Seven Days, Seven Nights

Su Er dwelt little on jokes and instead was keen on Ji Heng’s ability to kill ghosts. (1)

“If we’d let her go beyond the first seven days, we would have to hide.” 

Su Er: “She’d be so powerful?” (2)

Ji Heng nodded: “Just now, the female ghost seemed to have been injured.”

Su Er’s thoughts first flashed to the taser, but he said: “The Li family invited that monk to help the soul pass on. Maybe he hurt her.” (3)

Ji Heng didn’t know whether to accept this statement. He fixed his sight on the bottom column of Su Er’s badge.

Seeing this, Su Er was helpless: “I don’t know what the charm value does now.”

Ji Heng: “There’s no hurry.”

Li Shouzhang had told them not to go out past ten o’clock in the evening, but Ji Heng had other plans: “Go out for a walk.”

Since they’d dealt with the tongue-pulling ghost, he didn’t expect the danger to be too big. Su Er didn’t question his decision and directly followed.

Sounds of scriptures being recited remained the same throughout the empty courtyard. The two of them searched for the source of the voice until they found a small hut. Light came tumbling out of the open doorway, illuminating a bright arc over the courtyard.

It was only then that Su Er saw the mourning hall. In the rather shabby interior, the monk sat on a futon chanting scriptures. The three brothers of the Li family and their heirs were also there, all looking serious. Mosquitoes flew around Li Youzen, but it was as if he couldn’t see them and had no intention of driving them away.

Su Er whispered: “Li Youzun believed his daughter was humiliating, and he was unwilling to carry out a funeral. Yet, he’s now willing to stand vigil over her spirit.” (4)

Moreover, the other two brothers of the Li family were also there, which was even more unreasonable.

Ji Heng: “A guilty conscience.”

Su Er recalled: “Are they worried about receiving retribution on the seventh night?” (5)

Ji Heng nodded.

There were no taboos on not eating and drinking after the wake. After the monk was halfway done reading scriptures, Li Shouzhang and his father Li Youzun said a few words and came out of the mourning hall. 

Ji Heng winked at Su Er. The two carefully hid their figures and followed behind.

The road was dark, but Li Shouzhang didn’t use any lighting tools. He seemed to be worried over something and kept his head lowered until he turned into a small room.

In order not to reveal their whereabouts, Su Er and Ji Heng went around to look through the window, using the moonlight to observe what was happening inside.

Li Shouzhang took out a set of teacups from the cabinet and added hot water to each one. When the last cup was filled, he took a small paper bag out of his pocket and carefully added its contents to some of them.

His hands trembled a little when he first picked up the plate, and he almost tripped when he went out. Li Shouzhang stood still for a long time, looking up at the night sky. He took a deep breath, calmed down, and started walking back again steadily.

In the mourning hall, Li Shouzhang first bowed his head and respectfully handed the monk a glass of water before placing more in front of everyone else.

Su Er had always kept track of the positions of the medicated cups. Because he wasn’t short-sighted, he clearly saw the drugged cups being given to the three brothers of the Li family.

Ji Heng: “This family is really interesting.”

Su Er’s eyebrows twitched: “Think less darkly. It may be a meal-substituting powder.” (6)

Ji Heng glanced at him and shrugged.

No matter how bold Li Shouzhang was, he wouldn’t dare openly poison the three brothers in the mourning hall. That would be too obvious. In fact, after drinking the water, Li Youzun coughed a few times but showed minor discomfort.

The wind was strong at night, and after standing still in one place, the blood circulation seemed to be slow. Su Er felt his hands and feet get colder.

Ji Heng: “Go back now and come back at dawn.”

Su Er didn’t want troubles with his body. If he caught a cold, it would only affect the progress of the mission. Ji Heng didn’t stay much longer either and went back to his room to rest. He woke Su Er up early the next morning, and they went to go squat.

The sky was bright, and the monk had gotten up to leave. After learning nothing happened overnight, Li Youzun let out a sigh of relief and escorted the person to the door.

“Father,” Li Shouzhang said respectfully: “I’ll escort the master a little further.”

Li Youzun said with satisfaction, “Go.”

Su Er and Ji Heng couldn’t directly leave through the gate, so they climbed over the wall. There were almost no people on the streets at this time, so they dared not follow too closely and deliberately slowed down.

As he was walking, Ji Heng suddenly asked: “Have you finished reading the pamphlet?” (7)

Su Er: “I remember the general idea.”

Ji Heng: “The pamphlet contains some well-known points, but the players won’t write their own experiences in it.”

Su Er had a foreboding feeling that the other party had some knowledge he wanted to share.

Sure enough, before long, Ji Heng spoke again: “The selection of players is relatively fair.”

Su Er pondered over this sentence and felt that there were many loopholes, At least, it wasn’t fair this time. (8)

Ji Heng reminded: “With team props, once one party dies, the other party won’t get any points even if they clear the game.”

Su Er thought about it: “I’m a newcomer and likely to be a drag.”

