Chapter 144

Chapter 144

After entering Yin Qiao Village, the question of whether anyone had seen the mirror left all the male streamers present feeling a bit confused.

Yan Ruyu and Zhishan exchanged a secret glance, then quickly looked away.

This subtle exchange didn’t escape Luo Xi’s eyes. He smiled, then grabbed Xi Yu’s hand and said, “Alright, let’s take a break and wait for tonight’s mission.”

Mu Yuan had certainly imagined the possibility of being eliminated by Xi Yu. But he was no stranger to being targeted—he had long been used to making enemies. Even now, with the viewers giving him another chance to stay in the game, that nature hadn't changed. Seeing Zhao Zhusheng become the scapegoat, Mu Yuan was itching to push Xi Yu out next. He couldn’t help but say, “You’ve already retrieved Ziye’s body, haven’t you, Luo Xi? Otherwise, where did your bone ball come from?”

Everyone fell silent.

Luo Xi had been about to leave, but upon hearing this, turned his head. “What are you trying to say?”

Mu Yuan rarely looked at Ying Zhixing and said, “Something this good—shouldn’t it be shared with everyone?”

Ying Zhixing had never liked talking to him and replied with clear disinterest: “How do you know he didn’t share it? Maybe he just didn’t share it with you?”

Mu Yuan’s attempt to stir trouble froze slightly on his face, then he gave a cold chuckle, gestured for Wang Lou to follow him, and walked away.

At this point, there was no reason for the streamers to stay by the riverside, so they all dispersed.

After staying away from the sacrificial site for quite some time, Xi Yu finally calmed down. He didn’t go nap with Luo Xi—instead, the two forced themselves to stay alert and set up an ambush under a tall tree in the night.

Luo Xi put an arm around Xi Yu’s shoulder to comfort him: “Don’t overthink it. The further we go, the more people will get reset.”

There were many things unsuitable to say on camera, so they could only leave them unsaid.

Xi Yu understood what he meant. Indeed, at this point, it was already a blessing just to keep Tuzi and Bai Qi safe. Whether they escaped or won in the end, life or death was still uncertain for everyone.

Seeing that Xi Yu looked a bit better, Luo Xi said, “Since the Joyful Bride chose this moment to give a hint, the mirror must be a crucial item. Although I really didn’t spot anything like that, those two female streamers probably know.”

Xi Yu nodded. “They both returned to their rooms just now. If they come out again, we should be able to see it from here. It’s just…”

Luo Xi: “You still can’t figure out what it means to connect to other worlds?”

Xi Yu replied seriously, “Maybe it means they can contact the murdered bride NPCs? So far, the story line of this dungeon is still unclear. Tonight’s third masquerade is probably a turning point.”

Luo Xi chuckled. “Great minds think alike.”

Xi Yu snorted and looked at him. “…You can only play Mu Guiying now.”

Luo Xi looked down at himself.

Xi Yu frowned. “What are you looking at?”

Luo Xi: “Can’t I look at my own chest?”

Xi Yu really didn’t like the game designers’ dark sense of humor this time. But before he could complain, he saw a thin figure sneaking out from the back door of the bride’s house—it was Zhishan, who had been missing for a while.

He immediately grabbed Luo Xi’s hand. “Follow her. We can’t let her take this chance.”

Seeing Xi Yu had regained his fighting spirit, Luo Xi felt relieved and quickly got up to lead the way.

Zhishan had offended her newly found backer. No matter how much she resembled the “old friend” Luo Xi held in his heart, in this dungeon she had no real advantage left. Every other surviving streamer besides her was strong. She had to tread carefully, even walking much faster than usual.

Apparently with a clear goal in mind, even in the pitch-dark night, the girl didn’t hesitate at all. After winding through several alleys, she boldly entered a dental clinic.Closely following her, Luo Xi and Xi Yu made sure no one was around, exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, chased in after her.

Poor Zhi Shan had just sighed in relief when she heard footsteps behind her. But before she even had a chance to see who it was, she was struck hard at the back of her neck and collapsed in a heap.

Luo Xi, who delivered the blow, stepped over her body and began searching the dimly lit clinic without hesitation. In the end, he did find a small mirror inside the doctor’s surgical pouch. Although he didn’t know exactly what it was for, as long as the item met the basic idea of a mirror, it was good enough.

Xi Yu glanced at Zhi Shan lying on the floor and sighed, “I actually wish it was her who got eliminated instead of Su Ziyan. Looks like I’m not as upright as I thought.”

Luo Xi put away the mirror with a smile, “Totally normal. Come on, let’s wrap up and get some sleep.”

Xi Yu looked at him with concern but didn’t voice his worry.

Still, Luo Xi understood and raised an eyebrow as he draped his arm around Xi Yu’s neck, whispering in his ear, “Afraid I didn’t hide the corpse well enough and someone will steal it?”

Xi Yu nodded.

“Don’t worry. No matter how hard they try, they won’t figure it out,” Luo Xi said confidently, then whispered something else in his ear.

Xi Yu’s eyes widened in surprise, and although he couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, he did feel more reassured. Then they returned to their room to rest and recover.

Although Granny Xi had insisted the mirror connected to another world, the two of them spent a long time studying it after returning to their room—shining light on it, heating it with fire, knocking and tapping it—but couldn’t discover anything unusual.

