Funeral (11) - Who Was It?

Yu Xing believed the paper figure was a puppet because of the ghostly aura that appeared and disappeared around it.

Although his curse aura has been suppressed by the system, he still retains the ability to sense ghostly energy. He has never encountered a ghost that he can't sense at all.

Perhaps a more powerful ghost could do it, such as Yi Qing who deliberately concealed his aura, but the paper figure was clearly not a ghost of a very high level.

--It might not even be a ghost.

"As I said before, Zhou Xue and the paper figure should belong to the same group. Since one looks like a human and the other looks like a ghost, let's assume for now that in this supernatural space, the paper figure and Zhou Xue are two different species." He patiently explained to Zhao Ruru and Zhao Yijiu, hoping to instill a more convenient and useful way of thinking in their minds.

"Since two species can get together, there must only be three possible relationships."

He said, "The paper figure depends on Zhou Xue, Zhou Xue depends on the paper figure, or the two cooperate as equals."

"Mmm." Zhao Ruru decided to temporarily play the role of a devoted straight man.

"The paper doll has offensive capabilities, and Zhou Xue has intelligence. In a sense, their abilities complement each other, and they can barely achieve equal cooperation. However, I believe that with its limited intelligence, the paper doll is incapable of providing timely and effective support to its partner," Yu Xing said sarcastically. "In this respect, only with Zhou Xue taking the lead could the current situation have arisen."

"Ah, so Zhou Xue is Liu Xue, and she made paper figures after she died to prevent others from entering the haunted house?" Zhao Ruru frowned. "But isn't that a bit contradictory? If Zhou Xue didn't want you to enter the haunted house, she simply wouldn't give you a chance to leave the coffin shop, and just had the paper figures guard outside the shop."

After listening to the experiences of her two teammates, Yu Xing had been thinking about this question the longest.

He now had his answer, "That's right, so I think Liu Xue is a bit complicated. First, she hates haunted houses, and even after she couldn't get in herself, she still used Zhou Xue's identity to find a way in. Second, she hates Boss Liu; this paper puppet was something she made to prevent others from attending Boss Liu's funeral."

This is actually similar to what Lu Xiaorong said in the comments, there isn't much difference.

The live chat immediately showered praise on Lu Da Lao (a nickname for a popular streamer) and also on Xing (another streamer).

"There's another point: the paper figures patrol the streets, catching anyone who speaks... It's like a form of surveillance against rumors. Besides discussing Boss Liu behind his back, the shop owners probably also talked a lot about Liu Xue, who died young. Liu Xue probably couldn't completely let go of that."

"But using paper figures to force the shop owners to hide doesn't seem to have any real meaning. I suspect it's related to why the shop owners died. Liu Xue's manipulation of the paper figures might even be a way of protecting the shop owners— Zhou Xue did the same. In this supernatural space that only has symbolic meaning, the shop owners are extremely grateful for Zhou Xue's help and trust her completely."

Yu Xing rarely speaks so much at once. He is used to thinking and digesting things on his own, and then only presenting the conclusions. But now he has two teammates who are eager to learn, and in order to make sure they understand clearly and don't suffer from confusion in the later stages of the mission, he has no choice but to explain everything in detail.

This caused his throat to become very dry, especially with the constant sound of suona horns playing in the cemetery, while he still had to maintain a volume that his teammates could hear.

Feeling a pang of regret that there was no hot water available, Yu Xing coughed twice, trying to soothe his tired throat, before continuing, "During this phase of the mission, Boss Liu was a cunning schemer with biased stances. To let others know the truth about his drowning, he revealed crucial information to the strategist. He was also the main figure at the funeral—because all the elegiac couplets in Ghost Alley were written for him."

"You haven't been feeling well, why don't you rest for a bit?" Zhao Yijiu noticed the discomfort in his throat and, recalling the events since they met, realized that Yu Xing hadn't lied to him about his poor health.

His brow was cold, but his words sounded like something Righteous Path would say, "It seems we're progressing faster than the simulation system predicted. We're still quite a while away from the point of death it designed, the climax of each wave of the plot. Speaking slowly will help Zhao Ruru and me process this."

Zhao Yijiu was, after all, Zhao Mou's younger brother. How could he be unprepared for a live stream like "Death Parallel Line"? He had already consulted Zhao Mou and learned about the concept of "death point".

For example, in horror movies, every now and then, a ghost has to make its presence known, one or two supporting characters die, and the protagonist has to experience a heart attack. This is the frequency, the rhythm that the director and screenwriter weave for the audience.

Ghosts don't follow you everywhere; they always give the protagonist a safe period to catch their breath, only to return when they're most relaxed or most tense.

Relaxation relies on jump scares, while tension relies on building up a terrifying atmosphere. These are different techniques, but their only common goal is to scare the protagonist half to death.

This rhythm also applies to deduction. It seems that the deducer is in charge of the deduction, attracting ghosts by triggering tasks and key items to drive the plot. In reality, where the deducer can trigger what, and at what time, how much truth they can know, largely depends on how many clues the deduction system releases.

