Chapter 247

Chapter 247

They seemed to have plunged into a stunning dream woven of blood-red and gold.

— This was Chen Yun's first thought upon opening his eyes.

She lay sprawled on the ground, feeling as if she was weighed down by a thick, warm quilt. Instead of an endless expanse of yellow sand, her eyes met the blazing red morning glow in the sky. Amidst the molten gold of the landscape and the fiery clouds overhead, sweat beads rapidly formed on Chen Yun's forehead. Instinctively, she raised her hand to wipe them away, only to graze against tiny grains of sand in the process.

The sensation of the sand slipping through her fingers was pleasant — dry and smooth, reminiscent of the joy one feels when plunging a hand into a sack of rice.

Yet, Chen Yun didn't linger in that sensation for long. Within a few seconds, she snapped back to reality, swiftly digging herself out of the sand.

Indeed, she was half-buried in the sand and gravel!

That explained the oppressive weight she felt upon her.

“Xiao Siyu, Lu Shuo, wake up!”

After awakening, Chen Yun quickly located both Lu Shuo and Xiao Siyu, similarly half-buried. She pulled them out of the sand, taking turns to slap their faces to rouse them.

"Ugh, my mouth feels so dry…” After being slapped awake, Lu Shuo covered his face and looked around, questioning, “Is this… a desert? It's scorching!”

Sitting upright, Xiao Siyu squinted and said, “Yes, but there seems to be an oasis ahead.”

Located about fifty meters from where they were, the oasis sparkled like a green gem set against the crimson sky and golden desert. Beside the oasis, a brilliant blue river flowed, resembling a necklace made of turquoise stones — both dazzling and mysterious, silently beckoning all to approach.

Brushing off the sand tangled in her hair, Chen Yun remarked, “An oasis in a desert could be a mirage. Let's check it out later. Where's everyone else?”

The other participants were also half-buried in the sand. One by one, they began to stir. Scanning the group, Chen Yun only recognized one familiar face — Bian Yuchen. Counting herself, Lu Shuo, and Xiao Siyu, there were eleven in total, six men and five women — a moderate number.

“Why the hell am I buried in sand? It's so damn hot.” The tallest man among them cursed as he stood up, "Why am I always the one getting the short end of the stick?"

But regardless of his outburst, no one paid him any mind. Their attention was fixed on their sinking luggage, being rapidly consumed by quicksand.

“Damn it! My luggage!”

Lu Shuo made a desperate leap, trying to grasp the handle of his suitcase, but it was to no avail. Defeated, he sighed, “Damn, I just wanted to get a sip of water from it.”

The rest of the group faced a similar plight, with not a single piece of luggage spared. The cursing man even dove headfirst into the sand in search of his belongings, only to unearth something else entirely.

“What is this…” He brushed the sand off the object, furrowing his brow, “A coffin?”

His discovery drew the others closer.

A woman in a black tracksuit inquired with doubt in her voice, “Why is there a coffin here?”

The sturdy man mused, “Could there be a mummy inside?”

In the presence of a desert and a coffin, it's easy to associate with mummies.

"This is clearly a Chinese-style coffin, and it's unlikely to contain a mummy," spoke a woman, with jet-black hair cascading down to her ankles, "What if it's an ancient corpse from Loulan?"

"That's not entirely out of the question," the burly man called others over to assist, "Come on, let's dig it out and see for ourselves."

The coffin was immensely heavy. Despite the man's strength, he couldn't unearth it alone. Thankfully, only half of the coffin was buried. Its unique wood and color blended seamlessly with the surrounding golden sands, which is why it went unnoticed initially. With the help of others, extracting it didn't require too much effort.

However, once the coffin was uncovered, Chen Yun, Lü Shuo, and Xiao Siyu stared at its surface, where golden patterns seemed to shimmer, in stunned silence.

A man with tattooed arms circled the coffin, remarking, "It's a coffin made of golden Phoebe zhennan wood with a dragon scale pattern. No wonder we missed it initially."

The burly man inquired, "Is there something special about it? I just know that Phoebe zhennan coffins are expensive."

"Phoebe zhennan wood has five natural grain patterns, with dragon scale being the most premium."

