You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 545 Intense Discussion

Raindrops slanted down, pattering against the wooden roof of the assembly hall. Qian Jin leaned against the window, his face, a thoughtful expression, reflected in the glass. He turned slowly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Hmm... so, you are the wolf?"

Gao Mei subconsciously took a half step back, her plain little face instantly losing color: "Wh...what do you mean..."

Qin Ming crossed his arms over his chest, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his young face: "Are those who are not willing to risk their lives for the Hidden Mist Village equivalent to the Hidden Mist Village's enemies?"

Qian Jin pushed his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting an eerie light. "That's it, Kirigakure people... the time has come to test your unity."

Tong Xiaoliang tugged at his school uniform tie, a look of disdain on his handsome face: "Uncle, you really are a mean-spirited person..."

"I'm from Baifeng Village," Qian Jin's voice suddenly rose. "Besides, Zhao Gang has already proven my innocence. I'm just offering suggestions to the best of my ability. Please be mindful of your tone."

Wang Lina suddenly sneered, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes flashed with a dangerous light: "...Qian Jin, you have been holding back these words and dared not say them until the snake proves your innocence."

"...Ha, what do you want to say?" There was a barely perceptible hesitation in Qian Jin's voice.

Wang Lina stood up suddenly, her long hair swinging as she moved. "You realized yesterday, didn't you? We need a spirit of unity, willing to sacrifice ourselves!" She stared into Qian Jin's eyes. "But you also realized that once you're proven innocent by the snake, your say will increase dramatically. That's why you didn't say anything yesterday!"

Qian Jin's face turned pale in an instant: "This, this is just your guess!"

"That's right," Gao Mei clenched her fists, her voice trembling with anger. "This innocent Baifengzhuang man wants us to die willingly. I can't accept that...!"

Tong Xiaoliang anxiously turned to Zhao Gang, who had remained silent the entire time, and said, "Brother Gang, please say something too!"

Zhao Gang lowered his head, his bangs hiding his expression: "...But, he's not wrong."

"Brother Gang!?" Gao Mei opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

At this moment, Hualu, who had been sitting in the corner, spoke softly. Her voice was gentle but firm: "...Well, I agree too. Whether it's a suspect or an execution, let's all decide together. I have no objection."

"Uh...flower dew..." Qian Jin obviously didn't expect to get her support and was speechless for a moment.

Hualu stood up, the moonlight shining through the window lattice onto her, casting a faint silver glow on her pretty face. "I've already said that to Qian Ming Shen, whether it's Baifeng Manor or Wuyin Village, everyone is equal."

She looked around, her eyes revealing a firm belief: "It doesn't matter if it's just wishful thinking. I'm already a member of the Hidden Mist Village. I really think so."

The sound of rain gradually intensified, its drumming against the window frames like the drumbeat of fate. The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze, as everyone pondered the profound meaning of Hualu's words and the cruel choice they were about to face.

Wang Lina lifted the hair by her ear disdainfully, with a cold smile on her lips: "Oh, oh, what a noble sentiment, different from someone else." Her eyes vaguely swept across Qian Jin's face.

Hualu looked down at the little girl huddled in the corner, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes: "But... this child is innocent, can you not be so cruel?"

The girl named Xiaome hugged her knees tightly, trembling. Her young face was filled with fear: "...Everyone, this is so scary..."

Qian Jin pushed up his glasses, the cold light reflected from the lenses obscuring his gaze: "No one can be an exception."

Hualu slowly stood up, her slender figure faintly outlined by the moonlight. Her voice was soft but firm: "If it is necessary to hang this child, I will go with her."

"Ugh...!" Qian Jin turned around abruptly, his voice rising in panic, "We can't do this. We can only hang one person a day!"

Hua Lu's eyes became more determined: "I will commit suicide and will not bring trouble to others. Only those who break the rules will be contaminated."

"But...!" Qian Jin wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang put his hands in his trouser pockets, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Stop talking, Qian Jin, don't forget your responsibilities as the host... and you, the little girl from the Hua family."

