“Could... the old lady's wish have something to do with the cat?”
Desperate to make up for her mistake, Xiao Ding wracked her brain to offer a suggestion. “Maybe the black cat she kept went missing, or died? And she couldn't let it go?”
“It's possible.” Su Ya nodded. “Maybe Old Lady Huang's wish really is related to the cat.”
“But what about the rat infestation? And the ghost in the main hall of the ancestral hall?” Yang Hexuan scratched his head. “The old lady's wish can't be to exterminate the rats, can it?”
Someone let out a chuckle at his words, but the laughter quickly died down.
They all felt it couldn't be that simple.
And the most terrifying part of all—there was a ghost in the main hall of the ancestral hall!
This meant that just a wall away from them, a ghost might be peering through some crack, quietly and coldly watching their every move.
Just thinking about it made their hairs stand on end.
Su Ya analyzed the three clues over and over, an inexplicable anxiety rising in her chest.
She seemed to carry a sense of responsibility as a veteran player, feeling the heavy burden of everyone relying on her.
Dying with a deep grievance meant the old lady hadn't died of natural causes. Had someone murdered her?
The black cat, the rats, and the Clay Sculpture Ghost—these three elements had to be connected to her death or her grievance.
But simply standing here and guessing would lead nowhere.
“We can't just waste time here.”
Su Ya looked up and spoke slowly. “Daylight is limited, and we can't move around at night. Why don't we split up to search for clues and investigate these three matters?”
“Split up?”
A player immediately objected. “Splitting up is too dangerous. What if we run into something? I think it's safer to stick together.”
“But we can only move during the day,” Su Ya explained. “If we want to leave quickly, we have to find more clues. Since the quests are set in the village, it means Old Lady Huang's wish is hidden within this Instance.
And the village is only so big, and we won't go far. We can agree to meet back at the ancestral hall before dark, and if anything happens, just shout for help.
If we just sit around and wait, the clues aren't going to come to us.”
“I agree with Su Ya,” Lin Jianguo immediately voiced his support. “Waiting to die is no way to go. We have to take the initiative and search for clues to stay ahead.”
With both of them saying this, the others, despite their fear, could only nod in agreement.
However, the voices of discontent within the group were growing louder.
...
As they were discussing the groups, Huang Facai walked over with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting from afar.
“You've all worked hard, teachers! You've been busy all morning. The village has prepared a continuous banquet, and we've reserved a table specifically to host the camera crew. Come with me to get some food and fill your stomachs!”
At the mention of food, everyone's mouths instantly began to water.
It had been nearly twelve hours since they entered the Instance in the early hours of the morning, and they hadn't had a single drop of water or a grain of rice.
Many of them were already starving, their stomachs sticking to their spines. Hearing about the continuous banquet, their eyes lit up.
“There's food? Great!” Yang Hexuan said in his usual carefree manner. “I'm practically starving to death.”
“Let's go, let's go. Food first!” Lin Jianguo also perked up. “Only after we've eaten will we have the strength to look for clues.”
The heavy atmosphere from moments ago was instantly lightened by the prospect of eating.
Su Ya, however, felt a strange sense of worry.
This village was filled with bizarre anomalies at every turn.
Would there be any danger in the continuous banquet?
“Let's go,” Su Ya whispered to Yang Asha. “Play it by ear later. If you can avoid eating, do so. If you absolutely must, eat as little as possible.”
She had no idea if the food in the Instance was safe to eat, but she had the Thousand-Mile Hunger-Free Pill with her anyway.
Su Ya didn't consider herself generous enough to hand out life-saving items to just anyone, so she only planned to share it with Yang Asha.
She winked at Yang Asha, who, though confused, obediently agreed.
...
The village's continuous banquet was set up at the threshing ground.
Over a dozen old military-green tents had been pitched across the field, with round wooden tables and long benches arranged beneath them.
The benches were crooked, their paint completely peeled away.
The tents were washed-out and tattered, exuding a strange air of poverty.
Yet, the spread laid out on the tables left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
The tables were overflowing with dishes. Chickens, ducks, fish, and geese were piled high. In the center sat a whole, glistening roasted suckling pig, flanked by sliced salmon and platters of sea cucumber.
There were also thick, stewed pots of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and fish maw chicken, exquisitely plated steaks, and seafood boats. Even the alcohol consisted of beautifully packaged red wine and baijiu that looked incredibly expensive.
Shabby, dilapidated tents and furniture were paired with extravagantly luxurious delicacies.
The contrast was absurdly stark.
It was as if a feast from a five-star hotel had been directly transported to the threshing ground of an impoverished village.
“This... this is the feast?” Yang Hexuan swallowed hard, unable to believe his eyes. “You're using these kinds of dishes for a continuous banquet?”
