Ma Xiaowen immediately fell silent and stood beside Gu Zhan.
However, when she turned around, she caught sight of the “husband” emerging from around the corner of the corridor.
Having absorbed Xiao Xiu's powers, he was no longer the same. His body was enveloped in black mist, and just one glance made one's eyes ache.
Monsters in the dungeon were categorized into several types, some indistinguishable from humans like the butler, and others like this one, who had completely lost rationality and couldn’t communicate.
“Quick, go!” This husband was clearly of the latter type, and staying near him was very dangerous.
Gu Zhan pulled Ma Xiaowen along, and the two stumbled as they resumed their escape.
The walls of Black Crow Mansion were constantly shifting, blocking their way.
Ma Xiaowen was frightened by the situation and exclaimed, “What’s going on?! Why are the walls moving?!”
Gu Zhan sometimes admired her.
Even at this moment, she could still ask so many questions. He was terrified and wished she would stop overthinking!
Gu Zhan pulled Ma Xiaowen again, and they stumbled towards the end of the corridor.
When they reached the stairs, they found the terrain had already changed; the stairs were broken, and they couldn’t get out.
Ma Xiaowen climbed to the edge of the broken railing, looking down at the first floor and asked, “What do we do?”
“Jump down,” Gu Zhan said, removing his cumbersome outerwear, tearing off the lace from his arms. He stepped next to the railing and extended his hand to Ma Xiaowen, “You go first.”
“Huh?” Ma Xiaowen was taken aback.
The distance from the first to the second floor was at least over two meters. What if…
But behind them, the “husband” was already closing in.
And the entire Mansion trembled violently with his will.
The second-floor floor seemed to be getting further from the first floor. If they didn’t move now, they might not get another chance.
With gritted teeth, Ma Xiaowen stepped onto the railing.
At that moment, Sang Yue rushed out from the other end of the first-floor corridor. She looked up and saw the situation on the second floor. Realizing that Ma Xiaowen and Gu Zhan were about to jump, she rushed to the railing below and reached out to Ma Xiaowen, “Come down, I’ll catch you.”
Ma Xiaowen just lacked a bit of courage, but seeing Sang Yue, she finally gritted her teeth and jumped down.
Just then, the “husband” reached them.
Gu Zhan jumped onto the railing, and the husband reached out to him, sharp claws grazing Gu Zhan’s lower back but unable to catch him. Gu Zhan had already leaped down from the railing.
His clothes were torn, leaving a streak of blood on his fair skin at the lower back.
Gu Zhan landed safely, and Sang Yue and Ma Xiaowen helped him up. The three quickly got to their feet and ran toward the mansion’s exit.
This scene echoed what had occurred in the flashback; only back then, Black Raven Mansion was on fire, and now, they were being chased by the “husband.”
As they ran, Ma Xiaowen shouted, “We should set a fire! Maybe it will be afraid of the flames!”
Sang Yue looked at her in disbelief, clearly shocked by Ma Xiaowen's wild idea.
“There’s no time!”
Sang Yue shouted.
And in the earlier flashback, this “husband ghost” was more afraid of water than fire.
However, Ma Xiaowen's words reminded Gu Zhan, who waved his hand at the other two. “Let’s go to Huangquan Village!”
This thing definitely wouldn’t stop chasing them within the Black Raven Mansion; if they didn’t find a way to get rid of it, they were all doomed.
This was the “butler” delivering his gift.
These ghosts were not about to let them off easily.
“Move!”
After experiencing all these events, Sang Yue and Ma Xiaowen’s execution was top-notch. As soon as Gu Zhan finished speaking, they immediately headed toward Huangquan Village without hesitation.
The “husband” also realized their intention. The path ahead became increasingly treacherous, and the door of the Black Raven Mansion slowly began to close.
By the time the three of them reached the entrance, the door was already completely shut.
Were they going to be trapped in this place again?
Before Gu Zhan could act, Sang Yue suddenly pulled out two large axes from her inventory, keeping one for herself and handing the other to Gu Zhan. “Chop it down.”
Gu Zhan took the axe and swung it; this tool seemed specially made and was very sharp.
With a heavy swing, the door immediately cracked.
“Bang!”
“Bang bang!”
The repeated sounds of chopping echoed at the entrance, shaking the walls around them.
Ma Xiaowen stood nearby, watching this scene, her feelings were difficult to describe.
