Chapter 35 The Ancient Town Wanderer - New Mission

The five of them stood before the sacrificial altar, not daring to move an inch. The wind blew across the altar, carrying the intermittent stench of raw meat that made their heads spin.

After an unknown amount of time standing there, the Clan Head raised his hand and beckoned two Townsfolk over.

The players immediately grew tense, Bai Xiao's peripheral vision scanning the surroundings for an escape route.

"Bring out the sedan chair. Have the Parade God Team take the statue back to the shrine at the town entrance," the Clan Head commanded the two Townsfolk to head to the back alley and fetch the sedan.

Hearing this, several people breathed a collective sigh of relief, their stiff bodies slowly relaxing.

A moment later, the two Townsfolk emerged carrying a bamboo sedan on their shoulders. Calling it a sedan was a stretch; it looked more like a bamboo chair.

Two thick bamboo poles served as the carrying bars, with a square chair set between them. The chair had armrests on both sides and a high, straight back, with a sunshade extending from the top. This enclosed space was designed to hold the statue securely, preventing it from falling due to the swaying of the sedan.

The Guide gestured for them to take over the sedan. Chen Sheng and Han Yadong looked at each other, then like gentlemen, they took the sedan and began walking back.

The Offering Assembly was declared over, and the gathered Townsfolk dispersed like a receding tide.

Without the glow of the torches, the entire square plunged into instant darkness. The group had no choice but to grope their way back in the dark while carrying the sedan.

The moon hung high in the sky. Under the soft moonlight, everyone returned safely to the town entrance and placed the statue in the shrine opposite the Guesthouse.

Once the statue was settled, the Guide announced tomorrow's task: "Everyone, tomorrow you must create the Hundred-Family Flag for the Parade God ceremony. At five in the afternoon, you must bring it for the parade rehearsal. The Parade God is extremely important to Qingshi Town. Before every formal start, the Parade God Team must go through the process once. At that time, the town clan elder and Townsfolk will all come to watch."

"Hundred-Family Flag? What is that, and where are we supposed to get it?"

"And the rehearsal—how do we rehearse? What's the process?"

The five of them looked at each other; the rules of this game were never clearly explained.

Bai Xiao had pretty much figured out the nature of this game system by now. It never stated the full rules or taboos clearly, always giving conditions that seemed specific but were actually vague. It forced people to guess, search, and discover—and this process was the most dangerous part of the game. People were constantly dying because they triggered a taboo or failed to deduce the full rules.

Seeing them asking endless questions, the Guide said with some impatience, "You don't know the Hundred-Family Flag, and you don't know the rehearsal? Isn't the process the same every year? And you call yourselves a professional Parade God Team. Our town spent so much money to hire you, yet you know nothing at all. Are you just frauds? I'll find someone to kick you out of Qingshi Town right now!"

Remembering the miserable state of the girl who was hung up after leaving the gate tower, the players immediately fell silent, not daring to ask further.

Bai Xiao understood that this was a sign for them to find the clues themselves.

Seeing that they were no longer questioning him, the Guide nodded in satisfaction and left the front hall.

"Why does this person never explain things clearly!" Ma Huilin scratched her head in frustration.

Seeing this, Huang Xinxin consoled her, "Sister Ma, getting anxious won't help. Let's hear what everyone else has to say first."

Chen Sheng suggested, "It seems we'll have to look for it ourselves tomorrow. There are too many clues to find; how about we split into groups?"

Bai Xiao nodded in agreement and said, "One group can be responsible for asking about the rehearsal and the route and rules of the Parade God ceremony, while the other group looks for the method and materials to make the Hundred-Family Flag. How does that sound?"

This arrangement was very reasonable, and everyone agreed.

"Then how should we split up? There are only five of us."

"Let's split into two groups by gender first," Han Yadong said.

The groups were decided, and the other details were quickly settled. Bai Xiao's group of three would look for the Hundred-Family Flag's production method and materials, while Han Yadong and Chen Sheng would inquire about the rehearsal and the Parade God ceremony.

With the plan set, everyone felt temporarily at ease. After a whole day of being on edge, once the tension broke, a wave of both physical and mental exhaustion surged over them.

Everyone said their goodbyes to go back and rest. Upon reaching the second floor, Chen Sheng and Han Yadong, who both no longer had roommates, decided to move into one room for safety.

Seeing this, Feng Huilin also stepped forward hesitantly and asked Bai Xiao and Huang Xinxin, "Wei Yun isn't here, and I'm a bit scared. Can I squeeze into your room? I can sleep on the floor!"

Huang Xinxin didn't have the heart to refuse, but she couldn't make the decision for Bai Xiao, so she looked at her hesitantly.

Bai Xiao nodded indifferently. "I can sleep alone."

"Then I'll move into your room to keep you company." Seeing this, Huang Xinxin gave Feng Huilin a comforting pat on the shoulder, and the latter gave her a grateful smile.

Huang Xinxin didn't have much to pack; her only luggage was the backpack issued by the game, which she was currently wearing. She went straight to Feng Huilin's room with her.

Bai Xiao returned to her own room, put down her backpack, and briefly washed her face. Then, she only took off her coat and lay down on the bed fully clothed, even keeping her shoes on. she was afraid of any sudden incidents at night and wanted to be ready.

No one dared to sleep very soundly that night.

Early the next morning, Bai Xiao was woken up by hunger. She had only eaten a piece of bread and a bottle of water since yesterday, and her stomach was growling. She took out a new set of food and water and ate quickly.

After eating, her stomach felt much better. She put on her coat, shouldered her bag, and went downstairs.

Reaching the first floor, she saw no one in the front hall, but the Guesthouse door was wide open. Outside, a drizzling rain had started at some point.

"It's raining?"

"Who went out?"

The old wooden stairs creaked loudly; it was Feng Huilin and Huang Xinxin.

Bai Xiao shook her head. "I don't know, maybe Han Yadong and Chen Sheng."

"I'll go up and check." Huang Xinxin happened to be not far behind Feng Huilin. Since the stairs were narrow, it was most convenient for her to go.

A moment later, she came down and said, "They shouldn't be in their room. I knocked for a long time just now, and no one answered."

"Aren't you guys hungry? I'm starving after not eating for a day," Feng Huilin complained, rubbing her stomach.

Bai Xiao had just eaten, so naturally, she wasn't hungry, but she couldn't say that, so she only gave a slight nod.

Huang Xinxin's stomach was already growling loudly. She covered her stomach awkwardly and asked, "I wonder if the Guesthouse provides meals. Didn't they say there's a waiter? Let's find him and ask."

"I asked yesterday; he said they don't provide any," Bai Xiao stopped Huang Xinxin, who was about to head to the backyard.

Looking at the rain outside, Feng Huilin said with some urgency, "It seems those two guys went out to find food. Let's see if there's any rain gear and go out to find something to eat too. I'm starving."

Just as she finished speaking, Chen Sheng and Han Yadong's figures appeared at the street corner. The two men were running back with their hands over their heads to shield themselves from the rain.

They were soaked through and looked quite miserable. Entering the house and seeing everyone there, they shook off the rain and said apologetically, "The two of us were woken up by hunger this morning. We searched the backyard and didn't see any food, so we thought we'd go out and buy some. This crappy Guesthouse didn't even have an umbrella. We ventured out in the rain, but not a single shop on the street was open. Talk about bad luck."