Only Xing Ge, who needed to keep vigil, and the steward, who seed to have so private instructions for him, remained in the Ancestral Temple.
The other six people silently walked back through the damp, cold Covered Walkway in the increasingly heavy night and fine rain, returning to the side of the Moon Gate where they had initially gathered.
The six stopped, but no one imdiately returned to their room.
Yu Hao was the first to speak: "Everyone, what do you think?"
His question seed abrupt and out of context, but everyone present understood his aning.
Their ladder rankings had long been stable within the top hundred. Although they didn't know each other's exact rankings, according to God Hunt's matching chanism, being thrown into this instance together ant their strength levels were likely within the sa range—
No one would be dead weight, and no one could easily control anyone else.
Precisely because of this, they all knew that facing increasingly difficult instances, going solo was tantamount to seeking death. The further they went, reliable cooperation and information sharing would be the fundantal key to fighting for a sliver of survival in the instance.
Shi Weiwei continued: "Keeping vigil, separate rooms, confinent... He's deliberately separating us."
Her tone remained steady, but carried a sharper edge.
"But the rules themselves are also providing clues."
Hang Ze rubbed his arms, as if trying to dispel the chilling aura he'd carried out from the Ancestral Temple: "Avoid red, purple, and gold, yet the Seventh Concubine prepared purple Mourning Garnts. It says the Seventh Concubine is not to be trusted, yet she can arrange our food, clothing, shelter, and travel. The Ancient Well is off-limits, which precisely indicates there's sothing there."
He paused, then continued: "And the Clan Genealogy, for viewing by Shen family mbers only... So, do our current identities count as Shen family mbers?"
Xu Xi glanced sideways at him, realizing this guy, though seeming impulsive, wasn't actually reckless. His observational and summarizing skills were quite sharp. In a few sentences, he had pointed out the contradictions within the rules and raised the crucial identity question.
It seems he won't encounter fools in later instances.
...Hiss, wait.
Xu Xi jolted awake. Why was he unconsciously evaluating his teammates' capabilities?
He wasn't so top-tier player himself either.
Rubbing his forehead, Xu Xi began pondering when this mindset had shifted.
anwhile, the discussion continued.
Yu Hao said thoughtfully: "Based on the 'young master and young lady' identities we've been assigned, theoretically we should be surnad Shen. But since the rule specifically emphasizes it..."
His tone was quite aningful: "Perhaps it ans that among us, soone is *not* surnad Shen."
This speculation suddenly made the atmosphere tense.
The Clan Genealogy was clearly a key clue. If soone wasn't surnad Shen, that person couldn't view it.
More importantly, they didn't know who the non-Shen might be. Was it just one person... or multiple?
Tang Shutong hugged her arms, unconsciously touching the scar on her brow: "There's another question. Does this 'Shen surna' refer to the na or bloodline?"
If it's the na, that's much simpler. But if it's bloodline...
After all, adopted children, illegitimate children from affairs, etc., were all possibilities.
Lin Zuo then softly uttered eight words: "The Incense Burner is very full. The coffin is very cold."
A full Incense Burner ant soone had been frequently offering incense before. The coffin's coldness might not just be about temperature.
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the young man in the dark blue gown who had remained silent from start to finish.
Now, only he hadn't shared his own perspective.
The other party seed to be deep in thought about sothing.
Over there, Xu Xi hadn't managed to figure anything out.
Unconsciously, every ti he entered a new instance, he had grown accustod to analyzing rules, assessing risks, and even subconsciously using his reload ability to gather clues.
As for when he started developing this mindset, he truly hadn't noticed.
But his goal had always remained the sa: to strive to reach the top.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, when he refocused on the present, he suddenly realized everyone was quietly staring at him.
Xu Xi: "?"
He thought for a mont, then asked straightforwardly: "When you were offering incense earlier, did any of you hear any sounds?"
Hang Ze's eyes lit up: "You heard it too?"
Yu Hao looked at them puzzled: "What sound?"
Shi Weiwei and the other two also had strange expressions.
"A kind of playful laughter," Hang Ze described. "Like a child's voice, very shrill."
Hearing this, everyone instantly thought of the Paper Effigies of the Boy and Girl Attendants flanking the coffin.
Xu Xi guessed that perhaps the buzz-cut man had heard it too.
"I didn't hear anything," Yu Hao shook his head.
Shi Weiwei and the other two also denied it.
Everyone present suddenly realized the situation in this instance was probably even more complicated than they had anticipated.
Yu Hao wiped his face and said gravely: "Our identity issue is undoubtedly important, but what's more urgent right now is safely getting through the first night."
Shi Weiwei nodded in agreent: "Right. We need to determine which rules are absolute laws, where violation ans death, and which rules have gray areas or loopholes that we can exploit."
"So, are you guys planning to go out and explore after Zi Hour tonight?" Hang Ze asked, sowhat eager. "I've even thought of an excuse: just say the Chamber Pot is full."
Tang Shutong glanced at him: "Not recomnded. For the first night, we'd better play it safe."
"If we're keeping vigil, will this rule still apply?" At that mont, Lin Zuo suddenly asked.
Everyone was taken aback.
They hadn't considered that point.
Shi Weiwei pondered for a mont, then shook her head: "Keeping vigil probably has its own set of rules too."
Hang Ze stroked his chin and said: "Speaking of which, did we really just leave that guy alone over there?"
Yu Hao wasn't too worried: "He seed pretty confident. The first night might be dangerous, but it doesn't necessarily an sothing will happen."
"The order for keeping vigil is most likely based on our title rankings. Tomorrow night might be my turn." Shi Weiwei looked at Xu Xi and Hang Ze. "When it's my turn, I'll pay special attention to the sound you ntioned."
Xu Xi nodded indifferently.
If it really went by ranking, he was fifth. By the ti it was his turn, he might have already cleared the instance; the vigil might never even reach him.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but remind them: "The seven-day deadline isn't necessarily the real countdown."
The last mixed-team competition instance had really screwed them over regarding ti.
Hearing this special reminder from the young man in the dark blue gown, the others felt a chill inside.
The other man spoke little, carried himself with composure, and exuded a strong sense of detachnt.
This made them instinctively take seriously this remark that might have just been an offhand comnt.
Yu Hao nodded: "We do need to guard against that point."
After this brief exchange, the group no longer delayed and quickly dispersed to their own quarters.
The night was as dark as ink, heavily enveloping the Shen residence.
Xu Xi looked up at the pitch-black sky, then stepped towards the rear garden.
For him, regardless of taboos or anomalies, just go and actively touch them—then you'll know everything.
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