Alliance

Translator: Cinder Translations

--------

"Is that really the case?" Chen Qiang asked.

Zuo Jing's gaze focused on Chen Qiang's face, and after a moment, she spoke, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"A scapegoat," Chen Qiang did not avoid the topic, "Newcomers will be used as scapegoats to be consumed, just like Tang Shirou."

Squinting, Shi Liaozhi looked up and down at the student-like young man before him, admiringly saying, "I didn't expect you to be quite capable."

"I don't want to die," Chen Qiang said.

"So..." Zuo Jing stared at him.

"Let's cooperate."

"Cooperation requires stakes," Shi Liaozhi tilted his neck, the joints of his extended fingers cracking, he lifted his chin and sneered, "You're a newcomer, what makes you think you can cooperate with us?"

"The Story of Jiao Hong," Chen Qiang said calmly, "I know what this play is about."

Shi Liaozhi was stunned, looking at Chen Qiang as if he were insane, "What good does it do you to know? Anyway, this is just something Qin Jian made up to deceive people."

"Young Master Huang's opera is The Story of Jiao Hong," Chen Qiang said, "Qin Jian didn't lie to you."

Zuo Jing's eyes slightly changed.

"What are you playing at, kid?" Shi Liaozhi clenched his fist, somewhat angry, "Didn't you say..."

"I lied to you, and you still firmly believe it," Chen Qiang looked up at Shi Liaozhi, "Is this stake enough?"

"You..."

"Enough," Zuo Jing suddenly spoke, she first glanced at Shi Liaozhi, then looked at Chen Qiang, "Cooperation is no problem, now tell us what The Story of Jiao Hong is really about."

"Since it's cooperation, I also need to see your sincerity," Chen Qiang said, "It's not appropriate for me to be the only one talking."

Shi Liaozhi suddenly found himself seemingly marginalized.

Raising her hand, Zuo Jing pointed in the direction where Jiang Cheng and his group were staying, "That Hao Shuai is not a newcomer, he's an old player pretending to be one."

"Yes," Chen Qiang nodded, "I also felt that, he's very special, and doesn't seem very good at hiding himself."

"What else?" Chen Qiang looked up and continued to ask, "What else do you know?"

"The people inside are a team," Zuo Jing slowly said, "Hao Shuai, Chen Xiaomeng, Jiang Fugui, they knew each other before entering this scenario."

Chen Qiang slightly widened his eyes.

"Alright," Zuo Jing lifted her chin and said, "Your turn."

"Wait," Chen Qiang looked around, noticing that Shi Liaozhi's expression was still unpleasant, and asked, "Did you two come as a team?"

"No," Shi Liaozhi reluctantly answered, "We met temporarily, it's a temporary alliance, Miss Zuo promised not to abandon me unless absolutely necessary, and I'm the same."

Chen Qiang nodded, "That's fair."

In such a place, a promise from someone you don't know well to protect you at the cost of their life is probably not believable, so such a promise is more practical.

"Then please, unless absolutely necessary, don't abandon me," Chen Qiang stood up and said, "Of course, I will do the same."

"Alright, alright, quickly tell us what's going on with The Story of Jiao Hong?" Shi Liaozhi impatiently said.

"Last night, I did hear that the singing from the person on the lake was similar to a character from The Story of Jiao Hong, but I wasn't sure until someone came out today and sang a few lines, then I was certain."

"You Qi?" Zuo Jing asked.

"Yes," Chen Qiang nodded.

At that time, on the way back, You Qi did say something, cursing and not very specific, just a few scattered words, even You Qi himself didn't understand, Shi Liaozhi didn't pay much attention to it.

But it just happened to give Chen Qiang confirmation.

Especially afterwards, Qin Jian brought the matter to the forefront and discussed it with everyone.

"The gist of the story in The Story of Jiao Hong is indeed as Qin Jian said, just a pair of infatuated lovers, longing for each other but unable to be together, but the ending he mentioned is wrong," Chen Qiang's tone cooled down, "He said the female protagonist died with regret, and the male protagonist willingly mourned for her, never marrying in his lifetime, but in the play, both the male and female protagonists die."

"Both died?" Shi Liaozhi asked.

"Indeed," Chen Qiang nodded very seriously, "They both died."

"If that's the case, then the story in The Story of Jiao Hong might very well extend to our current scenario," Shi Liaozhi's face slightly changed, "So that Young Master Huang is indeed dead, he's a ghost!"

"That's possible," Zuo Jing pursed her lips, "If that's the case, then everything makes sense, Qin Jian hasn't been replaced by a ghost, but he must know that he's being targeted by a ghost, so he deliberately threw out this bait to mislead others, a ghost can only kill one person at a time, as long as others make bigger and more serious mistakes, the ghost might shift its target and temporarily spare him."

"A ghost can only kill one person at a time?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Most of the time, yes," Zuo Jing replied, "But not always."

"So that's how it is."

Shi Liaozhi stood up, first went to check the positions of the doors and windows, then carefully closed them, leaving only a crack.

Light came through the crack, leaving a line of light on the floor.

This way, if someone came up to eavesdrop, they might accidentally block the light, especially effective against peeking through the door crack.

"But do you remember?" Shi Liaozhi, after making a round, sat back on the chair, lowering his voice, "When Qin Jian just came downstairs, he was so scared that his face lost all color, how come after just this short walk back, he spoke with such confidence, and even came up with such an elaborately fabricated lie?"

Chen Qiang's look at Shi Liaozhi also changed.

After a moment, he turned sideways, poured a cup of tea for himself and his two temporary allies, a few broken tea leaves swirling in the shallow cup, slowly settling down.

"Simple," Zuo Jing picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Someone gave him the idea."

"Exactly," Shi Liaozhi casually brushed a few strands of yellow hair on his forehead, "It's that An Xuan," he affirmed, "On the way back, the two of them deliberately lagged behind the group, probably planning this, discussing how to shift the risk onto others."

"They... must be in cahoots," Shi Liaozhi said.

"Seems like it," after a moment of thought, Chen Qiang also nodded, "Although The Story of Jiao Hong is famous, for most people, it's still quite unfamiliar, especially for people around our age."

"They were sure we couldn't figure it out, even if someone knew a bit, they probably wouldn't know the details, and he only tampered with the ending, making it even harder to guess."

"He wanted us to think that Young Master Huang is still alive," Zuo Jing raised her beautiful eyebrows, "If Young Master Huang is still alive, then the assumption that Qin Jian is being targeted by a ghost doesn't exist, and we wouldn't be wary of him."

"Things are getting... more and more lively."

Good night.

(End of the Chapter)

---

Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c366.

Early Access at $1.

Translated (5) Series, (2K+) Chapters, (2.5M+) Words.

🎁If I can get 5 Reviews on WebNovel and ScribbleHub Combined, I'll do a mass release. (1/5)