Npc 73

The dim and silent shrine was filled only with the wet, sticky sound of skin being stretched and compressed.

After swallowing Ling Kang’s skin, Fang Rui's previously flat form now had a bulging stomach, which squirmed as though Ling Kang was still alive and struggling futilely beneath Fang Rui's skin.

The group fought hard to suppress their nausea, watching this grotesque display.

Yu Xiu, on the other hand cradled Jiang Yan in his arms, completely engrossed in the scene, as if it were some kind of macabre entertainment.

Finally, Fang Rui’s bulging stomach stopped moving.

Yu Xiu leaned close to Jiang Yan’s cheek, his green eyes twinkling mischievously. “There, it’s done! It’s late now, and Yan Yan needs his rest.”

With a snap of his fingers, Yu Xiu summoned two small, flat paper figures from the shadows.

One of the figures leapt onto Fang Rui’s skin, pinning it down. Fang Rui’s skin writhed violently on the floor, but the paper figures moved efficiently, rolling it up like a scroll.

Once finished, the paper figures bounced toward Yu Xiu, presenting the writhing bundle of skin like an offering.

Yu Xiu took it with satisfaction, ignoring the warmth still emanating from the rolled-up skin.

Jiang Yan’s brow twitched slightly in disgust, especially as the unsettling heat radiated close to him.

Yu Xiu smirked and addressed the group. “Goodnight, everyone!”

With that, the players reluctantly left the shrine, returning to the village chief’s residence. Each retreated to their respective rooms.

---

Inside one of the rooms, Tao Shi closed the door with a heavy sigh.

Cao Youfeng lay sprawled on the bed, fidgeting with the bandages wrapped around his body. Beneath them, the marks of paper-ghost corruption were spreading, coiling around his skin like ominous tattoos.

“Great! Not only can we not break the marriage curse, but we can’t even get rid of these damn side curses!” he groaned, flipping over to face Tao Shi by the door. “Are we seriously going to keep playing along with Jiang Yan in this dungeon?”

Tao Shi leaned against the door, his expression unreadable.

“It’s not about playing along with Jiang Yan,” he said after a pause, “It’s about this instance. Something is seriously off with this dungeon.”

He moved toward the bed and sat down beside Cao Youfeng, his tone grave. “Haven’t you noticed? Every single system clue we’ve followed has led us straight into a dead end.”

Cao Youfeng frowned. “Huh? I’ve been too busy watching Jiang Yan and his... Husband.”

“Smack!” Tao Shi lightly knocked him on the head. “Are you here to chase gossip, or clear the dungeon?”

“Think about it. From the very beginning, the system said that completing the wedding would let us leave the village"

“But for the wedding to end, the bride had to get pregnant. Jiang Yan, the bride is a man—it’s physically impossible. That path was blocked from the start.”

He continued, “Then we were hit with the Red Ghost Lady’s curse. Jiang Yan initiated the curse-breaking, and the system directed us to the flowers on the Red Ghost Lady’s grave and water from the Fushou Well.

“But look at what happened. Fang Rui and Ling Kang both ate the flowers... and died horrific deaths.

“Every lead ends in disaster.”

[Yeah, every clue leads to a dead end in this dungeon!]

[And they still haven’t found the Mountain God! Only four players are left, and three NPCs remain uncorrupted!]

[Who could the Mountain God even be? Red Ghost Lady’s identity is confirmed as Cang Rou, so the Mountain God must be one of the players or NPCs.]

[Do we even need to guess? It’s obviously Jiang Yan!]

Cao Youfeng's expression grew serious. “The main system doesn’t lie about key clues.”

Tao Shi smirked slightly, tugging at the edge of Cao Youfeng’s bandages. “True. The main system can’t lie.

“So... who’s the one doing the lying?”

—

The sharp sound of shattering porcelain echoed through the room as Yu Jia hurled a teacup to the floor, his face dark with realization.

“We’ve all been deceived by Jiang Yan!” Yu Jia growled, his gaze fixed on the fragments scattered at his feet.

“Deceived?” Jian Hou, slouched in a large wooden armchair, asked lazily as he fought off sleep.

“Can’t you see what’s wrong here?” Yu Jia demanded, his voice low but urgent.

Jian Hou stifled a yawn. He looked utterly drained—two days without proper rest had left him a shadow of his usual self.

Yu Jia explained, “Since entering this dungeon, every curse we’ve encountered has seemed solvable, but the methods to break them always end up wrong.

"The main system never lies about critical clues. If the system isn’t lying, then someone else must be!”

Jian Hou raised a sleepy eyebrow. “You’re saying it’s Jiang Yan?”

“Who else could it be?” Yu Jia snapped.

“But why would he lie? As an NPC, his role is simply to act out his part until the instance ends, isn’t it?” Jian Hou asked, clearly puzzled.

This was his first dungeon, and he still struggled to fully grasp the rules. By logic, NPCs and players shouldn’t have such intertwined fates, yet the NPCs in this instance seemed unusually involved—none more so than Jiang Yan.

