Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Following the old paper effigy's directions, Xiyu and the others quickly found the legendary Yin-Yang tree at the village entrance. From a distance, the tree appeared entirely in a dazzling red. As they got closer, they realized that the red came from countless thick red cloth strips hanging from the branches. Occasionally, an unknown wind blew by, causing them to sway gently, exuding an eerie aura.

Su Ziyan was still very scared, worried that some monster might suddenly jump out from somewhere. He kept shrinking his neck, hiding behind Luo Xi and peeking out.

Xiyu took the lead and furrowed his brow as he observed the tree. He wanted to tear off a cloth strip for reference, but unexpectedly, the cloth strips seemed to come to life, slithering away like a group of snakes, climbing higher toward the treetop. It was truly a moment that triggered a fear of crowds.

At that moment, something arrow-like shot out from the shadows, scaring the red cloth strips to scatter in all directions!

Xiyu reacted quickly, flipping out of the way to dodge the terrifying "red rain" and immediately rushed toward the village, shouting, "Be careful!"

Luo Xi was quick to act as well. He grabbed Su Ziyan and threw him back before charging toward the archery position. He spotted a dark shadow darting away—it was Mu Yuan, whom they hadn't seen for a few hours!

Xiyu ran with Su Ziyan to a safe spot, then looked back at the direction of the Yin-Yang tree. He saw the "red cloth strips" lose their target and crawl across the barren black soil. They were gathering around the withered tree while leaving behind damp traces. These traces emitted a sizzling sound, as if they were highly corrosive.

Su Ziyan, still shaken, swallowed and said, "This dungeon doesn't allow us to attack each other, but there are dangerous places like this. If used properly, couldn't it become a trap?"

"What do you think Mu Yuan was doing just now?" Xiyu frowned. "Let's go check on Luo Xi."

Su Ziyan jogged to keep up with Xiyu's long strides. "Just so you know, if you guys start fighting, I won’t be of any help."

"Not expecting you to help," Xiyu glanced back helplessly and shook his head. "If I were you, I wouldn't have signed up for this competition."

"I didn’t want to either. It was Lily who encouraged me," Su Ziyan complained, but then, remembering Du Li's current situation, he awkwardly fell silent. "As broadcasters, we really didn’t have much of a choice."

Luo Xi, on the other hand, didn’t have the time to wallow in such feelings. His grudge with Mu Yuan had long been triggered, and with Zhao Zhusheng causing trouble for Xiyu, his irritation grew. Without any hesitation, he sprinted forward, reaching Mu Yuan and throwing a punch directly at his face!

Though Mu Yuan had been eliminated from the "Rose Game," his strength remained undiminished. He skillfully dodged the punch while attempting to counterattack, causing the old street items around them to fly in all directions.

Anger, it seemed, was a dark emotion. Luo Xi had initially seen everything around him as peaceful, but gradually, he noticed many paper effigies screaming and running in panic, like innocent "civilians" on the streets.

This strange sight distracted him for a moment, allowing Mu Yuan to land a blow to his stomach.

At the same time, Zhao Zhusheng, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, suddenly emerged, commanding a tall paper effigy, "He's the one causing trouble in Yinqiao Village!"

The paper effigy, acting as if it were maintaining order, had a sturdier material than the others. It blocked its body and shouted, "Who’s this mother tiger, daring to disturb the peace of Yinqiao Village!"

Luo Xi had no intention of fighting with NPCs, but hearing that insult, his anger flared up. Just as he was about to teach the paper effigy a lesson, a lantern suddenly flew toward its back, setting it ablaze, with green flames bursting from the spot.

The other paper effigies, witnessing this "murder," panicked and scattered, turning the quiet street into chaos.

The culprit of the lantern throw was, of course, Xiyu, who rushed over and stopped next to Luo Xi, panting. Seeing Luo Xi grab Zhao Zhusheng, Xiyu hurriedly intervened, "This game still doesn’t allow killing. It’s not worth breaking the rules for this kind of guy."

In terms of fighting, Zhao Zhusheng was clearly no match for Luo Xi and looked to Mu Yuan for help.

With Xiyu stepping in, Mu Yuan hesitated.

At this critical moment, a scrawny, nearly skeletal young man suddenly appeared at the corner of the completely dark street. He was dressed in ordinary jeans and a hoodie, holding a sharp, gleaming long knife. He coldly observed the chaos and calmly asked, "What’s going on? You all want to be sacrificed, don’t you?"

"A Gu’s here!"

"Run!"

"It’s all the candidates’ fault! It has nothing to do with us!"The paper effigies shouted in panic, scattering in all directions like frightened birds and beasts.

The boy called A Gu lightly parted his lips and threatened, "Instead of causing a ruckus here, you might want to think about what to do with your dowry. If you want to die, there will always be a time for it."

Xiyu hesitated and asked, "Who are you?"

A Gu replied, "It’s better if you don’t know who I am. Burning these paper effigies might sever your clues. Paper effigies don’t feel pain, but in the end, you’ll be the ones who get tricked."

Having said this, he used his knife to clear the ashes from the burned paper effigy and extracted a black, fleshy object from inside before turning around and leaving with long strides.

Mu Yuan and Zhao Zhusheng had originally planned to ambush the three of them, but upon seeing the situation unfold like this, they exchanged a glance and quietly slipped away.