Just looking at the scene, it was hard to imagine who the real monster was.
The two of them seemed to have immense strength, and in the blink of an eye, they had hacked a significant hole in the sturdy door of the Black Raven Mansion.
The “husband” was already closing in behind them.
There was no time to widen the hole. Sang Yue tossed her axe aside and ducked into the opening.
Wood shavings and splintered wood grazed her skin, but she didn’t mind; after squeezing through the hole, she extended her hand back toward the others.
“Quick, come on!”
Gu Zhan took a step back, letting Ma Xiaowen go first.
As Ma Xiaowen passed through the hole, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that since coming to this game world, she had lost a lot of weight from not eating or sleeping well. If she were any heavier, she wouldn’t have fit through!
She quickly got through the opening, turning to see Gu Zhan halfway through.
Gu Zhan was surprisingly slender; his flexibility was greater than that of most girls, and his slim waist twisted into an incredible arc as he skillfully emerged from the hole.
By this point, Ma Xiaowen’s fear had dulled to numbness. Seeing this scene, she unexpectedly managed to say, “Impressive.”
Gu Zhan shot her a glance, as if looking at a lunatic.
“He’s coming after us. Hurry!”
Sang Yue ignored their subtle emotions and, seeing Gu Zhan was out, immediately pulled Ma Xiaowen and ran toward Huangquan Village.
The husband seemed unable to leave the Black Raven Mansion. When he reached the mansion's entrance, he slammed his arms against it, forcefully pushing through the hole that Gu Zhan and Sang Yue had just hacked out.
But he was too large to get through...
He struggled, causing cracks to appear in the door.
But rather than breaking, the door was twisted and deformed as it was pushed apart. Suddenly, black mist poured out from the doorway, lifting the entire Black Raven Mansion off the ground.
He seemed to transform into a huge monster, clumsily dragging the building behind him as he chased after Gu Zhan and the others.
Ma Xiaowen turned back for a brief glance and exclaimed, “What the hell!” as she ran even faster.
Sure enough, it was the same in any world. DDL was the source of motivation.
**Note - DDL is a slang term in Chinese that refers to motivation or drive, often associated with urgency or the need to act quickly.**
The group ran quickly; the long road they had traveled earlier was crossed in an instant.
Huangquan Village was right in front of them. In the darkness, the village appeared dilapidated, exuding a desolate atmosphere.
And there was no way to descend from here.
The river that surrounded Huangquan Village blocked all paths.
They reached the riverbank and stared at the wide, pitch-black surface of the water, feeling a wave of despair.
Ma Xiaowen asked, “What do we do now? We can’t cross this!”
This river clearly wasn’t normal; the water was genuinely pitch-black.
Gu Zhan rolled up his sleeves and said, “I’ll go down; you wait here.”
“What are you going to do?” Sang Yue reached out to stop him.
Gu Zhan replied, “I’ll release Xiao Xiu.”
“What?” Sang Yue paused, quickly realizing what Gu Zhan intended to do.
They had been running away like this, and sooner or later, they would fall into the hands of the husband ghost. The only way to resolve this was to eliminate the ghost completely.
Currently, the only one in the dungeon who was hostile to the “husband” was Xiao Xiu.
Previously, in the Black Raven Mansion, it had been Xiao Xiu’s lingering resentment.
The real Xiao Xiu had been submerged at the bottom of this water all along.
Sang Yue said, “Are you sure that releasing her won’t get us killed first?”
To be precise, the first victim would be Gu Zhan, who would have to cut the ropes.
But Gu Zhan said, “We have no other choice. We’ll have to take a gamble.”
Logically, they shouldn’t have to endure all this; it was all because of that damn “butler.”
“Wait a moment.” Sang Yue pulled out a length of rope from somewhere and handed one end to Gu Zhan. “Tie this around yourself.”
Gu Zhan took the rope and tied it around his waist.
Sang Yue then handed him a knife.
Gu Zhan dragged the rope and bit down on the knife handle as he entered the water.
The water looked murky and black from the outside, but once he got in, it surprisingly appeared clear.
Just like when Gu Zhan first entered the water.
He swam toward the direction where Xiao Xiu was located and quickly found her bound in the same spot as before.
Xiao Xiu was wide awake, staring in Gu Zhan’s direction.
Last time, the light had been dim, and he hadn’t been able to see her clearly.
This time, He discovered that Xiao Xiu and He Hui look almost identical.
