Npc 67

The light from the Divine Staff forced the ghosts surrounding Jiang Yan to retreat. White bandages flew across, hitting several troublesome ghosts tangled with the Red Ghost Lady and knocking them away.

For a moment, the ghosts stopped attacking and turned their wary gaze toward the uninvited guest at the shrine entrance.

“What kind of show are you putting on now? Why is it always so extreme with you?” Cao Youfeng stood beside Tao Shi, glancing at Jiang Yan, who was dangling mid-air, bound by tentacles, and remarked with a smirk.

Beside Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng stood Jian Hou; Fang Rui and Ling Kang were nowhere to be seen.

The moment Jian Hou saw Jiang Yan, he couldn’t help twitching the corner of his mouth, but he quickly regained his composure.

Jiang Yan’s face looked as expressionless as ever, but those who knew him could see the words “anger boiling over” in his usually emotionless blue eyes.

All he could think about now was turning this tentacle, which had humiliated him, into raw sashimi!

Damn it! How embarrassing!

The tentacle, oblivious to the anger of the person in its grasp, tightened its hold, its dark green slime making Jiang Yan’s body soaking wet.

In the end, Jiang Yan struggled to break free but couldn’t. Finally, he lost patience and bit down hard on the black tentacle.

The tentacle flinched in pain, reluctantly and pitifully lowering Jiang Yan to the ground.

By now, Jiang Yan’s clothes were in complete disarray. He quickly tidied himself, then turned to Tao Shi and the others and said, “If you’d been a minute later, I might not have made it.”

“Oh? And how did you know we’d come?” Tao Shi narrowed his eyes, questioning him closely.

“We followed the trail left by the Red Ghost Lady,” Tao Shi explained. “When we passed by here and heard noises underground, we came in to investigate. Who would have thought there’d be a shrine under the mayor’s courtyard? And here you are, by coincidence?”

“We didn’t even know we’d find our way here, so how did you know?” Tao Shi pressed further.

[Indeed! How did Jiang Yan know?]

[Did he dare to go all out just now because he knew Tao Shi and the others would definitely come to rescue him?]

[But how did he know that?]

The black tentacle had shrunk, and Jiang Yan, holding onto it, casually stuffed it back into his abdomen, saying offhandedly, “I guessed.”

With those words, the faces of the four players all changed in unison.

Tao Shi studied the man before him, thinking to himself: could it be that Jiang Yan knew the exact location of the Red Ghost Lady’s grave and deduced that they would pass through here?

He looked over at the Red Ghost Lady, who was emanating dark energy nearby. But even she didn’t know where her own grave was—so how could Jiang Yan?

Even if he knew, how could he be sure they’d arrive right now and not pass by here in the afternoon?

If they’d come earlier or later, what would he have done then?

What made him so confident that they’d come at exactly this moment?

Tao Shi’s gaze at Jiang Yan was filled with surprise and intrigue.

They’d truly underestimated Jiang Yan before; now it seemed he was much more interesting than they’d thought!

Jiang Yan retracted the tentacle, looking at the red-skinned ghosts inching closer to him, his expression turning serious. The surrounding branches extended outward by another yard. “This isn’t the time to discuss this. Let’s deal with these ghosts first.”

Only then did the players notice that the ghosts had already adjusted to the Divine Staff’s light and were advancing on them again.

The Divine Staff’s light could repel all evil, but these ghosts didn’t fully count as evil spirits. They were born from curses and technically classified as “possessions,” so the Divine Light’s influence on them was limited.

Having adjusted to the Divine Light, the ghosts were now silently surrounding the four players and Jiang Yan.

“Damn it! We keep running into these things! Just how many are there?” Cao Youfeng complained.

“You encountered them on the way here?” Jiang Yan asked.

According to the mayor’s earlier words, the ghosts were transformed from the cursed townspeople. Since all the townspeople were cursed this morning, it meant that every one of them should now have turned into a ghost.

And just now, the ones who judged him inside the shrine were indeed all the townspeople—no one should have been left out.

If that’s the case, then who were Tao Shi and the others encountering?

At this moment, Jiang Yan noticed three maids shrinking into a corner, driven there by the Divine Light, along with several low-level ghosts who, instead of approaching, had also been forced into a corner.

Divine Light had limited effects on living ghosts, but the three maids were already dead. This morning, their bodies had been displayed openly on the bluestone streets, witnessed by everyone in town! So, to them, the Divine Light was like sulfuric acid, something they wouldn’t dare approach.

If that was true, then all the ghosts hiding in the corners due to the Divine Light must actually be—zombies?!

Just as Jiang Yan was lost in thought, a ghost lunged straight at his face.

“Whap!”

