Funeral Rites (15)-The Funeral Procession

A chilling aura emanated from the coffin, almost obscuring Yu Xing's vision. He heard several piercing screams of fierce ghosts coming from the coffin, his muscles tensed, ready to run away at any moment.

Fortunately, this ghostly energy was not inexhaustible; it dissipated quickly in the air after leaving the coffin, as if it had merely been stored up by someone to scare people.

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow, noticing that the man in white was moving faster. He reached into Liu Xue's coffin by feel and, sure enough, there was no body inside. He then scooped up a hard object.

The coffins of the master, the steward, and Liu Bingxian were empty. He quickly gave up, and just as the hand of the nearest man in white brushed against his shoulder, he ducked, stepped on the coffin wall for leverage, and jumped in, thinking sorry, before darting into his own moldy coffin.

He reached for the thick coffin lid, lay down, and locked himself inside.

Before the light completely disappeared, he took a quick look at what he had taken from Liu Xue's coffin—a red fingernail.

The deduction hints only appear at this point.

[You have obtained the key item "Yi Xue", which can be placed in the Ghost Bag]

Pinch her fingernails and stuff them into the red cloth bag hanging at her waist. Yu Xing heard several pats coming from above the coffin, causing the entire coffin to shake.

He reached out and held the coffin lid steady, preventing it from shifting due to the tremors.

A few seconds later...

The sound of slapping receded into the distance like the receding tide, and the surroundings fell into silence.

It was a profound, utter silence, so profound it could make one feel deaf.

The coffin was clearly the same coffin, but it reeked of mildew. Because it was airtight, breathing inside was heavy, and a feeling of oppression came from the chest, making it easy to feel drowsy.

But in that instant, it seemed to change a little.

Yu Xing could only tell from his own breathing that he had not lost his hearing.

He smiled. Although he was confident that his judgment was correct, the current situation undoubtedly confirmed his suspicions.

This tiny world, created by ghosts, was never meant to follow any rules from the very beginning.

Mourning doesn't necessarily mean sadness, mourners aren't necessarily people, and "door" doesn't necessarily actually mean a door.

He never intended to look for any physical objects like secret doors; in the spiritual world of ghosts, symbolic meaning is far more important than physical objects.

As long as it is a passage connecting this place with the outside world, it can be called a door.

As for the connection method, no one has stipulated it.

"Bang."

Yu Xing was suddenly jolted, followed by a brief feeling of weightlessness. It felt as if someone had lifted his coffin, and it remained in a slightly swaying state ever since.

The sound of the suona horn suddenly rang out, almost right next to his ear.

As the old saying goes, of all musical instruments, the suona is the king.

It's either ascension to heaven or a wedding ceremony.

The play ended with the sound of the suona horn. White cloth covered their heads, and they carried small square boxes. Some walked, some carried, followed by a sea of white.

A mournful and heavy melody was played in its entirety, and Yu Xing's coffin moved back and forth, swaying slightly from side to side. As he listened, he felt his mood uncontrollably sink.

While feeling down, there was also a sense of relief, like a mortal freed from the pains of the world, finally no longer constrained by various relationships, able to play music for themselves, and peacefully departing amidst the cries of loved ones.

You'll find then that what you're reluctant to part with is simply what you're reluctant to let go of.

What loved ones are reluctant to part with is simply reluctance.

After the funeral, those who are meant to live will live, and those who are meant to leave will leave; there will be no further contact between them.

Yu Xing knew that this was not his own emotion, but rather the emotion of the person who was originally lying in the coffin—or the young master groom—that had been infected by him in this specific situation.

He didn't resist, letting himself immerse himself in the emotions, his thoughts gradually becoming blurred, his mind becoming hazy, and he fell into a light sleep.

Before long, he suddenly felt his body lighten and floated up from the coffin.

Yu Xing's gaze pierced through the coffin lid's restraints, gradually rising until it floated in the air, becoming a bird's-eye view.

He saw Ghost Alley... no, at this point it should be a normal funeral street.

On the straight street, many people dressed in white carried a sedan chair. Their expressions were vivid, and they had white ribbons tied around their heads. Their shadows moved slowly forward with each step, making them undoubtedly living people.

Inside the sedan chair was the coffin in which he lay, and the suona player stood on either side of the sedan chair, his head slightly raised, his mouth pursed, and his hands pressing the instruments incessantly.

In front of the sedan chair were paper-made floats and people carrying funeral banners. On both sides of the street, shop owners selling wreaths and paper money leaned out to watch the funeral procession. Even the most gossipy people did not choose to speak at this time.

As the funeral procession gradually receded into the distance, and the people in white no longer provided cover, Yu Xing saw an old man in a vest sitting on the street.

The old man sat on a low stool, looking energetic. His pipe was casually placed on his loose trousers, and he wore patched cloth shoes. He was eating from a porcelain bowl.

The white rice, soaked in the soup, becomes fluffy and soft, which is very gentle on the teeth of the elderly.

