“I’m Sang Biao from the Pao Ma Escort Agency. I didn’t see anyone along the way.”
“I am Er Xiaozi from the Divine Edge Escort Agency. I was acting alone as well, didn’t meet anyone.”
“Heh heh, I’m a prisoner—Lao Mo.”
The next three introduced themselves together; they were the type of traditional martial artists who were ruthless and taciturn, only using their titles, not their names.
Their words didn’t contain any useful information, and even if they knew something, they wouldn’t share it with outsiders.
“I’m an inner disciple of the Wushuang City Lord. I’ve been acting together with Brother Qing, just as he said. In the end, we encountered Sage Xun. Aside from that, we didn’t meet anyone.” It was Tuo Long’s turn to introduce himself.
“I’m from the Military Strategist Alliance. I did indeed cross paths with those two. We kept a corridor’s distance and stared each other down for a long time until the King’s Ocarina was blown.” The last to speak was Sage Xun.
“The Military Strategist Alliance—is that the organization founded by the legendary Mr. Shuiqi?” Qing Shaofei suddenly interrupted.
“That’s right. Mr. Shuiqi is our master.” Sage Xun nodded.
Hearing that name, all the martial artists quietly marveled. It seemed this was a very famous figure.
“Little liar, do you know who this Mr. Shuiqi is?” Dong Huiting whispered in an extremely low voice.
“I’ve heard of him. He’s said to be an old prophet, rumored to foresee the future. But because he revealed too many secrets of heaven, he went blind and established the Military Strategist Alliance to train disciples.” Bai Wuzhuang explained quietly.
“He’s that impressive?” Dong Huiting asked again.
“Of course! Even I know about him, so he must be impressive. You’re the only one here who doesn’t know.” Bai Wuzhuang laughed.
Just as expected, the first round went simply—everyone introduced themselves, but there was no useful information.
No one was desperate, so no one would recklessly expose their identity.
There was only one dead Hunter, but no one cared.
“Does anyone have anything to add?” Sage Xun asked.
No one replied, which was taken as collective agreement.
“Then let’s begin the vote. If you suspect someone is a Wolf, cast your vote.” Sage Xun adjusted his glasses, bringing the first round to a close.
“I object.” At that moment, Bai Wuzhuang suddenly spoke up in protest.
“Miss Bai, do you have some profound insight to share?” Sage Xun’s eyebrow twitched as he forcibly suppressed his anger.
“Could the Immortal come out for a moment? I have some questions about the rules I’d like to ask. I won’t vote until I get an answer.” Bai Wuzhuang said.
“Miss Bai, stop talking nonsense and acting mysterious. If you have a question, just ask everyone directly. Are you a Wolf or something? What can’t you say to us?” Qing Shaofei questioned repeatedly.
But in the next instant, the Mysterious Immortal Phantom really did slowly appear, floating above the White Lion Statue.
Qing Shaofei was instantly speechless.
“What do you want to ask?” the Mysterious Immortal Phantom inquired.
“I want to ask if we can abstain from voting. Can the Lambs choose not to kill anyone?” Bai Wuzhuang pressed.
“Tsk~ You’re just being unreasonable.” Qing Shaofei sneered coldly.
“Yes, the purpose of the voting round is for the Lambs to expel the hidden hungry Wolves. If the Lambs wish to give up the chance to exile someone in the first round, that’s completely fine.” The Mysterious Immortal Phantom replied.
“I have no further questions.” Bai Wuzhuang said.
The Mysterious Immortal Phantom glanced at Bai Wuzhuang, a faint look of admiration on its face, then turned into mist and disappeared once more.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Qing Shaofei, having been slapped in the face repeatedly, could barely keep his composure.
“One Hunter died; there are eleven of us left. The Hunter definitely isn’t a Wolf—the Hunter’s identity is either a Lamb or a hidden third party. Now, among us, there are three Wolves, but at least six Lambs. If the Hunter was a third party, we might even have seven Lambs.”
“So, without any information about the culprit or suspects, exiling someone at random is highly likely to result in a Lamb being eliminated. Therefore, I call on everyone to abstain from voting this round—don’t exile anyone.” Bai Wuzhuang analyzed matter-of-factly.
Despite being a frail patient, she spoke so logically that everyone present was taken aback.
Whether cultivator or ordinary martial artist, they all looked at her with newfound respect.
“……”
Sage Xun adjusted his glasses again, his fingers trembling slightly, but he gave no comment.
“Strategist, this is simple math, right? Not hard to calculate, is it?” Bai Wuzhuang deliberately asked for his opinion.
After all, he was the one with the most authority. As long as he agreed, everyone else would follow.
Of course, Bai Wuzhuang knew this guy was a Wolf, so she had to use irrefutable logic to shut him up.
“Miss Bai is right. As she said, abstaining is the best choice.” Sage Xun maintained a calm expression, agreeing with Bai Wuzhuang.
He had no choice but to agree.
Otherwise, he would undermine his own persona as a wise strategist, causing his credibility to plummet, and worse, be suspected as a Wolf by the other cultivators.
In fact, Bai Wuzhuang would have preferred if he opposed her, making a fuss—then she could have pushed him into the Wolf’s den.
If she succeeded in casting suspicion on him as a Wolf, then Tuo Long and Qing Shaofei, who had been seen with him, would also be prime suspects.
“So… how do we vote?” Bai Wuzhuang looked around, spreading her hands.
At that moment, the King’s Ocarinas hanging around everyone’s necks slowly floated up.
“Hold the ocarina and silently think of a name. Once the voting ends, you’ll enter the next stage of the Maze.”
The echo of the Mysterious Immortal Phantom resounded in everyone’s ears.
Everyone immediately complied, reaching out to grasp the King’s Ocarina, closing their eyes, and silently reciting a name in their hearts.
Some finished voting quickly, while others took a long time to decide.
Finally, the voting results appeared on the stone table, with marks automatically forming the names of the survivors.
Bai Wuzhuang, three votes.
Sang Biao, one vote.
Er Xiaozi, one vote.
Six people abstained.
In the end, no one was exiled.
“Rumble! Rumble!”
The massive stone gate slowly opened, and the eleven survivors entered the next level of the Maze.
“Who voted for her?”
Dong Huiting’s cold eyes swept over everyone, demanding answers in a chilling tone, unwilling to accept the result.
But of course, no one would answer her. This was an anonymous vote, after all, specifically to prevent this kind of situation.
“Don’t worry, this is actually a good thing.” Bai Wuzhuang laughed heartily, reaching out to stop Dong Huiting from making trouble.
“You got voted for and you call that a good thing?” Dong Huiting questioned if she’d lost her mind.
“The Lambs must have listened to me. Good people don’t want to exile other good people, so they all abstained. So who cast those three votes for me? I don’t know, but it must have been the three Wolves colluding. This voting pattern basically proves I’m a genuine, pure Lamb.” Bai Wuzhuang analyzed.
And she deliberately said this loudly, making sure everyone could hear.