Chapter 141

Chapter 141

[Candidates, it seems I completely overestimated you earlier.]

[Listen carefully, the second hint is—]

[The earrings must be made by hand.]

[No matter where you get the same substitute from within Yin Qiao Village, I will notice it.]

The voice of the matchmaker echoed through the dark, boundless night.

The three of them, Xi Yu, Luo Xi, and Zhi Shan, were busy crafting earrings, and no one reacted when they heard this. The atmosphere became even more oppressive after Su Ziyan disappeared.

Although Luo Xi usually didn’t seem like a meticulous person, he was quite efficient when it came to making silver jewelry.

Based on the design sketch Xi Yu had recreated, the skull pattern was quickly carved out by him with almost no difference.

On the other hand, Zhi Shan, who claimed to have the advantage of being a woman, was a bit clumsy. She cut her fingers several times before finally managing to make the silver parts she needed.

Xi Yu, responsible for grinding the bone balls, quietly produced a few "pearls" of the same size. After handing Zhi Shan two of them, he placed the rest on the silver jewelry Luo Xi had prepared.

Luo Xi finally spoke, "It's a good thing we didn't just hand over Ziye's earrings directly. Otherwise, being too clever might backfire."

Xi Yu curled the corners of his mouth, placed the task items into his pocket, and then said, "Now that no one has handed in their tasks, let’s not rush. There’s still room for modification. I suggest we wait for the third hint before making any plans."

Luo Xi agreed, "So now we go look for the missing child, Su Ziyan?"

Zhi Shan took this opportunity to finish her earrings, quietly analyzing, "Su Ziyan doesn't seem like the kind of person who could cause trouble. He must have encountered some bad luck. But there’s one thing that's strange—"

Xi Yu gave her a concerned look.

Zhi Shan continued, "After we were deliberately sent away, we eavesdropped on Mu Yuan and the others. At that time, Su Ziyan seemed really down. I think even if he knew Mu Yuan wanted to harm you, he wouldn't be so shaken."

"He must have heard something related to him," Luo Xi said dismissively. "At least, I don't think he has any reason to leave us. Let's look for the others."

Xi Yu carefully packed all the tools before nodding, "Let’s go then. I think we’re not the only ones who figured it out—it’s necessary to use human body parts to make the dowry. Su Ziyan is probably being used as a material source, just like Fei Ling."

Luo Xi blinked, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He searched the dilapidated house for a while, then picked up a solid-looking wooden stick and waved it in his hand, saying loudly, "Follow me."

He then pointed at Zhi Shan, "If you hold us back, it’s better to stay here."

Zhi Shan didn’t want to end up like Fei Ling: "I won’t! My physical strength isn’t that bad."

Luo Xi was agile when alone on the roof, but with three people, it wasn’t as easy to move around.

He cautiously led the way, climbing over walls and jumping from rooftops, searching for other streamers.

Finally, his efforts paid off. In a noisy tavern filled with paper figurines, he spotted Ying Zhixing and his companions.

They weren’t making earrings; instead, they were whispering in the corner, seemingly discussing a plan.

Luo Xi crouched on the wall and sighed, "It would be great if Su Ziyan were here. I wonder what they're talking about."

Xi Yu raised his hand, signaling for him to stay calm, then stated, "I'll go check the situation. Ying Zhixing wouldn't act against me directly. If anything seems off, you can show up."

Luo Xi hesitated for a moment, considered his "charisma," and then handed the wooden stick to him.Xi Yu refused, "Carrying weapons would only increase hostility."

After saying that, he lightly jumped down from the roof and made a quick detour before entering the tavern.

The tavern was just as outdated and dilapidated. The fan in the main hall squeaked as it spun, and strange half-eaten plates of food were still on the tables. However, the paper figures around the tables appeared to Xi Yu as nothing more than fleeting shadows of black mist.

He didn't want to interact with any NPCs for now, so he walked straight to Ying Zhixing's table and calmly greeted them, "I think you’ve already gotten what you wanted from Su Ziyan. No one is allowed to kill him, so why not let him go?"

The three of them froze, and Yan Ruyu spoke first, "What nonsense are you talking about? We haven’t seen Su Ziyan at all."

Xi Yu remained silent, his gaze sharp as he stared at them.

Ying Zhixing was playing with the chopsticks in front of him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I haven’t seen Su Ziyan. Of course, if I had seen him, I might have used him as a tool. The thing about games is, if you want to play, you have to accept defeat, don’t you?"

Xi Yu quickly sat down, "Yes."

Ying Zhixing’s attitude was distant, "I don’t need to lie to you, but I won’t attack you either. You should leave with Luo Xi."

Xi Yu observed carefully, "I see that you don’t look very relaxed. Could it be that you still haven’t finished making the earrings?"

Ying Zhixing didn’t hide anything, "I haven’t decided where to get the materials from. All of the hints from the matchmaker are useless."

Xi Yu replied firmly, "I know what the material is and where to find it. If I provide it to you directly, can you help me deal with Mu Yuan?"

