Ita Era

Chapter 125: Choose Four from Five
Ding Shi used one hand and his waist strength to climb to the cowherd's side, stuffing the red envelope back into his hands: "I don't want your stuff. Hmm?"

Ding Shi took a small paper figure from the cowherd's pocket. The paper figure was lifelike, with exquisitely drawn soft armor and helmet. The paper figure held a shield and a large sword; the shield was sturdy, and the sword was sharp. Except for the eyes, it was a miniature version of the soldier Ding Shi had seen the night before.

The paper figure has eye sockets and eyes, but no pupils. Ding Shi, who had ventured into the dark version of Peach Blossom Village, knew about the custom of "dotting the eyes" on paper figures. His question was, after he dotted the eyes of the paper figure, did it belong to him or the creator? He didn't want the paper figure to split him in two after he finished doing so.

Ding Shi put the paper figure away and said, "I'll use your things for you. You're welcome."

Before the onlookers arrived, Ding Shi had already crawled away as far as possible from the scene. The first guy to arrive looked around, and seeing no one was around, he looted the man's body a second time, obtaining a red envelope. He opened the envelope, took out 50 yuan, and transferred it to his bank card. For reasons unknown, he then made another cut, put the red envelope back in, and stuffed it back into his account.

The second group to arrive included several big shots, such as Brother Ba.

The myna bird said, "Now our argument has come to a conclusion. He had a red envelope in his pocket, and I can tell you with 100% certainty: his death was caused by that red envelope."

Passerby A: "I don't believe it."

The myna bird said, "If you don't believe me, take the money in the red envelope. I bet you 300 dollars to die."

Passerby B: "I'll bet you, but I only have $80."

The myna bird said, "80 dollars will do. If you don't die, you can take the money. If you die, the money is mine. Everyone can be a witness."

"it is good."

Passerby B placed 80 dollars on top of 300 dollars, reached into a red envelope, pulled out a dollar from it to show everyone, and then transferred that dollar to his own account.

The myna bird explained, "Customs vary from place to place, and this kind of money found on the roadside has various names. Some say it's for ghost marriages, some say it's for buying longevity, some say it's for dowries, and some say it's for betrothal gifts. In this instance, taking the money means you die."

Passerby B: "I'm not dead."

The myna bird said, "It will take some time."

Five minutes later, Passerby B said, "I'm not dead."

The myna bird said, "There are probably too many of us, so we can't all watch. Everyone, please disperse and come back in a minute."

A minute later, the myna bird was kicked to the ground. Passerby A cursed, "You son of a bitch, pay me a hundred dollars! Listen to me, we were having lunch together, and I saw a hundred dollars on the ground, but he wouldn't let me pick it up. You can't stand seeing others have it good, you dog!" Passerby A kicked it again, spat, and walked away.

Passerby B picked up a $380 bill and slapped the myna bird in the face: "Does your face hurt? Does it hurt?"

Passerby C: "So it turns out you can take this money. It's not a curse at all, it's an Easter egg, a treasure hunt."

The cold rain lashed against the myna's face. He looked bewildered. "Impossible," he thought, "he should be dead."

A voice drifted over: "People have died here too."

The myna bird jumped up and ran over. It was the person who had slipped a knife into the red envelope. The myna bird exclaimed excitedly, "He must have a red envelope or red paper on him."

Of course, the myna bird was wrong again. Instead of popularizing folk customs and reducing the player's death rate, the myna bird became a weapon for evil spirits to slaughter.

Ding Shi slid across the threshold of the bamboo courtyard like a boneless fish. Zi Qing watched him climb all the way to her room and asked helplessly, "What are you doing now?"

Ding Shi paused to catch his breath, struggling to move forward using only his waist and one hand; it was indeed very difficult. He didn't want to answer Zi Qing's question, but seeing Zi Qing approaching, he hurriedly said, "Er San is dead, and I've been crippled."

Ziqing asked, "Who did it?"

Ding Shi: "Eighteen corpses."

