Npc 82

Upon hearing Cao Youfeng's astonishment, Tao Shi and Jian Hou, who were holding Cang Rou's turned around.

The moment they saw the scene before them, both of them were shocked and exclaimed, "What in the world?"

"What’s going on?" The last one to jump down was Yu Jia, who paused midway through his question, and after a moment, he let out the final word, "Little monster."

They must have exited the town by now.

After crossing over the two massive locust trees, they had left the town behind.

Before them stretched a vast grassy field, with a long red carpet laid down the middle. Along the way were several flower arches made from bouquets of roses, and rows of seats flanked the carpet. At the end was a platform for swearing an oath, behind which hung a huge photograph of Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu—three people in total.

At that moment, the seats were already filled. A group of women, dressed in white dresses just like Cang Rou, sat in their seats, their faces radiating joyful smiles. The little girls, all dressed in matching red dresses with their hair tied in two little buns, were each dressed up like little dolls.

Some of them huddled around their mothers, sitting quietly in their arms, while others chattered happily, and some ran around, chasing each other and playing in the grassy field.

Clearly, this seemed like a typical, but strangely joyous, Western-style wedding scene.

However...

The roses adorning the flower arches were stained with thick, sticky blood, which was gradually dripping down. Not only that, but the arches were also decorated with severed limbs and arms, as if they had been woven into the floral arrangements.

On both sides of the arches were vases made from hollowed-out human bodies. The bodies of several men, dressed in qipaos, had been shaped into vases. Their torsos were emptied out, filled with red roses, and vines of blood-red roses extended from their eyes, noses, and mouths. The branches bore beautiful blooms.

Their faintly trembling bodies and the occasional "meow" sounds from their mouths confirmed that they were still alive, not yet completely dead.

The red carpet beneath them wasn’t like the usual velvet kind. It appeared smooth, with the red color continuously flowing, staining the surrounding grass a purplish color.

Upon closer inspection, the long red carpet was made from several small pieces of carpet stitched together, and each section bore human facial features.

Their mouths were open, groaning and crying out in pain.

"Help me..."

"Save me... save me..."

"Ah... oh... ah..."

The cries of pain contrasted starkly with the joyful sounds of the women and children playing around.

It was eerie, yet oddly artistic.

Jian Hou, with his sharp senses, detected a familiar voice among the cries. He carefully approached.

Looking at the carpet, with its mouths continuously crying out in anguish, he was shocked.

"Ling Kang? Is that you?"

Upon hearing his name, the "carpet" trembled slightly, stunned. But having lost its brain, it could no longer respond. After a brief pause, it continued its desperate cries.

"Ah... oh... ah..."

A few mischievous little girls, laughing and skipping, ran over to the red carpet, jumping on it. The cries from the "carpet" grew louder as they were trampled.

One of the little girls, looking at the carpet, joyfully chirped like a sweet little robin, "Daddy? Are you crying?"

The carpet, unable to reply, just continued to groan.

"Daddy knows it hurts to be stepped on, right? When Inin was hurt, she cried too! But Daddy still stepped on me!"

As she spoke, the little girl stomped her little shoes on the carpet with force.

"My feet are so small, Daddy must be in pain. Don’t you know, Daddy? When you stepped on Inin, her bones broke, and everything inside her shattered. It hurt so much!"

As she spoke, the little girl jumped up and down on the carpet like skipping rope, as if having fun.

The carpet cried out in even more intense desperation.

"Inin... come back!"

Not far away, a woman in a white dress spoke softly from her seat.

The countless "Inins" raised their heads, but when they saw that the voice hadn’t come from their mother, they silently lowered their heads again.

"Mom!"

Inin, her little shoes stained with blood, waddled toward her mother.

"Mom, were you calling me?" the little girl asked, looking up at her mother from her arms.

The woman smiled as she tidied her daughter's hair and then said, "Yes, mommy was calling Inin. But Inin won’t always be Inin. Mommy will give Inin her own name."

"Can Inin have a name?"

"Of course, every child should have a name."

"What will Inin be called in the future?"

