Xing Ye: Are the different ways of addressing parents due to a generational thing, or a regional dialect difference?

 

Qin Xiao’er saw the two children sitting together and chuckled quietly. He said to them, “We’ll be eating and sleeping together for the next three days. If anyone tries anything, the others will notice. If something happens, report it to me. We still don’t know who our enemy is, so during these first few days in the mountains, we must gather reliable intel.”

After saying this, he added, “I’m going to the toilet. Si Pang, you watch them.”

He walked out the door and said to the village woman outside, “Auntie, I have a stomachache. I want to go to the toilet.”

The woman replied, “Wait a moment.”

She gave a loud shout, and a skinny man came over to lead Qin Xiao’er away. The woman added, “The boys follow Uncle Tian, the girls follow me.”

Seeing the woman still watching the door, Wang SiPang’s round face showed a hint of displeasure.

He stood by the window for a while observing, then turned back to the three children and said, “Don’t go against Qin Xiao’er. He has a bad temper. Even though Fate defying players can’t be made into props, if they’re killed by a Following Fate prop, they’ll still die in the real world. He’s really dangerous.”

Wang SiPang wasn’t actually that fat—he just had a chubby, round face and soft, fair hands, clearly from a better-off family than Yang Xiaomao (Xing Ye) or Cao HeiHei (Cao Qian).

He looked soft and squishy, like a bun that could be squeezed.

Qian Daniu took his hand and said, “Brother Pangpang, I’m really obedient. I want to be your companion—is that okay?”

Cao HeiHei was a tomboy, with even shorter hair than Xing Ye. Qian Daniu was different—she looked gentle and fair-skinned, had grown out her hair, and wore it in two buns like a doll from a traditional New Year painting. She was very pretty.

Wang SiPang glanced at her and said, “We’re all Fate Defying players. Do you think beauty schemes will work when you look like this?”

Qian Daniu: “……”

But she had a thick skin and was persistent. After being shut down by Wang SiPang, she quickly smiled and said, “That’s just how I talk normally. After all, I’m only 16 in the real world—it’s just that this body is too small, so I sound like a child.”

Wang SiPang pinched Qian Daniu’s cheek and grumbled, “This time the stupid world gave us bodies that are way too young. Tch.”

Clearly, he wasn’t a good person. Cao HeiHei stared at Wang SiPang’s lower body, and her toes slightly tensed. With Cao Qian’s strength, one kick would make even a phantom limb hurt in the real world.

After returning from the “villa escape world,” Cao Qian had clearly become more violent. The hard mode really affected people—but not always in a bad way. For example, it was in hard mode that Xing Ye realized his feelings for Lu Mingze and also broke free from some of his past constraints. His methods had become more flexible and youthful.

Cao HeiHei only tensed her toes for a moment and withdrew it before Xing Ye could stop her.

She turned to Xing Ye and said directly, “We’re all Fate Defying players, so don’t expect Following Fate faces. Whether someone is 16 or 61 in the real world doesn’t make a difference. Like you could actually find someone from the real world here.”

On the surface, Cao Qian was talking to her friend Yang Xiaomao, but in fact she was mocking Qian Daniu. Hearing this, Qian Daniu, who had wanted to use her real-world beauty to attract Wang SiPang, froze and looked at Cao HeiHei—but didn’t say anything.

Xing Ye thought briefly and understood what Cao Qian was doing. With two female players in the team, Cao Qian was deliberately pretending to be at odds with Qian Daniu.

For Qin Xiao’er and Wang SiPang, who both seemed to want to lead the team, having visible conflict between the remaining three members was actually preferable. Harmony would be threatening.

As for Xing Ye, he was the last to enter the room and had been intimidated by Qin Xiao’er, so he was expected to be obedient. But his role was that of a newbie just out of a melee world, who would naturally seek connection with another newbie like Cao HeiHei. Two newbies bonding wouldn’t affect Qin and Wang’s leadership and could even be used as leverage against other teammates.

Cao Qian’s persona was trying to get closer to Qin and Wang, but she couldn’t bring herself to use manipulative tactics like Qian Daniu’s. In the end, she opted for cold sarcasm, making her appear incompatible with Qian Daniu.

It was a smart move. Xing Ye glanced at Cao Qian with a new level of appreciation.

They had only been apart for one world, but there was a clear difference. In the first four worlds, Cao Qian had studied diligently under Xing Ye. After leading in the Chainsaw World, she had become more decisive and confident.

A stronger teammate was a good thing for Xing Ye. He wouldn’t mess up her plan and would continue playing along with their roles.

However, Xing Ye also had his own thoughts. Right now, there was too little information. He needed to figure out why this chaotic village had ended up like this—was it due to system interference, or was the village inherently special?

Qin Xiao’er returned. He exchanged a glance with Wang SiPang, who shook his head. Qin looked disappointed.

Xing Ye smiled slightly at their interaction. It seemed Qin Xiao’er had tried to use the bathroom break as a distraction to lure the village woman away so Wang SiPang could look for clues. But an unexpected “Uncle Tian” had appeared and foiled the plan.

As players, they could’ve used skills to knock out the NPC—but Qin hadn’t, showing that he was cautious, not as arrogant as he first seemed. As for his relationship with Wang SiPang...

Ha. Just a smokescreen.

The last thing Xing Ye would believe is that the system would group all five Fate Defying players into one team. That would create harmony, which the system absolutely would not allow. It would find ways to sow discord among teammates.

