dmims Chapter 94 Kirihara and Sanada, who have been deceived all along
Chapter 94 Kirihara and Sanada, who have been deceived all along
"Peach grove...treasure hunting! Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Wang Yueling pointed to the peach grove behind the mountain and held up the colorful cards one by one to show everyone. The cards had different patterns printed on them, some were treasure chests, and some were diagrams of hitting points.
"The rules are super simple. Everyone enters the peach grove with heavy loads and searches for clue cards. The clue cards are hidden in various treasure chests."
"After finding the clue card, follow the instructions on the card to complete the hitting challenge at the designated location. Each hitting point has a bullseye, and you must use this weighted racket to hit the bullseye three times to pass."
"The person who collects all the clues, completes all the ball-striking challenges, and reaches the finish line wins."
"The first ten people to arrive don't have to eat boiled broccoli," Mochizuki Ryou shook her head apologetically, adding, "As for the others..."
His smile was as bright as the summer sun.
"Then I'll just have to enjoy a healthy dinner."
The entire room fell silent for two seconds.
Then the restlessness in the air became more and more obvious. Some people were exchanging glances, and some were already whispering about forming teams.
"Top ten?! There are over forty people here, and only ten spots?!"
"I won't eat broccoli!!! I'd rather die than eat broccoli!!!"
"I absolutely have to win!" Jiro jumped up, his curly hair swaying like a bird's nest. "Bunta, let's team up!"
Ren-ou had somehow wandered up to Mochizuki Ryou's side, his braid askew on his shoulder, head tilted, a sly smile playing on his lips: "Any rules or restrictions for this competition, Pupina~"
"The only rule is to complete the treasure hunt while wearing the weights." Mochizuki Ryo shrugged, simply handing one card to Niou, her azure eyes curving into crescents. "Everything else... you can play however you want."
"Puri~" Niou took the card, twirling his fingers around his braid, his eyes sparkling. "That'll definitely be interesting."
The two of them simultaneously curled the corners of their mouths, and their smiles looked anything but malicious.
Yagyu adjusted his glasses and whispered to Sanada beside him, "I have a bad feeling."
Sanada's hat brim twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.
"Alright." Wang Yueling clapped her hands. "The treasure hunt can begin now."
"Oh, by the way." He turned around, a smile on his face, and kindly reminded them, "There are a few special staff NPCs in Peach Blossom Spring. They also have clue cards. To get them, you need to complete their mini-games."
He tilted his head and continued:
"Alright, I won't take up any more of your time. The event will now begin... Have fun!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than forty people rushed toward the entrance of the peach grove.
The thunderous footsteps rolled across the grass, startling the swans on the lake into flapping their wings and flying away.
The aroma of peaches filled the air so thick it seemed to linger, and the boys quickly disappeared among the layers of cypress branches and leaves.
As Mochizuki Ryo walked at the back of the group, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was a reply from Yukimura.
[Seiichi]: Great. But didn't you say you saved that peach especially for me? (White cat tilts its head.jpg)
Wang Yueling stared at the screen, a smile playing on her lips, and quickly typed a line of text.
[Ling]: I ate the smaller one. I've kept the one I gave you safe and sound. I'll personally bring it to you after the training camp ends. It'll be fresh, I guarantee. (Golden Retriever stands at attention, wagging its tail.jpg)
[Ling]: It's definitely bigger and sweeter than the one I had today.
[Seiichi]: I'm really looking forward to it. By the way, how come you have time to message me now? Did your afternoon training end so early?
[Ling]: Basic training is over. They all went to participate in the peach orchard treasure hunt so they wouldn't have boiled broccoli for dinner. I'm going to go and cause trouble later. (Little Golden Retriever grinning mischievously.jpg)
[Seiichi]: Don't bully those people too much later. Also, try not to curse them too much, or you'll end up with that hoarse voice again like last time.
Wang Yueling felt a little embarrassed by what was said and subconsciously touched her throat. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she really felt that her throat was a little hoarse.
He quickly asked the butler standing next to him to brew him a pot of dried sea buckthorn.
[Ling]: No way, I drank a lot of water today, I should be fine. Besides, I already asked Uncle Yuanye to make some loquat tea for me. (Little Golden Retriever looking guilty.jpg)
He paused, then typed another line.
[Ling]: Jingshi, I scolded them, aren't you angry?
The other party replied almost instantly.
[Seichi]: Why are you angry? You're right about everything. And you promised to take care of Akaya, and you did a great job.
Wang Yueling stared at the screen, her fingertips hovering over the keyboard, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.
Seishi said he was right about everything.
