Chapter 5
【The Heishui Gang seems to be the puppet master behind the scenes. If possible, gather some information about them.】
The Heishui Gang is a local crime syndicate in Bolun City, controlling all the taverns and underground distilleries in the Zhongta Alley area. Xia Er had no idea why she and her sister had become entangled with this dark force.
After all, Xia Er was known for her low profile, even keeping a certain distance from her fellow noble classmates at school to avoid picking the wrong side and incurring the wrath of the other.
In such a cautious manner, what could have drawn the Heishui Gang's attention to her?
As she wrote this down, Xia Er set her pencil down and refocused her gaze on the silver-white screen in front of her.
The last time she simulated the future, she had no memories of the two days in between now and two days later. She could only rely on this method to drive herself to explore different paths in each simulation, recording and analyzing them afterward.
Xia Er wasn’t sure if this method would work, but everything needed to be tried.
There was also something else that puzzled her.
Previously, Aian had harassed her countless times, but he never escalated to direct conflict, always opting for a relentless pursuit. Why had this time turned into a violent confrontation?
Could it be that he said something that completely enraged her sister?
“No, that’s not it...”
Xia Er instinctively shook her head.
Her sister would definitely take her warnings to heart; it was clear that the other side had struck first.
Even though she had nearly been overwhelmed by the information of her sister's death in the simulation, she could still clearly perceive everything happening around her.
The Heishui Gang had come to clear the scene, and she heard an elderly male voice say something behind her.
Xia Er recalled carefully and quickly remembered the words spoken by that old voice.
“6:31... Why is there a deviation in the ritual?”
Deviation... ritual... what deviation? What ritual?
Could it be that this brawl, her sister's death, and even her own death were all products of human design?
Xia Er didn’t know, but she understood that she could try to investigate.
With that thought, she picked up her pencil and wrote another line in her notebook.
【If there’s free time, investigate the Heishui Gang and the so-called ritual in detail.】
After finishing that line, Xia Er set down her pencil and reopened the system interface.
“Do you wish to spend 10 Fate Points to travel to the future?”
After checking her notes for any omissions, she closed her notebook and nodded in confirmation.
“Yes.”
The silver-white pointer spun and magnified before her eyes until the endless silver filled her vision, and she lost all sense of her body.
When she finally felt she could control her fingers again, the silver quickly dissipated, and the sound of light rain filled her ears.
The silver screen before her displayed the current time.
“Future”
“June 19, 741 AD, 18:29”
“Countdown - 23:59:59”
---
**Chapter 4: The Ritual of Murder and Revenge**
Fine raindrops pelted the cobblestone ground, forming muddy puddles on some of the damaged surfaces.
Though narrow, it was still a main road wide enough for carriages to pass. The gas lamps along the street had been lit, casting a soft glow in the gloomy, rainy night.
The street was muddy, but it didn’t carry any unpleasant odors, unlike the Zhongta Alley area where she currently lived.
A carriage approached from the opposite direction, and Xia Er held her black umbrella to the side, making way.
This movement caused her cheap black canvas handbag to sway slightly, drawing her attention to the bag she was holding.
This wasn’t her usual backpack... had she bought a new one?
Xia Er opened the canvas bag.
Inside were a few sharpened pencils and a familiar notebook. She quickly took out the notebook and flipped it open, finding her recent note on the front page.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to the first page, and upon seeing the neat characters written there, she slowly exhaled.
It seemed this method was indeed useful.
She began consciously using the notebook to record decisions and their impacts on her future simulations, prompting her simulated self to also start documenting events.
This way, Xia Er could know what had happened during the times she had no memory of in the simulations.
Xia Er quickly skimmed through her notebook.
“June 18, 741 AD, 3:00 AM”
“Nothing particularly special happened last night. After my sister got off work at 2:30 AM, I shared my thoughts about moving away from Zhongta Alley.”
“She had originally planned to take me away from Zhongta Alley, so she had no objections to my idea of moving early.”
“As for not going to university, I haven’t discussed it with her yet. Now isn’t the right time for such discussions. She has worked hard all this time for me to attend university, and I can almost predict how upset she would be if I gave it up. A cold war wouldn’t help us get through the challenges ahead.”
Xia Er calmly turned the page.
The thoughts recorded in those characters resonated with her own, and reading the words felt as if she had personally experienced those events, leaving her with no discomfort.
“June 18, 741 AD, 12:00 PM”
“I took a day off and didn’t go to the academy. Following the original plan, I went to the Kam District. The landlady was quite surprised to learn I was a student at Bolun Private Academy. Not only did she reserve a large room for two, but she also reduced the rent, and it wasn’t much more expensive than the place in Zhongta Alley.”
“June 18, 741 AD, 2:30 PM”
“After the events of the future simulation, I’ve been feeling a bit tense. I observed my surroundings more closely, perhaps because ‘Agility Lv.1’ has enhanced my perception. Since morning, I’ve felt as if someone’s gaze has been locked onto me.”
“On my way back to Zhongta Alley, I ducked into an alley and quickly climbed onto a rooftop, discovering a follower behind me.”
“I’ve been followed. You need to be careful; I have a feeling this stalking isn’t something that started today.”
“I need to go back down now, pretending I haven’t noticed the follower to avoid alarming them.”
“Followed?”
Xia Er narrowed her eyes.
Someone was following her? Was it Aian’s gang? Or someone from the Heishui Gang? Why would they be tracking her?
If someone had been following her all along, then moving would be completely futile. Those lurking in the shadows would immediately learn her new address, making her unsafe no matter where she went.
In such a situation... what would I do?
I would find a place to shake off the follower without raising suspicion, and in doing so, I could see just how far their reach extended...
As Xia Er pondered, she turned to the next page, where the recorded events aligned with her thoughts.
“June 18, 741 AD, 7:30 PM”
“The invitation I hadn’t discarded proved useful. At 4:30 PM, I attended Miss Amy’s tea party right in front of the follower. Once I entered Miss Amy’s residence, the watchful gaze clearly disappeared. Standing by the window, I could see the follower below, dressed decently and wearing a newsboy cap.”
“It was obvious that the follower couldn’t infiltrate a noble’s residence. I suspect there’s a 90% chance that the follower is connected to the Heishui Gang. Aian’s gang wouldn’t care about fashion. What could their motive be for following me? Is it related to the ritual that old man mentioned?”
“The tea party was as dull as I imagined. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the follower, to the point where I didn’t notice how out of place my school uniform was compared to the lavish attire at the tea party. Amy pulled me aside and offered to give me two dresses.”
“Seizing the opportunity, I tentatively asked Amy if she had heard any rumors about rituals and mentioned the name Heishui Gang, but from the confused look on her face, it was clear she had no idea what I was talking about.”
“Perhaps wanting to answer my questions, Amy ran off to find her father after leaving the room, and she never returned. The tea party hadn’t ended yet when the butler asked me to leave the estate, and I learned from him that Amy had been grounded.”
“It seems Amy’s father, that baron, is quite sensitive about the questions she raised. I just don’t know if he’s wary of the Heishui Gang or the ‘ritual’ itself.”
Nobles don’t want to get involved in this matter either?
Xia Er frowned slightly as she looked at the words she had written.
She knew things were not simple, and she hadn’t expected the hidden complexities to be far beyond her imagination.
Was this where the clues ended?
It was clear that Amy’s father knew something, but her own status made it impossible to reach that baron.
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