"Rules of Burial": I'll Take the Watch Tonight

"Tonight, the young lady will keep watch."

Inside the Ancestral Hall, the incense that everyone had offered earlier burned quietly, its smoke curling upwards.

Shi Weiwei, standing before the offering table, nodded calmly.

The order in which the players would take the night watch had been guessed beforehand, so none of them had any objections.

"The rules of the night watch..."

"Etc."

A voice suddenly interrupted the butler.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound--

The one who spoke was the young man who had remained aloof and distant throughout, seemingly indifferent to everything.

"Third Young Master, is there a problem?" The butler's expression remained unchanged, and his voice was still flat and emotionless.

Shi Weiwei, Yu Hao, and the others also looked at the young man, wondering why he suddenly spoke at this moment.

The young man stood at the back, his posture relaxed, his gaze not fixed on any one place, as if he were observing something, or perhaps confirming something.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he finally spoke:

"Let's switch guards."

The breaths of everyone present paused for a moment.

The butler seemed somewhat surprised as well, and he slowly asked, "Third Young Master, what do you mean by this?"

"Literally, I'll guard tonight."

Shi Weiwei's brows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Seemingly seeing no reaction from the butler, the young man raised an eyebrow and spoke again, "What, is it not allowed?"

His tone was indifferent, as if he were certain the butler would agree, even though it should have been a question.

"... Of course it is possible." The butler was silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly.

So the Night Watcher for the second night was changed.

*

Hanging Flower Gate.

Yu Hao gripped the folding fan in his hand, looking thoughtful. "What are you thinking?"

Xing Ge, arms crossed and leaning against the stone wall, said upon hearing this, "You should ask what he's thinking."

Yu Hao sighed, "I wanted to ask too, but I just didn't have the chance?"

Shi Weiwei stood to the side, her eyelids drooping, clearly deep in thought.

It was her turn to keep watch tonight, and she even thought she was well prepared. But a single, carefree remark from Qingfei took the risk that should have been hers.

So...

"Why would he do that?" Lin Zuo asked.

No one answered.

Because that's what everyone else wants to know too.

The young man didn't talk much; his presence wasn't particularly strong, but it wasn't weak either.

He was as taciturn as Xing Ge, but without the same oppressive aura Xing Ge possessed.

He was so indifferent, shrouded in an indescribable sense of detachment, as if separated by a thin layer of mist.

It wasn't indifference, nor arrogance.

It's just... far away.

Too calm, too composed, and too casual.

Silence spread among the five.

The White Lanterns under the eaves swayed gently, casting flickering shadows.

"Perhaps he has some clues that we don't know about," Shi Weiwei said softly after a while.

Yu Hao sighed and said, "Probably."

He could clearly feel that as the Floor Count increased, the difficulty of the Dungeons also increased layer by layer.

He's ranked 72nd, so generally, the players he's matched with should be about the same skill level as him.

At this stage, there will be no fools, no self-righteous people, and certainly no arrogant people.

Aside from a few special cases, these veteran players have generally reached a tacit consensus.

We cooperate, but don't open our hearts to each other; we walk together, but don't offer unwavering support.

They won't stand idly by when they can lend a hand, but when it really comes to a life-or-death situation, neither of them will expect the other to save them.

Intrigue and backstabbing? Schemes and machinations?

It's meaningless.

These players didn't know each other before entering the Dungeon, let alone have any mortal enemies. They had no reason to want to kill someone, as that wouldn't benefit them.

Let's cooperate instead.

Of course, there are always people who think they can climb faster by stepping on others, and there are always people who believe that the more teammates die, the more chances they have to survive.

But by this stage, almost all of these people had died.

The remaining people are those who understand that "cooperation is more worthwhile than mutual loss."

Because essentially, everyone has only one goal: to survive.

If Yu Hao were a newbie and encountered a teammate like Qingnian who kept quiet about intelligence, didn't participate in team discussions, and decided to do things on his own, he would definitely keep his distance.

Who knows what the other party is up to? They might just sell him out to make a living.

But now, he doesn't think that way anymore.

The reasons are as described above.

That young man... perhaps he just had his own rhythm.

Even if the other person seems so unsociable.

*

[Although I don't know why Boss Xu Xi suddenly decided to keep watch, but--]

He must have his reasons for doing this!!

[248 once again single-handedly ousted all his teammates.]

[Yu Hao, don't sigh. He's not just ignoring you, he's ignoring everyone.]

[Actually, I feel that Xu Xi's emotions were a bit detached, he wasn't very cold either.]

[Yes, yes, after several Dungeons, apart from those who offended him, 248 has hardly targeted anyone, and even occasionally gives kind reminders.]

[And I wouldn't mind helping my teammates complete the game as well.]

On the bus.

Ji Yang couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the comments in the Livestream Room discussing Xu Xi's personality and character.

[Streamer, what are you laughing at all of a sudden?]

[My child is naturally very cheerful, please be understanding.]

"It's nothing," Ji Yang said with a smile. "I just suddenly remembered my first impression of 248."

[Oh? What is it?]

[Anyway, I knew he was a big shot at first glance]

[+1, Her temperament is so unique]

Ji Yang didn't elaborate on his initial impression of Xu Xi, leaving the comments section to press for details.

[Oh dear, speaking of which, I suddenly feel a bit nostalgic for the early days when everyone was actively analyzing various 248 maneuvers.]

[Aren't there still plenty of people analyzing this?]

That's different.

What's different?

Ji Yang was thinking the same thing when he saw that comment.

But he soon figured it out.

Things are different now.

The previous analysis was because it was incomprehensible. The viewers and the Streamer scratched their heads together, dissecting the young man's words and actions frame by frame, and then suddenly realized it all, shouting "Awesome!"

The current analysis is more about confirming whether the young man has discovered something new, or whether a certain action has any deeper meaning.

From "What is he doing?" to "He's definitely doing something else again."

This is truly different now.

But his own thoughts had inadvertently changed.

Initially, I was drawn to the 2-minute and 48-second Dungeon. With a spectator's mindset of "this guy is pretty awesome," I analyzed his gameplay and dissected his logic, as if I were solving an interesting puzzle.

After seeing more of it, that "observer" attitude gradually transformed into "anticipation."

Later, "expectation" turned into "certainty".

Ji Yang recalled his earlier assessment of young people.

Seeds of hope.

Xu Xi never expected that her Rollback would happen at this time.