tkworld #541 - Tong Xiaoliang's reasoning ability
#541 - Tong Xiaoliang's reasoning ability
"Uncle Tang!" Tong Xiaoliang's voice trembled slightly, his youthful face etched with worry. Sunlight pierced through the dense fog, casting golden flecks in his deep brown eyes.
Wang Lina stood beside him, her hands anxiously twisting together, a look of helplessness on her delicate face. "I can't argue with that!" Her voice was soft, yet laced with barely concealed anxiety.
Tang Yin surveyed the group, his deep eyes seeming to penetrate their very souls. "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that she's still in Mist Hidden Village. Could you continue searching the village?"
Zhao Gang lowered his head slightly, his voice low and hoarse. "...Leave it to me." His weathered face was etched with fatigue, but his eyes remained firm.
Wang Lina hurried forward, grabbing Tang Yin's sleeve, and said urgently, "If there's any danger, absolutely don't be reckless." Her fingertips turned white from the force of her grip, revealing her inner unease.
Tong Xiaoliang suddenly stepped forward, the boy's slender figure appearing particularly frail in the mist. "Uncle Tang, you said just now, right?"
"Hmm?" Tang Yin raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.
"Xiao Mei saw something, and then she couldn't trust us anymore." Tong Xiaoliang's voice was very soft, but particularly clear in the silence.
"Hmm, what about it?" Tang Yin's gaze deepened, as if contemplating something.
Tong Xiaoliang bit his lip. "It must be nonsense, right?"
Tang Yin was silent for a moment, his voice low: "...Who knows? It's just a possibility, but maybe that's the truth."
"Like seeing my or Qin Ming's fangs?" Tong Xiaoliang's words carried a hint of self-deprecation, a flicker of imperceptible pain in his eyes.
"Hmm, that's also a possibility," Tang Yin replied calmly.
"Hmm... how should I put it, it shouldn't be possible, right?" Tong Xiaoliang's voice was hesitant.
"Intuition?" Tang Yin keenly caught the hesitation in the boy's words.
"Hmm... just intuition." Tong Xiaoliang lowered his head, his voice growing softer. "The Huangquan Banquet's rules have a feeling of preventing the murderous wolf from being discovered."
Tang Yin's pupils contracted sharply: ...Hmm?
His voice became deep and heavy. "Clearly the wolves commit murder at night, but humans can't go out, can't gather everyone in one place to monitor each other, can't conduct scientific investigations."
"Everything is carried out unknowingly in the depths of the fog." His gaze pierced through the mist, as if searching for something.
"In other words, we can't find enough evidence to prove the identity of the 'wolf'—" Tang Yin's words stopped abruptly, falling into deep thought.
Without evidence, the basis for players to send others to the execution platform, besides the mysterious [Guardian Beast's Blessing], is sophistry, incitement, quibbling, emotional arguments, interpersonal relationships, popularity... that is, [communication skills]...
Tong Xiaoliang raised his head, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light. "I don't know, it's just a feeling, but this rule is very rigorous, right?"
Without decisive evidence, only using silver tongues as weapons. Suspecting each other, hurting each other, ugly infighting, this banquet—if this kind of malice really exists, then Tong Xiaoliang's [intuition] is not without reason.
The autumn mountain wind carried a damp breath, wandering in the mist-shrouded mountains. Tang Yin looked at the boy beside him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be the detective type?"
Tong Xiaoliang scratched his head in embarrassment upon hearing this, a stray lock of hair falling from his slightly pale forehead. "Eh? Isn't Qin Ming that type? Maybe he's already found a lot of clues."
He silently noted in his mind: ...I'll find a chance to ask him later.
The group walked along the winding mountain road, the soil beneath their feet soft and damp, the air filled with the scent of decaying leaves. Gradually, the exit of Mist Hidden Village came into view.
A huge gray standing rock stood proudly beside the mountain road, its surface covered with the marks of time, moss quietly growing in the cracks. It was like a torii gate that had lost its crossbeam, exuding a mysterious and solemn aura in the mist, as if silently telling of some ancient faith.
Tang Yin stood in front of the standing rock, frowning slightly. "...There shouldn't be a rule that you're eliminated if you leave without leaving the area, right?" There was a hint of caution in his voice.
