Mingzhu Cast in Darkness

The warm yellow light flickered and reflected on the screen, while the candlelight rose shakily.

The lighting of this candle acted as a fuse, and several soft sounds echoed through the room as all the light sources in different locations were illuminated.

Suddenly, the private room was brightly lit, and a semi-transparent figure appeared sitting on the couch, head down, as if lost in thought.

Yu Xing was only half a meter away from the illusory figure. She could tell that the illusory figure was a woman. The woman was not wearing ancient costume, but a blue dress. Her long hair was slightly curled and neatly tied into a princess hairstyle, falling smoothly down her thin back.

He suddenly realized that everything he could see seemed to be shrouded in a dark border. It was not visible in the dim light, but when the light came on, the small border became very obvious.

At this moment, even the woman's illusory figure was bound by the frame, making her appear somewhat dim and insignificant.

Something's weird, Yu Xing thought.

Everything was more yellowish than he had imagined, giving him a strong sense of déjà vu—he was in a "memory".

Because I've noticed that TV dramas often use a dark yellow filter for flashback scenes to differentiate them from the main storyline.

The problem is, he wasn't watching TV at the moment; he was getting the same effect directly from his own eyes.

Yu Xing got goosebumps on his arms, lost interest in moving, and stood firmly in place, as if he were no longer a person, but a television set that had been tuned to a TV drama.

"The head of the Fang family looks righteous, but I never expected him to be so cruel!"

"Yes, if we hadn't brought Mingzhu to Never Forget Dwelling for dinner, and if my second uncle hadn't happened to know the owner, we wouldn't have known that Fang Deming had killed someone here before!"

"If Mingzhu marries into that family, won't she be beaten by her in-laws? Fang Deming seems like a typical feudal patriarch. To be honest... I'm just worried about Mingzhu marrying into such a remote town!"

Faint whispers drifted into the ears of the lying figure, and also into Yu Xing's ears.

The seated woman's illusory figure trembled, and as if deceiving herself, she raised her hand to cover her ears, burying her head even lower.

"Sigh... After all, they were a prominent family in the past. How can we really say what happened with the older generation? At least Fang Xiao treated Mingzhu quite well; he's a good match for her."

"Ha, I don't think so. That kid's just using his looks to fool naive girls like Mingzhu!"

"I think Fang Xiao is alright. He cares a lot about Mingzhu, and he earns money working at the port. He has a promising future! At least Mingzhu won't live a poor life after marrying him, right?"

"I can't stand it anymore! What era are we living in? This town is still so backward! It's as lifeless as the Fang family— "

"Say less! Mingzhu is resting in the back. She's already traumatized by the news that Fang Deming killed someone. If you say anything more, you'll just be rubbing salt into her wound!"

The murmuring stopped as a slightly stern female voice rang out.

Yu Xing, with his sharp ears, overheard a few new clues and silently noted them down in his mind—his adopted brother should be named Fang Xiao, and he worked at the port.

So... is this illusory woman in front of him his "sister-in-law"?

The candlelight flickered twice more, and the illusory image slowly dissipated.

Yu Xing waited a while longer, but there was no further movement, so she was certain that the old story triggered by the candlelight had finished playing.

He thoughtfully moved to the spot where the illusory figure had been sitting and sat down himself. His hand actually touched the bed and felt a gentle warmth that hadn't yet dissipated.

Yes, it's a very short anecdote, but the ramblings reveal quite a bit of information.

A little speculation reveals that this old story is about a man who was about to marry a woman from out of town. The woman's family went to Nanshui Town, where they happened to meet someone who knew the owner of Never Forget Dwelling, and thus heard about Fang Deming's murder.

My sister-in-law was frightened, and her family members also began to waver, noticing all sorts of flaws in the Fang family. During this process, my sister-in-law suffered terribly.

She seemed unable to accept what she had just learned.

So, perhaps before this, Fang Xiao, the younger brother, had always left a very good impression on his sister-in-law, and consequently, she also thought that her parents-in-law were kind and gentle.

Yu Xing sorted out her thoughts and recalled the details mentioned in her delirium.

Some people criticized Fang Deming as a feudal patriarch and said that Nanshui Town was a remote town, implying that his sister-in-law Mingzhu's family should be located in a big city, at least much more developed and prosperous than Nanshui Town. Therefore, her family did not approve of her marrying far away and had some concerns.

This indirectly shows that the sister-in-law really liked her stepsister Fang Xiao, and ultimately chose to marry for love.

The thought that her brother-in-law had even mentioned sharing his sister-in-law in his letter filled Yu Xing with a sense of sorrow, like an outsider.

Fang Xiao may like Mingzhu, but he's a pervert.

Presumably, Sister-in-law Mingzhu's life after marriage was not as wonderful as she imagined.

One more thing, did Fang Xiao used to work at the port? How could a place like Nanshui Town still have a port?

Yu Xing pondered, resting his chin on his hand. The port here must be just a small port connecting to a canal, with a very small throughput. Otherwise, this port alone could make Nanshui Town much richer.

Hmm... Of all the information he could get from the strategists who had gathered after entering the area, none of it mentioned the port. And what they saw certainly didn't look like a typical port town.

There is only one place that none of the current researchers have ever been to: the legendary and extremely dangerous East District.

The port was located in the East District, but for some reason, the East District was sealed off and became a forbidden area in people's eyes. Perhaps the source of people's fear was the port itself?

Yu Xing sat there, lost in thought with a blank expression. Some viewers who had just started watching the live stream asked, puzzled:

[Where am I? Isn't this supposed to be a live stream from Nanshui Town? How did I end up in ancient times?]

[It's just a traditional-style teahouse and restaurant.]

[Why is Xing not moving at all? Oh right, I saw everyone else eating. Did he start Side Quest?]

[Oh? You came from another live stream? The people on the first floor are really eating! The second floor is much more exciting. I haven't been paying attention to the other live streams.]

[Why is the color tone in this live stream so weird? Has the system released a new filter feature now???]

[Indeed, what kind of dark filter is this?]

[We're currently syncing to what Sachi sees, right? It seems like this is what he's seeing. I guess it's some kind of ghost trying to create atmosphere.]

The veteran audience members explained it to the newcomers all at once, and then someone else said:

[Incredible! Medusa's group of four is in a similar situation to Xing; they've all been searching for clues in the private room and have all started the "Old Stories" Side Quest, but that Boss Hua and the Rift...]

[It's so scary over there, but so exciting! (⊙▽⊙)]