He was secretly pleased for several seconds before obediently replying.
[Ling]: Okay, I'll listen to you and scold them less, and I'll bully them a little less. But if Ren-ou does anything bad, it has nothing to do with me.
[Seiichi]: You... (White cat shakes its head helplessly.jpg)
Wang Yueling smiled so hard her eyes crinkled into crescents.
He put his phone back in his pocket, looked up at the large group of teenagers who were almost at Taoyuan, and a smile appeared on his lips.
It's going to be very interesting later.
The peach orchard on the back hill is very large.
The entire hillside, stretching from the lakeside to the foothills behind the estate, was covered with peach trees. By the end of June, the peaches were hanging heavily on the branches, the golden-red fruits crowding among the green leaves, bending the branches under their weight.
The scent of peaches in the air was much stronger than around the stadium; a deep breath was enough to feel the sweet juice swirling in your nostrils.
After rushing into the peach grove, everyone immediately scattered and began searching for clue cards.
"Treasure chests with clues are definitely hard to find." Xiang Ri looked up at the peach tree full of peaches, his voice weak.
"What's the rush? Take your time." Marui reached out and picked a peach from the tree, wiped it on his sleeve, took a bite, and puffed out his cheeks. "Mmm...so sweet! This is even better than the ones they had at the restaurant at lunchtime!"
Cilang also picked one up and ate it, his mouth full of honey juice. The two squatted on the steps at the entrance, eating and making muffled exclamations.
"Aka!" Marui shouted to the back of the group, "Come and have some peaches!"
Kirihara squeezed through the crowd, ran over, squatted down next to the two, and popped a peach into his mouth. The three heads huddled together, the sounds of them munching on peaches rising and falling.
"Don't they look like three hamsters?" Kuwabara stood next to Oshitari.
Shinobu glanced at him: "Kuwabara-kun, your ability to describe people has been getting better and better lately."
Kuwahara scratched his bald head, amused by the teasing.
After entering the peach grove, Xiang Ri didn't look for peaches to eat, and successfully became the first to find the treasure chest.
Beneath a crooked peach tree lay a wooden box tied with a red ribbon. He crouched down, his heart pounding, took a deep breath, and opened it.
empty.
"How can it be empty!" He picked up the empty box and shook it vigorously, but there was nothing inside.
Renji walked past him from behind, picked up the box, and turned it over to look at the bottom.
At the bottom is written a line: Treasure hunting is like life, nine out of ten boxes are empty - Wang Yueling.
"..." Old Huo, who was looking at the sun, threw the box on the ground and stomped on it hard.
"Gakuto, the box is innocent." Oshitari pushed up his glasses, his tone calm, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"I know! But when I saw that sentence, I just wanted to criticize it!!"
After finishing the peach, Kirihara rushed to the front, looking around and searching for the treasure chest.
"Where's the treasure chest? Where's the treasure chest?" Kirihara muttered to himself as he parted a clump of bushes and discovered a red treasure chest.
He excitedly opened the treasure chest, only to find it completely empty.
"What the hell! It's empty!" Kirihara grumbled in dissatisfaction, closed the treasure chest, and continued running forward.
Cilang found a treasure chest on the other side of the forest. This chest was larger than Xiangri's and was tied with a green ribbon.
He squatted down, clasped his hands together and bowed to the box, muttering, "Please, please, there must be a clue card. I don't want to eat broccoli. Broccoli is a green nightmare."
He opened the box.
Inside was a peach pit. A large character was carved on the pit: "Ha."
Cilang stood there stunned for several seconds, turning the peach pit over and over three times to make sure there were no other clues. Then he stuffed the peach pit into his pocket, squatted down, and pouted.
I've decided to smash this peach pit on Wang Yueling's head when I see him later.
Meanwhile, Marui found a box tied with a purple ribbon next to a stream. He blew a bubble and confidently opened it.
Inside was a small pack of tissues, with a note on top: Wipe your mouth and look at the tree behind you.
Marui looked up and turned to look at the peach tree behind him. Another small box was wedged in a branch, hidden by peaches. He tiptoed to reach it, opened it, and this time it was a real clue card.
"Found it!"
He held the clue card above his head; it showed a diagram of the hitting spot, with the words: "Come here and hit three balls; the bullseye will be in an unexpected direction."
Marui flipped the card over; on the back was a line of small print: "You're really lucky. Someone opened ten boxes and got nothing—Mochizuki Ryou."
Various noises could be heard coming from deep within the peach grove.
"Found it! Ah, it's empty."
"Mine is empty too!"
"Who put the empty box back and closed the lid?! Now I have to open it again!!"
