Chapter 145

Seeing Li Zhi preparing to leave, Nie Miao and Yao Lang both hesitated for a moment. They exchanged a glance, and in that brief clash of eyes, a flash of rivalry toward someone of their own kind sparked between them. Both immediately quickened their pace toward Li Zhi.

"Zhizhi, I'll go with you."

"Big Sister Zhizhi, let me support you!"

Li Zhi immediately sped up her pace.

As the four of them walked away, the tour guide called after them,

"Hey! You four aren't taking any pictures? You'll only get to visit Butterfly Valley once. After entering the village, it'll be very troublesome if you want to come back!"

Yao Lang turned around and answered,

"My friend isn't feeling very well. It's alright—you all enjoy your visit. We'll head back to the bus first."

Han Wenlin had originally intended to follow them, but the girl named Tao Tao, who had been sitting beside him on the bus, stopped him.

"Brother Wenlin, can you help me record another short video? I'll walk over from this side. Put me in the middle three squares, and my feet have to line up with the bottom line of the nine-grid frame, okay?"

Han Wenlin: "............"

Jiao Shen glanced at Li Zhi's retreating figure as Xu Yan supported her away, then withdrew his gaze and continued examining Butterfly Valley before him.

Since entering the instance, they still hadn't received any notification from the system. All they could do was carefully observe every location they encountered and search for clues.

But perhaps there were simply too many butterflies here. The air was filled with butterfly powder shaken loose by countless fluttering wings. After breathing it in for a while, even Jiao Shen began to feel dizzy.

After walking around the valley once without discovering any useful clues, he followed the forest path back to the parking lot.

As soon as he returned, he saw Li Zhi crouching by the roadside while the other three players surrounded her with worried expressions.

Jiao Shen walked over.

"What's wrong?"

Nie Miao looked full of concern.

"Big Sister Zhizhi threw up."

Jiao Shen looked somewhat surprised.

"She threw up? That serious?"

Li Zhi was still dry heaving.

Xu Yan turned to ask him,

"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? We suspect there's something wrong with the butterfly powder."

Jiao Shen replied,

"It did feel a little stuffy in there, but I felt fine after coming out."

Not far away, the other players also emerged from the woods, all looking perfectly normal.

Jiao Shen turned back toward Li Zhi.

"It probably isn't the butterfly powder. Everyone else is fine. Did you maybe eat something bad before entering the instance?"

Li Zhi accepted the water and tissues Yao Lang handed her, rinsed out her mouth, wiped it clean, and stood up.

"Maybe."

Her complexion still looked rather poor, so Jiao Shen didn't say anything further.

When the other players returned and saw Li Zhi weakly being helped back onto the bus, they exchanged glances.

One of them quietly muttered,

"So she's a top player? She's pretty delicate."

Han Wenlin let out a derisive snort toward the speaker.

"Who doesn't get sick once in a while? You'd better hope you never do."

The man awkwardly shut his mouth.

The tourists gradually returned to the bus.

The tour guide picked up her loudspeaker.

"Now that we've finished visiting Butterfly Valley, we'll be heading into Butterfly Village next. We haven't scheduled too many activities for today, since everyone's been sitting on the bus for so long and must be tired. Once we arrive at Butterfly Village, we'll first check into the inn we've reserved. This afternoon is free time for everyone to explore on your own. Tomorrow morning, we'll meet outside the inn at eight o'clock."

A player sitting toward the front raised a hand.

"Do we have to stay with the tour group? Can't we explore freely?"

The guide replied,

"I recommend staying with the group. Since all of you are tourists who won free admission, Butterfly Village has carefully planned an exciting seven-day itinerary so everyone can fully experience the local customs and culture. Opportunities for free vacations like this are incredibly rare. Since you've come all this way, don't waste it, right? Of course, we've also set aside free time for everyone, so don't worry. I guarantee this trip to Butterfly Village will be unforgettable."

Half an hour later, the coach bus finally slowly drove into Butterfly Village.

The instant the bus entered the village, both the players and the audience watching outside finally heard the system's voice.