The woman thought for a moment, smiling. "Mommy hasn't decided yet, but it won't be Inin anymore."

"Why?"

"Because Inin won’t be trapped anymore. Inin doesn't need this name, doesn’t need the same name as mommy."

She looked at her daughter in her arms, her eyes full of love.

She could have a name, and it wouldn’t be "Inin" anymore. It wouldn’t be "Banmei," "Zhaoxian," or "Nian Changyin." She was going to give her daughter a proper name.

The tree had fallen, and nothing could trap them anymore. Her daughter would soar like an eagle—soaring high into the sky! If she wanted to fly far away, she could fly far away; if she wanted to return home, she could come back home.

The tree had fallen.

Upon hearing this, the players standing outside the wedding venue exchanged glances.

"Inin?" Yu Jia whispered.

The four locust trees that trapped people in the middle had the character "囚" (prison) written on them, and it was also...

Yu Jia sighed.

The main system was getting more and more twisted. Why did it always create scenarios that harmed women and children? He hated stories that abused women and children!

"Red Aunt?"

A guest in the audience recognized Cang Rou.

"Red Aunt"—the name of Hong Gu from before.

Cang Rou looked over at the voice. It was a friend of Hong Gu from her past life.

"Red Aunt!! Over here!"

A girl in a white dress, holding a cute little girl, waved at her, smiling brightly. "I saved you a spot! Come quickly!"

The memories of "Red Aunt" flooded Cang Rou's mind, memories of a time long ago.

In the memories, her close friend, Hong Gu  had died in a brutal childbirth. This friend of hers had originally come from a fairly decent family. She even knew a few characters and had named herself.

However, after her mother passed away and her father remarried, life at home became difficult for her.

As for her real name, Hong Gu couldn’t remember it anymore, but everyone called her "Er Niu" because she was the second daughter in her family.

Looking back from her current perspective, Cang Rou thought that Er Niu's death was due to her marrying too young. She had been too young when she got pregnant and gave birth.

Er Niu had married her own brother-in-law because her older sister had died in childbirth. The family, who had good conditions, hurriedly married her off to the brother-in-law. She was only eleven or twelve years old when they rushed her into marriage.

Later, when she gave birth, complications arose.

At the time, Hong Gu hadn’t married yet. When she heard that her friend was having trouble giving birth, she hurriedly grabbed two eggs to visit her.

When she arrived at Er Niu's husband's house, she overheard the midwife saying, "She can't deliver, so we’ll save the baby."

"Save the baby! Of course, we save the baby! Women are like window paper. You can marry another one if one dies! They’re not worth much!"

Hong Gu was horrified when she heard Er Niu’s mother-in-law say this. She dropped the eggs she was holding in shock, smashing them to pieces.

She screamed, "Are you trying to kill Er Niu? Are you going to kill her?"

She rushed toward Er Niu’s room, but was stopped by the family.

"Er Niu, run! Get up and run!"

She cried from outside the door.

At that moment, Er Niu was wailing inside, while the commotion outside drowned out her voice.

"What business is it of yours? Stay out of it!" Er Niu’s mother-in-law said, irritated.

In the end, Hong Gu was locked in the guest room.

She peered through the crack in the door and saw the midwife bring in a cow. Er Niu was dragged out of the room.

"Are we sure we’re saving the baby?"

"Of course we are saving the baby! Her sister died while carrying a son. We absolutely can’t let the baby die inside her!"

Er Niu’s mother-in-law and the midwife said.

Soon after, Hong Gu heard Er Niu’s screams. Through the crack in the door, she saw the cow's hooves moving in the yard, blood dripping down, and Er Niu’s cries echoing throughout the house.

Locked behind the door, Hong Gu cried and pounded on the door. "You can’t kill Er Niu! You can’t kill her!"

Her cries and pleas were, of course, in vain.

It was hard to tell how long passed before Er Niu’s cries finally stopped. Hong Gu collapsed, exhausted, by the door.

Outside, the loud sound of a baby crying echoed, signaling the arrival of a newborn.