The tattooed man fell silent. Responding to the burly man's question was another gentleman with round gold-rimmed glasses. Dressed in a dark gray padded robe, he pushed up his glasses, closely inspected the coffin, and explained, "The dragon scale pattern on this coffin is extensive and clear. Its natural fragrance is enduring. Without extra carvings or adornments, it vividly illustrates a luxurious design, making it a rare treasure. In the market, it's priceless."

The burly man understood—this coffin was worth a fortune.

He asked, "How much can it fetch?"

"Starting from seven figures at least," the bespectacled man gestured a number, and then introduced himself, "I'm Ming Sheng. My family deals in funerals, so I know a bit more about this."

"I'm Zhan Meng, a fitness trainer."

Zhan Meng, though vulgar when cursing, was polite when not, and he greeted Ming Sheng with a bow of respect.

Ming Sheng smiled, complimenting, "It shows, you're in great shape."

"Yes, if it weren't for entering this cursed place, I would've competed in the Olympics by now. Since arriving, I've been eating and sleeping poorly, losing all my muscle mass, so no competition for me." Zhan Meng then waved to a woman dressed in a deep purple Lolita dress with smoky makeup, "Hey, Qianxi~"

The reunion of the 'Seductive Team' saw Qianxi lifting her skirt hem in a curtsy, "Good to see you again, Zhan..."

"Stop, stop!" Zhan Meng interrupted with wide eyes, "Don't bring up that nickname. It traumatizes me."

Recognizing Bi Yan Chen among the group, they both greeted him. In this scenario, Bi Yan Chen maintained his Daoist attire—a blue robe and a bun secured with a wooden stick. Zhan Meng, curious, asked, "Bi Yan Chen, are you a Daoist?"

Bi Yan Chen responded with a smile, "Not exactly, I'm just a practitioner."

Exchanging glances, Zhan Meng and Qianxi remained ambiguous about his answer—what sort of practitioner keeps a retinue of devoted guards? They wondered who would be his "Thirteen" in this scenario.

And so, the two continued to listen to the others introduce themselves.

"I'm Tu Wencai, 'Tu' as in 'butcher'." The man with tattooed arms said, folding his arms across his chest. Despite his menacing name and appearance, he asked Jan Meng, Xixi, and Bian Yuchen, "Do you three know each other?"

Xixi nodded, "We've met in other replicas."

"Lucky you. Everyone I knew is dead," Tu Wencai remarked, "This is my ninth replica challenge. What about you?"

Jan Meng replied, "Mine too."

Xixi added, "Same here."

Both Mingsheng and Bian Yuchen echoed, "Same for me."

Three other women soon joined their conversation. The one with the very long hair was named Li Chanyi, dressed in an old-fashioned flowing dress. The woman in the black sportswear was named Xin Yuechun, and the notably petite girl was Yao Xiaoguo, whose name was as endearing as she looked. All of them were on their ninth replica challenge.

None of them knew each other, much like Mingsheng and Tu Wencai, having not met any acquaintances in this replica.

After hearing their introductions, Mingsheng mused, "This must be the ninth challenge for all of us then, right?"

Tu Wencai raised his chin, pointing to Chen Yun, Lu Shuo, and Xiao Siyu, who stood side by side, "Those three haven't spoken yet."

To be exact, they hadn’t spoken to them.

After the coffin was unearthed, Chen Yun, Lu Shuo, and Xiao Siyu hadn't stopped chatting among themselves—

Upon seeing the coffin, Lu Shuo felt even more parched, struggling to swallow and stuttered to Chen Yun and Xiao Siyu, "Do you guys... find this coffin...?"

Xiao Siyu finished his sentence, "Familiar?"

"Where's your phone?" Chen Yun nudged Xiao Siyu with his elbow, "Quickly, pull out the photo and compare."

Xiao Siyu replied, "What's the use of having a phone here? There's no internet; I can't open Liu Buhua's Moments."

"Check our group chat, who told you to check his Moments?" Lu Shuo reminded, "Didn't you post everything in our group? Have you lost your mind?"

At Lu Shuo's prompting, Xiao Siyu remembered. He swiftly pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened their three-person WeChat group chat, and scrolled up. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for – a screenshot from Moments—

[Mr. Liu Buhua: Godfather's in the coffin. A coffin in sight brings fortune and delight. [Photo]]

The photo shared by Liu Buhua depicted a glittering nanmu coffin in the center of a brightly lit ancestral hall.

