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

#527 - Four Guardian Powers

Zhao Gang took a deep breath, his gaze firm as he looked at Granny Rong, his voice steady and strong.

"Granny Rong, I knew you'd say that, which is why we need to discuss it properly, right?"

Granny Rong frowned at Zhao Gang, a hint of disapproval in her eyes, but she didn't speak again. Wang Lina sighed softly, her voice tinged with helplessness: "...Okay, I understand..."

Just then, Gao Mei timidly raised her hand, her clear eyes shimmering with unease. Tong Xiaoliang noticed Gao Mei's action and immediately said, "Alright, quiet down, Xiao Mei has something to say."

All eyes turned to Gao Mei, who took a deep breath and mustered her courage to speak: "...Um, the man that Sister Lina brought back killed the reporter... is there any possibility of that...?"

As soon as Gao Mei finished speaking, Wang Lina sneered, a hint of mockery in her eyes: "I knew it..."

Tong Xiaoliang shook his head, his tone firm: "I don't think so, just a feeling. What does everyone else think?"

Qin Yi looked at Zhao Gang, a question in his eyes: "...Gang-ge, didn't you say he was suspicious?"

Zhao Gang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "...Well, he is quite suspicious, but Wang Lina is right, that's not a decisive reason. And, although he's suspicious, I don't think he has the guts to do something like that."

Wang Lina nodded in agreement: "I agree too. Anyway, this is our own problem, we should figure out how to solve it ourselves."

At that moment, Qian Jin, who had been silent all along, suddenly snorted coldly, his voice filled with sarcasm: "...Hmph, isn't this just choosing based on your own preferences?"

Qin Ming turned to Qian Jin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "So, Mr. Qian Jin, what do you think should be decided?"

Qian Jin slowly raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present: "In this situation, there's only one way to decide, and that's by vote, Qin Ming."

Wang Lina raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm in her voice: "...You mean majority rules? That's not your style, is it?"

Qian Jin sneered, a glint of meaning in his eyes: "I just think there's no other way to form a consensus other than this."

He paused, then continued, "A decision made by voting is, by its nature, the opinion of the majority, right? Besides voting, is there any other way?"

Qian Jin's gaze was sharp as he stared at Wang Lina: "Or, according to what you said earlier, hand over the decision-making power to opinion leaders for their arbitrary decision?"

He looked around, a hint of mockery in his voice: "As for the opinion leaders of Mist Village, aren't they Gao Zhijie and Granny Rong? I'm not from Mist Village, so I'd be the first to be voted out, right?"

Qian Jin's words were like a sharp sword, pointing directly at the core of the problem: "And, if the opinion leader is a wolf himself, what consequences do you think will arise?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire assembly hall fell into dead silence. Everyone's face was filled with complex emotions, some bowed their heads in thought, others looked at each other, their eyes filled with suspicion and unease.

Chen Xiang coughed softly, breaking the silence, her bright eyes staring directly at Qian Jin, hesitant to speak: "Mr. Qian Jin..."

Qian Jin coldly swept his gaze over everyone present, a hint of vigilance and unease in his eyes. His voice was low and firm: "I'll say this upfront, I don't want to be taken out, and I should at least have the right to vote rather than being powerless."

Wang Lina's face darkened upon hearing this, and she hesitated to speak, eventually just sighing softly: "..."

Zhao Gang suddenly stood up, his face filled with anger and dissatisfaction, his voice echoing in the assembly hall: "I object! Vote? Even if there's a conclusion, so what! Is that kind of conclusion really okay!" He took a deep breath and continued: "I think we should discuss it first before deciding."

Qin Ming frowned, his eyes filled with doubt: "...Speaking of which, what are we going to discuss?"

Wang Lina's gaze turned to Granny Rong, her voice filled with a hint of anticipation: "Granny Rong, I remember the mountain's guardian beasts protect those who participate in the [Banquet], right?"

Granny Rong pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "...That's right, the [Snake God], [Ape God], [Crow God], and [Spider God] guardian beasts will share their divine power with us."

