Chapter 126

Chapter 126

The Torch of the Elder of the Withered Tree had the ability to dispel the mist, and wherever he went, the scenery of Yin Bridge Village gradually began to take shape.

This place resembled an old-fashioned town preserved from the end of the last century, with some old items still intact, but also mixed with new and somewhat out-of-place things. The worn stone walls and faded colors made all the broadcasters feel uneasy.

Xiyu was cautious of both the NPCs and the other broadcasters, moving carefully. He furrowed his brows, scanning his surroundings. Suddenly, the mist cleared considerably, and the red lanterns along the street illuminated parts of the darkness. It was at that moment that the voices Su Ziyan mentioned slowly reached his ears.

Indeed, it sounded as though many people were drinking, laughing, and talking inside and outside various houses. But upon closer listening, nothing could be clearly heard, and no figures were visible.

Su Ziyan was panicked, tugging at Luo Xi’s sleeve, saying, "Who is making all that noise at this hour? What kind of people live in Yin Bridge Village?"

The Elder of the Withered Tree coldly snorted, "Of course, they're people like you."

At that moment, the girl who had been walking at the back without looking up suddenly asked, "So, are we dead?"

This question didn’t get a response from the NPCs, but it caused Luo Xi to shudder.

He was shocked and turned around to ask, "Ling Xue?"

Although Xiyu had never met the broadcaster named Ling Xue, he had a deep impression of her, especially since she had died because of Luo Xi, making her stand out.

The call immediately caught everyone’s attention.

The girl who was called immediately looked up, "I... I’m Zhi Shan, who are you?"

Luo Xi’s expression was a bit complicated, and in the end, he shook his head.

Xiyu, not understanding, followed up, "What’s wrong? Is something off?"

Luo Xi then returned to normal, "It’s nothing..."

Xiyu, knowing Luo Xi’s personality, understood he was lying, but chose to stay silent due to the unclear situation of the game.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Elder of the Withered Tree had reached their destination—a grand mansion.

He lowered the now extinguished torch and softly said, "You’ll be staying here from now on. Go in. The matchmaker will tell you what you need to do today. I’ll come to check on you at noon. If anyone hasn't completed their tasks, you’ll become a sacrifice."

After saying this, he completely ignored the broadcasters' confusion and disappeared into the darkness like a ghost.

The twelve people left behind exchanged looks.

Ying Zhixing sneered, "The rules are clear, so what are you waiting for? Let’s go inside and see."

He said this and immediately stepped into the dark yard.

Luo Xi quickly blocked Xiyu behind him and cautiously followed inside.

In fact, the mansion was completely empty. All the buildings had long fallen into ruin, with only faint traces of past grandeur. Not only were there no residents, but it was eerily silent.

As the group stood around, feeling increasingly uneasy, an old, thin woman dressed in red appeared in the middle of the yard. She was holding a strange torch and coldly said, "Why are you all so late? I see none of you want to live, huh?"

Luo Xi mockingly replied, "In this damn place, is there really a way out? If you ask me, whoever becomes the bride is the one who’s really out of luck."

The old woman immediately spat disdainfully, "How can someone as ugly as you even become a candidate for the bride?" Then she eagerly turned her attention to Xiyu, taking out a red handkerchief to pat him here and there, then smiling in satisfaction, "This little fairy is the one worthy of the Mountain God."Being singled out by an NPC was never a good thing. Xiyu quickly backed away, frowning slightly, and asked, "Didn't they say there were tasks? What task is that?"

The old woman then returned to her original spot, holding the torch. "My name is Matchmaker. For the next few days, you will all follow my orders. If you want to become the Mountain God's bride, you first need to learn how to prepare your dowry. Today, you will dye your wedding clothes."

She suddenly raised her torch, and twelve eerie figures appeared, each holding a white garment, floating toward the broadcasters, each stopping in front of one.

Xiyu, aided by the faint light of the torch, looked up and was immediately startled. These figures were all made of paper, with their brows and eyes drawn in thick red ink, creating a strange and eerie appearance. The wedding clothes they were holding, however, were clearly funeral garments!

The Matchmaker smiled, her wrinkled face curling. "Now that it's almost noon, you better hurry up, the time is short."

The broadcasters were already slow to take the funeral garments, and hearing this order only confused them more.

Su Ziyan twisted his face and asked, "What do we use to dye them? How do we dye them? What qualifies as acceptable?"

The Matchmaker snorted coldly. "What’s the point of telling you everything? But, seeing as you all are rather dull-witted, I'll give you a reminder. Every two hours, I'll announce a piece of information. You’d better listen carefully."

Xiyu quickly asked, "How many pieces of information will there be for each task?"

"Who knows?" The Matchmaker’s smile grew even more terrifying. "All the information is hidden in Yin Bridge Village. You’ll have to go and find it yourselves."

With that, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark with the paper figures, moving with surprising agility for her age.

Luo Xi picked up the funeral garment and examined it. "No choice," he raised an eyebrow. "Let’s go, no need to stand around here."

As Luo Xi started walking, Xiyu followed closely, with Su Ziyan quietly trailing behind.

