Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The Live Stream Room went blank for a moment before the first Danmu appeared.
[Everyone, why the silence?]
Viewers: “…”
The image of a master was somewhat shattered.
[So, was he actually skilled this time, or did he just stumble into success?]
[Obviously a fluke. What kind of master gets that scared afterward?]
[I don’t believe it! He’s a Half-Immortal!!!!]
[If you’re so capable, why don’t you try stumbling into a win against a female ghost?]
Ning Shuo rested for a while before getting up to leave. After taking a few steps, he suddenly looked back.
A leaf drifted down from a tree, and a stray cat’s paw slapped it with a “pah.”
Ning Shuo frowned, took another two steps, and then whirled around with a “whoosh.”
He locked eyes intensely with the stray cat.
Why did it always feel like someone was watching him from behind?
***
Just as he returned to his Palace Hall, he found someone waiting for him.
With no one else around, there was no need to put on an act. Ning Shuo invited Murong inside while asking, “Did you find something?”
Murong said urgently, “Jiang Jiang might be the Murderer!”
Ning Shuo: ?
Ning Shuo: “What makes you say that? Has a body appeared?”
He had just asked the System, and it said that after the Murderer kills someone, they must notify all Players via the System about who died. The notification could be delayed, but it couldn’t be skipped.
So the identity of the Murderer was quite confusing, especially since Ning Shuo himself was the Murderer.
Murong: “He hasn’t made a move yet, but I discovered he has a grudge against the Emperor!”
“I saw many voodoo dolls at his residence with the Emperor’s name written on them. Isn’t that a motive for murder? Right now, I’m officially the Emperor’s daughter. If he has a motive to kill the Emperor, doesn’t that mean I might become the victim?”
“Since that’s the case, he could be the Murderer!”
She spoke very quickly and sounded quite logical. If Ning Shuo weren’t the actual Murderer, he might have been fooled for a second or two.
The real Murderer patiently explained to the naive Innocent: “Is it possible that everyone actually has a grudge against each other, and these motives are just cover for the real Murderer?”
Murong was firm: “How is that possible? Isn’t there only one Murderer?”
“There is only one Murderer,” Ning Shuo explained, “but the Murderer isn’t fixed.”
He explained the rules to Murong again. Murong nodded half-understandingly. Once she finally grasped the rules, she asked hesitantly, “Then you…”
It was enough for the Murderer to explain the rules to her; admitting his identity would be too kind. Ning Shuo said in a low voice, “If I were the Murderer, would I have explained so much to you?”
Murong nodded. Only then did she remember to clear her own suspicion. Ning Shuo followed her lead and nodded: “Yes, exactly. If you were the Murderer, you wouldn’t be this anxious.”
After unilaterally confirming that Ning Shuo was on the same side, Murong breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the Priest’s Attendants returning to their shifts, she took her leave.
Watching her depart, the smile faded from Ning Shuo’s face.
If Murong really didn’t even understand the rules, why did she deliberately act with such a poor attitude when she first met Ning Shuo?
Even when coming to find him, she was careful not to let the NPCs notice.
How did she deduce that she couldn’t let the NPCs discover her interacting with Ning Shuo?
On the surface, not interacting privately with other Players fit the persona of “Players having grudges against each other.”
But if Murong didn’t even understand the rules, how did she know about the “Players having grudges” part?
Thinking back to her hesitant question about his identity at the end, Ning Shuo had an epiphany.
So she was actually trying to test his identity.
***
Just after midnight, an Attendant arrived impatiently at the entrance of Ning Shuo’s sleeping quarters.
If this human hadn’t followed his persona, the Attendant could successfully devour him.
If this human really did fit the persona and the disaster actually occurred, then the “bloody disaster” would at most be some scrapes and a bit of bleeding. Next time, it could continue to find trouble for the Player.
He was an NPC in the Script; how could he possibly die?
The previous “Priest” hadn’t tasted very good. Although this one was a sickly weakling, his skin looked decent enough, so the meat should be of good quality.
