Chapter 132

“Come on, let's go open the treasure chests you passed on the way here.” Li Zhi smiled. “Let me see just how unlucky you really are.”

Chi Yi: “…………”

What did she mean by that? Was she making fun of her?

Chi Yi aggressively led her teammates back the way she had come, determined to wash away her shame this time! But when she reached the treasure chest and remembered those six ghosts from before, she chickened out again and looked pitifully at Li Zhi.

“How about... you do it instead?”

Li Zhi laughed. “It's fine, you open it. Li Jianxi is here, so even if another ghost comes out, it'll be okay.” She turned to Li Jianxi and blinked. “Right?”

Judging from the Red-Clothed Female Ghost's reaction earlier, Li Jianxi clearly carried a certain level of intimidation among ghosts.

How interesting. The ghosts inside the instance were actually afraid of an NPC.

Those beautiful, affectionate eyes seemed to contain curious interest. Li Jianxi's eyelashes trembled, and he turned his gaze away.

“Right.” He stepped two paces closer to Chi Yi, his tone so resolute it sounded like he was pledging allegiance. “Go ahead and open it.”

Chi Yi: “...?”

Am I somehow part of your little game?

But if even the NPC said so, she had nothing to be afraid of anymore. After all, she had someone backing her up!

Chi Yi boldly flipped open the treasure chest.

This time, no strange smoke poured out.

A card lay quietly at the bottom of the chest. Chi Yi picked it up with a delighted expression.

“A clue! I got a clue! I'm finally not unlucky anymore!”

Li Zhi smiled and nodded. “Not bad. You finally got lucky for once.”

The barrage started wailing again:

【She's so doting!!! Chi Yi, you lucky brat!!!】

【Yi Yi, has it occurred to you that maybe you're still unlucky, but you only became lucky because you met Li Zhi?】

【If she were really that unlucky, she never would've met Li Zhi. Who's luckier than our Yi Yi? Met the boss in her very first newbie instance, got permanently teamed up with her, even got shipped with her. After Li Jianxi, she's the person the boss spoils the most.】

【I disagree with the previous comment! Li Jianxi is the one in second place! Our Yi Yi is number one!】

【First come, first served! Yi Yi met Zhi Zhi first! One Butterfly Forever Supreme! Li Jianxi, step aside!】

【Love doesn't care who came first. The one who isn't loved is the mistress. doge】

【Keep fighting. None of you CP shippers can be beaten anyway. Once Li Zhi gets out of the instance, she'll still have to come comfort me.】

【Chi Yi! Li Zhi! Remember this! The dating rumors outside have nothing to do with us. As long as the three of us live our lives well together, that's all that matters!】

【Someone splash those last two commenters awake.】

...

Li Zhi looked at the clue card in Chi Yi's hand.

This time, the clue was text instead of a picture.

Only three words:

Enjoys eating humans.

She took out the clue card she had found.

“One clue points to a beast, and this one says it enjoys eating humans. That rules out the Yellow Immortal and the Fox Immortal.” She recalled the ghosts on the Hundred Ghost Wall that matched those clues. “That leaves only the Tiger Ghost and Bear Granny.”

Both were monsters from folk legends.

A Tiger Ghost was the ghost formed after a tiger died. According to legend, people eaten by tigers became Chang Ghosts. Chang Ghosts obeyed the Tiger Ghost and lured other people to be eaten by tigers, which was where the idiom acting as the tiger's accomplice originated.

Bear Granny was essentially a bear monster. In the legend, the bear monster ate a grandmother, disguised itself as her, sneaked into a human home, and ate the children.

Li Zhi wasn't sure whether she should admire just how knowledgeable the Ghost system was about folklore. It had even cataloged the monsters from old scary stories adults used to frighten children with into its Hundred Ghost collection.

Impressive.

“As long as we find one last clue, we can find the exit and leave this place.” Chi Yi said excitedly, “Let's hurry and find another treasure chest!”

She couldn't wait.

She had completely forgotten the terror of being chased by six ghosts just moments ago.

The three continued weaving through the maze.

Before long, Chi Yi found another treasure chest she had spotted earlier.

The feeling of opening a blind box was simply too addictive. Besides, someone was covering for her now.