Ying Zhixing and Zhou Ze exchanged glances and of course, wanted to clarify, "How do you want us to deal with him?"

Xi Yu answered, "Either help me retrieve Su Ziyan from his hands, or if you win the game, you can eliminate Mu Yuan. Of course, I don’t fully trust you on the latter, because I’m sure the person you most want to eliminate is me, right?"

Ying Zhixing replied, "You really overestimate yourself."

Xi Yu responded, "Although I don’t know much about your past, in Gui Nian Renjian, you lost to me. If the audience hadn’t saved you, you would have already been reset. I think that sense of defeat is probably new to you, since every expert streamer is used to winning."

Ying Zhixing wasn’t angered by his words. Instead, a smile appeared on his beautiful, arrogant face. "Since you’re so clear about things, you shouldn’t even bring up cooperation."

Xi Yu said, "After seeing all the other streamers, I think at least you’re not someone who easily breaks promises. Also, you definitely need my help now."

Yan Ruyu grabbed Ying Zhixing’s arm, "He’s right. We still haven’t figured out the materials. If he’s certain, it’s fine to cooperate."

Yan Ruyu then directly pulled a handful of pearls out of her skirt pocket. "These were stolen from the Ku Mu family. Although they look similar to the materials for the Ten Mile Red Dress earrings, according to the task last night, those earrings definitely aren’t made of jewels."

Xi Yu continued to look at Ying Zhixing, "Of course, they’re not made of jewels. They’re made of human bones."

Yan Ruyu froze for a moment, her face turning ugly. "Brother Ying also suspected this, but bones aren’t something you can just take out."

Xi Yu tilted his head slightly, "I think you already have the silver parts sorted. If, within the next hour, you can bring Su Ziyan to me, I’ll give you the bone pearls. If you can’t, we’ll negotiate again."

With that, he stood up, ready to leave.

Ying Zhixing called after him, "You just told me so easily. Do you think I’m such an easy target in your eyes?"

Xi Yu turned back, "Who would have guessed this situation would be a three-way stalemate? I think as long as one side forms an alliance, the other side will be in trouble. I don’t want to be the one isolated, and I’m sure you don’t want that either."

With that, he left the tavern.Zhou Ze carefully spoke, "That kid Su Ziyan must have been taken by Mu Yuan. I’ve heard Wang Lou complain before that Su Ziyan's hearing is extraordinary, a real troublesome competitor. It’s best to eliminate him quickly."

Ying Zhixing nodded, "No one dares to kill. Mu Yuan is probably using the same old tricks, hiding him in a place that’s hard to find."

Yan Ruyu, still worried, asked, "Brother Ying, are you really going to cooperate with Xi Yu? What if he’s not telling the truth?"

Ying Zhixing squinted, his long lashes resembling the wings of a mysterious butterfly. "I think what he says is true, and he will definitely give us the bones."

Yan Ruyu didn’t understand why.

Ying Zhixing added, "Remember when the rules were announced today? Luo Xi wasn’t there. If I’m not mistaken, he must have gone to find the corpse. Now Xi Yu is sure about the material for the earrings and is willing to provide it. Where do you think that corpse is right now?"

Yan Ruyu suddenly understood but then suggested, "So all we have to do is take the corpse. Why cooperate?"

Ying Zhixing took a deep breath and walked toward the tavern's door, coldly throwing a sentence to Zhou Ze, "Foolish. Tell her to shut up."

Time seemed to blur in the darkness.

Su Ziyan woke up in a daze, feeling his whole body aching.

With his extraordinary hearing, he could usually help himself avoid danger. However, Mu Yuan and Wang Lou were prepared, and when Luo Xi disappeared, they flanked him from both sides. Despite Su Ziyan’s desperate escape, he couldn’t outrun these two physically superior streamers.

After being knocked unconscious, he was brought here, and he could already predict the grim fate awaiting him. In agony, he asked, "What do you want from me? You don’t even know what the material for the earrings is, yet you want to harm me... If you kill me, you’ll be eliminated as well..."

A candlelight appeared from the corner of the room, and it turned out to be Zhao Zhusheng, holding a candlestick, and he also had a medium-sized kitchen knife in his hand.

He spoke softly, "The material is either teeth or bones. I don’t think you’ll die if you lose either of these, will you?"

Su Ziyan, afraid of pain, unconsciously began to tremble when he heard this.

Zhao Zhusheng approached him. "Actually, I know exactly what Luo Xi is doing in the water. He’s not an easy person to deal with, so for now, I have to use you. Blame yourself for following him. If you pick the wrong side, you’ll always have to pay the price."

Su Ziyan’s hands and feet were tied. Hearing this, he tried to press himself against the corner of the wall, hoping to distance himself from him.

But Zhao Zhusheng’s steps were determined, and he quickly reached his side, putting down the candlestick and forcefully pressing down on Su Ziyan’s shoulder.

Su Ziyan’s eyes widened.

Zhao Zhusheng showed a smile with little emotion before suddenly bringing the knife down hard.

The scream echoed through the muffled basement, piercingly sharp.