Chapter 68: Fortune Guest House (Part 3)

Chapter 68: Fortune Guest House (Part 3)

Although Nie Shuangshuang didn't exactly find him unbearable to look at initially, this guy had a knack for getting on her nerves, causing her anger to flare up at the mere sight of him.

However, she never anticipated that this infuriating player, who shared her perspective on the importance of weapon maintenance, was someone she hadn't encountered in over a hundred dungeon clearances.

Suddenly, Nie Shuangshuang found him much more endearing!

Nie Shuangshuang wanted to continue discussing weapon cleaning and maintenance with him, but Lu Tonghe couldn't hold back any longer.

He cleared his throat, "Um...um, is this really okay?"

Nie Shuangshuang's first thought was, "Is it possible to use the blade as a mirror?" But then she realized Lu Tonghe was looking at the candle in her hand and came to a realization.

"Oh, this? Yes, it's fine."

"Huh?" Lu Tonghe uttered, his spirit filled with doubt, "But aren't we not allowed to take it according to the NPC?"

"Just because the NPC said no, we shouldn't? Do you understand the dungeon as much as he does? Are you a player or is he? Who is going to clear this level, you or him?" Nie Shuangshuang lectured, "Young man, you need to be braver and think more flexibly!"

"Taking candles from other vacant rooms" apparently wouldn't trigger the waiter NPC's death penalty, perhaps the dungeon rules never anticipated someone having such, err... courage?

Nie Shuangshuang wanted to share more tips with him, like "You can first test the NPC's limits, and if it doesn't work, quickly kneel and apologize" — this was also feasible, as the dungeon's NPCs had high intelligence and would assess whether to take action based on the specific situation of the player who triggered the death penalty.

In simple terms, it was adapting to the person's actions. Veteran players, as long as their abilities were not too poor, could mildly provoke the death penalty rules without too much trouble.

Of course, provoking the death penalty rules did not mean treating NPCs as nonentities, which would be a suicidal move.

Players wouldn't confront NPCs directly, but the stronger the player, the more they would brazenly toe the line with NPCs, striving to maximize benefits without triggering the death penalty, which was the correct approach to clearing levels.

"Exactly, you need to be a little braver," Jie Fangcheng agreed, "At worst, we can just kill the NPC."

Nie Shuangshuang: "..."

Nie Shuangshuang looked at him: "Big brother, isn't your bravery exceeding 'a little' at this point?!"

Even in the case of Nie Shuangshuang, she only decided to seek fortune amidst danger after observing that the waiter NPC wouldn't retaliate.

This guy seemed more like he had observed that the waiter NPC wouldn't retaliate, only then deciding not to kill the NPC, right??

Jie Fangcheng looked puzzled: "Wasn't it you who said to be a bit braver and think more flexibly?"

"?? Flexible thinking!! Not your brain outright fleeing the skull!!" Nie Shuangshuang rolled her eyes and sheathed her blade.

Darn it! This guy really knows how to irritate people!!!

Nie Shuangshuang proceeded to unlock the doors of each vacant room.

A rumbling noise —

The rain gradually intensified.

Nie Shuangshuang glanced at the courtyard and said, "Maybe you guys should return to your rooms first, keep an eye on your paper dolls. I can manage alone."

Paper dolls are extremely fragile; they cannot come into contact with rain or well water, or else they will perish.

Although the guides mention that these dolls are obedient and gentle, they are, after all, NPCs with low intelligence. Who knows if they might wander off when not supervised, especially with the rain pouring outside; it's better to watch them closely.

Nie Shuangshuang dared to venture out because she had a rich assortment of personal items. Even though these items have severely degraded, they are still capable of handling small bosses in level-one instances.

For instance... the resentful infant in the courtyard.

According to the guide, this entity is a malevolent spirit that comes to devour children every night.

Children who disappear in Fulkai City ultimately meet their end drowned in water. They would converge at the courtyard of the Fulai Inn, guided by the rain, where only the light of a candle can intimidate them.

But the light of a single candle can only threaten them so much. By the third day, the strength of the resentful infant escalates, and a solitary candlelight is no longer sufficient to deter them.

If players wish to avoid harm from these creatures, they need to light another candle for themselves.

