Chapter 21: Villagers

I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.

A foreign language that even translation software couldn’t recognize…

Only this damn system could come up with something like that.

“…What about internet access?” Yu Wen poked frantically at his phone screen, growing anxious. “Maybe my downloaded language packs aren’t complete enough? Would connecting online help? Can the proctor help with that?”

Hearing this, everyone turned toward Qin Jiu.

The proctor stood lazily in a corner of the living room beside a cabinet, absentmindedly inspecting the incense burner. It was like he had eyes on the back of his head—without even turning around, he said:

“You weren’t the ones who drew the reward card, so why are you looking at me?”

The room’s incense was overpoweringly strong.

He twisted open the burner’s lid, picked out the choking incense chunk inside, and casually tossed it aside. During the process, his long fingers stirred directly through the burner without any fear of being burned.

After hearing his response, everyone stared expectantly at Qi Yang instead.

But before Qi Yang could say anything, Yu Wen, who had first suggested it, gradually calmed down.

“Forget it. The language packs should already be complete. I was just asking casually…”

“Several different translation apps don’t support Gypsy anyway. Even with internet access, it probably still wouldn’t translate anything.”

“And if we end up finding nothing useful, we’ll just waste a reward card for nothing.”

Chen Bin looked around before finally asking:

“What reward card? Ever since joining your group, I’ve heard you mention it constantly, but I’ve been too embarrassed to ask.”

Back when the cards were drawn, the entire team had been present, so there wasn’t much reason to hide anything.

Everyone began explaining the reward cards to Chen Bin all at once.

Chen Bin was utterly dumbfounded.

“There are actually rewards? I’d only heard rumors before—I thought people were making it up.”

“What did you all do to earn the chance?”

Everyone looked faintly ashamed.

Inwardly, they thought:

We just got randomly handed a golden thigh by the system.

Chen Bin was sensible enough to read the atmosphere. Seeing everyone’s mixed expressions, he wisely stopped asking further questions.

He glanced toward Liang Yuanhao and noticed that the other man’s lips were tightly pressed together, his face ugly with tension.

Truthfully, Chen Bin’s own expression wasn’t much better.

Although neither of them had personally seen reward cards before, they had heard of them.

No matter what reason someone used to obtain one, it only proved one thing—

This team was extremely capable.

Or more accurately…

Someone on this team was extremely capable.

And it was obvious who that person was.

Unfortunately for them, the two of them had just chosen the exact opposite option from the big shot.

Chen Bin lightly nudged Liang Yuanhao and quietly asked while the others discussed things:

“Regret it?”

Liang Yuanhao kept a dark expression and answered roughly:

“The consequences haven’t shown themselves yet. Just because he’s right once means he’ll always be right?”

“Anyway, I don’t regret it.”

“I do, a little.” Chen Bin stared at the floor miserably.

…

“Bro, should we ask the proctor for help?” Yu Wen asked.

“No.”

Qi Yang sat on the armrest of the sofa, playing with his phone.

Qin Jiu closed the lid of the incense burner again.

He casually picked up a colorful cloth scarf, wiped his fingers clean, then slowly strolled behind Qi Yang and leaned both hands against the sofa back.

“Really not asking?” he said. “I’ve been holding onto that card for quite a while now. I’m honestly dying to use it.”

Without even lifting his head, Qi Yang let out a cold laugh in response.

That only made Qin Jiu more interested.

This candidate was truly fascinating.

For ordinary questions within reasonable limits, he asked endlessly and ordered the proctor around without the slightest politeness.

But the moment the reward card became involved, he absolutely refused to use it.

As though asking for help itself meant bowing his head.

One tough bone to chew.

Proctor 001 silently evaluated him.

…

Qi Yang tapped his phone a few times, and Black Granny’s childish-sounding voice once again filled the room.

This wasn’t like English.

Everyone understood English to some degree. Even if their grades were terrible, replaying something enough times and slowing it down would eventually let them grasp most of it.

But Gypsy?

They truly understood absolutely nothing.

Even if they replayed this recording for an entire day, not a single crack would open in that wall of incomprehension.

Everyone stood silently in the living room, drowning in incomprehensible bird language.

…

The recording played over ten times.

Suddenly, someone snapped their fingers.

Everyone jerked back to attention.

“Who? What happened?”

The one who snapped was actually Mike.

He stood frozen, mouth slightly open, listening carefully through the final few sentences of Black Granny’s recording.

Then he suddenly shouted excitedly.

Because he spoke too quickly, his words sounded like gibberish too.

Old Yu and the others stared blankly for a long moment before turning toward Qi Yang.

“What did he say?”

Qi Yang frowned slightly.

“He says Black Granny’s Gypsy includes Persian and Russian vocabulary mixed into it.”

Then he turned toward Mike.

“You sure?”

As a four-nationality mixed-blood, Mike might have failed genetically in the looks department, but his language abilities were genuine.

Slowing down his speech, he explained that his maternal grandfather came from Russia. Although Mike himself wasn’t fluent in Russian, his vocabulary was decent.

As for Persian, he had impulsively taken it as an elective during university.

During their migrations, Gypsies were often influenced by the places they settled, so their language frequently absorbed foreign vocabulary.

They also learned local languages.

For example, Black Granny could understand the candidates’ Chinese.

