TANH Chapter 36.1: Seminary 12.1

23RD JUL 2023~SV

Why was it still wrong?

Wen Qing ignored Oz. He shifted forwards and further away from Oz.

He glanced back from the corner of his eye. Oz didn’t follow, and a normal social distance was maintained between the two.

Wen Qing sighed in relief.

After expelling the so-called evil spirit, the High Priest solemnly asked everyone to start praying.

The difference from yesterday was that there was only one teacher in the temple today, Teacher Chen. None of the other teachers showed up.

Wen Qing stood in the middle of the crowd, justly and honourably slacking off.

They prayed for a whole morning, and it was not until lunch break that everyone was allowed to leave the temple and head to the cafeteria.

Wen Qing hastily found Bai Tong and Li Jingjing.

Bai Tong said in a low voice, “First look for Ji Junfeng, there’s something wrong with him.”

Wen Qing quietly said, “He hasn’t come to class these past two days, and I didn’t see him in the dormitory either.”

He seemed to have disappeared, and the other students, teachers… none of them cared about his disappearance.

Thinking about it now, on the first day they arrived in the instance, Ji Junfeng attended a class in the classroom.

Li Jingjing murmured softly, “What a good guy, this clue is actually playing hide-and-seek with us.”

She glanced around. Seeing that there was no teacher around, she reached out and grabbed a student, pretending to be menacing. “Hey, did you see that kid Ji Junfeng?”

The student was not frightened by her appearance, and instead asked suspiciously, “Why are you looking for him?”

Li Jingjing smiled coldly. “We want to beat him up!”

“It’s going to be God’s birthday soon.” 

Beating someone up for luck was a very reasonable excuse.

The classmate calmly gave an “oh”, pointed to the students around calmly, and told them. “See, these are people looking for him.”

“We all think that we can be noticed by the High Priest if we beat him up in the last few days. That kid probably knows the score, hiding in what place and not daring to come out.”

Li Jingjing paused. In this way, it seemed that Ji Junfeng’s excuse for disappearing was more reasonable.

The student pulled back his clothes, took two steps, then turned back and said to them with a smile, “Brothers, when we find him, let’s beat him up together.”

After walking to a place with less people, Wen Qing leaned into Bai Tong’s ear and quietly questioned, “What problem does Ji Junfeng have?”

Bai Tong analysed quietly, “At present, it seems like Ji Junfeng didn’t lie to us. The activities before God’s birthday are choosing an auspicious time, expelling evil spirits, burning incense, and praying. These activities are fixed.”

“I originally thought that ‘expelling evil spirits’ was some sort of dance for good fortune… now, it looks like the High Priest only needs a reason to kill people.”

Bai Tong lightly said, “Ji Junfeng has experienced God’s birthday once. Knowing this, the High Priest still left him alone in this school.”

Wen Qing pursed his lips. Jiang Jing had said at the beginning, everyone liked Ji Junfeng.

If Ji Junfeng had said it at that time, there would definitely be some students who believed his words.

Li Jingjing frowned and said, “Did he not say? Or couldn’t say?”

“Is there such a possibility like, for example, last year’s High Priest was still normal? And exorcising evil was also a normal activity, so Ji Junfeng is fine?”

Wen Qing expanded his train of thought due to Li Jingjing’s words. He thought for a while, then asked, “Could it be that God thought Ji Junfeng was good-looking, so he kept him?”

He felt like this was something Yu Xing would do.

Li Jingjing thoughtfully nodded. “It’s possible, it’s possible, so it’s an SM triangle?”

“……”

Bai Tong was silent for a while, and couldn’t help but remind, “You’re both making excuses for him.”

Li Jingjing laughed. Her expression didn’t change as she said, “He’s handsome.”

Wen Qing lowered his eyes and quietly said, “I also hope that he’s a good person.”

Bai Tong pursed his lips, “Ji Junfeng is pushed aside in this school. His existence feels very weak, the teachers and students don’t pay attention to his life or death at all.”

“To think about it from another angle, having the identity of a weak person can have everyone relax their vigilance, and he can also move around this school freely.”

“He is allowed to not go to the cafeteria, he can get out of participating during the activities of choosing the auspicious time and expelling evil spirits…”

Wen Qing was stunned. These words sounded very familiar.

It would always show up in TV shows and movies.

Generally speaking, the result of this routine is…

Ji Junfeng and the High Priest were the same person?