However, the stingy inn owner allows each person to exchange for only one candle per day. When the time comes, some players might choose to steal candles from others, while the stronger ones might opt to kill others' paper dolls, forcing weaker players to align with them. Thus, on the third day, the difficulty level of the instance spikes significantly, revealing the true horrors of this sinister instance.

As for now, given her strength and knowledge of the strategy, Nie Shuangshuang is accustomed to taking on the most dangerous tasks, readily suggesting the others to retreat first.

Lu Tonghe was familiar with her approach to things; he had been well looked after by her during their previous instance clearings. With time, he felt that although he was not a formidable player, he had gained some confidence in handling level-one instances.

"I possess a lock-picking skill; I'll accompany you." Although he hadn't ever blatantly defied an NPC's words to this extent, Lu Tonghe volunteered immediately.

Jie Fangcheng also promptly chimed in, "Then I'll head back."

Nie Shuangshuang shot him another glare.

Jie Fangcheng spread his hands, "I don't have the lock-picking skill. I can only kick doors open."

Growing accustomed to his provocation, Nie Shuangshuang gestured dismissively, a hint of resignation in her voice, "Just go, just go!"

Without another word, Jie Fangcheng retreated to his room within two seconds.

Lu Tonghe watched his silhouette through the window.

The man immediately sprawled on the bed once he returned to his room, embodying the epitome of "lying flat" without showing any sign of further movement.

"What kind of person..." Lu Tonghe couldn't help but murmur.

Nie Shuangshuang remained silent, joining him in a hurried endeavor to collect candles from the rooms, working in tandem.

At that moment, amid the sound of rain mingled with thunder, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene. As Lu Tonghe grabbed a candle, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a small, squat figure seemingly standing next to his own shadow on the wall.

He spun around abruptly, yet there was nothing behind him.

A hallucination?

No, although Lu Tonghe was just an ordinary player frequenting the level-one dungeons, he trusted his own caution and intuition.

Something had set its sights on him!

Lu Tonghe's heart raced violently. Without any hesitation, he dashed out of the room to find Nie Shuangshuang, who was still unlocking the other rooms.

"Shuang, I just saw a child standing next to my shadow, about this tall."

Nie Shuangshuang paused momentarily, asking reflexively, "Are you sure you saw it right?"

"I should be."

The appearance of a child-like figure beside a player's shadow could very likely occur during the later stages of the instance.

This was because the presence of this child-like silhouette indicated that a resentful spirit from the well had targeted the player, growing in power.

If the resentful spirit became stronger, the preparations Nie Shuangshuang had made in the room would be insufficient.

Nie Shuangshuang's expression changed drastically: "Go back to your room and check if your paper doll is still there."

The two hurried back to Lu Tonghe's room, and even from the doorway, Nie Shuangshuang looked exceptionally serious.

The door... was open.

Since Lu Tonghe had planned to join her in collecting candles from the empty rooms, Nie Shuangshuang had set up some defensive measures in his room using her items.

While these defensive items weren't extremely powerful, they should have been more than enough to deal with the resentful spirits from the courtyard well on the first day.

Pushing the door open, they saw that the paper doll on the bed had already turned into scraps, now torn to shreds by something unknown.

Indeed, these resentful spirits seemed to grow stronger with the death of the paper dolls and guest NPCs, but this shouldn't have happened on the first day.

Why?

This instance was very strange. The crucial Heavenly Master NPC had disappeared, and the resentful spirits in the courtyard well had grown significantly stronger on the first day, which didn't resemble a level-one instance with a 35% success rate at all.

The strategies from the Rising Sun Guild and the Professional Union didn't mention this!

"Something's wrong!" Nie Shuangshuang became instantly alert, "The instance has changed! We can't just blindly follow the NPC's instructions, otherwise, from the moment we headed to the Heavenly Master's house without receiving a paper doll, unable to enter the Fulai Inn, we would have been doomed!"

But why did it change, and how should they clear the altered instance? Everything suddenly became unclear and confusing.

——But all these matters could be settled later.

Without another word, Nie Shuangshuang immediately pushed Lu Tonghe back into the room.

"Light the candles! Do not step outside!!"

A single candle can only shield either a paper doll or a player. Those engulfed in the candlelight won't be attacked by the resentful infant spirits—a fundamental rule of this instance, which shouldn't undergo changes.