Translucent gauze curtains drifted in the wind, revealing a hazy silhouette on the couch.
The Attendant’s greasy gaze remained fixed on Ning Shuo.
Ning Shuo was separated from the Attendant by only a single curtain. As the time drew near, the audience stared intently at the clock.
Because of that single line-“a bloody disaster is imminent”-the number of people in the Live Stream Room increased instead of decreasing.
[It’s coming, it’s coming! The moment to witness a miracle is here!]
[To be honest, I feel like if he just scratches the Ghost/Monster’s hand with his fingernails, it could count as drawing blood…]
[The person above, have you ever seen a Ghost/Monster that could be wounded by fingernails?]
[Watch the time, watch the time! It’s almost midnight!]
The moment the second hand hit zero, the Attendant’s expression became even more crazed. However, before he could make a move, a sword suddenly pierced through his throat.
His gaze stiffened as it shifted downward.
A cold light still glinted off the blade, and the bright red blood on it seemed to indicate that the Attendant was still human for now.
Ning Shuo’s hand, originally hidden beneath the covers, froze. He was still gripping the dagger he had scavenged from that dilapidated courtyard.
Crap.
His kill got stolen!
What was he supposed to do now?!
Ning Shuo performed a kip-up, intending to take advantage of the fact that the Attendant wasn’t completely dead yet to deliver a finishing blow and steal the kill back, but then the Attendant collapsed.
He was dead as a doornail!
Ning Shuo pointed indignantly at the newcomer. “You, you, you!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Ning Shuo froze.
The newcomer wore ink-colored martial robes and a bamboo hat that obscured his face. He had a piece of grass tucked cockily in his mouth, exuding the unrestrained aura of a dashing Swordsman.
He looked so familiar-so familiar that if Ning Shuo were to put on the same clothes and strike the same pose, it would be like looking in a mirror.
By the moonlight, Ning Wang also saw Ning Shuo’s face clearly.
The tip of his sword pointed toward the space between Ning Shuo’s brows. Ning Wang asked in a flippant tone, “Are you a Ghost/Monster too?”
Ning Shuo replied solemnly, “No, I am a god who has descended to the mortal realm to undergo a tribulation.”
Ning Wang took off his bamboo hat and raised an eyebrow. “Sickly weakling, look at my face. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. You look exactly like me, and you’re claiming to be a god?”
“Though your words are pleasant to hear, this isn’t how you beg for mercy.”
Despite his words, Ning Shuo’s ability to communicate normally made it obvious at a glance that he was a normal person.
He sheathed his sword.
Just as Ning Shuo was nursing a headache over what to do about the kill, the Virtual Screen suddenly popped up.
[Detection complete. A Murder Case has occurred. Confirmed perpetrator is Player Ning Banxian… Non-player… Error! Error!]
Countless red warnings suddenly flashed across the screen. On the other side of the display, Ning Wang, holding his sword, appeared dangerous and eerie against the red light.
The Danmu in the Live Stream Room had already exploded.
[Who! Is! This!!!]
[Why? Why does he look exactly like the Half-Immortal?!]
[It really was a bloody disaster!!!]
[Is this an NPC from the Script?]
Amidst the blaring error alarms, Ning Shuo decisively reached out and stripped the outer robe off the Attendant’s body.
Ning Wang remarked, “I didn’t realize you had such a hobby.”
Ning Shuo replied while stripping the body, “I can’t let anyone find out he was in my Palace Hall.”
The Attendant had no connection to anyone else. In the absence of any other links, Ning Shuo, who was connected to him, would become the sole suspect.
Ning Shuo glanced at the spectating Ning Wang and said crossly, “Take out your tool.”
Ning Wang: ?
Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Ning Shuo reached out directly toward the front of Ning Wang’s robes.
Ning Wang immediately backed away. “My god, it’s not good to desecrate your Believer.”
The alarm was giving Ning Shuo a headache. He pointed at the corpse. “Then I’ll have to trouble this Believer, who suddenly admitted I’m a god, to help me deal with the body.”