Wen Qing was a little muddled. “If Ji Junfeng and the High Priest really are the same person, why would he always get beaten?”

Bai Tong turned to look at him. “It could be because he likes it.”

Wen Qing was dazed. He recalled the few times he came into contact with Ji Junfeng. He really seemed like he didn’t have much aversion and rejection to pain.

Because Ji Junfeng liked it, so his (WQ) clue was bullying people?

Wen Qing simply questioned the system directly:【 System, Ji Junfeng and the High Priest are the same person. Is that the seminary’s secret? 】

There was no prompt from 001.

Was the answer wrong?

Wen Qing had some doubts.

Bai Tong saw what he had just done at a glance, and now he was thinking that it was a loose end. He chuckled and spoke, “It isn’t necessarily wrong.”

“There’s still a possibility that we haven’t analysed yet.”

Wen Qing thought for a while and asked, “Is it about the expelled students?”

Bai Tong didn’t dare to guarantee, and told him, “Maybe.”

“A question worth a hundred points, right now we might only be able to get 30 points.”

Wen Qing was even more confused. “Thirty points won’t give a hint?”

The corners of Li Jingjing’s mouth twitched. She told Wen Qing, full of experience, “It won’t.”

“Thirty points, according to the system’s logic, no points will be given for rounding off.”

Wen Qing: “……”

Li Jingjing raised the corners of her lips, “So in this time, many players will feel that their analysis is wrong.”

“Afterwards, they will go towards the wrong answer without looking back. There was one time before, I almost got pitted for death.”

Wen Qing couldn’t help but say, “This system is too scheming!”

The next second, he heard 001’s cold chuckle.

Wen Qing’s expression stiffened.

Seeing this, Bai Tong frowned, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Qing whispered, “My system doesn’t seem too happy.”

Li Jingjing was stunned, then laughed, “Well, your system has a pretty big temper.”

She poked Wen Qing’s shoulder and said to his chest, “We didn’t say you’re scheming.”

001: 【……】

Wen Qing silently praised the main system in his heart. It really was a brilliant system, to come up with this ingenious scoring method in order to toughen the players…

001: 【……】

After finishing lunch in the afternoon, there were still two more hours of lunch break.

The three people strolled around the school, then went to the dormitory building and the library, but they still didn’t find Ji Junfeng’s figure.

There was still prayer class in the afternoon, so they could only head back to the classroom for the time being.

Li Jingjing walked while looking at the High Priest’s building from a distance, and said in a low voice, “Say, Ji Junfeng shouldn’t be imprisoned by that bastard High Priest, right?”

“If they aren’t one person, it’s about time to stage the imprisonment play and then the scene of slaughtering the seminary for love.”

Wen Qing’s train of thought was immediately diverted. This also sounded pretty reasonable?

Bai Tong couldn’t help but chuckle, and told him, “You don’t believe her words.”

“However…” Bai Tong paused, and raised his gaze to look at the High Priest’s building. “Ji Junfeng may actually be there.”

Right now, the only place they hadn’t searched was this place.

The three of them discussed it and decided to find an opportunity to go to the High Priest’s building after dinner. They returned to the classroom first.

Before they reached the door of the classroom, they saw the remaining two players squatting in the corner of the corridor, whispering something.

Seeing them walk over, the two players glanced at each other and hurriedly walked away.

After walking to another secluded corner, the short player spoke, “Today is only Wednesday, there’s still three more days until God’s birthday. We are currently 72 people, if three die then it’ll perfectly be 69 people.”

The other player’s face changed. “Then what do we do?”

Zhao Wu (short player) gritted his teeth, “Maybe those people didn’t trick us. We must violate the school rules first.”

Sun Xin (the other player) hastily questioned, “But if we also violate the school rules, then how will people die in the following few days?”

Zhao Wu glared at him. “If we violate the school rules now, we will be equal with the other players. Between a one half or a one eighth chance of death, who do you choose?”

Sun Xin: “One- one eighth.”

Zhao Wu stood up and told him, “Wait until nighttime curfew.”

………………

The dim light of night gradually darkened.

Wen Qing and Li Jingjing followed Bai Tong, and slowly walked to the doorway of the High Priest’s building.

At 5:30 in the evening, they didn’t know if it was because of the timing problem, but many teachers went in and out of this building. Go in, go out, go in, go out…

The High Priest’s building seemed incredibly lively, and the few of them didn’t find a chance to sneak in.

