The First Mirrored Instance.
Su Ya and the others didn't look very pleased either.
The lime line at the entrance was covered in messy footprints.
They were larger than a cat's paw but smaller than a dog's, shaped like plum blossoms, with sharp claws that had sunk deep into the lime.
The footprints went back and forth, over and over again.
It looked as though something had walked around the threshold again and again, wearing down the lime on the ground.
Dense claw prints were layered on top of one another.
Yang Hexuan swallowed hard. This meant...
Something had stood right outside the door last night, pacing back and forth all night long, separated from them by only a single wooden door.
“Oh my god...”
A player who had followed them over to look took a step back in fright, their voice cracking slightly.
“What kind of footprints are these? A cat this big? It couldn't be a tiger or a lion, could it?”
“It doesn't look like a cat,” another player said, his face turning pale. “A cat's paws aren't this big, and they wouldn't leave such deep prints.”
It looked more like the paw prints of some small wild beast.
But why would a wild beast from the deep mountains run into the village and circle someone's door all night?
And would a wild beast be afraid of quicklime?
Everyone looked at one another, seeing the terror reflected in each other's eyes.
No wonder Huang Facai had specifically instructed them to scatter quicklime.
If they had actually chosen to stay in the Western-style building yesterday—none of them dared to think any further.
“Alright, don't panic,”
Su Ya composed herself and forced herself to speak. “The quicklime blocked it, which means it works. We'll keep scattering it tonight.
It should be safe during the day, so let's focus on today's quests first.”
Though she said this, the shadow in everyone's hearts could not be dispelled.
The ghostly things in this village were more numerous and far more ferocious than they had imagined.
...
While the group was still in a state of panic, footsteps echoed from outside the ancestral hall, accompanied by Huang Facai's signature booming voice:
“Director Su? Mr. Lin? Are you awake? It's time to head to the house. The old lady's shrouding is about to begin, and we're just waiting for your crew to film it!”
The main door was pushed open, and Huang Facai stepped inside. He wore mourning clothes and a white mourning hat, yet there was no sorrow on his face.
Instead, he had a cheerful air about him, as if he were hosting some festive event.
“Oh, you're all up? Perfect, perfect!”
He scanned the group, pausing slightly when he saw that no one was missing. “Hurry up and pack your things to come with me. The time is drawing near, and it wouldn't do to miss the auspicious hour.”
Seeing him like this, Su Ya felt a wave of confusion.
Were these Huang family brothers actually looking forward to the old lady's death, or did they truly believe their mother's death was a “happy funeral”?
...
The group didn't dare to delay for a second. They grabbed the equipment that matched their roles and followed Huang Facai outside.
The early morning village was shrouded in a thin mist. The white lanterns were still lit, their miserable white light floating in a way that was both eerie and chilling.
Surprisingly, there weren't as many villagers around during the day as they had seen last night.
A mourning canopy had already been set up in the Huang family courtyard, fully hung with black and white drapes.
A black-lacquered coffin was placed in the center of the canopy, and it appeared the lid had not yet been sealed.
Quite a few people were standing in the courtyard. All the Huang family brothers were present, along with several female relatives dressed in sackcloth and mourning wear.
The mourning sons and grandsons stood in groups of twos and threes, keeping their voices very low, but no trace of crying could be heard.
Huang Shoucai led them through the gate. “Thank you for your hard work, teachers. The shrouding is about to begin. When the time comes, just film whatever you need to. No need to worry about us.”
He spoke generously, but his eyes swept over the group, intentionally or otherwise, with a hint of scrutiny.
Just as Su Ya was about to say, “Let us prepare first,” faint black ink-wash text suddenly materialized before her eyes.
【Triggered Collective Side Quest: Old Lady Huang's Shrouding】
【Quest Background: Old Lady Huang has been laid out for three days. Today, the shrouding ritual will be performed to change her shroud, arrange the funeral bed, and prepare for her subsequent entombment.】
【Sub-Quest List (Each player may only choose one to participate in, no duplicates):
Carrying the Corpse (Two-person quest): Move Old Lady Huang's remains from the inner room's holding area to the funeral bed made of old door planks in the mourning hall. You must first find seven sheets of soul-suppressing yellow paper to place under the bed.
Putting on the Shroud (Two-person quest): Dress Old Lady Huang in her full set of shroud, funeral shoes, and funeral hat. The order of dressing must not be incorrect.
Pressing the Mouth Coin (Single-person quest): Place the Five Emperor Coins into the deceased's mouth according to the rules, pressing the coin under the tip of the tongue. It must not be crooked.
Offering Funeral Rice (Single-person quest): Place three bowls of funeral rice at the foot of the funeral bed. Chopsticks must be inserted vertically into the rice and aligned.
Blindfolding (Single-person quest): Cover the deceased's eyes with a three-foot white silk cloth. Smooth out the wrinkles; the pupils must not be exposed.】
【Quest Reward: Completing each sub-quest unlocks 1 corresponding clue fragment. The higher the completion rate, the more the Truth-Solving Progress will advance.】
【Failure Penalty: A mistake in the ritual will trigger the risk of a corpse awakening, increasing the probability of death for all members.】
...
The ink-wash text remained in everyone's vision for over ten seconds before slowly fading away.
The courtyard fell dead silent in an instant.
All the players froze on the spot, their faces turning various shades of pale and blue.
Did they really have to touch a corpse?
They also had to dress a dead person, place coins, and cover her eyes?
And if they made a mistake on the quest, it might even trigger a corpse awakening?
