Twenty-one twenty-one.

Driven to a dead end by Jiuli, Ding Feng had no choice but to disfigure his own face to survive. He was ruthless to others, and he could be just as ruthless to himself!

Yet, who would have thought that Jiuli would simply fall asleep right at his doorstep... she fell asleep... fell... a... sleep...

She was truly sound asleep. She dropped as soon as she felt like it, closed her eyes whenever she pleased, tipped straight into Chu Liuxiang’s arms, tilted her neck, and let out a suspicious little snore that sounded remarkably content.

...It didn't look like she was faking it at all.

Chu Liuxiang: "............"
Yuan Suiyun: "............"
Ding Feng: "............"

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose, then rubbed it again... Before he could rub the skin right off his nose, he finally thought of a suitable excuse to cover for her.

Chu Liuxiang: "I once heard that there are people who can keep their eyes open even while sleeping."
Zhang San added: "That is true. There are records of such things in the Three Kingdoms."
Chu Liuxiang continued: "I have also heard that some people can sleep soundly even while standing."
Zhang San chimed in again: "Indeed. Master Yuan, have you ever seen those hostels for laborers? If they cannot afford a communal bed, they have no choice but to sleep hanging from a rope. Twenty years ago, there was a bandit chief named Guo Dali in the Taihang Mountains, a man of humble origins who possessed a unique skill: he could sleep while standing. The assassins who came for him at night would see him standing there and wouldn't even dare to enter the room!"

So, their implication was that Jiuli had actually been asleep the whole time, which is why she had been standing there, and she had never intended to pressure him at all... Hahaha, it was all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding.

My good man, are you in pain? Oh, my apologies, sorry to disturb you, please, carry on...

A suitable excuse? Perhaps. At least it was the best they could do to patch things up.

Chu Liuxiang suddenly felt very tired. Jiuli wasn't scary, and her reckless behavior wasn't scary either. What was scary was why he felt compelled to take responsibility for cleaning up her mess.

Zhang San felt the same way. He looked up at the sky, feeling a cramp in his jaw. Well, of course, after spouting such a load of nonsense, how could his jaw not be sore?

Ding Feng nearly choked on his own breath! So, you mean to say this woman was just standing at his door sleeping with her eyes open, and she never actually wanted to force him to come out? And so, he had ruined his own face simply because he had overthought it, and it was entirely his own fault?!

In an instant, blood surged in Ding Feng’s chest, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of it! Chu Liuxiang was telling bald-faced lies—it was simply too insulting! Fortunately, he still had his reason and knew he couldn't act rashly; otherwise, he would have jumped up right then and there to fight them to the death!

Meanwhile, the veins on the hand Yuan Suiyun kept hidden in his sleeve began to bulge! He could not remain calm because he was absolutely certain that Jiuli was playing the fool! She must know many secrets—the secrets of Bat Island!

What exactly did she know, and how much? Could there be a traitor on the island? Who? Who could it possibly be?

Bat Island hung alone in the middle of the sea; it was not a place where ordinary people could just wander in. He had always regarded this place as perfectly secure. For a stranger to appear in such a place out of nowhere was a grave security breach—not to mention that this person also knew so many secrets.

Yet, he had no leads at all. Jiuli, Jiuli... this woman was a deep well of mystery, truly terrifying.

Yuan Suiyun stood where he was. Even though his fingers were still spasming with rage, his expression did not change in the slightest, nor did his breathing falter.

Yuan Suiyun said indifferently, "Since that is the case, there are still empty cabins on the ship. The night is late, so you may all stay here for now."

He had to keep this woman under his gaze—even though he had no sight to speak of.

Chu Liuxiang had no objections and said, "Many thanks, Young Master."

Yuan Suiyun smiled and replied, "Please."

With that, a servant stepped forward, eyes lowered, and said respectfully, "Master Chu, please follow me."

Chu Liuxiang swept Jiuli up into his arms and followed the servant away. Gao Yanan had been watching coldly from the doorway of her cabin; seeing that it was over, she said nothing and slammed her door shut with a loud "bang." Yuan Suiyun glanced once more at the blood-soaked cabin, a look of sympathy and sorrow crossing his face, before he shook his head and walked away.

He calculated in his heart: today’s events were not over yet. He would wait and see what her reaction and explanation would be when she woke up tomorrow.

Hu Tiehua looked left and right, then grabbed Zhang San and laughed, "You brat, you don't want to hold my feet, but I'm going to shove my bare feet right at you... Come, come, come, you're staying in my room tonight. What has been happening lately? Heavens! Tell me quickly, or I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Zhang San: "............"
Zhang San: "Heavens! Little Hu, if only I had your brain!"

If one’s mind were as mushy as his, wouldn't they be the most carefree and unburdened person?

Hu Tiehua laughed heartily, "This brain of mine isn't something just anyone can have. You blockhead, you've still got a long way to go!"

As he spoke, his enthusiastic hand slapped Zhang San heavily on the back twice. Zhang San rolled his eyes wildly, but fearing that this big oaf might run into trouble if left alone, he allowed himself to be dragged away.

As for Zhongyuan Yidianhong, a servant naturally came to invite him as well. But what kind of person was this assassin? He didn't even acknowledge them and just walked off.

***

Chu Liuxiang followed the servant. The young woman’s skin was as white as cold jade, exuding an inorganic, unearthly quality, yet her body was soft and warm. Chu Liuxiang’s hands were positioned firmly, one beneath her knees and the other supporting her back. He was a man of great strength; lifting a young girl like this was no more difficult for him than lifting a cat.