Luo Xi, who remained at the scene, furrowed his brow seriously, "That’s a heart. The paper effigies aren’t entirely made of paper."

Su Ziyan, now hesitating, asked, "Who was that person? I thought he was a broadcaster. But thinking about it, there are no men among the broadcasters now. Could he be the third NPC in Yinqiao Village?"

Xiyu quietly responded, "He’s probably working with Xipo and the Elder of the Drywood Tribe. The situation is still unclear, so let’s avoid getting involved with him. Let’s go back to the Yin-Yang Tree and see if anything has changed."

Unfortunately, just as he finished speaking, a thick smoke began to rise from the direction of the village entrance, accompanied by countless chilling and sorrowful screams, making an exceptionally sharp noise.

Luo Xi was surprised for a moment and then chuckled wryly, "See? I know these broadcasters too well. Looks like it’s definitely something Ying Zhixing did."

Xiyu shook his head, "Forget it, I think I remember the colors correctly. As long as we have the right dye, we can dye the clothes now."

Luo Xi replied, "Do you remember that bride called Midnight? Let’s go find her corpse."

Xiyu nodded and, relying on his memory of Yinqiao Village, continued to explore areas they had yet to visit.

At this moment, Zhao Zhusheng finally revealed himself from the shadows and whispered, "What are they talking about? It seems like they have another purpose."

Mu Yuan pondered for a moment, "Let’s follow and see."

At the same time, Ying Zhixing, who had just used oil and a lantern to burn the Yin-Yang Tree, showed no remorse and even seemed a little regretful, "Wasting too much time on these props, maybe many of the broadcasters have already figured out the colors."

Zhou Ze, who remained calm, gently stroked his long hair, "It’s okay. Evidence that can be so easily destroyed isn’t unimportant, it just means there are backups elsewhere. So don’t expect to harm anyone with this."

Ying Zhixing looked at him disdainfully, "Why do I feel like your actions are getting more effeminate? Can you act normal?"

Zhou Ze lowered his hand, snorted, "We’ve already figured out how to see the paper effigies. It’s just about forcing yourself to immerse in negative emotions. So, do you still want to go after those two girls?"

Ying Zhixing sneered, "Of course, and be nicer to Fei Ling. Yan Ruyu is very jealous of other women. If she finds out she’s not the most favored in the dungeon, she’ll eliminate Fei Ling before we even have to lift a finger."

Zhou Ze raised an eyebrow, "Is she really that scary?"

Ying Zhixing replied, "I’ve encountered her five times in the game. Each time, she targets other female broadcasters. You can’t be mistaken."

Zhou Ze crossed his arms, "Women are really twisted. Let’s go then."

Ying Zhixing gave him a cold look and said, "Hey... if you don’t act more like a man, I’m leaving on my own."

Zhou Ze snorted, "A man? You should check yourself in the mirror first. A shy, unmarried young woman."

Ying Zhixing’s eyes turned even fiercer.Zhou Ze smiled, "Changing gender is quite nice. No matter how much you get angry now, it doesn't seem that scary anymore."

Though they bickered, Ying Zhixing and Zhou Ze made the most of their time and hurried back to the tavern where they had left Fei Ling and Yan Ruyu. Unfortunately, when they burst into the hall, it was empty—completely deserted.

Zhou Ze raised an eyebrow, "They couldn't wait to run away, huh? Don't they even fear anymore?"

Ying Zhixing carefully observed the scattered furniture, "Not necessarily. Look at how the furniture is overturned, something must have happened."

While they were contemplating this, Yan Ruyu walked in slowly, her face lighting up with surprise. "You’re back?"

Ying Zhixing directly asked, "Where's Fei Ling? Why didn't you protect her properly?!"

Yan Ruyu’s expression stiffened, and her tone became less pleasant, "I thought waiting around wouldn’t work, so I suggested we go outside to find some evidence. But she was scared of this and that, so I went alone. Who knows where she went? Besides, I’m not responsible for protecting her."

Zhou Ze nodded, "Yes, yes, I can’t argue with you, but she might have encountered danger on her own. Let’s go look for her."

Yan Ruyu paused, then her mood shifted to one of sorrow. "I didn’t realize you were so kind-hearted."

Zhou Ze smiled, "I really like Fei Ling's singing, she's cute, don’t you think?"

Yan Ruyu didn’t respond. Instead, she asked, "I heard the broadcast earlier and wanted to go find the Yin-Yang Tree, but I didn’t make it in time before the tree was burned. Did you see the colors?"

Ying Zhixing raised an eyebrow, "Of course. The tree had all this stuff on it."

With that, he pulled out a thick cloth bundle from his chest, opened it, and inside was a "red cloth strip" that had been smashed to pieces.

Actually, sharing this so openly was also to increase Yan Ruyu's trust and dependence on him. Sure enough, the female broadcaster carefully looked it over, then pulled out a book she had found, "Here, the dyeing technique for fabrics. No need to thank me, we just need the raw materials now."

Ying Zhixing took it, skimmed through it, hurriedly memorized the dyeing method for the bridal clothes at the end of the book, and then pretended to casually return it to her, "Then let’s wait for the next broadcast. For now, let’s go look for Fei Ling."

Yan Ruyu, unwilling and noncommittal, didn’t respond.

Zhou Ze and Ying Zhixing exchanged a silent glance, clearly in agreement with the plan, ready to watch as this woman became a tool for their use.