The "Rules of Burial" strategy backfired, this wall was really quite hard
The Ancient Well cannot be touched, the Seventh Concubine cannot be seen, and the Ancestral Hall cannot be returned to.
Xu Xi felt that this Dungeon seemed to be somewhat countered by him.
--
Where is the road? What about my huge Ancestral Hall?
[A ghost wall?]
Seeing that the Paper Figures in the Ancestral Hall had not changed their positions for the time being, Ji Yang switched his view back to Xu Xi's Livestream Room, where he happened to see this scene.
He pondered for a moment and said, "This shouldn't be a simple case of being trapped in a maze."
"The rules of this Dungeon may involve certain behavioral permissions. During the period when the rules are in effect, certain areas, such as the Ancestral Hall, will be 'unreachable' for players without specific identities or under specific conditions."
[So, only players with the Night Watcher status, like Xing Ge, can enter and exit the Ancestral Hall?]
Ji Yang nodded and gave an example. "Like the backyard, 248 and the other male players can't easily get in, but Shi Weiwei and the other female player can get in with ease."
"248's attempts are valuable; he has verified that the enforceability of rules goes far beyond what is apparent."
To put it bluntly, it's a matter of identity.
[So this Dungeon seems to heavily emphasize teamwork, since it makes it difficult to access many clues?]
"Yes." Ji Yang affirmed the comment that suggested cooperation was necessary. "Each player's role in this Dungeon should offer opportunities for exploitation. The perspectives are too scattered, so cooperation is the best option."
[It seems like Xu Xi is preparing to go back.]
[Otherwise, we can't go anywhere; we're just stuck here in the cold wind.]
[Speaking of which, there's also an Ancient Well, isn't Master Xu Xi planning to go check it out?]
[Don't be surprised, this thing sounds like a perfect place to dispose of corpses/seal/suppress them]
[There must be a reason why 248 didn't go; maybe the timing wasn't right.]
[But I always felt that Xu Xi wouldn't just wait patiently until dawn...]
--
Inside the Dungeon.
Is Xu Xi getting ready to go back?
That was originally true.
But three setbacks made him rebellious once again.
He suddenly realized that he was still being too conventional.
Even though he had considered taking advantage of the Rollback, once he entered the Dungeon and faced with layers upon layers of seemingly unquestionable rules, he subconsciously chose the safest approach: observation and probing.
Even though he seemed to be acting recklessly and made several Rollback during the testing process, he was still essentially following the rules.
If you consider the rules of Dungeon as a wall, someone who isn't used to Rollbacks will walk around the wall. But once they learn to actively utilize Rollbacks, they will choose to find the gaps in the wall.
Now, all he has to do is chisel open that wall.
After all, rules are meant to be broken.
A sense of eager excitement overwhelmed the slight annoyance from the previous setbacks.
So, getting more and more excited, Xu Xi, under the bewildered gazes of the viewers in the live chat, turned and went to the Back Garden.
Why did he go again? Because he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to take a picture of the Ancient Well.
Since that phone can capture things invisible to the naked eye, there's no reason not to give it a try.
Arriving at the Ancient Well again, Xu Xi took out his phone, the screen's light illuminating his face in the darkness. He pointed the camera at the well opening and pressed the shutter.
"Click."
In the preview, black mist, almost solidified, surged from the wellhead, slowly writhing as if it possessed life.
Really.
He glanced at the photo, put his phone away, and turned to leave.
Although he didn't know what was in the well, he knew someone else did.
--
[Xu Xi actually went to the Ancient Well... uh, and took a picture?]
[That's strange, it seems like the person in question wasn't originally planning to go.]
[Maybe they suddenly remembered they could take a picture (just kidding)]
[This phone camera must be able to capture things that are invisible; I saw Xu Xi take pictures of it in his room too.]
[Where is this guy going this time?]
Ji Yang was also somewhat puzzled.
Even he found it difficult to keep up with Xu Xi's modus operandi.
The other person's train of thought is always very jumpy, but there is also a subtle sense of certainty that "I know what I'm doing."
On the screen, the young man didn't return to the east wing; instead... he went to find the steward?
This was completely unexpected for all of them.
*
Xu Xi went back to the backyard and asked the maid wearing a white flower about the steward's residence.
Before leaving, he glanced back at the moon gate that was now obscured by the other person, and thought to himself:
The next target is you.
The steward lived in the servants' quarters near the council hall, while the other party also had a separate room.
Passing through the quiet, deserted front yard, one sees the council hall standing darkly in the center, its eaves and brackets appearing only as menacing silhouettes in the night.
To the right of the back is a row of low-ceilinged side rooms, all with their doors tightly closed and no light coming through the paper windows. The only source of light in this area is the White Lanterns hanging under the eaves.
Xu Xi stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary door. He raised his hand and knocked three times on the door with a light touch.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open from the inside, leaving a crack.
The butler's thin figure appeared behind the door.
