After my cousin finished his porridge and went to work, Zhang Yuanqing went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
When he woke, lively sound effects filled his ears. He opened his eyes to see the glow of the television screen flickering around the room. The ceiling light was off.
He sat up and looked toward the window. His aunt was sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, playing his PS5. She had rolled up her sleeves, revealing two slender, fair arms, and her delicate figure swayed from side to side as she worked the controller.
Zhang Yuanqing yawned, got up, turned on the light, and went over to stand behind his aunt, watching her play.
She was playing a horror game with a hellish art style and eerie music. Its protagonist was an ugly little figure carrying a blood-soaked axe, fighting its way through level after level and leaving a trail of bloody carnage.
The TV's glow reflected in her limpid eyes. Her lovely, oval face was bright, and she looked faintly excited.
"This game's pretty good. It's perfect for playing at night. Very therapeutic." His aunt didn't even turn around as she spoke.
His aunt had three great loves: shopping, horror movies, and horror games.
Wasn't it depressing, not therapeutic? You're a twisted woman. Though he didn't mean it, Zhang Yuanqing agreed. "Yeah, it's pretty interesting."
His aunt glanced back at him. "You don't have to be so insincere with me."
She turned back to the game and continued:
"Actually, it's a therapeutic game. All the monsters on screen are things a little boy has imagined. He's mentally ill, and he struggles to keep from being consumed by his inner demons. In the end, he fights his way through and finally sees the light. The ending is really touching."
While she was talking, Zhang Yuanqing had already poured himself a glass of water. He took a drink and replied, "That's a nice message."
His aunt hummed in agreement and went on:
"Every boss follows a specific pattern. As long as you pay attention, even a little boy with no strength can defeat the terrifying monsters. But the scary visuals and music often make people afraid and keep them from thinking clearly.
"Come play."
Zhang Yuanqing wasn't in the mood to play with his aunt. It had been nearly twenty hours since he left the Spirit Realm, and it would open again in a dozen or so hours. What awaited him might be death.
He might as well think about how to spend the last dozen hours of his life so he wouldn't have any regrets.
Call his mom and give her a piece of his mind? Hug his aunt and cry? Sing, dance, and rap with his uncle one last time?
He suddenly realized that he didn't have anything in particular to regret, nor any long-cherished wish. As a college student with a fairly comfortable home life, he simply hadn't had many worries.
Only those who had weathered life's hardships had plenty of regrets they couldn't let go.
"Oh, come play!" His aunt wiggled her waist and coaxed him.
Looking at her lovely figure from behind, Zhang Yuanqing's expression softened. He sat beside her and took the controller from her hands.
If he only had a dozen or so hours left to live, playing one more game with her wouldn't be a bad way to spend them.
With his aunt crunching on potato chips and chattering away as she coached him, Zhang Yuanqing beat the game. When he checked the time, he realized it was already eleven at night.
"Not bad, not bad. You've got a real talent for this."
His aunt sucked on her fair fingers, patted her nephew on the shoulder, and praised him. Then she wiped her saliva on him.
"Gross. That's disgusting." Zhang Yuanqing looked at her with disgust.
"Pfft. This is nectar from the heavens. Don't take your blessings for granted," Jiang Yu'er said shamelessly.
"Nectar from the heavens? How much does it cost per pound?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed.
"It's not for sale at any price, but Auntie can give you a few drops." Jiang Yu'er puckered her lips, looking ready to smear her saliva on Zhang Yuanqing.
Zhang Yuanqing leaned back to dodge her.
Click!
The door handle turned. Grandmother stood in the doorway, frowning as she looked at them.
Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu'er immediately sat up straight.
"Are you going to eat or not?" Grandmother scolded. "You stay up all night and sleep all day. Then you wake up and play games. You were born on the ground, so why are you trying to fly up to the heavens?"
Zhang Yuanqing set down the controller. "I know, I know. I'll eat right away."
Grandmother shot her daughter a cold look. His aunt slunk off to her bedroom.
Dinner had been kept warm. Grandmother reheated the cold dishes, and Zhang Yuanqing wolfed down a few bites before returning to his room. He summoned his Inventory and checked that the Zombie Suppressing Talisman was still there.
Then he checked his attribute panel.
After that, he prayed for good news from Li Dongze's side while thinking over every detail of the Mountain God Temple.
While playing with his aunt earlier, he'd had a new insight.
If the Spirit Realm was also a game, then did it follow rules? If he could find them, then even as a little boy with no strength, he might be able to clear it.
As he let his thoughts wander, a shrill ringtone rang out, making Zhang Yuanqing's heart stop.
He grabbed the phone from his bedside and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. He answered.
"Hello, is this Zhang Yuanqing?"
A sultry voice came through the speaker. Delighted, Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly asked:
"Did you get the information on Sheling Tunnel?"
Guan Ya hummed in reply.
"The Squad Leader got more detailed information for you. He asked me to send it to your email. I know you young people never check your email, so I'm calling to let you know."