Her brows were furrowed, as if she were crying.
But in the water, tears are invisible.
As Gu Zhan got closer, the hair floating beside Xiao Xiu began to move toward him, wrapping around his waist and legs.
Gu Zhan ignored the hair and went straight to Xiao Xiu's side, using a knife to cut the rope that was binding her ankle.
With his actions, more and more hair surged toward him.
They had been silent at the bottom of the cold water for too long. Once they sensed a living being, their bloodthirsty instincts were awakened, wanting to bind, to kill, to have the vibrant life replace them and sink forever to the bottom…
The hair tightened slowly around Gu Zhan’s body, covering his mouth and nose, stealing away his dwindling oxygen.
But Gu Zhan remained unfazed, continuing to cut at the rope.
Underwater, movements were already hindered.
This rope was incredibly tough; it was evident that the murderer wanted Xiao Xiu to remain buried at the riverbed, never to see the light of day.
As he cut, he suddenly felt the rope tremble slightly.
Looking up, he found Xiao Xiu gazing down at him, showing a smile that resembled crying through the gaps in her hair.
She seemed unable to control the long hair that was clawing at him, feeling sorrowful for her actions.
Gu Zhan gritted his teeth, exerting all his strength, and finally cut through the rope.
The moment the rope snapped, the hair released Gu Zhan and surged toward the surface.
Xiao Xiu reached out and pulled Gu Zhan with great force, almost tossing him out of the water.
Standing at the water's edge, Sang Yue and Ma Xiaowen only saw ripples on the river's surface, followed by a dark mass shooting out alongside Gu Zhan.
Instinctively, they reached out to catch Gu Zhan, but in the split second their gazes crossed, the dark mass vanished from view.
"What, what’s happening?"
Ma Xiaowen suddenly turned back, realizing that the “husband” chasing them had disappeared, replaced by the swirling black mist around them.
The black mist rolled violently, as if something within was fighting, yet it was utterly silent, a dead stillness that sent chills down their spines.
The rolling of the black mist intensified, and some scattered vapor brushed against Sang Yue's clothing, instantly igniting into black flames.
Gu Zhan sensed something was wrong and shouted, “Into the water!”
They dove into the water. Just as Gu Zhan had predicted, the black mist could not touch the surface.
Sang Yue and Ma Xiaowen had to hide their bodies as much as possible beneath the water.
This battle didn’t last long; soon, a wave of mist was suppressed.
Half of the "husband's" face appeared from the black mist, only to be quickly swallowed up by it again.
Then, the husband was consumed by Xiao Xiu.
Suddenly, a fire broke out in Huangquan Village, flames soaring into the sky, illuminating the darkness along the riverbank.
Amid this firelight, Gu Zhan suddenly heard the laughter of a child.
"Hehe, come play with me."
He instinctively moved toward the source of the voice, but after taking just one step, he felt someone pulling him from behind.
Turning back, he saw Sang Yue.
"Where are you going?" Sang Yue frowned and whispered.
Gu Zhan realized that he had heard that voice again, one that only he could hear.
He was Gu Zhan, not a monster from the instance.
The ghost child… was merely a role he played.
Gu Zhan halted, and the voice faded away.
The fire blazed brighter, illuminating the riverside as Xiao Xiu's figure seemed to appear once more.
She glanced back briefly before walking deeper into the flames.
【Congratulations to players Gu Zhan, Sang Yue, and Ma Xiaowen for completing the instance <Black Raven Mansion>. The instance has ended and is now transferring.】
【Congratulations to player Gu Zhan for completing the side quest <Discovering the Buried Truth>, personal quest <Ghost Child: Who Will Play Games With Me?>, and main quest <Survive>, earning a total of 56,901 points.】
【A hundred years ago, Huangquan Village had a tradition of sacrificing to the river god to gain wealth and prestige.】
【Selfish people use their wives as offerings thrown into the river and their children as burdens stuffed into the stove. If heaven is blind and willing to grant this villain fame and fortune, who will repay my grievances, my hatred?】
【He wrote a twisted tale that caused people to forget my name, diverting waste into the river, condemning me to never rise again.】
【I am unwilling; I must tear off his head with my own hands and drown his mouth and nose in the cold river water to find peace…】
【Help me, please help me…】
【Congratulations, player Gu Zhan, for helping Xiao Xiu fulfill her wish, earning the epic item <Cold River>.】
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