TEFSCBSS Chapter 125

Chapter 125: The Haunted Beauty Scroll (Part Two)

Upon hearing that, the black-clad swordsman untied the rag wrapped around his blade, revealing a large, rusted broadsword reeking of blood.

Wang Bokao was so startled by the murderous aura radiating from it that he stumbled several steps back.

Changting looked on with disdain. This? Just a down-and-out swordsman. Nothing to worry about.

Only Zhou Jin studied the blade intently. This man… could he be that legendary figure from the martial world…?

Before she could finish the thought, the swordsman slid the blade—its spine pressed against the wooden plank—into the door gap. Following No. 5’s instructions, he maneuvered the weapon carefully. Moments later, a soft click was heard—the plank was dislodged, and the door cracked open.

The swordsman sheathed his blade as everyone instinctively held their breath.

They slowly pushed the door open, bracing themselves mentally for a grisly scene.

But reality fell far short of imagination. There was… nothing.

Well, not nothing. Just nothing gruesome. No blood, no violence, no Zhao Xiaogou, and no obvious suspect.

“Wait, so where did he go?”

“And why go through all the trouble of turning this into a sealed room if there’s nothing here?”

No. 5 stepped in cautiously, combing the room for clues.

With the bookstore owner’s help, the woodshed layout hadn’t changed since he’d last seen it. Except…

In one corner, No. 5 found a knife—the pig-sticking knife Liu the Butcher always carried.

“What’s Liu’s knife doing here?”

Everyone spotted it. A buzz broke out among the crowd.

“We haven’t seen Liu all day—could he be the culprit?”

“Yeah! He must’ve left that knife on purpose—as a taunt!”

“Unbelievable! That guy’s always been arrogant, and now he’s a murderer too?!”

“Ugh, I’m so mad! We’ve got to catch Liu!”

“Yeah! Catch Liu the Butcher!”

Both contestants and onlookers erupted in fury.

But No. 5 had doubts.

He knew Liu too well.

The guy might act like a brute, but he was surprisingly meticulous. He would never come up with some supernatural hoax. If he were guilty, he’d just tie someone up or steal pigs directly—none of this elaborate nonsense.

And this was a sealed room?

Liu would’ve just kicked the whole door down.

Plus, that knife was extremely personal to him—it had his stepmother’s engraving on it. He was super protective of it. No way he’d accidentally leave it behind.

No. 5 was sure there was more to the story, but with emotions running high, now wasn’t the time to explain.

He picked up the knife and sniffed it.

Hmm… Besides Liu’s usual pig-stench, there was a strong smell of alcohol.

Had Liu been drinking?

Maybe someone stole his knife while he was drunk?

No. 5’s eyes narrowed. He’d need to ask around—see if any of the other script-game players had seen Liu yesterday.

—

Meanwhile, No. 2 wasn’t buying the “Liu did it” theory either. Ignoring the angry mob that had stormed out to find him, he focused on analyzing how the sealed room had been set up.

He started with the windows.

They opened outward and had wooden latches on each side, secured with small metal pins that slid into holes in the frame.

According to the bookstore owner, the windows were usually left open for ventilation. Judging by the dust on the sills, they hadn’t been cleaned in a while.

But near the latches, several fresh fingerprints.

He remembered Su Li once telling him how to lift and compare fingerprints. Not exact science, but helpful. Unfortunately, it required tape—something he didn’t have.

Disappointed, he moved on to the door and examined the wooden plank.

“Huh? No. 5, come here a sec.”

He waved his teammate over and pointed at a spot on the plank. “Do you see that white stuff?”

No. 5 squinted. “Looks like… cotton thread?”

“You think it’s connected to how the room was sealed?”

“It could be.” No. 2 nodded. “Think about it—the side windows were locked from inside. But how did the killer get out and still manage to lock the door from the inside?”

“If that’s cotton thread, I have a theory.”

He plucked a long blade of grass from outside and began a demonstration.

“If the killer tied a loop of cotton thread to the plank and knotted it, they could manipulate it from the outside. First, they’d leave a small gap in the door, use it to align and observe. When the plank is positioned just right over the groove, they’d pull the string from outside, making it drop into place.”

“Then, snap the thread—and voila: sealed room.”

No. 2’s eyes sparkled as he recreated the trick, fully unraveling the killer’s method.

The onlookers in the woodshed were stunned.

This guy is sharp.

Even Han Yueyi cast him an admiring glance. This script-game event was proving to be a talent goldmine—someone like No. 2 would never be discovered through the usual civil service exams.

Han Yueyi quietly committed his name to memory. He might come in handy later.

But… why go to all this trouble in the first place?

They were all stumped.

Then came a scream from the bookstore.

“Haunted! It’s haunted!”

“The painting! The beauty in the scroll is gone!”

What?!

They all rushed to the front room. A large crowd had gathered, all pointing and chattering around the spot where the Beauty Scroll had been.

“This is insane!”

“I swear, when we came out of the woodshed, the scroll was right there!”

“Yeah, and then I turned around and—bam! A flash of light, and the beauty vanished! So did Zhao Xiaogou!”

“Now it’s just a blank scroll!”

Sure enough, the once-decorated scroll was now a blank sheet.

Could it be… haunted?

Wang Bokao was completely shaken.