Subsequently, Nie Shuangshuang bent at the waist, flipping over the fence and plunging straight towards the courtyard well.

Just as she was about to fall into the well, she spun around fiercely, landing at the well's brink.

Beneath the veil of rain, Nie Shuangshuang stared intently at the dark courtyard well, resembling a lone flicker of flame burning amidst a pitch-black ocean.

——She was indeed ablaze.

【Skill: Flame Rose·Rare·Special·Unique (5/5) (Downgraded) (Downgraded)】

【Description: A special skill for the bearer of [Heart of Flames].】

【Note: The skill level escalates with the [Heart of Flames] level.】

【Function: Ignite! Burn away the darkness!】

【Special Skill 1: Rose Blossom (Sealed)】

【Special Skill 2: Total Incineration (Sealed)】

【Special Skill 3: Wildfire (Sealed)】

【Unique Attribute: As long as my heart beats, the flame never extinguishes!】

【Special Warning: This skill has been downgraded due to [Forced Transfer]. Please use with caution.】

【Special Warning: This skill has been downgraded due to [Forced Transfer Out], [Heart of Flames] has been extinguished. Please use with caution.】

【Special Warning: Due to the [Downgrade], usage restrictions have increased. Please use with caution.】

A grandiose crimson rose blossomed upon her, layers of flames leaped "whoosh" to a height of two meters, igniting the entire courtyard well in an instant. The flickering flames nearly enveloped the whole inn.

Amidst these flames, Lu Tonghe saw his shadow once again.

This time, he clearly noticed a tiny figure accompanying his shadow, seemingly a chubby little child stretching out a hand, attempting to grab his trouser hem.

Lu Tonghe's hairs stood on end—for when he turned his head, he saw no child's body, only a blood-soaked hand reaching towards him.

He immediately shut the room door, igniting a candle.

The dim candlelight enveloped him, forming an invisible protective shield, isolating the gruesome hand outside its luminescence.

What on earth was happening?

Lu Tonghe had never encountered such a level-one instance before.

The first day in the instance is universally acknowledged as the safest, but why did this instance seem to be steering them towards doom from the moment they entered?

Something is amiss... really amiss.

——Something is not right.

Nie Shuangshuang flicks open the fan in her hand.

While demonstrating moves with Fang Cheng, the poison darts shot from her fan only caused a ground collapse. But in the instance, the inherent skill of the fan was activated.

【Item: Flame Mastery Fan·Rare (Damaged)】

【Description: O holder of the [Heart of Flames], is this your golden fan that has been dropped, or a silver one, or is it this Flame Mastery Fan capable of fanning out endless streams of molten flames?】

【Reminder: Playing with fire is fine, but please be careful not to approach the woods!】

【Function: Fans out wind imbued with the essence of [Flames].】

【Special Skill 1: Bovine Hair Dart】

【Function: A hidden weapon, do you understand? Have you ever watched martial arts dramas? It's exactly what you're thinking of!】

【Special Skill 2: Fanning the Flames】

【Function: As long as there's wind, the flames will surge upwards at a rapid pace!】

【Special Warning: [Heart of Flames] has been extinguished. Please reignite the flame in your heart before using it again.】

【Special Warning: This item is damaged, please use with caution.】

A large cluster of flames resembling a fiery dragon shot out from her fan, roaring towards the courtyard well.

In the pitch-black well, sounds resembling infantile cries echoed.

Countless pairs of pitch-black eyes opened, staring at her from within the well.

Something is wrong... truly wrong.

The power of this creature is too immense!

The guide mentioned that the Celestial Master controls these resentful infant spirits, using them for her bidding.

The Celestial Master would extract the refined resentful infant spirits from the well, and one of the keys to clearing the instance is to find the bones of the drowned child of the Celestial Master. This would make the Master see the players as her own, thus aiding them in defeating the city lord at his son's hundred-day feast.

But what is happening now?

The conditions inside the well were detailed in the guide.

There are a total of seven resentful infant spirits in the well, which would later combine into one entity. At that time, using a candle to lure the resentful infant spirits out of the well followed by retrieving the bones would suffice.

Now there are too many resentful infant spirits in the well... It's as if the Celestial Master never appeared.

If the Celestial Master doesn't appear, how will the final battle unfold?