"The rule is that you must participate in the [Banquet]," Tong Xiaoliang replied decisively, his voice echoing in the silent valley.
Everyone tacitly reached a consensus—they were just going to find Xiao Mei, and it wasn't violating the rules, so it should be safe. But an ominous thought floated in everyone's mind: if that's the case, Xiao Mei has already been eliminated.
No one wanted to delve into this question; they selectively suppressed this possibility in their hearts, silently passed through the narrow mountain path between the rocks, and left Mist Hidden Village, shrouded in a strange atmosphere.
However, their footsteps soon stopped. The scene before them made everyone gasp—the mountain road had collapsed.
Tong Xiaoliang crouched down, professionally examining the broken mountainside. He explained that this area had weathered rock geology, making it prone to collapses, and landslides were commonplace. The torrential rain the night before the fog, most likely caused all of this.
If there was some connection between the rainstorm and the fog, then the landslide and the simultaneous occurrence of the fog seemed not accidental. A darker thought floated in everyone's mind—could this be man-made? The possibility that the people of Baifeng Village deliberately destroyed the road to Baifeng Village to prevent the invasion of the Huangquan people could not be completely ruled out.
"Uncle Tang?" Tong Xiaoliang's voice suddenly broke the silence of the mountain. His expression was grave, his body leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed on a certain spot on the ground.
Tang Yin followed his gaze, his eyes instantly sharpening: "This is...?" He crouched down, carefully touching the ground with his fingers.
On this loose soil, a series of clear footprints were particularly striking.
Those were traces left by all too familiar student leather shoes, the pattern on the soles clearly visible, even able to distinguish the size of the shoes. Each footprint was like a silent signal, telling them the whereabouts of a missing girl. She was indeed nearby.
Everyone held their breath, looking along the footprints. The footprints stretched all the way to a cliff about a person's height before stopping abruptly.
The cliff was not particularly steep, but the surface was slightly damp and the soil was loose. On the rock wall, there were fresh traces of soil remaining, and the cut ends of scattered plant stems were still oozing sap, obviously broken when someone was climbing.
That girl chose a more dangerous path, like a frightened deer, disappearing into this unfathomable mountain forest.
"Let's go." Tong Xiaoliang's voice was filled with anxiety, and he had already started moving his hands and feet, preparing to climb.
"Mm." Tang Yin responded briefly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
As a well-informed adult, Tang Yin knew very well that, from an academic point of view, primitive mountain forests should be areas without human traces, preserving complete natural ecosystems. Although this mountain forest was planted with a large number of cedar trees, obviously with traces of artificial intervention, everything else here was no different from a primitive mountain forest.
Looking around, the ground was covered with ferns spreading their verdant leaves, and scattered saplings were stubbornly growing in the cracks. Above was a lush canopy of branches and leaves, layering and overlapping to shield the sky, with only scattered sunlight able to penetrate this natural barrier. Even more unsettling was that this strange fog seemed even thicker here, floating in the air like clumps of cotton wool.
Tang Yin couldn't help but think to himself: Maybe... this really isn't a place humans can set foot in.
However, fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on them. The fresh footprints remaining on the ferns were clearly visible, and the broken branches lay scattered on the ground, all pointing the way forward for that intruder.
"Here." Tong Xiaoliang pointed to a particularly obvious trace.
Tang Yin frowned and reminded, "Be careful, maybe she's lost and wandered in too."
Tong Xiaoliang ignored this warning and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "Xiao Mei!!"
"Hey, is it okay to be so loud?" Tang Yin was startled by this sudden shout.
"It's common sense in the mountains, to intimidate wild animals." Tong Xiaoliang explained, while vigilantly looking around.
Tang Yin nodded silently. Indeed, in this environment, wild animals were the most realistic threat. Thinking of this, he also shouted loudly: "Xiao Mei!!!"
"Answer me!!" Tong Xiaoliang's voice was tinged with sobs.
Responding to them were only the echoes in the valley and the calls of unknown birds. Everyone called out the name of the missing girl while carefully advancing through this strange mountain forest, taking each step with extreme caution, for fear of missing any possible clues.
