You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

#607 - The true face of raccoon

Granny Rong's face showed a rare smile: "Well-made cured beast meat is delicious." Her withered fingers tapped lightly on her cane, as if savoring something.

Tang Yin's mind couldn't help but flash through the beast meat dishes he had eaten, wondering if those counted as well-made. In the dim light, his expression was thoughtful: "So this sentence means that the raccoon will come at some point and run away with the cured beast meat, right?"

"That's right." Granny Rong nodded, a deep light flashing in her cloudy eyes.

Tang Yin frowned, his voice filled with confusion: "Um, I've never seen a raccoon." His gaze swept over everyone present, "Neither at Baifeng Manor nor at the Yellow Springs Feast."

The cafeteria suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The chirping of insects outside the window was clearly audible, and the night wind gently swayed the branches, casting mottled shadows on the floor. He originally thought he could get an answer immediately, but the reaction of these people in front of him was unexpected.

Tang Yin coughed lightly, breaking the suffocating silence: "...Um, I shouldn't be mistaken, right? The four guardian beasts correspond to the four elder families, but only the raccoon's truth is unknown." His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, "I once suspected that the raccoon might be the wolf, but no matter what, it's too far-fetched."

Seeing that everyone was still silent, his voice couldn't help but lower: "...Is there some secret that is not convenient to disclose?"

Wang Lina turned to Hualu, who had been silent all along: "Hualu, do you know anything?" Her voice was filled with anticipation.

Hualu lowered her eyes, her slender fingers twisting together: "Not really..."

Zhao Gang looked at Qian Jin impatiently: "Qian Jin, someone is asking a question."

Qian Jin pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting a faint light: "I'm not an expert in this area."

Just as Tang Yin was secretly sighing that everyone was ignorant, Granny Rong suddenly spoke: "I think I have a little impression." Her old voice broke the suffocating atmosphere.

Qian Jin immediately perked up: "Is it the legend of Wuyin Village?"

"Yes, but almost no one mentions it." Granny Rong's voice was low and hoarse, "I heard that the wolf god is the master of the hunting grounds, and the raccoon is the servant who helps the wolf god hunt."

Tang Yin's pupils contracted slightly: "Is there only one raccoon?"

Granny Rong's cloudy eyes flashed with surprise: "...One? What do you mean?"

Tang Yin took a deep breath, his gaze becoming exceptionally sharp: "I heard that there are actually three wolf gods."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the cafeteria seemed to freeze. The night wind outside the window suddenly became shrill, causing the windows to creak. Everyone's expression became subtle, as if this simple question had touched on some secret that should not be revealed. The lights flickered, casting swaying shadows on the walls, as if silently telling the truth buried deep in this ancient village.

Granny Rong sat up straight tremblingly, her old face appearing particularly deep in the light: "Ah, that's right, Qianming Shrine in Baifeng Manor has three wolf god statues." Her gaze seemed to travel through time and look into the distant past.

Her hunched body leaned forward slightly, her voice filled with a trace of reminiscence: "...There are two monkey god statues, and only one statue for each of the other guardian beasts..."

Hualu's eyes suddenly lit up: "...So that's it." Her slender fingers clenched the corner of her clothes unconsciously.

Qian Jin pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting the dim light: "I remember now, Hualu, there is indeed another statue." His voice was filled with a bit of realization.

Tang Yin's body leaned forward involuntarily: "What are you referring to? A raccoon statue?" He keenly captured the subtle changes in the expressions of others.

Chen Xiang rubbed her arms, as if feeling a chill: "...I also have a slight impression. When I went to worship for the first time, there was indeed a statue that looked like a dog mixed in with the others." Her voice trembled slightly, "I thought it was a wolf god that hadn't stood up yet..."

Tang Yin's eyes flickered, his thoughts racing. It seemed that the raccoon was not a werewolf, and this mystery seemed to be coming to light.

Granny Rong's fingers rubbed her cane unconsciously: "...That's right, the old man mentioned it before he passed away." She took a deep breath, "The raccoon has been waiting for the return of the wolf god."

"It's really chilling." Chen Xiang subconsciously wrapped her coat tighter, her voice filled with a trace of trembling.