They only fell into a light sleep from exhaustion, then were awakened by a familiar voice.

“Boss! Boss! Xi Yu baby! Hey!”

Luo Xi and Xi Yu opened their eyes almost at the same time.

Luo Xi looked over at Xi Yu: “Was I dreaming? I swear I just heard Tuzi calling me.”

Xi Yu: “Me too…”

“Aiyo, just look at the mirror, will you?” Xu Tuzi said impatiently.

Luo Xi picked up the little mirror from beside the pillow, and to his surprise, he saw Xu Tuzi and Bai Qi’s faces in it. Of course, Bai Qi had also unfortunately turned into a delicate-looking girl, adjusting her glasses as she greeted them, “You two doing okay?”

Xi Yu was taken aback. “So the so-called connection to another world… actually means a connection to the livestream room?”

Xu Tuzi nodded, “Yeah, I spent ages figuring it out too. In the end, I activated the interface by smearing blood on the mirror. I immediately selected your ID, Boss.”

Xi Yu was completely speechless at the game designers: “You’re not hurt, right?”

Xu Tuzi: “Of course not. You think I used my own blood?”

The cross-instance communication was certainly a novelty for all four of them, but they still communicated their current situations very efficiently. Then Xu Tuzi brought a very useful piece of information: “Is there anyone around you? Listen up—Bride Ziye died by jumping into a well. Based on her name, if you find that well around midnight and climb in, you’ll be able to see her spirit. At that point, Ziye will give you another mission. Make sure you check it out!”

“Quite the clue. What’s the mission?” Luo Xi asked. “Going against Granny Xi and the other NPCs?”

“Yes, and the connection won’t last long, so I don’t have time to explain everything. Be careful! If it comes down to it, kidnap a few people and blend in. Even if the instance isn’t cleared, at least you can survive and win!”

Luo Xi nodded, “Got it. You too—safety first.”

This time, Xu Tuzi didn’t even get a chance to reply. The image in the mirror flickered like a lost signal and disappeared.Xiyu hadn't come back to his senses yet. He glanced at Luo Xi and asked, "Is this real?"

Luo Xi raised an eyebrow. "Do you think AI could imitate Tuzi’s animated expressions?"

Only then did Xiyu lower his gaze and think it over. "Looks like the streamers in this round are all focused on each other. No one is even exploring the instance. What do you think—should we just aim for victory, or complete all the missions too?"

Luo Xi replied with a question, "What do you think?"

Xiyu thought for a moment. "I want Mu Yuan out. Keeping him around is a disaster waiting to happen."

Luo Xi said, "I think so too. He's already lost all his advantage and has gone into full rabid-dog mode. Might as well send him off for a reset to cool down."

Xiyu chuckled softly, then said, "I’ll go look for the NPC tonight. If you keep skipping, I’m afraid you’ll get penalized."

"I’ll go instead. Don’t you think that old matchmaker actually favors you?" Luo Xi said as he leaned back against the pillow. "Since I’ve already pissed her off, might as well go all in."

Xiyu never really distrusted Luo Xi, but he still worried about him.

Luo Xi reached out and toyed with Xiyu's now long, soft silver hair. He didn’t say anything else—just quietly gazed into his eyes.

The red canopy reflected the eerie moonlight, casting a dim, indistinct glow on both of them.

People used to say that the bridal chamber was the pinnacle of life’s joy—but perhaps artificial humans would never truly understand that.

Xiyu couldn’t help but plant a kiss on Luo Xi’s forehead, while in his mind drifted those once revived but now jumbled, fleeting memories. He wondered: if they really had loved each other out in the human world beyond the Cloud Platform, had they perhaps made some kind of vow?

Sadly, that answer might now be lost to the world.

Midnight quietly arrived again.

The matchmaker hobbled into the compound. She raised her eyes and looked over the group of “beauties of every type” who were clearly waiting for her, and immediately sneered, “That Luo Xi fellow must be itching to know what A’Gu’s blade feels like.”

Xiyu didn’t argue and went straight to the point: “What’s tonight’s mission? Are we still preparing the dowry?”

“Of course. How can you get married without a complete dowry?” The matchmaker clapped her hands.

Moments later, two paper dolls came in carrying a large box. With a whoosh, they dumped out its contents—it was a pile of red shoes.

“These wedding shoes still need embroidery. Tonight, you’ll finish embroidering them and bring them back.” Her voice remained as cold and hoarse as ever. “If the embroidery is wrong or unfinished… well, you know what will happen.”

Xiyu immediately picked up two pairs of shoes and nodded in agreement.

Wang Lou couldn’t help but protest: “Luo Xi didn’t come. He shouldn’t get any shoes—otherwise it’s unfair to us!”

The matchmaker’s sharp gaze swept over them. “That’s right. Xiyu, you may only take your own.”

Xiyu hesitated for a moment, then put one pair back. But he didn’t show any sign of panic. Instead, he looked coldly at Wang Lou. “Fine. But don’t regret demanding the fairness you think you wanted.”

Wang Lou didn’t understand him. Before, she had only seen Xiyu getting worked up over Su Ziyan and assumed he was just some pampered, pretty boy acting self-righteous under Luo Xi’s protection. But now, as she met Xiyu’s unfamiliar gaze, she suddenly had a creeping feeling that she’d been very wrong—someone who could take out both Mu Yuan and Ying Zhixing couldn’t possibly be harmless.