chapter 20

Cold sweat broke out on Bai Jiang’s back. He swallowed hard, feeling lingering fear. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go inside and discuss our next move together.”

But Cheng Miao’s gaze drifted toward the vegetable garden behind them. “No rush. Go find two shovels.”

“Shovels?” Bai Jiang followed Cheng Miao’s gaze to the mound of earth, looking unconvinced. “That dirt looks strange. Maybe we shouldn’t touch it for now.”

Cheng Miao said nothing, just stood there staring at the mound. Seeing her determination, and recalling her cautious nature, Bai Jiang didn’t press further. He hurried into the house.

Cheng Miao walked to the edge of the fertile soil, lowering her eyes in thought.

Judging from the Game’s settings, the Player’s best chance to clear the Instance was before dawn tomorrow. Otherwise, endless tasks after sunrise would drain all their energy.

So this patch of land didn’t seem very useful. It couldn’t possibly be left for Players who missed the clearance to farm in the Instance, could it?

It seemed pointless, yet its discoverable nature reminded Cheng Miao of another place: Doctor Xu’s darkroom.

This could very well be the Instance’s hidden plot. Doctor Xu’s darkroom not only helped Cheng Miao flesh out the main storyline, but also yielded an Item-a photo whose use was still unknown.

So what could be hidden beneath this soil…

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped Cheng Miao out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Bai Jiang and Qi Jiajia supporting the still-unstable Tong Qian as they walked over.

“I heard it’s safe outside now, so Tong Qian and I came out for some air.” Qi Jiajia’s face was expressionless, but her eyes were fixed intently on Cheng Miao.

Cheng Miao didn’t expose their real motive-not wanting to be alone with the Three Bears. She nodded and took the shovel, which was as big as a washbasin, nearly stumbling under its weight.

Cheng Miao: …

Bai Jiang couldn’t help but laugh as he took the shovel from her. “Just tell me where to dig, I’ll do it.”

Cheng Miao pointed sternly at the mound. Bai Jiang immediately thrust the shovel into the gap.

“Clang!”

He couldn’t dig in, as if he’d hit marble-there was no way through.

Bai Jiang curiously touched it. “It’s hard, like an iron plate.”

Qi Jiajia, still supporting Tong Qian, came over to look. Although Tong Qian’s arm had stopped bleeding, it was only haphazardly bandaged with clothing, and blood still trickled down. Tong Qian’s face was as pale as paper.

Cheng Miao glanced worriedly at Tong Qian’s deformed arm, but then noticed something odd: the blood dripping from Tong Qian’s fingertips was instantly absorbed into the soil, as if the earth was drinking it up.

Cheng Miao crouched down and touched the soil. It was damp and soft. She pressed harder, and a small hole appeared.

Bai Jiang: …

“Huh, how did you make a hole?” Qi Jiajia clearly saw it too, and curiously poked the soil-each poke made a hole.

For a moment, she actually seemed like a child her age.

Cheng Miao looked at the holes in the ground, at a loss for words. The Game really had a twisted sense of humor.

“Tong Qian, could you come over here?” Though Tong Qian was dizzy from blood loss, she obediently walked to Cheng Miao’s side.

“Put your injured arm on the mound.” Tong Qian’s blood was absorbed by the soil, which heaved and fell greedily, as if breathing, devouring every drop.

Everyone was disgusted by the scene. When Cheng Miao judged it was enough, she asked Qi Jiajia to help Tong Qian rest to the side. Bai Jiang, without needing a reminder, began digging into the now noticeably softened mound.

Soon, a white spot appeared in the shallow pit. Cheng Miao told Bai Jiang to stop, then wrapped her hand in her jacket and started to dig herself.

Digging pits was something she’d gotten used to-after a few tries, Cheng Miao unearthed the object hidden inside.
“Is this… Ginseng?” Bai Jiang looked at the humanoid plant in Cheng Miao’s hand, a little uncertain.

Cheng Miao leaned in and sniffed it. There was no strange smell, just the fresh scent of a herb.

“Ginseng? What does that have to do with the Three Bears? Is Baby Bear’s toy a ginseng?” Qi Jiajia’s thoughts jumped quickly. She immediately thought of the toy and believed they could clear the Instance right away, her spirits visibly lifted.

“Impossible. If it were that easy to clear, why would we need Mama Bear’s hint?” Cheng Miao denied the idea, a vague thought flashing through her mind.

Qi Jiajia fiddled with her fingers, not refuting.

Thinking calmly, the Instance definitely wouldn’t let them clear it so easily.

Cheng Miao turned and handed the plant toward Tong Qian. “I’m not sure about my guess, but it might work as a healing Item. Whether you want to eat it is up to you.”

Tong Qian was stunned, looking at the plump, pale ginseng in Cheng Miao’s hand.

Bai Jiang’s eyes lit up when he heard it might be a medicinal Item. He had never gotten a healing Item before, only seen his big brother buy one once, and the price at the Grocery Store was so high he didn’t even dare to think about it.

But now, Cheng Miao had found it, and she was offering it to Tong Qian. Bai Jiang couldn’t possibly claim it for himself, so he could only watch Tong Qian with longing.

Tong Qian felt a bit uneasy under everyone’s gaze. She looked into Cheng Miao’s eyes, which were like a clear spring, pure and clean.

Tong Qian gritted her teeth and reached out to take the ginseng. She first took a tiny bite of the skin, waited a while and felt no discomfort, then steeled herself and took a big bite with her eyes closed.

As Tong Qian swallowed, the bleeding from her arm gradually stopped, and she visibly became much more rosy and healthy.

Tong Qian was stunned. Although her hand was still numb, the bleeding had stopped, and the piercing pain was gone.

She gave Cheng Miao a grateful look, wiped the bitten spot on her clothes, and handed it back. “Thank you.”

Cheng Miao didn’t take it. “You should finish it. Maybe your hand will recover?”

Tong Qian hesitated. From Bai Jiang’s expression, she could tell this was a rare Item. Cheng Miao was already being very generous by letting her eat it. If she finished it all herself, it felt a bit…

“It’s fine. As long as we clear the Instance alive, all injuries will be healed. Your right hand will grow back too.” Bai Jiang chimed in at the right moment, his words greatly relieving Tong Qian, and a smile returned to her beautiful face.

“In that case, I don’t need it anymore. You should keep it.” Tong Qian stuffed the ginseng into Cheng Miao’s arms. Cheng Miao didn’t insist, and with a slight movement of her fingers, she stored it in her Space Backpack.

This move shocked everyone, including Bai Jiang.

Bai Jiang knew about Space Backpacks, but couldn’t afford one. Every time he paid for a hotel stay, his wallet was emptied, let alone buying such a luxury.

He hadn’t expected that after just one Game, Cheng Miao already had a Space Backpack. Bai Jiang belatedly felt glad he’d never had any bad intentions.

Qi Jiajia’s eyes were full of curiosity. She didn’t have much savings, and disliked the Cockroach Brothers, so she’d never gone near the Grocery Store and didn’t know about Space Backpacks.

Cheng Miao glanced at her. Considering her decent behavior these past few hours, and that a kid her age would inevitably be affected by the Game and act a bit strange, plus they were from the same place, she finally spoke gently for once, “I’ll take you to the Grocery Store to check it out when we get out.”

Qi Jiajia was stunned for a moment, then murmured an “Mm” and lowered her head, hiding the faint blush on her otherwise expressionless face.