Tang Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, the clues in his mind gradually becoming clear. The wind outside the window suddenly became shrill, and the shadows of the trees cast strange light spots on the floor.

Qin Ming noticed Tang Yin's thoughtful expression: "Any discoveries?"

Tang Yin took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Although it's just a guess, I think it's very likely that the raccoon is also a Kagoisha." He paused, his voice becoming more firm, "No, to be precise, among the participants of the Yellow Springs Feast, there are people who have been assigned the identity of raccoon."

This sentence was like a bombshell, and the air in the cafeteria instantly froze. Subtle changes appeared on everyone's faces. Some people's faces turned pale, some people took a half step back unconsciously, and some people's fingers began to tremble unconsciously.

Xia Hui's voice broke the suffocating silence: "What do you mean?"

Tang Yin's eyes became exceptionally sharp: "Maybe there is a human who is the wolf's companion."

As soon as he finished speaking, the abnormal behavior of Gao Mei in the previous cycle involuntarily appeared in his mind. At that time, her behavior was abnormal, her eyes were erratic, and she seemed to have completely turned into another person. This thought made Tang Yin's back feel slightly cold. The lights in the cafeteria flickered, as if cooperating with this strange discovery. Everyone's shadows were stretched very long, twisting into strange shapes on the wall, like a silent drama, staging the deepest secrets of this village.

Tang Yin's gaze appeared particularly deep in the dim light, his voice low and calm: "...As for the reason, I don't know, maybe it's because of supernatural phenomena, or maybe it's because of the panic caused by the fear of legends." The night wind outside the window wailed, as if accompanying his words.

His fingers tapped the table lightly, and continued: "Even if neither is right, there is another possibility, such as someone discovering that a person close to them is a wolf, and deciding to help the other person..." Speaking of this, he noticed that the expressions of several people had obviously become unnatural.

Tang Yin's voice became even lower: "Or, they have obtained a murderous will and motive like a wolf." The temperature in the cafeteria seemed to drop suddenly, "Not hesitating to kill and sacrifice themselves, they want to be with the wolf..." Every word he said was like a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of everyone present.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's pale faces: "Is there such a possibility?"

Wang Lina pretended to be calm and squeezed out a勉强 smile: "...Ah haha, what are you talking about, Tang Yin, this is just speculation... right?" Her voice was obviously trembling.

Tang Yin's eyes became sharper: "It is indeed speculation, but I think this possibility is very high." He turned to Granny Rong, "Moreover, the old man who recently passed away also mentioned the raccoon."

His voice suddenly increased a bit: "--He should have participated in the Yellow Springs Feast, so he knew about the existence of the raccoon, right?"

Qian Jin pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting a strange light: "It's getting more and more exaggerated..." His tone was filled with a bit of unease.

Zhao Gang waved his hand, trying to break the heavy atmosphere: "Um... You're thinking too much, right?"

Tang Yin's heart was exceptionally determined, because he had already confirmed the existence of the raccoon with his own eyes. Damn it, he cursed inwardly, this unspeakable truth was really annoying. Without more powerful evidence, he couldn't come up with greater persuasiveness.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Yin changed to a more euphemistic way of saying it: "...Um, it's just speculation, but it's better to be prepared for the worst, right?" His gaze suddenly locked on Zhao Gang, "Zhao Gang, you said you don't believe in the existence of monsters, right?"

Zhao Gang's body obviously stiffened: "...Is there a problem?"

Tang Yin slowly stood up, his shadow stretched long on the wall: "Let's put it this way, it's foggy now, and everyone is holding a banquet here..." His voice was particularly clear in the silent cafeteria, "Every time it's foggy, there will be a banquet, and every time it's foggy, people will die. You admit that these two things are inseparable, right?"

Zhao Gang opened his mouth, but didn't make any sound. This silence was undoubtedly the best default. The fog outside the window seemed to become thicker, and the hazy moonlight projected through the glass window, weaving a strange light and shadow on the floor. The air in the cafeteria was almost suffocating, and everyone could hear their own rapid heartbeat. Tonight, it seemed that there were even more unknown truths waiting to be revealed.

