SFS #620 - Chapter 620
#620 - Chapter 620
"Yesterday, you stood at a crossroads of thought," Tang Yin's voice was unhurried and calm, as if stating a commonplace fact.
Zhao Gang's brow furrowed slightly, his expression grim, his hand still tightly gripping the hoe, as if ready to swing it at any moment. He didn't speak, but his gaze had shifted from Tang Yin's face to his throat, as if measuring the angle of attack.
Tang Yin didn't flinch. One hand hung at his side, the other rested on the table, his body leaning slightly forward, trying to suppress Zhao Gang's volatile emotions with his tone: "People of Mist Hidden Village don't kill each other. You value the unity of Mist Hidden Village across generations. You've always held that belief, haven't you?"
Zhao Gang's eyes flickered slightly, as if touched by something, but he quickly masked it with a cold snort.
"However," Tang Yin continued, knowing he had to seize every opportunity to calm him down, "it's because you value the opinions of different generations and different people too much that your thinking lacks a clear direction."
As the words fell, the room fell silent for a moment. Tang Yin didn't continue, but paused deliberately, his gaze falling on the hoe in Zhao Gang's hand. Zhao Gang seemed to notice his gaze and said coldly, "Keep talking."
As he spoke, he poked Tang Yin with the iron head of the hoe. Although the movement wasn't heavy, the cold touch still sent a shiver down Tang Yin's spine. Even without a real attack, it was still a hostile act.
Tang Yin gritted his teeth, quickly adjusted his breathing, and his tone remained steady: "...According to the elders, especially Granny Rong, the dominance of the Yellow Springs忌之宴 Banquet is absolute, and people will definitely die."
Zhao Gang's brow furrowed even more tightly, his eyes showing more impatience: "Make it simpler."
"Okay," Tang Yin nodded, his voice slightly lowered, as if narrating some kind of taboo, "The legend she tells is both the reason why Mist Hidden Village is isolated by Bai Feng Manor and the embodiment of Mist Hidden Village's identity."
Zhao Gang's hand paused slightly, the knuckles of his fingers gripping the hoe making a slight cracking sound. Tang Yin noticed this, but still remained composed: "Because of this story of wolf slaying and revenge, Mist Hidden Village is given an absurd mission: to act as a barrier to prevent the invasion of the Yellow Springs people."
"However," Tang Yin's tone softened slightly, his gaze falling on Zhao Gang's face, trying to capture his reaction, "if you willingly live in Mist Hidden Village and look at everything optimistically, then this story will instead be the pride of Mist Hidden Village."
Zhao Gang's expression remained hard, but the murderous intent in his eyes seemed to have lessened slightly.
"So, you who value Mist Hidden Village, despite constantly denying this legend, can't help but not underestimate it from the bottom of your heart, right?"
Observing Zhao Gang's reaction, Tang Yin continued: "On the other hand, you are good at using your own mind and logic to distinguish between right and wrong. You are better at thinking than others."
He paused, his tone adding a hint of meaningfulness: "Therefore, whether it's Wang Lina, who returned from the city, or Qin Ming, who is intelligent, you can understand their rational and modern ways of thinking."
"Wang Lina's thinking is very simple—after calm consideration, she believes that people shouldn't be killed casually. And Qin Ming? After equally calm consideration, he came to another conclusion, believing that killing is unavoidable."
Zhao Gang's eyes flickered, as if pondering the meaning of Tang Yin's words.
Tang Yin looked at him and said slowly: "You stand between these two ways of thinking, unable to completely deny either, yet unable to completely accept either. So, you are stuck at a crossroads, not knowing where to go, right?"
"You can understand and agree with their thinking, so you want to find a middle ground." Tang Yin's voice was low and calm, like silk threads wrapped around Zhao Gang's ears, but every word was like a hammer striking his heart.
Zhao Gang's face was gloomy, his brow furrowed, and the hand holding the hoe trembled slightly. His eyes flickered with contradiction and struggle, but he didn't interrupt Tang Yin.
"But this will only lead you into a dilemma." Tang Yin's eyes were like torches, sharp as if to dissect Zhao Gang's soul. He took a step forward, his tone carrying a trace of undeniable certainty, "As the leader of Mist Hidden Village, as the coordinator between the young and the old, you have failed their expectations."