Li Jingjing frowned. “What do we do?”

Bai Tong leaned against the wall, and said with a light tone, “Wait some more.”

Wen Qing was sort of nervous, and quietly asked, “What if we bump into a teacher later? What should we say? What to do?”

Li Jingjing hurriedly said, “Bah, we won’t be that unlucky.”

Bai Tong snickered and told them, “It is not curfew right now. Us being anywhere is very normal.”

Li Jingjing rubbed her chin and continued to say, “If we really are caught, we are fascinated by the High Priest’s demeanour, and we can’t help but want to get a little closer to him.”

Wen Qing kept having a bad feeling. He questioned again, “Then if we bump into the High Priest directly?”

Li Jingjing said, “Then tell him, we are fascinated by yo, and we can’t help but want to get a little closer to you.”

Wen Qing weakly asked, “Won’t he just let the vines directly eat us?”

Li Jingjing’s expression slightly changed, “Bah, you quickly give me a bah.”

Wen Qing: “Bah.”

From 5:30 until 6:30, the sky became darker, and the school gradually became quiet too.

The figures of the teachers in the hall on the first floor gradually disappeared.

Bai Tong glanced at the time, and quietly said, “Go in now.”

The first floor had a very ordinary hall. Last night, the three of them had walked past this place before going to the basement. They directly found the stairs in the corner, and went upstairs to the second floor.

Walking up to the second floor, they saw a huge and transparent greenhouse. The greenhouse was located in the middle of the second floor and took up almost all of the space available. It was full of various flowers and trees, growing well under the lights.

Even though he didn’t see any vines, Wen Qing always felt a little flustered in his heart, fearing a vine would sneak out of the soil at any time.

Bai Tong’s gaze swept around. He stared at the only door on the side of the greenhouse, and said in a low voice, “Go over and take a look.”

Walking up to the door, Bai Tong turned the door lock.

With a ‘click’, the entire door lock fell out of the door.

Wen Qing froze for a moment. Had someone arrived before them again?

Bai Tong’s lips firmed. He kept the door lock and pushed the door open.

This was a very normal office, with tables, chairs, bookshelves, and even an idol as tall as a person.

Bai Tong looked at the door lock in his hand, slightly frowned, strode forward and directly pulled the drawer open.

As expected, it was empty.

Like the teachers’ office in the classroom building, it was fake.

Wen Qing blinked and quietly asked, “Could it be that all of the offices are fake?”

Bai Tong frowned. “It should have been hidden.”

“Since there are yearbooks and school history, it shows that the seminary is operating normally. There will definitely be records of previous students.”

Wen Qing pondered. There were only a few buildings in total.

Firstly, after excluding the cafeteria, dormitory and classroom building, the only ones left were the library and this place.

They had visited the library at noon, but didn’t see any offices or other rooms. 

Bai Tong lowered his eyes and spoke, “There are only two floors here.”

“The first floor is the hall, the second floor is the greenhouse.”

Except for the first and second floors, the only place left was…

Wen Qing’s eyelids jumped, and he quietly questioned, “In the basement?”

Hearing these three words, Li Jingjing paled, and cursed, “Fuck, I reckon it’s in the basement.”

“Over there is the confinement room. Everyone doesn’t want to approach it, it’s very safe.”

Bai Tong glanced at the clock on the wall. “There are still twenty minutes before curfew.”

“Go down first.”

The three of them were very familiar with the road to the basement.

When they arrived at the idol, they stopped.

Wen Qing looked at the idol that was much taller than himself, and his body indescribably felt a little chilly.

He couldn’t help but lean closer to Bai Tong, considering the two roads in front of them.

One was the way he and Oz walked, the other one was the way Li Jingjing and Bai Tong walked.

There were sombre iron gates on both sides of the road. The road, which was spacious enough to accommodate three people in parallel, was extremely constrained by these iron gates.

Li Jingjing pointed to the road on the right and said in a low voice, “This way is a dead end. I was locked in the innermost room yesterday.”

Wen Qing pondered, and whispered, “Then go to the left road?”

“There seems to be a corner turn on this road, but I wasn’t taken there yesterday.”

Li Jingjing had a psychological shadow of the confinement room. She rubbed her arms and urged, “Let’s quickly go over and take a look.”