Chapter 280: Joyful Destiny 01

Chapter 280: Joyful Destiny 01

As the main gate opened, all the players present heard a mechanical voice announcement.

"Current number of participants in the instance/30, actual number of participants/14"

"Player loading in progress..."

"Player loading complete, current number of participants in the instance/30"

"The 'Joyful Destiny' instance has been activated."

Several mechanical voices followed one after another.

Qin Fei's eyes narrowed slightly, and the expressions of the others changed instantly.

"What does this mean?" Lu Cheng showed an expression of disbelief. "Player loading? Another sixteen people?"

Xiong Li was shocked. "We spent so much effort to find clues about the core urban legend, we camped out on the sidewalk for a whole night, and rode in a car for half a day."

"They were directly loaded in here???"

Xiong Li was almost furious. "Are they playing with us?"

If they had known it would be like this, they wouldn't have bothered solving the puzzles. They might as well have just waited for other players to do the hard work, since everyone would eventually be transported into the instance anyway.

Qin Fei's lips tightened.

He knew why the system did this.

The system wanted to give him trouble.

It was an old trick, similar to what happened in the underground laboratory instance. It didn't matter how dirty the methods were, as long as Qin Fei didn't win, the system would do anything shameless.

The last soul fragment of the pollution source was hidden in the Tulou before them. If Qin Fei found this fragment, it would be a disaster for the system.

So the system would inevitably try its best to hinder Qin Fei.

Anything that could make Qin Fei uncomfortable, anything that could obstruct his investigation into the urban legend, would be brought in by the system.

Qin Fei looked back, but behind him was a vast expanse of grayness, making it impossible to see the way they came.

The bus that brought them here had disappeared, and at the end of the mist, a series of faint figures appeared.

Without a doubt, among those people, there would definitely be one or more faces Qin Fei didn't particularly want to see.

Qin Fei wanted to take a closer look, but he didn't have time because lights suddenly lit up inside the Tulou.

In the three-story circular building, rooms from left to right gradually illuminated, like a comet with a long tail.

The Tulou, which had been pitch black and impossible to see inside, suddenly became brightly lit. A faint string music played, and silhouettes moved within, against the light.

A drawn-out voice echoed, seemingly shouting or singing:

"Noble guests have arrived, welcome—"

Two rows of people emerged from both sides of the door, one male and one female, each consisting of twelve individuals, lining up on either side of the road.

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow at this unexpected scene.

These two rows of NPCs looked somewhat eerie. Both men and women kept their heads lowered, their pale faces, dressed in bright red jackets, each holding a lantern.

They lined up silently, like lifeless dolls.

Until an elderly man, who seemed to be older, approached the players, breaking the silence.

"Please follow me, noble guests." The elderly man was also dressed in a bright red jacket, bowing deeply, welcoming the players inside.

The players exchanged glances but did not hesitate, entering the building one by one.

The moment they stepped into the Tulou, their dormant attribute panels finally showed changes.

"Urban Legend Name: Joyful Destiny"

"Status: In Progress"

"Urban Legend Description:

The Red Mountain Ancient Building is one of the most famous attractions near the Porcelain Capital, attracting visitors year-round.

Your luck is quite good; you've arrived during the annual immersive ancient wedding experience.

Please forget your identity as tourists and enjoy a splendid folk festival!"

"Urban Legend Hint:

Life and death separated, yet memories linger.

The living cannot die, the dead cannot live."

"Clearance Requirement: Survive and witness the successful completion of the Tulou wedding in three days."

Qin Fei quickly scanned through the hint, pausing for a few seconds on the words "life and death separated."

After entering the Tulou, the players got a clearer view of its interior.

An old building with black tiles and gray walls, countless rooms tightly arranged.

It seemed as though there were many people inside the building when viewed from outside, but now that they had entered, they found it completely empty.

The courtyard was desolate, with only a massive locust tree planted in the center, its twisted branches resembling ghostly shadows.

Due to the upcoming celebration, two flower knots tied with red silk adorned the tree, yet they failed to convey any festive atmosphere.

"Looks more like two hanging ropes," Lu Cheng commented frankly.

This eerie place truly had nothing to do with the word "celebration."

"Respected guests."

As the players were observing their surroundings, the elderly NPC who had led them into Tulou silently moved to the front of the group.

"Welcome to Red Mountain Ancient Building. I am the caretaker of the Ancient Building.

Currently, we are preparing for the annual wedding banquet. Please stay here for the next three days and attend the ceremony before leaving."

He then changed his tone: "All guests are esteemed, but the Ancient Building has its own rules, which you must follow."