Zhao Yijiu knew that if the third spot in the team hadn't Yu Xing, but instead to someone whose abilities were only average, they would still be in the stage of the three of them wandering around the haunted house looking for more clues, far from the point where the ghosts would set up a killing trap.

So you could say Yu Xing was a bit slower. He bought the team so much time. Just like Zhao Ruru's prediction, without Yu Xing, they would have faced great misfortune if they had continued wandering around the yin house. But with Yu Xing, things were clearly different.

Yu Xing somewhat surprised, and Zhao Ruru chimed in at the same time, "Indeed, your thinking is too fast; we need to process it. To be honest, I doubt you're using a human brain. Otherwise, we're all made of the same flesh and neurons, so why are you smarter than me?"

When Ms. Zhao was gathering information and cultivating informants, she always believed that she was the smartest person around her.

Of course, being clever, she knew when to stay away from someone as cunning as Zhao Mou. As long as she didn't get close, she was the smartest person around her!

Her main concern was that the intelligence she had worked so hard to obtain might be stolen by Zhao Mou without her knowledge.

Even close brothers keep clear accounts. Although Zhao Mou has been kind to her, she will only help him if he asks for her help, which is a good way to repay the debt of gratitude.

If you want intelligence normally, you have to pay a fixed price, without any discounts.

Yu Xing gladly accepted their kindness, even though... he had already recovered.

Brother Jiu was deceived again. Interestingly, this time he didn't even say a word; his preconceived notions deceived Brother Jiu instead.

However, the information Zhao Yijiu released to the outside world was exactly what he wanted. Yu Xing was honored to portray a character who, although strong in Combat Power, had a weakness in physical fitness, for the viewers in the live stream, which would help him have more fun in the future.

Yu Xing stopped and rested for two minutes, allowing them to properly process the information.

Two minutes later, his throat felt much better, and he asked, "Did you understand everything I said before?"

Zhao Ruru: "Understood!"

Zhao Yijiu: "Understood."

Judging from his expression, he seems to really understand.

Yu Xing smiled with satisfaction, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, giving Zhao Yijiu and Zhao Ruru the feeling of an old fox, similar to Zhao Mou.

Zhao Mou possessed a meticulous, calculating quality characteristic of elite humans; it seemed that if you glanced at him a couple of times, you would have all your secrets and value revealed.

Yu Xing, on the other hand, possesses an indescribable, gentle, penetrating quality, as if he can always stand at a specific angle and completely strip away the disguise of the person in front of him, leaving them nowhere to hide, yet he does so with a sense of satisfaction.

Zhao Ruru unconsciously covered her eyes, a thought rising in her mind—it's best to avoid eye contact with these two people.

Zhao Yijiu...

Zhao Yijiu was already used to it.

He didn't have any secrets he wanted to hide, so he was actually quite relaxed. Mainly, these two people happened to be people he trusted.

Needless to say, his older brother Zhao Mou, who raised him from childhood to adulthood, always gave in to him no matter how much Zhao Mou bullied others, and never let him suffer a loss.

Yu Xing is the kind of person who would use him, but wouldn't let him get hurt.

Zhao Yijiu is accustomed to silence, but his grasp of people's hearts and his insight into their character are always incredibly accurate.

With a good mood, Yu Xing interlaced her fingers and asked, "Shall we continue?"

Zhao Ruru: "Okay."

Yu Xing then smoothly transitioned to the part that had been interrupted, ending the discussion of Liu Bingxian's stance, and began to move on to the next point. "Liu Xue's stance seems to be biased towards the bad, but in fact, after trying to get close to the strategist, Zhou Xue didn't do anything out of line. On the contrary, she indirectly provided information about the paper doll and the alleyway, and even comforted the strategist, using the image of a modern girl to cheer them up."

"Let's not dwell on the rest of the shop owners. They're basically tools, no, tool ghosts. They're the ones who write the funeral couplets, and they're the ones who leak the account information to the portrait shop. Apart from the hidden, decipherable traps, they provide almost all the clues."

"As for the white-clad figures who can only cry, are mentally dull, and seem to have poor eyesight and hearing, I tend to think they are more like map clues, indicating which rooms are important to the diviner, while also creating some minor troubles for the diviner. Also, since they are the last group of ghosts in the haunted house that might harbor malice towards the diviner, and as you also said, the white-clad figures' wailing is synchronized with the paper figures, their stance should largely overlap with the paper figures'—that is, to prevent the diviner from staying in the haunted house."

"The men in white will likely be the last and most difficult obstacle we encounter when trying to leave through the 'door.' This is just my guess; after all, there are enough of them to make for a 'hundred ghosts parade'."

Zhao Ruru: "Ugh, I think I'll need emergency treatment then."

Yu Xing looked at her, a gentle smile in her eyes, "We'll try our best, but we still hope you're prepared to save yourself."

Zhao Ruru knew Yu Xing was joking, but she still looked a little dejected.

If she had a choice, she would trade Zhao Mou's five years of single life for not being attacked by a horde of ghosts!

Then, he would trade a year of being single for avoiding being punished by Zhao Mou.

