Chapter 132

Chapter 132

The area of Yinqiao Village wasn’t small, but the evidence activated on the first night was scarce. This led everyone to gravitate toward similar storylines, so the ones who eventually found Ziye’s body were not just Xi Yu and his “small team.”

While the three of them were burying the body in a hurry, Ying Zhixing had already arrived with Zhou Ze, both full of energy. Yan Ruyu was cautiously trailing behind, slyly saying, "Oh, what are you up to? What’s something you don’t want others to see?"

Luo Xi stood up and answered straightforwardly, "A body had rotted, so I buried it to avoid polluting the environment."

"No one cares about pollution; everyone gets a share of what they see," Ying Zhixing said, holding a wooden stick and slowly approaching Ziye’s body lying by the pit.

Although he hadn’t figured out the exact details of the dead bride’s identity, the bridal dress was certainly eye-catching.

Xi Yu quickly exchanged glances with Luo Xi, signaling him not to confront Ying Zhixing head-on.

Luo Xi then stepped aside, smiling without speaking.

Actually, Zhou Ze was a bit afraid of Luo Xi flipping out, so after observing, he quickly walked over to the body and crouched down.

After inspecting it, he quickly judged, "The wedding dress is dyed with blood, but when fresh blood dries, it changes color. This one is still bright red. The scent is mixed with some other dyeing agent, but I haven’t figured out exactly what it is yet. We’ll have to wait for the next clue."

Su Ziyan blinked in surprise, "Why are you all so clever…"

Xi Yu didn’t respond, only saying, "Since you’ve seen it clearly, it’s better to bury the body. Without some information advantage, none of us can go far."

Yan Ruyu couldn’t help but interject, "Why are you in such a hurry to bury the body? You didn’t hide other information, did you?"

"What information? Didn’t you see with your own eyes?" Luo Xi sarcastically replied. "Also, I know you like playing the good person everywhere, but try sharing this female corpse around. I bet Ying Zhixing will be the first to break your legs."

Yan Ruyu, who usually relied on her striking beauty, had no trouble in normal situations, but now, in this game where everyone was transformed into women and they were all familiar faces who couldn't be easily manipulated, the atmosphere felt strange. She glanced at everyone with some guilt, then finally shut her mouth.

Amid the noise, Ying Zhixing carefully inspected the body and then firmly said, "Bury it."

Xi Yu smiled coldly and was about to act, but just then, an uninvited guest appeared in the yard of the morgue: it was A Gu, the one in charge of guarding the place!

Looking at the absurd scene in front of him, A Gu didn’t show any surprise. His eyes remained as cold as ice, and his voice was chilling, "Even if she’s dead, she’s still the Mountain God’s bride. If you casually desecrate her, misfortune will befall you."

Although Su Ziyan was scared, he couldn’t help but comment, "Hey, what’s this Mountain God about? There’s clearly no mountain around here!"

A Gu smiled in a way that was even more terrifying than a frown, squinting his eyes and drawing his knife closer, "Get lost!"

Normally, most of the streamers wouldn’t be afraid of a half-grown NPC, but being cautious never hurt, and Luo Xi quickly saw that Xi Yu was about to act impulsively. He grabbed him and said, "Let’s leave first!"

Xi Yu lowered his head and walked, following Luo Xi out of the yard.

Su Ziyan hurried to follow them, and once the surroundings became quiet, he urgently said, "This is bad, the planners have malice in full force. There are basically no humans left in Yinqiao Village now. If we need blood-dyed clothes, do they want us to use our own blood?!"

Luo Xi gave him a warning glance, "You can speak even louder if you want."

Su Ziyan immediately shrank his neck, but then suddenly turned his head in alert, "Who’s there?!—Luo Ge, there’s someone over there!"

His sharp hearing was no joke. Luo Xi, not doubting him, immediately rushed toward the direction he pointed out, but after some hurried footsteps, the person who appeared from behind the wall was the frail and thin Zhi Shan.