She instinctively propped herself up.

Then, she heard Er Niu's mother-in-law's voice outside, "Seriously! After all that effort, we end up with a girl! How unlucky!"

"Bang!"

The sound of something heavy crashing to the ground.

The next moment, the newborn's cry abruptly stopped.

Before her eyes, the bright, cheerful girl in the white dress holding a cute child seemed to merge with the face from her memory—a face twisted in agony, covered in blood, lifeless and full of pain.

The little girl in her arms was happily imitating her mother, waving her hand.

A memory of Hong Gu surged back, one from when Er Niu and she had not yet been married.

It was early spring, March.

At that time, Er Niu had the same bright smile on her face.

Excitedly, she grabbed Hong Gu's hand, saying, "I learned to read! I want to give myself a name! I won’t be called Er Jie anymore!"

"Wow! You learned to read?!" Hong Gu exclaimed enviously.

"Yes! I know so many characters! I learned the Thousand-Character Classic!" Er Niu proudly replied.

"Then what name did you choose for yourself?" Hong Gu asked curiously.

"Uh... Qian, Qian Wen!" Er Niu beamed proudly.

Hong Gu: "... Did you just learn the three characters from the Thousand-Character Classic?"

Er Niu: "... No, I learned many characters!"

"Really? Then what does the Thousand-Character Classic say?" Hong Gu asked.

Er Niu: "... I... I can’t remember anymore."

"Hahaha!" Hong Gu laughed.

"You’re laughing at me!" Er Niu said, rushing at her.

The two began playfully fighting, and their freshly styled hairdos were soon undone.

The wind in the mountains smelled so free, the spring breeze gentle, and pear blossoms filled the air.

"Red Aunt! Hurry up and come over! What are you waiting for?" Er Niu’s voice pulled Cang Rou out of her memories.

"Ah! Coming!"

She walked over while holding the child and sat next to Er Niu.

Soon after, Tao Shi, Tong Hou, Cao Youfeng, and Yu Jia followed suit.

"I saved you a seat!" Er Niu smiled brightly.

She then turned to her daughter in her arms and said, "Be good, Wei Ayi!"

"Ayi!" The little girl said, her words drawn out.

"Such a good girl!" Cang Rou smiled, reaching out to gently touch the girl’s soft face.

She then called over her own child to greet the others.

"I can’t believe we’re meeting again! This is great!" Er Niu said with a sweet smile.

"Yes!" Cang Rou replied, smiling.

"By the way, have you found your husband? I’ve heard about him!" Er Niu asked.

Cang Rou paused. "You found him?"

"I didn’t find yours, but I’ve found mine!" Er Niu said, pointing to a floral arch nearby. "See that vase? That’s my brother-in-law!"

She didn’t refer to him as her husband, but rather as her brother-in-law.

"Mm! The flowers in his vase look quite nice." Cang Rou commented casually.

"Well, when you come to someone’s wedding, you naturally have to bring a gift! I don’t have money, so I just gave him away as a gift!" Er Niu said with a matter-of-fact tone.

Tao Shi and the others couldn’t help but feel a chill down their spines.

"We... we’re not going to be given away, are we?" Ji Huo asked, trembling.

Cao Youfeng: "We... we shouldn’t be."

"This dungeon! We’re the players trying to clear it! There’s no way they’ll just give us away, right?" Tao Shi said, trying to reassure them.

He then turned to Er Niu grinning. "Sister like her probably only dislike those who harm them. She wouldn’t dislike us optimistic, upright, good young people, right?"

Er Niu looked at Tao Shi and the others who had sat down beside Cang Rou.

"That’s right! These kids really have interesting hairstyles! Why are they so colorful?" Er Niu asked, curious about Tao Shi’s blue hair and Yu Jia’s silver hair.

Tao Shi, understanding the situation, said, "If you don’t like it, I’ll shave it off right away!"

"Keep it! I like it!" Er Niu smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment!" Tao Shi responded sweetly.

In fact, Er Niu, though grown up, seemed to be around the same age as Tao Shi—about nineteen, almost twenty.