"Haha, you got fooled by the empty box twice..."
Treasure chests can be hidden in various places.
Some hung on peach tree branches, some were buried in the soil under the tree, some were hidden in the cracks of rocks, and some were placed in empty peach baskets.
Of course, most of them were empty boxes.
Gradually, everyone got smarter. After finding a box, they would shake it and listen for any sound inside. If there was no sound, they would just throw it away.
Some people are really wicked. After finding an empty box, they deliberately put something inside, close it, and put it back in its original place, waiting for the next person to fall for it.
Kirihara met up with Kabaji on their way to find the treasure chest, but neither of them had a good sense of direction and they had been lost in the peach grove for twenty minutes.
Kirihara led the way, with Kabaji following behind. They passed the same red ribbon tree five times.
"I just saw that tree!" Kirihara shouted, pointing at the tree.
"Yes." Hua nodded.
"I clearly felt I should go left..."
"Yes." Kabaji nodded again.
Kirihara scratched his head, took a deep breath, and pointed to the right: "Then let's go right again this time!"
After walking for ten minutes, they returned to the red ribbon tree. This time, Kirihara squatted down and remained silent. Kabaji stood beside him, silent for a moment, then reached out his large hand and gently patted Kirihara's head to comfort him.
Just then, a person appeared deep in the peach grove ahead. The person was wearing a Taoyuan work uniform and a straw hat, and was bending down to sort the peaches on the ground.
"Hello!" Kirihara's eyes lit up as he rushed over. "Have you seen any treasure chests or clue cards?"
The man straightened up and turned around.
Beneath the straw hat was a smiling face, with a small section of silver hair peeking out from under the brim.
"Piyo~ Of course. I have a special clue card here." The person took a card out of their pocket and waved it. "But you have to play my little game to get it."
Despite the obvious flaw, the naive Kirihara didn't recognize who it was and nodded vigorously: "What game? I'm sure I can beat it!"
"It's very simple." The man pointed to two baskets of peaches on the ground. "Within three minutes, move these two baskets of peaches to the places I specify. Move one basket to the big pine tree over there, and the other basket to the big rock by the stream."
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Kirihara patted his chest, handed the racket to Kabaji, picked up a basket of peaches and ran towards the big pine tree, his black curly hair swaying in the wind.
Kabaji stood still, looking at the "staff member," then tilted his head slightly in confusion.
The "staff member" winked at him with a foxy look, put his index finger to his lips, and made a "shh" gesture. Kabaji was silent for a moment, then nodded very slightly without saying anything.
It took Kirihara ten minutes to find the so-called "big pine tree". The pine tree was not in the peach grove at all, but grew outside the peach grove, right next to the stone lantern by the lake.
He carried the peaches around three or four times before finally finding them, nearly losing his life in the process.
When he carried both baskets of peaches to the designated location and returned to his original spot, panting, the "staff member" was gone.
The ground was empty except for a note, weighed down by a stone, which read:
Congratulations on clearing the level! Keep up the good work!
The note is blank. There is no clue card.
"Where's my clue card?!"
Kirihara's voice shook the peach tree beside him, and ripe peaches fell down with a rustling sound, one of which hit him right on the head.
Kabaji picked up the peach that had hit him, wiped it, and handed it to him. Kirihara, having finished his tantrum, took it and took a big bite, then paused, surprised. "This peach is actually quite sweet."
Hua nodded.
"Wait...shouldn't we keep looking for clues?" Kirihara, holding a half-eaten peach, looked blankly at the dense peach trees around him. "...Do you know where we are?"
Kaba shook his head.
The two exchanged a silent glance and continued wandering aimlessly through the peach grove.
Sanada was tricked in the southwest corner of the peach grove.
To be precise, I was scammed three times.
The first time, he saw a "staff member" wearing a manor uniform. The person was standing next to a peach tree, holding a clue card in his hand, and waving at him.
Sanada walked over quickly.
"You have to play the game to get the clue card." The man lowered his head, his hat brim pulled low. "It's simple, do fifty push-ups."
Without a word, Sanada put his racket down and started doing push-ups. His movements were precise and powerful, completing all fifty-one. After he finished, he stood up, dusted his hands off, and waited for the other person to give him the clue card.
The man handed him the clue card: "Go forward 300 meters, there is a peach tree with a red ribbon hanging on it, and there is a treasure chest under the tree."
Sanada took the card, nodded his thanks, and turned to walk in that direction.
I walked less than 300 meters.
He found the peach tree with the red ribbon hanging from it. There was indeed a treasure chest under the tree, but it was empty.