—

Players have entered Butterfly Village. Beginning this scenario:

You are lucky tourists chosen by Butterfly Village. Following your tour group, you have arrived at this ancient village with a long history, ready to begin a wonderful journey.

—

Current Mission:

Spend seven days participating in the Butterfly Village Tourism Festival. We hope you enjoy your stay.

The mission for this instance seemed surprisingly simple.

They only had to remain here for seven days.

Li Zhi opened her eyes to see an ancient village overflowing with rustic charm.

Stone-paved roads stretched ahead, lined on both sides with traditional bamboo stilt houses displaying distinctive ethnic architecture. Both the buildings and the villagers' clothing had preserved their authentic ancient ethnic style.

Although they had already left Butterfly Valley, numerous butterflies still fluttered throughout the village. Just as the tour guide had described, the place possessed a kind of untouched beauty that made time itself seem to slow down.

The guide switched on her loudspeaker.

"Everyone, please get off the bus and gather together. Vehicles can't drive into the village, so we'll be walking to the inn from here."

Xu Yan quietly asked Li Zhi,

"Feeling better? Can you walk?"

Her dependable tone made it sound as though if Li Zhi answered no, she'd immediately carry her the rest of the way.

Li Zhi smiled at her.

"I'm fine. I feel much better."

She hadn't been sick in many years.

What she felt now resembled the weakness that lingered after recovering from a serious illness. Walking wasn't a problem, but if they encountered danger requiring physical combat, things would probably become difficult.

Fortunately, the official player sent this time clearly looked extremely capable in a fight.

Leaning lightly against Xu Yan, Li Zhi suddenly understood why Chi Yi always seemed so comfortable.

Taking it easy really did feel nice.

After everyone got off the bus and assembled, the tour guide led the group toward the inn.

Walking through the village like this allowed them to experience its simple, rustic atmosphere firsthand.

Natural tourist destinations like this were usually packed with visitors, yet everyone noticed that Butterfly Village didn't actually have that many tourists.

The guide explained that Butterfly Village deliberately controlled visitor numbers in order to preserve its unique natural environment and prevent it from becoming one of those overly commercialized ancient towns with endless streams of tourists.

Ever since opening for tourism, they had carefully limited the number of visitors to ensure every tourist enjoyed the best possible immersive experience.

The middle-aged man who had wanted everyone to sing on the bus immediately began praising the place enthusiastically.

Li Zhi chuckled.

Xu Yan lowered her head and heard Li Zhi leisurely remark,

"They're probably just afraid that too many people would discover this place's secret."

Crossing the ancient stone streets marked by the passage of time, the group finally arrived at the inn where they would be staying.

It was a three-story bamboo building.

A bamboo sign hung above the entrance bearing the name:

Silver Hibiscus Inn

A beautiful woman fanning herself with a round silk fan walked out.

The moment she appeared, amazed gasps rose from all around.

The guide introduced her.

"This is the owner of Silver Hibiscus Inn—Silver Hibiscus."

The stunning proprietress wore a dudou that revealed her slender waist and smooth back, with only a light gauze robe draped over it. She swayed gracefully as she walked, overflowing with charm and allure. Beneath the high slit of her skirt, her long legs appeared and disappeared with each step.

"Welcome to Butterfly Village. Please, come inside."

Several of the men in the tour group hurried eagerly into the inn.

Li Zhi heard one of the male players quietly whisper,

"She's dressed so seductively. Don't tell me she's a butterfly spirit."

Pretty cautious, wasn't he?

More than forty people filed into the inn, making the dimly lit lobby immediately feel crowded.

The interior was richly decorated with local style. The walls were covered with butterfly-themed ornaments, while soft, dim lighting filtered through gauze curtains, creating an atmosphere of decadent elegance that suited the proprietress perfectly.

"In order to accommodate your tour group, my little inn hasn't accepted any outside guests recently."

The proprietress took out a butterfly-shaped tray from behind the bamboo reception counter. It was filled with keys.

