Dungeon: "Qingshi Town" (Progress: 35%)
Total Players: 6, Current Alive Players: 6
Real NPCs: 3, Currently Polluted: 3
Main Task: Attend the wedding and leave the town alive
Side Task: Find the Mountain God Well and break the curse
The main system’s voice echoed in the ancient, dimly-lit underground shrine. The players, their candle flames flickering unsteadily, all turned toward the "bride" dressed in red and white flowers.
The candle wicks began to burn shorter, and the air in the shrine grew thinner, making everyone’s breaths more hurried.
The young man in the dark green robe with golden threads leaned against his decaying husband, his face calm as he looked at the others, saying, “I never drink dirty water from the streets.”
“We’ve never drunk water from unknown sources!” Fang Rui shouted in agitation. “It’s you! You must be the one who did it! Besides, only Cang Rou knows that drinking from the Fushou Well can lead to the curse! You must know, it’s you!” Fang Rui’s red blotches had spread to his face, and his voice became desperate.
He was just an ordinary B-level player, an unremarkable person who had exchanged desires with the main god. Thankfully, his desires were small, and the points he needed weren’t much. He had trustworthy friends by his side, so he had always taken a steady approach in the game.
He only wanted to survive, to accumulate points little by little.
Originally, he had been doing well in B-level dungeons, but this time he had been assigned to an S-level dungeon.
This damn dungeon was stuck at 35% progress, and despite two crucial clues, no solution had been found. His friend had been cursed on the first day! And now, it was his turn.
Fang Rui broke down, covering his face, his eyes wide as tears uncontrollably dripped from his fingers.
He just wanted to survive! That’s all!
Now, his strongest desire was no longer the wish he made when he signed the contract with the main god.
Now, it was simply to live.
“Please... spare me,” he pleaded, looking at Jiang Yan, his voice filled with desperation.
In stark contrast to Fang Rui’s breakdown, Jiang Yan seemed indifferent to the situation, almost overly so. He adjusted his ill-fitting robe to cover the faint kiss marks, lazily leaning on his husband beside him, with a confused look on his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just came back to the town a few days before you. When I arrived, they were frantically preparing for the wedding. How could I know drinking water from the Fushou Well would bring the curse?”
The mayor, standing nearby, spoke seriously, “Yan Yan didn’t grow up in the town, so he really didn’t know about this.”
“Moreover, would I have a reason to harm you all?” Jiang Yan’s beautiful blue eyes shimmered with a faint green glow in the dim candlelight, resembling the eyes of his husband, Yu Xiu, who naturally had a slightly upturned gaze even when not smiling, giving him a mischievous expression.
Jiang Yan’s eyes, on the other hand, had naturally downward slanting corners, giving him an indifferent, lazy appearance.
Did he have a reason to harm the players or NPCs?
Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng exchanged looks, standing in the corner, both unsure how to respond.
From their experience in the previous dungeon, Jiang Yan clearly appeared to be a good person, even one of the few in the game who could be considered genuinely good.
After all, in this game, most people who received the “BOSS” identity card immediately thought of killing all the players and NPCs to earn more points. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a psychopath like Su An, it would be a miracle if they even survived.
But after receiving the BOSS card, Jiang Yan hadn’t personally killed anyone. His actions, like exchanging Cang Rou’s life for a quest, showed that he wasn’t the typical BOSS.
Would someone like him cast curses on everyone in the dungeon?
Tao Shi stared at the red blotches on his hand, deep in thought.
Although the mayor’s words had shown that Jiang Yan couldn’t possibly have known about the curse related to drinking from the Fushou Well, Jiang Yan had saved Cang Rou’s life!
Tao Shi’s eyes darkened as he thought about this.
Seeing Jiang Yan’s nonchalant rebuttal, Fang Rui became even more agitated. “It must be you! You’re the one! Who else could it be?”
“You’ve avoided the curse! Every time you’ve been favored by the main god, how could it be anyone but you!” He turned to the other players standing aside, their faces all different.
Tears streaming down, Fang Rui sobbed, “It’s him! Tao Da! You’ve seen him lie! In the last dungeon, he got the BOSS card!”
“Now, we’re all cursed, but he’s untouched! Who else could it be?!”
The others hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Could it really be possible for a real NPC to get the BOSS card twice in a row?
Clearly, the players in the room were close to being convinced by Fang Rui's accusations. The facts were right in front of them—everyone had fallen under the curse, except for Jiang Yan.
Could it really be explained away by luck alone? That didn’t seem convincing enough!
However...
Tao Shi glanced at his side, where the teacher, Jian Hou, stared at the red blotches on his arm in fear and confusion. If Jiang Yan were behind it, would he really target Jian Hou?
Based on his actions in the previous dungeon, where he helped Cang Rou, someone he didn’t even know, Jiang Yan didn’t seem the type to curse his old friend, let alone cast a curse on someone he barely knew.
Seeing that no one was responding, Fang Rui became even more frantic. “It has to be him! He’s the one who cursed us!”
In the dim, oxygen-deprived underground shrine, the red blotches on Fang Rui’s face were visibly spreading. His movements became erratic as he shouted Jiang Yan’s crimes, almost like a mad ghost.
Jian Hou, still holding his arm, looked at Jiang Yan in disbelief. “Yan Yan... is it really you?”
At hearing this accusation, Jiang Yan’s expression finally shifted. He widened his eyes, staring back at the speaker. “You don’t believe me either?”
The speaker looked conflicted. “I want to believe you, but…”
“Yes! You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? It has to be him who wants to harm us, right?”