The final BOSS of the first-level instance was something Nie Shuangshuang wasn't afraid of before, but now...

After circling twice in the water, the fire dragon extinguished. From the corner of her eye, Nie Shuangshuang also noticed a tiny infant figure squatting beside her shadow.

This won't do, the changes in the instance are too drastic; the power of the resentful infants has become an enigma, she can't act rashly.

The Flaming Rose closed up instantly, retracting the previously released flames and fiery light, enveloping Nie Shuangshuang within.

She exerted force on her feet, suddenly springing upwards, quickly darting back to the second floor on the east side like a small flame, thereafter entering her room and with a pinch of her fingers, a tiny flame ignited at her fingertip.

Nie Shuangshuang lit the candle.

In her room, the paper dolls had also disappeared, leaving only paper fragments torn by some unknown entity.

The candlelight enveloped her as Nie Shuangshuang sat on the bed.

She was not naturally inclined to ponder deeply; she always preferred to venture into instances with the guild leader.

To outsiders, the guild leader was known as a sunny, upright, and enthusiastic person. However, only those close to him knew that he had a meticulous mind and was incredibly sharp, always able to notice things that others could not.

Following the guild leader into instances meant no need for deep thinking; just doing as the guild leader said was sufficient.

Now, to understand what exactly was going on with this bizarre first-level instance, Nie Shuangshuang could only start biting her fingernail.

What exactly is going on? Why isn't the Celestial Master here? Why are there so many resentful infants? The strength is unclear, but it's definitely not like the situation described in the guide, where one could easily handle them merging from seven into one.

These resentful infants are densely packed, numbering at least in the hundreds, to say the least.

With so many, how can they obtain the Celestial Master's child's corpse to gain her trust? Is the Celestial Master still here? Where exactly??

No... the most pressing issue to consider now is how to get through tonight.

This won't do! Those new players are all listening to her advice, she told them to light the candles only after the third watch of the night, and furthermore, one candle could only shield a paper doll.

Would the resentful infants possibly target them directly tonight?

Just then, another bolt of lightning struck.

Boom——

And for some unknown reason, Nie Shuangshuang seemed to have also heard a scream.

This scream certainly did not belong to any of the players, it was a child's shriek.

She couldn't wait any longer!

Nie Shuangshuang once again grasped her fan firmly in her hand.

Her and Lu Tonghe's actions were not slow; the candles in the vacant rooms of the western building had already been collected by them, amounting to twenty-seven in total now.

Distributing one more to each player would barely last until dawn.

At a minimum, they need to sweep through the vacant rooms in the north once more to ensure every player has three, a count just sufficient to scrape through the night.

They need to endure tonight first, only during the daytime when candles are unnecessary, will they have the time to seek the Celestial Master and figure out how to successfully navigate through this instance.

Nie Shuangshuang paid no attention to the resentful infant stalking her.

She too had a warning ability, although it has been somewhat dulled due to a downgrade, but this resentful infant surveilling her clearly wasn't very powerful; she could definitely overcome it.

Nie Shuangshuang pulled open the door, and then... froze.

Across on the second floor of the small building, Xie Fangcheng was holding a bat, yawning.

Nie Shuangshuang: "…"

Nie Shuangshuang shouted, "What are you doing out here???"

What is this person thinking, coming out at such a perilous time???

Xie Fangcheng was interrupted mid-yawn by her shout and turned to look at her.

Nie Shuangshuang, having good vision, first checked his shadow.

Thankfully, there were no resentful infants squatting near Xie Fangcheng's feet.

This kid!

"Get back!!" Nie Shuangshuang didn't pause her stride.

Time was precious, she could only yell at him before continuing her swift movements, catapulting herself onto the western small building in an instant.

From the corner of her eye, Nie Shuangshuang saw what seemed like Xie Fangcheng waving his baseball bat.

If Nie Shuangshuang had turned her head to look at that moment, she would have noticed the resentful infant, which was sticking to her shadow like a persistent ailment, getting hit by a bat in mid-air and tumbling violently, then fearfully scrambling to jump out from the railing, plunging into the well.

After Xie Fangcheng finished swinging his bat, Nie Shuangshuang had already disappeared into the western small building.

"…Ah." Only after hearing noises outside did Xie Fangcheng reluctantly get up from his bed.

