Su Er felt that there was something else in his words, but time was tight, so he didn't question him and continued to focus on the important matter: "Red paper attracts ghosts, the three of us can't stay together for too long."
Ji Heng took out a piece of red paper from his pocket and sneered, "The Ghost King is quite calculating."
Su Er hesitated for a moment: "Is the Ghost King...very powerful?"
Ji Heng was studying the red paper in his hand with his head down, and Wan Yi answered him: "Let's not talk about strength, the IQ of ghost kings is generally higher than that of ordinary ghosts."
Su Er frowned. "Soldier against soldier, general against general, they are all picking opponents of equal strength. It's too much for it to come and attack a small shrimp like me."
Wanyi said with a smile: "In the world of those things, they only pick on the weak."
Soul emphasized: "I am not soft."
"…"
Taking advantage of Wanyi's speechless moment, Su Er whispered to Ji Heng, "If we put something in that box, can it block the attraction to ghosts?"
The ghost bone flower stopped blooming after it was put in, which shows that the box is not ordinary. However, there was the Ghost King in front of him and the host behind him, so he did not dare to make such a dangerous attempt.
Ji Heng thought for a moment and said, "We can give it a try."
The last person only had three pieces of red paper left on him, and the rest were all put into the box. When Wan Yi saw the ghost bone flower, his eyes were full of envy.
Just in case, the three of them stood at the ancestral hall's entrance, ensuring they could disperse and flee if any evil spirits gathered. I still remember when we first arrived, a few crows had nested in the trees near the entrance. Now, the silence made the waiting even more agonizing. Perhaps if anyone spoke at this moment, the atmosphere would ease a little.
Wanyi didn't like nonsense, and Ji Heng wasn't one to make small talk. Su Er thought for a moment and broke the silence first: "How do you think ghosts can distinguish people?"
Trillion shook his head, what kind of problem is this?
Soul said seriously, "If we rely on our eyes, what if the people who enter the game are twins? Besides, some makeup techniques can make people look similar."
"…"
Soul: "If person A breaks the rules, and person B disguises themselves as person A and secretly exchanges rooms with person A, and in the dark of night, the ghost accidentally kills person B, would that be considered a major work error?"
"…"
Wanyi has never thought about this. Every player who enters the game only thinks about how to pass the level without violating the rules. Who would discuss how ghosts find people?
With nothing to say, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ji Heng, who said calmly: "Maybe it's because of the difference in a person's magnetic field that ghosts can distinguish it."
After a few short conversations, time passed a little more. Wanyi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that there was a good chance that he could get through tonight.
An unknown amount of time passed before the vague outline of the sun could be seen in the distant sky. Ji Heng said, "Let's go to the cemetery."
The morning light brought a sense of security. As everything around him gradually became clearer, Soul breathed a sigh of relief. A near miss was often the luckiest word for a player. Unfortunately, the subtle sense of relief that had arisen vanished the moment he reached the graveyard.
Shen Jiangbei and Wen Buyu had already reached the entrance before them, but did not go in.
Ji Heng walked over and said straight to the point: "Each person keeps one piece of red paper, and the rest are given to one person."
It looked like there was a choice, but in reality, there wasn't. Wen Buyu had lost a few during his previous encounter with the ghost, so Ji Heng had the largest number. As for the ones Su Er had hidden in Mr. Shu Hai's room... only someone tired of living would risk their life to get them.
"To whom?" Shen Jiangbei asked after a long moment.
Ji Heng looked at Su Er and said, "If you can become the head guard, you will have a great advantage when calculating your points. But correspondingly, the risk will also be the greatest before you complete the game."
Su Er didn't think twice and nodded directly: "I will."
I wasted half a ghost bone flower. It would be unacceptable if I only got a few pitiful points after passing the level.
"Then you take charge."
From beginning to end, Ji Heng never asked for other people's opinions, but just glanced at them indifferently.
In the silent confrontation, Shen Jiangbei glanced at Wan Yi, who was still hesitant, and gave the order as the captain: "Give it to him."
Unless they have the ability to snatch all the red papers from Ji Heng, it will be useless even if they forcibly keep the existing one.
A few minutes later, Suer appeared in front of Zhou Linjun's grave holding a small stack of red paper.
There was a crack in the coffin lid, and the voice coming from inside was full of surprise, as if resentment for not achieving the goal of killing.
Soul: "It's time you fulfill your promise."
Silence swept across the entire cemetery. The fallen leaves around were blown into the air with a rustling sound, followed by a strong wind that stung people's skin.
"Okay—" When the strong wind gradually died down, the being in the coffin spoke again: "The next Chief of Guards will be you, but... you have to survive until then."
Su Er was startled, his brow furrowed. With three days until the vote, he'd be attacked by ghosts every night. While he was still lost in thought, the red paper in his hand suddenly took on a darker crimson hue and seemed to gain weight.
Ji Heng said in a deep voice: "Let's leave here first."
As he took a step, Soul looked back at the tombstone, hiding the thoughts in his eyes.
As the group walked along, Wen Buyu couldn't help but feel a bit of gloating, but his expression quickly turned sour. After being hunted by ghosts for three consecutive nights, the chances of survival were slim. Betting on Li Shouzhang seemed more likely. However, with Ji Heng around, everything was uncertain.