The bottom of the treasure chest reads: "You've been tricked, Sanada-kun—Niou."
Sanada stared at that line of text for several seconds.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, pulled down his hat brim, and walked back, ready to confront the "staff member".
When he returned to that place, the person had already vanished.
I was scammed a second time, ten minutes later.
He was walking along the path through the peach grove when he encountered another "staff member." This one was a bit taller, wearing a mask, and carrying a notebook; he looked like a legitimate NPC.
"Young man," the person spoke to him in perfect politeness, "you want the clue card from me, right? I can give it to you, but you need to complete a challenge first. Eat three peaches in a one-minute peach-eating contest; if you pass the speed test, you'll get it."
Sanada listened attentively to the rules, sat down, and picked up the three peaches the other person handed him to eat.
The "staff" stood beside him to keep track of the time. He ate quickly and attentively, not wasting a single piece of fruit and nibbling the peach pit clean.
After eating the three peaches, he put the peach pits on the table and wiped his mouth.
"alright."
The "staff member" handed him a "clue card." Sanada took it and saw that it was a very ugly drawing of a pig.
The back reads: "You got tricked again, Sanada-kun. But you look kind of cute eating peaches though—Niou."
Sanada's hand was slightly wrinkled from squeezing the pig card.
When he looked up, intending to chase after the swindler who had run off into the distance, the man had already vanished into the depths of the peach grove, leaving only a series of fading footsteps and a distant "Puri~".
Sanada stood up, folded the pig card, and put it in his pocket. Two deep imprints were left on the grass beneath his feet.
The third time he was scammed was when he met an "old lady" sitting under a peach tree enjoying the shade.
The man had his back to him, his head wrapped in a floral headscarf, his shoulders slightly hunched, and his voice low and hoarse.
"Young man, could you help me pick a few peaches? I'm too old to reach the big ones up there."
Sanada hesitated for a moment.
But he noticed that there was indeed an empty basket at the "old lady's" feet, and her hands did look a little shaky.
He went over and picked a full basket of peaches for the other person.
"Thank you, young man." The old woman took a card out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Here, take this. I hope it will be useful to you."
Sanada took the card and flipped it over.
It read: "Thank you for your hard work, but this card is fake too. Sanada-kun, you've been fooled again. — Niou."
Sanada stood still.
The "old lady" stood up, took off her headscarf, and let her short silver hair fall loose, shining in the sunlight, with her braids swaying behind her shoulders.
Niou turned around and smiled at Sanada, a smile that was incredibly irritating: "Puri~ Sanada, you looked really cool doing push-ups today, you looked so cute eating peaches, and you were so diligent picking peaches too."
"Nioh Masaharu!!!"
Sanada took off after him.
Niou nimbly darted through the forest, blocking Sanada's path several times. Niou ran eastward, and Sanada gave chase, but by the time he reached a clearing ten meters away, Niou had vanished.
Sanada stood still, looking around.
An "old man" wearing the same floral headscarf appeared in the open space, but this "old man" was Wang Yueling dressed in the same way.
He sat cross-legged under a large peach tree, munching on a peach, and chuckled as he watched Sanada chase after him.
"Genichiro, you've been tricked again? You get tricked every ten minutes on average. Can't you learn your lesson?"
Sanada's face instantly turned ashen.
"It wasn't on my intention; you always bump into me on your own. I'd feel guilty if I didn't lie to you." Niou peeked half his head out from behind Sanada.
Sanada turned around abruptly, but there was no one behind him and he heard no sound.
"Alright, alright." Wang Yueling stood up, brushing the grass clippings off her clothes. "You two stop fooling around. The competition isn't over yet, let's keep looking for clues. Otherwise, we'll really be eating broccoli tonight."
Sanada took a deep breath, straightened his uniform collar, and pulled down his hat brim. He glanced at Mochizuki Ryo, then at the direction Niou had run off in, and finally said nothing, turning and walking deeper into the peach grove.
Ryo Mochizuki called out from behind him, "Genichiro, if you go to the left, you'll encounter a real NPC!"
Sanada's back visibly stiffened for a moment, his steps faltered for a beat, and then he quickened his pace and disappeared at the end of the peach grove.
Niou emerged from behind the tree, sat down on the ground, picked up a peach, wiped it on his clothes, took a bite, and said, "Puri~ Ryo, who are we going to fool next?"
Wang Yueling took out a map, marked three places on it, and pointed to the locations. "Atobe, Yagyu, Shinobu, and Yagyu... these guys are too clever for their own good and won't be fooled by such tricks, so they won't bother. Jiro, Marui, and Mukahi... they are easy to fool, but they've probably teamed up with others by now, so it's not a good time to make a move."