Wang Lina pressed further: "Can you explain it in more detail?"

Just then, Grandpa Wolf, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his old voice trembling slightly: "...Snake..."

Qin Yi looked at his grandfather in surprise, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes: "Whoa!? Grandpa, do you know about this?"

Grandpa Wolf's gaze became profound, as if traveling through time, back to the distant past. He slowly spoke, his voice filled with a sense of mystery:

"The [Snake] can ask the Mountain God... who is the wolf."

"The [Apes] are only two... and know each other's identities."

"The [Crow] can ask the Mountain God... whether the person who was hanged was a wolf."

"The [Spider] can ask the Mountain God... to protect someone else for one night."

Granny Rong looked at Grandpa Wolf in surprise, a hint of respect flashing in her eyes: "You're right, that's what I heard too, Grandpa."

Grandpa Wolf's gaze suddenly became sharp, as if he saw through something: "The wolf is coming..."

Granny Rong's face revealed a complex expression, both surprise and nostalgia: "I didn't expect you to know about this, I thought you were already senile, it seems you haven't forgotten your faith..."

Wang Lina coughed lightly, bringing everyone's attention back to the current topic: "Let's get back to the point, so, someone among us has received divine power?"

Gao Mei's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt and fear, she asked in a trembling voice: "What do you mean? Are you saying that gods and guardian beasts really exist?" She paused, her face becoming even paler: "But, if that story is true, then someone among us is the murderer..."

Granny Rong's gaze became profound, she looked at Gao Mei, her tone firm and mysterious: "Xiao Mei, gods really exist."

The atmosphere in the assembly hall suddenly became even more tense, everyone's expression becoming complex. The candlelight flickered on their faces, casting flickering shadows, as if telling the strangeness and mystery of this night.

Gao Mei's voice broke the silence, her eyes flashing with unease and doubt: "It's just faith, isn't it!" Her voice trembled slightly, as if trying to convince herself.

Granny Rong's weathered face showed a hint of displeasure, her gaze piercing, staring directly at Gao Mei: "That's not true, everyone should have seen the Thousand-Ming God, right?" Her tone was firm, as if stating an undeniable fact.

Gao Mei was shocked by Granny Rong's words, her face instantly turning pale, her lips trembling slightly: "...That kind of thing... is just..." Her voice grew softer and softer, as if about to disappear into the air.

Qin Ming noticed Gao Mei's abnormality, he quickly walked to Gao Mei's side, gently patted her shoulder, his voice gentle and concerned: "...Xiao Mei, calm down, are you okay?"

Gao Mei took a deep breath, barely managing to force a smile: "...Yeah, sorry." Her voice was still a little shaky, but she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Seeing this, Qin Ming turned to face the crowd, his eyes flashing with a light of reason: "Let's ignore the truth of that story for now, let's organize the information we already have, there's no need to make a decision now." He paused, then continued: "For example, the guardian beast's blessing, can you explain it in a simpler way, that..."

Upon hearing this, Granny Rong revealed a hint of helplessness and disappointment on her face: "Have the young people of today even forgotten the legends of their hometown...?" Her voice was tinged with a sigh.

Just then, Gao Zhijie suddenly spoke, his voice steady and strong: "[Snake] is detection, [Ape] is teamwork, [Crow] is verification, [Spider] is protection."

Qian Jin took over, adding: "They are the guardian beasts of the four major families." A complicated light flashed in his eyes, as if he was recalling something.

Hua Lu nodded lightly, her soft voice ringing in the silent assembly hall: "...Yes, the emblems of the elders of the four families of Baifeng Village are the marks of the guardian beasts."

Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully, then asked: "...However, how does the blessed one exert the power of the blessing?"

Granny Rong took a deep breath and began to explain in detail: "The Snake only needs to write the name of another living person on a piece of paper at night and put it under their pillow... The Thousand-Ming God will tell the Snake whether the other person is a human or a wolf the next morning." Her voice was low and mysterious, as if telling an ancient legend.

