His face was pale and his eyes were filled with terror, clearly having seen something that crushed his confidence.
"He... Hello everyone, I will be hosting the stream for you again."
The blonde youth swallowed hard; this time, the bullet comments told him to check the ancestral hall.
He agreed.
He didn't know where to go; this place was incredibly eerie, and he was certain he had seen something earlier.
Could there really be ghosts here?
He flew about like a headless fly, so now that someone had pointed the way, he headed for the ancestral hall.
Besides, an ancestral hall was a relatively sacred place, giving him a greater sense of security.
"Twelve people are missing."
Zhu Xi Ning's voice was heavy. "I don't know how many of them were scavengers."
If they were NPCs, they might still be alive; if they were scavengers, they were likely dead.
"Aside from those who fled and abandoned their streaming equipment, I'm not sure what other criteria there are."
Wen Xiang Yuan lowered her voice. "Someone might have met with an accident in an illusion."
That was certain; while the illusions weren't necessarily difficult, taking a life was far too easy.
Nan Yue summarized the current situation. "The relationship between the audience and us is very delicate. They have internet access and can provide us with many clues while watching our streams."
"But they harbor malice toward us—or rather, malice isn't quite the right word. They want to see us encounter supernatural events; after all, they're here for the thrill."
"So, be careful when deciphering the audience's intentions."
Nan Yue looked at Wen Xiang Yuan. "Especially you. You have no abilities or tools; it would be extremely dangerous if you faced a life-or-death situation."
Nan Yue never considered Wen Xiang Yuan's immortality as a usable resource, so the others were used to this mindset. Only Jiang Siyan was slightly surprised.
Could thorns grown in darkness still be so gentle toward their companions in the face of danger?
This was the first time Jiang Siyan felt that being valued and protected by Nan Yue would be quite a nice feeling.
"Wen-wen, your goal is to get tips. Once you have them, leave first."
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded solemnly. She knew her role and never tried to act brave when she might have to face ghosts in illusions alone.
If other scavengers noticed her anomaly, it would cause a lot of trouble for Nan Yue.
"The rest of us should try to explore the mission. The audience's requests and the Zhou residence will only become more dangerous."
Gu Xiang Kai had been staring at the streaming screen when he suddenly spoke. "Something's wrong with the ancestral hall."
The blonde youth had brought matches, perhaps thinking light would make him safer. He lit the white candles on both sides of the ancestral hall.
The candles emitted a choking, foul odor, making him cough twice.
"This is the ancestral hall. What specifically does everyone want to see?"
"The genealogy? We didn't find one here before."
【Under the altar table.】
【The bluestone slab underneath can be pried up.】
The blonde youth scratched his head, crouched down, and crawled under the altar.
The candlelight cast his shadow long, and the handheld streaming device he placed on the ground allowed everyone to see the scene.
His long shadow trembled slightly with his movements. What was terrifying was that his shadow wasn't the only one.
Three or four dark silhouettes quietly surrounded his shadow.
Something was standing outside the altar table. They couldn't see the entities, but they could see their shadows.
They were waiting for the blonde youth to come out.
Nan Yue and the others looked grim. Previously, killing in an illusion meant pulling someone into their world.
But now that everyone could see it, it meant those things had entered the human world.
The mission would likely become extremely treacherous from here on.
"It's too far; we can't make it in time."
Nan Yue and the others were at Liping Garden, while the blonde youth was at the Zhou residence—a twenty-minute journey.
Nan Yue knew that if she were right there, she wouldn't mind helping to save a life.
But rushing off to save someone without knowing what she would face was something she couldn't do.
The sound of a tile clashing echoed, followed by the blonde youth's excited voice. "Hey! It really is here."
As he backed out, the shadows surrounding him began to converge, even trembling with excitement.
This man is beyond saving.
Just as Nan Yue thought this, someone kicked open the doors of the ancestral hall and threw a large handful of glutinous rice inside.
"By order of the law!"
The glutinous rice pattered down like rain. The blonde youth cried out, too scared to come out.
"What's going on! Who's out there!"
Daoist Qingfeng appeared on camera, panting and holding a peach wood sword, looking very tense.
"You idiot! You almost died!"
The blonde youth shrank behind the altar, not daring to move. Qingfeng searched the floor, sighing in relief once she confirmed those strange shadows were gone.
"Come out, it's safe now."
The blonde youth poked his head out after a while. Seeing it was Qingfeng, he felt instinctively resistant.
"What are you doing here? I'm streaming."
Qingfeng sneered. "Yes, and everyone watching the stream saw you almost die."
After hearing Qingfeng's explanation, the blonde youth turned pale.
"Thank you, thank you, Daoist. I'll send you money when I get back; my dad is very rich."
Qingfeng sized him up. "I couldn't tell. Doesn't a rich kid value his life?"
He laughed awkwardly, then remembered the stream and grabbed the device.
【Hey, why did this woman barge in?】
【She's not the current streamer; isn't that a violation?】
【Not really, she came to save him.】
【To be honest, while it's a pity we didn't see what would happen if he came out, this kind of mutual aid is quite touching.】
【I agree, it's not a violation. Don't report them.】
The blonde youth apologized profusely. Qingfeng didn't care much; she wasn't there to stream anyway, and she didn't want to continue now.
Seeing he was fine, she prepared to leave.
"Where are you going, Daoist?"
Qingfeng waved her peach wood sword. "To help those in need."
The blonde youth looked at her with starry eyes. "A true master."
【A master? What master? No one can resolve the soaring baleful energy of the Zhou residence, and no one saved the vengeful spirits who died tragically before.】
The blonde youth didn't notice this comment, but Nan Yue did.
Someone in the audience seemed to know the secrets of the Zhou residence.
Nan Yue told Zhu Xi Ning and Jiang Siyan to find the blonde youth, as it was best to check the genealogy record.
She believed many other scavengers were planning the same.
Gu Xiang Kai stayed to watch Wen Xiang Yuan and the stream, knowing where to find help if anything went wrong.
Nan Yue went up to the third floor of the wooden building alone.
Rate on N.U.