Liu Buhua became WeChat friends with Xiao Siyu when they dealt with the matter involving Liu's sister. They remained connected, and Xiao Siyu would occasionally like Liu's updates on Moments. However, when he came across that particular post, he was so shocked that his soul nearly left his body. He didn't dare to like it. Instead, he immediately took a screenshot and sent it to the WeChat group with Chen Yun and Lu Shuo. Even now, Xiao Siyu could recall the shock and astonishment he felt at that moment from their chat history—

[Chen Yun: ???]

[Lu Shuo: ???]

[Lu Shuo: What's going on? Did something happen to Mr. Xie?]

[Chen Yun: That can't be...]

[Lu Shuo: He's in a coffin!]

[Chen Yun: But the tone of Liu Buhua's post didn't seem sad at all.]

[Chen Yun: @Xiao Siyu, Xiao, you should message Liu Buhua privately to get the details.]

In fact, even before Chen Yun tagged him, Xiao Siyu had already reached out:

[Xiao Siyu: Mr. Liu, I saw your post on Moments...]

[Liu Buhua: Ah, the one about my godfather's coffin? What about it?]

[Xiao Siyu: Yes, that one... May I ask about Mr. Xie's current situation?]

[Liu Buhua: His current situation? He's in the coffin.]

Xiao Siyu: "..."

Xiao Siyu felt that their conversation was not aligning. Perhaps he was being too vague, so he decided to be more direct:

[Xiao Siyu: Did Mr. Xie pass away?]

[Liu Buhua: No, we just held a funeral for him. I believe he's still breathing and has a heartbeat.]

[Xiao Siyu: ...You believe?]

[Liu Buhua: Well, he's inside the coffin, and I'm not. The coffin's nailed shut, so how would I know? All I know is he had a heartbeat and was breathing when he went in. If you happen to come across him in the replica, could you help open the coffin? Here are some detailed photos of my godfather's coffin [Photo][Photo][Photo]...]

The next moment, Xiao Siyu's phone buzzed incessantly as Liu Buhua sent over a dozen photos of Xie Yin Xue's coffin—close-ups, full shots, and detailed images. Kindly, Liu Buhua even reminded them:

[Liu Buhua: Before opening the coffin, compare it with the photos. Be careful not to open the wrong one!]

[Xiao Siyu: ...]

[Xiao Siyu: Alright.]

That was the entirety of the conversation between Xiao Siyu and Liu Buhua. The dialogue was so perplexing that Xiao Siyu shared screenshots of it, along with a picture of a coffin, to a WeChat group with Chen Yun and Lu Shuo. Their only response was a string of ellipses. They couldn't understand the complexities of this world. All they knew was that if they came across Xie Yinxue's coffin in the Eternal Lock game, they should help open it.

Although Xie Yinxue seemed to be inside a nailed-shut coffin, she was probably still alive. After all, Liu Buhua didn't seem too distraught. The proof was that three days later, he posted a new moment on his social feed, showing off his newly purchased luxury private yacht. He mentioned plans to take his younger brother out to sea come spring, all the while expressing gratitude for the substantial allowance left to him by his godfather.

After seeing the post, Xiao Siyu, Chen Yun, and Lu Shuo unanimously felt that "substantial allowance" might be better described as a "huge inheritance."

Now, they've indeed encountered a golden phoebe coffin in the game instance that strongly resembled Xie Yinxue's. Xiao Siyu, Chen Yun, and Lu Shuo immediately surrounded the coffin to inspect it.

After a moment, Lu Shuo inquired, "Well, Xiao, have you matched the details? Is this Mr. Xie's coffin?"

Xiao Siyu, looking serious, responded, "It's almost certainly his. The details match perfectly."

Lu Shuo nodded. "Alright, let's get the tools and open it."

Even though their main luggage had been buried in the sand and was irretrievable, the three of them understood the importance of not putting all eggs in one basket. They might have lost their large items, but they still had smaller tools like daggers and Swiss Army knives. Without wasting words, they began to pry the nails from the coffin.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Tu Wencai, startled, rushed over and held down the coffin lid, asking, "You're opening this?"

Lu Shuo replied, "Yes."