The combination of the two people will obviously greatly reduce their overall strength. Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yi individually were not as strong as Ji Heng, but if they’re able to cooperate with each other, they may have an easier time clearing the game. (9)

Su Er leaned against the wall, looking for places to hide in case Li Shouzhang suddenly turned around and spotted them. At the same time, he asked bewildered, “then why did Wen Buyu and Ge Xuyan come in?”

Ji Heng did not answer and gave him enough time to think first.

Su Er had had little contact with Ge Xuyan. After recalling, he tentatively asked: “Is it related to the force value?”

Ji Heng’s smile was full of praise: “No matter which value, when it is about to break the critical point, the next game you automatically transfer into will be of high difficulty.” (10)

This was a check and balance put in place to screen players. After a pause, he continued, “If I guessed correctly, the critical point for the charm value is 60.”

Su Er raised his eyebrow, surprised.

Ji Heng: “The game wants you to die.” (11)

“…”

“To get stuck at the foot of the door and die is indeed in line with the evil aesthetics of these games.” (12)

Su Er thought for a moment, but really couldn’t refute that. Not to mention, the number 59 really was weird: “And Wen Buyu?” (13)

“Either she has some unbelievable props, or…” Ji Heng stopped. After bidding farewell to the master, Li Shouzhang did not go back directly. Instead, he made seven or eight turns before finally entering a dark alley. Not long after, a beautiful shadow came into view from afar. Ji Heng looked at the scenery with a raised eyebrow: “The game has arranged a favorable identity for her.” (14)

For some reason, Ji Heng didn’t approach them. Instead, he looked towards a nearby tree, which Su Er climbed up neatly. (15)

Su Er and Ji Heng were too far away to hear the other two’s conversation, but they saw Wen Buyu give Li Shouzhang a light hug during their talk. Su Er snorted: “According to the rules here, this would be regarded as having underhanded secret dealings, yet the female ghost didn’t even attack her.” (16)

In contrast, Ge Xuyan’s death was a little unjust.

Ji Heng: “The ghost had resentments towards the Li family. I’m afraid I’m afraid Wen Buyu instigated Li Shouzhang into drugging the Li family, so their (the ghost and Li Shouzhang) interests converged.” At this point, his eyes narrowed: “I just don’t know why Li Shouzhang listens to her (Wen Buyu).”

Su Er jumped down from the tree, grabbed Ji Heng’s shoulders abruptly and spoke in a shrill voice: “I made a mistake and was punished in the ancestral hall. This has left a stain on me, and your family will definitely not agree to us being together! Kill those old stubborn people in our way, okay? I have a way to help you get elected as chief guard!” (17)

“…”

“If you disagree, I’ll expose our affair and die with you!”

At this point, Su Er placed a hand on his stomach. “What’s more, I already have…” (18)

Before Su Er could pull off an even more exaggerated performance, Ji Heng interrupted him: “What you said makes sense.”

Logically, knowledge of these messages would be enough for them to secretly snag a profit, but Ji Heng didn’t mean to leave yet. After a while, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth: “The catcher is here.” (19)

As soon as Su Er looked up, he saw Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yu emerge out of nowhere and directly enter the alley. There was an exclamation inside.

“Let’s go,” Ji Heng said: “Go see the theater.” (20)

When they got closer, the quarreling voices became clearer-

Li Shouzhang’s angry voice sounded: “This is a false accusation!”

“Yes.” Wen Buyu was calmer: “Even if this was made public, no one would believe that he would be with me.”

“Just know this,” Wan Yi smiled: “I rented a camera in advance, and I’ve taken a lot of interesting photos these past two days.”

Wen Buyu clenched her fists. She wanted to take a gamble according to her plan. While the other players were paying attention to the three brothers of the Li family, she’d secretly supported Li Shouzhang to win the election. Thus, she’d be the only one to clear the game and take all the points. Now that her biggest secret is discovered, she could only temporarily change her mind: “Why don’t we join forces?”

Li Shouzhang quickly promised: “As long as I become the chief guard, I will never mistreat you!”

“Yes.” Wan Yi smiled playfully: “But…”

Wan Yi glanced at him and stayed quiet.

Wen Buyu seemed to guess what Wan Yi wanted to do, and her pupils trembled suddenly.

“The Li family is quite powerful. It’s also possible for you to find someone to get rid of us once you go back.” Wan Yi stroked the camera in his hand. “Only when everyone has a common secret can everything be discussed.”

Shen Jiangbei, who had kept silent up until then, said: “Your sister has already humiliated your family. If it is revealed that you’re in love with a woman who has been to the ancestral hall, I’m afraid Li Youzun will place righteousness above loyalty to his family.” (21)

Regarding his father, Li Shouzhang’s body trembled, a reflex conditioned from the punishments he’d received since childhood.

Wen Buyu already felt Li Shouzhang’s shaking, and her nails almost pinched into her palm.

The atmosphere became more and more tense. Shen Jiangbei suddenly turned his head and his sharp eyes swept past: “Who?”

Ji Heng didn’t dodge and came out.