Ziqing asked, "You crippled yourself with Eighteen's corpse, and you also killed Two and Three?"

Ding Shi: "Almost there, don't pick up the money, don't pick up the red envelopes, don't pick up the gold ingots." He pushed open the door, crawled inside, closed the door, but couldn't stand up or reach the door. He blocked it with his body, determined not to let the culprit in.

Five minutes later, Ding Shi was finally free. The first thing he did was to close the door, then change into the same clothes from the wardrobe. He left his dirty clothes at the servants' door, and they would take care of them and return them to the basket by the door.

The activity involving red envelopes and gold ingots grew increasingly rampant, fueled by the rising tide of dark clouds. In the time it took to take a nap, two gold ingots appeared in the courtyard. Ziqing sat on a wooden stump by the door, staring blankly at the gold ingots. Seeing Ding Shi finally come out, she said, "Are these evil spirits mocking our intelligence?" She desperately wanted the gold ingots, but reason kept warning her: don't look, and definitely don't touch them.

Ding Shi asked, "Aren't you going to rest for a while?"

Ziqing: "I can't sleep well. Just when I'm about to fall asleep, I wake up with a start."

Ding Shi said, "Throw away the waist tag."

Ziqing: "Why? Do you know something?"

Ding Shi said, "I have a rule: I can't talk too much with women. My quota for today is full." He turned and went back to his room. Miraculously, he hadn't been warned after lying to Zi Qing. Ding Shi felt like God had opened a window for him; he vaguely grasped the secret to being a gigolo.

Ziqing touched her waist token, her eyes darting left and right. A sudden idea struck her, and she said, "I'll only ask one question: Do you still like me?" If Ding Shi still liked her, he certainly wouldn't harm her. If Ding Shi didn't like her, it was unlikely he would intentionally harm her. Her sudden inspiration seemed like a load of rubbish.

She hadn't expected her question to drive Ding Shi into such a desperate situation. Ding Shi could answer, "Of course I like you, I love you," but once she said that, who knew how many more things she would have to say to herself? If she said she didn't like him, she would be letting down the window God had opened, and her left leg would be ruined again.

Do you like it? Or not?

Ding Shi's brain was practically fried and he couldn't think of a reply. After opening his mouth for a long time, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he answered, "Black paste."

"what?"

"What a mess!" Haha, I'm so clever. I thought of using Cantonese to solve the problem. Not only did I lie, but I also had no aftereffects. I went into the room and closed the door.

Ziqing stood at the door for three minutes, then resolutely removed her waist token and gently placed it within easy reach, awaiting punishment. After ten minutes without any punishment, Ziqing finally believed Ding Shi was telling the truth.

……

At dinner time, only 21 players ate, and everyone's expression was serious. After paying a heavy price, the survivors finally reached a basic consensus: the red envelopes scattered everywhere were not treasure hunt easter eggs, but deadly poison. Seven courtyards, 21 people, an average of only 3 people left in each courtyard.

Courtyards like Bamboo Courtyard, which lack a main house, are relatively safe. Most of the other main houses are still alive. The side houses in their courtyards are unaware that the main house is the one who framed them, and it was the main house that deliberately led the discussion about the red envelope surprise.

As Ding Shi ate his rice, he thought about the woman in the cheongsam. She was perhaps the only one who had used gold ingots to harm others, and who had also been harmed by them. Why hadn't she been able to control her desires? Ding Shi thought of the Cowherd. The Cowherd escaped a calamity because he had a protective jade. Did Er'er, who gave the woman in the cheongsam gold ingots, also have some kind of professional advantage?

Why does his job only have negative effects? He dresses well and has money to buy gifts, but he has to appease women. Who knows how hard it is to appease women? He tried it once and never wanted to do it again. A man's fear of his wife doesn't necessarily mean he loves her; it could just be that he doesn't want trouble. Ding Shi's mind didn't work. With his clothes and looks, plus the necessity of appeasing women, he might already be enjoying the blessings of having two wives, and maybe even have emptied their pockets.