Zhao Gang's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent. His eyes flashed with a hint of pain and anger.
"Therefore, the method you finally decided on was to establish an enemy of Mist Hidden Village and prioritize attacking them." A cold smile appeared at the corner of Tang Yin's mouth, his tone with a hint of sarcasm, "Fortunately, there is more than one candidate for the enemy."
Zhao Gang's expression was stiff, the hoe in his hand drooped slightly, but he still didn't relax his vigilance.
"First and foremost is Xiao Mie, who is regarded as an ominous existence—" Tang Yin's tone suddenly sank, then he raised his head, looking directly at Zhao Gang, "Also, Hua Lu, one of the four elders who is hostile to Mist Hidden Village, and me, who has an unknown origin."
Zhao Gang frowned slightly, seemingly wanting to retort, but was suppressed by Tang Yin's words.
"Secondly, there is Xia Hui, who has an unknown origin but is a foreigner." Tang Yin's voice continued to sound, every word like a cold dagger, accurately stabbing into Zhao Gang's heart, "And Qian Jin, who is an elder but knows nothing."
Tang Yin paused, his gaze softened slightly, but his tone remained cold: "Of course, Granny Rong and Madam Chen Xiang, who are closest to you, have the lowest priority."
Zhao Gang's face changed slightly, his fingers anxiously clutching the wooden handle of the hoe, as if Tang Yin had hit some secret deep in his heart.
"In short," Tang Yin continued, his tone with a more certain coldness, "Your idea is to attack the targets in order of priority, the purpose is to avoid attacking people who resonate with you."
Zhao Gang's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he still chose to remain silent.
"There's nothing wrong with your thinking." Tang Yin smiled slightly, his tone with a hint of mockery, "Compared to a neighbor suddenly turning into a murderer, the possibility of foreign invasion is indeed higher."
Tang Yin's voice suddenly lowered, a sharp look in his eyes: "Moreover, until yesterday morning, you thought so. After all, no one died the night before."
Zhao Gang's face became even more unsightly, his eyes flickering, as if trying to suppress something.
"However," Tang Yin's tone suddenly changed, with a hint of cold sarcasm, "Yesterday noon, everything was overturned. Instead of a foreigner, a person from Mist Hidden Village prioritized executing a pillar of Mist Hidden Village—Granny Rong."
Zhao Gang's breathing quickened obviously, his hand tightly gripping the hoe, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Tang Yin's gaze was like a knife, stabbing directly into Zhao Gang's heart: "So you stayed home alone yesterday. Because you had to adjust your course of action as soon as possible, right?"
Zhao Gang's body trembled slightly, the struggle and pain in his eyes almost overflowing.
"And..." Tang Yin slowed down his tone, as if stating an undeniable fact, "What you were thinking about at home was how to set up new enemies. Also, whose head should Granny Rong's revenge be placed on."
Before Tang Yin could finish speaking, Zhao Gang suddenly threw down the hoe and rushed forward, grabbing Tang Yin's neck with both hands. The force was as terrifying as iron tongs, instantly stopping Tang Yin's breathing.
"—You're talking nonsense!" Zhao Gang's eyes were bloodshot, as if the anger that had been suppressed for too long had finally found an outlet. His face was distorted with anger, and the strength in his hands increased with every roar.
Tang Yin gritted his teeth, his face gradually turning red from lack of oxygen, but his eyes remained calm. He squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "...If you really think I'm talking nonsense, don't do anything, but refute me directly, that's how you should be."
Zhao Gang's hand paused slightly, but the anger didn't dissipate. His breathing was heavy, like an enraged beast, his hands still tightly gripping Tang Yin's neck.
"However, your decision is to establish enemies for yourself." Tang Yin's voice was hoarse, panting as he continued, "In that case, there is only one answer left for you—regard the person who killed Granny Rong as the enemy, and then attack them to avenge her."
"You're talking nonsense!" Zhao Gang roared again, briefly increasing the strength in his hands.
"I'm not talking nonsense!" Tang Yin suddenly raised his eyes, his eyes with a sharpness in desperation, "Although Xia Hui reported her guardian status, her attitude is obviously suspicious! Even so, it was Granny Rong who was hanged! So you think that every wolf must have voted for Granny Rong, and the wolf must be lurking among the people who voted for Granny Rong!"
