The House Beyond the World

Yu Xing's evaluation of the Lingren wouldn't offend Lingren at all; he sighed nonchalantly, "I've always been like this."

Yu Xing didn't want to talk to him anymore.

Zhao Yijiu's head was still being held down by Yu Xing. Seeing that Yu Xing did not directly deny the Lingren's nonsense, he pursed his lips and said, "You won't commit suicide, will you?"

Yu Xing withdrew her hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "... No."

Although he hesitated, he at least made a promise.

Zhao Yijiu's mood didn't improve much, and she fell into deep thought alone.

Yu Xing changed the subject, pulling Yi Qing, who was watching the show, over. "The Yin Yang Corridor is part of the Yin Yang City. We came in to obtain the qualification to enter the Yin Yang City, and there can't be only one qualification, right?"

Yi Qing used his jade-bone fan to cover the lower half of his face, making his expression difficult to see. "Naturally, Yin Yang City rarely opens up, so there should be plenty of spots available."

"If that's the case, why bother arguing for this one? Just because it's the first one?" Yu Xing knew very well that, given the Absurdity System's style, its so-called fairness was never true fairness. So, if there were many "tickets," it would be easiest to manipulate the time it took to obtain them.

In Yugi, the first-time completion reward is always the most generous. If the entry qualifications are also divided in this way, it makes sense that so many people skilled in divination and fortune-telling came to this simulation; everyone wants to be the first.

"Each 'ticket,' besides being a key to entering the Yin Yang City, also has its own unique function," Yi Qing explained. "The first one is the most crucial."

This piqued Yu Xing's curiosity. "What function?"

However, Yi Qing rolled her eyes. "How would I know? I'm not a ticket seller."

Yu Xing gave She Sheqing Ghost a meaningful look.

Don't know? Ha, stop pretending.

If she didn't know, she wouldn't have waited for him in the Yin Yang Corridor beforehand. Clearly, Yi Qing had the same idea as Carlos, determined to drag him into this mess.

They certainly knew what the first ticket was for, but saying it aloud would reveal their abnormality.

For example, how did Yi Qing find out? Does he have any special connection with Yin Yang City?

For example, what gives Carlos the intelligence advantage? Where does he get his information from?

Whether it was a human or a ghost, it seemed they had kept a lot from him. Yu Xing didn't intend to pursue Yi Qing, as his relationship with Yi Qing was based on a contractual agreement. But Carlos wasn't going to get away.

Perhaps intimidated by the constantly shifting fierce look in his eyes, Yi Qing cleared his throat, hoping to quickly divert Yu Xing's attention:

"Since you have no further questions... let's move on to the next phase. If no one completes it, everyone will be trapped here, never to escape."

Yu Xing's mind was still a little tired, so she rubbed her temples.

After comprehensive consideration, securing the first entry spot is indeed the optimal solution. If many people need to enter Yin Yang City afterward, then the function on the entry ticket becomes the primary factor in gaining the initiative.

So he said, "Whatever, we're already here."

Yi Qing leaned closer and noticed he still looked a bit sleepy. She was surprised and said, "You just had a nap, how come you still look so tired?"

"... It would have been better not to sleep at all." Yu Xing muttered to himself. The dream was too terrible, filled with eeriness, death, and confusion. He didn't get any rest at all; instead, his brain was even more active.

However, since the dream took place in the Yin Yang Corridor, it's likely that the dream was some kind of symbol of the Yin Yang City.

His Spiritual Eye do indeed often bring him omens, and besides, Yin Yang City may be related to the origin of the curse power.

The fatigue brought on by the foreshadowing is merely a negligible price to pay.

"I really don't understand you living people, your mental state is so unpredictable." Yi Qing shook her head, getting her revenge for being called an old man earlier, and floated to the door. "The second stage, we'll still go out through this door."

Strangely enough, the sounds heard in the corridor disappeared as soon as they entered the room, and Yi Qing inexplicably took on the role of host and controlled the process, which didn't seem out of place at all.