He and Cao HeiHei were definitely Fate Defying players and knew about Following Fate props. At least one of Qin Xiao’er and Wang SiPang had to be Fate Defying. As for the other—who knew?

Xing Ye now had a general understanding of the sacrificial team. When Qin Xiao’er returned, he asked, “Brother Qin, did anything happen before you came to this house?”

“Did something strange happen to you?” Qin asked.

Xing Ye nodded and recounted the incident with Aunt Yang and Yang Dazhuang. However, he omitted the strange time-space feel of the village and the personality shift of Aunt Yang between indoors and outdoors. He simply said Aunt Yang was killed by Yang Dazhuang while trying to take back her money, and the village chief had ordered Yang to be punished.

Wang SiPang looked grim after hearing this. He glanced at Qin Xiao’er, who seemed lost in thought. Wang coughed and said, “Why don’t we all talk about what happened to us before we got here? Things like how our parents reacted, or the village chief’s behaviour—anything you think was odd.”

Xing Ye’s attempt to “cast a brick to attract jade” worked (NT: idiom meaning to offer a simple or modest idea with the hope that it will inspire others to contribute something better). He used his own information to draw out what the others had experienced—and at the same time, he observed who between Qin and Wang was the real leader.

As expected, Qin was in the open while Wang operated from the shadows. Qin drew the fire, but the one truly calling the shots was Wang.

Wang SiPang said, “I’ll go first. I’m the youngest child in the Wang family. This year it was our family’s turn, and I was the only one of suitable age. Although my third brother is only four years older than me, he’s already engaged. The mother of this body insisted that her 13-year-old son was no longer a virgin, and so she sent me here instead.

“But before sending me, she told me not to worry. There’s a cursed family in the village—every year for several years, the children chosen by the Mountain God have been from their household. This year, they’ve offered another one of their children, so I’m sure I’ll come back alive. Who’s from that jinxed family?”

Xing Ye expressionlessly raised his hand. “That would be me.”

He explained that his two older brothers and one older sister had been offered as sacrifices to the Mountain God for nine consecutive years. This was something anyone could find out by walking around the village—it couldn’t be hidden.

Wang SiPang glanced at Xing Ye, waiting for Qin Xiao’er to speak. After a while, when Qin still hadn’t said anything, Wang SiPang had to step in, “Nine years in a row from the same family—there’s definitely something going on there. We need to be cautious.”

Qin Xiao’er immediately assumed the posture of a leader. “SiPang is right. Next, Qian Daniu.”

Qian Daniu said, “I’m the only girl in my family. My dad said if he dumped me, he could make some money, and then when they had another son, they’d be able to afford raising him. Seems like this village is pretty patriarchal, still clinging to backward sacrificial customs. Superstitious and ignorant, right?”

“It’s probably not just ignorance,” Qin Xiao’er said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Next.”

Next was Cao HeiHei. She thought for a moment and said, “I woke up in this house. I was the first to arrive. Aunt Tian was the one who helped me with food, bathing, and changing clothes. That’s when I saw Uncle Tian—the scrawny man who later took Qin Xiao’er to the toilet. There’s something strange about him.”

“What was strange?” Qin Xiao’er asked.

Cao HeiHei raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “He just took you to the toilet earlier. Didn’t you notice anything?”

Qin Xiao’er was speechless for a moment, then urged her, “I didn’t pay attention—just say it already, stop being mysterious.”

Cao HeiHei glanced at Xing Ye, who immediately understood that Cao Qian was reminding him that Qin Xiao’er was just a paper tiger, full of bluster but not much else. He lowered his eyelids slightly to signal that he got it.

With a well-synced teammate, a small gesture could say everything.

Cao HeiHei continued, “Under Uncle Tian’s pant leg—it was completely empty. He has no left leg. No prosthetic either. But he walked very smoothly!”

Qin Xiao’er had just been led to the toilet by that man and hadn’t noticed? Qian Daniu showed a flicker of doubt on her face, but quickly restrained her expression and went back to looking sweet and docile.

“Your turn, Captain,” Cao HeiHei said.

Captain Qin Xiao’er said, “My father is the village party secretary. It’s our family’s turn for the sacrifice this year. He gave me something and said that as long as I carried it, the Mountain God wouldn’t pick me.”

As he spoke, he took out a small embroidered pouch—also red—and hung it from his waist.

Qin Xiao’er said, “My dad told me not to open it. Just wear it, and the Mountain God won’t choose me. I sniffed it—doesn’t smell like anything special.”

All five of them had spoken. By rights, someone should now be analysing things. But the group remained silent. Cao HeiHei had things she wanted to say, but she had to keep up her “timid” act and couldn’t speak out. Seeing Teacher Xing sitting right beside her, unable to hear his analysis or take notes, she was furious.

But she also knew that they still didn’t know the initial skills, QR codes, or whether Qin Xiao’er and Wang SiPang had any Following Fate props. It was too risky to act rashly. Besides, the Mountain God’s ritual hadn’t even started yet. If they killed another player now, it could mess up the number of sacrifices, and no one knew what consequences that might bring. For now, it was better to wait and watch.

Xing Ye observed for a long while and saw that no one was speaking. Everyone was keeping their heads down and calculating in silence. He sighed inwardly and decided he needed to prompt the group.

He feigned confusion and said, “My family called parents ‘father and mother.’ Captain Qin used ‘father’ too. But Wang SiPang and Qian Daniu’s families say ‘dad and mom.’ Is this a generational thing, or a regional dialect difference?”

 

Translator : DarNan