A white bandage snapped the ghost away, and Cao Youfeng swiftly grabbed Jiang Yan’s collar, pulling him back!

“What are you spacing out for at a time like this? Pay attention!” Cao Youfeng scolded.

Jiang Yan then noticed that the players and the Red Ghost Lady were once again embroiled in battle with the ghosts.

Tao Shi was wielding the Divine Staff like a club. Although the ghosts weren’t afraid of being illuminated by Divine Light, getting hit by the Divine Staff—which carried the divine blessing—would turn them straight to ash.

Yu Jia, handling the Puppet Strings like a spider weaving a web, used the fine threads to slice the ghosts lunging forward into pieces!

As for Jian Hou, who didn’t have any magical items, he wisely hid in the corner to avoid causing trouble for everyone.

Some of the ghosts, finding no advantage against Tao Shi and the others, turned to target the weaker Jian Hou in the corner, leaping toward him—but each time, Tao Shi and the others’ tools forced them back.

However, the number of ghosts was overwhelming, and, as if suddenly provoked, even those ghosts that had been previously driven into corners by the Divine Light began rushing toward them like moths to a flame!

One after another, they came, leaving the players overwhelmed and unable to fully protect Jian Hou.

At this moment, one ghost managed to slip through, lunging directly toward Jian Hou.

[Run!!]

[Get out of the way!!]

Players in the game forum shouted anxiously.

Of course, the players and NPCs in the dungeon couldn’t see the chat messages. And as a first-time player, Jian Hou was like someone trying out an escape room, squealing in terror at the NPCs. Seeing a scene of countless ghosts attacking, he was so frightened he couldn’t move.

When he saw a ghost lunging at him, he was completely petrified, his legs refusing to move.

At the critical moment, a thick rose vine with thorns struck the ghost, flinging it away!

Before Jian Hou could even process what had happened, rose vines rose up around his feet, encasing him within.

[That was close! Thank goodness Jiang Yan acted fast!] 

[Wait, didn’t Jian Hou betray him? Why would Jiang Yan save him?] 

[Yan Yan’s just soft-hearted! They grew up together as childhood friends, so he couldn’t bear to see him get hurt.]

Seeing this, Jian Hou let out a long breath of relief.

254 grumbled in his mind, “See? Who came to your rescue at this critical moment?

“You’re turning away from a solid support like Jiang Yan and going off to find trouble elsewhere?”

“Shut up,” Jian Hou muttered, his head throbbing from 254’s nagging.

He then looked at the tall, handsome figure standing beside Tao Shi and the others, and Yu Jia’s words echoed in his mind: his resentment toward Jiang Yan was actually jealousy.

Jealousy?

Jian Hou’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a resigned smile appeared on his lips.

Since a while ago, he had been remembering, mulling over what exactly he was jealous of in Jiang Yan.

They had grown up together. In terms of family background, they were about the same, and his family was a bit better off; in academics, Jiang Yan was average, while he himself was above average; and when it came to work after graduation, both of them were basically coasting along as spoiled second-generation heirs, though recently, his father had forced him to get a job as a piano teacher. So, in terms of work, he was slightly better than Jiang Yan too.

If Jiang Yan had any edge over him, it was that Jian Hou had been single for 25 years, while Jiang Yan had married young.

But Jiang Yan married early, and divorced early too. At the moment, he was as single as Jian Hou himself.

So, what exactly was he jealous of?

Just now, he suddenly figured it out. There had been moments when he was indeed jealous of Jiang Yan, though it seemed absurd.

What he envied was Jiang Yan’s current demeanor—that air of calmness, no matter what happened.

He still remembered the first time he felt that way—back in high school.

At that time, a few of their close friends skipped class and accidentally bumped into an education bureau leader who was there for an inspection. Afterward, the principal caught them and gave them a severe scolding in the office. The principal even called their parents and suggested they be expelled.

One by one, they were terrified out of their wits, some feeling rebellious, others defiant, but Jiang Yan was different.

He was casually leaning against the door, his expression cool and indifferent, as if he wasn’t skipping class, but simply having tea in the office.

His expression wasn’t calm; it was indifferent.

Jian Hou belonged to the defiant type. When he saw Jiang Yan’s calm expression, he froze for a moment, and a complex emotion stirred inside him.

Was this jealousy?

Jian Hou self-mockingly smiled. What was there to be jealous about?

At that moment, a ghost lunged at him, giving him a shock. Fortunately, Jiang Yan’s vines blocked it.

He instinctively looked at Jiang Yan again, only to see that, facing one ghost after another, Jiang Yan's expression didn’t change much.

Compared to the trio around him, Jiang Yan seemed like a passerby, looking far too smug!

Damn it! Who won't be jealous!

