Funeral (13)-Courting Death

If Zhao Ruru hadn't been impressed by Yu Xing's reasoning ability, and if Yu Xing said that the door to leaving this supernatural space was in the mourning hall, she definitely wouldn't have come in.

She felt she must be crazy to send herself into a group of ghosts.

But now, under the direct gaze of those portraits of the deceased, she has clearly gone mad.

Ten minutes ago.

As Yu Xing guided Zhao Ruru and Zhao Yijiu toward the fifth courtyard, which was the direction of the mourning hall, he said, "The door should be inside the mourning hall. That's the most special place, where you'll find not only the coffin, the core of the funeral, but also the largest number of people in white."

His short, choppy hair swayed slightly in the wind. As he passed by the small lake in the garden, Zhao Ruru couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. She sighed inwardly, thinking that if they weren't both strategists, she would really think that Yu Xing was someone from a certain era.

It's a unique quality that transcends time.

One can only say that this person's past experiences may have been quite unique. Human beings are a group with infinite possibilities, and in different lives, they will eventually form all sorts of unique individuals that cannot be replicated.

Zhao Ruru didn't lose focus; she listened attentively to Yu Xing's voice.

"If this were a Yugi, then the funeral hall would definitely represent a boss battle and a way out. The conditions are all there. If our mission is to find the exit, it must be there."

Then she heard Zhao Yijiu say, "You know the exact location of the door?"

Yu Xing shook her head. "I don't know yet. I need to go in and observe before I can find it."

Zhao Yijiu said coldly, "If we're surrounded in the mourning hall, I'll get hurt, Zhao Ruru will die."

She: "..." Although it was the truth, it Stab Heart so much.

But why did Zhao Yijiu skip over Yu Xing? Did he think Yu Xing would be safe there?

Even if it's trust... isn't this too blind?

The three of them walked along the path in the garden, where there were the fewest people in white, or rather, there were none at all.

Entering the garden through the right-hand gate of the second courtyard, then walking through the covered walkway, and passing through the right-hand gate of the fourth courtyard to reach the fifth courtyard directly is the safest route so far.

Yu Xing kept her voice down, her footsteps as light as a ghost. "Of course, once I've located the door, I can leave directly without being surrounded."

"Big brother, are you really sure you can get away with this? You two are good at fighting and running, I'm just a support character." Zhao Ruru finally couldn't help but speak up. She asked cautiously, "What if the door isn't in the mourning hall, and we're surrounded by so many people in white inside? Are you... sure you can get me out of here?"

Yu Xing paused slightly and looked at her. "Actually, I already have a fairly accurate guess... I would never joke with your life, and it's not really an adventure; it's something that must be experienced to pass the level."

He smiled, his long, narrow phoenix eyes slanting upwards even more noticeably, and his tone became even gentler. "Trust me. Let's go together, okay?"

Zhao Ruru suddenly had a strong urge to go.

She heard Zhao Yijiu scoff, but chose to ignore it. She could tell that Yu Xing's attitude was one of confidence.

"Alright then." Zhao Ruru happily took a big step towards clearing this stage.

Your title, "Stunning Schemer," has come into play, increasing your success rate in instigating others.

You are trying to instigate the fortune teller.

"Diviner" is the Persona Mask Zhao Ruru wears.

Behavioral judgment of successful instigation

Not some kind of adventure?

Won't they be besieged?

Zhao Ruru, standing amidst the crowd of people in white, was expressionless. She sobbed incessantly while internally frantically accusing Yu Xing to distract herself and alleviate her fear.

You're telling me that being surrounded by a bunch of ghosts, who could expose your human identity at any moment, and being glared at by obviously more important deceased people—isn't that an adventure?!?

She wanted to beat herself up right now for believing Yu Xing's lies.

Fortunately, her two teammates were reliable and didn't let this weak and pitiful girl be afraid for too long.

When Zhao Ruru cried more and more emotionally

Outside the mourning hall, a sudden loud noise startled Zhao Ruru, causing her to tremble and drawing the attention of all the people in white.

The wooden door was kicked open, and the first rays of sunlight illuminated the dimly lit mourning hall.

The hazy, gray atmosphere receded like the tide, revealing a moldy, seemingly isolated space.

Zhao Yijiu wasn't wearing a white hat. He coldly retracted his leg that had been kicking the door, and looked at the white-clad men who had all turned to stare at him. He tugged at the hem of his long robe, which had been lifted up by the large movement, with one hand, and gripped a short sword in the other, black energy emanating from it.

He glanced at them briefly; the stark contrast between the white-clad figures' black, hole-like eyes and their pure white, paper-thin faces created a sense of unease, a feeling that lingered between the real and the fake.

A man in white stood up.

It stopped crying and made a tentative reach towards Zhao Yijiu, as if a blindfolded person sensed someone's arrival and wanted to confirm it.

Immediately afterward, one by one, all the people in white stood up. Zhao Ruru also kept up with them, and as the people in white slowly walked towards Zhao Yijiu, she quietly took a step back.

The white-clad figures seemed unable to speak. Upon discovering that a creature unlike any of their kind had entered through the doorway, they seemed to awaken from a dream. The closest white-clad figure let out a sharp scream and pounced on Zhao Yijiu.