Nie Shuangshuang activated her skills too quickly, and the battle ended just as swiftly. By the time Xie Fangcheng leisurely stepped outside, she had already sprung back into her room.

As a result, Xie Fangcheng only saw a small child squatting near his feet.

This child, swollen from soaking in water for a long time, displayed an eerie giant-like appearance, with pitch-black eyes staring at him, fingers reaching to grab his clothes— Xie Fangcheng quickly sidestepped.

"Have you washed your hands? Er, " considering the child seemed to have been soaking in the water for a while, the question seemed somewhat odd, so Xie Fangcheng asked again, "Wiped them? Don't smear them on people if you haven't!"

The resentful infant completely ignored him, its fingers still attempting to graze him, its eyes filled with an excited gleam.

"Flesh... living flesh... I want to eat—"

The next moment it was sent flying by a swing of Xie Fangcheng's bat, letting out a shrill cry before plummeting back into the courtyard in a parabolic trajectory.

"Little brat," Xie Fangcheng grumbled discontentedly, "acting as if you can't understand?"

Meanwhile, Nie Shuangshuang quickly proceeded to sweep through the area. Xie Fangcheng watched her with hands shading his eyes, begrudgingly moved forward a couple of steps, then seemed to remember something and returned to his room.

Inside the room, his "paper doll" lay on the bed, eerily quiet, resembling more a corpse than a sleeping figure.

Xie Fangcheng was irritated: "Hey, hey, wake up."

The paper doll continued to feign death.

"Seriously, bro? You're slacking off even when it concerns your own kind?" Xie Fangcheng was shocked, then reconsidered, realizing this was something he himself might do.

In the end, the paper doll opened its eyes reluctantly, one black and one white pupil focused on him.

"What is it?"

Xie Fangcheng pointed outside: "Some mischievous kid is causing trouble out there, go take care of it."

The paper doll's expression turned into one of agony: "Really, bro? You're even sabotaging your own kind?"

"What do you mean 'your own kind'?" Xie Fangcheng said briskly, "I differentiate between my 'self' and my 'ego', everything else is... a lesser version of me."

The paper doll gave him a thumbs-up: "Brilliant!"

Then, with visible reluctance, it got up.

Xie Fangcheng was well-prepared, smashing a table with a "bang", he handed a table leg to it.

"Here."

The paper doll sighed heavily, slung the table leg over its shoulder, and swaggered out.

Meanwhile, Xie Fangcheng similarly slung his baseball bat over his shoulder, swaggering towards Nie Shuangshuang's location.

.

The first floor on the east side.

Compared to other players who generally kept their distance from the paper dolls they received, Xie Yutong seemed somewhat pleased to have such a doll accompanying him.

Although the doll radiated eeriness from every aspect, being alone in the room would indeed be far too frightening.

"What's your name?" Xie Yutong couldn't help but converse with the paper doll.

However, being a newcomer who just entered the game, without the enhancement of the game on his soul power, his soul force was quite weak.

His doll could only stare at him, its large dark eyes somewhat unsettling.

Xie Yutong felt a flutter in his heart but quickly steadied himself.

It's alright, everyone has such a paper doll with them.

Nie Shuangshuang, the veteran player, didn't seem like the kind of person who revels in the slaughter of others. Xie Yutong, who had mostly remained home over the years, had a naturally keen intuition. He could sense that although Nie Shuangshuang appeared to be rather irascible, she was also very warm, much like the sun.

She wouldn't harm him.

There was another person in the group who wouldn't harm him. For some reason, Xie Yutong felt a strange sensation... this person was not like the regular players.

It seemed like he came from, how to put it... a place of a higher tier.

It was that Xie Fangcheng.

"It really is a slightly odd name, isn't it?" Xie Yutong mused aloud, before engaging in conversation with his paper doll, "Do you think... I will make it out of this instance alive? I've heard that the survival rate in these horrific instances is quite low. Being quite useless, I might die in the very first instance, right? Like one of those cannon fodders in the comics?"

The doll remained silent, just gazing at him with wide eyes.

"That's probably the case," Xie Yutong conceded, yet there was a hint of defiance in his heart, "To those powerful individuals, we minor characters are just cannon fodder. But I am... somewhat special, aren't I?"

