Chapter 40 The Quiz Show (2)
Once the groups were formed, Examiner Yaya flapped its wings, and a faint light flashed on each side of the square platform beneath the six-armed goddess statue. Four different patterns appeared, each with four names beneath it.
These were the team assignments. Everyone instinctively searched for their name and moved to the corresponding side of the platform.
Based on the patterns, the four teams were:
Moon Team: Deng Yan, Yun Zouchuan, Zhu Ming, Wenren Tu
Lyre Team: Xiao Lang, Tu Wei, Yin Yu, Zhang Xiaoya
Ruler Team: Bai Lianxue, Wang Ziwei, Sun Ningning, Zhou Xujin
Sword and Shield Team: Wei Yuan, Zhao Shanhai, Zhao Shanhe, Zhao Shanhu
Those who had intended to hide their real names felt a twinge of annoyance. Why display their names so openly?
Examiner Yaya, unconcerned with the examinees’ feelings, circled in the air, then landed and said, “Now, I’ll announce a few important rules. Please pay attention.”
“First: the gods favor devout believers. Offer them herbs, praises, and works of art. The more sincere the offerings, the more blessings you’ll receive.”
“Second: fighting and other disrespectful behavior before the gods are strictly prohibited!”
“Third: do not look directly at anything disrespectful!”
Having finished, Yaya flew into the air. “Follow me.”
The crow led the sixteen participants into the grand temple, where four large tables were arranged. A smaller statue, about as tall as a person, stood in the center of the temple, surrounded by offerings of fruit, flowers, and other items.
Further inside, they saw four adjacent rooms, their windows made of stained glass, complementing the vibrant murals and reliefs within the temple. The doors were marked with the teams’ respective totems.
Examiner Yaya hovered in the air, forcing them to look up. “These are your dormitories. These are your exam tables. I’ll now announce the first three exam questions. You have four days to complete them. The more perfect your work, the higher your score, the more favor you’ll receive from the gods, and the better your chances in the final assessment on the fifth day.”
“You are all devout believers. This exam will test your devotion to the gods. Each team will complete three tasks: cultivation, crafting, and poetry. Detailed instructions are on your exam tables. Your finished works will be offered to the great goddess. Please complete them promptly!”
After the announcement, the Zhao brothers’ faces fell. Cultivating herbs? Crafting? They couldn’t even keep a weed alive, let alone cultivate herbs, and crafting was out of the question.
Examiner Yaya, unconcerned with their abilities, considered them all devout believers who would obediently complete the exam.
“Begin! Begin!” it cawed, flying away.
“Examiner, I have a few questions,” Xiao Lang, the only male member of the Lyre Team, called out. “Are we allowed to go anywhere in this instance?”
Examiner Yaya cackled. “What do I care? What do I care? Caw! Caw! Caw! But as your examiner, I’ll offer a friendly reminder: the gods’ favor is limited. The lower your scores on the first three tasks, the more difficult the final task will be! Caw!”
It lifted its tail and dropped a white bird dropping, which landed squarely on Xiao Lang’s head. His face darkened, but he didn’t dare take his anger out on the examiner, only watching as it flew away.
The Zhao brothers chuckled, not bothering to hide their amusement. The more embarrassed Xiao Lang looked, the funnier they found it.
But their laughter soon died.
With the examiner gone, they had to focus on the exam. They found their assigned tables, marked with their team’s totem. Two sheets of paper and some tools were placed on each table.
One sheet listed the detailed exam questions.
“Question 1: Cultivation.
Please use the seeds and pot provided to cultivate a pot of herbs. Note: Each team has different herbs. Do not mix them.
Question 2: Crafting.
Please use needle felting techniques to create the item shown in the diagram. Notes: 1. Each team has different materials. Please find them yourselves. 2. Please complete your work within the designated area on the table.
Question 3: Poetry.
Please complete the poem provided. Note: Answer sheet attached.”
