“What... what curse?” Fang Rui asked, trembling.
The old mansion was dark and gloomy, with massive ebony beams covered in pitch-black tiles, resembling a giant coffin.
The village chief did not immediately answer Fang Rui’s question. Instead, he observed the young man who had fallen unconscious in front of him—foam at his mouth and mottled red sores starting to appear on his face.
This was the curse cast by the Red Ghost Lady, but why…?
Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he shouted, “Who! Who told him to take off the white paper flower?!”
Fang Rui, holding his companion, froze at these words before replying, “Yes-yesterday at the banquet, some oil got on the flower, and since the wedding was already over, we thought…”
“It’s not over! It’s not over!” the village chief’s wife said anxiously. “I told you yesterday that it wasn’t over! Why are you kids so impatient?”
“We... we thought…” Fang Rui stammered, realizing now that he and Ling Kang had acted rashly.
Thankfully, he found it too much trouble to take off the paper flower from his clothes yesterday. Otherwise...
He had been careless. This was an S-level mission; how could he have been so reckless?
Thinking this, he looked down at his unconscious companion and, full of guilt, lowered his head. “It’s all my fault…”
Jian Hou patted his shoulder to comfort him.
Taking advantage of the moment, Tao Shi asked, “We heard from the driver when we first entered the village about the Red Ghost Lady. So what exactly is this curse?”
The village chief’s face darkened. Instead of directly answering Tao Shi’s question, he changed the subject and said, “Since you just entered the village, there are many of our village’s rules you haven’t been told.”
“Except when holding a wedding, our entire village is in mourning, so the white paper flower pinned on you must absolutely not be removed. Just like Yan Yan has to wear a red flower until the wedding is over. If you don’t wear it, you’ll be targeted by the Red Ghost Lady’s curse.”
“In addition, after every wedding, the bride must give birth to one boy and one girl; otherwise, the curse will turn on her.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Jiang Yan, while Jian Hou wore a “See? We’d better hurry up and run!” expression.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan, who had been feeling a bit drowsy, suddenly snapped to attention. “Does the backlash only fall on the bride, or…?”
He recalled how last night, when he had fought off three dogs alone, "Yu Xiu’s" mother had come to knock on his door, seemingly to talk about this matter.
The village chief looked at him with a somber gaze. “It depends on the Red Ghost Lady’s will. If she merely sees this couple as unable to help continue the village, then the curse will only fall on them.”
“But if she sees them as destroyers of the village or believes they’ve already managed to disrupt the village’s balance, then… the curse will turn on everyone!”
“Oh.” With that, Jiang Yan continued eating his wontons.
Jian Hou: “????”
Everyone: …
Wait! You’re practically tied to the stake right now! Don’t you have anything to say?
Cang Rou and Ding Wanyu were furious! Show some passion! Isn’t this the perfect moment for some intense acting?
But Jiang Yan proudly turned to 663 and asked, “This topic I just brought up—doesn’t it deserve a couple of extra points?”
663 replied, “…Yes! Very good! Our Yan Yan is now actively starting conversations on his own!"
Jiang Yan pretended not to notice the sarcasm in his tone, then smugly reached out to touch “Yu Xiu,” whom the system had created at his side. Two more steps closer to finding this guy! Hopefully, he’ll still be alive by then.
However...
He glanced around at the table, taking in the varied expressions of the players and real-person NPCs, then looked at the village elder and his wife, who sat there as still as logs, and couldn’t help but think: The energy of young people really is something!
With that, he went back to eating his wontons at his own pace.
[Can’t expect anything less from you!]
[Huh? First time seeing a real-person NPC actually hold back when given the spotlight?]
[New to Jiang Yan, huh? This guy can lie low to the point of frustrating you, but when he decides to make a move, he’ll blow up the whole place.]
[Haha... proof is, he’s only made a big move once so far.]
[Come on! A single big move, and he took down a whole group of top players! Doesn’t that say something?]
[Look, let’s be fair. I agree Jiang Yan showed some serious skills in the last instance, but let’s be honest! He managed to beat those pros because, first, they underestimated him and didn’t plan to take him out; and second, he was the instance’s BOSS and had home-field advantage.]
