A Name He Couldn't Think Of
The clock struck two in the morning. Chen Run, who had rushed over, lay back down on the bed, his heart still pounding faster.
This was an empty room he hadn't been to before; his character's backpack and personal belongings were still in the original room.
However, these things are relatively unimportant, as long as he moves the items over after the scene recreation is finished.
He spent over half an hour haggling with the old shopkeeper for the key to the new room, enduring the unpleasant, deathly odor emanating from him.
Fortunately, he was quick-witted. Now everything is in place, and the mistake he made in the last round should not have any serious consequences for him.
Chen Run lay down with peace of mind, planning that no matter what unexpected things happened later, he would definitely pretend to be asleep until he died.
Speaking of which, I just saw that the group from Broken Mirror gathered in the corridor. Why don't they seem to be in any hurry at all...?
Lost in his own thoughts, Chen Run waited for the woman's knocking on the door to come from the corridor.
But after a while, his heartbeat calmed down, and he didn't hear any sound. Not only that, the unbearable frozen illusion didn't bother him either; everything around him was quiet.
Chen Run's vigilance immediately spiked to its peak. What new illusion was this? Was it meant to make him realize something was amiss and get out of bed to investigate?
He will never fall for it.
A little while later, the sound of a door opening came from the corridor. Chen Run's spirits lifted, and he thought to himself—they've really arrived!
But when he opened the door, he heard his friend's voice. "You guys... really finished the mission?"
"Yes, as you can see, the scene won't repeat itself." Zhang Yu's reply came from a little further away. Judging from his voice, those people didn't even go into the room; they just stayed in the corridor.
Chen Run: "?"
What? Is the mission finished?
That's nonsense; it's definitely a sound created in a hallucination to deceive him.
He lay firmly on the bed, motionless, even when he heard his friend's footsteps approaching his door and knocking. "Chen Run, thankfully the boss and the others have finished the mission, you don't need to be so scared anymore."
Bullshit, you're trying to get me to talk again!
Can I do it twice more?
"Chen Run, it really is me. If you don't believe me, I'll just open the door and come in." His friend probably didn't want to break things off with him and was thinking of persuading him to continue the alliance now that the mission was over.
The hotel room doors didn't seem to have any protection against the deducers; to enter any door, you just had to turn the handle. My friend placed his hand on the doorknob and tentatively turned it.
Chen Run watched coldly. He knew that everything he was seeing was fake. If that thing outside could really get in, what was it saying to him... Wait, why is the door actually open!
Under Chen Run's horrified gaze, his friend opened the door, slipped in, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Look, it really is me. While you were gone, those four people found a way to complete the side quest and finished it in a flash. I bet I didn't even get many contribution points. I should have just given up."
"..." Chen Run stubbornly thought, maybe this is also an illusion...
His friend watched him for a while, then silently rolled his eyes. He figured if he took another step forward, Chen Run would attack him with the sacrificial offering. Oh well, whatever.
"Don't believe me if you don't."
After saying the last sentence, the friend left with utter contempt, closing the door behind him.
Zhang Yu, seeing this scene in the corridor, found it quite amusing. "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy."
Yu Xing stretched. They had nothing else to do in the corridor; they weren't in a hurry to go back to their rooms. Now that the results were confirmed, they might as well go to sleep.
The points reward for this Side Quest will be announced at midnight on the following day.
"Let's meet at the hotel entrance at eight tomorrow morning. We should be able to make it if we get up at seven-forty," Lan Wu considered, his soft white hair swaying as he turned his head. "Or do you have other plans? Can we still take me with us?"
He had joined the group midway through, and his time with Yu Xing was even more enjoyable than he had imagined, making him suddenly reluctant to part ways.
Speaking of plans, Yan Li and his group were supposed to kill the Flower Seeker tonight, but that had nothing to do with the people at the inn. Yu Xing waved his hand. "No plans, goodnight."
Goodnight, Captain!
Goodnight, A Xing ~
Goodnight everyone.
Lying down on the simple wooden bed, this time without any distractions, Yu Xing chose a comfortable position and drifted off to sleep.