Su Er raised his eyebrows: “Instigating murder can also be allowed?”

Ji Heng: “He’s not selling murder. He just implied it with a few words.” (22)

What’s more, even though Wen Buyu’s force value was not high, it wouldn’t be a problem to kill an adult man after being in the game worlds for so long. The most likely result was that Wen Buyu was injured and Li Shouzhang died.

In this way, not only would Wen Buyu lose her trump card, but she might also be suspected of being the culprit due to her injuries.

However, Wen Buyu took advantage of this moment to suddenly say to Ji Heng: “You help me clear this game, and I’ll tell you a secret about this village. According to your strength, once you know it, you will definitely benefit the most from this game.”

In order to show her loyalty, she did not hesitate to take losses and told Wan Yi solemnly: “On the contrary, I won’t reveal a word to you even if I die.”(23)

Shen Jiangbei frowned, not expecting her to play this hand.

At the moment the several sides confronted each other, the air seemed to condense.

“Why are you making such a scene?” They didn’t know how long it had been before Su Er broke the silence and loudly said: “Everyone has their own perspectives and is doing their best to survive. It’s understandable that we use every means to calculate against each other, but don’t forget… Together we have laughed and cried, had friendships, and almost become reliable and trusted friends to each other!” (24)

Looking up to face the vast sky, he smiled bitterly: “So for the sake of reconciliation, we can only reconverge our interests… Please choose me as chief guard.”

(Everyone:) “…”

The author has something to say:

Wen Buyu: Only by manipulating others with kindness can you become the ultimate winner. (25)

Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yi: As everyone knows, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and we are the traders. (26)

Su Er: When the heavens bestows man with a great responsibility, he must be prepared to endure suffering… I am willing to shoulder this responsibility, unite everyone and walk down this road of deadly thorns. (27)

Ji Heng: …

FOOTNOTES

灭 – extinguish, death, destroy; When the force value is above 150, players have some ability to combat ghosts. If a ghost is weak enough, players with high force values can directly “kill” them, like Ji Heng did in the last chapter. In the context of “killing ghost,” I am not sure if the ghosts enter an “afterlife” or if their souls cease to exist. It’s been a while since I read the raws.Original is “So powerful?”来超度 – to transcend; 超度 – release souls from purgatory; expiate the sins of the dead; transgression守灵- To come guard over her spirit; wake; keep vigil beside the coffinIt can also be translated as “night of resurrection,” but meaning is the soul returning home on the seventh day.往光明处想 – “Think in the light.” 代餐粉 – Powder to replace having a full mealThe beginners’ guide pamphlet they received before entering the tutorial game“At least not this time.” Su Er is saying that Ji Heng’s phrase has too many loopholes and examples where the selection of players isn’t fair. An example being the current instance they’re in because Su Er is a novice lolJi Heng is much stronger and Su Er is much weaker than Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yi individually. Ji Heng is saying that the overall strength of each team who used team props are roughly the same, and depending on that overall strength, the system sends players into dungeons with similar overall strengths.In raws it was “Ji Heng smiled admiringly;” Remember that the critical point for force value is 150 and the critical value for spirit is 80.This is why Ji Heng insisted that Su Er used the team props for his second game. After the tutorial game ended, the other members in Return to the Grave questioned why Ji Heng would use team props with Su Er because it would force Su Er to enter a higher difficulty game (for the reason stated in footnote 8). However, Ji Heng had his suspicions for why the system gave Su Er a high charm value. It was to force him to enter a high difficulty dungeon the next time he returned to Seven Days, Seven Nights. So since Su Er would have been forced to enter a high difficulty game anyways, it would be better if Ji Heng went with him.To die when you’re just in reach of what you desire呢 – question particle for asking queries or bounce-back questions; “and?” “What about?” “How about?”天的 – heavenly, sky干净利落 – neat and tidy; smooth and clean; neatly done; very efficiently私相授受 – have underhand secret dealings; give undercover payments; give and accept secretly; illegally pass things between individualsHe pitched his voice up to sound more like a girl; basically, he’s pretending to be Wen Buyu talking to Li ShouzhangSu Er’s version of Wen Buyu saying she’s pregnant lolOKAY SO in the original raws, it said 渔翁, which means “old fishermen,” and the literal phrase was “secretly gain a profit for the fisherman.” I believe this is a reference to the idiom “鹬蚌相争渔人得利,” which in turn means “In the fight between the snipe and the clam, the fisherman has the best of it.” It means that while two parties are focused on competing with one another, they both end up losing to a third party.Go see the performance/show that’s about to play大义灭亲 – punish one’s own relations in the cause of justice; place righteousness above family loyalty; place righteousness above loyalty to one’s family; sacrifice consanguinity for the sake of righteousness“又非买凶;” 买 – procure, acquire, procure; 凶 – murder, act of violence; I’m not sure how to make sense of this sentence…“自断后路” – Cut herself立场 – position, standpoint要温柔地算计别人 – To calculate others gently螳螂捕蝉黄雀在后 – Chinese idiom; 操盘手 – trader or dealer