Luo Xi hadn’t dared to describe in detail to Xi Yu: Zhi Shan looked identical to the former Ling Xue. Since Ling Xue was willing to reset for him, it probably wasn’t just out of loyalty. Although he had never considered responding to that female streamer’s feelings, seeing Zhi Shan alive still made it hard for him to act coldly. He could only whisper, "Where are the others? You weren’t the only one just now."

Zhi Shan’s eyes were completely those of a stranger, and she cautiously answered, "Mu Yuan brought two little subordinates over… but his mother didn’t talk to me."

Little subordinates… Probably Zhao Zhusheng and that always scheming Wang Lou.Luo Xi turned back to Su Ziyan, who was approaching, and said, "Happy? The information we just found got eavesdropped on."

Su Ziyan stayed silent, feeling guilty.

Xi Yu looked at Zhi Shan and then said, "It’s fine, let’s leave here first."

Zhi Shan quickly took a step forward, "Wait!"

Actually, Luo Xi didn’t want to engage with her much and cautiously asked, "What do you want?"

Zhi Shan asked, "Do you guys know how to dye clothes? I’m totally lost, and I don’t want to be eliminated on the first day... They’ve all formed alliances, can I join yours? I’m very obedient and I won’t slow you down."

Xi Yu had suppressed his displeasure, but after hearing this, he furrowed his brows, "Why us? With so many people, why did you choose to ally with us? What do you know?"

Zhi Shan hesitated to speak.

Xi Yu coldly rejected, "Anyway... I’m not interested."

Saying this, he was about to leave.

Luo Xi, feeling overwhelmed, had no courage to stay longer, but Zhi Shan couldn’t help but blurt out, "Don’t be angry. Mu Yuan told me about Ling Xue. I... I’ve indeed been reset, and I started streaming after Ling Xue disappeared, but it doesn’t really matter if I’m her or not. I don’t even know Luo Xi at all."

Xi Yu, who was usually calm and sometimes gentle, showed an unpleased expression, as if his temper flared up, "So what? If you don’t know, just shut up."

Zhi Shan quietly said, "Although we don’t know each other, I believe Luo Xi wouldn’t harm me. That’s why I proposed an alliance. This is just my selfish little thought. As for other things, you don’t need to think too much about it… I won’t interfere with your relationship, I just want to survive."

Although she didn’t provoke with her words, they had an unsettling effect on Xi Yu’s face.

Su Ziyan almost laughed out loud from the corner, while Luo Xi, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted, "An alliance is supposed to be mutually beneficial. I already have a burden here. If you think because of Mu Yuan’s nonsense, I’ll help you selflessly, you’ve misunderstood something. At least for now, I’m only taking care of Xi Yu."

Zhi Shan quietly closed her mouth, clearly having intended to use empty promises to deceive them.

Su Ziyan cleared his throat, "Yeah, what benefit do you offer us?"

The whole bridal dress and the new bride story didn’t provide Zhi Shan with any more information than the other streamers. She was almost scared to death by the hellish atmosphere of Yinqiao Village and certainly couldn’t offer anything enticing.

Xi Yu took a deep breath and moved closer to her, "Since there’s no benefit, stay away from us. Right now, it’s a life-or-death moment. No one can afford to be anyone’s savior. It’s your fault for signing up for this game."

Zhi Shan, who was originally delicate and unassuming, became even more dull in front of Xi Yu. She glanced at Luo Xi and then gave up, "Alright, I guess I thought too much. It seems that some people who look like a man of character, when they’ve received help from others, don’t think of returning the favor."

Actually, Luo Xi mostly didn’t want to upset Xi Yu, but those words were rather sharp and honest.

Before he could respond, Xi Yu spoke again, "If you can prove you are Ling Xue, I’ll give you benefits in the future, but right now there’s no proof—"

He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

Zhi Shan was puzzled.