Tu Wencai frowned. "You can't just open a coffin without understanding its context!"

"Indeed, we shouldn't act rashly," Yao Xiaoguo remarked, "Could this coffin carry some sort of curse? Like instant death upon opening?"

"No, you've misunderstood," Xiao Siyu clarified. "This coffin belongs to... an acquaintance of mine, another player. He should be inside right now. We're trying to help him out."

Yao Xiaoguo was puzzled. "Why would a player sleep inside a coffin?"

Xin Yuechun also chimed in, "How old is he? Is he 'warming the tomb'?"

"Warming the tomb" refers to a burial custom where the grave is pre-warmed with yellow paper or tin foil before burial, so the deceased can have a warm new home. Some elderly people, aiming to bring themselves good luck and longevity, would even pre-order their coffins and sleep in them from time to time, also referred to as "warming the tomb."

This left Xiao Siyu at a loss. He genuinely didn't understand why Xie Yinxue would sleep in a coffin. "He's not old, around twenty, I guess..."

Suddenly, Bian Yuchen spoke up, "Is it Xie Yinxue?"

Chen Yun confirmed, "Yes."

Jan Meng looked at the three unfamiliar faces and inquired, “Do you also know Xie Yin Xue?”

Lu Shuo responded, “From the way you ask, I assume you do too?”

“Indeed.” Jan Meng pointed to himself, then at Xi Xi, and added, “Xi Xi, Bi Yan Chen, and I are acquainted with him.”

“We know Bi Yan Chen as well,” Xiao Si Yu said with a meaningful glance at Bi Yan Chen. “Since we all know Mr. Xie, it's convenient. This is his coffin. Care to help us open it?”

“On it,” said Jan Meng as he rolled up his sleeves to join the group prying the coffin. Midway, he wondered, “Is he the only one inside?”

Lu Shuo hesitated for a second before replying, “...Probably?”

Liu Bu Hua had only mentioned his godfather being in the coffin, not anyone else.

But Jan Meng commented, “Didn’t he have a boyfriend? They seemed quite close.”

No sooner had he finished his sentence than he corrected himself, “Oh, wait, maybe not ‘close.’ I heard from Xie Yin Xue that his boyfriend was quite promiscuous, having been with hundreds of others.”

“……？”

Lu Shuo was stunned.

Xiao Si Yu was equally taken aback, “...Mr. Xie told you this personally?”

“Absolutely!” Jan Meng exclaimed, slapping his thigh. “Though I seemed calm when he told me, I was genuinely shocked on the inside. Hundreds of people! Both men and women! How did he manage that?”

Xiao Si Yu replied, “I have no idea...”

He didn't even know that Xie Yin Xue had a boyfriend.

They'd only met Xie Yin Xue twice in the ‘Lock Eternal Life’ game. Once during the first stage at the Gluttonous Feast dungeon and then at the Qing Mountain Asylum dungeon. In both instances, the person closest to Xie Yin Xue seemed to be Liu Bu Hua. But the person Jan Meng described clearly wasn't Liu Bu Hua.

Chen Yun, however, seemed to have seen Xie Yin Xue once more. Xiao Si Yu promptly turned to her, “Chen Yun, does Mr. Xie have a boyfriend?”

Chen Yun wasn't one to gossip and honestly wasn't aware, so she chose her words cautiously, “...I'm not quite sure.”

Lu Shuo was equally shocked, though his concern was, “Why would Mr. Xie choose someone like that as his boyfriend?”

“How would I know? I’m not him,” retorted Jan Meng. “You're about to open his coffin; why not ask him directly?”

As his words echoed, the last nail securing the golden Phoebe nanmu coffin was pried free.

The previously sealed environment inside the coffin was disrupted, releasing a deep, muffled "thud". Upon hearing it, Tu Wencai, Li Chanyi, and Xin Yuechun instinctively stepped back. After all, they didn't know who was inside the coffin, and caution was always wise.

However, Xiao Siyu, Chen Yun, and Lu Shuo took a deep breath, braced themselves against the coffin lid, and together pushed it aside.

Seeing them staring intently into the coffin, Yao Xiaoguo couldn't help but ask, "Is it your friend 'Xie Yinxue' inside?"

Chen Yun replied with a complex tone, "...Yes."