Luo Xi turned and gave him a warning glance, but did not explicitly refuse.

Su Ziyan hurriedly assured him, "I won’t cause trouble."

In this situation, with so many powerful and calculating individuals like Zhao Zhusheng, having an ally was definitely better than having more enemies. Furthermore, with so little game information so far, Su Ziyan’s hearing was actually quite useful.

As Xiyu thought this through, he couldn’t help but feel some confusion. "Aren’t you and Du Li not teaming up this time? Don’t you two always team up?"

Su Ziyan’s expression grew embarrassed, and after a moment of silence, he explained, "She lost her abilities during the match and thought she would hold me back, so she ran off to cancel the team. I didn’t want this to happen, but once it’s canceled, you can’t form a team again. I really didn’t want to abandon her!"

Thinking about Du Li, who had lost both her luck and strength, Xiyu wasn't sure how she would face the upcoming game. However, how the two of them dealt with their relationship was none of his business, so he chose not to bring it up.

Yin Bridge Village, located on a deserted island, wasn’t small. As the broadcasters walked on, they gradually split up.

At this point, no new prompt had appeared, and they weren’t idle. They seized every moment to search for clues, confirming what the Elder of the Withered Tree had said—they couldn’t afford to sleep.

Xiyu’s group of three wasn’t an exception.

They moved carefully, relying on Su Ziyan’s sharp hearing to report any potential threats, constantly on edge in case of unexpected changes.

They arrived at an empty alley, and Su Ziyan suddenly stopped, scratching his short hair in confusion. "Weird, everything else is noisy, but why is it so quiet here?"

Just as Xiyu was about to answer, he turned his head and saw a white shadow drifting past behind him. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak up.

Su Ziyan seemed to sense something, suddenly turning around, and let out a terrified scream, "Ahhh! A ghost!"

It was actually another terrifying paper figure. Its legs were broken, and its whole body floated in the air. It was even more terrifying than the others.Strangely, the paper figure didn't do anything odd, and even impatiently complained in a low voice: "What’s all the noise? Are you sick or something?"

Su Ziyan: "..."

"Are they the residents of Yin Bridge Village?" Xiyu, as bold as ever, immediately ran after the paper figure and stopped it. "Excuse me, is there a place to dye fabric around here?"

The paper figure's clothing was barely recognizable, consisting of torn white vests and large shorts. It moved its poorly drawn eyebrows and replied: "What era are we in? Who still dyes fabric themselves?"

Xiyu held up the wedding garment: "But this bridal gown must be dyed by ourselves."

"Is there a wedding at home?" The paper figure’s tone softened considerably as it raised its frail arm. "There’s a dyeing workshop at the east end of the village, but it’s just a tourist trap. It’s been closed for a long time. You can go take a look."

Xiyu smiled, not expecting such useful information. "Thank you."

Su Ziyan, cowardly, hid behind Luo Xi. When no one was around, he said, "Tourist trap? Aren't we tourists?"

"Let’s not worry about that for now, let's go see." Luo Xi made the decision immediately, frowning. "The people in this match aren’t easy to deal with. Not to mention Mu Yuan and Zhao Zhusheng have teamed up. That Ying Zhixing also has help now. Originally a man named Zhou Ze, who’s similar to Bai Qi. There’s also a female broadcaster, Yan Ruyu, who was voted back into the game after being eliminated. She relies on her looks to attract viewers, but her gender advantage isn’t much use in this game. She’s been very low-key so far."

Xiyu quietly listened to his analysis. "What about Zhi Shan?"

"Don’t know. Probably a small broadcaster who stumbled into the match," Luo Xi said shamelessly.

Xiyu: "You called her Ling Xue."

Luo Xi: "She does look a bit like her, but Ling Xue was eliminated in front of me. I must have been seeing things back then."

Su Ziyan was watching with great interest, but Xiyu didn’t continue arguing. He pursed his lips and began walking east. "Let’s find the dyeing workshop first."

Even though the paper figure seemed like a torn trash bag, the information it provided was reliable.

The three of them hurriedly searched and indeed saw a dyeing workshop in the distance, its walls covered in red cloth.

However, Su Ziyan suddenly stopped them and whispered, "Careful, there’s someone inside."

"Who is it?" Luo Xi gripped a broken stick he had picked up along the way.

"It’s Ying Zhixing, and two others who are unfamiliar," Su Ziyan said, frustrated. "They’ve all switched to female voices, so I can’t make out who they are."

Luo Xi thought for a moment, then softly said, "It’s fine, let’s take a look. The system doesn’t allow broadcasters to attack each other. Three against three isn’t a disadvantage."

Xiyu nodded and led the way toward the strange building, where the red cloth was continuously fluttering in the dark night.

Su Ziyan, with a sly look, asked quietly, "Luo Ge, what happened? Did you get caught flirting? Don’t worry, I’ll totally back you up!"

Transformed into a woman, Luo Xi had no imposing presence. He could only give a cold look to Su Ziyan, who resembled a little girl.

At this moment, Xiyu couldn’t hold back anymore and turned to ask, "Is Zhi Shan the reset Ling Xue? I’ll give you one chance to tell the truth."