Filled with anticipation, Chi Yi eagerly opened the treasure chest in front of her.

A puff of white smoke rose out.

She knew this scene all too well!

All six ghosts had appeared this way before!

Chi Yi hurriedly took two steps back and hid behind Li Jianxi.

“What ghost is it this ti—”

But this time, no ghost emerged from the white smoke.

Two seconds later, Chi Yi suddenly felt something strange happening to her body.

“Zhi Zhi...” Her voice filled with panic as her arms and legs stopped obeying her. “I... what's happening to me? I can't control my body!”

The moment she finished speaking, the audience watched helplessly as Chi Yi suddenly began tap dancing on the spot.

Li Zhi: “…………”

Li Jianxi: “…………”

Chi Yi: “Aaaahhh! Why am I dancing automatically?! How can there be a buff like this inside a treasure chest?!”

Li Zhi finally reacted and burst out laughing.

Chi Yi was on the verge of tears.

“How much longer do I have to dance?!”

Li Zhi replied, “Based on what we've seen before, buffs like this last about ten minutes. You've only been dancing for two.” She struggled to suppress her laughter. “It's okay. You're actually dancing pretty well. The audience will definitely vote for this wonderful performance.”

Chi Yi: “Waaahhh——”

She cried while continuing to dance.

The audience was laughing themselves silly.

But just as Li Zhi had predicted, they were more than willing to reward this unexpected tap dance.

Chi Yi's popularity score increased by one million over those ten minutes.

When the ten-minute buff finally ended, Chi Yi collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, covering her face and refusing to move.

Li Zhi walked over and crouched beside her, hearing her sob.

“This is so embarrassing... I'm supposed to be the nation's first love...”

Li Zhi: “……”

She really cared a lot about maintaining her idol image.

After being pranked like that, when they found another treasure chest, Chi Yi absolutely refused to open it.

“I've accepted my fate! I'm just an unlucky person! You guys do it!”

Since entering the maze, Li Zhi had only opened two treasure chests. One had given her the shrinking buff, and the other had given her Li Jianxi. Now she was actually interested.

“Then I'll give it a try.”

If she could get a ghost's ability, she wanted to experience flying through the sky with her head stretching infinitely like Owen Dong.

Li Jianxi pursed his lips but didn't stop her. He simply followed closely behind so he could deal with any danger immediately if something happened.

Li Zhi rubbed her hands together expectantly.

Whenever they used to draw lottery prizes, Li Shuang would always grab her hands, rub them together, then blow on them, saying it would bring good luck. Even though they had never drawn anything good that way, Li Zhi still lowered her head and blew on her hands before reaching out to open the treasure chest.

The instant the lid sprang open, a blinding, pungent gas burst out.

She instinctively closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, everything before her had gone dark.

She froze, blinked again, but all she saw remained a chaotic sea of black.

Li Zhi: “……”

That breath had been wasted.

Li Jianxi hadn't smelled anything strange. There was nothing inside the chest. Just as he was wondering what had happened, he noticed something wrong with Li Zhi beside him and immediately asked,

“What's wrong?”

Li Zhi sighed.

“I can't see anymore. This buff is probably blindness.”

Those eyes that were always smiling had lost their focus. When she turned toward someone, there was an emptiness in her gaze.

Li Jianxi pressed his lips together, his expression darkening. He reached out to support her.

“I should've opened it,” he said, his voice carrying a trace of self-reproach.

Li Zhi smiled.

“It would've been the same. It's fine. It'll only last ten minutes. It'll be over soon.”

Chi Yi hurried over to support her as well.

“This buff is way too vicious! If someone got this while they were alone, they wouldn't even be able to avoid the ghosts wandering around the maze!”

Ghosts released from treasure chests never returned to them.

You could easily run into one by turning a random corner.

Li Jianxi asked quietly,

“Can you still walk? Otherwise, we can just wait here for ten minutes.”

Li Zhi shook her head.

“Let's keep looking for treasure chests. The buffs in this maze are too unpredictable. I'm worried Dream Wanderer and Owen Dong might get caught by one. It's best if we gather all the clues and leave as soon as possible.”

