Chapter 76
Chapter 76
For all that Yu Lingling was the guardian of a little hellion, she was still an underage kid herself.
The glamorous woman narrowed her eyes and studied Yu Lingling carefully.
Yu Lingling decided she should listen to her brother and be a polite good child. “My name is Chacha. How should I address you?”
The glamorous woman scoffed. “I’m Ah Bu.”
Yu Lingling sweetly asked, “Auntie Ah Bu, may I take a look inside this tent?”
Ah Bu shifted slightly, revealing the entrance she had been blocking. “Are you sure you want to go in?”
“I’m sure,” Yu Lingling replied.
“Suit yourself,” Ah Bu said bluntly.
Yu Lingling took Tongyu by the hand and walked inside.
There were no oil lamps in the tent. Only a sliver of light filtered in through the open door and windows. Aside from the scent of blood, however, there was no smell of animal waste, and even the bloody odor wasn’t particularly strong.
Ah Bu followed behind them, her chilling gaze fixed on the backs of their heads. “Found anything?”
“Nope,” Yu Lingling replied. “Why don’t you show us around some more, Auntie Ah Bu?”
For reasons of her own, Ah Bu agreed. “Fine.”
Yu Lingling immediately said, “Little Fish and his big sister both thank you, Auntie Ah Bu.”
Tongyu had the distinct feeling that Yu Lingling was taking advantage of him by calling herself his big sister. There had been no need to add that title at all. Even so, he followed her lead. “Thank you, Auntie Ah Bu.”
In the darkness, Ah Bu flicked out her forked tongue to gather Yu Lingling’s and Tongyu’s scents. Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits. “You’re welcome.”
Yu Lingling seemed completely oblivious. After circling the tent once, she followed Ah Bu back outside.
Ah Bu led Yu Lingling and Tongyu around the Circus. “The audience loves the performances at our Circus.”
Yu Lingling praised them with complete sincerity. “Your imitation is very convincing.”
Ah Bu stopped and stared intently at Yu Lingling.
The viewers in Yu Lingling’s Livestream Room were startled by her audacious remark. When they saw Ah Bu’s eerie reaction, those worried about Yu Lingling broke out in a cold sweat. Some viewers, however, grew excited, wishing Ah Bu would reveal her monstrous form in the very next second and tear the pair of siblings apart.
Ah Bu’s voice turned icy. “What are you talking about?”
Yu Lingling seemed too slow to notice the change in Ah Bu. “You’ve taken everything humans did to you and recreated it on humans.”
Ah Bu’s gaze locked onto Yu Lingling’s throat. “So?”
“I think that’s perfectly fine.” Yu Lingling genuinely meant it. “A favor for a favor, a grudge for a grudge. When it comes to humans and animals, whichever side is stronger gets to rule.”
Only after a long while did Ah Bu look away and continue forward. “You’re very strange.”
Strange enough that she didn’t seem like an outsider. Didn’t these outsiders always say that anyone not of their own kind was bound to harbor ill intentions?
Yu Lingling thought for a moment before asking sincerely, “Am I strange?”
Did she still not pass for human? Even an entity thought she was strange?
Ah Bu seemed very interested in the kitten in Yu Lingling’s arms. “How about we trade one question for one question?”
Yu Lingling blinked and smiled innocently. “But the origins of this kitten in my arms are very mysterious. Trading that for just one question would put me at a disadvantage.”
In truth, Yu Lingling had noticed Ah Bu’s interest in the kitten long ago. She also knew Ah Bu had been telling the truth when she said there were eleven animals.
Ah Bu sounded confident. “I can tell you how to obtain lamp oil.”
“No need,” Yu Lingling replied naturally. “Isn’t it just our blood?”
Ah Bu’s confident expression cracked, and she stared hard at Yu Lingling.
When Yu Lingling saw Ah Bu stop, she naturally stopped as well. “Those anomalies lurking in the darkness at night are people who failed to become employees, aren’t they?”
