APP: Chapter 164

The Hermit card showed an old man on top of a lone snowy mountain. The old man was dressed in a gray robe that symbolized his relatively bleak situation.

He had a gray beard and held a slender specter in one hand and a lamp emitting bright starlight in the other hand. He was lowering his head in thought, as if looking back on the past or thinking about the eternal truth of life. The lamp in his hand symbolized hope and the future. After a short stay, he might return to the noise and move on, or he might carry the light in his heart to guide those who needed it.

The basic meaning of the Hermit card was loneliness, reflection and guidance.

The actual number of actors had always been 10 and there were nine corresponding identity cards. The tarot cards were: The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Hanged Man and a blank card.

The Hermit card was removed. ‘Hiding’ represented loneliness, being far away from the crowd and being in a gloomy situation and hiding. This indicated the basic situation of the Hermit card. He was in a dangerous situation and hiding away from the crowd.

He was among the crows.

On the other hand, the Hermit card also meant wisdom, guidance and hope. The old man who understood everything carried a light and led the lost to the right path. He had gone through a lot and knew what type of crises the young people would encounter. He could give them the most correct guidance.

This was the true meaning of the Hermit card.

Behind the rules repeatedly hidden by the witch, there was such a card. The Hermit card was the opportunity to turn defeat into victory. The name of this movie was Tarot Game. It was a game so both sides should have their own help.

The witch’s power was the Tower card and Death card. For the players, the Hermit card the witch tried to cover up was their help. The Hermit card that was singled out wasn’t an actor. He might be the key NPC.

It was nothing more than opening his closed eyes once Xie Chi figured out everything. As he sprinted upstairs, his eyes were clear.

Ren Ze was frozen in place due to the words and was anxious. “You must save it but Jiang Shuo…”

In this moment, it was hard for him to judge if it was more important for Xie Chi to protect himself or to protect the key clue. In a critical situation, Ren Ze’s mind was more sober than ever. “Xie Chi! According to normal development, sooner or later we will find that the crows are watching us and start to shoot the crows. The death of the crows is inevitable! This proves that the hidden Hermit is a key but he isn’t the decisive clue! There must be another way… the Hermit is just a guide!”

Xie Chi interrupted. “This is my chance. It is here.”

He knew what Ren Ze meant but he couldn’t wait any longer. The battle situation was changing rapidly. If he missed this time, the opportunity might never come again.

Ren Ze watched Xie Chi disappear around the corner and gritted his teeth. Xie Chi didn’t want to die and Ren Ze didn’t want him to die either.

***

The actors who heard the movements rushed to the window and showed dazed expressions when they saw Movie Emperor Jiang Shuo aiming to shoot the crows. Liang Zhen was the first to question Gu Yu. “What is going on? What is this for?”

Gu Yu saw that everyone was almost here and explained, “The crows are watchers, the witch’s eyes.”

The expressions of the actors changed.

“Thoth? The supervisor of the Akashic Records? Suggesting surveillance? That feather?” Liang Zhen reacted first. Gu Yu glanced at her approvingly. The group looked at each other and secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, the movie emperor responded quickly.

The man in the couple was called Zheng Luan and he immediately said, “I’ll help as well.”

He pulled out his item. This was a soul g*n that showed a strong lethality against ghosts and monsters. The crows might not be killed in one shot but they could be shot down. The other actors didn’t have ranged items so they helped keep an eye on the crows.

Jiang Shuo probably thought they were too nosy. He went up to the third floor while the others stayed on the second floor.

Just as Zheng Luan was about to fire his first shot, his hand was hit by a candle that flew out of nowhere. He screamed and released the force in his hand. His g*n also became crooked and the crow got away. It flapped its wings and flew away. Meanwhile, it couldn’t help looking back while flying and seemed to want to thank its savior.

The unexpected happened. The group glanced in the direction of the candle and their expressions stiffened when they saw Xie Chi.

Zheng Luan’s hand was pained and anger burned away at his sense of reason. He roared, “Xie Chi, what do you want to do? Isn’t it enough that you let Xie Qiuying and You Jie die? Why are you acting bad toward us now?”

“Are you going to kill us one by one?!”