He put away the map and glanced deeper into the woods.
"Let's go to the stream. Kirihara and Kabaji are still circling around there. And... Uraya, they're all so naive and easily fooled."
The two had just reached the stream.
A peach pit fell from the sky and hit Niou squarely on the back of the head.
"Ouch." Niou rubbed the back of his head and looked up.
Several small monkeys were perched in the tree canopy. One of them had a small piece missing from its ear.
They held peaches in their hands, some half-eaten, some uneaten, their tails swaying on the branches. One of them perched on the highest branch, holding a peach pit in its hand, tilting its head to look down at Nioh.
Then it threw another peach pit towards Nioh.
Niou dodged to the side, but was still hit on the shoulder.
"Puri~ Even a little monkey that's not even a month old is bullying me."
Wang Yueling, watching his embarrassed expression, burst out laughing, and then smashed a whole peach directly on his head... not the pit.
With his head covered in sweet peach juice, he brushed the pulp off his hair.
"Ouf," he whispered in French, looking up at the grinning little monkey. "These little guys must be habitual peach thieves who escaped from a private zoo."
"Are they kept in your zoo?"
"No." Wang Yueling wiped the peach juice from her hair with a handkerchief. "There's a small exotic pet zoo ten kilometers away. Every year when the peaches ripen, a few of them come to steal them. The people at the manor can't do anything about them, so they just gave up. They're kind of like 'Peach Blossom Paradise NPCs'."
Do they steal things?
"Yes. Stealing water, stealing hats, stealing bags..."
Upon hearing this, Niou's fox-like eyes slowly lit up, and then he curled his lips into an extremely cunning smile.
"Ling, how about we make them our 'assistants'?"
Wang Yueling glanced at him, then at the little monkey in the tree with half an ear missing, and understood immediately, a mischievous smile creeping across her face.
"You want them to cause trouble?"
"right."
"And then shift the blame to these little monkeys?"
"The pot originally belonged to the little monkey. It just so happens that my grandfather taught me a few monkey-training techniques when I was a child, so I'll give it a try."
-
the other side.
Deep within the densest peach grove, Liu found a wooden box without ribbons. He half-opened his eyes, carefully examined the marks on the box, and then opened his notebook to compare them with the data he had recorded.
"This box was opened three times and then put back," he muttered to himself. "The person who put it back probably wanted to leave the empty box for the next person, a typical deception tactic. There's a good chance it was Niou's doing."
He opened the box.
It was indeed empty.
Liu made a note in his notebook and then continued walking. He had the most composed mindset of all the competitors because he knew that the key to this competition was not speed, but patience.
Just then, a faint sound came from deep within the peach grove ahead.
The sound was not human footsteps.
It was a lighter, more fragmented sound, like something leaping rapidly through the treetops. Then a peach pit fell from the sky, landing precisely at Kirihara's feet.
Kirihara was sitting on the ground drinking water when he was startled and almost dropped the kettle.
He looked up and saw several small monkeys perched on the branches.
It's not a metaphor; it's a real monkey.
They were all small, with grayish-brown fur, and their round eyes curiously observed the humans below.
One was holding a peach bigger than its head in its arms, munching on it with its two front paws. Another was perched on a higher branch, its tail curled around the twig, tilting its head to look down.
There was also the smallest one, with half its head peeking out from behind the tree trunk, and a small piece of its ear missing.
"Monkeys?" Kirihara stood up, looking up at the little creatures in the trees, his eyes wide. "How come there are monkeys in the peach grove?"
Several little monkeys tilted their heads and looked at him at the same time.
Cilang ran over from the side, saw the monkey in the tree, and became very excited.
"Wow! It's a little monkey! So small! So cute!" He stood on tiptoe to get a closer look, but the smallest monkey was so startled that it shrank back, but couldn't help but peek out to examine him.
Marui and Kuwahara also came over.
Marui blew a bubble, then looked up at the little creatures in the tree, each clutching a peach: "Are those wild monkeys? Are they here to steal peaches too?"
"It's probably not wild."
Liu's voice came from the side. He had already opened his notebook and was carefully observing the little monkey with half an ear missing in the tree.
"Judging from their fur color and size, they should be Japanese macaque cubs; the adults aren't here. Based on their behavior patterns and activity range, they most likely escaped from that small exotic animal zoo about ten kilometers away. This species of macaque has a seasonal migration habit for foraging, and they move towards the orchard every year when the peaches ripen."
"Renji, you even have data on monkeys?" Niou suddenly appeared out of nowhere, glancing furtively at the little monkey in the tree.