The battle grew more intense. Many low-level ghosts were obliterated by holy light, but the number of ghosts only seemed to increase, appearing endlessly.

“Damn! Why does this seem never-ending?!” Yu Jia complained.

“Are there really that many people in this town?” Cao Youfeng asked, while dealing with the low-level ghosts.

Jiang Yan, wrapped tightly in his thorny vines, replied, “The living people in this town aren’t that many, but if you count the ancestors buried underground over generations, there’s quite a bit more.”

“What?!” Cao Youfeng was shocked.

After Tao Shi smashed another ghost’s head, he couldn’t take it anymore and muttered a curse.

"Adam's Ring!"

[A large silver glowing ring appeared in the sky above the shrine.]

The main system's notification sounded, and a massive silver glowing ring appeared, spinning rapidly, resembling a portal to another world.

As the ring spun faster, the ghosts were all sucked into it, one after another, leaving them no chance to attack.

Jiang Yan was a little surprised. He had seen this before, in the previous dungeon when they were trapped by the experimental monsters in the hospital corridor. Tao Shi used this device, the Adam Ring, to transport them to the hospital’s underground warehouse.

He thought the device could only transport a limited number of people, but now, watching the silver ring seem like an endless pit swallowing the ghosts, he was astonished.

If this thing were used in a battle dungeon, Tao Shi could cut through space at any moment—wouldn’t that make him invincible?!

It seemed like Jiang Yan's astonishment and confusion were noticed. 663 said, “Otherwise, do you think Tao Shi could be ranked fifth on the leaderboard?”

“How old is he this year?” Jiang Yan asked.

“19. Cao Youfeng is still two months younger than him,” 663 answered.

The younger generation is formidable!

Jiang Yan sighed inwardly. He was old and certainly couldn’t compare to these young men.

The silver ring, like a giant space monster, continued to devour the ghosts.

Seeing this, the town chief, now transformed into a ghost, sensed something was wrong and immediately led the remaining ghosts to retreat.

They let out eerie, mocking laughter, following the town chief into the darkness.

Tao Shi snapped his fingers, and the silver ring instantly vanished, leaving the shrine in silence, with fallen black wooden memorial plaques scattered across the ground.

“Why didn’t you use the item sooner?” Yu Jia grumbled, adjusting his messy silver hair and taking out a metal cigarette case. Lighting a cigarette, he complained.

Tao Shi exhaled, smoothing his blue hair, and said, “We haven’t had a normal low-level dungeon in a long time.”

Just as Jiang Yan was retracting his rose vines, he couldn’t help but tremble slightly at the mention of “low-level.”

The ghosts here were all at least level A, meaning they had indeed encountered some bad luck meeting these three.

[S-level dungeon is considered low-tier?!]

[S-level is a low-tier dungeon? Is this the world of the big shots?]

[S-level dungeon description: Am I not standing high enough?]

Just as everyone finally caught their breath after being surrounded by low-level ghosts, Jiang Yan’s mother suddenly appeared from some corner and rushed toward her son.

"Yan Yan!!"

Jiang Yan casually reached out to catch her.

She started looking him over, top to bottom. "You’re not hurt, are you? Are you sure you’re not hurt?!"

The group turned to see who she was looking at and found Ding Wanyu approaching.

Upon seeing this, the players' expressions changed slightly. Ding Wanyu was the last real NPC who hadn't revealed the key clue.

Jiang Yan blinked and thought about the role Ding Wanyu was playing in the dungeon.

Hmm... maybe he’s some relative?

Forgotten.

After confirming her son wasn’t hurt, Jiang Yan’s mother began to scold him while crying, "Why do you always do this?! Why do you always put yourself in danger?!"

"Why can’t you just live a peaceful life with Xiao Xiu and ignore all this?! You’re going to drive your mother crazy!"

Jiang Yan grabbed her wrist and, looking at the woman crying in front of him, sighed. "Living as a married couple with the dead, raising siblings born from my mother as my own children—do you think that’s really peaceful?"

Jiang Yan’s mother froze for a second, then covered her face and said, "The people in this town have lived like this for generations. Our ancestors have been living this way for hundreds of years. Why can’t you?"

"Yes," Jiang Yan answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan’s mother collapsed into his arms, crying harder. "I shouldn’t have sent you away! I shouldn’t have sent you away!"

Her son had been away too long, and she regretted sending him to the big city. If she’d known this would happen, she never would have let him go.

In the city, he saw too many strange things, and his mind had changed. At first, she thought sending him away would help hide his gender, let him grow up like a normal boy, and receive better education.

But now, he didn’t understand the town’s traditions, and her decision seemed to have harmed him.

Like every mother, she wanted her child to succeed, but she feared he would become too successful, break free from her control, and be rejected by everyone else.