"Every vacant room on the first, second, and third floors is available. Each room may accommodate no more than two people. Choose for yourselves."

Among the more than forty tourists, only ten were players.

There were four women and six men, making it easy to pair off.

Nie Miao wanted to share a room with Li Zhi, but when she saw Xu Yan standing beside Li Zhi with an expressionless face, she pouted and didn't dare walk over and make things awkward for herself. Instead, she paired up with another female player named Guan Xiaoxing.

Li Zhi sat down on the sofa in the lobby.

Xu Yan quietly asked,

"Which floor should we stay on?"

Li Zhi thought for a moment.

"Either is fine. With so many rooms, even if some have problems, there's no way to avoid them right now. Let's move in first and deal with it afterward."

Xu Yan nodded.

Considering that Li Zhi wasn't feeling well and climbing stairs would be inconvenient, she picked a first-floor room from the tray of keys.

Everyone quickly finished choosing their rooms.

Standing behind the reception counter, the proprietress smiled warmly.

"Our little inn serves three meals a day on schedule. I hope everyone enjoys your stay in Butterfly Village."

The light from the hanging lamp above the counter shone down onto her face, making her appear even more enchanting.

Li Zhi observed her for a few moments.

The proprietress, Silver Hibiscus, had several lifelike butterfly tattoos across her body. Hidden beneath the gauze fabric, they appeared and disappeared as though the butterflies were about to spread their wings and fly away.

The tourist named Tao Tao, who had been sitting with Han Wenlin on the bus, curiously asked,

"Miss Proprietress, did those butterfly tattoos on your body appear after drinking the water from Butterfly Spring?"

Silver Hibiscus seemed amused by her innocence. Covering her mouth with her round fan, she laughed.

"Little sister, go out the door, turn right, and walk about a hundred meters. Where you see the butterfly lanterns hanging, there's a tattoo shop. Go there and get as many tattoos as you like."

Tao Tao smiled awkwardly.

"Alright. I really thought the legend was true."

She turned around and ran over to Han Wenlin.

"Brother Wenlin, do you want to go explore together later? The proprietress said there's a tattoo shop over there. I want to go take a look."

Han Wenlin was quietly talking with the player sharing his room and didn't even lift his head.

"You go by yourself. I have other things to do."

Tao Tao seemed somewhat disappointed.

Holding her room key, she headed upstairs.

A nearby tourist teased Han Wenlin.

"Kid, you don't know how lucky you are. That little girl is obviously interested in you. Having a little vacation romance would be great!"

Han Wenlin glanced at him before suddenly flashing a mischievous grin.

"Bro—"

He leaned closer.

"The truth is, I like men. Want to give it a try?"

The man's retreating figure looked exceptionally miserable as he fled.

Han Wenlin gave a carefree snort.

When he turned around and noticed Li Zhi smiling at him, he awkwardly restrained his expression, cleared his throat, and walked over.

"Cui Zehui and I are planning to walk around the village this afternoon. This mission is way too simple—just stay here for seven days. We both think something's off."

Li Zhi nodded.

"Alright. Go ahead."

Two groups of players were staying on the first floor, while the other three groups stayed on the second.

Since Nie Miao hadn't managed to share a room with Li Zhi, she settled for staying on the first floor instead.

Seeing Li Zhi and Xu Yan preparing to return to their room with their keys, she quickly followed after them.

"Big Sister Zhizhi."

She affectionately linked arms with Li Zhi.

"Let's go look for clues together this afternoon!"

Li Zhi replied helplessly,

"I want to rest for a while. You can go with the others first."

Nie Miao pouted.

"No way, no way! Miaomiao only wants to follow Big Sister Zhizhi! Miaomiao is Big Sister Zhizhi's most loyal little sidekick!"

Li Zhi: "..."

"Alright. Then after I've rested, I'll come get you. Which room are you staying in?"

Nie Miao happily answered,

"Room 107! Then Miaomiao will obediently wait for Big Sister Zhizhi!"

Li Zhi smiled faintly.

"Okay..."