The old man chewed his food, turned his head to look at the tail end of the funeral procession, seemingly uninterested, and then turned to hum an off-key tune.

The funeral street has come alive again. Shop owners have brought out small stools and are sitting in front of their shops, chatting with acquaintances. Someone asked an old man, "What did you eat today?"

The old man smiled and replied, "Soybeans, green vegetables! Rice porridge is delicious."

The man continued, "Eating breakfast already? It smells delicious!"

The old man looked at his bowl. "Right? I made it myself! Come over tomorrow, and I'll make you something to eat."

The man and several shop owners around him laughed. The shop owners said, "Can we freeload too? Everyone knows Old Zhou's cooking is amazing!"

The old man grinned happily, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, which made him look very kind.

The shop owner, who was a little further away, watched the laughter and chatter, lowered his voice, and sighed, "Old Zhou has had a tough time. His wife died, his son ran off with his grandson, and he's all alone now..."

Others chimed in, "Sigh, what a fine old man. I hope he lives a long life."

Yu Xing was floating in the sky, unable to move, and could only take in all of this.

This is probably what the young master wanted him to see.

At this time of day, the funeral street is full of life. The morning mist has just dissipated, and the shop owners open early regardless of whether there are customers or not, looking very happy.

The old man, known as Lao Zhou, seemed quite content as he ate the meal he had prepared. Others respected his age and always tried to make him happy.

This is the norm in the world; people who believe and spread rumors are not necessarily unkind in life.

However, this is true of most people and things in this world; no one can say for sure how much a person has done good or bad from the moment they live until they die.

A while later.

The sound of the suona horn was too far away to be heard.

The alleyway in front of Yu Xing began to crumble into pieces, the laughter and chatter faded away, the shopkeepers gradually disappeared, and the sky darkened.

This place has become what it looked like when Yu Xing performed his calculations: old and dilapidated.

There's no one left.

A touch of melancholy grew in Yu Xing's heart. He didn't know if it was the young master's emotions, which he had integrated into this small world, that had affected him, or if he was truly moved by the scene before him.

People leave and the tea grows cold, just like the many farewells he has witnessed.

No matter how bustling the place, no matter how vibrant the people, they will eventually turn into ruins and withered bones before him, a scene of things changed and people gone.

He heard the old man humming a tune and couldn't help but look over. He couldn't see the old man, only a dusty stool and a cloth shoe stained with blood.

This was the scene he saw as soon as he entered the simulation.

Yu Xing remained silent as darkness finally fell before his eyes. His senses faded, and he vaguely felt the coffin being lowered and buried in the ground, with the sound of shovels scraping against the sand echoing around him.

Then, I couldn't see anything anymore.

I don't know why, but I feel a little sad.

I suddenly miss my grandpa.

[Hey upstairs, why don't you go visit Grandpa while it's safe to do so?]

He has passed away.

This phase is so... I don't know how to describe it.

I suspect the main theme of this simulation will be tragedy.

[Damn it, why? I came here to laugh, not to feel sorry for someone.]

I still really want to know, what makes you so sure the door is the coffin?

[There's so much I want to know; he's so amazing, it's like he got the script beforehand.]

[You can ask him questions during the long table time later.]

After Yu Xing finished setting up the action plan and entered the mourning hall, the number of viewers for their group's live stream skyrocketed. Because the live stream of this simulation was synchronized with real time, many participants only entered the system later, saw the [Death Parallel Line] notification, and clicked on it.

This live stream simulation has its own recommendation system. Based on the speed of progress and the level of excitement determined by the system, it will recommend corresponding live stream rooms to newcomers.

Yu Xing's group is far ahead in terms of progress; all three of their live streams are ranked first in the recommendations.

The live chat was buzzing. When the deducers split up, the live stream perspective also split. Someone took a screenshot of Zhao Yijiu leading the ghosts of the entire haunted house by herself, intending to include it in some highlight reel.

As for Yu Xing and Zhao Ruru, the two people who stayed in the mourning hall, they were first praised for their acting skills in crying on cue, but then a disagreement arose when Yu Xing touched the coffin.

The comments section went from shock to skepticism. When he stuffed Zhao Ruru into the coffin, most of the viewers, like Zhao Ruru, felt that he was possessed by a ghost or had been switched at birth.

The main reason lies in Zhao Ruru's eyes; the fear in her eyes was very clear, and even her teammates felt the same way, which made the viewers in the live stream even more suspicious.

Because Zhao Yijiu's screen is separated from theirs, but Yu Xing and Zhao Ruru are still together, the live stream is merged. It is very possible that, without their knowledge, the real Yu Xing has disappeared or even died, and what the audience is watching is Zhao Ruru's live stream alone!

There was no way around it; at that time, Yu Xing seemed too much like a ghost whose plan had already succeeded and who no longer needed to pretend.