The young man in red with raven-black hair lay inside. It was unmistakably Xie Yinxue. However, the funeral makeup on his face gave him a haunting and inexplicably captivating allure, making everyone who looked upon him perceive an unsettling realization: they were staring at a corpse, not a living being.

Chen Yun struggled to determine if Xie Yinxue's chest was rising and falling with breath.

She wanted to check his breathing by touching his nose but hesitated. The sight of him was eerily unfamiliar, exuding an icy chill so out of place in the blistering desert. She felt as if she had unearthed a real corpse, sending shivers down her spine.

Observing the reactions of Xiao Siyu and Lu Shuo, they seemed to share her sentiment.

Even onlookers, Zhan Meng and Qianxi, felt compelled to ask: Was Xie Yinxue still alive?

Eventually, it was Bian Yuchen who acted first.

Instead of checking for breathing, he reached directly towards Xie Yinxue's heart.

One can hold their breath, but a heartbeat remains a telltale sign of life. Checking one's pulse is the best way to determine if someone is still alive.

However, just as his fingertips were about to make contact, Xie Yinxue's eyelashes fluttered, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

The vivid crimson hues of the sky reflected in those dark pupils, intensifying their profound, chilling depths, which were utterly mesmerizing.

Caught off guard, Bian Yuchen paused, then slightly withdrew his hand, palms up, and remarked, "Mr. Xie, you're awake?"

Xie Yinxue gave a faint wave, signaling for Bian Yuchen to step back, implying he could rise on his own.

Recognizing the cue, Bian Yuchen graciously stepped aside with a smile.

Unhindered, Xie Yinxue sat up, his upper body emerging from the coffin. He looked like a beautiful revenant, causing Tu Wencai, Li Chanyi, and Xin Yuechun to be taken aback both by his alluring appearance and the eerie sensation he exuded.

Concurrently, Xie Yinxue's piercing gaze swept across their faces – he didn't find Bu Jiuzhao among them.

Zhan Meng then inquired, "Xie Yinxue, is it just you this time? Where's your boyfriend?"

Xie Yinxue responded with a succinct, "Yes."

Zhan Meng sighed deeply, assuming the two had parted ways again or perhaps Bu Jiuzhao had died—though Zhan Meng felt the latter was unlikely. Making small talk, he transitioned from Bu Jiuzhao to Liubuhua, "What about your godson?"

Xie Yinxue, hopping out of the coffin onto the gravelly ground, said, "He's completed the game for good."

"Completed for good?!"

Zhan Meng's voice cracked, his face filled with disbelief, "Do you mean what I think you mean?"

"Yes," Xie Yinxue glanced at him, elaborating, "He's entirely free from Lock of Immortality and won't be returning."

At this, the attention of Tu Wencai, Li Chanyi, and Xin Yuechun, among others, was wholly drawn to Xie Yinxue's statement. Everyone present congregated around him, with Xin Yuechun eagerly asking, "How did he manage it?"

Xie Yinxue summed up in a nonchalant manner, "Clear nine sub-games, and you're set."

"Wait—" Tu Wencai interjected, pointing out the loophole in Xie Yinxue's words, "If clearing nine sub-games gets you out of Lock of Immortality, how does one achieve 'immortality'?"

Xie Yinxue replied honestly, "I don't know."

"Is it that you don't know, or you won't tell?" Tu Wencai's initial words were a bit sharp, but he quickly softened, "I'm straightforward; please don't take offense. If you have demands, state them. I'm willing to offer a fair exchange. You won't go unrewarded."

"Yes, I'm willing too, whatever's in my power," Xin Yuechun kindly added, "Mr. Xie, name your price, and we'll try our best to meet it."

—See, those who progress to the later stages in Lock of Immortality aren't ordinary. They're all astute, courteous, adept at preserving face in interpersonal interactions.

But the thing is, Xie Yinxue genuinely had no clue.

Liubuhua's ninth level had no bearing on the other participants. Apart from him and Liubuhua, the rest were greenhorns of varying abilities. After Liubuhua cleared the level, he went straight back to the real world, no different from their past experiences. Unlike the current game where participants were all veterans at the ninth stage.

Hence, Xie Yinxue speculated that Qin He never really intended for Liubuhua to achieve immortality.