Bored, his viewers went to watch the deducers who chose to stay in the townspeople's homes, but no matter how upset these viewers were, it didn't affect Yu Xing.
He slept soundly, without a single dream.
At 7:50 a. m. the next morning, Yu Xing opened his eyes on time.
His stats were even worse than Lan Wu's. When he opened the door, he saw the three of them gathered at his room's entrance. Zhang Yu looked hesitant, Lan Wu seemed to be thinking about something, while Hua Subai, still dressed in his wide-sleeved red robe, smiled calmly and said, "Good morning, A Xing."
"Captain!" Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "It's almost time to assemble, let's hurry!"
Yu Xing rubbed her slightly messy hair, which she had been sleeping on, and said lazily, "What's the rush? It's just a few steps, how could it take you ten minutes?"
He was perfectly capable of not sleeping, but since he chose to sleep, he had to get a proper rest, relaxing both his body and mind. Therefore, his voice was still a little hoarse when he woke up.
"You wouldn't believe it, I saw this kid loitering around your door when I got up." Hua Subai, sleeves rolled up, bathed in the soft morning light, seemed to be undergoing a blissful photosynthesis. "If you hadn't come out, I suspect he would have rushed in to wake you up."
"How could I dare? It's not that I'm afraid—" Zhang Yu blushed and muttered softly, "Because I suddenly remembered that Sister Qu said the captain likes to sleep in."
"It's because we're afraid the captain will fall asleep and forget the time."
Yu Xing: "?"
Qu Xuanqing! What did you say to them?!
Although they had just formed a team and were all living together under Zhao Mou's training arrangements, everyone in the team knew that he didn't like getting up early...
If he's too late, Qu Xuanqing, Zhao Yijiu, and Carlos will take turns coming to his bedroom to dig him out.
But why did Zhang Yu find out too?
"Does 'Sister Qu' refer to Senior Qu Xuanqing?" Lan Wu whispered in Zhang Yu's ear, "Could it be that, as the rumors say, they are a couple...?"
Zhang Yu was horrified. He never expected the usually calm Lan Wu to be so interested in such gossip, especially in front of the person involved. "No, no, no, no, no, don't misunderstand, no, don't talk nonsense!"
Lan Wu disappointedly, "Oh."
Yu Xing squinted, pressed the tip of her tongue against her cheek, and said sarcastically, "Oh, you were in such a hurry just now, but you're not in a hurry now? Then you can stay here."
The two young men immediately fell silent.
Hua Subai: "Tsk tsk tsk, gossiping about everything will only hurt you."
The four walked down the corridor. All the rooms were already empty. The other three had probably left long ago. Not many people would insist on meeting at the exact time like Yu Xing and his group.
When they got to the lobby, they found that the old shop owner was gone. There was a key frame on the counter with a sign that read "Check out and return the key".
Hand over the key, and walk a few more steps to the hotel entrance.
Through the door, one could vaguely hear the bustling sounds of people coming and going on the main street outside. Yu Xing pushed open the door and stepped out, pausing for a moment upon seeing the scene before her.
At 7:54, there were fewer people in the alley in front of the door than he had expected.
The sunlight was just right, neither too bright nor too dim. Our guide Gao Yiling, wearing a red hat, was already waiting with her guide flag in hand.
It was freezing cold, and snow still clung to the eaves of many houses. She was still wearing a thin dress, her nose was red, but her skin showed no signs of frostbite.
Good morning, passengers!
Seeing Yu Xing and the other three come out, Gao Yiling smiled sweetly and waved her flag.
Yu Xing returned the greeting and looked around.
The alley wasn't very wide to begin with, but now that it can fit everyone, it doesn't feel crowded at all.
Because apart from the seven people from the inn, only eleven divination practitioners who chose to stay in the townspeople's homes came.
At a glance, the people who came were either famous and recognized for their strength, or they were low-key but outstanding in a certain aspect. Yu Xing scanned them one by one, and most of them had interacted with him at this event.
Yan Li, Medusa, Xue Shouyun, Meng Dao, Yan, Witch Doctor, Gu Xing, and three other characters with strong Fallen Path.
Some of them were seriously injured, while others, though not outwardly wounded, were pale and clearly in poor spirits, as if they had encountered something extremely terrifying.