Although describing his life might seem rather unremarkable, he found it quite interesting and distinctive.

The paper doll extended its arm, gently touching his fingers.

The touch of its cold, paper-like fingers startled him, as he suddenly felt a peculiar sense of mental connection with the eerie doll before him.

It reminded him of his pet dog and cat.

"Since you don't know your own name, you might as well take my surname, Xie. Let me think... How about Xie Xiaotong? Does that sound good?"

It felt quite fun, almost like naming a new kitten or puppy!

Xie Yutong felt as though the paper doll even managed a little smile.

The doll, created by the convergence of his soul force, carried his personal aura, sharing his personality... and intuition.

After finalizing the name, he noticed the paper doll lowering its head.

He was just about to speak with a smile, "Hey, do you also think this name is nice?"

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—

Another thunderous roar echoed.

The flash of lightning illuminated the room like a candle, revealing every detail within.

Xie Yutong's smile froze on his face.

Slowly, like the doll, he also bowed his head.

Subsequently, he found himself locked in a gaze with a pair of blood-red eyes.

Those eyes belonged to a severed head of a toddler, around three or four years old, gruesomely split in half as if thrown into the water post-mortem.

The head was bodiless - yet its shadow remained intact.

The child's eyes were fixed firmly on him, the corners of the mouth seemingly curled into a smile.

"Flesh..."

Although no sound was heard, Xie Yutong could distinctly see the syllables being formed by the bisected mouth.

Despite the thunderous uproar outside, Xie Yutong seemed to hear the sound of water droplets falling from the child's body onto the bed.

His face turned ghastly pale, and the paper doll, seemingly frightened as well, sat motionless in its place.

The child's gaze shifted towards the paper doll.

"I'll eat this first... this is the appetizer."

The vengeful spirit eagerly extended its hand again, its shadowy fingers aiming to grab the paper doll.

— The paper doll is fragile, made of paper.

— You shall be named Xie Xiaotong.

Much like raising a kitten or a puppy... it had a peculiar psychic connection with him, akin to a diminutive version of himself.

From seemingly nowhere, Xie Yutong found the strength, almost reflexively, to snatch the paper doll and pull it protectively behind him.

The resentful infant spirit before him widened its eyes, glaring at him with venomous hatred.

"No!" It yelled furiously, extending a hand, "Give it back! The dessert! I want the dessert! I'll kill you—"

Xie Yutong felt a chill permeate his limbs.

Is this it, then?

He had mysteriously arrived in this horror game after his death, and now it seemed he couldn't even survive the first instance... indeed, even in the real world, he had been nothing more than an expendable pawn.

In a scenario with such a low success rate, only the elite could succeed. As a coward with no distinctive talents, perhaps he truly deserved to die...

But just as the vengeful infant spirit's hand was about to touch him, the paper doll behind him emitted a "puff" sound, inflating like a suddenly filled balloon, doubling in size in an instant.

The paper doll extended its hand, pressing firmly onto the outstretched hand of the vengeful infant, pinning the shadowy hand solidly to the bed with immense force.

"Aaaaaaah!!" The vengeful infant screamed in furious rage.

The paper doll was an embodiment of Xie Yutong's consciousness, a physical representation of a person's will to survive, manifesting unimaginable strength at the brink of death.

But only for a fleeting moment.

But a moment... was enough.

Just as the paper doll reverted back to a mere sheet of paper, having exhausted its soul energy, the door was suddenly barged open.

Before Xie Yutong could comprehend what was happening, a flurry of stick blows whooshed past. The vengeful infant spirit let out a series of shrill screams, then frenziedly rolled out of the room as if it had seen a ghost, leaping into the well and vanishing from sight.

The well became akin to a dumping ground for dumplings, as one resentful infant after another was extracted from the room and plopped into it with consecutive splashes.

The novice players, not having enhanced vision by the system, and even those with upgraded sight like Aunt Li and another veteran who had cleared the instance twice, couldn't make out the happening clearly. They could only glimpse fragments illuminated by the intermittent flashes of lightning, leaving most bewildered and shocked.

"Table leg! Table leg! Stick! Stick! And a blurry white mass of something!"

However, a more experienced player with better-enhanced vision could see, yet what he saw left him doubting his own eyes.