The other sheet was for the poetry question, a fill-in-the-blank exercise that looked simple but offered no clues.
Zhao Shanhe, the second oldest triplet, blurted out, “Cultivating herbs?! We can’t even keep weeds alive! How are we supposed to grow herbs?!”
Zhao Shanhai, the oldest, turned to their only non-family member, Wei Yuan. “Which of these can you do?”
Wei Yuan’s eye twitched. He took off his glasses and wiped them. “I’m a programmer.” Meaning he wasn’t good at poetry either.
“What’s your education level?”
“I just finished my master’s degree.”
Zhao Shanhai said, “Hey, a master’s student must be well-educated! You focus on the poetry question. We’ll figure out the other two.”
Unlike the all-male Sword and Shield Team, the other teams had female members, but that didn’t mean they were all skilled in gardening, crafting, or poetry.
At the Moon Team’s table…
Zhu Ming leaned on the table. “We can leave the cultivation to Azou. She takes care of our little vegetable garden. If they’re ordinary seeds, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Yun Zouchuan nodded. “I can try even if they’re not ordinary.”
Zhu Ming continued, “For the crafting task, we need to make a dagger. We have a furnace and a clay pot, but we’re missing materials. We’ll split up and search for them later. We all have experience; we should know what to do.”
It was clear that the three newcomers were in the Lyre and Ruler Teams. They were currently being briefed on instance basics. The all-female Moon Team and the all-male Sword and Shield Team were all experienced participants.
The temple was large and spacious, but there were no dividers. The four tables were arranged openly, making it impossible to hide their progress from the other teams.
The Moon Team’s table was on the left, near the entrance. The Sword and Shield Team was beside them, further inside. The Ruler Team was opposite them, and the Lyre Team was diagonally across.
Zhu Ming and Yin Yu were the furthest apart. Neither looked at the other, but that didn’t mean Zhu Ming wasn’t aware of Yin Yu’s presence.
She picked up the clay pot. “The cultivation task seems the easiest for now. I’ll go find some water. What are you two planning to do? And someone needs to stay here and guard our stuff.”
The tools on each table were different, related to their assigned tasks. With the teams competing, they were all wary of each other.
Yun Zouchuan volunteered. “I’ll stay. Boss, can you also bring back some soil?”
Wenren Tu looked at Deng Yan, the newcomer they knew the least. “Which area do you want to search?”
Deng Yan hesitated. “I’ll check the temple and the dormitories.”
Wenren Tu said, “Alright, then I’ll go outside and see if I can find any metal.”
Like the Moon Team, the other teams also divided their tasks and went to search for clues after reading the instructions.
Zhu Ming, carrying the clay pot and a small shovel, walked outside. An oasis must have water, but she didn’t know if there was suitable soil for growing herbs. She had never been to a desert before and was unfamiliar with the environment.
She carefully observed her surroundings, leaving markers as she walked, and gradually heard strange sounds. It seemed the environment up ahead was favorable, the sounds of large birds flapping their wings and splashing water, along with the croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects.
Pushing aside the increasingly dense foliage, she felt like she had stumbled into a swamp in the south, not an oasis in a desert.
A small lake, like a sapphire, shimmered in the sunlight, surrounded by lush grass. A dozen unusually large herons waded through the water, their long legs moving gracefully, clearly claiming this lake as their territory.
The muddy banks were covered in tall, thick grass, a few frogs hopping among the reeds.
Despite the idyllic scene, a faint, putrid odor lingered in the air. The depths of the lake seemed… unclean.
Comparing her height to the herons, Zhu Ming was surprised by their size. What did they eat to grow so tall?
Besides Zhu Ming, others had also arrived at the lake, one after another. The oasis wasn’t large. Following the vegetation was always a good strategy.
Zhu Ming from the Moon Team, Yin Yu from the Lyre Team, Zhou Xujin and Wang Ziwei from the Ruler Team, and one of the Zhao triplets from the Sword and Shield Team.
