Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Perhaps infected by Gu Wuji’s enthusiastic spirit, Yang Shao also prepared to start working. But the moment the cleaver came down, he began to question his existence.
Why did Gu Wuji seem so relaxed?! He felt like he was striking a rock! Moreover, the dense yin energy on the trees was terrifying; it must have been incredibly difficult for Xiao Qin to leave a message there.
Yang Shao wasn’t an ordinary person; as a near-advanced player, he had had many adventures in various dungeons, and his physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people. Yet, he encountered setbacks on these trees.
So, Yang Shao could only watch Gu Wuji struggle alone with mixed feelings, cheering him on. This was the first time he had felt so powerless in a dungeon. No wonder Gu Wuji had been able to beat that vengeful ghost to the ground! This was not human strength!
Soon, thanks to Gu Wuji’s efforts, the forest was filled with various loud noises, quickly becoming a mess… What they didn’t know was that, according to the original plan, the villagers should have already caught up and attacked them, these people who shouldn’t have been there. But at this moment, perhaps out of some kind of fear, not a single villager appeared. The next instant, just as Gu Wuji was about to chop down another seemingly ordinary tree, the trees suddenly began to shake violently, and a commotion came from the nearby soil.
Gu Wuji and Yang Shao turned to look and saw a person being vomited out of the soil. The only word to describe the scene was “vomited out,” it was as if they were afraid of missing something if they were any later, thus kicking him out with lightning speed.
The pale-faced Xiao Qin coughed violently, clutching at the grass, looking extremely disheveled. He probably would have been dead if Gu Wuji and the others had arrived any later.
“Be careful!! This forest is alive! They can notify other ghosts about everything that’s happening here! They’re even part of the ghosts themselves! I was buried alive by these people! Luckily, I have that ability, so I was able to notify you!”
“Only by finding the tree in the very center can we…”
Xiao Qin’s words caught in his throat as he saw his surroundings.
What kind of scene was this?! Why was the once incredibly eerie forest now so chaotic, and why were Gu Wuji and Yang Shao each wielding a kitchen knife… It didn’t look like a supernatural setting at all, but rather like some kind of comedic scene!
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Gu Wuji stepped forward and pulled him up, asking with concern.
Xiao Qin nodded numbly, shocked. Could this whole scene have been created by Gu Wuji and Yang Shao with kitchen knives?! They were all players, yet so different!
Then came a surge of intense gratitude. Xiao Qin looked at Gu Wuji with boundless admiration. He truly deserved to be the person he trusted. If it were anyone else, this day next year would probably be their death anniversary!
Xiao Qin already felt an urge to become Gu Wuji’s underling. After all, such a powerful, beautiful, and kind-hearted boss wasn’t so easy to find!
“You just mentioned the tree in the center, this is it, right?” Gu Wuji slowly walked towards the tree he had just been about to cut down. After all, it was precisely this tree that had spat Xiao Qin out; something was definitely wrong.
The tree immediately trembled in a very human-like way, clearly terrified.
Yang Shao: “…” He didn’t know how he could sense fear from a tree.
“That’s right.” Xiao Qin was still in shock, but regardless, it was most important to share what he knew. “I found this tree earlier, but it was too hard, and there was nothing I could do. They thus managed to control me.”
Yang Shao: “…” It was indeed very hard; fortunately, they still had some options.
“Let’s hurry back to the village now, or those villagers might show up again!” Xiao Qin said.
Gu Wuji: “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. The vengeful ghost in this space hasn’t appeared yet. This space is far more powerful than the previous ones, so it must have some kind of restriction on it, like it can’t move, or its own defense is too low, just like this tree in front of us.”
“That makes sense.” Xiao Qin suddenly realized, “After all, this road is the route for eloping, and the vengeful ghost, as a villager who went to capture people, must have a deep impression of this place… It’s far from the village, so most people wouldn’t think that the ghost is hiding in the tree.”
“If we hadn’t discovered this, we would definitely be dead here.” Yang Shao’s eyes turned cold.
Xiao Qin and Yang Shao surrounded the tree. Although the two of them couldn’t chop down the tree with a kitchen knife like Gu Wuji, they were enough to create a deterrent.
“Tell me honestly.” Gu Wuji pressed the kitchen knife against the tree and showed a very friendly smile. Of course, this smile might have looked like a devil to the ghost, and countless leaves fell down instantly.
“What exactly happened in this village, and how can we leave this space? You’d better tell us the truth.”
