Chapter 123: Heroes of All Stripes Show Their Mettle

"Meow~"
"Whoa!"
Chen Fan’s taut nerves finally snapped. The residual heat in his throat surged, so intense it sent him staggering back two steps. His left foot tripped over his right, and he collapsed heavily onto the Elder.
"Look at the state of you. Scared out of your wits by a mere cat? Get up already." The Elder pointed toward the door, which had been blown open by the wind. The bedroom was empty, save for a nimble Persian cat crouching on the stone tiles, its bright, sharp eyes filled with mockery.
"Oh." Chen Fan calmed his heart and regained some composure. He brushed the dust off his clothes and reached out to help the fallen Elder to his feet.
"Since the room is empty, what should we do now? Shall we search it?" Chen Fan suggested.
The Elder checked the spice pouches at his waist, confirmed everything was in order, and said, "Search the room for what? Do you think we’re stealing secret martial arts manuals? We’re here to recover cards, brother. The host isn't even here; what do you expect to find by searching the room? Don't overthink it. Dawn is approaching—let’s discuss it tomorrow night."
"I see. Alright then." Chen Fan agreed and carefully pulled the door shut again. "Wait, why is there a tender green bamboo leaf caught in the door crack? The bamboo forest is quite a distance away; the wind couldn't have blown it this far, could it?"
Chen Fan picked up the leaf and examined it closely. The Elder advised from the side, "I suggest you put that back. That leaf was likely meant to detect intruders. Do you remember exactly how it was positioned?"
"Uh... this... I don't."
Chen Fan shook his head innocently. A gust of wind blew by, and by the time he looked back at his fingertips, the bamboo leaf had drifted away without a trace.
The Elder looked at Chen Fan’s hopeless demeanor and said with disdain, "Forget it. If we’re discovered, so be it. It’s not like anything terrible will happen; at worst, we’ll just have a fight. Get ready to head to the gaming arena."
"Oh... right. And you?"
The Elder smoothed back his rapidly receding hairline and said, "I’m going to scout the area nearby and see if I can track the whereabouts of Alliance Leader Zuo. Honestly, I don’t know what changes might occur once a card attaches to an NPC, so it’s best to be cautious."

"Understood. Then I shall take my leave. Until we meet again." Chen Fan cupped his hands in a traditional martial arts salute.
"In this world of jianghu, no matter where one goes, there is a place for me, Dongfang Bufan."
Chen Fan took his familiar seat at position 6. Immersed in the grand, sweeping atmosphere of the martial world, he couldn't help but indulge in his own imagination. He was so lost in thought that he forgot to raise his hand to claim the Sheriff role, and by the time he snapped back to reality, the third person was already speaking during the Sheriff election.
Feng Qingliang, the white-haired elder at position 5, spoke: "This old man was living in seclusion on Siguo Cliff yesterday, and by a stroke of fortune, I have cast aside worldly dust and attained clarity. Observing the stars, I have divined that the young man in the seat below me—no, the hero at position 6—is a righteous warrior of the jianghu, a man of pure integrity. Though I am but a humble man, I wish to lead all you heroes in our great martial cause."
"Hmm? Another cryptic, flowery speech? This is on par with that time at the Jixia Academy..."
Chen Fan pondered. He had just been given a "gold water" (confirmed innocent) status. He looked at the elder again: draped in white robes, elegant in manner, with the air of a Taoist immortal. Beneath his benevolent gaze lay a pair of eyes deep and wise.
"This person... he looks familiar." Chen Fan scrutinized him and realized this was Master Guyan, the one who had brazenly jumped as the Magician during the last Hundred Schools of Thought debate.
"This won't be fun. I have to sit through another Classical Chinese lecture." Chen Fan scratched his head, hoping someone else would jump as the Seer.
By the time the person at position 5 finished speaking, only two people remained in the Sheriff election: Sect Leader Wuji at position 8 and the Golden-Haired Lion King at position 11. Neither revealed themselves as the Seer, merely claiming to be good guys and babbling a bunch of nonsense.
"Don't tell me this is another 'cowardly wolf' game." Chen Fan realized that since he hadn't heard the first two speeches, and none of the later speakers mentioned any counter-claims, it was likely that no real Seer had stepped forward.
If that were the case, this young man Liu Jian was the legitimate Seer. But for someone as lazy as Chen Fan, having to translate classical prose after every speech was pure torture.
"Number 5, Feng Qingliang, has been successfully elected. Present the command flag." The attendant respectfully offered the flag with both hands. Liu Jian took it and playfully twirled it.
"Pfft~"
Suddenly, the Golden-Haired Lion King at position 11 began foaming at the mouth, convulsing as he collapsed to the ground, feebly muttering, "I... I am... allergic... to fur..."

"He’s dead? That way of going out... is... too ugly." Chen Fan had no interest in the body disposal process and turned his attention back to the game.
"Number 4, you speak first." As Feng Qingliang lowered the command flag, he left Chen Fan, the "gold water," to make the final decision at the end.
"Well, what can I say... A cowardly wolf game, and with a Guard in the setup. Won't the wolf team collapse playing like this? Actually, the Witch should have used her potion to save someone on day one. I’m just a plain villager. As for the last words from player 11, they're useless; I'll just treat him as a villager. The first speaker didn't give any clues either. That's all I have to say. Pass."
The guy sitting at position 4 was "Dong Meng," as famous as "Xi Dou." Dong Meng was tall and thin, carrying a black pot on his back, looking quite dashing in his green robes—much like a hermit. In reality, he was the master of the Central Plains' Dark Cuisine world, a pro at stir-frying chili dishes. Whenever he unleashed his culinary power, the smoke was invincible and the spice was blinding—or so the legends of the jianghu claimed.
The player at position 3, "Shi Chui," also threw up his hands, indicating he had no valuable clues. He was a fellow disciple of Xuzhu from the Xiaoyao Sect, though this title was unknown to the jianghu, having instead made a name for himself in the entertainment industry.
"The Sheriff candidates are 1, myself, the Seer at 5, Sect Leader Wuji at 8, and the now-deceased Lion King at 11. Given I know my own role, calculating the probabilities: the chance of a wolf being among the candidates is between 0% and 50%, while for those not running, it’s between 16.6% and 50%. Building a mathematical expectation model, the success rate of finding a wolf among those not in the election is higher."
That was typical for a cowardly wolf game. No one dared to stand out; people spoke in half-truths, mostly waiting to see how the Seer and the "gold water" would play.
When it was Chen Fan’s turn, to be honest, he didn't have a clue either. But to save his own brain cells, he decided to hijack the Seer’s role.
"Sheriff’s investigation stream: check 1, 3, and 8, push 2. I think there’s only one wolf in the election. Of course, you could also check the neighbors of the deceased player 11. The key is to coordinate the Guard and the Witch, and stick to your investigation plan."
Chen Fan’s overly affected, delicate speech drew roaring laughter from the crowd.
Fortunately, this Master Guyan finally spoke like a modern person: "Guard, protect me. Witch, save someone outside the election. It doesn't matter much who leaves today, so let's vote out 8. Tonight, I'll check 1 and investigate 3. That’s the rhythm. Everything is under control."
Sect Leader Wuji at position 8 was voted out unanimously. He smiled and said, "A good way to go out. Comfortable. Just a villager leaving."