Hualu lowered her head slightly: "Hmm..."

Zhao Gang sneered: "Don't say such frivolous words. Don't forget your identity. You are also one of the elders who oppressed our Baifeng Manor."

Granny Rong stood up tremblingly, her wrinkled face full of worry: "Gangzi, you are so rude to Master Hualu..."

Zhao Gang turned around abruptly, his eyes burning with anger. "Thanks to your companions, my mother-in-law has to live in fear. Don't make it sound like you're in cahoots with us!"

Hualu's shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice was almost inaudible: "...I'm speechless, I'm so sorry..."

Zhao Gang stared at Hua Lu, his voice filled with deep suspicion: "Also, why did you stay in the Hidden Mist Village? To be honest, I'm curious about who arranged all this."

Qin Ming stood by the window, the rain forming spiderweb-like patterns on the glass. "...Brother Gang, could this all be a conspiracy by the people of Baifeng Village?"

Zhao Gang clenched his fists, his knuckles making a slight cracking sound. "I don't know, but why did the people in Baifeng Village lock us up here? They must know something."

His voice grew colder. "...For example, the legends about the banquet and the Wolf God being a companion of humans. Their words are simply not worth believing."

The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze. Every word Zhao Gang spoke was like a hammer hitting everyone's heart. "They must know that people in the Hidden Mist Village will die when the fog rises. To them, not only our property and status, but even our lives are inferior."

The candlelight flickered in the wind, casting swaying shadows on the wall. The sound of the rain gradually faded, but everyone's heart grew heavier. Xiao Mei continued to sob in the corner, Hua Lu stood motionless, Qian Jin's fingers unconsciously stroked the frame of his glasses, and Wang Lina secretly clenched her fists. On this rainy night, a terrible truth was slowly emerging.

Qian Jin's face twisted with anger. He ripped off his glasses, his eyes flashing with fanaticism. "Foolish...! Even if the elders of Baifeng Manor are not saints or gentlemen, their talent and character are truly the style of a noble family!"

His voice echoed in the empty assembly hall, and he waved his right hand violently, as if to dispel those disrespectful remarks towards his elders. "Isn't this common sense? In this world where science is supreme, how can anyone seriously believe in superstitions like banquets?"

Wang Lina gently lifted her long hair, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "...So what?"

Qian Jin narrowed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously clenching the frame of his glasses. "What do you want to say?" Moonlight shone through the window onto Wang Lina's profile. A dangerous light flickered in her dark pupils. "Qian Jin, it seems they haven't told you the secret of Baifeng Manor."

She took a slow step forward, her high heels making a crisp sound on the wooden floor. "To them, you're just a human trumpet promoting the correctness of the elders."

"Uh——" Qian Jin's face turned pale in an instant.

Wang Lina continued to press forward, each word like a poisoned dagger: "Even at this time, they ignored your danger and returned to the Qian Group headquarters in the Hidden Mist Village, right?"

Qian Jin stumbled back two steps, his voice trembling with extreme anger: "--No, don't joke! Are you trying to say that I've been abandoned by my family?!"

Tong Xiaoliang, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke, his voice filled with unspeakable bitterness: "Ah... who knows, this is how Qin Ming and I are."

Qin Ming leaned against the wall, his expression obscured by shadows: "...The elders' actions are so cruel."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Because of failure in a power struggle, lack of ability, or even just because the head of the family doesn't like someone, it's as simple as sending them to the Hidden Mist Village."

Qin Ming's voice suddenly softened: "We let it go, but Mom...she clearly married into the Qin family from the Northeast, and they kicked her out as soon as Dad died..."

Chen Xiang shook her head gently, but a gentle smile appeared on her weather-beaten face: "I don't care about that kind of thing."

Qin Ming lowered his head, his voice filled with apology: "Mom... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Chen Xiang stretched out her calloused hand and gently stroked her son's face: "For me, as long as Qin Yi and you are here, Qin Ming..."

Qin Ming held his mother's hand, his eyes suddenly becoming firm: "...In short, they did distort our fate. I agree with Brother Gang's opinion."

