Chapter 143

"If I change to yellow or purple clothes, I can be saved, but gray clothes are useless... Wait, was it gray or off-white?" Bei Qiao tried hard to recall.

Bei Qiao had just learned to read when she first read this story, and it had been so long that she could no longer remember the specific plot. But ever since then, she'd cut up her old clothes and thrown them away, because the story also involved a student who nearly died after having his socks stolen.

Bei Qiao: If the student hadn't been kind enough not to ask for the money, there would have been no hope. But if he hadn't been so kind from the beginning, this shit wouldn't have happened at all...

Bei Qiao: So minors should focus on self-protection. Calls to the police are free, and a group of adults don’t ask the police for help but instead ask minors for help. It’s very suspicious no matter how you look at it.

"Qiao Qiao, you're here. What are you looking at?" Yu Qian, who was squatting beside and writing furiously, hurriedly looked up and glanced at Bei Qiao.

"Look at the gray clothes." Bei Qiao came back to his senses and responded casually.

The village chief, who was thinking about the next action plan, glanced at Bei Qiao when he heard this. He didn't say anything, but just looked at the bandit leader meaningfully.

There were many players watching the excitement at the village entrance. Although it was already autumn, the sun was still very strong at noon. Except for a few people with umbrellas, the other players crowded under the nearby trees to watch the bandits being beaten.

To prevent players from feeling uncomfortable after watching it, the village chief specially ordered a circle of white cloth to be placed around the tree where the bandits were tied, and manually blurred the scene. So, tourists who were accustomed to taking a nap after returning from the food court were greeted by this scene: within the large white cloth enclosure, people were screaming and waving whips, while outside the white cloth, a group of locals sat watching the excitement, not knowing what they were waiting for. A few timid people covered their eyes with their hands, occasionally glancing in the direction of the white cloth through their fingers, their expressions flickering with fear, as if they were seriously frightened.

Tourists with children preparing to return to the inn to rest asked: "What are you doing?" In broad daylight, in public, are you putting on a sex show? There are children here!

"The guests are back!" Aunt Ding, who was sitting on a reclining chair under the tree, put down her palm-leaf fan and turned around. "There's been a thief in the village. They've captured him and are interrogating him."

"Just leave it at the village entrance instead of sending it to the government office"

"Hey, there are too many people, the yamen can't accommodate them all!" Aunt Ding laughed and pushed people into the inn: "Don't worry, guests, the constables are here, and they will definitely not let these guys cause trouble." The inn has good sound insulation. As long as tourists entering the room close the window, it is difficult to hear the screams outside.

"this……"

After coaxing the guests away, Aunt Ding lay back on the recliner, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan and drifting off to sleep. The bandits' screams had no effect on her sleep quality. If the waiter hadn't come looking for her, she might even have had a brief dream.

The others didn't have Aunt Ding's mental fortitude. Yu Qian, who had been hoping to join in on the quest, didn't stay long before covering her ears and running away. The players who had set up shop in the food court simply didn't come. The other players wanted to wait under the tree for further information, but the midday sun was a bit scorching, and there was no internet in the other world to pass the time. After the village chief promised to update the group on the bandits' status, they also left one after another.

"Auntie, can you lend me a room?" There were a few players who were too lazy to run back and forth and wanted to log off in the inn. This way, they could get the melon as soon as they got the message and logged on.

"What do you mean by borrow? Just use it!" Aunt Ding closed her eyes and waved her palm-leaf fan. "The rooms at both ends of the first floor are empty. Let them take the keys."

"No, the rent must be paid."

"Hey, you guys... Hey, run slower! The floor in the room was just mopped, it's very slippery."

The number of players dwindled, and finally, aside from the Constable and Bei Qiao, only the masked Qi Zhi remained at her post beneath the tree. She had been summoned by the village chief to assist in the interrogation. She had first forcibly awakened two bandits who had feigned unconsciousness, then brewed a large pot of coptis root, so bitter that the bandits preferred a beating to the medicine.

Now, she is preparing medicine for external injuries. The effect is not the best, but it can barely keep the bandits alive and ensure that they do not die.

Ah, this... Bei Qiao, who was watching Qi Zhi preparing medicine, turned his head away silently: It seems that something serious was revealed during the interrogation, and some things seem unnecessary to add... Never mind, bandits have no human rights, and stopping their bleeding is already very humane.

The constable, tired from the interrogation, set down his instruments, sat down under a tree, and wiped his sweat. The constables in Novice Village were also staff members, but the constant interrogation took its toll. Just a few days ago, they'd finished interrogating the natives who betrayed Novice Village, and then another group of bandits arrived—nearly thirty of them. The constables were truly exhausted.