"Is that... Jiexiang's doll?" the veteran player exclaimed in disbelief, "How is that possible?"

The doll was indeed fragile, to the point where he felt it would crumble at the slightest touch.

After dealing with the resentful infants, the Jie doll seemed ready to return, its indolent demeanor strikingly resembling Jiexiang.

Yet, it flicked its ears and sighed with an air of resignation.

Within the courtyard well, the water churned tumultuously, as though something gargantuan was about to emerge.

Had Nie Shuangshuang been present, her blooming fiery roses would have revealed a monstrous creature amassing in the well, formed of countless resentful infants and bespeckled with innumerable eyes, akin to stones accumulating into a pile.

"Such a nuisance."

The creature's "hand" emerged from the courtyard well, fiercely attempting to heave its massive body out, as it roared towards the sky.

Nie Shuangshuang was busy scavenging candles on the second floor, trailed by a long line of persistent mini vengeful infants, but she had no time to entertain them.

Only three rooms left to search.

After the scavenging, she planned to quickly distribute the finds among the other players, allowing them to light a couple of candles each to ensure their safety for the night.

However, the roar from outside prompted a change in her complexion, and she hurriedly exited the room.

In the time it took her to appear, the roaring had transitioned into screams of agony.

“Roar... Aaaaaaah— Boom.”

The creature hadn't even fully emerged before collapsing in front of Nie Shuangshuang, causing a great splash in the courtyard well.

Moreover, Nie Shuangshuang seemed to glimpse a shadowy silhouette of a black palace, which descended like a suppressive force from the heavens directly into the well.

But the palace's phantom was too illusory, making it difficult to ascertain its true existence.

However, another entity appeared vividly before Nie Shuangshuang.

A drenched paper figure reverted back to a palm-sized piece of paper, leisurely drifting into the well.

"Damn."

Nie Shuangshuang whirled around abruptly to find Jie Fangcheng standing beside her, his face displaying a lack of energy and fervor.

To be willing to die just to avoid some extra work, is that really something she could accomplish?

Jie Fangcheng pondered this, then fell silent.

Nie Shuangshuang glanced at the paper doll, then at him, unsure of what to inquire first. A thousand words converged at the tip of her tongue, finally settling on, "Is that your paper doll?"

"Hmm."

Nie Shuangshuang: "…"

Nie Shuangshuang couldn't figure it out: "Why did it go down there?"

Jie Fangcheng replied irritably, "It jumped into the well."

Nie Shuangshuang: "…"

Nie Shuangshuang queried again, "Why are you here?"

"To lend a hand."

As soon as he appeared, the unseen resentful spirits trailing behind Nie Shuangshuang fled, fearing capture.

These resentful spirit shadows were fairly normal, but when they appeared in front of people, they often only displayed one aspect. Jie Fangcheng could see them clearly, not only see them but found it harder to hit the tangible ones. The arrogant intangible ones, on the other hand, didn't require a beating with a stick; a simple distant wave would send negative energy their way, hitting the mark each time.

How wonderful it was, not having to chase these little creatures.

His stick-fighting skills were extraordinary, delivering pain that was anything but ordinary. Word of this spread quickly among the groups of resentful spirits.

Having cleared this level numerous times, Nie Shuangshuang indeed had a discerning eye.

She asked, "The one that went down the well, was that your doing?"

"Seems so." The paper doll was also his creation, so it counted as his doing, right?

Nie Shuangshuang paused for a moment.

Jie Fangcheng thought she didn't believe him, an assumption he had grown accustomed to given the frequent disbelief he encountered.

To his surprise, the next second saw Nie Shuangshuang abruptly lifting her head, "Boss! Take me under your wing! I can't figure out this level!"

"Huh?" Jie Fangcheng was taken aback, rubbing his nose and appearing somewhat incredulous, "You believe me?"

Nie Shuangshuang was truly extraordinary.

"I do." Nie Shuangshuang fully showcased her greatest advantage from clearing the instance hundreds of times, "Haven't I cleared this instance so many times for nothing? When something unusual happens, it surely indicates the appearance of someone extraordinary! Look at you!"

Nie Shuangshuang gazed at him, sensing his infuriating charm... What infuriating charm! This was distinctive elegance!

This inclination to slack off and coast through life... That was the serenity and composure gained from witnessing countless occurrences!