Studying is difficult, and studying out of necessity is even more difficult, but studying can get you into a good high school and a good university. However, Ding Shi's mind is stuck at the stage where I stopped studying, so naturally he cannot benefit from studying.

After dinner, Ziqing and Dingshi walked back to the bamboo garden together. As fewer and fewer players joined them, the once lively backyard became quiet, and the darkness and silence gradually eroded their courage.

Stepping into the bamboo garden, the two stopped. Lanterns were already lit inside, and the main hall was even more brightly lit. Eighteen women in cheongsams, twenty dock workers, twenty-two women from the well, twenty-three male prostitutes, and twenty-four men who died young—five people in total—sat upright on chairs in the main hall, with the women in cheongsams taking the seat of honor.

With his head bowed and his hands trembling, Zhu Da placed cups of tea in front of each corpse, then quickly ran to the side and stood with Zhu Er.

The woman in the cheongsam spoke, her voice neither male nor female: "Since you're here, come in."

Seeing this bizarre scene, Ziqing grabbed Ding Shi's clothes tightly. Ding Shi tugged twice but couldn't pull them apart. He whispered to comfort her, "It's the same situation as Er Si." Er Si died on the first day. His corpse could walk and sit down on its own. The reason was that there was a talisman on his body.

Ding Shi guessed that someone had used one or more talismans to control the five corpses during their mealtime, setting up this trap.

How much fighting power do those five corpses have? Ding Shi didn't think they were very strong, but the sheer number of them still made him uneasy. Who knew what other tricks they might have up their sleeves? What if he went in, the door closed, and dozens of corpses jumped out from several rooms? What would he do then?
As they hesitated, the woman in the cheongsam suddenly stood up. Although the distance was considerable, Ding Shi leaped out of the courtyard like a spring, nearly pulling Zi Qing down. Zi Qing quickly took small steps to maintain her balance and stood beside Ding Shi again, indicating that she was not afraid at all.

The woman in the cheongsam placed a gold ingot on the table in front of her, sat back down, and then the other four corpses stood up, walked over, placed their gold ingots on the table, and returned to their seats.

Five gold ingots were lined up, gleaming with golden light. The woman in the cheongsam said, "Only one gold ingot is cursed. The other four are your rewards. You can take them as you like."

They started by using gold ingots to trick people into giving them lives, then they tried to buy their lives with red envelopes, and now they're playing a knowledge quiz game.

Ding Shi whispered in Zi Qing's ear, "Each gold ingot is worth 150 knives. If you take 5 gold ingots at once, and then die, the settlement will deduct 200 knives as a deposit, but you'll still make a profit." With that, he broke the deadlock.

Ziqing expressed doubt: "Why didn't you take it?"

Ding Shi said, "Hundreds of cuts are nothing to me."

Warning! Showing off wealth to women violates the basic morality of gigolos.

Ding Shi knelt down on one knee again, stubbornly explaining, "This is the punishment for exceeding the limit of talking to women."

Ziqing asked, "How long will the punishment last?"

Ding Shi held up two fingers, and Zi Qing asked, "20 minutes?"

Ding nodded.

Ziqing said, "Then let's wait it out for now."

Twenty minutes later, Ding Shi's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Do you want it? If you don't, I'll take it." He already had a plan.

Ziqing gestured: "Here, take it all."

Ding Shi stepped forward, and Zi Qing could only follow, stopping near the main room.

Ding Shi flicked his clothes, pulled a roll of yellow talismans from his suit pocket, and pasted them one by one onto the gold ingots. He then made a hand seal, and five small bolts of lightning struck down. Four of the gold ingots remained still, while one turned to ash. Ding Shi grabbed the four gold ingots with his right hand and put them into his pocket.

"Haha, you audacious monster, if you dare, bring me another gold ingot." With 600 cuts in hand, and seeing that the five corpses didn't react, he walked around and gave each of them a golden lightning talisman: "Give me the money, or I'll blow you up."