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"The Apes are two people, when accepting the blessing, the Thousand-Ming God will tell the Apes each other's names."

"The Thousand-Ming God will tell the Crow every day whether the person who was hanged the previous day was a human."

"The Spider only needs to write the name of another living person on a piece of paper and put it under their pillow... The other person will not be attacked by wolves for the entire night."

Finally, Granny Rong took a deep breath and concluded in a serious tone: "We can use the divine power of the guardian beasts to choose someone to hang every day. If all the wolf gods are hanged, we win, if we are all killed, then we lose. Qin Ming, do you understand?"

The atmosphere in the assembly hall instantly became even more solemn. Everyone's expressions became complex, some frowned in thought, some looked terrified, and some maintained a calm expression, but their eyes flashed with unease.

Qin Ming's brow furrowed, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, as if weighing each person's reaction. Gao Mei still had a somewhat pale face, her hand tightly gripping the armrest of the chair, as if seeking a sense of security. Qian Jin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

Qin Ming frowned, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "I understand, but..." He was interrupted by Zhao Gang before he could finish speaking.

Zhao Gang's sharp eyes stared directly at Granny Rong, his voice tinged with doubt: "Granny, how do you know about this?"

A look of reminiscence appeared on Granny Rong's wrinkled face, she replied softly: "My grandmother told me." Her voice seemed to travel through time, carrying a sense of vicissitude.

Gao Mei's eyes widened, her voice tinged with a tremor: "S-So, the blessed one is the elder who inherited the bloodline of the guardian beast family!?" Her hands clenched into fists involuntarily, her knuckles white from the force.

Hua Lu shook her head gently, her soft voice ringing in the silent assembly hall: "I heard... the identity of the blessed one is randomly determined by the guardian beast." Her gaze swept across everyone present, as if searching for something.

Gao Mei's brow furrowed, her voice tinged with anxiety: "...So, who is it?" Her gaze swept across everyone's faces, as if trying to find the answer.

Qin Ming's voice broke the brief silence, his tone tinged with wariness: "If someone carelessly reveals their identity, they might become the target of the wolf god..." Zhao Gang picked up where he left off.

An impatient look appeared on Zhao Gang's determined face, his voice a little rushed: "But if we don't say anything, we can't discuss it, right?"

A sly glint flashed in Wang Lina's bright eyes, she asked softly: "Is that so?"

Zhao Gang seemed to be irritated by this atmosphere, he suddenly stood up, his voice tinged with anger: "Ah, this is so annoying! How can we discuss anything in this timid atmosphere! Everyone listen to me, I am the blessed one of the [Snake]!"

His words were like a bombshell, exploding in the assembly hall.

Qian Jin and Wang Lina exclaimed at the same time: "Uh--" "Eh--"

Qin Ming's brow furrowed even tighter, his voice tinged with doubt: "Gang-ge, really? Speaking of which, how did you know..."

Just then, Granny Rong's voice rang out again, her tone tinged with apology: "I forgot to say, the guardian beast will leave a mark on the chosen one through a dream pillow. When borrowing divine power, just write the name at night, and the mark will tell us the answer."

Zhao Gang nodded, his voice tinged with uncertainty: "Yeah, I have a mark on my body, other things... to be honest, I forgot."

Gao Mei's eyes lit up, she asked eagerly: "The Snake is detection... So, Gang-ge, do you already know who the wolf is?"

Granny Rong shook her head, her voice tinged with helplessness: "I said earlier, you have to write the name at night, and you can only check the identity of one person per night."

A look of disappointment appeared on Gao Mei's face: "...Ah, so, we'll only know tomorrow morning?"

Granny Rong nodded: "That's right."

Just then, Qian Jin's steady voice rang out: "Can I ask you a question, Gangzi?" His gaze stared directly at Zhao Gang, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

Zhao Gang turned his head, looking at Qian Jin warily: "What question?"

Qian Jin's voice was tinged with doubt: "Why would you reveal such important information at a time when it has no value..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire assembly hall instantly became tense. Everyone's eyes focused on Zhao Gang, waiting for his answer.