The people of Qingshi Town had to return, no matter how far they went. They must come back.

There were young people who went away to study, but when they returned and rejected the town’s traditions, they were thrown into the Fushou Well by the villagers, who said that studying had ruined their minds!

Back then, she would criticize others for the same thing, not knowing that her own son would end up in the same situation.

While Jiang Yan’s mother cried in his arms, she kept hitting him on the shoulder. "Why don’t you listen? Why don’t you listen?!"

The others gathered around. Finally, Ding Wanyu gently pulled Jiang Yan’s mother away and comforted her, "Calm down. Yan Yan is still young. He doesn’t understand."

Jiang Yan’s mother gradually calmed down.

The group sat down around them.

Jian Hou looked at the red ghost lady sitting next to Jiang Yan, exuding black mist. He was scared, but Jiang Yan’s mother, who had once been terrified of her and afraid to even say her name, was now completely calm.

Tao Shi glanced at the red ghost woman with her hair covering her face, then at Jiang Yan, who seemed unfazed. His curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "How can you control system NPCs?"

[Tao Shi finally asked the question I’ve been wondering.]

[Yeah! I want to know too!]

[How can Jiang Yan control system NPCs? The main system is way too biased!]

Jiang Yan looked at him indifferently. "Oh? You mean my cousin, Cang Rou?"

"What? Cang Rou? We’re talking about the red ghost lady..." Cao Youfeng froze.

He turned to look at the red ghost woman in disbelief.

As soon as Jiang Yan finished speaking, she reached up and pushed aside her long hair. Her previously beautiful face now looked pale, grayish, and partially rotting. It was terrifying, but also strangely enchanting.

[Wait… Cang Rou?! No way, she’s Cang Rou?!]

[I knew it! Jiang Yan couldn’t control a system NPC! She’s a real NPC!]

[But how did Jiang Yan know she was Cang Rou? With her hair covering her face, even no one wouldn’t recognize her!]

"Damn!" Cao Youfeng cursed under his breath.

These real NPCs were always full of surprises. They’d play bizarre roles, and just when you thought they were system NPCs, they’d shock you! 

"The movie emperor" Sang Luan loved doing this kind of thing too!

[Did Cang Rou give Jiang Yan her script? Jiang Yan saved her in the last dungeon.]

[The person above is being ridiculous! Real NPCs can’t share their identities unless the other person sees through it, or else the system will break the rule and they’ll be ‘polluted.’]

[If the big shots cannot figure out Cang Rou’s identity, how did Jiang Yan know?]

[Maybe Jiang Yan deduced it himself?!]

Jiang Yan had helped Cang Rou in the last dungeon, so it made sense that she would return the favor.

But how did Jiang Yan know Cang Rou’s identity?

Tao Shi was curious. "How did you know she’s your cousin?"

Jiang Yan shrugged and looked uninterested. "It’s obvious."

At that moment, Jiang Yan’s mother, who had been silently crying in Ding Wanyu’s arms, suddenly raised her hand and hit her son on the shoulder. "You’re so clever! How did you guess that?!"

"Do you have any idea that this could cost you your life?"

Saying this, she began to sob again. "What am I going to do if something happens to you? You’re killing me, you know that?!"

"A-Aunt... please don’t cry! Don’t cry!" Cao Youfeng rushed to comfort her in a panic.

Jiang Yan, on the other hand, remained expressionless. He was starting to feel like he needed a bath; the sticky sensation left by the tentacles earlier was uncomfortable.

"What’s going on with this town? Didn’t they say the ghosts were cursed into becoming spirits by the Red Ghost Lady?" Yu Jia asked while taking a drag from his cigarette.

Tao Shi’s hand reached out to Yu Jia’s face, gently tapping it. "Cut it out! This is the last one."

At this moment, Ding Wanyu, still holding his mother, slowly spoke up. "Actually, it wasn’t the Red Ghost Lady who cursed the ghosts, but—"

"The ghosts cursed the Red Ghost Lady."

"Ding! [Key clue from the real NPC Ding Wanyu: The ghosts cursed the Red Ghost Lady.]"

"What... What did you say?" Jiang Yan's eyes widened in shock.

Yu Jia, Cao Youfeng, and Tao Ying were also left dumbfounded.

The ghosts cursed the Red Ghost Lady?

What does that even mean?

If the ghosts weren’t cursed by the Red Ghost Lady, then why did the townspeople turn into ghosts for no reason?

While the players began brainstorming, they suddenly heard Jiang Yan let out a surprised shout.

"What’s wrong?!"

The players immediately tensed up.

Jiang Yan was holding a black tentacle in his hand. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with disdain as he looked at the tentacle.

"It’s nothing. It just bit me on the waist."

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