The next day, the sky over Qingshi Town was so white that the sun was nowhere to be seen; the whole sky looked like a piece of low-quality white paper pasted in the air.
The main system’s voice echoed in the air as usual
[Copy: Qingshi Town, Copy Progress: 25%]
[Game Rules: Attend the wedding banquet and leave the village alive]
[Total Players: 6, Current Living Players: 6]
[Real NPCs: 3, Currently Uncontaminated NPCs: 3]
Jiang Yan woke up in a pitch-black coffin. It was too cramped with three people sharing the space, and the two arms wrapped around him made it hard to breathe.
Jiang Yan struggled to turn over; when he turned his head, he saw his pale, dead husband. He clearly remembered that he had fought three “dogs” alone and fainted in victory on the bed. So why was he now sleeping in a coffin?
He blinked his blue eyes, his gaze lazy yet slightly confused.
"[Ah! Another day struck by Yan's beauty!]
[I must say, red looks great on him! Yan looks good in red!]
[Did the lights go out last night with no follow-up? Is he pregnant now?]
[Is the condition for ending the wedding that the bride must get pregnant? I’m wondering how this instance ends!]
[Is the first task of this instance to change Jiang Yan's gender?]
[Why does it feel like this instance is centered around Jiang Yan again? Is he the boss of this instance?]
[That’s impossible; right now, everyone's eyes are on Jiang Yan. The main system isn’t stupid; making Jiang Yan the boss again would just be giving away lives.]"
“Brother, are you awake?”
Yu Xiu’s lazy voice came near Jiang Yan’s ear.
Jiang Yan silently clutched his shirt collar, crawling out of the coffin. As he crawled out, he complained to his personal system, “Why did I sleep in a coffin last night? Did you NPCs take advantage of me? I want to file a complaint about your hidden rules!”
System 663 quickly explained, “Don’t worry! Who would dare to take advantage of you? The lights just went out last night.”
Naturally, such things could not happen openly in an instance, and besides, this ancestor didn’t want it; who would dare force him?
Hearing this, Jiang Yan’s heart relaxed. Now he was ready to sleep on this bed for seven whole days! Yesterday’s activities had exhausted half a month of his energy.
“Where are you going, Brother?” Yu Xiu followed him out.
“Going back to sleep. You two are so bony you made me uncomfortable,” Jiang Yan said flatly. After saying that, he dove into the soft bed, letting out a satisfied moan.
Seeing this, Yu Xiu playfully said, “Then I’ll sleep with you!”
Jiang Yan ignored him and rolled to the center of the bed, clearly preparing for a long sleep.
"[Great! The familiar lazy posture.]
[Jiang Yan is probably thinking this instance’s bed is much more comfortable than the last one.]
[My ancestor! He’s not planning to lie here until the instance ends, is he?]
[What the hell? Isn’t he going to follow the plot?]
[For those upstairs, it’s your first time watching Jiang Yan go through an instance, right? Our great BUG has always been waiting for the plot to come to him. He never follows the storyline.]”
Yu Xiu lay down beside him, wrapping his arms around Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan instinctively struggled.
Seeing that Jiang Yan really hadn’t slept well last night, with the skin peeking from his collar covered in purple and blue marks, Yu Xiu decided not to force him anymore. He gently kissed the top of Jiang Yan’s soft hair and said, “Sleep well.”
Wrapped in the familiar embrace, Jiang Yan’s breathing gradually steadied.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Yan Yan! Xiu! Are you awake?”
At that moment, a loud knocking sounded at the door, and the town chief’s wife’s voice came from outside.
Startled awake, Jiang Yan shivered and impatiently burrowed deeper into Yu Xiu’s arms.
Yu Xiu quickly protected him in his embrace, raising his brow and saying, “Got it, we’ll be right out.”
Hiding in Yu Xiu’s embrace, Jiang Yan nudged against him; all he wanted to do was sleep.
Yu Xiu softened his voice and gently coaxed, “Yan Yan, let’s eat first, then we can sleep, alright?”
Jiang Yan, nestled in Yu Xiu’s arms, suddenly paused.