Instead of continuing to stay together, Suer and Ji Heng left first.
Wanyi stared at the backs of the two and thought deeply: "How to choose?"
Voting and result announcement are not real-time, and there is a half-day gap between them, as we are afraid that something unexpected may happen to the candidates during this half day.
Shen Jiangbei glanced at Wen Buyu and said, "Go to Li Shouzhang and make sure he continues to administer the drug to prevent any other complications."
Wen Buyu nodded.
No matter what, the three Li brothers must die, so that they only need to choose between Su Er and Li Shouzhang.
Wan Yi said, "I'm going to go walk around the streets and keep an eye out for other strong candidates emerging."
·
In the dark alley, the air flowed unsmoothly, carrying a dark and damp smell.
Su Er leaned against the wall to rest, staring at the red paper in his palm: "It may not be safe to keep it in the box."
Ji Heng nodded: "The Yin energy up there is even heavier, at least several times stronger than yesterday."
In other words, at night, Sur would be a moving target.
Su Er seemed to have his own plans: "I want to find out about Zhou Linjun first."
Ji Heng didn't stop him.
Of course, before that, Su Er did not forget to write an article to fulfill his previous promise. Later, he used this as an excuse to visit Wei Chang's home.
"Not bad." The captain was quite satisfied with the extremely exaggerated text above.
"To be honest, I went to the grave yesterday and felt quite emotional. The people in this town are so kind that they are willing to give them a proper burial."
The head of the guards said with disgust: "They really should be crushed to dust."
Su Er lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, "Have you heard of Zhou Linjun?"
The guard's expression suddenly changed: "Why are you asking him?"
"Take this as a warning." Su Er said calmly, "The other crimes on the tablets are quite detailed, but his is the only one with the word 'theft'."
Seeing that the other party was refusing to answer, Su Er first flattered him: "You are the head of the guards, and I expect you to be familiar with these matters."
The guard chief's eyes changed, and he finally sighed deeply: "Zhou Linjun was once a guard chief as well."
Su Er pretended to be surprised, looked at Ji Heng and asked, "Why have you never heard of it?"
"He served as the Guard Commander for only three days," the Guard Commander said slowly, "before he was caught stealing someone else's votes... That happened over a decade ago. Afterward, Zhou Linjun was beheaded in the ancestral hall as punishment."
Su Er: "Does he have any family members still alive?"
Ji Heng on the side glanced sideways slightly, this question was a little unexpected.
The guard nodded. "His mother is very old and lives at the end of the town. She's a little crazy."
Su Er said softly: "It is inevitable to feel sad when the old send off the young."
The guard smiled sarcastically: "She was the one who reported Zhou Linjun."
Su Er was stunned.
The Guard Chief said, "The man who was not selected was a man she had once admired when she was young. The old lady is partial."
There are not many age restrictions for running for the position of Chief of Guard. Anyone who is at least 20 years old and not more than 70 years old can run for the position.
In this place where rules are always followed, Su Er's perspectives were constantly being refreshed. It was lunchtime when they left the Guards' house. Ji Heng asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Su Er didn't say anything, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the street corner. Their eyes met, and Wen Buyu felt a little awkward. He walked over to show that he wasn't eavesdropping.
"Chen Jiangbei and Wan Yi haven't made a decision yet," Wen Buyu looked at Su Er and promised, "but I will vote for you in front of Ji Heng."
She is an opportunist and chose to take a gamble, hoping to win Ji Heng's favor. However, it seems that the other party does not take it seriously.
Wen Buyu pulled the corner of his mouth awkwardly and changed the subject, asking, "Have you figured out how to deal with tonight?"
Soul nodded.
Beside him, Ji Heng made a rare joke: "Going to the host's room?"
Su Er shook his head. That wasn't a good place to be. "The key point is Zhou Linjun. Even as a ghost, he still has a strong obsession with rules."
The townspeople here were persecuted to death, and they only thought about how to use more stringent rules to continue to persecute those who came later. Ironically, it was precisely because of this that the town has not been exterminated by the ghosts.
Thinking of this, Su Er's eyes flickered: "Do you remember what was engraved on Zhou Linjun's tombstone?"
Wen Buyu: "Stealing?"
"There's more important information..." Su Er raised his head and said word by word: "Birthdate."
Every tombstone in the mass grave is engraved with the birth date and the crimes committed during one's lifetime.
The more Wen Buyu listened, the more confused he became.
Su Er: "I want to have a ghost marriage with Zhou Linjun."
"…"
Pretending not to notice the expressions of the other two, Su Er told his plan: "Find Zhou Linjun's mother, then find a matchmaker. First, there's the parents' permission, then there's the matchmaker's words. If he kills me, it would be a serious crime that breaks the rules."
Wen Buyu's face turned pale with fear: "...Will a ghost agree to marry you?"
Su Er's expression turned cold. "Have you ever seen anyone seeking the opinion of the dead for a ghost marriage?" He paused and said to Ji Heng, "I don't know much about the ghost marriage process. You are more knowledgeable. It would be safer for you to preside over the wedding."