Does He Look Familiar?

After that, as the sky grew darker, no more bloody ghosts appeared, but the divination experts remained vigilant, lest they be ambushed by various ghostly creatures while they were in pain.

As time went on, everyone grew increasingly anxious.

Because the pain, which was bearable at first, gradually became unbearable as one's spirit and will waned.

Naturally, the needle became increasingly hesitant to be inserted, and the progress became slower and slower.

Several people fainted from the pain, only to be woken up by acquaintances who took the opportunity to vent their frustrations.

Yu Xing endured twice the pain, yet he was among the fastest to progress. He also kept an eye on his reserve team member, Zhang Yu, and discovered that although Zhang Yu lacked combat ability, his endurance was quite good. Although he was soaked through as if he had just crawled out of a bathtub and occasionally groaned, at least his hands never stopped.

It appears that Zhang Yu's clothes are mostly sewn together, with only a few details remaining.

Time passed once more.

As dusk fell, the female owner in red came to the backyard again, lit a few stone pillar lamps, and glanced at the "tourists'" appalling results.

The more she looked, the more subtle her expression became; she practically had "This is so ugly!" plastered on her face.

Gao Yiling followed them in, seemingly oblivious to the tourists' distorted expressions, and said in a raised voice, "We're going to eat in twenty minutes. Is everyone dressed up?"

A few people nodded, while the rest either sped up their work or remained unconscious on the table.

"Wow, you guys are pretty fast," Gao Yiling casually complimented, only to be exposed by the red-clad female shop owner. "You call this clothing? What a waste of my fabric—"

"Oh, it's just a tourist experience, as long as it's wearable, it's fine." Gao Yiling chuckled, walked around the tables twice, and stopped in front of Yu Xing's table, her mouth agape in surprise.

On the table was a short-sleeved shirt with a diagonal placket. The bright fabric was evenly cut and the stitches were neat and dense. Although it was not quite the same as the Yueyu Uniform hanging in the clothing store, it could still be considered a well-preserved garment.

"Wow..." Gao Yiling reached out her hand.

Yu Xing's eyes flashed, and she instinctively wanted to protect her clothes from being touched, but she quickly realized that the guide probably wouldn't do anything to harm her clothes, so she relaxed her tense body.

Gao Yiling touched the clothes and exclaimed in surprise, "This is wonderful! Do you often do needlework?"

Those who didn't feel the urgency all looked at Yu Xing with obvious curiosity on their faces, as if to say—even in this much pain, someone can still make something beautiful?

It's like in school, when the joint entrance exam was incredibly difficult. Everyone thought that since no one knew how to do it, as long as the score was low, the ranking wouldn't be low. But then a top student got a perfect score.

Hua Subai, who had also finished early, pouted, as if she had remembered something unpleasant.

Faced with the sudden attention, Yu Xing nodded. "I don't do it often, but I've learned how. My children prefer things I make myself; they won't accept anything bought from outside."

Gao Yiling was stunned. "You have a child already! I can't believe you're a dad, you look so young!"

Just as the viewers were getting bored with the large-scale tailoring performance, gossip popped up right in front of them, instantly energizing them and prompting them to chatter away.

[Oh? Luckily, you have a child?]

Yes, we have a child.

[Get out of here, the child is mine!]

[Seriously, I'm just observing. I've never heard of Sachi dating any of the deducers. What are the Research Institute doing?! They can't even get this kind of information!]

[Zeng Lai: You son of a bitch, are the Research Institute's intelligence just for you to gossip about?]

[Qu Xuanqing: Get out of here, mind your own business.]

[Lu Xiaorong: Hey, hey, why is someone getting anxious? Hmm, could it be Xing Hequ?!]

[Lu Xiaorong: Huh?]

[Lu Xiaorong:... Ahhh, why are you all suddenly so quiet? Hurry up and scroll my message up! Scroll it up!]

[Lu Xiaorong: Sister Qu, I was wrong. Let me talk to you about something. Please don't draw your sword next time we meet, okay? (???)]

The discussion ended with Qu Xuanqing's impatience and Lu Xiaorong's self-destructive behavior.

Yu Xing didn't answer Gao Yiling's second question. He folded the finished clothes into a small piece and pressed it under his hand. He rubbed his neck, which still ached, and then asked, "Guide, are the clothes we made left here when we go to eat?"

Gao Yiling replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, we still need to come back to make accessories after dinner."

"Can't I take it with me?"

Gao Yiling spoke gently, but her tone carried an undeniable certainty. "No, what if it gets dirty?"

Everyone: "..."

It's better to get it dirty than to leave it to be torn, right?

What if, while they're eating, a bloody, ghostly figure sneaks into the backyard? If no one's home, wouldn't the ghost kill people at will?

They're still doing handicrafts and haven't had a chance to investigate what the flesh-and-blood ghost actually is, let alone develop any targeted defenses.

Yu Xing pointed at the table: "Okay--"

"Go eat your food." The female boss in red leaned against the table where the mute man had been sitting, glancing down at the mess on the floor. "I'll keep an eye on it for you."

Medusa finished the last stitch, tied a knot, and bit off the thread with her teeth. She slowly let out a sigh of relief, sat up straight, and crossed her legs. "Boss," she said, "Look at this pool of blood on the ground. Does it look familiar?"

The female boss said listlessly, "I don't recognize her."

"Right? They're not decorations for your backyard," Medusa said sarcastically. "Then guess where they came from?"

Female boss. "..."

The female boss was a little annoyed. "I said I'd keep an eye on things, so I'll keep an eye on them. Don't say anything more."

The implication was that she hadn't helped look after it before.

As long as she helps check it, then everything will be fine.

Given that she is the owner of this clothing store, her words do have some credibility. Besides, it's not like the strategist can't protect their own things remotely—as long as they take precautions in advance.

Yu Xing didn't bring it up again.

Medusa chuckled softly, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and lay down on the table to rest.

Before she lay down, she even had the leisure to glance at Lan Wu.

With most of the pain and pressure gone, Lan Wu finished quickly and even had the energy to make her clothes look nicer.

Undistracted by the outside world, the way he held the needle and thread stirred a sense of wonder within Medusa.

Lan Wu seems to be quite virtuous.

If... if we lived in a peaceful world, having a boyfriend like that would be wonderful, wouldn't it? He'd be perfect for someone as strong-willed as her.

"Alright, time's up!" After a while, Gao Yiling reminded everyone like a human clock, clapping her hands, "Anyone still not finished?"

The researchers dared not leave it unfinished.

Even if you just haphazardly fix a few corners in the last few minutes, making the whole garment look tattered, you can't say it wasn't finished.

So everyone stood up and followed Gao Yiling out of the backyard.

All that remained were the various offerings and lingering scents left on the table.

Yan Li's protective array and teleportation array; a small, hissing snake that appeared out of nowhere on Medusa's seat; the puppet that sat there in place of its master, and so on...

Yu Xing simply summoned many tree branches, which sprouted from the ground and completely covered the table.

We also booked Zhang Yu's as well.

When he reached the courtyard gate, he looked back as if sensing something.

Hua Subai's table was empty except for a red dress folded into a square; not even a flower was left behind.

"Look at my table!" Some people are really unthinkable; just thinking about them makes them smug. Hua Subai put his arm around Hua Subai's shoulder and said, "How about you sponsor me to rent a treehouse?"

Yu Xing ignored her and turned away.