The Dark Spirit Master, Silver Sparrow, and the others were all gone.
The flower seeker, who was highly likely to have been successfully eliminated, did not appear here.
"Judging from your expressions, you had a pretty good night." Xue Shouyun and Zhang Yu Lan Wu shared a meal together, so he spoke rather bluntly. "Tsk... I should have stayed in a hotel too. What a waste."
Zhang Yu glanced at Yu Xing without showing any emotion, then immediately stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Xue Shouyun: "What happened? Your leg..."
Yan Li Medusa each chose a place to rest, and at this moment they were scrutinizing Yu Xing and the others with probing eyes.
"President." Lan Wu's expression changed instantly when he saw Medusa with a bandage wrapped around her waist. He took a few steps forward, "What happened... Is the wound serious?"
She's the kind of person who can immediately repair a broken arm, so why would she leave a wound on her waist untreated? Unless it's incurable!
"It's nothing, no trouble at all." Medusa, her red lips curving into a smile. She was the most radiant person present. She reached out and pinched Lan Wu's chin, looking him up and down. "Not bad. Looks like Yu Xing has taken good care of you. In that case, I should thank him properly~"
Noticing Yu Xing's gaze on her, she tilted her head, smiled, and blew Yu Xing a kiss.
He's so energetic, so it must be nothing serious.
Yu Xing withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, then turned around to see Yan Li blocking his way.
Yan Li, who wasn't pale from any wounds, didn't engage in pleasantries and went straight to the point, saying calmly, "The Flower Seeker is dead."
This was said to Hua Subai.
Hua Subai's smile deepened, "Ah, is that so? Then congratulations to us, the guide won't find out about our violation... How did he die?"
Yan Li, dressed in black, stood ramrod straight, his obvious weakness unable to diminish his imposing aura in the slightest. "He's more troublesome than I imagined. Just when I was about to kill him, the seal on his body blocked it for him."
At this point, Yan Li couldn't help but chuckle softly, his sharp eyes fixed on Hua Subai: "Before this, you didn't tell me that the Flower Seeker had a seal on him. After the seal was broken, it was clearly—"
Hua Subai greets people with a smile, exuding a friendly aura, as if he were the most innocent person in the world.
There is only one seal on the Flower Seeker.
That's what the Lingren left behind when he sealed away the emotions in this body.
So this seal can also act as a protective charm, warding off a fatal attack.
Once the seal is broken, it's as if the body possessing the Lingren's memories instantly relives the emotions of all the scenes from those memories, which naturally leads to—
Lingren.
A two-meter- Lingren with only the Despair level, whose abilities are only effective against Hua Subai.
Yan Li's voice was slightly cold. "No wonder you needed someone else to do it for you. It turns out the real grudge you have is—"
"Oh dear." Hua Subai glanced at Yu Xing raise an eyebrow with interest. He immediately interrupted Yan Li before he could say the name, feigning embarrassment, "I didn't expect things to turn out this way either. You must have put in more effort than you anticipated!"
"Oh, I can't accept this. I've gone to so much trouble for you. I really need to thank you properly. Don't worry, I promise I won't let you suffer any losses."
Yan Li stared at him with a distrustful look.
He was already annoyed enough at the townspeople's house last night, and now he still had to find time to kill the womanizer.
However, killing a high-ranking member of the Single Prism Despair level is a completely different concept from killing a clone of the Lingren.
It's like agreeing to do free temporary work, thinking it would be a job that pays 16 yuan per hour and wouldn't be too hard, only to find out when you get there that it's a high-intensity job that pays 100 yuan per hour.
It's too much of a loss to do it for free.
Fighting someone with the personality of Lingren is never easy. It was precisely because of this extra expenditure of mental energy that Yan Li found it much more difficult to deal with troubles after returning to the townspeople's homes.
Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't look so pale right now.
"Heh." Yan Li's gaze shifted, landing on Yu Xing, who was watching the show. "This time, you all owe me a favor."
Yu Xing: "Huh? How does this have to do with me? It's Boss Hua who owes you a favor."
Yan Li reminded him, "The Doctor came to see you, and he also broke the rules. Logically, you should have participated in the killing of the Flower Seeker, but last night only I did the work."