The five of them appeared, but none approached the lake.
The herons’ eyes were blood red, a clear warning. And they could all feel their abilities suppressed, meaning brute force wasn’t an option in this instance.
Zhu Ming glanced at Yin Yu, who was standing about three meters away, and sighed, holding the clay pot. “Can you stop following me around?”
Yin Yu smiled. “No.”
Zhu Ming took a step back, leaning against a tree trunk. “You refuse to tell me your purpose, yet you insist on following me, Yin Yu. Are you that bored?”
Yin Yu said lightly, “Perhaps.”
Zhu Ming: “…”
Neither of them moved.
Nearby, within the Ruler Team, Wang Ziwei whispered to Zhou Xujin, the newcomer, “We can’t just go over there.”
Zhou Xujin asked nervously, “Then what do we do?”
There were two newcomers in their team, himself and a woman. Since the woman knew Bai Lianxue, they naturally stuck together. Zhou Xujin, knowing no one and afraid of being alone, followed Wang Ziwei.
Wang Ziwei lowered his voice. “Are you stupid? We let someone else try first. See those two women over there? Come with me. Just agree with everything I say, understand?”
Zhou Xujin nodded quickly. “Understood.”
They walked towards Zhu Ming and Yin Yu. Wang Ziwei called out, “Hey! Since you’re here first, you go ahead and get the water!”
Zhou Xujin echoed, “Yeah, you go first.”
Under the shade of the trees, Zhu Ming and Yin Yu turned to look at them. One expressionless, the other with a faint smile. Wang Ziwei suddenly faltered. “You see, I have a newcomer with me. It’s not very convenient…”
Before either Zhu Ming or Yin Yu could respond, someone else stepped forward.
It was Zhao Shanhai from the Sword and Shield Team.
“What’s so inconvenient about it? I think it’s more convenient with more people,” Zhao Shanhai said, approaching them with a sneer. His large build was intimidating, but his smile seemed genuine. “Don’t waste time. Just get the water and go back.”
Wang Ziwei frowned. This Zhao Shanhai… he was clearly no match for him physically. And without their abilities, he and Zhou Xujin combined were no match for Zhao Shanhai’s brute strength.
He was instinctively afraid to antagonize him, but why had this man even stepped forward?
Wang Ziwei asked, “What’s it to you? Can’t you get your own water?”
Zhao Shanhai cracked his knuckles. “I just don’t like seeing women being bullied.”
Wang Ziwei gritted his teeth. “Cut the crap! Fine! You win!”
The examiner had warned them against fighting before the gods, but the statue wasn’t visible here, so perhaps that rule didn’t apply. He had noticed the Zhao triplets glancing at the Moon Team’s table earlier, their expressions sly and calculating. The Moon Team hadn’t noticed, but he had a clear view from across the temple.
Putting on a show of chivalry… who knew what this man was planning?
Wang Ziwei turned to Zhou Xujin, gesturing towards the lake. “You go get the water.”
Zhou Xujin said nervously, “They won’t attack me, will they?”
Wang Ziwei glanced back at Zhao Shanhai. “If you can convince someone else to go, be my guest.”
Zhou Xujin said honestly, “I can’t. My abilities are suppressed. Why doesn’t he go?”
Seeing that they were no longer bothering Zhu Ming, Zhao Shanhai also walked towards the lake, putting on an innocent facade. “There are two of you from your team. You go first. You wouldn’t bully me, a lone individual, would you?”
Zhou Xujin, holding the clay pot, hesitated. Everyone, both from his own team and the others, wanted him to go first.
Wang Ziwei urged him, “What are you waiting for? I’m here watching over you! If you don’t trust my experience, then don’t follow me! Go do your own thing!”
“Fine, fine! I’m going!”
Zhou Xujin picked up a thick branch and cautiously approached the lake, holding the clay pot. The herons, either bathing or preening, didn’t seem to react to his presence.