[Exactly! Jiang Yan definitely had the home advantage in the last instance. Without it in this one, who knows how he’ll perform?]
Seeing how calm Jiang Yan looked, Cao Youfeng gave him a suspicious glance and muttered to Tao Shi, “Boss, do you think... Jiang Yan could always have been cross-dressing as a man?”
Tao Shi scoffed, “Are you questioning your Stealth Card, the guild’s investigative skills, or the ID records in real life?”
Cao Youfeng hesitated, lowering his voice, “After the last instance, I’d sooner question the main system than doubt Jiang Yan…”
Tao Shi nodded in agreement, though he replied, “Remember, after he cleared a B-level instance, he used the public restroom in the game lobby, and the guild leader ran into him.”
Cao Youfeng was startled, “And the guild leader actually remembered a little NPC who’d just entered the game?”
Expressionless, Tao Shi replied, “Yes, because he’s gay.”
Cao Youfeng: “...!?”
Silence fell among them, broken when Fang Rui, holding his unconscious teammate, spoke up helplessly, “But… but how can we break the curse? My friend, he…”
“He’ll turn into a red-faced ghost,” the village elder interrupted without hesitation.
“W-what?”
A gust of wind blew through the empty courtyard, echoing like wails of despair.
The elder answered sorrowfully, “Those cursed by the Red Ghost Lady all turn into her red-faced ghosts.”
“Every night at midnight, these ghosts roam the streets and alleys, helping the Red Ghost Lady capture children.” The elder’s voice was low, aged, and harsh, as though it was the sound of driftwood buried in mud for centuries, scraped by silt and stones.
“In a certain way, this curse has protected our village for generations. Only by maintaining balance between male and female, yin and yang, have we been able to thrive here for nearly a thousand years.”
Balance between male and female, yin and yang?
Yu Jia’s hand shook as he lit a cigarette, choking slightly, “How… do you guarantee there’ll be exactly one boy and one girl born?”
The elder fell silent, then replied, “That’s a village secret. Once the wedding ceremony is over, you all should leave. You don’t belong here.”
Jian Hou looked strangely at the village elder, noticing the contradictions in his words.
If the Red Ghost Lady cursed the village for the balance of yin and yang, for continued offspring, and if every household had one boy and one girl…
Then why would the Red Ghost Lady send ghosts to kidnap children?
There was something very odd about this village.
Everyone exchanged looks, minds flashing to the men dressed in cheongsams with makeup, and the eerie feeling rose in the backs of their minds.
The village elder then stood up, looking like he intended to end the meal, and slowly reminded them, “Remember to follow the rules during the wedding celebration. Every wedding in Qingshi Village is a grand sacrificial ceremony, symbolizing new life.”
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, “A sacrifice?”
Another sacrifice.
The elder answered, “The Red Ghost Lady’s power comes from the Great Mountain God.”
Ding! Congratulations, players, on triggering a side quest!
Instance: “Qingshi Town”
Progress: 25%
Total Players: 6
Current Survivors: 6
Real-person NPCs: 3 (All Uncorrupted)
Main Quest: Attend the wedding and leave the village alive.
Side Quest: Find the Mountain God and break the curse.
The group’s expressions turned serious.
Find the Mountain God?! Is this “god” hiding among us?
Whoosh!
Everyone’s eyes turned to Jiang Yan! Even Fang Rui, holding his unconscious friend, looked instinctively at Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan continued eating his wontons slowly, listening to the system announcement. Another Mountain God?
Does the system always love these deity games? So cliché!
He took a sip of the broth, lifting his head to see that everyone’s eyes were fixed on him.
Jiang Yan was taken aback. “Why are you all looking at me?”
The group fell silent.
He glanced at Jian Hou, confused, “Why are you staring at me too?”
Jian Hou replied, “I’m just curious why everyone is looking at you.”
At this moment, the game forum was buzzing with heated discussions:
[What?! Are we looking for another “god” again?]
[Same side quest, same NPC configuration, and even the same players? What’s the main system up to?]
[Alright! Congratulations to the players for completing the side quest!]
[I’m sorry! I apologize for doubting Jiang Yan when I said this wasn’t his home ground! What’s the main system pulling now?!]