As expected of the authorities. Joining them had been the right choice. Zhang Yuanqing's mood brightened at once. He resisted the urge to rush over to his computer and check his inbox, and said earnestly:
"Please thank Squad Leader Li for me. Thank you too, Sister Guan Ya. Once I complete the trial successfully, I'll treat you both to a meal."
Complete the trial successfully... Guan Ya sighed to herself. She hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a rare, gentle voice:
"All right. I'll be waiting."
She had already read the information Taiyi Sect had sent over. Afterward, she'd felt only despair. No wonder the Squad Leader had been down all day.
In Li Dongze's mind, this newly recruited Night Wanderer was probably going to die during the trial.
After ending the call, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his ergonomic chair, eagerly started his laptop, and logged into his email.
He found Guan Ya's email among the jumble of unread messages.
He downloaded the attached document.
[Sheling Tunnel, Spirit Realm No. 0079, Difficulty: S, Type: Solo (Death-Type)]
[Main Quest 1: Survive for three hours.]
[Main Quest 2: Explore Spirit Realm No. 0079.]
The same as my trial quest. Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted. That was a good sign. The closer its description matched his quest, the better.
[The setting of Spirit Realm No. 0079 is not Sheling Tunnel, but an ancient temple from the Ming dynasty called the Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain.
[Based on my deductions, this Lady was likely a Night Wanderer of extremely high rank. No, perhaps she can no longer be called a Night Wanderer. It is unclear whether a peerlessly beautiful Lady like her really existed during the Ming dynasty. It's also possible that the Spirit Realm made her up.]
What followed was a long account of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain. Its contents matched what Zhang Yuanqing had seen in the temple.
He continued reading:
[The quest to survive for three hours is relatively simple. At first, after I read the contents of the notebook, I was harassed by a vengeful spirit. Its trait is that it continuously drains the yang energy from living things until its target dies.
[As a Night Wanderer, I naturally suppress spirits. I drove it away without much effort, but when I tried to devour it, I encountered tremendous resistance. Perhaps the Spirit Realm is protecting the vengeful spirit.
[Everyone who reads the notebook is cursed and relentlessly pursued by a vengeful spirit. Any method of driving it away is only temporary. After dispelling the spirit, you get roughly fifteen minutes of safety.
[One thing worth mentioning: the Mountain God Temple has a main hall and two adjoining courtyards behind it. The candles in the main hall are an extremely powerful item with the ability to ward off evil and purify. As long as you hide in the main hall, you're safe. The price is that the candle erases fear from people's hearts. If you bask in its light for too long, you'll become fearless. In such a dangerous Spirit Realm, fearlessness is fatal. Also, the candle can't be moved or taken out of the Spirit Realm.
[After half an hour in the main hall, I suddenly heard someone calling for help. The cries came from the rear courtyard, mixed with bloodcurdling roars that didn't sound human. After hesitating for a while, I decided to explore the courtyard.]
The main hall really was a safe room. I confirmed that myself. But I didn't expect the candle to be the source. I thought it was the beautiful Mountain Goddess.
The cries for help came from the big banyan tree. I never heard the roars. The courtyard to the east really was terrifying. Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened, and he drew a quiet, shuddering breath.
He took a deep breath and focused on reading. The information that followed was extremely important. If he learned what was in the other courtyard ahead of time, he could avoid danger while exploring it.
[The big banyan tree is dangerous. Don't look back. Don't look back.]
[This banyan tree seems to be conscious. But why is it calling for help? As for the terrifying roars, I couldn't find their source, because something interrupted my exploration. It was a pair of Red Dancing Shoes.]
[It didn't attack me right away. Instead, it invited me to dance. To test it, I accepted its invita]
[I couldn't remember its dance steps. They were too chaotic and complicated. For someone like me with no dancing experience, they were impossible to perform. No, even someone with dancing experience couldn't have remembered those steps. I failed, and the Red Dancing Shoes began pursuing me.]
[I managed to escape back to the main hall, but it broke two of my ribs by stomping on them. I think I've figured out what it really is. This is an incredibly terrifying item. It can track its target regardless of terrain or obstacles, and it won't stop until it gets what it wants. My preliminary guess is that it's a rule-based item.]
[Unbelievable. There's a rule-based item in a trial Spirit Realm. Now I understand why Qian Shou died in the Mountain God Temple despite carrying an item. I also understand why no one has ever cleared this Spirit Realm. Are you kidding me? Anyone who enters Sheling Tunnel is either a Level 1 early-stage Night Wanderer or an ordinary person. How could they possibly clear it?]
[I still don't know why the Mountain God Temple fell into ruin, or what the secret behind its thousand-year rise and decline is. I hope I can complete the second main quest and bring the truth back to the organization.]
The document ended there, with no further information.
Zhang Yuanqing knew that this Night Wanderer had most likely died during the second main quest.
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