TEFSCBSS Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Shan Shi Village Sightseeing Tour (Part 2)

The six of them stepped through the iron gate, and from outside, Zhao the shopkeeper’s voice could be faintly heard.

“Good luck surviving.”

“!!!” Wang Bokao felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively clutched Gu Qing’s sleeve.

“…Seriously? If you’re this scared, why are you even here? And you wanted my little sister to come with you to a graveyard?” Gu Qing was utterly baffled.

“You don’t understand. I have my reasons.” Wang Bokao seemed to recall something and slowly released his grip. That’s right—if he couldn’t even overcome his fears, how was he supposed to find the truth?

Just then, an eerie chuckle echoed from behind them.

“So, you’ve arrived?”

The six turned around and saw an elderly man standing behind them, hunched over with a woven rattan chest slung over his shoulder. He looked strangely familiar.

“Wait… is that Zhao Si?”

Wang Bokao could hardly believe his eyes. What kind of makeup could transform someone this drastically? If he hadn’t known Zhao Si so well, he might not have recognized him at all.

“Zhao Si? Hah, at least you still remember my name.”

“I’ve traveled through countless mountain villages, yet people only ever call me ‘The Peddler.’ No one has ever asked what my real name was. You, however… are different.” Zhao Si gave Wang Bokao a deep, meaningful look before shifting his rattan chest and stepping closer.

Swish.

The other five players took an instinctive step back, leaving only Jiang Liang standing his ground, nose pointed arrogantly to the sky.

Jiang Liang: ???

“What are you afraid of? Weren’t you the ones begging me to bring you here?” Zhao Si sneered.

“Hmph. Follow me. Shan Shi Village is anything but peaceful. I’ve prepared a place for you to rest. Later, I’ll take you to meet the village chief.”

Without another word, Zhao Si hoisted his chest and strode toward a shadowy structure barely visible through the thick mist. He didn’t check if they were following—his steps were hurried, and soon, he vanished into the fog.

Li Tichui pondered for a moment. “We should follow him. We still don’t know anything about this place.”

“Agreed. According to the backstory, all of our characters have some connection to this peddler. At the very least, he won’t try to harm us—at least, not yet. Besides, if we don’t go now, we might lose sight of him completely.” Wan Niang added.

The group exchanged glances, then quickly closed ranks and hurried after Zhao Si’s fading silhouette.

After several twists and turns, they arrived at what appeared to be a tiny, dilapidated Earth God temple. The temple was small and in ruins—the fabric banners were faded, the idol of the Earth God and the offering table were coated in dust.

Still, it was just spacious enough for them to rest.

“Stay here for now. Go through your belongings and memorize your character’s identity.”

“This is just the outskirts of Shan Shi Village. Nothing too dangerous yet. I need to inform the village chief about your arrival.”

“One more thing—never wander off without a guide.”

“In this village, when the lanterns go out, it’s nightfall. And at night, no matter what you hear, no matter what you see—do not respond.”

With those words, Zhao Si’s figure melted into the darkness, leaving behind a single handheld lantern glowing faintly in the temple.

Wan Niang mustered her courage, walked over, and picked up the lantern. “Let’s read our character sheets. Each of us should have a unique role and objectives. Once we’re done, we can share our information.”

Everyone nodded and opened the cloth pouches containing their character descriptions.

[From this point, the story will primarily follow Zhao Wen’s perspective. Other characters’ inner thoughts will not be described in depth. Let’s imagine that we’ve all received the role of Zhao Wen in this game of ‘scripted murder mystery’!]

Zhao Wen unfolded his character sheet. He had never played a scripted murder mystery before, but Wang Bokao had explained the basics to him yesterday, so he remained relatively calm—well, as calm as one could be while ignoring the faint, ghostly breeze in the air.

The first sentence of his character sheet read:

“Congratulations! You have received the same role that Zhao the shopkeeper originally played—an ambitious scholar on a journey of exploration.”

Zhao Wen perked up. Did he get the same role as Su Li? Seeing how Su Li was still alive and well, she must have made it through safely. That meant he should be fine too… right?

He continued reading.

[You are a traveling scholar fascinated by supernatural folklore.]

[One day, you came across an ancient record detailing a mysterious place called Shan Shi Village. The record dates back to the Western Han dynasty, meaning the village itself could be even older—perhaps as far back as the Warring States period or beyond.]

[According to the record, Shan Shi Village is home only to young, able-bodied adults—no children, no elderly. It is located in the most barren of mountain regions, devoid of farmland or water sources.]

[A thick mist blankets the village year-round, only thinning slightly during an annual grand festival. But even then, visibility improves only marginally.]

[The villagers remain isolated from the outside world, and outsiders know nothing of them—until one day, the record’s author encountered an old friend, Cui Yixue.]

[Cui Yixue claimed he had accidentally stumbled into Shan Shi Village during his travels. There, he had taken part in their yearly ritual and received the ‘blessing of the gods’—a blessing that granted him immortality.]

[The author was stunned. Seven or eight years had passed since they last met, and while he had grayed and wrinkled with age, Cui Yixue still looked as youthful as ever. When he touched Cui’s skin, it was as supple as that of a young maiden.]

[Overcome with envy, the author decided to abandon his family and follow Cui Yixue to Shan Shi Village. His writings end abruptly thereafter, and his fate remains unknown.]

[At first, you dismissed this tale as mere fiction. After all, Qin Shi Huang once sent Xu Fu to search for an elixir of life, and if such a village truly existed, surely the First Emperor would have seized it for himself. He wouldn’t have perished so soon, nor would the Qin dynasty have fallen so quickly.]

[But then… you met Zhao Si—the wandering peddler.

[From his lips, you heard firsthand accounts of Shan Shi Village, descriptions eerily similar to those in the ancient record.]

[An isolated village. A land shrouded in mist. A yearly festival.]

[You became convinced. Shan Shi Village was real.]

[You don’t seek immortality. You simply wish to see the legendary village with your own eyes—to uncover the truth about Cui Yixue, to understand how the villagers survive, and most importantly, to learn what god they worship.]

[With these questions burning in your mind, you agreed to Zhao Si’s conditions and helped him find an apprentice to inherit his trade.]

[Among the group, you recognize no one—except the apprentice. If possible, you should stick with him. After all, he will be the next peddler, free to enter and exit Shan Shi Village. It wouldn’t hurt to build a good relationship.]

Your objectives:

1. Participate in the festival and uncover the identity of the deity being worshipped.
2. Survive. And make sure you leave alive.

Zhao Wen had initially been engrossed, reading as if he were enjoying a novel. But the moment he reached his objectives, something felt off.

Survive?

And ‘leave alive’…?

So… what, was there another option?

He scratched his head in confusion. The others had also finished reading their sheets, so for now, he decided to focus on finding the apprentice and forming an alliance.