PTYS Chapter 61

Xiao Muyu felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and he quickly stepped over to pull Shen Qingqiu back.

Shen Qingqiu, though unsure of the reason, guessed something was wrong and cautiously asked, “What did you see?”

Xiao Muyu pointed at the doll and, at the same time, wrote a few words in Shen Qingqiu’s palm: “It looked at you.”

Zhang Yangfeng and the others were horrified and stared at the doll with fear.

“You, you must be mistaken,” Huang Junfeng swallowed hard, his voice trembling. Honestly, their fear of the doll was far greater than that of the ghosts like Qu Muxi.

“Everyone, be careful,” Xiao Muyu said, still holding onto Shen Qingqiu, his gaze fixed on the doll while slowly scanning the other cabinets.

In Xiaomei’s cabinet were neatly folded dresses, with a bow on top, fitting her image of loving beauty. Unfortunately, it had been stored for so long that a layer of dust had accumulated.

In Xiaoqin’s cabinet were also children’s clothes, messily piled up. Shen Qingqiu patted Xiao Muyu’s hand and looked down with a smile.

Xiao Muyu, still tense, realized the inappropriateness of his actions and quickly let go of her hand, avoiding eye contact.

However, as Shen Qingqiu moved forward, Xiao Muyu’s gaze followed her unconsciously, which annoyed him.

Shen Qingqiu approached, drew a dagger, and stabbed it into the cabinet. The blade, gleaming coldly, stood menacingly in front of the doll, openly threatening it. Then Shen Qingqiu began carefully inspecting the cabinets.

Everyone except Xiao Muyu, who was already used to this, was secretly impressed by her boldness.

After a while, Shen Qingqiu reached into Xiaoqin’s cabinet and took out something. Those standing far away squinted to see the black thread in her hand.

It looked like hair but was not human hair upon closer inspection.

“Is this the doll’s hair?” Hou Liang bravely asked.

Xiao Muyu nodded, “It should be.”

“So Xiaoqin, or Liu Pei, your corresponding doll has black hair. This means you can directly choose from Xiao Yi, Xiao Si, and Xiao Wu,” Huang Junfeng said excitedly, but then he frowned, “What about Xiao Yue? No clues at all?” Xiao Yue was his corresponding doll.

Shen Qingqiu shrugged, turned, and deftly shut the doll back into the cabinet with her dagger.

Although Liu Pei felt a bit of relief, he remained calm and said, “Everyone, don’t rush. There may be more clues. We haven’t found the rooms of Xiaohan, Xiaoyan, and the others yet.”

Zhang Yangfeng nodded in agreement, and the group continued to walk to the left. This time, they surprisingly found the next room to be that of the three boys, Xiaohan, Xiaoyan, and Xiaoxiao.

Xiao Muyu surveyed the interior arrangement. This time, she and Shen Qingqiu did not rush in; instead, they let the most anxious Zhang Yangfeng and Hou Liang step forward to search for clues.

The room was equally covered in dust. Upon opening the first cabinet, they found it filled with clothes, just like the adjacent room. However, next to the clothes was a small first aid kit.

Hou Liang opened it and found it contained medicinal alcohol, bandages, iodine for treating external injuries, and a roll of bandage, which was loosely scattered with brown stains all over it.

After comparing it, Hou Liang’s expression changed drastically, and he stared blankly at the stains.

Zhang Yangfeng, with a grave expression, unfolded the bandage to show Xiao Muyu and the others. “It’s a bloodstain.”

Xiao Muyu frowned, suddenly recalling the familiar pattern of the handprint.

Hou Liang’s fingers trembled as he leaned on the cabinet, his voice shaking. “It looks… like the one on Jia Wenlong’s shoulder.”

“So it’s Xiao Qiu’s?” Yang Rui tried to recall and differentiate.

“It’s not just Xiao Qiu. Look at these stains; there are two spots, different sizes. Apart from Xiao Qiu, there’s another person. But judging by the size, it’s also a child—either Xiaohan or Xiaoyan.”

“Does it mean anything?” Zhang Yangfeng asked, puzzled.

Xiao Muyu didn’t respond, merely glancing at her arm.