All he wanted was to ensure Liubuhua safely and effortlessly left Lock of Immortality, whilst shedding light on some "past events" and imparting "greater truths."

Put bluntly, that game was tailor-made for Liubuhua, only serving the purpose of "clearing" without revealing the path to "immortality."

This indirectly confirmed Xie Yinxue's suspicion: the "immortality" players might finally achieve in Lock of Immortality wasn't a boon. It greatly diverged from the commonly understood concept of "eternal life."

Perhaps clearing the nine sub-games and simply leaving Lock of Immortality to live out one's days in the real world is the best choice.

Sadly, Xie Yinxue never had the luxury of choice.

Now, devoid of any mystical skills, he couldn't be as audacious as before.

Thus, Xie Yin Xue began to feign innocence and cleverness, using the most gentle and warm voice he had ever mustered, earnestly saying, “It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I genuinely don't know. In that instance, once we met the conditions to pass, we were directly brought back to the real world. Perhaps there are more conditions to be met to obtain 'immortality' in the next phase, but we haven’t even touched the threshold, which is why I am in the dark about it.”

After hearing this, Chen Yun, Xiao Si Yu, and Lu Shuo immediately expressed their support for Xie Yin Xue, saying, “We believe you, Mr. Xie.”

Zhan Meng also added, “I trust you.”

Xi Xi also sided with Xie Yin Xue, explaining to the others, “Mr. Xie once helped me through an instance. I trust his character; he wouldn't lie to us.”

In this instance, there were a total of twelve people. Excluding Xie Yin Xue himself, five participants now vouched for him. Although Bian Yu Chen did not explicitly take a stance, he clearly knew Xie Yin Xue and likely had some understanding of the young man. Therefore, his silence could be interpreted as tacit agreement with Xie Yin Xue's words.

“Alright then,” Tu Wen Cai reluctantly yielded for the moment. His gaze shifted to the golden nanmu coffin, which was sinking into the sand like their luggage, and offhandedly asked, “By the way, how did you end up lying in a coffin to enter the instance?”

The young man, with his eyes cast downward, softly replied, “A personal quirk.”

Tu Wen Cai: “...”

Apart from that reason, there seemed to be no other explanation that aptly justified why the young man would enter the instance from a coffin, especially with the mortuary makeup on his face being so convincing.

After one last glance at the disappearing “seven-digit number” and then at Xie Yin Xue, Tu Wen Cai understood that attempting to "tempt" him with material offers would be futile. Anyone who could afford such a top-tier golden nanmu coffin wouldn't be swayed by money or material desires. If, by chance, Xie Yin Xue's claim of “not knowing” was false, then coercing the truth might be the only approach left.

However, that matter wasn't urgent at the moment.

The priority was to understand the rules and mechanisms of the instance they were currently in.

With that thought, Tu Wen Cai shifted his attention from the people and said, “Let’s move on. There’s no clue here, and we can’t retrieve our luggage. There’s an oasis ahead; let’s check it out.”

None of the participants objected.

The distance of fifty meters wasn't long, and they covered it in about a minute.

Upon approaching, they found that the oasis was indeed real. It stood abruptly amidst the desert with lush greenery, a strip of azure river beside it, and at its center were several temples and palaces supported by massive pillars – a hallmark of ancient Egyptian megalithic architecture, majestic and imposing.

Zhan Meng looked up at the stone statues of ram-headed lions lining the pathway leading to the main hall and took a deep breath, saying, “Be cautious... I think there might be actual mummies here.”

This time, Li Chan Yi didn't refute him.

They proceeded along the stone path, intending to reach the central temple, but as they approached a courtyard encircled by colonnades, they were suddenly stopped by a group of humanoid creatures, each bearing an animal head and wielding staffs.

These beings, both male and female, exhibited various animal heads: wolves, eagles, cats, snakes, lions, and even frogs. The males exposed their muscular upper bodies, wearing only skirt-like garments below, while the females donned white long dresses, revealing only their arms and lower legs. Regardless of gender, they all wore exquisite necklaces, bracelets, and rings made of pure gold, embedded with vibrant jewels predominantly in shades of deep blue, green, and red.

Lyu Shuo gazed at them for a few moments before turning to Chen Yun and Xiao Siyu. "Who among them do you think is the guide NPC for this instance?"