Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Cheng Miao nodded to Qin Wen. Every veteran player had their own methods. Some preferred group cooperation, while others acted alone.
Either way, Cheng Miao would be satisfied as long as they did not meet another menace like Zhao Liang.
This instance contained quite a few newcomers. Five looked as though they had cleared very few instances. Drawn together by their similarities, they huddled in a group for comfort.
They wanted the veterans’ protection but feared being used to test the road ahead.
Cheng Miao had learned from Qin Musong that anyone still living at the Dormitory tier counted as a newcomer. The unlucky ones truly could encounter veterans who deliberately sacrificed novices to test lethal rules.
One woman caught Cheng Miao’s attention. She was exceptionally alluring and, objectively speaking, even more beautiful than Cheng Miao.
The almost imperceptible seduction surrounding her drew even more attention than Cheng Miao did.
Yet the woman spoke even less than Cheng Miao. During introductions, she said only that her name was Lian Ge.
An irresistibly tempting woman with a name that sounded like a stage name inevitably inspired speculation.
Several young women in the group began looking at Lian Ge differently. They edged away as though she had already done something shameful.
Lian Ge wore a white qipao patterned with silver lotuses and white cloth shoes with modest heels. The outfit lent her sensual beauty a hint of purity, making it difficult to look away.
The remaining veteran players were Yezi, a capable woman with short hair; Su Shuang, a young man with an effeminate way of speaking; and Yan Qi, a man with a thin mustache.
As everyone sorted themselves into groups, the announcement sounded.
[Ding! Welcome, players, to the instance Is This Lantern Pretty? Please do your best to leave Zhangjia Village.]
[Hint: Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.]
When the announcement ended, a stooped elderly man appeared before them. A plump newcomer screamed at his sudden arrival.
The man turned to look at her but said nothing. Only after his gaze moved away did the girl cover her mouth and begin to cry.
The newcomers who had been linking arms with her immediately backed far away. She had offended an NPC before the mission even began. Who knew when misfortune might strike?
The man coughed. In the forest, the sound resembled a broken bellows and carried a mournful edge.
“Ahem. I am the Village Head of Zhangjia Village. Thank you all for coming to provide community assistance. Our village is famous for its lanterns. I hope you experience the joy of making them during your stay.”
As he spoke, the Village Head turned and stepped across the creek. “The village is some distance away. Keep up. Night falls early in the mountains.”
Everyone hurried after him. No one dared follow too closely, yet everyone feared falling behind.
The veteran players, by contrast, promptly moved behind the Village Head, leaving the newcomers at the rear.
A girl with twin pigtails released the plump newcomer’s arm and jogged toward Lin Zhu, who appeared the most approachable of the veterans. “Hey, handsome. Can I stay with your group?”
The pigtail girl was not particularly pretty, but her helpless expression gave her a vulnerable charm capable of softening hearts.
Unfortunately, Lin Zhu was immune.
“We’re all one group here. There’s no question of staying with us or not.”
Then Lin Zhu reached for Qi Jiajia’s hand. Moss covered the ground. Her little leather shoes looked lovely but offered poor traction, and he was afraid she might slip.
The pigtail girl pouted and returned to the newcomers. When a skinny young man in the same group mocked her, anger flared, but fear that the NPC might hear forced her to swallow it.
Cheng Miao and the other veteran players ignored the newcomers’ little schemes. They used every trick they knew to draw information from the Village Head.
So far, they had learned several basic facts. They were community volunteers visiting an impoverished village to help.
Zhangjia Village crafted excellent lanterns and was famous throughout the surrounding area.
An ancestral ceremony would begin tomorrow and last three days. Once it started, no one could enter or leave the village, as doing so would bring misfortune.
In short, their objective was to escape Zhangjia Village, but once they entered today, they would not be allowed back out.
They would have to reach the village before learning what awaited them inside.
The mountain trail was difficult. Eventually, Qi Jiajia rode on Qin Musong’s shoulders, inspiring fierce envy from Su Shuang, who was equally close to collapse.
“I hate mountain paths. They rub my feet raw, and blisters leave marks. It’s hideous.” Su Shuang snapped off a thin twig and swatted the grass around him as he grumbled.
“Are you… gay?” Qi Jiajia asked curiously from atop Qin Musong’s shoulders.
She had met plenty of people in life, but they had all been the same: elegant and courteous, like flawless ornaments without joy or anger.
That was why the Survival Inn’s endless variety of people fascinated and entertained her.
“Jiajia, you can’t ask someone that. It’s rude!” Cheng Miao was ahead, circling the Village Head for clues. Logically, no one present should have been able to control Qi Jiajia.
Lin Zhu disagreed. When someone did something wrong, it needed to be pointed out. He corrected Qi Jiajia sternly, then glanced at Su Shuang in alarm.
Su Shuang waved one pale, slender hand and smiled at Lin Zhu. “It’s fine, handsome.”
Then he turned toward Qi Jiajia, whose face had darkened after Lin Zhu’s reprimand even though she had not argued back. “I’m not. Everyone thinks I might be, but I’m straight. As straight as they come.”
Qi Jiajia asked nothing else, though her enormous catlike eyes remained full of curiosity.
Su Shuang seemed to like her as well. He braided a small bracelet for her from grass he had pulled along the way.
Lian Ge followed in silence. Her heeled cloth shoes should have made the mountain trail difficult, yet she never even grew short of breath and kept pace with effortless ease.
After more than an hour, they finally reached Zhangjia Village. It was truly remote and isolated beyond anything a modern city dweller could imagine.
The pigtail girl and another girl with blunt bangs had banded together. Both came from cities and had never seen a village like this. Their shock and distaste showed plainly on their faces.
The plump girl had barely spoken since her frightened scream. She lifted her head and studied the village. Familiarity entered her eyes, but terror overwhelmed it.
Zhangjia Village occupied a mountain hollow, enclosed by peaks on three sides. The village entrance was the only way out.
It was impoverished, with houses still built from brick and packed earth, yet everything stood in strict order. The village rules were clearly severe.
From a distance, identical rows of houses stretched in orderly lines. Villagers in rough homespun walked among them, appearing honest and kind.
Villagers stood on ladders and worked outside their doors. Every household had hung a large, round lantern. Even unlit, the lanterns displayed craftsmanship far superior to anything sold outside.
Hanging lanterns during the ancestral ceremony was a Zhangjia Village custom, as the Village Head had explained on the way.
“Qin Wen… the way they’re looking at us is so strange.” Qin Wu’s trembling voice sounded behind Cheng Miao.