He knew the village was wealthy, but he hadn't expected them to be this rich!
“Haha, this is nothing!”
Huang Facai waved his hand with a generous laugh.
“Our village might lack other things, but we certainly don't lack resources. The old lady's eightieth birthday should be celebrated with grandeur! Since you're my guests, you must eat the very best!
Come, sit, sit! Don't be polite! Our local custom is to hold the main banquet in the evening, so we'll have to trouble you to just make do with this simple spread for lunch.”
This was what he called "making do"?
The players wanted to say something, but they were simply too starved to care, so they sat down.
Huang Facai called for extra bowls and chopsticks, bustling about with excessive hospitality.
There weren't many people around during the day. A few other tables nearby were set with the same lavish feast, with a scattering of villagers seated around them.
The villagers sat in absolute silence, none of them touching their chopsticks.
When they saw the players arrive, the villagers turned their heads in unison, staring intently at them.
“Just sit,” Lin Jianguo said, pulling out a bench and sitting down first, giving everyone a meaningful look. “Let's eat.”
Everything about this village was bizarre; the best approach was to ignore it.
Ten people squeezed around a single round table, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.
The scrutinizing gazes of the surrounding villagers clung to them like sticky chewing gum that couldn't be shaken off.
“Eat! Please, don't be polite!”
Seated at the head of the table, Huang Facai picked up the serving chopsticks and repeatedly urged them to eat.
“Try this roasted pig, it's freshly roasted and incredibly fragrant! And this salmon was specially shipped on ice from the city, it's very fresh!”
The more enthusiastic he was, the more anxious everyone became.
“Let's eat,” Su Ya said, picking up her chopsticks and taking a small portion of white rice, leaving the meat dishes untouched.
The others sat frozen, exchanging hesitant glances. No one dared to be the first to take a bite.
“Why aren't you eating?” The smile on Huang Facai's face faded slightly. “Do you think our village's food isn't good enough?”
A subtle pressure laced his tone, and the smiles on the surrounding villagers' faces vanished as well.
“How could we?” Lin Jianguo chuckled, picking up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. “Since the host hadn't started, how could we as guests have the nerve to eat first? Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Huang.”
He placed the chicken in his bowl, but instead of eating it immediately, he observed it first.
The chicken looked fine—the skin was yellow and the meat tender, steam rising from it with a delicious aroma.
He took a small bite. The moment it entered his mouth, he realized something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
Despite looking piping hot, the chicken felt lukewarm in his mouth, lacking any real heat.
The texture was also bizarre, dry and tough like leftover meat that had been sitting out for days. It also carried a faint, bloody stench, as if the blood hadn't been properly drained.
Chewing the bloody meat made his stomach churn with nausea.
Forcing himself not to spit it out, Lin Jianguo chewed twice and swallowed it with great effort.
“How is it, Uncle Lin? Is it good?” Xiao Ding asked in a whisper from beside him.
Lin Jianguo remained silent, giving a slight shake of his head and a warning look that clearly said "don't touch it."
Unwilling to believe it, Xiao Ding picked up a piece of salmon.
The orange-red fish meat, laced with white marbling, looked exceptionally fresh.
She put it in her mouth and chewed once. Her face instantly turned pale. It was fishy.
It tasted like raw fish that had gone bad, carrying a rancid, putrid stench.
The meat was mushy, feeling like waterlogged paper with absolutely no chewiness.
She quickly covered her mouth, nearly vomiting. Fearing that Huang Facai might react poorly, she forced herself to swallow it down and grabbed her cup to gulp down water.
Even the water was wrong.
Though it looked like clear water, it tasted completely bland and flat, carrying a faint hint of paper pulp.
“What... what is this...” she muttered under her breath, her face pale.
The others tried the food as well.
The stewed Buddha Jumps Over the Wall looked thick and rich, but drinking it felt like chewing dry wood.
The sea cucumbers looked plump, but biting into them revealed they were hollow inside, like paper-mache.
The red wine looked vibrant, but it tasted no different from plain water, lacking even a hint of alcohol.
Every single dish looked beautiful but tasted completely wrong.
They were like painted food, like paper offerings burned for the dead.
Everyone felt their skin crawl.
This wasn't a continuous banquet; this was a feast of offerings meant for the deceased!
“Eat, eat.”
Huang Facai continued to press them to eat, a smile plastered on his face while his eyes remained locked on them, watching to see if they would eat.
Su Ya's heart tightened. She quickly caught everyone's eyes and pointed subtly at the white rice.
Her meaning was clear: avoid the meat, only eat the white rice, and don't give themselves away.
Understanding her signal, the players picked up their chopsticks and began to shovel only the plain white rice into their mouths.