Constable: Usually in TV dramas, the scene ends with the protagonist handing the prisoner over to the officers, and the rest is a cliché: good deeds will eventually be rewarded, and evil deeds will be punished. But what about the real situation? Interrogation and investigation seem simple, but they're actually quite tedious, not to mention the workload multiplied by thirty... If it weren't for the decent salary, and the fact that I could work anytime, anywhere with the holographic device, without having to travel, sometimes I'd really want to quit.

As the sun rose higher, the shade beneath the trees dwindled. Seeing the constables' faces flush with heat, Bei Qiao stood up, offering them a shady spot, and stood aside to watch Qi Zhi brew the medicine. Aunt Ding, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, returned to the inn to rest. Before closing, she called for the waiter to bring the constables a large basin of cool well water so they could wash their faces and cool off.

These bandits weren't tough, and most of them had already confessed. But the bandit leader was incredibly stubborn, his neck stiffening as he remained silent. Qi Zhi had boiled two cans of Coptis chinensis, one of which he poured entirely into the bandit leader's mouth. Bei Qiao could see the veins bulging from his neck, yet he remained silent... Wait, was no one asking?

"How is that possible? After we tied them up, we started questioning them: who they were, what they were doing there, if there was a mastermind... time, place, people, and purpose. We've asked everything we should, except this guy." Captain Chen bent down, scooped a handful of well water from the basin, splashed it on his face, and breathed a sigh of relief: "I don't know what he's so stubborn about."

The information those bandits had spilled was enough to send them all to jail and await their execution. He didn't know why this guy still refused to speak. He couldn't be waiting for someone to rescue him, could he? Or perhaps someone would actually come?

"I'm sorry to trouble you again." The village chief patted Captain Chen's shoulder.

"What's the big deal? The rewards for these missions are pretty good." Captain Chen splashed the cool well water on his arm, took the telescope, and left with his light kung fu. Bei Qiao watched Captain Chen go, glanced at the white cloth in front of him, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face.

Because the bandit leader refused to speak, the interrogation process reached a stalemate. Unable to bear the heat, Bei Qiao said goodbye and left, intending to log off and rest for a while. Before leaving, the village chief reminded her to go to the land temple to get a wooden sign for self-defense: "Everyone has one, don't forget it."

Ah, yes, there is a land temple in the village... Bei Qiao, who had never been to a land temple, stood at the intersection and thought for a moment, then went home, opened the forum and searched for the map of the village: By the way, where is the land temple?

After looking at the map, Bei Qiao finally found the Earth Temple. It was hidden so well, as if it was afraid others would find it. No wonder Bei Qiao hadn't had any impression of the Earth Temple after staying in the village for so many days.

The land temple in Yuanshan Village does not cover a large area. There is an altar in the temple with a clay statue of the land goddess on it and a cushion in front of the table.

Because there's no temple keeper, and fears of fires caused by unattended activities, players rarely come here to burn incense. However, a considerable amount of offerings are placed, and the altar is a miscellaneous collection of all sorts. Every few days, the village chief will send someone to count the offerings and place them on the mountain. Whether they return to dust or are eaten by wild animals, it's considered a good deed.

Bei Qiao took out an apple and placed it on the altar. Then he bent down to lift the tablecloth, dragged out the mahogany box under the table, and carefully opened it: "This is... a wooden tablet for fulfilling a vow." So why can this thing be used for self-defense?

Despite his doubts, Bei Qiao still took a wooden plaque from the pile. It was unknown where these plaques came from, but the material was ordinary and looked rather worn, some even showing signs of insect bites. The plaque Bei Qiao randomly selected was inscribed with a message of gratitude to the land for blessing his child's recovery. The handwriting was elegant, simple, and sincere. Despite its unassuming appearance, these vow plaques were loaned to players by the village chief, and they had to be returned to their original location after use.

"Could this self-defense be related to vows?" Bei Qiao pulled out a small bag from his backpack and carefully placed the wooden sign inside. Although he didn't know the protective principle behind the vow sign, since it was something borrowed, he had to return it and store it carefully to avoid losing it.

After getting the wooden sign for fulfilling his vow, Bei Qiao returned home, picked up Dudu who was patrolling the yard with great vigor, and rubbed him: "Thank you for your hard work!" The horse and donkey in the family are like old men, doing nothing but pulling the cart. Only the AI ​​dog takes care of the family tirelessly and cares more about the family than the owner himself.

"Woof!" Dudu, a little black dog, wagged its tail cheerfully. Due to their programming, they are naturally loyal to their owners and don't tire easily. They usually do what they're programmed to do, and will proactively escape when mistreated. But if the player gives them enough love, they'll grow at an incredible rate, their thinking patterns gradually approaching those of real creatures, and they'll return the same, or even more, love to their owners.

Huihui: A donkey wouldn’t do something as troublesome as loving its master.

Honghong: Oh.

Huihui: What do you mean by "oh"? You really learned bad things from others!

Honghong: ...