The woman slowly turned to stare at the group. With the special effects makeup on her face, she really did look rather eerie.
She followed the beam of light, preparing to walk to the end and hand them a clue.
Lin Yu had already reached out to take it.
Suddenly, the actress flew into the air, her back slamming hard against the wall. Surprise crossed her face, then her whole body began trembling, her eyes wide.
"Urgh!!"
She clawed at her neck as though an invisible force were restraining her. Her legs struggled helplessly in the air, and her face flushed red.
Lin Yu's outstretched hand hung in midair. He watched in surprise, but still assumed it was just an impromptu performance by the NPC.
"Help... help... me!"
She was on the verge of suffocating, her rapid breaths grinding to a halt. Trembling uncontrollably, she could only wave instinctively for help.
??? This looks so real! Is it actually happening?!
Holy shit, holy shit, someone save her! That doesn't look fake!
Off camera, Chen Xianyu shot up from his chair, his voice terrified. "What's going on?! Why has something happened again?!"
They hadn't arranged this part at all!
Hadn't they already burned incense before the livestream started?!
The assistant director rubbed his chin. "I think... Jiang Nuo will have a way."
He glanced at Chen Xianyu, who looked more terrified than ever, and shook his head. "You brought your mistress here to try acting, and you couldn't even give her a better role."
Who the hell let their little lover experience acting as an escape room NPC?! He'd only just finished talking to his wife on the phone, too. Tsk, tsk.
"She asked for it herself! What was I supposed to do?!" Chen Xianyu rubbed his bald head, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Si Yan watched for a few seconds, then turned toward Jiang Nuo beside him, seeming to ask something.
Yang Xiaoxiao's voice trembled too. "J-Jiang Nuo! It looks like something really has grabbed her!"
Jiang Nuo immediately pushed off the table and leaped up. A talisman slipped from his sleeve, and he caught it between two fingers, pressing it between the actress's brows.
Then his fingertips traced across the wall. Black mist swiftly flared up along it, as though something had retreated back inside.
Jiang Nuo grabbed her and landed.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, agile and effortless.
Holy shit! Fuck, Jiang Nuo is so damn cool!!
As a power simp, I'm absolutely in love!
Raise your standards, people...
Lin Yu was speechless with shock, staring at the scene in disbelief.
It was... actually real?
This Jiang Nuo really did have some very unusual abilities.
"All done."
Jiang Nuo let go.
Without his support, the actress immediately collapsed to the floor. She curled up, her muscles tense, clutching her throat and gasping. Her hair clung to her face, already drenched in cold sweat.
"Thank you..."
She slowly recovered. Knowing the yellow talisman on her forehead had saved her, she kept bowing to Jiang Nuo in thanks, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"You're welcome."
Jiang Nuo was about to turn away when he suddenly stared at her forehead. Half a second later, he held out his hand. "Twenty thousand per talisman."
The actress: "..."
She froze, reaching a trembling hand toward the talisman on her face.
Could she pull it off now and give it back?!
"The spell on this talisman is single-use, you know," Jiang Nuo said, as though he could tell what she was thinking.
The actress wanted to cry again.
"I... I'll pay you... after the show."
That price was daylight robbery! This guy... hadn't done it on purpose, had he?!
No wonder the whole internet hated him!
At the price, Si Yan suddenly shifted his gaze and blinked, feeling rather pleased. Twenty thousand for just one, yet Nuonuo had given him so many for only a hundred thousand!
The bullet comments exploded.
How much??? Holy fucking shit, Jiang Nuo, have you lost your mind?
Has he fucking gone insane??
My dad's a Daoist priest too... He usually needs ages to prepare before writing talismans. He just watched this with me and said Jiang Nuo's talismans are very unusual, but incredibly effective! So that price seems... pretty reasonable?
Yeah, right, commenter above!! How valuable can a piece of talisman paper be?! Are you a shill Jiang Nuo hired?
Seriously, seriously?? People actually believe this? How is this any different from robbery? Jiang Nuo could save people anyway, so what right does he have to charge?
Anyone saying it isn't expensive can get lost too! Why should that NPC have to pay so much?!
Xiao Mang, who had just posted the explanatory comment, pursed her lips and looked at her dad, who had suddenly gotten excited and started making a phone call.
But it really was true. Why wouldn't these people believe it?
Though twenty thousand... did seem a tiny bit expensive.
The guests on camera thought so too.
As though he couldn't bear to watch any longer, Lin Yu stepped forward and interrupted Jiang Nuo. "Why bully an NPC? This talisman doesn't need to cost anywhere near that much."
His tone was gentle as he stood in front of the actress and reasoned with him. "People in our line of work earn more than ordinary people. You shouldn't be short of money, should you, Jiang Nuo?"
Jiang Nuo said, "I am."
Smiling, he held his hand out toward Lin Yu instead. "You're so kind. Why don't you pay for her?"
The actress's eyes immediately lit up. She bowed to Lin Yu at once. "Thank you, Mr. Lin! Thank you!"
Lin Yu: "..."
Having been put on the spot like this, he had to pay whether he wanted to or not. He never did anything that would damage his image.
"All right, I'll pay the twenty thousand for her."
Lin Yu smiled helplessly.
Jiang Nuo suddenly reminded him, "You really want to pay for her?"
"Of course. Don't worry, Jiang Nuo. I won't forget."
Assuming Jiang Nuo simply didn't believe him, Lin Yu repeated himself, playing the good guy to the end.
Jiang Nuo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "All right."
Only after receiving that assurance did the actress leave.
Tian Dong folded his arms and sneered. "Look, Jiang Nuo, even if you don't have any other work, you can't go around swindling people. Surely you're not that poor."
"You really have gone mad from poverty, scamming even ordinary people out of their money."
"You really do talk a lot." There was no patience left in Jiang Nuo's gaze as he looked at Tian Dong. "And every word is obnoxious."
Si Yan glanced at Tian Dong, his gaze cold and dark. "Want to get hit again?"
Tian Dong clenched his fists and lowered his head, saying nothing more.
Si Yan took another wet wipe from his pocket and wiped Jiang Nuo's hands.
Jiang Nuo suddenly looked down at his fingers and joked, "By the end of this shoot, you'll have rubbed my hands raw."
Si Yan paused briefly, then leisurely took some hand cream from his pocket and applied it under Jiang Nuo's astonished gaze.
Jiang Nuo: "..."
"You... well done."
The two young women crouching over the puzzle stood up. Chu Xiu looked delighted. "Jiang Nuo! We solved the puzzle!"
Yang Xiaoxiao pointed at the arrows on the floor. "The arrows point in the direction the numbers open toward. Look at the strokes vertically, and they form numbers."
"So the code is 5340."
Chu Xiu entered the numbers into the lock, and sure enough, it clicked open.
Jiang Nuo praised them without reservation. "You two are amazing!"
Everyone headed toward the next room, with an even longer corridor to pass through.
Tian Dong trailed behind, his expression already faintly darkening. With his head lowered, the look in his eyes beneath his hair was even more sinister.
Why... why had Jiang Nuo stolen the spotlight again?! He was the one who brought in this show's viewers!
It was all Jiang Nuo's fault! And he just had to keep going against him, again and again!
In the corridor, danger arose once more.