He breathed a sigh of relief, put down the branch he had intended to use to shoo them away, and squatted down, filling the pot with water.
Just as he lifted the pot, a shadow fell over him. Before he could look up, a long, sharp beak pierced his skull like a needle through jelly.
“Holy shit!” Wang Ziwei yelled, stunned by the sudden violence. Zhou Xujin collapsed silently, half his body falling into the water, quickly staining it red. The clay pot splashed back into the lake.
The commotion alerted the other herons, who crowded around Zhou Xujin’s body, their sharp beaks tearing at his flesh, their shrieks echoing through the air.
They seemed to be enjoying their human buffet.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Zhao Shanhai ran to the other side of the lake, quickly scooped up some water, and ran back.
Wang Ziwei followed close behind, seeing that the clay pot had drifted away. He jumped into the water, retrieved it, and ran, even faster than Zhao Shanhai, afraid the herons would be more eager to attack him now that he was in the water.
The herons shrieked and flapped their wings, chasing after them for a short distance before landing heavily, unable to fly for long due to their size. They weren’t persistent and returned to the lake, wading through the water.
The attack had been swift and brutal. Zhou Xujin’s flesh was quickly stripped from his bones, leaving only a bloody skeleton. The herons dragged it into the water. The surface of the lake returned to its tranquil state.
The herons dispersed, leisurely preening their feathers.
Zhu Ming and Yin Yu hadn’t moved.
“Are you wary of me?” Yin Yu tilted her head. “Fighting is prohibited in this instance. You don’t need to be so cautious.”
Not be cautious?
Zhu Ming scoffed, looking at her incredulously. “Just because we can’t fight doesn’t mean we can’t kill. Are you naive, or do you think I’m naive? We just witnessed a prime example. Aren’t you wary of me?”
Yin Yu was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “So, I’ve become such a despicable person in your eyes.”
“Hahaha.” Zhu Ming forced a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Do you think you have a good image? Refusing to answer any questions… who would trust you?”
Yin Yu looked at Zhu Ming intently, then started walking towards her.
Zhu Ming uncrossed her arms, her eyes narrowed, every muscle tense. Yin Yu, seemingly oblivious to her wariness, continued to approach until she stood directly in front of Zhu Ming.
Although there were no statues here, and it didn’t seem like anything they did would violate the examiner’s second rule, considering how quickly that participant had died, Zhu Ming thought it best not to disobey the examiner’s instructions, especially since the invitation specifically stated: Listen to the examiner.
There was a tree behind her. Unless she wanted to press herself against the trunk and squeeze past, there was no way to avoid Yin Yu.
They were practically nose to nose, close enough to hear each other’s breathing. Zhu Ming took shallow breaths, afraid of accidentally touching Yin Yu.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice low. “Want to fight? Go ahead and hit me first! Don’t try to provoke me!”
Yin Yu looked at her carefully, her eyes reflecting Zhu Ming’s image like a mirror. “Since you think I’m despicable, I might as well live up to your expectations.”
Despicable indeed, trying to goad her into breaking the rules.
Zhu Ming blustered, “Don’t provoke me! Every rule has a loophole! Even if you can handle it, what about your teammates?!”
Yin Yu reached out and gently tucked a strand of Zhu Ming’s hair behind her ear. “You wouldn’t.”
Zhu Ming grabbed her hand, her voice a warning. “Don’t touch me! And don’t underestimate me! I’m much more ruthless than you think!”
Yin Yu shook her head slightly. “Your words are much crueler than your actions.”
Zhu Ming: “…” That certainty, as if Yin Yu knew her intimately, infuriated her!
“And you’re right,” Yin Yu said, her voice soft and close, their bodies almost touching, her breath warm against Zhu Ming’s skin. “I am trying to provoke you. After all, I’m so despicable. So, Mingming, are you going to attack me, or are we going to continue like this?”
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