TEFSCBSS Chapter 80

Chapter 80: “The Mountain Village Corpse” Has Concluded!

Zhao Si was so frustrated he almost coughed up blood, but he still led the remaining three forward.

As expected, the dazed Jiang Liang was pushed into the courtyard that had originally belonged to Wan Niang. In his confusion, he was also stuffed into a coffin.

Now, only Zhao Wen and Li Tiechui remained. The two obediently entered the last courtyard and lay down in their respective coffins. After all, once the soul-swapping ritual was complete, lying in a coffin wouldn’t have any effect.

Once the courtyard was empty, the two quietly sat up from their coffins.

“Brother Li, you should leave now while no one’s watching. Get the soil and bones we need—don’t forget my share.”

“I’ll tell them that you were the one who entered the coffin, taking Wan Niang’s place. And that Jiang Liang came with me but suddenly lost his mind and ran off.”

“After you get what we need, secretly place my portion in the ancestral hall. I’ll retrieve it later.”

Li Tiechui patted Zhao Wen’s shoulder. “Alright, alright, don’t worry. Once I’m done, I’ll go stand guard at the iron gate. I’ll make sure we’re the first to escape this village.”

They exchanged a glance, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

…

Everything unfolded just as Zhao Wen had predicted.

Hiding inside a grain jar, he watched as Wang Bokao and Gu Qing arrived even faster than before.

“Hm? Just you? Where’s Jiang Liang?”

“He ran off,” Zhao Wen said, sticking to the lie he and Li Tiechui had agreed on.

“Ran off?” Wang Bokao was skeptical. Given the state Jiang Liang was in, could he run?

Zhao Wen’s acting had improved. His expression was helpless as he sighed. “Who knows what got into him? We were the last ones to enter the courtyard. Before the door even closed, he started shouting about seeing a female ghost and bolted.”

“Did he say anything to you?” Gu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, though he wore a friendly smile. His hand rested casually on Zhao Wen’s shoulder, while Wang Bokao pressed his folded fan against the other.

“What are you two doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Just bonding. You know, your father was my grandfather’s student—we should be putting the past behind us, having a good, long chat,” Wang Bokao said, grinning even wider.

Zhao Wen was exactly like his father—Wang Bokao knew it all too well. The way he stayed calm, stood tall, and smoothed things over so effortlessly… it was clear he was hiding something.

But Wang Bokao didn’t call him out on it. After all, Zhao Wen’s father was a true master at deception, seamlessly wearing different masks in public without anyone ever suspecting a thing. Only Wang Bokao, thanks to his grandfather, knew the truth about the Minister of Justice’s real personality.

As for Zhao Wen? Well, he was still a year younger than Wang Bokao—his deception skills weren’t as deep as his father’s.

Wang Bokao’s smile only grew brighter.

Acting like an old friend, he led Zhao Wen out to find Wan Niang, keeping up a steady stream of probing questions along the way.

Zhao Wen was nervous, but the more nervous he felt, the calmer he forced himself to appear. “We were following Zhao Si the whole time—we didn’t get a chance to ask Jiang Liang about the ghost he saw. I planned to ask once we were alone in the courtyard, but then he just went crazy and ran off. I don’t know anything! If I had known he was going to act like that, I would’ve asked him earlier.”

Seeing that they wouldn’t get anything out of Zhao Wen, Wang Bokao finally let it go. Whatever. As long as they completed the script and got out, it didn’t matter.

This time, they found Wan Niang quickly.

Sure enough, she was sitting on a rock in the courtyard, keeping her distance from the coffin.

When she heard that Li Tiechui had taken her place, she was deeply moved. She even promised to bring Li Tiechui’s daughter along to play with her once they got back.

Then, as if it were second nature, the four of them headed to the grave mound and started digging.

Wang Bokao, of course, stood to the side with his fan, barking orders.

“Hey, over there—there’s still some dirt left.”

“Come on, Zhao, you weakling! Are you a watchdog? How come it takes you three shovels for every one someone else does?”

“Hey! Don’t throw dirt at me! No strength, and now you’re blind too?”

Zhao Wen had had enough. He threw down his shovel and snapped, “If you’re not gonna help, then shut up!”

“Tsk, tsk, can’t even take a joke,” Wang Bokao muttered, smacking his lips but finally staying quiet.

Before long, they uncovered the wooden door to the cellar. Wang Bokao took the initiative, grabbing a lantern and heading down. He tossed the longevity lock into a clay jar, then pressed his palms together in front of it.

“May you find peace soon. May your next life be smooth and full of joy, free from sorrow.”

Wait… was this the arrogant, sharp-tongued, insufferable Wang Bokao? Zhao Wen shot him a surprised look, not expecting him to be this serious.

Before he could dwell on it, a loud rumbling echoed across the sky above Shanshi Village. The ground beneath them trembled violently.

“What’s happening?!”

The four of them bolted out of the cellar, only to see villagers fleeing in every direction, their wails filling the night.

This place was too open—they’d be spotted in no time. Thinking fast, Zhao Wen called out, “Let’s hide in the ancestral hall! Once the mechanism triggers, we’ll be transported straight to the Earth God Temple. From there, we’ll find the iron gate.”

No one objected. They all ran straight into the hall.

While the others kept watch near the entrance, Zhao Wen quickly retrieved the item Li Tiechui had left for him and stuffed it into his mouth.

“?!!” Hiss—why does this dirt taste off? No sesame flavor… just pure nastiness.

Thankfully, it was only a small pinch. He pinched his nose and swallowed, but his mouth was filled with a dry, rancid stench. He desperately wished for a pot of tea to wash it down.

Is this what happens when you eat too much black sesame powder?

Zhao Wen frowned in confusion, but it wasn’t a big deal. Everything was going according to plan.

Feeling reassured, he glanced outside. The villagers were too busy panicking to notice them. Meanwhile, the mechanism had begun turning—the Earth God Temple was within reach. Wasting no time, he led the others toward it.

The moment they stepped past the iron gate, Zhao Wen let out a breath. It was over.

Turning back, he saw chaos unfolding. Villagers cried for mercy, their voices rising in terror. A streak of red darted between them, and each time it reached someone, that person collapsed—silent forever.

Gradually, the village fell into an eerie stillness. Thick fog rolled over the land, swallowing everything beyond the iron gate. Only a faint, sorrowful singing drifted through the mist.

Bang!

Su Li shut the iron gate and looked at them with satisfaction. “Congratulations, everyone! You’ve successfully cleared Mountain Village Corpse!”

Clap, clap, clap!

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted behind them. The other customers, who had been loitering in the script shop, watching the spectacle, gave them a thumbs-up.

“Damn, that script looked terrifying!”

“No kidding! Even with the iron gate between us, we could hear all that screaming crystal clear.”

“Also, that was long! Easily twice as long as the first script.”

Suddenly, a voice cut through the chatter:

“Wait… weren’t there six players? Why are there only five now?”

Silence.

Everyone instinctively took a step back, their eyes filled with suspicion as they scrutinized the five survivors.

Wang Bokao glanced around. “Huh? Brother Li? When did you make it out?”

“Hey… what about that airheaded Jiang Liang?”

“Over here! Over here!”

The voice came from Zhao Si. He and two other burly men emerged, carrying a rolled-up straw mat. Inside, pale and lifeless, lay Jiang Liang.

Everyone: !!!