His gaze fell on the young man at the door, his eyes showing no surprise, and he asked calmly, "Third Young Master, it's almost midnight. Why aren't you resting in your room? What brings you to this old servant?"
"Click."
Xu Xi looked at the freshly taken photos on her phone.
In the photo, the old man appears slightly surprised, but otherwise shows no other unusual behavior.
"Third Young Master, what's wrong...?"
Xu Xi seemed not to hear her and went straight to the point. "Butler, what is that thing in the Ancient Well?"
The butler was taken aback, then a strange glint flashed across his eyes.
"Third Young Master," he said slowly, "This old servant once said that the Ancient Well in the garden has been sealed, and that one should not approach it. You... have approached it?"
He didn't answer Xu Xi's question, but instead threw it back at her, his tone carrying an unquestionable interrogation, and even a hint of danger.
The air tensed instantly.
Xu Xi remained expressionless. "I was just passing by when I saw black smoke coming out of the well. Shen... cough... was my father's death related to that well? What's in that well?"
The butler looked at him silently.
After several seconds, he slowly spoke, "The things in the well... are the debts of the Shen Family. Before his death, the master was always trying to pay them off."
Debt? What debt?
Xu Xi was about to ask further, the other party coldly replied, "Third Young Master, what you saw, heard, and asked... you must pay for it all."
Xu Xi could react, everything suddenly went black. When she opened her eyes again, she was back to the moment before she knocked on the door.
"..." He hates riddle tellers.
The next second, he raised his hand.
"Knock knock knock."
This time he asked more directly, "What debts does the Shen Family owe?"
The butler froze, then his face suddenly darkened. "Third Young Master! There are some things you can't ask."
Death.
*
[Huh? Why is Boss Xu Xi standing motionless at the door of the butler's room?]
[Isn't the boss here to see the butler?]
[Sanshui, stop staring blankly, hurry up and analyze!]
"..." Ji Yang tugged at the collar of his Windbreaker and then ran a hand through his hair.
He didn't know what he was analyzing.
Then he and the viewers in the Livestream Room watched as the young man on the screen stood at the door of the butler's room for a while before returning to the moon gate connecting to the backyard.
Then, after a silent standoff with the maid wearing a white flower in her hair, she finally returned to the east wing.
[?(Hesitant to speak, wanting to speak but holding back. jpg)]
[Is this guy... taking a walk? (Very quietly)]
[No, I think they're scouting the location, or maybe they're testing something?]
So what are they testing?
[... I wanted to know I was a big shot]
Ji Yang stared at the screen, his mind racing as he tried to understand the young man's seemingly aimless actions.
He always felt it wasn't that simple.
"Perhaps they are testing the rules' binding force on these NPCs?"
After thinking for a long time, this was the only logic he could come up with.
But he still felt something was wrong.
[Well, this isn't the first or second time that 248 has made some inexplicable moves, so just try to be more accepting of it.]
Please let me experience the joy of having a brain, even if it's just for a second!
Seeing that the Streamer was just as confused as I was, I felt better.
However, the next moment Ji Yang suddenly sat up straight. "I understand!"
Holy crap, you scared me!
[What do you know now?]
Ji Yang countered, "Don't you guys think he's like someone putting together a jigsaw puzzle?"
The comments section was filled with "Huh?"
Ji Yang continued on his own, "Keep picking up the scattered fragments, then find the connections between them, and then outline the network of relationships in this Dungeon."
"The reason 248 returned to his room is that, given the current arrangement of fragments, the 'safe probing' he could undertake had temporarily reached its limit."
"His next task is to wait for new pieces to appear and continue completing the puzzle."
[... I'm genuinely asking, are you even human?]
[Suddenly, I thought of Brother Luo's three-step model theory.]
[I don't understand, please explain in plain language]
Putting everything else aside, who exactly stole my brilliant mind!
[It's Sanshui (I'm sure)]
Ji Yang smiled, ignoring the teasing comments in the live chat. "The next fragment might appear after midnight."
He also didn't think Xu Xi would passively wait until dawn.
*
Xu Xi sat at the square table, staring blankly at the oil lamp on it.
The butler in the front yard was a taciturn man, his entire being screaming "Don't talk about it, don't ask about it."
The maid in the backyard was completely unyielding; when he forced his way in, all he got in Rollback was Rollback.
That was a miscalculation; this wall is indeed quite hard.
Xu Xi tapped her fingertips unconsciously on the table, looking unusually annoyed.
However, it wasn't entirely without any gains.
At least he knew that the Shen Family had a "debt," and that Master Shen's death was most likely related to this "debt."
I just don't know what this so-called "debt" is, why it's in the well, or if it's a key clue to clearing the game.
Xu Xi pondered for a long time, but still couldn't come up with any more ideas.
He planned to wait until after midnight before going out to see what would happen; perhaps it would be a new breakthrough.
He simply didn't believe that honestly following the rules and surviving for seven days would be enough to make him live.