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright! As long as we’re not getting ‘given away,’ we’re good!"

At this moment, Yu Jia didn’t forget to continue investigating the clues in the dungeon, asking Er Niu, "Sister, do you know Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu?"

"How can you come to someone’s wedding and not know them?" Er Niu asked with a smile, looking at the silver-haired young man in front of her.

"When we arrived earlier, one of the couple said we were here for a wedding, and the other said we were here for a funeral. Then they both said it's a 'funeral-wedding' event. Do you know what that means?" Yu Jia asked.

Jian Hou silently gave Yu Jia a thumbs up: "Bro! You’re so dedicated!"

[Hahahahaha, Yu Jia really is a model worker!]

[Teacher Jian is completely stunned! At this point, Yu Jia still hasn’t forgotten to cue the dungeon’s storyline!]

[It's hilarious! Even though it’s clear Jiang Yan can’t be killed anymore, Yu Jia is still diligently working on the dungeon's details!]

[Yu Jia really is the model worker of the team!]

[This is what it means to treat the game seriously!]

Hearing this, Er Niu laughed and explained, "Of course! The funeral is ours, and the wedding is theirs. It's a combined event, a 'funeral-wedding'!"

Yu Jia was stunned. "Your... funeral?"

Er Niu responded with a serious look, "Of course, we know we’re already dead!" Then, she poked Hong Gu beside her. "Right, Red Aunt?"

As the "Red Aunt," Cang Rou nodded.

"When someone dies, there should always be a funeral. We never properly had one before, but now that we've miraculously come back to life, we have to hold one for ourselves!" Er Niu said matter-of-factly.

"But, we don’t want it to be a mourning affair."

Her expression softened as she continued, "We’ve cried enough for many years, so we don’t want to cry anymore."

Then, her face lit up again with a bright smile. "Look! Jiang Yan and his husband also want to hold a new wedding, so they decided to do it together! That’s why it’s both a wedding and a funeral—a 'funeral-wedding'!"

Yu Jia was momentarily silent before nodding thoughtfully.

"Ah, I see..." Cao Youfeng said.

Tao Shi, always polite, turned to Er Niu and said, "Then congratulations on being able to host your own funeral!"

Er Niu smiled and looked at Hong Gu, saying, "This little blue-haired guy sure knows how to flatter people!"

[It’s true! Back when Tao Shi was just starting out, he got along really well with the ghosts in the dungeon!]

[No wonder he’s Tao Shi!]

[The rest of the team is still pondering about the dungeon, huh?]

[At this moment, Teacher Jian is looking at them with a kind of foolish clarity!]

[But Yu Jia really is dedicated!]

[Teacher Jian made it to his current position through hard work too!]

While the players on the forum were praising Yu Jia for his dedication, Jian Hou quietly spoke up: "By the way, what are the conditions for clearing the game?"

Tao Shi: "...???"

Cao Youfeng: "...Well, actually, I kind of forgot."

Yu Jia: "...Why haven’t you guys been given away as decorations? I think you two would make great vases."

[Hahahahahaha... Teacher Jian is amazing! After playing as spy he even forgot he's a player himself! Is there even a clearing condition?]

[You can only say that Yu Jia is truly focused on his role too]

[But hey, they can still clear the game!]

[So, what exactly are the conditions for clearing? I have a feeling I don't know either]

Yu Jia gave them an exasperated look, then said, "After the wedding, just live and leave the town alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system’s voice sounded in the air:

[Dungeon: "Qingshi Town, Dungeon Progress: 99%]

[Total Players: 4, Current Survivors: 4]

[Real NPCs: 3, Currently Not Polluted NPCs: 3]

[Main Quest: Attend the wedding and leave the town alive]

[Side Quest: Find the Mountain God and break the curse]

"So, after this wedding, the dungeon is clear," Tao Shi said, looking at Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu’s photo at the end of the red carpet.

"This is the third wedding I’ve attended of theirs," Jian Hou said, relaxed.

