“We previously deduced that the man living in the castle was the young master. If the child killed the ghost, how could the ghost possibly let the child go, live with the child, and watch the child grow up?”
Qin Manwen's words were like a reassuring pill, making the others' wavering minds start to believe again that it was the lady who killed the ghost.
Yes! If the child killed the ghost, how could the ghost still live with the child in the castle without killing the child?
“Perhaps…” Xia Linyin paused before saying, “For the person Dad brought back, killing him would be a relief.”
"The ghost killed Dad, which proves that the ghost hated Dad, or at least didn't love him. As a man, being forced by another man, the clothes in the wardrobe indicate that the master had some special fetishes. Being forced to wear women's clothes and having to endure the humiliation from the lady, all of this made the ghost feel ashamed. Death was a relief for him. So the child killed the ghost, but the ghost didn't kill him."
Qin Manwen shook her head. "Xia Linyin, your explanation is too far-fetched. I don't believe the ghost would let go of someone who killed him."
“I have evidence to prove that the child killed the ghost.”
Xia Linyin turned to the page with writing in the storybook and showed it to everyone.
Next to the picture of the rabbit racing with the tortoise, it says—
"Little rabbit, white and white, lift up its two ears, cut the artery and then the vein, it stays still and is so cute."
Seeing the neat handwriting in the book, Yang Shuming gasped. Thinking of the corpse with its throat slit in the basement, he felt a dull pain in his neck.
Qin Manwen's expression changed slightly, but she did not waver in her opinion because she had more direct and compelling evidence to prove that it was the Madam who killed the Ghost.
“Xia Linyin, this statement proves nothing. I found this piece of paper next to the dagger, and its contents are enough to prove that Madam killed the ghost.”
Xia Linyin reached out and took the letter Qin Manwen handed her. The crumpled paper read, "He's finally dead! Finally dead! No one will be able to take my man from me anymore!"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Following this was a series of "ha" characters, densely packed and taking up most of the paper. The strokes were so heavy they almost pierced the paper, one could imagine how frantic the lady must have been when she wrote these words.
Xia Linyin lowered her arms. Could it be that she had guessed wrong?
It was the woman, not the child, who killed the ghost.
Seeing Xia Linyin's brows furrow slightly, Qin Manwen said, "Xia Linyin, I understand your unease. You feel that the clue you found is too straightforward, but sometimes things are like that. Complicating simple things can lead you into a trap. Being too clever can backfire, just like I was before. I stubbornly believed that you were a werewolf, and I thought there was something wrong with everything you said. In the end, it turned out that I was overthinking it."
Yang Shuming chimed in, "Yes! Xia Linyin, the dagger has now been found in Madam's room. There's no doubt that Madam killed the ghost. But if the child killed the ghost, then where is the murder weapon?"
Yang Shuming thought his words would stop Xia Linyin from worrying, but to his surprise, Xia Linyin suddenly turned around and ran out of the room, saying, "Give me a few minutes, I'll go to the children's room to look again!"
Xia Linyin rushed into the children's room again and searched the entire room once more.
It's not in the drawer!
It's not in my schoolbag!
It's not in the closet!
...
If the murder weapon can be found in the children's room, it will prove her guess was correct; if it cannot be found, it will prove that the dagger in Qin Manwen's hand is the murder weapon.
No matter what, she had to confirm it!
After all, this is a matter of life and death!
"You only get one chance, are you sure?"
The words on the note echoed in Xia Linyin's mind. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her face. Where? Where could it be?
This time, Li Luo didn't let Xia Linyin go to the children's room alone. He leaned against the door frame and quietly watched Xia Linyin rummage through the drawers and cabinets.
In the lady's room, Qin Manwen, Yang Shuming, Ma Yanming, and Zhou Yu stood facing each other in bewilderment.
No one spoke; a silent atmosphere permeated the air, a stillness so profound it was suffocating.
In this silent atmosphere, the temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees, followed by a chilling sense of oppression.
Everyone stiffened involuntarily, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts. Apart from the killings they had just started, the ghost that had been quietly lurking among them was finally about to strike again!
Large beads of sweat slid down Ma Yanming's cheeks, and his legs trembled incessantly inside his trousers.
Zhou Yu bit her lip tightly, her face pale, as if she was about to faint at any moment.
The suffocating sense of oppression grew stronger and stronger...
Sudden!
Qin Manwen called out towards the door, "Xia Linyin! You're here!"
Everyone instinctively turned to look at the doorway, and just then!
Qin Manwen rushed forward and plunged the dagger in her hand into Zhou Yu's chest!
Zhou Yu grabbed the dagger stuck in his chest, swayed a couple of times, and then collapsed to the ground, his delicate face still showing the shock of his death.
Ma Yanming stared dumbfounded at the sudden situation before him. After regaining his senses, he found his voice and asked in a trembling tone, "Qin Manwen, you, you, you... why did you kill Zhou Yu?"
"Zhou Yu is a ghost."
Qin Manwen stared blankly at the corpse on the ground.
If the ghost is male, then besides her and Xia Linyin, the ghost is one of the five people: Zhou Yu, Ma Yanming, Yang Shuming, Wei Xiaohua, and Li Luo.
She, Xia Linyin, and Yang Shuming were constantly reasoning and analyzing throughout the process. They showed no doubt or surprise when they saw the notes and other props, so she was certain that Xia Linyin and Yang Shuming were both players.
As for Li Luo, to be honest, she really couldn't tell that Li Luo was a player. However, at the beginning of the game, she observed the interaction between Li Luo and Xia Linyin. The two of them clearly knew each other before the game started, so it could be inferred that Li Luo was also a player.
In this way, Li Luo and Yang Shuming could not be ghosts.
Of the remaining three, Wei Xiaohua and the others had already deduced that they weren't ghosts. Ma Yanming's intense reaction of disbelief, incomprehension, and the opening of a new world when he heard that his father had brought back a man was definitely not an act, so Ma Yanming could be cleared of suspicion.
That leaves only Zhou Yu, the handsome, somewhat shy boy who is the ghost among them!
"You killed the wrong person! The ghost is Li Luo!" Ma Yanming shouted. "Didn't you notice? Li Luo wasn't afraid at all! He didn't look for any clues! Most importantly, he's too good-looking. He's the ghost!!"
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