The village chief had mentioned that Black Granny fled here with Russians during wartime. She had likely absorbed Russian influences into her speech patterns over time.

Maybe even she herself didn’t consciously realize it anymore.

…

The moment everyone heard this, excitement exploded instantly.

Yu Wen stared at Mike like an eager golden retriever.

“Come on! Quickly, quickly! What did you hear?”

At that question, Mike suddenly looked embarrassed again.

His slightly chubby face flushed pink. After stammering several times, he finally squeezed out a few words.

“Grave.”

“Flower.”

“Needle.”

“Sun.”

Qi Yang looked at Mike, then turned to the others.

“That’s all.”

Everyone: “……”

“What were the questions again?” Old Yu asked.

Yu Wen answered expressionlessly:

“Question one: What’s Black Granny’s name?”

“Question two: Where’s Black Granny’s family?”

“Question three: How many people are in Black Granny’s house?”

Out of those four words, which one answered anything…?

The hope that had barely ignited instantly sputtered out again.

Everyone’s raised heads drooped back down, faces dark with despair.

…

Without anyone noticing, the sun gradually tilted westward and disappeared behind the forest, casting a dim twilight glow.

Yu Yao, who sat beside the window, suddenly lifted the curtain slightly and whispered:

“Villagers…”

“Huh?” Yu Wen leaned over. “What villagers?”

Yu Yao pulled the curtain completely open and pointed through the small round stone window.

“People are coming outside across the river. They should be villagers, right?”

The frozen river reflected pale evening light.

On the opposite bank, several figures emerged cautiously from houses carrying baskets and slowly approached the river.

“So there really are people.” Chen Bin muttered. “The village chief did say everyone comes out around dusk for some activity. Guess it’s more lively with people around?”

“But…”

How could three lonely figures possibly count as lively???

…

No matter what, where there were people, there were clues.

Qi Yang pulled on his black down jacket, zipped it up to his chin to cover the lower half of his face, and immediately walked outside.

The others gradually followed behind him.

Qin Jiu walked slowly beside Qi Yang, half a step behind.

“Bought that jacket with points?”

Qi Yang narrowed his eyes and shot him a glance through thin slits.

“Even though you’ve already given me several lovely gifts, I’m actually a generous person. So let me offer you a few words of advice.”

With both hands in his overcoat pockets, Qin Jiu walked beside him across the frozen river.

“In this exam system, the number of people who actually pass is tiny. At least, after all my time supervising exams, I haven’t seen many.”

“For ordinary candidates, it’s best not to waste points recklessly during the early stages.”

Qi Yang’s straight nose remained hidden beneath his collar, though white mist still formed with every breath.

Once he reached the opposite bank, his pale eyes shifted toward a middle-aged woman nearby.

The woman wore the typical clothing of a border-region winter resident—an extremely long coat wrapped from neck to feet, with a massive scarf nearly burying her entire head.

She crouched awkwardly beside the river and called toward the man next to her:

“Come help break the ice.”

Qi Yang watched them briefly before tossing a sentence toward Qin Jiu.

“Save ordinary advice for ordinary people. It doesn’t apply to me.”

Then he walked directly toward the two villagers.

…

The villagers froze slightly upon seeing Qi Yang.

Then their stiff, frozen faces slowly stretched into smiles.

“You’re one of the new guests?” the woman asked. “The village chief mentioned you.”

Qi Yang glanced toward the chief’s tightly sealed house.

“Yeah. Arrived this morning.”

The villagers nodded without much enthusiasm.

“You’re staying across the river?”

“Mm.”

The two villagers fell silent for a moment before finally failing to hold back.

“Don’t you have anything you want to ask us? You must feel uncomfortable arriving in the village for the first time.”

Qi Yang lifted his eyes slightly. “It’s fine.”

The two villagers: “……”

After exchanging awkward glances, they crouched back down and resumed breaking river ice.

After a few strikes, the woman secretly glanced toward Qi Yang again.

“You visited Black Granny’s place?” she finally asked.

Qi Yang nodded. “Yeah. Stayed there the whole afternoon.”

“Oh… did you do anything there?”

Qi Yang replied, “Made a few dolls. Not sure if you’ve seen them before.”

The two villagers suddenly stiffened slightly.

Qi Yang added casually, “A few people didn’t make them.”

Strangely enough, the villagers shrank back even more after hearing that.

After a pause, the woman looked up and said:

“No. Usually only guests visit Black Granny. We rarely go across the river.”

Qi Yang asked, “Have guests come before too?”

The woman nodded. “Yes. Groups like yours. They always arrive in groups.”

Qi Yang asked, “What happened to them afterward?”

For an instant, confusion flashed across the woman’s face.

Then she slowly shook her head.

“It seems like… I never saw them leave.”

The candidates who had just crossed the river nearly fell straight into it upon hearing that.

Qin Jiu walked up beside Qi Yang and lowered his head slightly.

“You really are a genius at getting close to people.”

Qi Yang: “……”

He was just about to retort—

When the metal basin in the male villager’s hands suddenly clanged loudly onto the ice.

The two of them looked over.

The man stared at Qi Yang’s eyes for several seconds.

Then he stared at Qin Jiu for several more.

Finally, slowly, he said:

“I feel like… I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Qi Yang froze briefly.

“Who? Us?”