"In summary, these are the roles and attitudes of the four groups of ghosts we've encountered so far." Yu Xing ignored what she was thinking. When he noticed the girl decisively avert her gaze, unwilling to meet his eyes, he inwardly praised her keen observation and continued, "The clues about the ghosts that create supernatural spaces are also contained within these clues."

Wow, I listened to so much in one go, it was so satisfying!

[That's right, there's that feeling of not being able to solve a problem, but suddenly seeing a top student's detailed draft.]

[No, that draft is missing an answer.]

[I listened to it all, I think I'm good enough, but I got completely crushed.]

[Fortunately, the four ghostly positions he mentioned just now hinted at the identity of the ghost that created the supernatural space?]

[There are no hints; it can only be either Liu Xue or Liu Bingxian, right?]

[Based on Lu Dashen's previous analysis, I support Liu Xue]

[+1]

[+1]

"It's Liu Xue, isn't it?" Sure enough, Zhao Ruru thought so too, and she had her reasons, "First, we can rule out the shop owner and the white-clad man, so among the remaining ghosts, Liu Xue clearly has a stronger ability to infiltrate this space."

"Stronger penetration?" Yu Xing asked with a half-smile. "Does Liu Xue Liu Bingxian?"

This is a no-brainer; previous analyses have already proven this point multiple times.

Zhao Ruru realized that Yu Xing might argue with her, and hesitantly replied, "Yes, I hate it."

"Since she hates Liu Bingxian, how could she allow a Liu Bingxian who can guide outsiders to leave to appear in the supernatural space she created, which is dominated by her consciousness? Even if she wanted to spare the outsiders' lives, she wouldn't let Liu Bingxian something so endearing."

Yu Xing glanced at her sideways. "If you could control everything, would you be willing to let your enemy gain favor with others on your turf?"

Zhao Ruru was speechless, and at the same time realized that something was wrong.

She said, "Liu Bingxian is the same... If Liu Bingxian created the supernatural space, his purpose should be to have someone know the truth about his death. In that case, he would never allow Liu Xue to create paper figures to block his way."

Yu Xing thought, "He's quite clever."

I'm dumbfounded.

[Isn't it Liu Xue or Liu Bingxian? ]

[Learning from past mistakes, I won't refute him; I'm afraid of being proven wrong.]

[You're reminding everyone that Boss Lü is getting slapped in the face.]

[Lu Xiaorong:... I was wrong, I was careless]

[Zhao Mou: After all, it wasn't firsthand experience, so errors are inevitable. Senior Lü's ability to analyze so much from an outsider's perspective is already quite impressive.]

Okay, Zhao Mou, as smooth as ever, offered a way out.

I have to say, he's the kind of person you feel very comfortable around because he'll never make you feel awkward.

During the live stream, Zhao Ruru, in a fit of desperation, asked, "Is it one of the shop owners?"

Yu Xing: "Would the shop owner really make himself look so disheveled that he doesn't even dare to go out on the street?"

"That man in white?"

Yu Xing: "Besides crying and killing you, what other uses do they have?"

Zhao Ruru: "..."

So neither of them???

I felt a sense of confusion; perhaps I wasn't a qualified strategist.

I had a premonition that I would hear something shocking.

Zhao Yijiu heard all of Yu Xing's answers and sarcasm, and then belatedly realized something. "These four groups of ghosts all have some manifestation in the supernatural space, and each has its own stance, which in itself contradicts the claim that one party created the space."

"You got it right~" Yu Xing was about to finish this round of plot analysis and head to the last place to complete the entire stage. His tone became cheerful. "Brother Jiu, have you figured it out yet?"

Zhao Yijiu: "If we want to avoid conflict, we can only be people outside of these four categories."

"Hmm~ Go on?"

A cold and gloomy aura permeated his voice, yet it produced a unique sense of orderliness. "However, in the current investigation, no single character can simultaneously know the movements of all four sides. The funeral street and the burial site are actually separate entities. Some details are known only to Liu Xue and Liu Bingxian themselves."

Yu Xing could tell that Zhao Yijiu had obtained the final correct answer.

He added, "Therefore, no one can create such a balanced space because they can't see the whole picture."

Zhao Yijiu: "But ghosts can."

What does "ghostly ability" mean? Aren't we all ghosts except for the diviners? Zhao Ruru stared at the two of them expectantly. She was in a state where she didn't want to think. She just wanted to do the divination as soon as possible. Only in her area of expertise could she become as powerful as before.

Yu Xing laughed and said, "That's right, only ghosts can utilize their intangible nature to have a comprehensive perspective."

Zhao Yijiu looked at him, and for the first time felt that being able to follow Yu Xing all the way to deduce the correct answer was such a happy thing.

He received Yu Xing's affirmative signal, and his lips curved into a barely perceptible smile as he uttered a name with a very low screen time:

"It's the groom."

He was already dead from the beginning, so he could stand in the ghost's perspective and see everything that Liu Bingxian, Liu Xue, the master, and the butler did... the ghost groom.

A gust of cold wind blew by, its chill penetrating to the bone, scattering the plan on the stone table.

A laugh seemed to drift on the wind.