….
As dawn broke, the middle-aged man stood at his doorstep, thinking that Gu Wuji and the others were probably already dead! They were involved in a world of ghosts!
And he had just received news from other villagers that the other companions of these three were all…
The next moment, three figures appeared not far away—Gu Wuji, Yang Shao, and Xiao Qin. They didn’t seem to be in any major trouble, just a little listless.
The middle-aged man was stunned. Could they really escape unscathed?! They were truly experts; if it were them, they might be able to free the village from the curse!
Gu Wuji stepped forward and patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder, smiling as he said, “Thank you for the information earlier; it was thanks to you that we were able to get out safely.”
The middle-aged man was flattered and quickly said that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that it was all Gu Wuji’s skill. He went on and on, flattering Gu Wuji, his obsequious manner leaving Yang Shao and Xiao Qin speechless.
The group then went inside and sat down. The middle-aged man ordered his younger brother to bring tea and water, and then quickly recounted all the information he had gathered. He felt this was his only chance to save his life and leave the village.
“I heard your companions have been captured by the village chief. Of course, on the surface, it’s just that they’re being made to participate in an event, to play roles, so they can better understand the village’s culture…” the middle-aged man said.
But anyone who knew even a little about the village and its history would know how terrifying this was; most of them would likely be sacrificed during the event.
“Maybe they went there happily on their own,” Yang Shao said in a sour tone. “They acted like they didn’t believe there was anything wrong with the village.”
“I wonder if they’re also players,” Xiao Qin frowned. “If they haven’t regained their memories yet, it seems troublesome.”
“Whatever, whether they’re players or not is none of my business.” Yang Shao wasn’t the kind of person who would rescue people for no reason, but he suddenly remembered that there was such a good person in his team.
“That’s right,” Gu Wuji said after hearing this. “We haven’t slept for so long. Let’s rest and recharge now and then go find the village chief tonight to participate in that event. Let’s see what roles the village chief will assign us.”
“What?” Xiao Qin exclaimed anxiously, “Brother Gu, this isn’t just any ordinary event! It might be a specially chosen sacrifice!”
“Of course I know,” Gu Wuji said, “but do you think the village chief will let us off so easily? From the very beginning, this village has become much more eerie. Even in broad daylight, it sends chills down our spines. If I’m not mistaken, even if we want to escape tomorrow, we’ll be forced to go to the event site.”
Yang Shao looked at Gu Wuji with admiration and said, “You’re right. So going there early will allow us to gather more information. Anyway, we’re no longer the clueless people we were back then.” After getting information from that vengeful ghost, they even had ideas on how to solve the problem of this instance and leave. Now, all they might need was for the system to issue a mission.
Moreover, Gu Wuji was not only incredibly strong, but he also had a terrifying presence behind him, comparable to the vengeful ghost boss of the instance… Even if they encountered danger, they probably won’t have any problems. It was the other ghosts who might be scared out of their wits.
“And I think they should be players too,” Gu Wuji said. “After all, the system hasn’t issued any missions yet. The main quest might be triggered when all the surviving players remember their identities.”
“That makes sense,” Yang Shao nodded, regretting that he hadn’t actively provoked these people to help them regain their memories sooner. Now that he thought about it, those who hadn’t noticed anything unusual probably weren’t a threat.
“Alright, everyone, let’s take a break now,” Gu Wuji nodded. This idea wasn’t just a recurrence of his acting dreams! But the thought of playing a character at the event later still excited Gu Wuji.
The middle-aged man couldn’t understand what they were saying, but he quickly arranged a place for the old men to rest… Of course, because of the family’s poverty, they ended up sleeping on the floor.
….
The moment Gu Wuji fell asleep, he clearly realized he was dreaming.
The surrounding scenery was exactly what the village looked like decades ago, and several people with indistinct faces stood around him. He seemed to have a good relationship with these people, and they were chatting amongst themselves.
As he passed the house in the center of the village, he paused.
Looking from that angle, Gu Wuji immediately saw the woman cautiously peeking out of the window, giving him a shy smile.
Someone next to him nudged his shoulder, jokingly saying, “Being good-looking really makes a difference; you’re always so popular with female NPCs in dungeons.”
Another person laughed, “What female NPCs? They’re all NPCs, regardless of gender.”
Gu Wuji then realized his gaze wasn’t on the woman, but on another part of the square.
Seeing where his gaze was, he took a deep breath, suddenly realizing what he had overlooked.
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