Unlike Ah Bu, that stingy snake, Yu Lingling was a very generous person.
Yu Lingling had deliberately avoided being the first to use labels like “players” or “outsiders” inside the instance. If one of those words happened to be taboo and caused an entity to turn hostile on the spot, that would be bad.
Ah Bu said nothing.
Yu Lingling beckoned to her. “Auntie Ah Bu, you’re a little too tall. I can’t whisper in your ear like this.”
Ah Bu stared intently at Yu Lingling, trying to discern her intentions, but she couldn’t read anything from her expression.
At that moment, Yu Lingling looked like nothing more than a playful, affectionate junior who truly regarded her as an auntie.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ah Bu bent down and lowered her head. These outsiders couldn’t hurt her anyway. The moment any of them dared attack her, she could make sure they stayed here forever.
A strange thrill stirred inside her at the thought. This outsider had an interesting personality, not to mention such delicate, tender skin. When the time came, Ah Bu could savor her bit by bit so she wouldn’t turn into a pile of body parts too quickly.
Yu Lingling leaned close to Ah Bu’s ear and whispered, “You’re the ones who are truly afraid of the dark, aren’t you?”
Her voice was soft and sweet in the way only a young girl’s could be, but her words sent a chill down Ah Bu’s spine.
Yu Lingling could indeed feel the burning sensation, and the darkness had injured her, but the damage was limited. The things lurking in the darkness might be able to kill the players, but the monsters would undoubtedly die first.
Yu Lingling had deduced this from the dwarf and the monstrous spectators. Every one of those spectators had carried an oil lamp when they left.
The way the dwarf held his lamp, his movements, and his obvious tension all pointed to the same conclusion. Most importantly, Yu Lingling had noticed him checking the lamp oil from time to time. When their conversation delayed them from entering the tent, the dwarf had grown both irritated and anxious.
Ah Bu straightened. “So what?”
Yu Lingling spoke gently. “Why don’t we work together?”
[Holy shit! What’s she trying to do? Work with a monster?]
[How is that any different from making a deal with a tiger?]
[Does she want to team up with the monster and kill all the players? That’s inhuman!]
[I like this streamer. Kill them all! Streamer, tear those players apart and I’ll send you a tip!]
Ah Bu found the suggestion laughable. “Work together? What can you offer me?”
Yu Lingling pointed toward the tent where they had watched the performance the night before. “I have a way to destroy that tent and set you free.”
[What does she mean by ‘set you free’?]
[That tent is made of snakeskin! And look at the way Ah Bu walks, not to mention her forked tongue and slit pupils!]
Yu Lingling’s voice remained gentle, carrying a hint of temptation. “It can’t be comfortable wearing a red dress all the time, can it? Doesn’t every moment hurt? Your blood keeps dyeing your dress red. You must be in agony, aren’t you?”
Ah Bu nearly lost control of her human form.
“My brother once told me the story of the Little Mermaid. Her fish tail turned into feet, but every step she took on land felt like walking on the points of knives.” Who knew what Yu Huan had been thinking when he decided Yu Lingling ought to hear fairy tales? He had barely told her a few before giving up. “You’re in an even worse situation than the Little Mermaid, aren’t you?”
It was phrased as a question, but Yu Lingling’s tone was utterly certain.
The Happy Circus Instance had been running for so long, yet Yu Lingling was the only person who had seen through all of this. She was even the first to offer Ah Bu a solution in exchange for her cooperation.
Ah Bu felt as though her heart had begun beating again, taking her back to when she had still been alive – before someone had skinned her alive.
“What do you want?”
The moment Ah Bu asked that question, many people realized Yu Lingling had been right.
Knowing she had already lost the upper hand, Ah Bu added, “If you can really do it, I’ll send you out. I’ll even give you the treasure chest everyone wants.”
A treasure chest?
Yu Lingling blinked, then took out a contract she had prepared in advance and handed it over. “I can clear the instance on my own. If I pull it off, how about you sign this contract?”