Perhaps it's because his classic blue robe perfectly matches the style of the long corridor...

Yu Xing's eyes flashed, and she suddenly thought of something.

Yi Qing never said which world he was born in.

The fragmented thoughts only lasted for a moment before Yu Xing actively suppressed them, needing to focus on the present.

The group stood up, preparing to face the second stage of the test, when Zhao Yijiu suddenly asked, "Even if I don't need this qualification, is there no way for me to quit halfway through?"

He was the bait, and now that his baiting mission is over, his continued presence would only be a burden.

"Since you're here, why not give it a try?" Before Yu Xing could speak, the Lingren laughed. "How do you know you won't be the first one to qualify? Or are you just relying on your captain, willing to be a tool to be ordered around?"

Zhao Yijiu was fed up with the other person's sarcastic remarks. He was no longer the socially awkward person who could only resort to violence when he couldn't win an argument.

The Lingren clearly had a grasp of his psychology to some extent, trying to strike at his heartstrings. Zhao Yijiu retorted directly, "Anyway, I have a captain to rely on, but you can't."

The Lingren's eyes darkened.

"I can still rely on my brother, but you don't have a brother," Zhao Yijiu sneered. "You're just an orphan."

Yu Xing rarely heard Zhao Yijiu curse, and was greatly shocked to hear it today.

That's pretty ruthless.

Real.

"Pfft." Yi Qing laughed politely, but despite the laughter, he still explained to Zhao Yijiu, "Once you're in, you can't get out. This space will only dissipate when the qualifications are issued."

Even if you have no intention of competing, you have to go along with it.

"Alright." Zhao Yijiu shut her mouth, enduring the murderous glare of the Lingren, and hid on the other side of Yu Xing.

He's learned his lesson; after gaining an advantage verbally, he can't confront them directly, because he knows he can't beat the Lingren now.

They all learned it from Yu Xing and Zhao Mou.

The closed door was opened again, and behind it was no longer the original corridor, but a spacious outdoor area.

The gloomy wind and the dark clouds in the sky complemented each other. The ground was severely dehydrated, cracking like a tortoise shell, with some weeds growing in the deep crevices.

The space was not large, its edges shrouded in darkness, and the only area available for movement was a small patch of land as far as the eye could see. In the center of the area sat a dilapidated courtyard.

An elderly man with a hunched back, shrouded in a cloak and leaning on a cane, waited at the courtyard gate. When he saw people arriving, he raised his head slightly and shakily moved towards them.

Yu Xing glanced back first. The door to the room had disappeared as soon as they came out, meaning there was no way back.

"You've come." The old man approached them, his voice surprisingly strong and dignified, not weak at all. Yu Xing listened carefully and recognized it as the same voice that had spoken to him in the corridor earlier.

"The second test is yet to come." The old man gazed at them, turned, pointed with his cane to the courtyard, and said in a storytelling tone—

Once upon a time, there was a deserted house. It had no owner, no sickness, no death, and no exit. People with nowhere else to turn could live in the desolation and find relief from all their troubles, but they could never leave.

"Now, four people live in the abandoned house: a child, a young girl, a young scholar, and a strong-willed Woodcutter."

"They all have their own obsessions, but they can't leave, so their obsessions remain unresolved. Today, they've finally welcomed their guests, which are you all."

As the old man spoke, he led Yu Xing and the others toward the abandoned house. "What you need to do today is meet them, check into the guest rooms, and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

As soon as the words were spoken, the courtyard gate opened with a snap, and a little girl with pigtails skipped and hopped in, carrying a basket, and looked up at the crowd.

The basket fell to the ground, scattering its vibrant flowers everywhere.

The child stared blankly at them, then suddenly cried out in surprise, "People are coming! Lots of people are coming!"

There seemed to be a noise coming from the courtyard, and a robust middle-aged man rushed out hurriedly. "Where?! Where is he?!"

Yu Xing did not miss the urgency and undisguised greed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He looked around and found that the old man had mysteriously disappeared.