Gao Mei stood at the edge of the crowd, a trace of sympathy flashing in her bright eyes: "...I'm sorry for you being exiled to a place like this."

Qin Ming raised his head, his voice filled with a hint of stubbornness: "...Don't get me wrong, I didn't deny the intentions of the people from the Hidden Mist Village."

The rain continued to fall, its tapping against the windows like an endless sigh. The air in the assembly hall grew heavier, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Qian Jin's fingers kept stroking the frame of his glasses, as if that could erase the uncertainty brought on by Wang Lina's words. Wang Lina leaned against the doorframe, her lips still adorned with that meaningful smile, as if she were waiting for something.

Gao Mei suddenly stood up from her seat, her delicate eyebrows twisted into a knot, and her voice was full of hysterics: "Everyone is going to die anyway! Even someone like Grandpa who looks so great died in an instant!"

Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, ruining her carefully applied makeup. Her hands trembled, her nails digging deep into her palms. "I can't take it anymore...!! Why didn't you just let me die!"

Tong Xiaoliang frowned, his eyes filled with confusion behind his brown lenses: "Huh? You weren't like this at the time, what happened?"

Gao Mei slowly squatted down and buried her head between her knees. Her voice was hoarse and desperate: "...I've had enough..."

In the corner, Master Wolf hunched over, his cloudy eyes gazing into the void as he muttered to himself, "...Pathetic..."

Granny Rong quickly stepped forward to support him, her face full of worry: "What's wrong, Grandpa?"

Master Wolf trembled all over, his withered fingers tightly grasping Granny Rong's sleeve: "The wolf is coming... We will all become evil spirits..."

Granny Rong's eyes suddenly became sharp, and her voice was veiled with ruthlessness: "...You're right, that's why we're going to hang Huangquan Man..."

Zhao Gang took off his baseball cap and scratched his messy short hair. "Ah... so complicated. Never mind. The fact is, the people of Baifeng Village won't care about us, right?"

Tong Xiaoliang walked to the window and looked at the mountain road outside that was washed away by the heavy rain: "The road has collapsed."

Zhao Gang took a deep breath and glanced at everyone present: "In this case, I think we can trust Qian Jin. The reason Wang Lina has already said."

Wang Lina leaned against the wall, her red lips curled up in a smile: "Oh my, my condolences."

Qian Jin snorted coldly and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose: "...Humph, whatever you think."

Zhao Gang's voice suddenly turned serious: "...The person most likely to be hanged right now is probably the little girl from the Hua family. So, don't try to be a hero, or you'll really get yourself killed."

Hualu nervously twisted the hem of her skirt, her voice as soft as a mosquito's: "...Um, what should I do now?"

Zhao Gang turned to Qian Jin and said, "Tell me everything you know. Don't remain silent. Don't give up thinking. Isn't that right, Qian Jin?"

Qian Jin avoided his gaze and said, "Let me leave the banquet to you, Gangzi."

Zhao Gang shook his head: "...I was just imitating Old Man Gao. I don't have that kind of talent. I'll leave it to you from now on."

Qian Jin's voice was filled with a hint of impatience: "Hmph, I've finished what I want to say." He paused and continued, "Then let's start voting, and then hang the person with the most votes."

Wang Lina raised her eyebrows: "Isn't this too outrageous?"

Qian Jin stood up and looked down at everyone. "Of course, everyone can speak freely, especially those who want to prove that they are worthy of living."

His voice echoed in the empty room. "But forget about saying I'm human or I don't want to die. Everyone says that."

Finally, his tone became cold and resolute: "The chosen one will entrust the fate of the Hidden Mist Village to those who remain, and sacrifice yourself willingly."

The rain continued to pound outside the window, and lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating everyone's face with a pale white. The air was filled with fear and despair, as if death had quietly descended upon this isolated village. Gao Mei remained huddled in a corner, her shoulders trembling. The others, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, dared not look one another in the eye. This brutal game of survival had only just begun.

(End of this chapter)