That seems to be the case.
Yu Xing sensed the frustration in Yan Li's heart and felt a strange pity. He knew that Hua Subai must have tricked him. The man surnamed Hua didn't want him to find out about the relationship between Xun Hua and the Lingren. But he knew what Hua Subai had done, and he could understand it with a little thought.
Yan Li was a decent person, but he suffered a loss at Hua Subai's hands, so I always felt that Hua Subai got off easy.
"Alright, what do you want me to do?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Li's deliberately tense expression relaxed. "Take me with you when you go to the Fang Mansion."
He wanted to use his status as the young master of the Fang family to see "another side" of the Fang Mansion!
"Sure," Yu Xing agreed readily, a smirk playing on her lips. "And I won't be taking Boss Hua with me, how about that?"
Hua Subai: "?"
"Wait, why? It's not like I deliberately hid the Flower Seeker's strength; I was kept in the dark too. A Xing, are you just going to abandon me like this?"
"Nanshui Town is full of dangers. Can you really bear to let a defenseless florist be killed out of your sight?"
Ignoring Hua Subai's half-hearted attempt to persuade her to stay, Yu Xing continued, "Yan Li, what happened to you last night? Although I had some idea, I didn't expect so many people to be lost."
Yan Li shook his head, noticing Gao Yiling's surprised expression as she looked around, and knew it was already eight o'clock. "There's no time to talk about it now, and... let's discuss it later."
In those few minutes, no one else arrived. Just like the first gathering, those people had lost the opportunity to follow the main storyline.
"Huh?" Gao Yiling's eyes widened. "One, two, three... only eighteen passengers have arrived?"
"My goodness, this is only the second morning of our three-day trip, and the travelers are really..." she cupped her face in her hands, "They absolutely love Nanshui Town!"
Everyone looked at her.
What does it mean to like something too much?
"It seems many travelers were moved by the hosts' hospitality last night and decided to stay in Nanshui Town," Gao Yiling remarked to herself. "It must be because the townspeople are so hospitable. Hmm, you all look quite surprised?"
Chen Run, sporting dark circles under his eyes, had felt both incredibly relieved and apprehensive ever since seeing the number of people. "Settling down?"
"Yes, sometimes travelers are so moved by the local customs and culture that they decide to become residents of our town! Since they're going to live in Nanshui Town anyway, they probably won't care about joining this trip." Gao Yiling thought for a moment and looked around.
"Thankfully, everyone is here to continue the journey, otherwise I would be out of a job. Anyway, don't think it won't be lively just because there are fewer people. Nanshui Town will not let its guests feel lonely; the people in town will make your trip today very lively!"
Hearing something ominous, Yu Xing quickly glanced at the expression of the fortune teller who had stayed overnight at a town resident's house.
They seemed to have anticipated becoming a member of Nanshui Town; everyone's expression turned serious when the guide mentioned it.
Does this mean that those who didn't come to the gathering all had highly distorted perceptions, were directly abandoned by the system, and judged to be from the Nanshui Town side?
It's a bit too much that so many people could get infected at the same time...
Gao Yiling clapped her hands. "Alright, let's not waste any more time. As we agreed last night, let's go buy some breakfast first, and then everyone will choose today's activities~ Let's go--"
"Guide," Yan Li interrupted coldly, "I don't have the habit of eating breakfast, so I won't."
"Huh?" Gao Yiling paused in surprise, "But..."
This was the first time Yu Xing had seen Yan Li so bluntly refuse the guide's arrangements.
Thinking that Yan Li must have discovered something last night to be so resistant to "breakfast," he lazily chimed in, "Me too, I'm not hungry at all. I'd rather participate in today's Yugi than eat breakfast. I've been looking forward to it all night."
With them taking the lead, everyone, whether they had ideas or not, realized that breakfast should probably be skipped if possible.
In an instant, almost all the passengers said they wouldn't eat anymore.
Gao Yiling was a little confused. Eating breakfast wasn't a necessary part of the trip, so it wasn't mandatory, but this was the first time she had gathered so many travelers who didn't eat breakfast.