The already hunched NPC bowed even lower, presenting a large, red, gold-sprinkled paper to Qin Fei, who was closest to him.

Qin Fei took the paper, on the back of which were rules written with a brush pen. The ink was still fresh, and the paper felt slightly damp.

"Rules for Observing the Ceremony at Red Mountain Ancient Building"

1. The wedding banquet will commence in three days. Guests are not allowed to leave the building before the banquet starts but can move freely within the building.

2. There is no electricity in the Ancient Building; all light sources after dark are open flames.

Candlelight is easily extinguished, so please avoid staying or moving in unlit areas at night to prevent injury.

(Note: There are no red lanterns in the Ancient Building. If you see red lanterns or other red light sources, immediately move away.)

3. The paintings in the Ancient Building are dangerous; handle them with caution.

(The paintings are treasures of the Ancient Building, carrying its history and stories. Do not miss the chance to appreciate these artworks; you will surely gain much from them.)

4. All rooms on the second floor are guest rooms, and esteemed guests may choose any room to stay in.

Each room has its own rules, which must be read and followed before occupancy.

The players gathered together to read the rules. Qin Fei looked up and noticed that the caretaker NPC had vanished.

Voices came from behind the tightly closed door—it was the caretaker's voice, though no one knew when he had left.

"There are currently insufficient servants in the Ancient Building. Please wait 30 minutes, esteemed guests. Once the previous group selects their overnight rooms, I will lead everyone inside."

Other players also heard what the NPC said outside the door.

"Are those 16 people here?" Xiong Li's expression finally improved slightly. "Finally, we get some special treatment."

Thirty minutes of exploration time.

Though a bit stingy, it was better than nothing.

However, Cui Wenxuan smiled bitterly: "Actually, it might not be special treatment."

In his palm, he tightly held a small bronze mirror, using his body to shield it as he scanned the area.

The mirror showed no patterns, but a faint black lacquer covered its surface.

Cui Wenxuan lowered his voice: "There are no ghosts nearby, but the ghostly aura is heavy."

This Tulou had the heaviest ghostly aura he had ever encountered, almost entirely submerged in it.

The source of the ghostly aura remained unknown.

The more unknown, the more cautious one must be.

"Let's go upstairs and choose our rooms," Gala decided after a moment's contemplation.

Although not explicitly stated, both the hints and the eerie atmosphere suggested that the wedding in three days would likely not be a normal ceremony between living beings.

Ghosts were undoubtedly present in the building.

Although lanterns were already lit in Tulou, the sky above was not fully dark yet, forming a neat circle framed by the Tulou, gray and gloomy.

According to Rule 2, players should find a place to stay before nightfall to avoid entering unlit areas, where danger could lurk.

No one objected to this decision. The group headed towards the main hall in the center of the courtyard.

The stairs leading to the second floor were hidden behind the main hall, narrow enough for only one person to pass. Qin Fei walked at the front, making the red wooden stairs creak with each step.

Lu Cheng followed behind Qin Fei, muttering as they walked: "This damn staircase is too hidden. If it weren't for Xiao Qin's sharp eyes, I'd have searched for ages."

He had just released five vines and couldn't find the staircase.

Qin Fei's steps faltered for a moment but quickly resumed without a trace.

The stairs led to a corridor on the second floor. One side had a half-height railing, allowing a view of the courtyard below, while the other side had guest rooms.

The rules mentioned different rules for each guest room, but from the exterior, the rooms looked identical, offering no distinction.

For a moment, the players were unsure how to choose.

The rules for the guest rooms differ, likely signifying that each room harbors distinct dangers.

One cannot choose randomly.

Otherwise, if unlucky, one might end up losing their life.

Standing near the edge of the staircase was a row of servants in red robes, holding lanterns, resembling lifeless pieces of paper.

Qin Fei glanced at these people before turning his gaze away.

In this eerie tale, from the welcoming party at the entrance of Tulou to the elderly caretaker and the NPCs serving inside, all had their favorability displayed as unapproachable.

However, while Qin Fei did not look at these servants, they stared back at him instead.

At the very end of the NPC group, a young girl in red with two thick braids kept her head down but repeatedly stole glances at Qin Fei. Her gaze was so obvious that it could not be ignored.

Qin Fei had no choice but to ask, "What are you looking at?"

Hearing Qin Fei speak, the NPC grinned widely.

It would have been better if she hadn't smiled; her grin made one feel uneasy.

Her face wasn’t ugly, yet it was bizarre beyond description. Her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose were extremely out of proportion, and her stiff cheeks bore an overly vivid blush.

"The bride," she answered. "I am looking at the bride."