“Keep looking for other clues.” No one was willing to give up, feeling that if they could uncover some truths, Qu Muxi and the eight children might not hinder their investigation.

Indeed, they made another discovery—a copy of “Pinocchio.”

When Xiao Muyu saw the book, her expression changed slightly. Shen Qingqiu noticed and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Muyu glanced at her and wrote in her palm: “Xiao Qiu’s.”

Hou Liang opened the book and stopped at a particular page marked with crooked lines. The marked sentence read: “Lies are quickly recognized because there are two kinds: those with short legs and those with long noses.”

The page was dotted with crumpled spots, resembling tear stains. Beside them, someone had heavily written: “Fake! Fake!”

The words were imprinted on the back of the page, indicating the writer’s strong emotions.

“Did Xiao Qiu write this? What does it mean? He was reading ‘Pinocchio’ this morning and said some strange things to Miss Xiao,” Zhang Yangfeng recalled, his mind muddled.

When Shen Qingqiu contemplated the situation, she didn’t let herself be troubled by irrelevant details. After looking at these items, she straightforwardly said, “There’s no need to overthink it. This likely means one of two things: Xiao Qiu was deceived, or he deceived someone else.”

“Deceived him? We’ve mostly figured out the orphanage’s situation. If someone deceived him and made him so resentful, it must be those eight people. There might be more to the story. But for now, our focus should be on tonight’s game.”

Hou Liang still felt uneasy. He wandered around the room, hoping to find more clues about the doll but found nothing.

“There are still two places we haven’t checked,” Xiao Muyu said.

“Where?” Zhang Yangfeng and Liu Pei asked simultaneously.

Xiao Muyu raised her hand, shaking the keys in it. “The bathroom on the second floor.”

Their eyes lit up, and the group headed en masse to the second-floor bathroom.

The first bathroom, as Qu Muxi described, was the boys’ bathroom. It was dry, dusty, and filthy.

The bathroom layout was simple, allowing them to see everything at a glance, and it was indeed empty.

“Why is there nothing here?”

“Try the other one.” Xiao Muyu decisively walked out. If her guess was correct, the girls’ bathroom must have something.

Inserting the key into the lock, she felt a resistance, the lock feeling heavy. But with a firm twist, a soft click sounded.

As the lock opened, Xiao Muyu felt the door was extraordinarily heavy. She couldn’t hold it back, and the key slipped from her hand.

The thick, iron-clad wooden door slammed against the wall with a loud “bang!”

“Hiss!”

“Ugh… cough, cough.”

As the door opened, a nauseating stench hit them, causing some to gasp and others to turn away and vomit.

The bathroom resembled a scene from hell, or more accurately, a large-scale murder site.

The floor tiles were covered with bloodstains, which trailed to the corner drain.

This was nothing compared to the blood splatters that adorned the white walls, ceiling, doors, and the sink, exaggeratingly.

The group was stunned, their imaginations running wild at the thought of what transpired here.

The smell of blood had long been masked by the stench of decay, suffocating them.

“This is the murder site,” Xiao Muyu murmured, envisioning Qu Muxi and Xiao Mei luring those scumbags here, then tearing them apart and dismembering them.

The men’s cries and pleas echoed in her mind, the small bloodstains and shallow marks on the blood-clotted floor like they had been kneeling and knocking their heads, vivid as if replaying the scene.

In a daze, Xiao Muyu shook her head, scanning the surroundings. A chill ran down her spine. They were all inside the bathroom, at least five steps away from the door!

“Something’s wrong, let’s go!” Xiao Muyu reached out to grab Shen Qingqiu, but she was a step too late. The door slammed shut right in front of them, grazing her fingers.

In an instant, everything plunged into darkness. The door not only cut them off from the outside world but also from the light.

“Ah!” A scream of terror echoed, scaring them out of their wits.

After the scream, the light that was supposed to be off during the day suddenly turned on! But what they saw next made their hearts skip a beat.

The eight dolls, which should only appear at night, were now standing before them, staring intently.

Even someone as strong as Shen Qingqiu felt her scalp tingle. She pulled Xiao Muyu back a few steps, feeling a chill run down her spine.