She asked one last question, "So, is there anyone else who wants to grab something to eat with me?"
No one answered.
"Skipping breakfast is bad for your health," Gao Yiling muttered helplessly, then gave in to the rebellious passengers. "Alright, I'll go eat later and explain the rules of the Yugi to you directly."
The rhythm was slightly disrupted, but she quickly composed herself and returned to her cheerful work mode. "So everyone is really looking forward to the trip! I'm flattered! Now, for the two Yugi, will you choose to find the doll or make the lucky charm?"
Seemingly oblivious to the passengers' lackluster mood, she cheerfully explained the rules, pulling out a doll-like toy. "If you choose to find a doll, you'd better remember what it looks like!"
"There are a hundred identical dolls scattered throughout the town. If you can find any one of them and hand it over to the doll merchant on Baibao Street between 8:00 and 8:30 pm, you can get a slip of paper recommending accommodation for the night from the merchant. You can choose between an inn and a town resident's house."
She then took out a complete Lucky Charm: "To make Lucky Charm, you need to go to three different places in town to learn how to carve wooden plaques, make hanging ropes and tassels, and make wish ink. There's no strict order."
"After assembling a complete Lucky Charm, hang it on the Lucky Charm tree at the end of Baibao Street between 8:00 and 8:30. The young lady next to the sacred tree will give everyone a note indicating where to stay."
"How was today's schedule? Pretty relaxed, right? So, if you haven't finished any Yugi even with such an easy schedule..."
Gao Yiling drew out her words, trying to keep the conversation in suspense, but since no one was there to play along, she cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, well, then, there's nowhere to stay."
Medusa was having Lan Wu massage her fingers when she heard this and raised her bright eyes slightly. "Sleeping on the streets?"
"Yeah, we'll have to sleep on the street then." Gao Yiling made a cheering gesture. "So, don't let yourself end up sleeping on the street tonight! The Snow Festival starts at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. If the townspeople who are up early to prepare find you on the street, haha, that would be so embarrassing!"
"Maybe they'll tie ribbons made of offerings to tourists sleeping on the streets, and use them as Easter eggs as a gift~"
Got it. If I don't complete the task, I'll be used as a sacrifice.
"Alright, let's make a choice?"
Gao Yiling held up a Lucky Charm and a human-shaped doll, showing them to everyone.
To be wary of potential pitfalls, everyone approached and observed the area closely.
The sample of the Lucky Charm is vermilion in color, with a golden cord and tassels. The blessing reads, "May those who have left home return soon." The black ink on the mahogany base radiates a restrained and mysterious luster.
The faint scent of ink was almost imperceptible. Yu Xing recalled a certain smell he had caught last night, and became even more certain.
The doll was about the size of a palm, very small and exquisite, and made of cloth. The doll was shaped like a boy, with a pair of deep blue eyes sewn out by delicate threads stitch by stitch beneath his short black hair.
The doll was dressed in a dark green blouse with old-fashioned double-breasted buttons, black pants, and black cloth shoes, exuding the same scholarly air as Gao Yiling's Republic-era student uniform.
Hua Subai took a liking to the little doll at first sight and asked excitedly, "Can we keep this doll ourselves after we find it?"
"Sure! You can hang your wishes on the Lucky Charm, and the doll belongs to whoever finds it." Gao Yiling smiled. "You think the doll is cute, right? If you feel lucky, you can try finding a few more. All the ones you find are yours!"
"Since Miss Guide is so generous, I naturally have to choose to find the doll." Hua Subai didn't hesitate at all; in fact, this time, he didn't even consider Yu Xing's thoughts.
Yu Xing knew what he meant. Looking at the doll, she pursed her lips and silently felt a sense of unease.
"Look, isn't this doll just like you?" Sure enough, Hua Subai leaned in and whispered in his ear, "It seems the Fang family is in a real hurry to find you. And the prayer plaque they're demonstrating the wishes for... I feel like the Fang family is more like the King of Haste than Zhang Yu."
Yu Xing sneered, "Then, what do you want to take back 'my' doll?"
"It's rare to find a doll that looks so much like you, of course I'll take it home and keep it." Hua Subai's eyes widened slightly, as if in disbelief. "Don't you want one?"