He had almost forgotten that this was a game, a deadly game at that.
And the familiar embrace and voice in front of him were merely strings of “data” crafted by the system to resemble Yu Xiu.
This guy had no idea what trouble he was in, waiting somewhere in the game for Jiang Yan to come save him!
Seeing that the person in his arms suddenly lost focus, Yu Xiu softly said,
“Wait a moment.”
Jiang Yan’s head remained buried in Yu Xiu’s embrace. After a while, he took a deep breath and muttered, “Okay.”
He hadn’t seen this person in over half a year. He seemed… to miss him a little?
—
Yesterday, the town chief’s residence was lively and festive; today, it has turned cold and gloomy. The red wedding decorations have been taken down, replaced only by white mourning cloth. The ground is strewn with paper money, and when the wind blows, the mourning cloth flutters, carrying the money into the air.
If someone didn’t know better, they might think this family held a wedding yesterday and a funeral today!
When Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu arrived at the dining room, the players, two NPCs from the Xia clan, the town chief, and his wife had already been waiting at the table. Upon seeing Jiang Yan, everyone at the table displayed various expressions. The NPC behind Jiang Yan looked worried, frustrated that Jiang Yan had probably slept like a log yesterday. That’s why no one answered the door when he knocked. What were they going to do now? In this unfortunate world, how were he and Jiang Yan going to find a way out?
Beside him, Tao Shi waved cheerfully at Jiang Yan, clearly there to establish familiarity. He figured that by occasionally making his presence known and building rapport, perhaps Jiang Yan would come around one day. Tao Shi leaned in to whisper to Jian Hou, “Teacher! When the time comes, tell Jiang Yan to join us at the Dawn Guild! With me around, I guarantee you’ll have the best gaming experience.”
At that moment, Yu Jia overheard Tao Shi and quickly turned to Jian Hou, saying, “We’ve sent you the information and invitation related to our Puppet Workshop. Trust me, our Puppet Workshop is the most suitable for newcomers.”
“Teacher is my mentor, so naturally he’ll join my guild.”
“It’s because you’re here that he shouldn’t choose you! Teacher, I really believe you know how unreliable this guy is.”
“…”
[What the hell! A newbie who can attract the attention of the big shots—what a formidable newcomer.]
[This formidable newcomer is actually a real friend of NPC! It’s clear that the big shots just want to get a two-for-one deal.]
[Meow meow meow... I’m so envious! I can’t tell whether I’m more jealous of Jiang Yan or this newcomer.]
[All I can say is, Jiang Yan is impressive!]
On the side, Ling Kang watched this scene and couldn’t help but roll his eyes in secret.
“Good morning, Yan Yan!” the town chief’s wife greeted with a smile.
“Good morning, Auntie.” Jiang Yan leaned against Yu Xiu, looking listless.
The town chief’s wife corrected him with a smile, “You should call me ‘Mother’ now! Come and sit down! The food is getting cold.”
Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu took a seat at her invitation. Just as he settled down, Yu Jia handed him a business card: “Nice to meet you, Jiang Yan.”
“Hello.” Jiang Yan accepted the card, responding politely.
The card was beautifully silver, with his name and basic information printed on it, and the background featured an intricate puppet. He hadn’t completely woken up; his head was still groggy and he couldn’t focus on it at all.
System 663 introduced, “Yu Jia is the vice president of one of the four major guilds, the Puppet Workshop currently ranked ninth on the player leaderboard. They sent you a membership invitation before, but you didn’t see it. Their president is the strongest real NPC in the game, the movie star, Sang Luan.”
“So actually, compared to the Dawn Guild, the Puppet Workshop is more suitable for real NPCs.”
Jiang Yan shrugged it off, “I’m not interested in these guild affiliations.” He tucked the card away and nodded politely at Yu Jia.
Ling Kang, displeased, remarked to Fang Rui beside him, “Clearly your rankings and stats are better than Jiang Yan and this newbie’s.”
Fang Rui whispered, “Don’t speak.”
Ling Kang retorted, “But it’s true! I just feel Jiang Yan isn’t that special; he’s just somewhat good-looking?”