Xie Chi turned a deaf ear to it. He bent down to pick up Zheng Luan’s soul g*n. He was about to go upstairs when Zheng Luan stretched out a hand, obviously intending to act against him. Xie Xinglan sneered, grasped his wrist and twisted it before throwing the arm away.

“Did Jiang Shuo give you confidence and make you forget that you are just a garbage first-tier?”

Zheng Luan was shocked. His hands were extremely painful and his brain suddenly woke up. What qualifications did he have to challenge Xie Chi? Xie Chi was already equivalent to a first-tier actor as a newcomer. Then what about now?

Since entering the instance, Xie Chi had been suppressed by Jiang Shuo the whole time and acted in a low-key manner. They stood on Jiang Shuo’s side and only saw his forbearance and retreat. They forgot that Xie Chi’s true strength could crush everyone except for Jiang Shuo.

It was Jiang Shuo who could beat Xie Chi, not Zheng Luan. Jiang Shuo could kill Xie Chi and Xie Chi could kill himself. In any case, it was best not to offend both sides.

His strength wasn’t worthy for him to act like this and he couldn’t afford to offend either of them. He also didn’t want to be a dog running after Jiang Shuo. He just wanted to smoothly pass the red movie. Then why mix in with this situation? He had no strength at all and would only be used as a g*n. If he was beaten up then he could only hold back. He would die if he struck back.

Before Xie Chi died, he could kill Zheng Luan at any time. Real pride should be saved for after his death. Zheng Luan sobered up and felt frightened. He instinctively took two steps back. His eyes flickered a few times before he lowered his head. “Sorry.”

Liang Zhen and Zheng Luan’s girlfriend also figured things out and their eyes showed some alertness. They leaned to the side and made way for Xie Chi, deciding not to get involved.

After hearing a crow’s cry, Xie Xinglan rushed upstairs. The other actors hesitated and followed.

***

On the third floor, Jiang Shuo shot the third crow and loaded the fourth arrow. Suddenly, Gu Yu’s face turned pale and he couldn’t help shaking. Jiang Shuo noticed his strangeness and asked casually, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Yu’s lips trembled and his eyes were full of a nightmare. “My spying… it is in effect.”

Jiang Shuo aimed his arrow at the exhausted crow on the treetop and asked in a slightly distracted manner, “What do you see?”

“I… I saw…”

Jiang Shuo found squeezing toothpaste very annoying. He heard Gu Yu’s incomplete words and wanted to kick him away…

“Blood… the Blood Demon Sword.” Gu Yu sounded like a mosquito. The moment he spoke, his entire body collapsed.

Jiang Shuo couldn’t hold onto the Void Crossbow properly and the black crossbow arrow flew straight out. The blue vein on his forehead bulged violently and he grabbed Gu Yu by the collar. “What did you say?!”

Gu Yu met the sinister eyes that were like a poisonous snake. His back was cold and he finally woke up from his initial trance. “It is the Blood Demon Sword! Xie Chi has the Blood Demon Sword in his backpack! Shen Yi! He isn’t dead! He’s back!”

On the stairs, Xie Chi paused when he heard this. He immediately felt relieved. He could no longer hide it. There were ways to hide but since he couldn’t hide then don’t bother. There was always a way to kill and cut a bloody path to escape. He didn’t have time to struggle. It was important to save the crows.

In the midst of the lights, Xie Chi had already figured it out.

Jiang Shuo gripped Gu Yu’s collar even tighter. He finally lifted this person up completely while his veins bulged in a terrible manner. Suddenly, there was a ‘ding’ sound from the horizon. The flustered Gu Yu instinctively turned his head in the direction of the sound and his heart shuddered.

The black crossbow arrow that shot at the crow on the treetop was completely blocked by a blood red sword. The sharp steel arrow collided with the Blood Demon Sword and spontaneously melted into a pool of molten iron that dripped in the air.

The night was dark so the dazzling sword that emitted a blood-red light overwhelmed the sky, turning everyone’s vision red. The light of the sword was circulating rapidly. Invisible materials around the castle were continuously flowing into the body of the sword, fueling its arrogance. The eight stars in the sky were dim and there seemed to only be the bloody light.