Huang Junfeng and Hou Liang were so frightened that they fell to the ground. Huang Junfeng covered his face with his hands, too scared to look at the pale dolls in front of him.

Xiao Muyu was also breathing heavily, cold sweat dripping from her forehead as she pressed down on her chest.

After stepping back, Shen Qingqiu instinctively glanced at Xiao Muyu, who was being protected behind her. But that glance made her face change again—Xiao Muyu’s arm…

Before Xiao Muyu could react, Shen Qingqiu pulled her in front of her, hiding behind Xiao Muyu.

In the chaos, Zhang Yangfeng, who was holding Yang Rui protectively in his arms, noticed her actions and found them odd.

Xiao Muyu was caught off guard by the pull and was filled with surprise. Despite her confusion, she shifted her stance to cover Shen Qingqiu completely.

The eight dolls looked like customers picking meat at a stall, their eyes moving among the group, creating a heavy sense of oppression and fear.

What caught Xiao Muyu’s attention the most was the doll that Xiaojiao had been holding yesterday morning, the same one in Xiaojiao’s cabinet—Xiaowu.

As Xiao Muyu forced herself to examine it, the doll’s glassy eyes turned to look at her. Staring into the face of a doll with an expression, yet so unlike a human, unnerved her, causing her body to tense.

Then the doll suddenly smiled, its laughter growing more sinister and malevolent. “Where is the other person who pulled my hair?”

Xiao Muyu didn’t know what Shen Qingqiu was doing, but as the doll demanded an answer, Shen Qingqiu straightened up and stepped out from behind her. At the same time, she secretly wrote a few words in Xiao Muyu’s hand.

Xiao Muyu’s expression tightened as she glanced at the doll, then made a gesture behind her back.

Seeing the doll’s attention shift to Shen Qingqiu, Xiao Muyu felt a pang of tension. The malice emanating from the eight dolls was much stronger now, with a clear intent to kill.

The doll giggled, “Your hand isn’t broken, is it? If not, then you’re not worthy.” As it spoke, black smoke billowed from its face and rushed towards Shen Qingqiu.

Xiao Muyu’s face changed. She heard a chilling crack, and Shen Qingqiu let out a muffled groan, clutching her right hand and dropping to her knees.

The doll’s attack was far harsher than when Shen Qingqiu was thrown. When Xiao Muyu knelt to check, she saw Shen Qingqiu’s face pale, her forehead beaded with sweat, her right hand trembling uncontrollably—clearly broken by the doll’s force.

Simultaneously, the dolls Xiaosan and Xiaoqi, with delicate and pure looks, also turned their attention towards them.

Xiaosan had the most intricate hairstyle among the dolls. Staring at Shen Qingqiu, its face was devoid of any expression. A doll without expression only appeared more cold and eerie.

In the game, Xiao Muyu rarely showed intense emotions, knowing that too much feeling could cloud her judgment. But now, a fire of rage burned in her heart, driving away her fear and apprehension.

She turned her head and glared coldly at the attacking doll, her eyes like daggers.

Xiaowu, the doll, didn’t mind Xiao Muyu’s glare, continuing with a sinister smile, “Alright, you’ve been taught a lesson. Stand up, we need to get ready for the game.”

It greeted each person enthusiastically, completely different from the night before.

Everyone realized with a shudder that last night’s game was just a warm-up.

Xiao Muyu’s face was grim. Looking at Shen Qingqiu’s broken hand, she wanted to touch it but didn’t dare. She was more worried about Shen Qingqiu’s hearing. If she couldn’t hear, it would hinder her participation in the game.

As Shen Qingqiu was helped up, she noticed Xiao Muyu’s dark, almost watery expression and her furrowed brows. Shen Qingqiu managed a smile on her pale face. She glanced at Xiao Muyu’s arm and handed her something.

Xiao Muyu took it and noticed a small handprint on her arm, which she had already sensed.

She glanced at the item in her hand—a brown hair strand, left behind by the doll that had first spied on them through the window. That face had belonged to Xiaojiao’s doll.

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Author’s Note:

Little Shen got her hair pulled in retaliation.

Little Shen: This is really disheartening.

Little Xiao: My wife, if you want to pull, just pull!