Alternatively, his composure can be explained in two ways: first, he has a very strong mental fortitude and is extremely confident in his judgment; second, he is a ghost, and the more unfavorable the situation is for Zhao Ruru, the happier he is.

In short, he doesn't seem like a newly promoted newcomer.

Many viewers were caught in a dilemma as Zhao Ruru's coffin was sealed shut—along with the excitement of the Fallen Path.

Another wave of arguments broke out in the live chat, and some people even called Zhao Yijiu stupid for not doubting Yu Xing after returning to the mourning hall.

It wasn't until Yu Xing was laid in the coffin and the people who had been watching him on the screen dispersed that everyone realized—damn! He wasn't a ghost, he was a real person!

And it seems that the coffin really is a door.

His popularity exploded instantly.

Someone screen-recorded his villainous actions and the part where he retrieved the key item from Liu Xue's coffin during the high-speed chase. You can imagine how many people will recognize Yu Xing after the live stream ends.

Almost every live broadcast has a highlight reel, which is an important way to help the deducers obtain the [Deducer Star Level]. This level can be seen in the Persona Mask after promotion. Yu Xing was previously "unnoticed", and the Star Deducer is the identity obtained after promoting to "the center of attention".

Having followed Yu Xing's perspective as she swayed through the coffin, viewers are already looking forward to the [long table time] between each mission phase.

A soft touch beneath her arm; as Yu Xing emerged from the darkness, the first thing she felt was the warmth of her familiar down jacket.

The furry collar brushed against his face, and he made a groggy, nasal sound as he propped himself up.

A long, ice-blue table came into view. Opposite him, Zhao Ruru stared at him expressionlessly, her gaze as complex as if she were looking at an indescribable, monstrous creature.

[Congratulations on completing the first stage of the Death Parallel Line mission. Please take a short break here.]

[Long table time begins, duration 20 minutes]

[Tip: During the long table session, players can choose rewards based on their progress ranking and interact with the live chat. Answering bounty questions will earn a large number of points, which will be included in the final reward.]

[Please note that this space is shared by all teams, but the system has restricted any form of information disclosure in the chat to protect the information rights of each team.]

Yu Xing then fully regained consciousness.

This is a formal conference room with thirty seats on both sides of a long table. At the head of the table is a huge screen, and at the foot of the table is an empty display case with no apparent purpose.

Yu Xing knew about the Long Table Time, which was a unique feature of Death Parallel Line. After each stage of the mission was completed, the deducers would enter here to rest and interact with the audience.

The meeting room is a public space where each team must stay for at least twenty minutes. During this time, teams with similar completion times can meet here.

Therefore, a system is needed to monitor information to prevent bullet comments from revealing one team's information to another.

It's worth mentioning that the system's monitoring is absolute. Viewers will never be able to use clever tricks to send messages. Even if they have pre-arranged their own passwords to transmit text, as long as they have this intention, the system will block it and impose unbearable penalties for malicious violations.

For example, if you input a string of numbers, such as 1234567, there will be no problem.

If someone pre-arranges that "1234567" means "a certain team has found key information that you couldn't find," then that person won't be able to post that string of numbers in the chat.

The deductive system of this Absurd World cannot be fathomed by common sense; it can even perceive the soul of every individual, so how could it fail to detect these subtle intentions?

Its rules are absolute and no one can disobey them.

At least not now.

However, in the minds of the deducers, the Absurdity System is not an oppressor representing power, because it has set rules for itself, rules that even the system itself must abide by.

Just like in Alice's Hell, the system clearly doesn't want Yu Xing to get the rule-level sacrifice [Forbidden Chair], but it can still only give a hint according to the prescribed price. It cannot arbitrarily raise the price of a sacrifice worth 4000 points to 8000, even if the object is Yu Xing.

To some extent, the system of Absurd Deduction Game achieves fairness, and therefore, it is widely accepted and even loved by deduction players, even though it is inherently a terrifying thing.

Zhao Ruru stared at Yu Xing, and seeing that he was awake, she asked, "Are you even human?"

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and gave her the same smile he had given her in the mourning hall.

Zhao Ruru shuddered. "Don't look at me like that, okay? I'm scared of you! I mean, are you even human?! Couldn't you at least explain yourself before you hit me? Do you know how close I came to cardiac arrest when you shoved me into that coffin? Do you understand that kind of despair???"

Before Yu Xing could even speak, Zhao Yijiu, who was lying on the seat to his right, stirred her hair, quickly sat up straight, and looked around warily.

Finding himself in an unfamiliar place, but with Yu Xing and Zhao Ruru both there, Zhao Yijiu's tense muscles relaxed slightly. His gaze shifted to the large screen at the end of the long table, where scrolling comments were being sent—greetings, congratulations, and "hahahahaha."

Then, Zhao Yijiu heard Yu Xing say in a pitiful tone, as if she had done something wrong and was begging for forgiveness, "I was wrong~ There wasn't enough time back then, please forgive me?"

His forehead twitched at that moment.