Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1358. Exploring the Old House (5)

In the center of the courtyard stands an ancient well, its opening surrounded by stones, with withered vines twining around it. Around the courtyard are stone tables and benches, all weathered beyond recognition.

The rustling sound just now came from several crows, who were standing on the stone table, pecking at something they couldn't identify.

Upon seeing someone enter, the crows immediately flapped their wings and flew into the sky above the courtyard, disappearing among the dense branches.

—It was just a crow! It gave me quite a fright!
—This courtyard looks like it's been abandoned for a long time. Could there be something in the ancient well?
—This old house seems to be deserted!

Should we explore the courtyard next or return to the room in the corridor?
Lin Xi and Bai also walked into the courtyard and waved to the people behind them.

"Come on over, there's a courtyard behind the door, it's not dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yang, Su Xiaoqing, and Lu Kexing immediately walked over.

Upon seeing the courtyard, Wen Yang couldn't help but say, "This house is huge! I wonder how many rooms it has. It'll be quite difficult for us to find clues or a quest."

Su Xiaoqing looked around the courtyard and said softly, "Let's go check on the ancient well first."

The path leads to the ancient well, where one can peer inside.

The well was pitch black and bottomless; the only sound was the faint dripping of water.

"The well water looks very deep; I wonder if there's anything down there."

Lin Xi walked to the stone table and picked up a piece of broken porcelain that had fallen to the ground.

The porcelain fragments have some exquisite patterns, making them look like products from ancient official kilns.

Lin Xi ran her fingertips along the lotus scroll pattern on the porcelain shard. The pattern was delicate and regular, and although the glaze was mottled, its original exquisiteness was still evident.

"This porcelain is quite old; it might be an old item from the Shi family."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard a cold, electronic voice.

"Main quest triggered: Investigate the truth behind the disappearance of Shi Yueci, the last owner of the Moon Hermitage."

Clue: The first key clue is hidden in the main hall.
Taboo Rule: After 19:00 PM (戌时), it is forbidden to touch any wooden drawers in the house. Violators will be subject to unknown penalties.

Current time: 18:15 PM (酉时五刻)

—Holy crap, that sound suddenly came out and startled me.

--Me too.

—No, what exactly triggered the mission? Could it be that 123 mentioned that the year was not short?

—They even directly told me about the taboo. Why is this stupid game suddenly being so kind?

—Maybe they don't want players to have to solve a mystery!

—I thought we would have to find the clues ourselves, but I didn't expect it to be broadcast suddenly.

——I thought so too.

—This game is indeed unpredictable, its main theme is "do whatever you want".

—Maybe the guy who designed this copy was too lazy to think.

Wen Yang glanced subconsciously at the clock in the corner of the courtyard; the hands were slowly moving toward 6:30.

"It'll be 7 PM in 45 minutes, we need to hurry and find the main hall!"

“The courtyard connects to the corridor, and the main hall is most likely deep in the corridor or on the other side of the courtyard. Shall we split up and search?” Su Xiaoqing said. Lu Kexing looked around, his gaze falling on a half-open vermilion door on the west side of the courtyard, where the words “main hall” could be faintly seen on the lintel.

“No need to separate, that should be the main hall.” He pointed to the door. “The door isn’t locked, let’s go together and look out for each other.”

The others followed the direction he pointed. The door was slightly narrower than the main gate to the front courtyard, and the red paint on the door panel was peeling off more severely, revealing scratches of varying depths on the exposed wood, as if it had been scratched by something.

When Lin Xi pushed open the door, the hinges made a jarring "creak" sound, which was particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

The main hall was more spacious than I had imagined. A faded crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, with scattered crystal fragments hanging precariously in mid-air.

The floor was covered with dark red wooden flooring, which creaked and groaned underfoot, as if it were about to collapse under the weight of the floor.

In the center of the main hall stood a heavy mahogany eight-immortal table, flanked by four armchairs. The carvings on the backs of the chairs were blurred, and the armrests were covered with a thick layer of dust.

Above the octagonal table hangs a huge portrait.

The painting depicts a man in a blue robe with a handsome face and a hint of melancholy in his eyes. The inscription at the bottom reads "Shi Yue Ci".

The frame was cracked, the canvas was yellowed, and there was a noticeable water stain in the corner, as if it had been soaked in rain.

"Is this Shi Yueci?" Wen Yang leaned closer to the painting, carefully examining the person in it. "He looks gentle and refined, not like someone who would get into trouble."

Bai didn't say anything. He turned on his phone's flashlight, and the beam swept across every corner of the main hall.

On both sides of the main hall, against the wall, there is a row of wooden display shelves. On the shelves are some bronzes, jades and ancient books, but most of them are damaged. Some jades are broken into several pieces, and some ancient books are riddled with holes by insects.

Next to the display shelf were two tall wooden bookcases, their doors tightly closed and covered with rusty brass locks.

"The clue says it's in the main hall, but where could it be hidden?"

Su Xiaoqing walked to the octagonal table and gently brushed away the dust. The tabletop was smooth and clean, without any carvings or writing. She then bent down to check under the table and found only a few scattered wood shavings.

If the path is feasible, then examine the decorations in the corner.

In each of the four corners of the main hall, there is a blue and white porcelain vase, with landscape paintings on the body and dried peacock feathers inserted into the mouth of the vase.

He reached out and gently shook one of the porcelain bottles, but it didn't move at all; its bottom seemed to be fixed to the ground.

Lin Xi's gaze remained fixed on the portrait of Shi Yueci.

The eyes of the person in the painting are so lifelike that they seem to be staring at the intruder no matter which angle you look at them from.

She took a few steps closer and noticed a tiny crack on the left edge of the picture frame, with something seemingly stuck in it.

“Look here,” Lin Xi said, pointing to the crack.

Bai immediately came over, took out a small Swiss Army knife from his pocket, carefully inserted the blade into the crack, and gently pried it open. With a "click," a small hidden compartment popped open on the left side of the picture frame.

In the hidden compartment, a stack of yellowed letters was neatly folded, with a small jade pendant on top. The pendant was crescent-shaped and engraved with the character "辞" (cí, meaning resignation).

"This should be the clue!"

Lin Xi picked up the jade pendant. It felt cool to the touch and had a smooth, warm texture; it must be a fine piece of Hetian jade.

She picked up the top letter again. The paper was brittle, but the handwriting was still clear. It was written with a brush, and the characters were elegant and unrestrained.

"I'll read it to you."

Lin Xi said softly, unfolding the letter.

(End of this chapter)