Yu Jia’s eyes narrowed. “Because he’s the Mountain God! Think back to the last dungeon. When he drew the God Card, he toyed with everyone like puppets.”

“But there’s no proof he’s the Mountain God,” Jian Hou argued. “And from what I know of Jiang Yan, he’s not the type to actively stir up trouble. What if the Mountain God isn’t him at all?”

“Then who else?” Yu Jia shot back. “If it were Tao Shi or Cao Youfeng, those two would have cracked under pressure by now!”

Jian Hou yawned again. “What if it’s me?”

Yu Jia gave him a deadpan look. “Now’s not the time for jokes.”

“So, what do you plan to do?” Jian Hou asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Yu Jia’s expression darkened. “Investigate further. I’m done playing along with his childish games.

“If the evidence is conclusive, we execute him.”

---

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan sat cross-legged in his room, watching Yu Xiu fiddle with a coffin. The warm glow of red candles filled the space, reflecting off vibrant red wedding decorations still draped across the bed. The atmosphere was festive, but the black lacquered coffin in the center of the room stood in stark, eerie contrast.

Yu Xiu, a handsome man with black hair and piercing green eyes, was meticulously arranging colorful silk bedding inside the coffin.

He would place one layer, inspect it, and then replace it with another, seemingly dissatisfied with each attempt.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jiang Yan couldn’t suppress his irritation. “What are you doing?”

Yu Xiu glanced over his shoulder, a playful smile curling his lips. “Preparing the coffin, of course.”

“I can see that,” Jiang Yan said coldly. “But why? And where is your brother?”

At the mention of his brother, Yu Xiu’s expression darkened instantly. “Ah, Yan Yan only cares about my brother?”

With a predatory grin, Yu Xiu walked to the bed, grabbed Jiang Yan, and pulled him into a tight embrace. He tilted Jiang Yan’s chin up, forcing him to meet his emerald gaze.

“Don’t forget, Yan Yan—I’m your husband too,” Yu Xiu whispered.

Before Jiang Yan could retort, Yu Xiu leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

Jiang Yan: “...”

Yu Xiu studied the black-haired, blue-eyed Jiang Yan in his arms. With his delicate features, Jiang Yan looked like a porcelain doll, fragile and exquisite.

In Yu Xiu’s predatory green eyes, a glint of malice and greed flickered.

He leaned in again, this time biting Jiang Yan’s lip softly before pulling away. “I’ll go back to preparing the coffin. Let’s wait for my brother to return.”

Yu Xiu smiled innocently, as though nothing had happened.

Jiang Yan, still in shock after being kissed twice, had no time to react before he saw Yu Xiu squatting by the black coffin, carefully selecting silk bedding.

Jiang Yan asked in confusion, “Is it because you starting to rot? Why are you being so picky about these things?”

“Neither I nor your brother care about this stuff”

Yu Xiu ignored him, laying a purple silk blanket inside the coffin. After inspecting it left and right, he seemed satisfied and finally stood up, returning to the bed.

“Why did it take you so long?” Jiang Yan sat on the bed, glaring coldly at Yu Xiu as he approached.

Yu Xiu smiled brightly and answered, “For you, of course.”

Before Jiang Yan could respond, Yu Xiu bent down and scooped him up effortlessly.

“You’re insane!” Jiang Yan struggled.

Yu Xiu held him tightly, letting him wriggle in his arms, and said joyfully, “Big brother isn’t home tonight. Sister-in-law is mine for the night!”

As he spoke, he placed the struggling Jiang Yan into the coffin and climbed on top of him.

“Squeak!!!”

[What?! I just switched to this one and it’s already this wild?]

[Wow, is this seriously something we can watch for free?]

[Why does Jiang Yan’s storyline always feel like it belongs in a completely different genre from everyone else’s?]

---

The sky was about to brighten, with a small, reddish-yellow moon the size of a copper coin hanging in the black velvet night, emitting a damp, eerie glow.

Qingshi Town remained silent, a single straight stone-paved street cutting through the town.

A man dressed in a green brocade robe, his grayish skin marked with full-body symbols, and half his body already rotted, walked lightly through the town, heading straight toward the mayor’s residence.

He didn’t open the door but walked directly through the wall, finally stopping in front of his wedding chamber’s door.

Taking a deep breath, he tidied the hair in front of his forehead and adjusted his robe.

Finally, he pushed the door open and called out excitedly, “Yan Yan! I’m back!”

“Bang!”

As the door swung open, he did not see the wife who should have been waiting for him in the room.

Instead, in the center of the room, there was a sinister black coffin.

A pale, slender leg dangled weakly out of the coffin, glistening with sweat and trembling slightly, occasionally kicking twice.

“Pervert... stop it!”

A sweet and sulky scolding came from the coffin.

Standing at the door, Yu Xiu’s expression froze instantly, the smile on his face stiffening.

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