Ziqing asked in surprise, "Isn't it supposed to be a double seal? Where did you get your true energy?" Ziqing wanted to ask the same question that the boss behind the corpse wanted to know.

Ding Shi said, "Give..." Ding Shi stopped talking. He wanted to say he'd tell you if you paid him, but having suffered enough from gigolos, he knew when to stop. The power of the Five Thunder Talisman doesn't lie in the strength of the one who draws it, but in the power of the talisman itself. Although the power isn't great, it still surpasses the power of ordinary people.

Ding Shi banged on the table: "Hurry up and pay, or I'll blow it up. I'll count to five."

After counting to five, lightning struck Ersi, who began to smoke and convulse before turning back into a real corpse, its stiff body collapsing to the ground.

Ding Shi looked at Twenty, who stood up and jumped towards the gate, only to be blown up by Ding Shi. The remaining three corpses tried to escape, but they were no match for Ding Shi's hand gestures. Three bolts of lightning struck, and the five corpses lay scattered on the ground.

Ding Shi drew five slashes and handed them to Zhu Da: "Call the butler to clean the floor." In front of an absolutely handsome man, all corpses are just decorations.

Zhu Da took the money and ran. No matter how big the main house was, it couldn't outweigh money. Before long, the steward arrived at Zhu Courtyard with a gloomy face. Clearly, he no longer wanted to give Ding Shi a pleasant look.

Watching the guards collect the body, Ding Shi, who had pulled up a chair and sat down in the main hall, asked, "Steward, I have a question. Why didn't you let the guards attack me directly?"

The butler didn't answer, but a guard replied, "We're guards, not murderers." A respectable profession, okay?

The subtext is: they follow the basic rules. Otherwise, Old Master Wang, who controls dozens of guards, wouldn't need to go through all that trouble; he could just give each guard a knife and kill them all.

Guards cannot directly kill players; they can only apprehend and enforce family discipline after a player commits a crime. Evil spirits also cannot directly kill players; they must do so through intermediaries such as red envelopes, gold ingots, or waist tokens.

Hmm? Ding Shi thought of Madam Wang. Madam Wang couldn't directly kill the players, but she could release paper figures to hunt them down. With that thought, Ding Shi immediately went outside, and Zi Qing called out urgently, "Where are you going?"

Ding Shi, focused on his business, paid no heed to the women around him and walked away quickly. Zi Qing chased after him to the bamboo courtyard gate, but Ding Shi had already vanished. Half an hour later, Ding Shi returned with some slender bamboo. Inside the bamboo courtyard, only Zi Qing sat in the brightest spot, lost in thought. The corpse, the steward, and the guards had all left.

Ding Shi entered the woman in the cheongsam's room, tore a large wad of cotton from the quilt, drew water from the well with a bucket, and then used a dagger to trim the thin bamboo.

Ziqing squatted down to one side and asked, "What?"

Ding Shi replied, "A water gun, a water gun to deal with paper figures."

Modern simplified water guns are made from mineral water bottles, which Ding Shi couldn't do. Ding Shi didn't know how to make the 80s version of water guns either, but he had seen children playing with them in Taoyuan Village, and after watching them for a few moments, he understood the basic principles and structure.

Take two bamboo sticks, one large and one small. Stuff the smaller stick inside the larger one, and use cotton to seal it as tightly as possible, assembling it into something resembling a syringe. To prevent the larger bamboo from bursting, bind it with strips of cloth, rope, or similar materials. If done well, it can shoot water several meters.

Ding Shi made ten water guns in one go, carrying four on his waist and filling the others with water, placing them around the yard. Back in his room, he drew several more Golden Thunder Talismans and attached four of them to four small throwing knives. He filled a cloth bag with dozens of small pebbles, wrapping five of them with Golden Thunder Talismans and placing them in his pocket.

It took Ding Shi two hours to prepare himself. When he was doing serious work, he ignored Zi Qing's words. Eventually, Zi Qing got annoyed and just sat aside and watched Ding Shi mess around.

(End of this chapter)