Chapter 48: The Turmoil of the Finals (Part 1)
The preliminary rounds across the four competition stages were nearing their end, with the first group to finish being Liu the Butcher and Wan Niang.
Naturally, they weren’t met with praise but rather a barrage of old shoes and wooden clogs.
“Pah! Liu the Butcher, this is all your fault! You lying cheat!”
“Exactly! You’re worse than those storytellers who twist and turn their plots a hundred times over.”
Liu the Butcher grinned shamelessly. “Oh, thank you, thank you for the compliments.”
Seeing his complete lack of shame, the crowd lost their steam. What was the point of arguing with someone like him?
They turned instead to Wan Niang. “Wan Niang, oh Wan Niang, why would you learn from the bad instead of the good? That Liu the Butcher doesn’t have a single honest bone in his body, and look at you—he’s corrupted you too.”
Wan Niang didn’t know what to say. Could she admit that she was the better liar? The entire scheme had been her idea—Liu the Butcher had just played along.
At that moment, Wang Qingmu finished his match as well. After announcing the finalists, he rushed over, shoving Liu the Butcher aside.
“Wan Niang, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you this place is crowded? I was going to buy the game and bring it back for you to play!”
Wang Qingmu was visibly upset. He had made it clear to Wan Niang before—he would save up money, propose to her first, then buy some tabletop games or scripts when the right opportunity came. Why had she come here with Liu the Butcher instead?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He shot a glare at Liu the Butcher.
“Don’t blame Old Liu! I wanted to come myself!”
Wan Niang, seeing that Wang Qingmu was about to unfairly scold Liu the Butcher again, threw out that one sentence in frustration and ran off to stand beside Su Li, smiling as she began asking questions.
This only made Wang Qingmu angrier. The whole reason he hadn’t wanted Wan Niang to come was to keep her away from Zhao the shopkeeper—that pretty-faced, money-making, sharp-witted guy. The moment Wang Qingmu first met him, an intense sense of crisis had flared up. And now, while he had been busy with the competition, Wan Niang had come here on her own!
Meanwhile, Wan Niang’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Su Li. “Are you the owner of the script store?”
She had immediately recognized that the owner was a woman and that only made her more excited.
“Uh, yeah, I am. And you’re Wan Niang?” Su Li was confused about why she was being approached.
“I heard from Wang Qingmu about your ‘Black Stories’ puzzles, and they sounded so fun! I wrote a few myself and wanted to show you!”
As she spoke, she pulled out a few sheets of paper from her small pouch and handed them to Su Li.
Su Li took them in mild surprise. The delicate calligraphy on the pages made her feel a bit self-conscious about her handwriting.
“Alright, leave them with me. I’ll take a look after the competition today!”
“Are you planning to submit them?”
Wan Niang’s eyes lit up. “You can submit these?”
“Of course! It’s not just ‘Black Stories’—any game ideas, including murder mystery scripts, can be submitted.”
After all, if Su Li had to write everything herself, she’d probably keel over from exhaustion. The reason she valued Wang Qingmu so much was that she wanted to recruit someone to help with writing, but his focus was on the imperial exams. She had never expected Wan Niang to be interested in this kind of work. Given how sharp she had been in the Werewolf game earlier, she might just be a natural storyteller!
The more Su Li thought about it, the more excited she got. Both she and Wan Niang grinned at each other—one thrilled at finding new talent, the other thrilled at finally having an outlet for her creativity that could also make money.
Not far away, Wang Qingmu and Liu the Butcher momentarily set aside their rivalry, uniting in a rare moment of shared concern.
“Look what you’ve done! Bringing Wan Niang here—now we’re doomed!”
“How was I supposed to know Zhao the shopkeeper was this popular?! I mean, come on, that guy looks like he’d snap from a single punch! How could Wan Niang be interested in him?”
Wang Qingmu shot him a condescending look. “After all these years, you still don’t know what kind of men Wan Niang likes? No wonder I’m the one pursuing her.”
“Hmph! Don’t get cocky!”
“Forget it, let’s not argue. We can’t let Zhao the shopkeeper win. I have a plan—come closer and listen!”
Liu the Butcher obediently leaned in. The more he heard, the brighter his eyes became. Eventually, he got so excited that he smacked Wang Qingmu on the back, nearly knocking him over.
“Damn, you are ruthless, Wang Qingmu! Alright, we’ll do it your way!”
“I’ve spent more time at this script shop than anyone. I’m bound to dig up some dirt on Zhao the shopkeeper. And if I don’t find anything, I’ll just make something up!”
“Hmph, I refuse to believe Wan Niang would still like him after finding out he’s a ‘coffin-sleeping, raw-meat-eating, graveyard-wandering freak!’”
Liu the Butcher cackled maniacally, already picturing Wan Niang recoiling in fear from Zhao the shopkeeper, seeking refuge with him instead. In his mind, he was effortlessly smacking Zhao to the ground, drop-kicking Wang Qingmu, and standing victorious while Wan Niang gazed at him with admiration.
Unfortunately, his eerie laughter was so unsettling that Su Li, just finishing her conversation, reflexively kicked him hard, sending him sprawling.
“Ahem, everyone,” Su Li announced, “the preliminary rounds are now over. Please welcome our top seven players to the stage for the final round!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Seven contestants strode onto the stage: Wu Fei, Zhao Wen, Wan Niang, Fatty Dahai, Wang Wu, Li Tiezui, and… Yunyang Princess?
In a private room on the second floor, Wang Bokao, who had been hiding under layers of disguise, widened his eyes in horror.
What the hell?! He had deliberately avoided Yunyang when sending invitations—how did she end up here?!
(Somewhere within the academy, the Third Prince smirked smugly. Hmph, if there was anyone in the capital who could put Wang Bokao in his place, aside from Su Li, it was Yunyang. All he had to do was let slip that Wang Bokao had gone to the cemetery without her, and she stormed off to join the competition herself. Heh, now she must be in the finals, right? Maybe even making it into the new script? Serves Wang Bokao right—if he wasn’t going to have a good time, then neither would Wang Bokao! Mwahaha!)
Meanwhile, Wang Bokao buried his face deeper in his hands, pressing against his still-swollen bruises from his father’s beating.
“Dear Mother of Kings, Jade Emperor, Three Pure Ones, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva… Please, please don’t let Yunyang make it into the new script!”
“Alright, the finals will now begin. Contestants, please draw your identity cards!”
This game’s roles:
- Werewolves: Yunyang, Li Tiezui
- Seer: Zhao Wen
- Apothecary: Wan Niang
- Hunter: Wu Fei
- Villagers: Wang Wu, Fatty Dahai
“The night falls—wolves, open your eyes!”
Yunyang and Li Tiezui exchanged a knowing smile before locking eyes on Wu Fei.
After all, Wu Fei was ranked second on the Heaven’s List. If he had drawn a werewolf card, he’d be a guaranteed finalist. Naturally, they had to take him out first!
The audience burst into muffled laughter—serves him right! That monk had sold his spot and still tried to compete? He had it coming!
Su Li’s mouth twitched. Ruthless, all of them.
“Wolves, close your eyes. Apothecary, open your eyes.”
Wan Niang glanced at the dead Wu Fei. Not a ripple of emotion. She made her decision—no saving.
Su Li’s mouth twitched again. Yep. Not a single good person here.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152