"Don't try that on me." Yu Xing wouldn't be fooled by such a petty trick. What he noticed was that the doll did look a lot like him, and even had a small, barely noticeable mole below its big eyes.
In reality, even if there were ten thousand dolls that looked exactly like him in front of Hua Subai, it wouldn't matter. But in this instance world, he and the young master of the Fang family are indeed the same person, and the doll pointing at the young Fang family might actually have some mystical connection with him.
He was worried that after Hua Subai took the doll back, she would use that connection to do something to him, like casting a curse, tracking his location, or even letting the doll catch a flower in its hand...
It was precisely because he couldn't be sure how many tricks Hua Subai had up his sleeve, and saw how interested Hua Subai was, that he suddenly felt something was wrong.
But there were a hundred of these dolls, and no matter who tried to stop him from taking them, he couldn't stop Hua Subai.
We can only hope that he's overthinking things; otherwise, he could have already foreseen the trouble that was about to arise.
One by one, people chose their Yugi. The Witch Doctor, who had lost the cryptic psychic as a teammate, was much quieter than yesterday. She stared at the two samples for a long time before finally choosing the Lucky Charm.
Her actions spurred some indifferent or uncertain fortune tellers to choose Lucky Charm, and the number of people choosing them increased significantly.
Yu Xing said to Yan Li, "I'm going to the Fang Mansion today. To have more freedom of movement, I'll be choosing dolls. If you want to come along, you'd better think it through—"
You only need to find one doll, but there are three fixed locations to go to for the Lucky Charm. If they are far from the Fang Mansion and something unexpected happens, it would be bad if you couldn't get there in time.
Yan Li nodded slightly. "Understood."
Zhang Yu returned from Xue Shouyun's place. "Captain, Xue Shouyun went to get the Lucky Charm. If it's inconvenient for you to take me with you today, I'll stay by Xue Shouyun's side."
Yu Xing: "Okay."
It wasn't convenient to bring Zhang Yu to the Fang Mansion, or rather, he believed that it was best for anyone who was slightly weaker not to go there without knowing anything.
It must be extremely dangerous inside; even he might not have the mind to pay attention to others at all times.
The results of the selections were in: eleven people chose the Lucky Charm, and seven people chose the dolls.
Gao Yiling handed out slips of paper listing the three addresses needed to make the Lucky Charm to the corresponding people, then said, "Here's a little tip for travelers looking for dolls—there are no dolls in Baibao Street!"
"Alright, I'm starving, I need to go eat. You guys are free to do whatever you want! If you have any questions during today's trip, feel free to come to my house, I'm always here!"
She still made sure to rush home to take care of her sick father.
Nightmare, who had been completely bewildered since the gathering and not seeing the flower seeker, snapped out of her daze at this moment. She watched the tour guide's departing figure, pondered for a moment, and then followed him.
Regardless, she got the job of being the guide's father's caregiver through her own abilities. The guide's secrets had not yet been discovered, and she had a unique advantage.
Now that her employers are gone, she's just sticking to the guide route and avoiding conflicts with others.
After all, she didn't dare to think too deeply about how the flower seeker had died, what if she had been killed along with him...
With a grotesque expression, she became increasingly certain that Yu Xing's words to her yesterday were a warning.
She didn't dare to say another word to Yu Xing; her back view was filled with sorrow.
Those who had chosen their Yugi left one after another, because there weren't many people left. They had also experienced just how difficult Nanshui Town really was, so many of those who weren't very familiar with each other considered forming a temporary alliance.
The Witch Doctor also came to see Hua Subai.
According to her reasoning, Boss Hua should have died yesterday, but he didn't, which means that Boss Hua must be strong enough to overturn her prediction.
Today, she still saw a strong aura of death. This time, the aura lingered around many people, but it wasn't particularly strong. However, the aura around Boss Hua was the faintest.
This means that everyone will encounter potentially fatal danger today, and the chances of averting this danger are high, but being next to Boss Hua is the safest option.
Hua Subai didn't refuse immediately, but instead asked Yu Xing for confirmation, "Are you really so heartless as to not take me with you?"