[The big shots are also foolish! Do you think Jiang Yan can run away again this time?]
[Clearly, this is a smoke screen! How could Jiang Yan have the “god” script in the last instance and have it again in this one?]
[Maybe the main system thinks players will think this way, so it gave Jiang Yan another “god” card?]
[I… I’m confused]
Seeing the group remain silent, Jiang Yan coldly said, “Do you suspect…?”
Cough, cough, cough...
Everyone hurriedly cleared their throats to cover the awkwardness.
At that moment, they saw Ling Kang on the ground starting to twist and convulse.
The originally faint red spots on his skin began to deepen and spread rapidly, slowly merging into a patch, as if he had been splashed with red paint. His bones creaked ominously, and his body contorted into impossible positions, moving as if scalded by boiling water, quick and eerie!
What… what’s happening?!
Fang Rui could only watch helplessly as Ling Kang began to move, resembling a fish that had been scalded, twisting as he stood up from the ground. His entire face turned bright red, revealing two eyeballs devoid of pupils, leaving only the whites.
The village elder’s expression changed dramatically, and he shouted, “The ghost... the ghost! Quick! Everyone get out of here!”
Ding!
[Item: Medical Bandage]
Ding!
[Item: Divine Staff]
Ding!
(...)
Players and NPCs instantly pulled out their items.
Fang Rui hurriedly stepped in front of Ling Kang, “No! He can recover… breaking the curse will be enough…”
He understood that under the S-level items of this group of big shots, his companion had only one way out—death!
But… he couldn’t lose him.
At this point, Ling Kang had lost all rationality, twisting his body in a bizarre manner, lunging toward the group.
“Execute.” Tao Shi coldly declared Ling Kang’s death sentence, raising the [Divine Staff] in his hand.
“NO—!” Fang Rui pleaded.
Ding!
[Lost Rose Soul]
In a critical moment, thorny rose vines shot up from the ground, binding Ling Kang’s movements and tossing him into the air, dodging the [Divine Staff]'s attack.
Jian Hou widened his eyes, “What… what is this?”
245 taunted him, “This is Jiang Yan’s item! S-level!”
At this point, Ling Kang was trapped in a cage of thorns, unable to move.
Seeing this, the group quietly put away their items.
Tao Shi chuckled lightly; he had noticed that Jiang Yan sometimes showed a softer side. He had been like this with Cang Rou, and now with Ling Kang as well.
Fang Rui was stunned by the “rescue” of his companion!
Then, overwhelmed with joy, he turned to Jiang Yan and said, “Thank you! Thank you!”
[Jiang Yan is soft-hearted.]
[Wow… Jiang Yan is so kind.]
[Kind? When he dealt with Shi Yin and Li Yun before, it was brutally decisive!]
[Come on! Li Yun had been looking for trouble with him since the start of the instance! If Jiang Yan didn’t take him out, he’d be the one who got taken out!]
[Exactly! Jiang Yan has principles! Unlike some murderers who are afraid they don’t have enough blood on their hands after entering the instance.]
“It’s nothing,” Jiang Yan said lightly.
Watching his unconscious friend, Fang Rui couldn’t help but wipe his tears.
Inside the dim house, the newlywed bride sat down, eating breakfast, while her friends looked at her with various expressions.
In the yard, several red paper dolls, blown in from the backyard by the wind, were haphazardly piled together.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the house fell into an eerie… warmth?
However, the atmosphere was meant to be broken.
Suddenly, the “Yu Xiu” who had been sitting quietly next to Jiang Yan watching the show brightened his eyes, a pair of sparkling, crescent-shaped eyes that looked like a fox.
Then, he said the first thing he had uttered during breakfast, apart from helping Jiang Yan get wontons:
“I didn’t expect my sister-in-law’s bindings to be this good! Should we give it a try tonight?”
Everyone: …
Jiang Yan: “Can you just go kill yourself now?”
Slap!
A black shadow suddenly shot out from Jiang Yan’s abdomen, moving with such speed that no one could react in time before slapping “Yu Xiu” in the face.
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow.
Oh? Looks like we’ve got some dog-eat-dog action going on now!
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