Before the speaker could finish, Fang Rui interrupted, lunging at him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him frantically. Jian Hou was startled by Fang Rui’s sudden, uncontrolled actions. He instinctively glanced at Jiang Yan, who seemed unaffected, his demeanor too calm.
Damn it! He had worked hard to gather his emotions, but now his tears were held back, unable to flow.
“Please... calm down,” Jian Hou gasped, nearly out of breath from the shaking.
“I can’t calm down!” Fang Rui screamed in desperation.
He turned to point at Jiang Yan, his face twisted with the spreading red blotches, his eyes bloodshot. “He... he must die! If he dies, the game will end, won’t it?”
The room fell into an eerie silence.
In the corner, Yu Jia, who had been quietly smoking, smiled faintly, as though enjoying the chaos. “So, what will you do now, Jiang Yan?”
Jiang Yan’s expression didn’t change much. He just watched Fang Rui, who was acting like a mad dog attacking him, with a serious gaze.
Something was off. Fang Rui didn’t seem quite right.
Jiang Yan’s eyes shifted toward Yu Jia in the corner, and his expression darkened.
“663,” he called out softly to his personal system.
“What’s up?” 663 replied.
“What items does Yu Jia have?” Jiang Yan asked.
663 quickly pulled up Yu Jia’s data:
[Player Name: Yu Jia]
[Role: Vice President of the Puppet Workshop Guild]
[Player Rank: 9]
[Mental Power Rank: 111]
[Items: Puppet String, Shadow Puppet]
“What’s the Shadow Puppet?” Jiang Yan asked. “Can the Puppet String control other players?”
663 answered, “Not completely, but players who are implanted with the Puppet String will have their innermost desires amplified according to Yu Jia’s will, and they will do anything to fulfill it.”
Innermost desires...
Jiang Yan glanced back at Fang Rui, who was yelling to kill him. So, this man really hated him that much?
Had they had some interaction before?
Jian Hou had said that during the wedding banquet, Ling Kang had spoken ill of him, and now it seemed like it wasn’t just Ling Kang who disliked him.
Could they have met in a previous dungeon?
“Why are you all still hesitating?” Fang Rui shouted, almost hysterical. “We’re all cursed! He’s the one who cursed us! We should kill him and end the game!”
“Are you scared just because he’s the Mountain God?” Fang Rui shouted. “Tao Da, you’ve destroyed dungeon worlds before!”
“Jian Hou! Teacher Jian! This is your good old friend! You wanted to cling to him! He’s just using you as a tool for points!”
“Mayor! The woman you married isn’t even your daughter-in-law!! He’s the one who cursed your whole family!”
Looking at Fang Rui, who was almost completely out of control, Yu Jia’s smile widened in satisfaction.
He exhaled a puff of white smoke, watching Jiang Yan, who was still calm in his husband’s embrace, his blue eyes innocent and aloof, as though nothing affected him.
“What will you do now, Jiang Yan?”
Just then, the mayor spoke again, “Wait, do you have something with Xiao Xiu...?”
“You want to kill me, don’t you?” Jiang Yan directly interrupted the mayor’s words.
Everyone was stunned.
Huh?
What’s this all about?
[Is this the BOSS’s confidence?]
Jiang Yan looked completely indifferent. “I’m serious. Fang Rui’s speech earlier was really stirring. I’m so moved by Fang Rui’s honest emotions.”
Yu Jia’s hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly, his brows furrowing in confusion. “This isn’t the time for jokes, Jiang Yan.”
“Of course it’s not a joke!” Jiang Yan smiled.
He smiled so elegantly, his eyes shining brightly, looking really beautiful.
“Fang Rui made some very good points, didn’t he? Maybe if you kill me... the game will end.”
[Jiang Yan smiled!]
[Damn it! This must be a trap!]
[Ugh... it’s a trap! The prettier something is, the more dangerous it is.]
[He can’t seriously think no one would dare kill him, right? Wait a second... I just remembered something. Does anyone remember what Jian Hou said about Jiang Yan’s item earlier today?]
[No way! That would violate the game’s basic rules!]
Yu Jia’s hand shook as he held the cigarette, his eyes now widening with confusion.
What’s he doing?
Does he really think no one will kill him?
Is he really thinking that because he’s friends with Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng, they won’t make a move on him in the dungeon?
Has he lost his mind?
Yu Jia looked at the young man, perplexed. Then, suddenly, Jian Hou’s words from earlier that evening came to his mind.
“He said... NPCs in the dungeon have to maintain their personas at all times, but his item can leave the dungeon for five minutes.”
Yu Jia froze for a moment, then took a drag of his cigarette and sneered.
I’m the crazy one! How could something like that even be possible?
At that moment, Jian Hou spoke again, sounding incredulous: “Yan Yan... you admit it, right?”
“Try it,” Jiang Yan replied.
Then he slid out of his husband’s arms and stood in the center of the shrine, arms wide open. The dark green robe with golden threads hung loosely on him, revealing a large area of his pale skin.
“Do you want to tie me up first for the trial?” Jiang Yan’s eyes curved into a playful smile, looking almost innocent.
Under the flickering candlelight, Jiang Yan stood in the center of the shrine, wearing his dead husband’s robe, surrounded by the family’s ancestral tablets and the mountain god paintings. While everyone looked at him in confusion and disbelief, he waited for judgment.
But it almost felt like he was the one to judge them.
Yu Jia’s cigarette burned out, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yan, eyes wide with disbelief.
What is this guy doing?
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