."
Everywhere reeks of the supernatural, everywhere there are problems.
The clues finally seem to be converging towards one point, but in reality, they are still full of mysteries.
"Speaking of the clan genealogy, bro, did you find it?"
Yu Hao looked at Xing Ge, asking with concern.
Xing Ge also shook his head. "No."
"Really interesting, the clan genealogy isn't even placed in the Ancestral Temple," Yu Hao pressed the folding fan against his chin, raising an eyebrow as he remarked sarcastically.
"I've looked everywhere I could, but there's one place I didn't search," Xing Ge continued.
Shi Weiwei suddenly spoke up. "That coffin?"
Xing Ge grunted in affirmation.
Standing to the side, hearing this, Xu Xi knew it was his turn to share information.
Don't look at how he had practically strolled through the entire Shen Residence, his final harvest was zero.
Aside from that maidservant guarding the Rear Courtyard, he hadn't seen a second person wearing a white flower.
But he couldn't just say "I strolled around for most of the day and found nothing," that would sound too much like slacking off.
... Although it wasn't far from the truth.
So he was just about to make an effort to polish his wording.
Right at that moment.
Outside the Moon Gate, the Steward's figure appeared at the end of the covered walkway. He was still carrying a white paper lantern, walking towards them at a leisurely, unhurried pace.
The time for incense offering had arrived.
"How about you, young man? Any progress?"
Seeing the Steward getting closer, Yu Hao quickened his tone, asking Xu Xi in a low voice.
Xu Xi had no choice but to answer truthfully. "No."
"Oh..." Yu Hao's expression remained normal, impossible to tell whether he believed it or not, he just fanned the folding fan with a whooshing sound.
[248: You ask what progress? Don't ask, anyway I strolled around a circle]
[Master Xu Xi's reply is so self-assured hahaha, the others: Really? Don't believe it]
[I don't believe it either, Master Xu Xi must know something]
[+1, 248 always has the attitude of an observer in team instances, even solving the situation seems like just a casual thing for him]
[Right, he always gives me the feeling that other players are surviving the instance, while he's sightseeing the instance]
[But he can always pull out crucial information at critical moments]
[Perhaps this is the difference in level, I guess (lights a cigarette.jpg)]
[Stop talking, I've already reached the point where everything he looks at seems suspicious to me]
[... Haha, who isn't?]
[By the way, how's that little unlucky guy doing?]
[Don't know, his stream screen is black, but he's not dead yet, no idea what the specific situation is]