Yu Xing: "Absolutely true."
"Then I'll just have to find a few more dolls to comfort myself." Hua Subai glanced at Yan Li with a mournful look, which made Yan Li's scalp tingle for some reason.
"I won't leave you any of the extra dolls I find!" Before leaving, Hua Subai left behind a seemingly childish but harsh remark.
Yu Xing: "Whatever."
Finally, there were only a few people left in the alley. Zhang Yu followed Xue Shouyun to confirm the location of the sacred tree. There were hardly any uninformed outsiders present. Medusa walked over gracefully, standing with her arms crossed with great interest:
"Hey, I also chose to find a doll. Which mansion are we going to? Can I take one with me? You've already brought one, Yan Li, it won't hurt to add me, right?"
Lan Wu, standing behind her, inexplicably thought that last night he seemed to have also asked Yu Xing to protect him.
Will Yu Xing think that the Midnight Guild is doing this on purpose... to fleece him?
In response to Medusa's self-recommendation, Yan Li replied coldly, "What were you doing last night when I went to kill the Flower Seekers alone?"
Medusa said, "It's resisting the erosion of cognition."
She slightly raised her arms, revealing the tightly wrapped bandages around her waist.
This woman's waist was incredibly thin. The bandages were wrapped around her several times, but instead of making her look bulky, they accentuated her slender waist perfectly because they hugged her body.
The inward-curving arc had an almost irresistible charm, and even Yu Xing glanced at it subconsciously.
"Hey, King of Hell, can't you see my wound?" Medusa wasn't very polite, raising one eyebrow and flashing a mocking look in her eyes. "I know you're everyone's talking about as the strongest diviner, but I'm not as strong as you. I'm injured~"
"I'm still badly injured, so I can't help you fight the Flower Seekers."
Lan Wu, who had just listened to her say for a while that he was "not seriously injured," was speechless. He didn't know whether President Medusa was trying to comfort him to keep him from worrying or exaggerating to spite Yan Li.
Yan Li felt a chill run down his spine from the long, drawn-out tail. "Speak properly."
"If you don't like it, cover your ears." Medusa's voice suddenly turned cold, and the smile on her face vanished in an instant. "Handsome, don't meddle too much."
In an instant, she seemed to transform from a lazy, coiled snake into a snake standing upright before attacking. If I wasn't mistaken, I could almost hear the hissing of a venomous snake flicking its tongue in the void.
Yu Xing: Oh wow, that's fierce.
Yan Li was also taken aback by the harsh words. His expression froze, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked to the side with a dark face, seemingly angry as well.
Medusa ignored her completely, her expression instantly changing to a smile, "Yu Xing ~ What do you think?"
She took a few more steps closer, her bright face almost touching Yu Xing's nose. "I recognized that doll too, so... although I don't know why yet, I can understand it as the Fang Mansion having some kind of relationship with the tour group, using the tour group to create the illusion that they're looking for 'you'?"
Yu Xing's neck felt a little itchy from Medusa's breath, but with the alley wall behind him, he could only turn slightly to the side. A smile played on his lips as he said, "Miss Medusa is quite right. However, we still need to be mindful of social distancing."
This woman seemed to exude a captivating charm that stirred the blood; her alluring power was so blatantly displayed, and it became even more pronounced in quiet, secluded settings.
She never tried to hide it, as if to say, "Those who are willing will take the bait."
In Greek mythology, Medusa possessed eyes that could not be looked at directly; anyone who looked into those eyes would turn to stone.
The Medusa before her seemed to be able to constantly draw people's attention to her. When she was neither arrogant nor icy cold, her eyes were shimmering and enchanting, as if she could encompass all unsavory fantasies and erotic thoughts.
--It's extremely dangerous, but also extremely exciting; it's very easy to start a fire.
As a man—or at least appear to be a "person" —Yu Xing felt it necessary to keep a distance from her, lest his mind be clear while his body acted out of control and produced inappropriate changes.
He had no such intentions whatsoever, and it would be a great injustice if he were seen doing so—it would only deepen the wrong impressions some people in the broken mirror had of him.