Cao Youfeng looked at him curiously. "By the way... Teacher Jian, with Jiang Yan’s husband’s peculiar hobby, what about their real wedding?"

At this point, Tao Shi, Yu Jia, Ding Wanyu, and Cang Rou, all characters turned to look at him. Everyone was curious.

"Don’t worry, it’s normal!" Jian Hou yawned. "So normal that it’s a little boring."

"Normal?" Cao Youfeng asked in disbelief.

Tao Shi said with a sigh, 'It's already strange enough that their wedding was normal, but the real question is, would Jiang Yan actually host his own wedding? Weddings are so complicated, and he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would want that kind of hassle.'

[He’s right... but I’m even more surprised that Jiang Yan would hold a wedding. Weddings are such a hassle, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would want that.]

[Maybe his husband and parents did most of the preparation?]

Jian Hou recalling Jiang Yan’s wedding, thought to himself that if Jiang Yan knew what was being discussed on the game forum, he’d definitely agree!

Rather than saying Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu held a wedding, it was more accurate to say Jiang Yan simply showed up to his own wedding and ate a meal.

Jiang Yan’s wedding was so simple that Jian Hou felt it was essentially a small-scale, utterly ordinary affair, but it was exhausting!

And the one who was exhausted was Jian Hou, the best man. It wasn’t until that moment that Jian Hou realized how tiring it was to actually organize a wedding.

Meanwhile, the groom, Jiang Yan, slept in until midday, and when he finally dragged himself out of bed, changed into his wedding attire (because he was so annoyingly pale, he didn’t even need makeup), his hair was quickly styled, and he was dragged to the wedding venue.

By then, the other groom was already waiting with the rings.

Jiang Yan walked up to the stage, said, "I do," and then his wedding was over.

He didn’t participate in any of the subsequent ceremonies like the toasts, instead choosing to sit in the guest seat and eat. It was Jian Hou, as the best man, who was exhausted beyond belief.

This wedding left a deep impression on Jian Hou, but as the groom, Jiang Yan seemed to have no memory of it at all. In fact, Jian Hou had heard Jiang Yan mention more than once that he had never actually held a wedding.

Thinking of this, Jian Hou’s eyes slowly filled with murderous intent.

"What's wrong with Teacher Jian?" Cao Youfeng whispered to Tao Shi.

"It looks like something at Jiang Yan's wedding really bothered him," Tao Shi answered.

Could anyone have had a good time at that wedding?

Jian Hou stared at the photos of Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu at the end of the red carpet.

At this rate, it seemed like they were going to remarry once they returned to the real world. If they dared to host another wedding and make him work like a mule again as the best man, he would straight-up grab a knife and attend the wedding!

As the soft music played, the two grooms appeared at the altar. They didn’t know when they had changed into their attire, but both were dressed in sharp black suits, adorned with beautiful lapel pins on their chests, looking very elegant and refined.

Jiang Yan stepped forward to the microphone and spoke, "Thank you to all our guests and friends for coming to my wedding with my husband."

Jian Hou sat in the guest seats with his arms crossed, watching this scene. Hmm, he was just here to eat at his own wedding. The role-playing in this game was quite detailed, actually.

Jiang Yan continued, "But today, this ceremony is not only my wedding. Before we proceed with the wedding, we need to hold a special funeral."

As soon as he finished, the girls in the guest seats cheered.

Yu Xiu smiled and added, "Congratulations to everyone for breaking free from your own cages and holding a beautiful funeral for yourselves! I believe you all like the decorations today!"

"Now, you can begin to honor the death of your old selves!"

With that, Yu Xiu handed the microphone over.

Seeing this, the girls in white dresses stood up, but none of them stepped forward.

It wasn’t until Er Niu, sitting next to Cang Rou, tugged at her that they both stood up. "Let’s go first!"

Er Niu grabbed Cang Rou’s arm, and as they stepped forward, the "human-skin" rug beneath them seemed to scream and beg for mercy, but they continued walking over it step by step. They stood on the stage, their white shoes stained with fresh blood.

