The outside world.
Ji Yang stared unblinkingly at the young man on the screen, even holding his breath subconsciously.
On the screen.
The young man did not return directly to the Ancestral Temple. Instead, he turned and walked towards that small door.
He watched as the other party persuaded that Seventh Concubine with just a few words, saw them break the seal on the rear well, saw that little yellow dog named Xue Ke jump into the well and retrieve a heavy booklet from within, and saw the young man return to the kitchen and throw that booklet into the stove hearth.
Only after the pages curled and blackened in the fire, finally being completely burned to ash, did the young man leave the kitchen without looking back.
The other party still did not return to the Ancestral Temple, but instead headed straight for the main gate of the Shen Residence.
He continued to watch as the young man confronted the Steward who had appeared by the gate at some unknown time, seeing the other party block all the Steward's questioning with a single sentence: "I am not a member of the Shen family, I have no reason to stay here."
And the moment the young man stepped over the threshold, a beam of white light appeared beneath his feet.
Ji Yang: "..."
The live stream comments: "..."
A moment later.
[Ah, he cleared it just like that?]
[I haven't even processed it yet, I mean, burning the Clan Genealogy was all it took?]
[I specifically screenshotted a meme of the Steward's expression.]
[248: I'm not a Shen family member. Steward: ...Huh?]
[So it really was that simple? Just burn the Clan Genealogy?]
[The key is, how did Master Xu Xi know burning the Clan Genealogy would work?]
[No, no, it's more about how he knew the Clan Genealogy was in the well.]
[Shouldn't it be how he knew he could get that yellow dog to fetch the Clan Genealogy???]
[Did we really not miss any steps in the middle? (Widening my big, beautiful eyes)]
Ji Yang finally moved.
He began switching perspectives.
Xing Ge and the others were currently each guarding their own side rooms, nerves taut, appearing not daring to relax in the slightest.
Hang Ze was still in the inner world, attending another unusual funeral.
[Old Ji, have you figured anything out yet?]
"I have a bit of an idea, though it might not be accurate," Ji Yang said, as if confirming something. "It's just a kind of reverse deduction."
"First are the various rules of the Shen Residence. These rules might be correct on the surface, but they're most likely incomplete, and not everyone must abide by them."
"For example, the seven rules during the Keep Vigil period. Who needs to keep vigil? Naturally, Master Shen's children."
"Secondly, the Shen family owes some kind of debt. What exactly this debt is, we don't know. Whether Master Shen's death is connected to this debt, we're also unclear. But there's one point worth pondering: why did that Seventh Concubine want to cross out her son's name from the Clan Genealogy?"
"A reasonable speculation is that this debt can be inherited. The Seventh Concubine didn't want her son to continue repaying this debt, so she wanted to extract her son from the Shen family."
"Limited by the Shen family rule that 'outsiders are not allowed to peruse the Clan Genealogy,' the Seventh Concubine had no choice but to request the help of the players, who are 'Shen family children.' However, judging from Hang Ze's live stream currently, the Seventh Concubine's son is already dead. Perhaps the cause of his death is also related to repaying the debt. If so, her continued desire to cross out her son's name becomes very interesting."
"Similarly, the players are nominally Master Shen's children, so they also have the obligation to bear the Shen family's debt. So, how can they avoid repaying this debt? The Seventh Concubine has already given us the answer."
Although Ji Yang's lengthy discourse sounded a bit convoluted, netizens with quicker minds had already sorted out the logic.
[Got it. The core of this instance is actually dodging debt.]
"Correct." Ji Yang nodded. "And to cross out a name, besides needing to know each player's identity information, the most crucial props are the Clan Genealogy... and what to use to cross it out?"
[But Master Xu Xi directly burned the Clan Genealogy?]
[Truly worthy of 248, always finding solutions outside the rules within the rules.]
"Yes." Ji Yang said. "He has never been trapped by the rules."
[I have a question. Why didn't the other players clear the instance together? This isn't a mixed-team competition where everyone fights separately. Shouldn't the instance settlement be for the whole group?]
"Because of one of the rules—the funeral must last seven full days; one cannot leave early." Ji Yang explained casually. "This rule seems strange on its own, but combine it with the previous analysis."
"Who can leave early if the seven days aren't complete? Of course, outsiders. So the prerequisite for settlement should be that the players need to leave the Shen Residence as outsiders."
[So that's how it is.]
The live stream comments expressed sudden understanding.
"Of course, all the analysis above is just my personal speculation. It still lacks a lot of verification."
Ji Yang continued switching screens.
"Now the instance can be settled. As long as the other players walk out the main gate of the Shen family, they can clear it completely."
*
Inside the side room.
Yu Hao sat by the table, his folding fan waving idly in his hand.
His gaze fell on the tightly shut doors and windows, his brows unconsciously furrowing.
That eerie conversational voice did not sound again tonight.
Could it be an important clue?
He speculated privately, though he didn't feel particularly regretful.
After all, that player with the ear stud was still missing to this day.
Whether that conversational voice was a clue or a trap, no one could say for sure.
Yu Hao snapped his folding fan shut, stood up, and walked to the window, tilting his head to listen.
Outside the window remained silent.
The Shen family, who owed an unknown "debt"; Master Shen, who had been trying to repay the debt his whole life; the Seventh Concubine, who wanted to cross her son's name off the Clan Genealogy...
Leaving aside what exactly the Shen family's "debt" was, or how Master Shen repaid it, just ask: why did the Seventh Concubine want to cross out her son's name?
The answer seemed obvious—to prevent her son from being entangled by the "debt."
Removal from the Clan Genealogy meant separation from the Shen family.
Then what about them, these "returning children"? Were they also on the Clan Genealogy? Did they also need to bear this "debt"?
If crossing out a name allows escape, does this logic apply to everyone equally?
If it does, what do you use to cross it out? And after crossing it out, then what?
The Seventh Concubine requested their help because the Shen family's Clan Genealogy does not allow outsiders to peruse it.
However, Yu Hao suddenly thought of a key issue.
None of their seven players knew their own "names."
The Shen Residence Steward and servants only addressed them verbally by their ranking.
Moreover, they had never even seen that Seventh Concubine's son.
...The information was still incomplete.
Headache.
Yu Hao tapped his head with the folding fan.
At the same time, he was thinking about another matter.
The order of the Keep Vigil was not fixed; it could be changed. But...
What was special about the Ancestral Temple tonight?
He didn't believe a player would take risks for a stranger teammate for no reason, unless a greater reward lay behind the risk.
So, what "reward" would the Ancestral Temple have on the second night?
Yu Hao couldn't think of an answer, but he had an indescribable intuition.
He stood by the window for quite a while. Just as he was about to turn around, a loud noise exploded with a boom.
His eyes widened in shock.