This maze looked like the most entertaining and least dangerous round.

But once someone was affected by one of these buffs, it could very easily become a guaranteed death situation.

If players were deceived by its fun appearance, they would easily fall into its traps.

Li Jianxi supported her by the arm. Through the thin fabric of her jacket, his fingers could feel the warmth of her skin.

His fingers shifted awkwardly, but he didn't let go.

“Okay,” he said softly. “I'll guide you.”

The three continued onward.

The maze branched in every direction, making it easy to lose one's bearings. But judging by the treasure chests they encountered, Li Jianxi had never led them back over the same path.

After opening two more treasure chests that produced ghosts—which were immediately frightened back into their boxes by Li Jianxi—they reached another intersection.

Chi Yi suddenly glanced at the plant wall beside them.

Li Zhi sensed her stopping.

“What is it?”

Chi Yi stared at the wall as the green leaves trembled gently in the breeze.

“It feels... kind of strange.”

She released Li Zhi and walked over, reaching out to touch the plant wall.

She had hidden inside one of these walls earlier to escape the ghosts.

After struggling back out, she had specifically paid attention to that wall.

The leaves exposed on its surface had become noticeably greener than before, as if they had only just sprouted.

She guessed it was because the vines inside had absorbed her nutrients, causing the plants to become "young" again.

Now, the leaves on this wall were also much greener than those around it.

Chi Yi froze.

Realizing something, her face changed.

She immediately pressed her ear against the wall.

Rustle...

From inside came the slow sound of vines winding around something, as though they were crushing it.

“Someone's inside!”

she shouted.

“I don't know if it's Dream Wanderer or Owen Dong!”

The plant wall could only hide someone for ten seconds.

She had already spent well over ten seconds examining this wall.

Whoever was inside had definitely lost consciousness by now!

“What do we do?!”

Chi Yi instinctively reached out, but suddenly remembered the staff member's warning before they entered.

“We're not allowed to damage the plants! How are we supposed to save them?!”

Li Zhi was just about to step forward when the hand supporting her arm gently squeezed her.

Li Jianxi said quietly,

“I'll do it.”

He released Li Zhi and strode forward.

Chi Yi only caught a flash of cold light before two short blades somehow appeared in Li Jianxi's hands.

His expression remained indifferent.

Holding the knives in reverse grip, he slashed forward with force.

The cold flash split apart the dense mass of vines, revealing a human figure wrapped inside like a rice dumpling.

Another slash.

The strangling vines were instantly severed in two.

The unconscious person inside toppled forward.

Li Jianxi sheathed his blades and caught her.

The vines behind them writhed like tentacles, trying to pursue them, but when they met those icy eyes, they shrank back.

Chi Yi cried out,

“Dream Wanderer!”

She took Dream Wanderer from Li Jianxi's arms and immediately began pulling the vines that had burrowed into her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Once separated from the main vines, they snapped off with the slightest tug.

Dream Wanderer's breathing was weak.

Li Jianxi crouched down after putting away his knives, searched through his pocket, found a pill, and fed it to her.

After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing the worried faces of Chi Yi and Li Zhi beside her, she burst into tears.

“I almost died again!”

Remembering how Dream Wanderer had fallen from the roller coaster during the first challenge, Chi Yi felt both amused and heartbroken.

“It's okay, it's okay. You're lucky! Look, you escaped another disaster!”

Li Zhi still hadn't regained her sight.

Supported by Li Jianxi, she slowly crouched down.

“What happened?”

Dream Wanderer sniffled.

“I don't know either! I was opening treasure chests just fine, and I even got a clue. Then I reached an intersection, and six ghosts suddenly rushed out from the opposite side! They scared me to death! I kept running, and they kept chasing me until I got cornered here.”

Chi Yi: “…?”

Dream Wanderer continued,

“I had no choice. I remembered what the staff member said before we came in, so I thought I'd give it a try. Then I got pulled into the plant wall. But those six ghosts kept wandering around outside. I didn't dare come out. Then the vines started drilling into my body, and after that... I lost consciousness... Sob... Why did this happen? Why are there six ghosts wandering around the maze?”

Chi Yi: “…………”

Guilty.

She felt very, very guilty right now.