Tang Yin's gaze was as sharp as a knife, and his voice echoed in the silent cafeteria: "In other words, there is a force that turns the villagers who have been living in Wuyin Village together into murderers, and you agree with this fact, right?"

Zhao Gang suddenly stood up, the chair scraping harshly on the floor: "Wait, wait! I didn't say that there are bad people among us! Maybe the murderer is from Baifeng Manor!" His voice was filled with a bit of panic.

Tang Yin looked at Zhao Gang's flustered appearance, and thought to himself: How long do you want to be naive? The fog outside the window was getting thicker and thicker, as if it was going to devour the whole world.

He sighed softly: "Don't be nervous, it's just a hypothesis now, but if there really is that kind of power, even if humans become the wolf's companions, it's not impossible, right?" His voice slowed down a bit, "Moreover, maybe that person hasn't appeared among us yet."

Tang Yin's fingers tapped the table lightly: "The raccoon holds beast meat, looking east and west... Maybe this sentence means that the raccoon was late for the banquet, so he brought a gift as an apology."

Xia Hui rubbed her temples, and said tiredly: "If it weren't for the current situation, I would really be interested in your speculation."

Zhao Gang's face was full of dissatisfaction: "To be honest, you're causing panic by sensationalizing like this, it's too inappropriate, right?"

Qin Ming stopped talking: "...No, but that... um..." His eyes flickered uncertainly.

Wang Lina nervously grabbed the corner of her clothes: "...Hopefully it's just thinking too much."

Tang Yin's heart was exceptionally heavy, because this was an unchangeable fact. The figure of Gao Mei in the last cycle appeared in his mind. At that time, on the second night when the wolf appeared, some mysterious force tried to make her lean towards the wolf's camp. In the end, her defenses collapsed, and as a human, she made many actions that were beneficial to the wolf.

The moonlight shone through the fog, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor of the cafeteria. An indescribable sense of oppression permeated the air, as if everyone was confronting the deepest fears in their hearts in this strange atmosphere.

Tang Yin leaned against the window, looking at the village shrouded in dusk in the distance, his thoughts gradually sinking into the depths of his memory. The small house where he lived, the previous owner had just passed away recently. This meant that the old man had experienced the thick fog eight years ago, and was likely to have participated in that strange banquet with Grandpa Gao and Grandpa Wolf.

The shadows of the trees outside the window swayed in the breeze, and Tang Yin's eyes gradually became deep. Since the survivors knew about the existence of the raccoon, then the wolf was very likely to have won the banquet eight years ago. This thought made him feel chills - if this was the case, Grandpa Gao, who also survived, was he also a member of the wolf at that time?

If knowing the truth of the Yellow Springs Feast can make people's temperament change drastically, then wouldn't this terrible change happen to Grandpa Gao? Tang Yin's fingers tapped the windowsill unconsciously. The relationship between the wolf and the raccoon was obviously far more complicated than it seemed on the surface.

He shook his head with a wry smile, perhaps only by becoming a raccoon or a wolf himself could he uncover the truth behind these mysteries. But it was useless to think too much now, and he should focus his energy on the crisis at hand.

The sun was setting, and dusk was getting darker. Everyone chatted casually until Grandpa Gao came back with a straight face, and then they sat down together to enjoy dinner. Today's main dish was cured beast meat stew, and the rich aroma filled the cafeteria.

Tang Yin picked up a piece of meat and chewed it carefully. This time the taste was not as strong as the first time, probably because the fermentation time was shorter. Perhaps because he had become accustomed to this unique taste, he could now swallow it like ordinary meat, although this did not mean that he really liked the dish.

However, being able to eat such special cured beast meat at this time also shows to some extent that even this crisis-ridden banquet is regarded as a solemn ritual.

Suddenly, Xia Hui leaned close to Tang Yin's ear and whispered: "...I heard that the Aztecs would entertain the people who were going to be sacrificed for a whole year."

Her tone was a bit self-deprecating, obviously implying "At least we don't have to endure it for so long." This black humor left Tang Yin speechless, not knowing how to respond. The atmosphere at the dinner table became subtle, and only the sound of chopsticks colliding echoed in the silent cafeteria. Outside the window, the last ray of sunlight was also swallowed up in the heavy dusk, and night quietly fell.