Xi Yu grabbed her arm and gently sniffed, "Where have you been? You have a familiar scent on you."

This made Su Ziyan, who was very curious, immediately lean in and sniff, then exclaim in surprise, "It’s the scent from the female corpse! Exactly the same!"

Zhi Shan, lost and confused, said, "I..."At that moment, the broadcast, which had been silent for two hours, suddenly came on.

【Candidates, you have truly disappointed the Mountain God!】

【So far, I haven’t received even half a bridal gown.】

【In addition to its unique dye, the bridal gown requires a color-fixing plant called Evening Primrose.】

【This flower has a fragrance like orchids, and this is your final hint…】

The voice of the old woman, Xipo, echoed through the skies of Yinqiao Village.

Xi Yu tightened his grip on Zhi Shan: “You’ve seen this flower, haven’t you? Take us there, and I’ll tell you how to dye the bridal gown!”

Zhi Shan, clearly not expecting good luck to come so quickly, was stunned for a moment before saying, “The flower... that’s right, the flower!”

Su Ziyan hurriedly asked, “Where is the flower, miss? Hurry up!”

Zhi Shan widened her eyes and stopped hesitating: “It’s underground. I was chased around by a paper man and ended up in a temple in the center of the island. Behind the temple, there’s a secret passage. I thought there would be some secret hidden there, but it led to a dark cellar, filled with many broken flower pots, all growing a terrifying flower that looked like a ghost face. I was scared it might be poisonous, so I left immediately.”

Xi Yu was frustrated with the game’s process. He looked back and said, “Let’s go. Looks like we might have a chance at the task.”

Su Ziyan was both excited and worried, “But I’m anemic…”

Zhi Shan still didn’t understand, “What does blood have to do with it?”

Xi Yu’s gaze became complicated: “I just told you that I can show you how to dye the bridal gown, but whether you can do it or not is up to you.”

Zhi Shan’s thin face was full of confusion under the moonlight.

The Evening Primrose looked very similar to the pansy, but if you looked closely at its patterns, it resembled the wailing face of a spirit.

The four of them first picked a pot of the flower and then moved away from the collapsed temple with the Buddha statues, returning to the dyeing workshop to gather their tools.

Finally, after hearing about the bride's body and the bloodstained gown, Zhi Shan, who was helping to grind the flower branches, became terrified. She whispered, “How much blood would it take to dye such a large gown? Why don’t we catch someone else... and take their blood...”

“It won’t be as much as you think,” Xi Yu said softly, “After all, the streamers in this game aren’t that easy to deal with. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

With Zhi Shan’s abilities, there was no way she could kidnap any of the other streamers. She frowned, feeling frustrated.

Since this girl joined the team, Luo Xi had been quiet. In the yard, he found a sharp stone shard and used it to drag himself and Xi Yu’s burial clothes into a basin, separating the blood vessels.

The bright red color instantly ruined the purity of the burial clothes.

When Xi Yu turned around and saw this, he stopped him: “Hey, you’ll bleed out like that.”

Luo Xi said, “It’s fine, I’ll rest for a bit. Worst case, you protect me.”

Xi Yu hesitated. He had never been happy with Zhi Shan’s presence, but looking at this “man” in front of him, what complaints could he have? If he could, Luo Xi probably wouldn’t want those things to happen either.

Just as Xi Yu was feeling a bit moved and melancholy, Su Ziyan suddenly said, “Hey… we’ve all turned into women, but why doesn’t anyone have their period?”

The other three were immediately disgusted as if struck by lightning: "…"

Su Ziyan felt wronged. After being startled by Luo Xi’s blood-spilling scene, he was scared out of his wits. In the end, to save his life, he reluctantly mimicked others and cut his own blood vessels. Though the veins and blood were fake, the pain and weakness were real. Naturally, humans often feel that life is inherently painful, but they could never imagine what kind of desperate situation artificial beings would face in their lives.