Just the thought of touching a corpse that had been dead for three days with their own hands made everyone's stomachs churn, a cold chill rising from the soles of their feet.
“Are you kidding me...”
Xiao Ding muttered to herself, her voice trembling. “Make us touch a corpse? Isn't this filming a documentary? Why do we have to do it ourselves?”
“I'm not doing it.”
One player immediately took a step back, his face pale. “Dressing a dead person is so unlucky! What if we get possessed by something dirty? I'm not doing it!”
He had the strongest reaction, instinctively wanting to refuse.
Hearing this, the nearby members of the Huang family changed their expressions, looking over with gloomy eyes.
The other players also looked troubled.
“I'm sorry, truly sorry. Young kids don't know how to watch their mouths.”
Lin Jianguo quickly smoothed things over. “No offense intended. I'll have him offer an extra stick of incense to the old lady later.”
Only then did Huang Facai's expression soften slightly.
Su Ya took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in her heart.
Five quests would require at least seven people to complete.
Who would do them and who wouldn't, how to distribute them—it was all problematic.
And thinking of the other two teams, they probably couldn't even gather enough players.
Su Ya pursed her lips. Noticing that the rest of the new players were all looking at her, seemingly wanting her to make the decision, she couldn't help but feel a lot of pressure.
...
“Don't just stand there dazed. Let's find a place to discuss this.”
In the end, Lin Jianguo was the first to speak, keeping his voice very low. “Standing in the courtyard like this isn't a good idea. The villagers are all watching.”
The Huang family brothers and several female relatives stood by the mourning canopy, chatting among themselves, seemingly completely blind to the ink-wash text that had appeared.
But the shrouding was about to begin.
They had time to consider, but not much.
The group snapped out of it and followed Su Ya to the west side of the courtyard, forming a circle and talking all at once.
“Is there even a need to discuss? We're definitely not doing it!”
Xiao Ding was the first to state her stance. “We're here to film a documentary, not to be morticians. Dressing a dead person—
Besides, we won't die even if we don't complete the quest. The quest also said that as long as we survive past the seventh day, we can leave this place. Why must we take this risk?”
As long as they stayed obediently for seven days, they could leave safely.
Touching a corpse was bad enough, but if they made a mistake, there was even a risk of a corpse awakening.
“Exactly.”
Another player nodded. “I think these Huang family members are quite hospitable, and they haven't made things difficult for us.
If we just stay obediently in the village for seven days, we'll definitely be fine. There's no need to actively go looking for death.”
Once those two spoke up, those in favor of "laying low" immediately gained the upper hand.
Although the remaining few didn't speak, their expressions showed that most of them also leaned toward not doing it.
After all, seeking benefit and avoiding harm was human instinct.
Knowing there was a risk, who would willingly step up?
It would be fine if they got clues upon completion, but if they failed, the old lady would awaken!
Even if she was just an old lady ghost, none of them could beat her.
“The Instance won't give quests for no reason. If we don't get the quest clues now, we still have to stay here for another six days. What if we trigger a trap later?”
Su Ya shook her head, her tone heavy as she lowered her voice to share some information.
“Refusing to do quests means missing out on the chance to unlock a Class.”
She generously informed everyone that her Class was 【Architect】, which could create a sanctuary lasting for three minutes.
“There are Classes? Holy crap, isn't that just like playing a game?! That's so cool.”
Yang Hexuan clenched his fists in excitement, and the others looked at each other, all of them wavering slightly.
In the end, they held a show of hands. Su Ya, Yang Asha, Lin Jianguo, Yang Hexuan, and one female player were willing to do the quests.
The remaining five seemed determined to stick to their guns and obediently lay low for these seven days.
—They all held onto a sense of wishful thinking, believing they could survive even without completing the quests, and if anything happened, they had Su Ya, a veteran player, to shoulder the burden.
“Fine, if you don't want to do it, then don't,”
Lin Jianguo spoke amiably. “But let me lay the ugly truth out first:
The clues we obtain from doing the quests will not be shared with those who don't participate for free.
If you want to know the clues, you either pitch in or figure it out yourselves.”
As soon as he said this, those five players immediately exploded.
“On what grounds?! We're all in the same boat, why should you hide the clues?”
“Yeah, Su Ya is a veteran player. Isn't it only right for her to guide rookies? Besides, if we die, what good does that do you?”
“I can give you money. Sell the clues to me, seriously, I'll transfer the money once we get out.”
“On what grounds?”
Lin Jianguo stopped Su Ya, who was about to say something. “On the grounds that we're risking our lives for these clues—why should we take risks to do the quests and give you what we get for free?
There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is no sense in wanting to enjoy the fruits of others' labor without putting in any effort.”
He had lived for over fifty years, and he had seen plenty of people who only wanted to take advantage of others without doing any work.
They existed in factories, in the business world, and naturally, there was no shortage of them in Instances.
After a noisy argument, the five players reluctantly agreed to draw lots to decide:
Yang Hexuan and Lin Jianguo would take the Carrying the Corpse quest.
Su Ya and Yang Asha would take the Putting on the Shroud quest.
Xiao Ding would be responsible for the Pressing the Mouth Coin quest.
Xiao Zhuang would be responsible for the Offering Funeral Rice quest.
Xiao Qian would be responsible for the Blindfolding quest.
Aside from Su Ya and her group, the other players who drew quests looked miserable, while those who didn't were overjoyed.
Su Ya didn't say a word, her right eyelid twitching violently.
For some reason, she felt that something bad was about to happen.
Rate on N.U.