The wanderer’s face still bore a faint smile—a smile that many liked and many hated, because one could never see through what his smile truly meant. But at the very least, his smile was easy to understand in this moment.

Chu Liuxiang entered the cabin, the servant bowed and retreated, and he leaned down to gently place the young woman on the bed. She had been fast asleep for a long time, having caused the entire ship to hold its breath with her antics, yet she herself was perfectly fine, falling asleep without a care or a trace of defense.

Chu Liuxiang’s smile was, of course, one of helplessness. He sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Jiuli, oh Jiuli... you really are a heartless little brat. Don't you think so, Brother Hong?"

The assassin was leaning against the doorway. He heard the words but did not answer; instead, he reached back to close the cabin door before turning his gaze to Chu Liuxiang.

What he had to say was simple.
"The blood is fresh."
The assassin’s voice was low and clipped.

Indeed, the blood was fresh. No one understood killing better than Zhongyuan Yidianhong. In this world, some kill with words, others with power. Using words or power is an indirect way of killing; those people might commit countless evils in a lifetime without ever seeing a drop of blood.

But Zhongyuan Yidianhong was different. He killed with his sword. He had seen much blood, and his body was familiar with the sensation and the scent—he could tell if blood was fresh just by smelling it.

The stench of blood in that cabin had just flowed from a human body—it was the very thing he knew best!

Chu Liuxiang was slightly stunned upon hearing this—even a master detective has blind spots, and Chu Liuxiang’s blind spot was his chronic rhinitis. He couldn't smell a thing, so he had naturally ignored that detail.

After a brief pause, he smiled again and said, "Brother Hong, thank you for the reminder."

The assassin, however, did not hear him. He had finished saying his piece and turned to leave; by the time Chu Liuxiang spoke, he was already long gone.

***

The player, of course, knew nothing of all this. The world after 2:00 AM did not exist for the player!

It was Saturday, 4:00 PM. Jiuli sat in front of her computer and let out a huge stretch. She kicked her legs, and the casters of her chair rolled with a clatter. She took a sip of milk tea, grabbed a snack, and blissfully clicked [Next Day] on the screen.

It was 6:00 AM again, and the silver-haired girl leaped up from her bed!

She landed heavily! Hup, hah!

Wait, why is there someone on the floor?!

The bronze-skinned pixel character was actually sleeping on a pallet right next to her bed!

At the critical moment, Chu Liuxiang’s excellent sixth sense kicked in! He didn't even open his eyes, but his body nimbly rolled to the side... narrowly avoiding the crisis of being stepped on by the jumping Jiuli.

Jiuli was light, but being easy to carry and having her jump up and down on his stomach were two completely different things.

He opened his eyes, still shaken, let out a long breath, and said in a voice that was not only weary but hoarse: "...Jiuli?"

The silver-haired girl stood primly before him, tilting her head slightly, appearing a bit confused.

"Why am I not at home?"

Chu Liuxiang: "............"

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose and explained, "It was too late last night, and you fell asleep right on the ship. Don't you remember?"

She remembered, of course. But...

"But shouldn't you have sent me home?"

Jiuli asked again... The tone sounded like confusion, but Chu Liuxiang felt a strange sense of certainty, as if in her world, waking up meant she should be in her little bamboo bed.

How... how strange...

Chu Liuxiang couldn't even find the words to reply—he simply couldn't understand how Jiuli thought about things, so he could only arch an eyebrow oddly and subconsciously reach up to rub his nose.

How... how strange...

And at this moment, the player was also feeling strange.

She had been prepared to lose money after fainting outside, but to her surprise, she was still on the ship after waking up... and checking her inventory, both her items and money were completely intact.

Could the ship’s cabin be another of the player's lodging spots? If it was too late to return to the farm, could she just sleep here? Had she fainted last night simply because she hadn't gotten into a bed?

That’s so nice!

The player felt a warm glow in her heart—that’s just how *Stardew Valley* was; while farming, the companionship of friends was also important. Being able to stay on the ship with everyone made her feel truly happy.

Heartwarming!

However... ah!

Jiuli suddenly jumped up as if she had remembered something of vital importance and turned to run!

Chu Liuxiang was bewildered: "Jiuli? Where are you going?"

Jiuli shouted back without looking back: "Back to water the crops!!!"

Chu Liuxiang: "............"

Above the bronze-skinned pixel character’s head, a cold sweat bubble appeared, representing his speechlessness.

But the player was in a desperate rush to water her crops! She hadn't noticed at all!

Jiuli ran freely across Bat Island, "pitter-patter, pitter-patter!"

Jiuli came to a sudden halt, picked up a coconut, and held it high above her head, carefree!

She watered her crops happily, enjoying the joy of planting and the anticipation of harvest!

She passed by the beach, her hands feeling a bit itchy, so she cast her line and fished for a while!

Haha, haha, hahaha~

She seemed to have completely forgotten the stubbornness of the previous day. She didn't even bother to look at Ding Feng, didn't head back to the ship, and left everything she had caused behind.

This was normal, after all, she was a player... it was easy to get distracted by something else in the middle of a quest, to the point where she could never recall what she had originally intended to do...

But in Ding Feng’s eyes, this had turned into a blatant, naked mockery!

This... this is outrageous...!

Blood was still seeping from his face. He had originally been a man of dashing and elegant appearance; what kind of agony was it to destroy one's own face?

Ding Feng stood in the cabin and looked out. Outside the propped-open window, Jiuli was fishing carefree, casting her line.

Ding Feng trembled with rage. The look he fixed upon Jiuli had turned into one of utter malice and venom!