"Sigh... another strangely upright person." Medusa took two steps back, seemingly disappointed, and covered her mouth with a laugh. "Since you promised to let me go to the Fang Mansion with you, I won't tease you anymore."
Yu Xing laughed.
He felt that if Medusa continued to speak to him in that tone, Yan Li would inevitably turn his head back to check the situation.
"Let's get serious. Since the Fang Mansion finding you so much, it means this Bugui youngest son is very useful to them at this juncture." Medusa's nails, painted with henna, lightly touched her lips. "Once you go back, it might not be so easy for you to leave."
"You must have your reasons for sending that Boss Hua away, but wouldn't it be safer to take me with you?"
"With me here, the chances of us not being trapped in the Fang Mansion are much greater, aren't they? That's why you agreed to Yan Li's request, isn't it?"
Beautiful women not only possess stunning looks, but also have sharp minds that can see things clearly.
The claim that he agreed out of gratitude was nothing more than a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yu Xing was simply going with the flow, letting Yan Li share the risk of entering the Fang Mansion with him.
Yan Li was naturally aware of this, but simply didn't say it outright.
"We've come this far, it would seem hypocritical of me to refuse." Yu Xing shrugged. "Then let's go together. But Lan Wu n't come along; going in would be suicide for him."
"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements with someone. Someone is waiting for him at the sacred tree." Medusa had indeed been certain that Yu Xing agree, and even had Lan Wu choose a different Lucky Charm Yugi than she had.
"President, then be careful--" Lan Wu lowered his head slightly, looking at the woman who was a little shorter than him, suppressing any excessive worry.
"Don't worry about such a trivial matter, Lan Wu." She placed one hand on Lan Wu's chest; the white-haired youth's body temperature beneath his clothes was intense, unlike his outward appearance.
The young man was not short, with broad shoulders and long legs, and originally had a very healthy and well-proportioned physique. However, due to the NPC's conversion deviation, he became so thin, and it is still difficult for him to recover.
Medusa chuckled and tapped her index finger twice, "You should worry about what you'll do if you can't get your pecs back and I complain about how they feel to the touch."
Lan Wu was a little flustered, and for a moment he seemed to be really thinking about the problem.
Then, blushing, he said, "I'll get back to it eventually. I'll... I'll be going now."
"Go on, remember how to use the amulet I gave you?"
"Um."
Lan Wu fled out of the alley as if escaping, much to Yu Xing's surprise.
Yan Li, with an air of indifference, said coldly, "Let's set off. It's best to collect all the dolls on the way to the Fang Mansion."
Yu Xing snapped out of her thoughts, "Alright, by the way, tell me what you all experienced last night. In exchange, I'll give you information about the hotel."
They came from the alley to the main street and found that there seemed to be fewer townspeople walking around on Baibao Street than yesterday.
This isn't a good place to discuss intelligence, so they've remained silent for the time being.
But before they had taken more than a few steps, they heard a commotion coming from the entrance of Baibao Street.
"Fuck your mother, have all the people outside gone mad?!" The one who swore without regard for his image was Gu Xing from the Research Institute, who was running back from the entrance. He was alone and was the fastest to return.
Gu Xing, drenched in cold sweat and still reeling, saw Yu Xing and the other two. His eyes lit up and he quickly approached. "Outside Baibao Street, the townspeople have started turning into monsters and attacking us. As an office worker, I can't move an inch. Could you three possibly bring a burden along?"
Yu Xing immediately thought of what Gao Yiling had said: that the townspeople would definitely make them feel very lively today.
So that's what you meant.
No wonder I only need to find one doll all day. If nothing unexpected happens, I can just use my points to buy a [pointer] in the store and that will solve the problem.
The difficulty of simply finding something in a haystack is completely different from finding something in a haystack while being chased and blocked by monsterized townspeople.
Yu Xing understood that it would be difficult for the Research Institute's intellectually gifted strategists to act alone in this situation, but there was no other way; they were heading to the Fang Mansion: "Sorry, it's not on our way."
Gu Xing was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the three of them and seemed to understand something. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Sorry to bother you, I'll go find someone else right away."
Fortunately, a lot of people went to the end of Baibao Street to see the sacred tree, so he can definitely make it if he goes now.
.