As for his fashion statement with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder... Well, that was uniquely distinctive!

"Boss!" Nie Shuangshuang exclaimed, her eyes twinkling like stars, "Boss, guide me through this! This instance is too tough! I can't get past it!"

Jie Fangcheng was almost getting used to her shouting at him. Being suddenly called 'boss' made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"Uh... um," Jie Fangcheng was unusually restrained, "Doesn't this instance have a guide?"

Nie Shuangshuang promptly flipped open the guide to show him.

"My lord, times have changed, the guide can't keep up with the transformations!" said Nie Shuangshuang, pointing at a section, "Look here, at this place."

Nie Shuangshuang indicated that on the first day, players should seek the Heavenly Master who gives out dolls. "The Heavenly Master is gone, I obtained the doll myself, following the guide from the Chaoyang Guild. Normally, the Heavenly Master should be here. You see, without the Heavenly Master, newcomers entering this instance without a guide would be walking into a death trap. But a 100% death situation cannot occur in this game, especially at a starter level that might host a team of new players; it's simply impossible!"

"Oh, oh," Jie Fangcheng nodded, finding the argument somewhat familiar.

"Now, the Heavenly Master who should have appeared... Look here," she even switched to a more formal 'you' in addressing him.

Jie Fangcheng quickly interrupted, "No, no, no, just 'you', informal 'you' is fine."

This girl was truly something, displaying such a fluid range of personalities. Yelling felt natural to her, and now this... well, this slightly sycophantic demeanor seemed equally natural!

Nie Shuangshuang adapted swiftly: "Alright, alright, 'you', informal 'you'. Look here."

She turned a couple of pages in the guide, landing on the section about the resentful infants.

"The resentful infants in the courtyard well are not very powerful, most of these creatures would be refined by the Heavenly Master, leaving only seven small ones. These seven would unite like the gourd brothers, and I should be able to handle them once they've merged. But I saw earlier, there are at least hundreds of them. Hundreds! How am I supposed to deal with that? Why isn't the Heavenly Master refining them?"

"Is the Heavenly Master slacking off?" Jie Fangcheng hypothesized, putting himself in the other's shoes.

Nie Shuangshuang's forehead twitched, she muttered "He's a big shot" to herself and pretended not to hear, "Anyway, the guide is off. So, boss, after hearing all this, do you have any new ideas for clearing the level?"

Jie Fangcheng countered, "How was this instance originally supposed to be cleared?"

He had blatantly revealed that he hadn't studied even a sliver of the guide.

Nie Shuangshuang held back her irritation, beginning to explain patiently, "This instance ends like this: the city lord is the strongest, while the Heavenly Master is on our side. During the hundred-day feast, she will have a fierce battle with the city lord. We players just need to stand by and watch the drama unfold, and the instance would be cleared."

"Oh," Jie Fangcheng nodded, "In that case, I do have an idea to clear the instance."

"What?"

"During the hundred-day feast, I'll have a fierce battle with the city lord. You players just need to stand by and enjoy the show, and the instance will be cleared," Jie Fangcheng stated sincerely.

Nie Shuangshuang: "..."

She couldn't help but say, "Do you even know the kind of power the city lord possesses?!"

"No clue."

"And yet you claim you want to fight him?!" Nie Shuangshuang raised her voice considerably.

She was merely paying lip service with her sycophantic attitude towards the 'big shot', her temper remained fiery and her voice was still very loud.

Xie Fangcheng smiled, "Why not give it a try?"

"???" Nie Shuangshuang couldn't hold back anymore, she roared, "Wake up, big brother! This is a horror dungeon!! You still want to try? How exactly do you plan to 'try'? What if you fail? Are we all supposed to die together?!"

"In that case," Xie Fangcheng suggested, "Tomorrow, I'll just go and have a big fight with the city lord, maybe even kill him on the spot. That would settle it, right?"

Seeing that Nie Shuangshuang was about to roar again, Xie Fangcheng hurriedly spoke, "However, this dungeon seems somewhat similar to the one I cleared before."

"Huh?" Nie Shuangshuang's "Huh" was exceptionally loud.

"The first dungeon I cleared also had a missing key NPC. Someone told me it might be because the key NPC was taken out of the dungeon," Xie Fangcheng explained.