Er Niu, holding her daughter, walked up to the microphone and said, "I’m Er Niu. This is my daughter. Both of us have already passed away. But I was lucky to live twelve more years than she did. She’s also lucky, in a way, that she didn’t live too long in this terrible world before coming to my side."

"When I died, only one person cried for me, and that was my friend, Red Aunt!"

Cang Rou froze for a moment.

Er Niu continued with a smile, "I’m so glad that all of you could attend my funeral. And I’m glad to be here at all of your funerals."

"The dead me no longer needs anyone to cry for me."

"From now on, I won’t be called Er Niu anymore. I’ll go by Ganwen!" After the funeral, I want to finish writing the Thousand Characters Classic and give my daughter a beautiful name!

"Thank you, everyone!"

As her voice fell, applause erupted from the audience.

Next, Cang Rou stood up in front of the microphone: "Hello, everyone! I’m Red Aunt. I’m so happy you all could attend my funeral!"

"I’ve actually attended most of your funerals..."

At this, someone in the audience called out, "Yes! I received the paper frog you sent me!"

"Right!"

"Thank you! Your craftsmanship is amazing!"

Ganwen, standing beside her, whispered with a smile, "Actually, I received it too, thank you!"

Cang Rou smiled and continued, "After the funeral, I want to continue making paper figurines and open a paper craft shop! I really love this craft!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

With that, Ganwen and Cang Rou walked down the stage together.

One by one, others began to step up.

"I’m Yin Nan! My daughter’s name is also Nan Yin. After the funeral, I want to study the Thousand Characters Classic with Ganwen, and I want to give my daughter and myself new names!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

"I’m Da Niu. After the funeral, I want to open a pastry shop. I make really delicious pastries!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

"Hello, everyone! I’m Pan Shao. After the funeral, I want to go out and see the world... I want to leave this town and explore!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

"Hello, everyone... I want to know what the outside world is like..."

"... I want to learn to read and write, and give myself a nice name."

"... I want to earn money! I want to earn lots and lots of money! I really can make money on my own! Really!"

"Thank you, everyone."

One by one, they walked up to the stage, all wearing white dresses. As they walked over the red carpet, their feet were stained with fresh blood.

They stood before Jian Hou, facing the town that had trapped them, speaking about their hopes for the death of their old selves.

As each woman stepped up, the red-skinned girls, who once seemed like little rats, gradually began to grow flesh and blood.

Finally, when the last "Red Ghost Lady" left the stage, the last of the red-skinned girls had fully formed blood and flesh.

"Wow—!"

The child born from this "rebirth" inhaled her first breath of air, letting out a loud cry.

The world around her seemed to come to life once again as the surrounding mothers and elders smiled joyfully.

And thus, the cry of new life rang out.

Congratulations on being born into this world once again!

Through their own efforts, the dead had risen once more, flesh and blood restored, born into the world of the living!

"Haha..."

The child’s mother gently spoke, "Sweetie, after I finish learning the Thousand Characters Classic, how about I give you a beautiful name?"

"Hahahaha..."

Finally, the funeral ended.

The romantic wedding march began to play, and the girls erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Amid the applause, the two grooms appeared once again on the stage.

From start to finish, Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu had never stepped on the red carpet made of human skin, because it wasn’t prepared for their wedding—it was made for the funeral.

They had sewn their husbands and fathers together to create this blood-red carpet.

Step by step, they walked across it, honoring the dead selves they had killed.

Naturally, Jiang Yan and Yu Xiu wouldn’t step on it.

The girls in the audience watched the two grooms on stage. Ganwen tilted her head and asked Cang Rou, "By the way, can two men even get married?"

Cang Rou replied, "If they want to!"

Ganwen nodded.

True! Whether they can or not doesn’t matter.

She wanted to learn the Thousand Characters Classic, and now she could. If these two boys wanted to marry, so be it.

With this thought, she looked over at Tao Shi and the others, who had rainbow-colored hair.

When they saw her, they all flashed bright smiles.

"Look! Their hair is all rainbow-colored! It’s just two men getting married, what’s the big deal?"

