Chapter 16 The Clue

"At the third watch, the drums sound, the boat sails with the moon above, half a plain bag can dispel worries."

Looking at the words on the newspaper, Fatty's eyes were different sizes. He pursed his lips, then turned his head to look at the doctor and Xia Meng, and said, "This seems to be...some kind of code."

When he was very young, he loved to read Wuxia novels, which often featured scenes of carrier pigeons delivering messages. In order to prevent the information from being intercepted by opponents, the messages were generally written in a more obscure way.

Not sure if she was frightened by the doctor, Xia Meng was particularly cooperative this time. She honestly handed over the newspaper and sat at the table, her face gloomy, not knowing what she was thinking.

The third watch is easy to understand, referring to when the drums sound in the middle of the night, meaning that tonight, Master Huang will come to the lake to perform again.

But the next sentence, "the boat sails with the moon above" is…

Fatty blinked, feeling that there seemed to be something implied here. After all, a boat is a boat, but how can a boat sail to the moon?

"It's a reflection," Jiang Cheng said, looking at the newspaper without raising his head. "It's the reflection of the moon on the lake. The boat sails on it, as if the boat is sailing on the moon."

Xia Meng's expression didn't change at all, as if she had already guessed it. Her gaze was focused on the last two sentences.

Half a plain bag can dispel worries.

The latter sentence is easy to understand, probably meaning to solve the current predicament, which can also be extended to mean a way out.

What she was puzzled about was the first half of the sentence - half a plain bag.

After all, the two sentences together meant that this half a plain bag could help them find a way out.

But… what is a plain bag?

And why is it only half?

If this so-called plain bag was a real thing, that would be fine, but she was afraid that it was just an implied meaning, like "the boat sails with the moon above," something on an imagistic level.

That would be difficult to guess.

"At the third watch, there will be the sound of drums, the boat will sail onto the moon's reflection on the lake, and by obtaining this half a plain bag, we can solve the most worrying thing for us right now."

Staring at the newspaper spread out in front of the doctor, Fatty translated the coded clues in his own understanding.

After all, the clues obtained at the moment were too few, and there were even fewer that could be used for reasoning or mutual verification, so the situation inevitably fell into a stalemate.

Fatty scratched his head hard, looking very anxious. After all, it was the doctor who had an accident this time. "What kind of clue is this?" He sat down next to the doctor and complained, "It's useless at all!"

"Not necessarily," Jiang Cheng said. As the person involved, he seemed to have a better attitude than the other two. "At least we know that Master Huang will come to the lake to perform tonight, and there will be a boat."

"The timing for the ghost to act can also be determined," Xia Meng said in a cold voice, "It's when the boat sails onto the moon's reflection on the lake."

"Whose boat?" Jiang Cheng asked very naturally.

"It may only carry Master Huang, or it may carry one or several of us," Xia Meng said. "If everyone is on the boat together, that's fine, but if it's one by one..." She paused. "Someone should pray for their own good fortune."

Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, and then at Xia Meng. He couldn't imagine that so many things could be extracted from these seemingly unrelated words.

But there was one sentence he heard very clearly: the ghost will attack the doctor when the boat sails into the moon's reflection.

"Doctor," Fatty suddenly became excited, "Then why don't we just not let the boat sail into the moon's reflection? Or...or let's just not get on the boat today no matter what."

In his imagination, as long as he could prevent the premise of "the boat sails with the moon above" from happening, then the ghost would naturally not have the chance to act, and the doctor would be safe.

Xia Meng raised her head and glanced at Fatty, then glanced at Jiang Cheng without a trace, as if asking, are you serious about bringing such a guy along?

But to Xia Meng's surprise, even under such conditions, Jiang Cheng did not show the impatience that one would expect towards this Fatty. Only his tone changed a little, and his speed increased.

"It's not because of that bowl of blood," Jiang Cheng said, "That's just a hint."

"A hint?"

Two pairs of eyebrows furrowed together. Fatty understood even less. He subconsciously believed that the doctor was targeted by the ghost and brought upon himself this disaster because he chose that bowl of human blood.

"A hint of what?" Fatty asked incredulously. "A hint that you're being targeted?"

"Yeah."

Indeed.

This reason was too far-fetched, with too many uncertainties.

Fatty briefly recalled the series of events that had happened since they entered the instance and felt that what the doctor said made sense. This was more like a hint.

A hint from… the ghost.

No, Fatty's pupils changed slightly, as if he suddenly realized something, it would be more appropriate to say it was a rule.

After all, there are no absolute dead ends in the mission.

"Then why were you targeted, Doctor?" Fatty asked, looking up.

"Because he didn't take Master Huang's pulse," Xia Meng's voice sounded. "Do you remember what the middle-aged woman said when we went to Master Huang's residence?"

"Simply put, there are only two requirements: one is to change into the opera costume, and the other is to treat Master Huang," Xia Meng's voice sounded confident, as if stating a fact.

Something flashed in Fatty's eyes. He swallowed. Tang Shirou, who died tragically last night, was the only one who didn't wear an opera costume, so she was skinned alive. And the doctor... was the only one of the people who went up who didn't see Master Huang, let alone treat him.

Even Qin Jian, who went up later, saw Master Huang.

Indeed.

This really... makes sense.

"But…"

Fatty seemed to want to argue for something, as if only in this way could the doctor have a chance to survive.

But before he could speak, he heard Xia Meng continue in a calm tone, "If he hadn't gone downstairs immediately and waited a little longer, I think Master Huang would have appeared."

The calmness in these words directly ignited Fatty. The look in his eyes towards Xia Meng immediately changed from shock to anger.

"You knew it all along!" Fatty stood up abruptly, pointing at Xia Meng and scolding, "You didn't say it earlier, you...you bitch!" He gritted his teeth.

Fatty, with his eyes wide open, looked very imposing. Just standing there, he blocked the light in front of Xia Meng.

Only now did Xia Meng realize that this Fatty, who had just been taught a lesson by her, who was usually submissive and a little wretched, was not only fat, but also very strong.

With blood-red eyes and veins bulging on his forehead, he looked like he was about to eat someone.

Slightly opening her mouth, she was stunned for a moment and forgot to retort.

"Fatty."

Until Jiang Cheng spoke.

Hearing the doctor's voice, Fatty's expression softened a lot, but he was still standing there, not sitting down, as if he planned to listen to the doctor's words before settling the score with Xia Meng.

"It has nothing to do with her," Jiang Cheng said.