The eerie, gloomy and witchcraft-filled environment of the castle had become the best petri dish for the Blood Demon Sword. It was even more suitable for it than the dark, humid and foggy Gravestone Forest.

[Blood Demon Sword??!]

[Fu*k!! I’m not mistaken! This is the Blood Demon Sword! Dad Shen Yi’s Blood Demon Sword!]

[Fu*k??? Am I not awake?!!]

[How come??!]

[Wu wu wu Shen Yi!]

[Wait—Xie Chi! Fu*k, h-h-he?!]

[Shen Yi isn’t dead?! Fu*k me, I’m instantly no longer a fan of Jiang Shuo! Dad Shen Yi, I still love you!]

[No no no, please be rational. Shen Yi must be dead! This is Xie Chi! What does this show?]

[Fu*k… Xie Chi really came to get revenge for Shen Yi?!]

[What’s going on??]

The actors stared at the sword in the sky with a look of shock. In the app, who didn’t know the Blood Demon Sword? Compared with the fresh and shocking sense of fear that the Void Crossbow brought them, the Blood Demon Sword had long been the top item in their memories. It was something that everyone envied but didn’t dare think about.

The Blood Demon Sword—the name showed the grandeur behind it. Shen Yi was dead but the Blood Demon Sword had appeared again. What did this mean?

Zheng Luan and Liang Zhen watched as the Blood Demon Sword flew back into Xie Chi’s hands. Their eyes were shocked and their mood was more complicated than ever. The Blood Demon Sword was now owned by Xie Chi. It was Xie Chi, who had been keeping a low-profile and even seemed a bit cowardly.

Zheng Luan suddenly realized the insurmountable gap between himself and Xie Chi. He felt ridiculous that he had been resentful and cursing Xie Chi previously. Xie Chi’s opponent had always been Jiang Shuo. They were just the background and weren’t even qualified to shout.

Jiang Shuo dropped Gu Yu. His eyes that had turned red due to hatred returned to normal. His monstrous anger was suppressed and the embarrassment of being played was also hidden without a trace. He was still the cold and emotionless Jiang Shuo.

Emotions were unnecessary to him and only affected his judgment. The facts were clear when Gu Yu said ‘Blood Demon Sword.’ Shen Yi left a backhand and passed all his treasures to Xie Chi. He connected it with Shen Yi’s ridicule before his death and Jiang Shuo immediately figured out the entire story.

He slowly raised his head and stared at the new owner of the Blood Demon Sword, his deep eyes full of killing intent. “Everyone wants to oppose me. They never understand what a great cause I am doing.”

Xie Chi just watched him coldly. From the moment the Blood Demon Sword was exposed. From the moment he decided to stop Jiang Shuo, he knew that the crisis of the crows would evolve into his own crisis. However, he couldn’t retreat. He had nowhere to go. The castle was only so big. Where could he go? Thus, saving the crows was his only chance.

Xie Chi was pinching at the gate of life all the time. He didn’t know when the hand would tighten. He didn’t want to look up to others and cling to life. He could only give it a go. Even if he lost the bet, it was better than waiting for death. In fact, he wasn’t afraid of death. There was nothing terrible about living or dying with Xie Xinglan. He didn’t know if it was worth facing Jiang Shuo ahead of time for the crows. All he knew was that he didn’t regret it.

In fact, it wasn’t the crows that intensified the conflict between him and Jiang Shuo. It was Gu Yu’s incident. Even if there wasn’t the incident with Gu Yu, the crisis of the crows couldn’t be solved by telling Jiang Shuo ‘there is the Hermit among the crows.’

Jiang Shuo’s tolerance for him had always been at the limit after the obstruction of the witch. After all, in a movie, fast progress meant one could use the hidden rules to counter harm. Jiang Shuo would never allow this to happen. Xie Chi had planned for the worst a long time ago. Everything at the moment was better than his worst plan.

His thoughts flashed quickly but Xie Chi looked calm.

Jiang Shuo stared at the Blood Demon Sword with dark eyes. Then he smiled. “One master has already died. It is nothing if another dies.”

Outside the window, a crow flew hard toward their location.

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Proofreader: Purichan