She turned her gaze back to the two grooms on stage.

Jiang Yan, looking at Yu Xiu who was holding his hand, suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.

He laughed self-deprecatingly.

At this age, and yet still so caught up in a pretend wedding with my ex-husband...

"Jiang Yan," Yu Xiu’s voice rang out.

Jiang Yan turned to look at him.

He could sense a trace of nervousness in Yu Xiu’s emerald-green eyes.

The system NPC designed by the main system is really... realistic

"I've always wanted a wedding that belongs to us, not one for your parents, not one for this boring world, but just for the two of us," Yu Xiu said seriously, each word deliberate.

Jiang Yan felt even more disoriented.

"Today, we made that wish come true! Look! At our wedding, there are only the friends you wanted to invite and only the corpses I like! We got married again!"

"Mm..." Jiang Yan muttered.

"Then, Yan Yan..." Yu Xiu took a deep breath.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but hold his breath. He... was feeling nervous too.

"Yan Yan, will you marry me again?" Yu Xiu looked into Jiang Yan's blue eyes, speaking each word slowly and clearly.

Jiang Yan's long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he dazedly replied, "I... do."

"Boom!"

Fireworks exploded!

Severed limbs flew through the air, carrying bloodstained rose petals—an eerie, death-filled romance!

"Happy wedding!!"

The crowd shouted below.

In the midst of everyone's cheers, Jiang Yan was pulled into Yu Xiu's arms.

He even forgot to ask, "Shouldn't there be two of you?"

But by now, he no longer had the strength to think, dazedly being kissed by Yu Xiu as the audience screamed and cheered.

Small paper figures wheeled in a champagne cart, and everyone eagerly grabbed a glass to begin celebrating!

"Happy new marriage!"

"Happy rebirth!!"

Eventually, the bizarre funeral-wedding came to an end amidst cheers and revelry.

A funeral was held with a wedding touch, and the wedding was celebrated with an eerie twist of the afterlife.

Just as the celebration ended...

"We nominate the Mountain God—Jiang Yan!"

Yu Jia, holding champagne, stretched his hand toward the pale, A4-paper-like sky.

Seeing this, Tao Shi, Cao Youfeng, Cang Rou, and Ding Wanyu all raised their hands as well.

Jian Hou, however, looked at them in confusion.

[As expected, the "CUE process" always ends up with Yu Jia taking charge.]

[Yu Jia can now apply for the "Best Host of the Dungeon" title!]

[Jian Hou looks completely confused, as if he doesn’t understand what just happened.]

[This is his first time in a dungeon, so he's still unfamiliar with the rules.]

[Why isn’t anyone reminding him to raise his hand?]

[It’s just a straight mission. It won’t take many points. With his performance in this dungeon, his score will push him to the Newcomer Leaderboard. So the big shots probably think it’s no big deal.]

[True. But why didn’t his personal system warn him?]

At this point, Jian Hou’s personal system felt innocent.

It was frantically trying to alert Jian Hou in his mind: "You have to raise your hand! Raise your hand, big brother!"

"Why?" Jian Hou asked in confusion.

"Nominate Jiang Yan! Nominate the Mountain God! You have to raise your hand to prove you nominated, to earn points!"

“I won’t report Yan Yan,” Jian Hou said firmly.

“This isn’t the same thing, big brother! The personal system is about to collapse!”

Ding!

[Dungeon: “Qingshi Town,” Dungeon Progress: 100%]

[Total Players: 4, Current Survivors: 4]

[Real-life NPCs: 3, Currently Not Polluted: 3]

[Main Task: Attend the wedding and leave the town alive]

[Side Task: Find the Mountain God]

[Congratulations to all players for completing the main task!]

Tao Shi and the others let out a long sigh of relief.

Yu Jia looked at Jian Hou, who still appeared completely confused. He said, "Teacher Jian, the side task requires you to raise your hand and report! Do you understand now?"

Before Jian Hou could respond, the main system’s voice continued to echo:

[Unfortunately, the side task has failed.]

“What?!!”

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