If he wasn't mistaken, she wanted to walk back to the mountain road, but in order to bypass the cliffs and rocks, she had gone further and further away.
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The fog flowed through the forest. After about ten minutes, Tang Yin and Tong Xiaoliang had completely lost their sense of direction. The cedar trees around them seemed to grow exactly the same, and although there were traces of footprints, even the passage of time became blurred in this fog-covered forest.
It was indeed very dangerous here. Tang Yin clenched his fists, sweat sliding from his forehead. Where exactly was she? The unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger, maybe even if they found her, it would be too late.
At the thought of the words "inexplicable death", the face of Qin Yi unconsciously surfaced in Tang Yin's mind. The scene of that young man leaving the world without warning still made him feel lingering fear. If something happened again today, it would be the third person. This thought made his heart twitch slightly.
Tang Yin forced himself to calm down and continued to carefully advance on the slippery ground. Just then, a faint sob suddenly came.
"Wuu... wuu wuu wuu..."
"Xiao Mei!" Tong Xiaoliang instantly recognized the voice, his whole body tensing up.
"Xiao Liang? Wuu wuu... d-don't come over..." The girl's voice was filled with panic and pain.
"Are you alright!?" Tang Yin raised his voice.
"...Please... don't chase me..." Xiao Mei's voice grew weaker.
An ominous premonition surged into Tang Yin's heart. Could something terrible have happened to her? The fear contained in that voice didn't sound like it was faked.
"Wait!" Tong Xiaoliang suddenly shouted.
"Hey, hey!" Before Tang Yin could stop him, Tong Xiaoliang had already decisively dashed out in one stride. The boy's thin figure instantly disappeared into the dense branches and deep fog, as if swallowed by this strange forest.
"—Uncle Tang, hurry up and help!" Tong Xiaoliang's voice came from ahead, without the slightest hesitation, as if he had already found his target.
Tang Yin didn't have time to think and hurriedly followed his footsteps. Pushing aside the layers of branches and leaves, the scene before him made him gasp.
"Wuu... it hurts... it hurts so much, wuu wuu..." Gao Mei was lying in a patch of ferns, trembling all over.
"Does your foot hurt?" Tong Xiaoliang crouched beside her, his voice gentle.
"N-no, it hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!!" Gao Mei curled up in pain.
Her injuries were indeed very serious. Fresh blood was gushing from the sole of her foot, and a sharp branch had directly pierced through her leather shoe, deeply embedded in her flesh.
"Stepped on a branch... Can it be broken off?" Tang Yin crouched down to carefully examine the injury.
Tong Xiaoliang shook his head: "No, it can only be pulled out."
"It will tear the wound," Tang Yin frowned.
"There are hemostatic herbs and Houttuynia cordata nearby that can be used for emergency treatment." Tong Xiaoliang said, already quickly searching among the surrounding plants.
"You even know how to do this?" Tang Yin was a little surprised.
"After all, the Qian family is a family of pharmacists." Tong Xiaoliang replied without looking up.
Tang Yin had never heard of this, but now he obviously had to believe him. Looking at the boy's skilled back as he collected herbs, Tang Yin nodded to himself.
Everything that followed happened quickly. Tang Yin carefully picked up the exhausted Xiao Mei and resolutely pulled out the branch amidst her sobs. Tong Xiaoliang immediately stepped forward, used the herbs he had just collected for emergency treatment, and then used a clean handkerchief to bandage the wound to stop the bleeding.
"...Let's go back, Uncle Tang, can you carry her?" Tong Xiaoliang raised his head and asked.
"Of course, but aren't you going to carry her yourself?" Tang Yin looked at the thin boy in front of him.
"How should I put it, my physique is very inconvenient, right?" Tong Xiaoliang smiled helplessly.
Looking at the boy's slightly thin figure, Tang Yin sighed silently in his heart: Xiao Mei definitely hopes that the person carrying her is you, right? He knew these girls' thoughts at this age all too well.
Affected by the pain, Xiao Mei's consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and now there was no time to worry about such things.
Tang Yin: "You are responsible for leading the way, I don't want to get lost here."
Tong Xiaoliang: "Returning the way we came is definitely no problem... but if we continue forward, I can't guarantee it."