It's fast, but not as fast as the paper doll.

But there are many of them.

Zhao Yijiu turned and ran, nimbly leaping across the courtyard gate. The people in white followed one after another, and the screams that rose and fell startled the people in white in the other rooms, who then opened their doors.

Seeing this, Zhao Yijiu kicked over several pieces of furniture along the way that she hadn't had time to examine, attracting all the men in white away to prevent them from returning to the mourning hall.

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

Looking at the now empty mourning hall, Zhao Ruru breathed a sigh of relief. Being with so many ghosts had been incredibly oppressive; cold sweat was pouring down her white cloth. If she hadn't known there were people with her in the mourning hall...

"Don't cry." Yu Xing's voice rang out from the corner. She turned her head and found Yu Xing looking at her with a smile.

Even though the five dead men in the photo were still staring at her and at them, that smile instantly made her feel much more at ease.

The fact that this person can still laugh means they've made a discovery, or at least they're heading in the right direction.

Her tears welled up instantly, and she wiped them away with her sleeve. Her voice didn't tremble, only slightly hoarse. "The man in white is gone. We need to find the door quickly. We have to hurry. With so many men in white, I'm afraid he'll be caught after a few laps."

This was Yu Xing's arrangement.

Yu Xing was the first to enter the mourning hall. A few minutes later, after confirming that everything inside was normal, Zhao Ruru was gently pushed in by Zhao Yijiu.

Yu Xing scouted ahead, followed by Zhao Yijiu, who was responsible for drawing fire... In a sense, she wasn't surrounded, but Zhao Yijiu was.

Fortunately, if the venue isn't restricted to an enclosed room, it shouldn't be too difficult for Zhao Yijiu to kite the ghost without taking damage. After all, he's no longer the newbie in the abandoned factory whose speed was inferior to the ghosts, but a cheat-like character who has upgraded his physical attributes.

But even though one person attracted the attention of the entire mansion's white-clad men, Zhao Yijiu still bore pressure that he shouldn't have to bear at his age.

Zhao Ruru was very worried about him. He was Zhao Mou's younger brother. If anything happened to him, Zhao Mou, who was very protective of his own, would tear her apart.

Hmm... he won't really tear it apart, oh dear, she can't figure out what that old fox will do.

"Okay." Yu Xing also had tear stains on his face; he had deliberately cried to deceive the white-robed man's senses.

He casually wiped it a couple of times, looked up and stared at the portrait frame for a few seconds, then walked closer.

Zhao Ruru started wandering around the mourning hall, touching all sorts of ornaments, trying to see if these things were the switches for hidden doors.

To no avail, they started knocking on the wall again, listening to see if the sound was right.

Yu Xing let her do as she pleased, and leisurely walked to the young master's coffin. He saw the young master in the portrait slowly lose his ferocity, becoming expressionless, with two lines of glaring bloody tears flowing from his eyes.

"Knock knock knock."

Yu Xing bent his fingers and tapped the coffin three times, producing a dull sound.

The edges of the coffin are slightly twisted, as if the craftsman made a mistake during its construction, causing the lid and walls to not fit together completely. After being forcibly closed, it was sealed with nails, making the coffin very difficult to open.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Ruru looked over, puzzled.

Upon seeing where Yu Xing's hand was, she was shocked and quickly walked over.

She was actually quite clever, although in a terrifying environment, her intelligence would be at least halved due to fear and anxiety. However, she still vaguely guessed Yu Xing's thoughts and felt a little incredulous.

"You don't want to open the coffins of these five characters, do you?"

Yu Xing paused suspiciously for a moment.

Zhao Ruru frantically stood in front of Yu Xing, almost kneeling before him. "Don't do anything reckless! I don't believe you can't sense the strong ghostly aura emanating from these five coffins!"

"These coffins are clearly filled with real ghosts! They seem unable to get out because of the coffins. Can't you just let them lie there peacefully? Don't make things more difficult for yourself."

That's right, the strategists have dealt with ghosts many times and are very sensitive to their presence.

She didn't even need to cast a divination to discern the overwhelming resentment emanating from the five coffins; each one was far more potent than the paper figures!

"Let's find the door properly, okay? Please, sister..." According to the information on Yu Xing's ID card, he was only twenty-three years old. Zhao Ruru was three years older than him, hence the self-reference he used.

Yu Xing argued, "I don't think there will be five paper doll-level ghosts in the first phase of the mission."

"Normally, this shouldn't happen, but some people just have to be reckless! Have you heard this common sense saying? The more inescapable the death scenario, the harder it is to trigger. For example, if you see a ball in a sponge room, the trigger for injury is to slap it, but the trigger for death is to find something sharp in the sponge and puncture it." Zhao Ruru thought the situation was urgent, so she spoke much faster, like spilling beans.

"So, when facing this ball, you can easily get injured, but it's very difficult to trigger the fatal situation it represents. Like the situation right now! These coffins are lying here peacefully. If you don't touch them, even if there are five ghosts inside, they can't break free of the coffins and do anything to us. But if you knowingly lift the coffin lids knowing there are ghosts..."

Zhao Ruru didn't finish her sentence, but her eyes clearly said, "Don't be reckless."

Yu Xing seemed convinced and said regretfully, "Alright."