What’s so special about being good-looking? Moreover, Jiang Yan wasn’t exactly stunning; he was just pale and somewhat bland.
[Jiang Yan isn’t special? Young man, you will pay for that comment!]
[How could there still be someone in the game who dares to look down on Jiang Yan?]
[Trust me, within a day he’ll regret saying that.]
[I bet half a day.]
At that moment, Jian Hou reached out to Jiang Yan, “Yan Yan…”
He hesitated, unsure how to speak to Jiang Yan with the town chief and his wife present. Seeing Jian Hou’s indecisive expression, Jiang Yan suddenly felt more alert. Noticing that Jian Hou seemed to have something to say, Jiang Yan’s blue eyes darkened as he said, “Let’s eat first, after which I’ll take you around town.”
Jian Hou understood his meaning and could only sigh in agreement, nodding.
“Right! Let’s eat first!” The town chief’s wife cheerfully served Jiang Yan some food. In front of everyone was a bowl of congee, accompanied by some light side dishes.
Although it was somewhat plain, it was still passable for breakfast. Jiang Yan looked at the bowl of white porridge and the vibrant green vegetables that the town chief’s wife had just served him, instantly losing his appetite.
Before Jiang Yan could say anything, Yu Xiu disdainfully pushed the bowl away, saying, “Mother, I told you Yan Yan doesn’t eat this.”
The town chief’s wife froze for a moment, her expression blank, before her eyes brightened again. “Right, right, right! I forgot!”
Saying this, she left the dining room and returned in less than a minute with a steaming bowl of wontons, placing it in front of Jiang Yan.
“Yan Yan doesn’t like vegetables; he likes meat.” The town chief’s wife said, “Liking meat is good! Liking meat is good!”
“Thank you.” Jiang Yan politely expressed his gratitude. He began to eat slowly, while Yu Xiu gently brushed aside Jiang Yan’s hair that had fallen over his face, softly coaxing, “Eat slowly; be careful it’s hot.”
The aroma of the wontons wafted through the entire dining room, making the players at the table lose their appetite at the sight of the plain congee and side dishes.
Cao Youfeng stirred his porridge, lamenting, “Why does he always get special treatment?”
Tao Shi also sighed in frustration, “Why is it like this? Didn’t they say he’s the illegitimate child of the main god?”
[I always thought the “illegitimate child of the main god” was just a rumor; now I believe it. He really does get special treatment.]
[No matter how harsh the environment, Jiang Yan always eats the best.]
[This real NPC is genuinely envious! Damn it! I really had to eat plain food for an entire day before! Literal dirt!]
[Speaking of real NPCs, some instances had environments so terrible that it was unlivable!]
[Goodbye! Goodbye! Next instance, I want to eat delicious food too!]
[Goodbye +1]
[Goodbye +11]
The town chief’s wife apologized, “Our town is in mourning, and every household is observing this. Except for weddings, we usually eat vegetarian during this period, so you might have to make do for a while.”
“Mourning?” Jian Hou asked curiously, “I know your family is in mourning for Yu Xiu, but did others in the town also pass away recently?”
“We’re not mourning for our own family.” The town chief, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low, hoarse voice, as if he were an old elm tree being worn down, “We’ve been in mourning for generations; this is... a curse.”
“A curse?”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the town chief.
“Ha!”
At that moment, Ling Kang suddenly shouted and fell backward.
With a “thud,” he fell to the ground.
“Xiao Ling!” Fang Rui quickly helped him up. Ling Kang was foaming at the mouth, his face pale and gray, shaking uncontrollably.
“What… what’s wrong?!” Fang Rui asked anxiously.
[What a scary price to pay so quickly]
[I’m speechless! What kind of sorcery is this?]
[This isn’t sorcery; this is Yan science.]
“Is he poisoned?!” Jian Hou exclaimed in shock. The town chief immediately pressed on Ling Kang’s acupoints and quickly stuffed a piece of paper money into his mouth, saying heavily, “It’s the curse... the curse of the Red Ghost Lady.
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