Jiang Zheng hadn't expected that after being separated from Jing Minghe and the others for just one night, they would have already found a way to clear the instance. This Jing Minghe truly was not to be underestimated. It was no wonder Ke Wuwen admired him so much.
Jiang Zheng narrowed his eyes, contemplating that if he could gain this person's trust, the path ahead might be much smoother.
The group hurried back to the thatched cottage before nightfall. On the way, Jing Minghe had shared all the clues they had gathered with Jiang Zheng. After listening, Jiang Zheng remained stunned for a long time.
Finally, he offered a remorseful smile and said, "Sorry, I've been holding you back."
"It's nothing," Jing Minghe replied. "The clues in this instance are inherently difficult to gather."
Ke Wuwen nodded in agreement, adding, "Exactly. If it weren't for our idol being able to see things we can't, we'd probably still be wandering around like headless chickens."
As he spoke, Ke Wuwen looked at Jing Minghe's eyes, which were now completely bloodshot, with concern. "It's just that the price paid is quite high. Your eyes seem to be getting worse, idol."
Jing Minghe waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, it should get better after this instance is over."
With that, they arrived in front of the thatched cottage.
Jing Minghe called out to You Mi twice in front of the thatched cottage he was staying in. Upon hearing Jing Minghe's voice, You Mi quickly came out.
As soon as she opened the door, she eagerly said to Jing Minghe, "Minghe, I've pieced the torn paper together, and I've also matched it with the whole piece of parchment you gave me."
"Thank you for your hard work, Sister You Mi. Everyone, let's come inside and talk."
As Jing Minghe finished speaking and prepared to enter, he kicked something soft.
"Da Lang?"
Hearing Jing Minghe call him, Da Lang excitedly circled Jing Minghe, but a sharp glance from Chi Hao made him shrink back to the side.
Chi Hao supported Jing Minghe, patting his waist and saying softly, "Let's go inside first."
"Oh, okay."
Everyone entered Jing Minghe's thatched cottage in order. Ke Wuwen placed the large package in his hand on one side of the table, laying out the sixteen Blood Jade Pestles. On the other side was the piece of parchment with the seal pattern drawn on it.
Ke Wuwen looked around, muttering, "What could be the connection between these two things? Can they help us find the correct way to defeat the Eight Great Evil Spirits?"
Tong Zheng pulled Ke Wuwen back a bit. "Of course, you won't find it. Don't disturb Minghe and the others while they're researching."
Ke Wuwen pouted and turned to ask Jing Minghe, "Idol, can you see anything?"
"I can't see anything," Jing Minghe said, looking towards Chi Hao. "Brother Hao, what about the four fan-shaped mirrors we found in the main hall earlier? Bring them out and put them together."
"Okay."
Chi Hao took out four small fan-shaped mirrors from his pocket and placed them directly between the other two items. After placing them, he returned to Jing Minghe's side. His attention was not on the clues on the table at all, as if these clues, which were related to everyone's lives, held no importance to him whatsoever.
"Everyone, let's take a look together," Jing Minghe said, stepping back two paces since he couldn't see anything himself, yielding his spot to others. "By the way, Sister You Mi, Brother Jiang is injured. Can you help him with his wound? Brother Tong and Wu Wen, start researching."
"Okay," You Mi nodded and said to Jiang Zheng, "Mr. Jiang, please sit down by the bed. I'll get the medicine."
"Thank you."
Thus, Tong Zheng and Ke Wuwen gathered around the table to study each item neatly arranged on it.
However, after studying for a long time, neither of them could figure anything out.
Later, Jiang Zheng and You Mi also joined the research team. Everyone fiddled with the items, trying every possible method they could think of, but still couldn't come up with anything.
"Idol," Ke Wuwen said with a mournful face, leaning towards Jing Minghe. "We can't figure anything out. What should we do?"
Jing Minghe knew that Chi Hao had been standing beside him, not joining the research, but he still asked, "Brother Hao, do you have any ideas?"
"Not at the moment."
Jing Minghe didn't know if Chi Hao genuinely had no ideas or was pretending, but since he had said so, Jing Minghe took him at his word and didn't press further. He then lowered his head to consider other possibilities.
"I apologize."
Jiang Zheng, standing diagonally opposite Jing Minghe, suddenly spoke, apologizing. Everyone looked at him with confusion.
Ke Wuwen curiously asked, "Brother Zheng? Why are you apologizing out of the blue?"
Jiang Zheng smiled sheepishly and explained, "After reuniting with you, you suddenly gave me so many clues. I was so excited that I only thought about researching these clues and forgot something important."
"Hmm? What is it?" Ke Wuwen leaned forward and asked.
With his injuries roughly treated, Jiang Zheng's complexion had improved considerably. He looked at everyone apologetically and said, "When we were split into groups earlier, Yan Xiaoqian and I were responsible for inquiring about the girl in the mural who used magic to save people, remember?"
Ke Wuwen immediately responded, "Yes, yes! Brother Zheng, did you find out?"
"Yes."
Seeing Jiang Zheng nod, Ke Wuwen was surprised and delighted. He and You Mi had searched the entire village without finding any clues related to the seal pattern, and the whereabouts of the Blood Jade Pestles were not discovered by Tong Zheng and Lin Ling. He had thought that all three groups had come up empty-handed. He hadn't expected Jiang Zheng and the others to have made progress!
"Tell us about it," Jing Minghe said.
Jiang Zheng nodded. "The girl in the mural who performed magic to save people is indeed from this village. She's the twin sister of that crazy woman Xiao Xi I went to see before."
He paused, then continued, "Let me first tell you the story we heard from the village chief. Xiao Xi's twin sister is named Xiao Rou. They were a famous pair of sisters in this village, but they had bad luck. Their parents died young, and relatives connected to their family also passed away one after another. So, rumors spread that these two sisters were ill-fated, that their fates were too strong and would bring death to anyone close to them. Therefore, no one in the entire village dared to approach them easily. Later, an outsider came to the village, a man."
Jiang Zheng stopped here. Ke Wuwen immediately pressed, "This man was the person the girl later wanted to save? Could it be that he was also killed by her bad luck?"
Jiang Zheng smiled helplessly and said, "You got the first half right, but the second half is wrong. This man was already suffering from a serious illness, one that was incurable. So, he wanted to see more scenery before he died and traveled everywhere. His arrival at this village was purely by chance. Although he heard the rumors about the twin sisters, what did a dying man have to fear? So, he became friends with the twin sisters, considering it a good deed to do before he passed away."