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Zhao Gang's expression stiffened slightly, a flicker of wavering in his eyes, but anger still suppressed reason. His lips trembled slightly, but he didn't speak.
"You must be thinking that way." Tang Yin continued, panting, his tone with a hint of coldness, "Then, I think, at this time, you have been consumed by the guilt of watching Granny Rong being hanged. Are you thinking of sacrificing yourself now, sacrificing yourself for revenge?"
Zhao Gang's pupils contracted slightly, Tang Yin's words clearly piercing the most secret part of his heart.
"Even if you are corrupted, you will slaughter all the suspects, right?" Tang Yin's voice was like a cold blade, dissecting Zhao Gang's disguise word by word, "In that situation, what should I do? What I thought was, if I voted for Granny Rong, then I would become your biggest enemy."
Zhao Gang's hand began to tremble, the strength of his grip on Tang Yin's neck gradually loosened, but his gaze remained cold, as if scrutinizing Tang Yin's words.
"Xiao Mie is still a child, and although Hua Lu voted for Granny Rong, she eventually accepted it." Tang Yin looked directly at Zhao Gang, his gaze firm, "And me? I have nothing. Once you go crazy and want to kill, the highest priority target will be me. So, I can't vote for Granny Rong."
Zhao Gang finally let go of his hands, he took a half step back, gasping for breath, looking at Tang Yin with a complex expression. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "...Is that your reason? You obviously have another choice."
"He's right." Tang Yin thought to himself, but kept a calm expression on his face. Zhao Gang's words were like a knife, pointing straight at Tang Yin's heart. Although Granny Rong had more votes at the time, as long as he voted for Xia Hui, there could have been a runoff vote.
"Even so, I can't vote for Xia Hui." Tang Yin's voice was low, but with an undeniable certainty.
Zhao Gang's expression instantly twisted, the veins on his face bulging, he almost roared out: "Why!! Aren't you also suspicious of her!!"
Tang Yin raised his head, his eyes like knives, coldly staring directly at Zhao Gang, his tone still calm: "I am the guardian of the Snake."
The short sentence was like a bombshell exploding in Zhao Gang's mind. His pupils contracted sharply, the anger on his face froze for a moment, and then ignited an even more intense anger.
"If that's the case, why didn't you say anything! If you had reported your identity, Granny...Granny would have—!" Zhao Gang's voice was hoarse, with anger and a few suppressed grief. He took a step forward, almost forcing Tang Yin into the corner.
Tang Yin didn't back down, but took a deep breath, his tone with a hint of coldness: "Because the wolf camp is preparing to sacrifice a companion to lure the snake out of the hole."
"What do you mean, huh!?" Zhao Gang's body shook, his questioning voice with an instinctive mania.
Tang Yin's gaze was calm as water, but his tone became increasingly cold: "I said yesterday that if the wolves want to actively gain victory, they must pretend to be guardians. But the 'victory' I'm talking about refers to the victory of the entire wolf camp."
Zhao Gang's brow furrowed tightly, his fists clenched with cracking sounds.
"Listen carefully, no matter how good the acting is, as long as you report the identity of the guardian, you will be suspected, and you have to bear the risk of being hanged." Tang Yin's speech slightly quickened, as if peeling away all logic layer by layer, "Although the fake will be hanged sooner or later, it also buys valuable time for the remaining wolves."
Zhao Gang's breathing became heavy, a hint of struggle appeared in his eyes, but he still stared at Tang Yin.
"However, in the absence of anyone dying, reporting the snake's identity is too risky, after all, the real snake must still be alive." Tang Yin paused, his tone even more cold, "In other words, they only have one purpose—to lure the snake out of the hole, and then kill the real snake that night. This is the wolves' plan."
Zhao Gang's face turned pale, his lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but was silenced by Tang Yin's cold tone.
Tang Yin didn't mention the possibility of Xia Hui being a Raccoon. He knew that now was not the time to make Zhao Gang's thinking even more chaotic. The other party was already a person hovering on the edge of anger and pain, and any complex reasoning would only make the situation more difficult to control.
"...I did abandon Granny Rong to her death." Tang Yin suddenly lowered his head, his voice with a hint of suppressed pain, but more of a calm and almost ruthless determination, "This, I cannot deny. However, I must live—to avenge the wolves, I must live."