Although the white rice lacked any fragrance and was dry, it at least had no strange taste.
It tasted like ordinary, stale rice, which was barely passable.
“Brother Huang, we usually eat quite lightly when we're filming documentaries,” Lin Jianguo offered a smooth excuse with a smile. “We aren't used to such rich food. Some rice is more than enough. You don't need to keep hosting us, please go attend to your other matters.”
“Is that so...”
Huang Facai stared at the white rice in their bowls for a few seconds before laughing again. “Very well, eating light is good. A light diet is healthy! Please take your time, and let me know if you need more!”
With that, he stood up and strolled away.
...
Only after Huang Facai had walked far away did everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh my god, this food is too creepy.” Yang Hexuan whispered, still shaken. “It looked so delicious, but eating it felt like chewing paper.”
“I think they're offerings,” Yang Asha said softly. “Like the paper feasts burned for the dead during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival. They look nice, but they're all fake.”
Hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
So the things they were eating were actually prepared for the dead?
What was Huang Facai trying to do?
Or rather, were the villagers in this village even alive?
...
“Don't talk nonsense,” Lin Jianguo frowned. “Just eat the rice and don't touch anything else. Once you're full, we get straight to work. Don't linger here.”
Starving and lightheaded, everyone kept their heads down and shoveled the rice, none of them daring to touch the meat dishes on the table again.
The surrounding villagers continued to stare at them with vacant, unblinking eyes.
...
The meal felt like sitting on a bed of needles.
Having barely filled their stomachs, they hurriedly fled the threshing ground as if ghosts were chasing them.
“I don't think a single thing in this village is real.” Xiao Ding's face was pale. “The food is fake, and maybe the people are fake too.”
“Don't scare yourself.” Su Ya composed herself and comforted them. “We'll proceed as planned and split up. Xiao Ding, Xiao Qian, and Xiao Zhuang, go search for signs of the black cat. Focus on asking the villagers about the cat the old lady kept when she was alive.”
“Alright,” Xiao Ding did not object.
“Uncle Lin, take Yang Hexuan to chat with the villagers and gather information about the rats and the cause of the old lady's death.”
“No problem,” Lin Jianguo replied.
“Asha and I will go see if there's any way to contact the outside world.”
Su Ya concluded, “We must meet back at the western side room of the ancestral hall before dark. Everyone stay safe, and call out if you need help.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
“Okay.”
They agreed, dispersing in small groups of two or three.
The sunlight filtered through the thin mist and fell upon the cobblestone path. Though it was daytime, there was no warmth to be felt.
From somewhere unknown, the cries of a cat echoed, one after another, filled with profound sorrow.
...
The Second Mirrored Instance.
【Sub-quest 1: "Pressing the Mouth Coin" completed. Completion rating: Perfect】
【Obtained Clue Fragment: "In the main hall of the ancestral hall, there is a Clay Sculpture Ghost covered in a red cloth... As long as it is not attacked, it is absolutely neutral. At night, you can try to purchase items from it."】
【Truth-Solving Progress +15%】
Lin Hao stared at the clue before him, slowly clenching his fists.
He stepped out of the mortuary room. Only Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu were waiting outside, while the other players had happily followed Huang Facai to eat the continuous banquet.
Similarly, Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu had completed the "Dressing in the Shroud" quest, obtaining the second clue: 【Rat Infestation】.
“Xiao Lin,” Zhou Hui rubbed her palms together with hope, asking nervously, “is what you said true? That completing quests in an Instance can awaken a class, allowing us to become... what did you call them, 'Class Users'?”
Ouyang Qiu's eyes flickered.
“I didn't lie to you. You'll know once we get out.”
Lin Hao subconsciously touched the umbilical cord hidden beneath his scarf. “At least—I've seen living Class Users before. One was an 【Architect】, and the other was a 【Butcher】.”
At this point, his gaze settled on the two women.
“Sister Zhou, you entered this Instance to raise surgery fees for your daughter, right?”
“Ouyang Qiu, I remember you saying you have a terminal illness and have less than three months to live, right?”
Lin Hao's tone carried a seductive lure. “What if you manage to awaken a class with healing abilities?
Those idiots who can't see the big picture are fools. The three of us can easily stick together and survive to the end—
And even if we don't awaken a class, we can still seek out players who have.
Besides, the rewards we'll get after leaving the Instance will be enough to make you more money than you could ever spend in a lifetime.”
Zhou Hui's eyes filled with hope.
Ouyang Qiu cast a quick glance toward the top right corner of her vision before lowering her eyes.
In the end, the three decided to sneak into the main hall of the ancestral hall at night to find the Clay Sculpture Ghost that they could trade with.
Rate on N.U.
