Chapter 41

At this moment, Shi Jian had already led the streamers to swiftly open up one-fifth of the path, and with their own efforts, they had moved several meters farther away from Xingfu Village.

Audience: Damn, am I watching a horror game stream where the streamers are doing infrastructure work?

So if they finish the road and get down the mountain, does that mean they clear the level?

Not only did the streamers instinctively feel that the village was eerily off-limits, but the audience also knew that trouble would probably start the moment they entered the village.

Then the audience began flooding the comments with cheers. They were here for the drama anyway, and if the stream could really end that way, it would be hilarious.

Shi Jian felt the progress was great. Fueled by her desire to get away from the unknown village and to increase her proficiency with the high heels, she kicked at the path with such intensity that she started leaving afterimages.

Shi Jian: Kick! Kick out a winding little trail!

The road was narrow, but functional—that was a little path, no, it was their Grand Avenue to victory!

But although Shi Jian and the other streamers worked hard, looking like overclocked huskies, and their progress was visibly impressive, the dungeon wasn’t going to be that easy.

Just as everyone was working in full swing, a loud rumble erupted from the distance.

“The mountainside over there seems to have collapsed.”

“Stop working, everyone back up quickly—don’t get hit by falling rocks!”

The sudden change threw the group into chaos. Shi Jian and the other streamers stopped what they were doing and quickly retreated. They were now face-to-face with a landslide.

A massive mix of sand and rocks buried the road not far away. Although they had opened up one-fifth of the path, the second collapse not only wiped their progress, but Shi Jian also realized the difficulty had increased.

“……”

Shi Jian’s mood couldn’t be put into words, but after this event, everyone knew the road-clearing strategy was a no-go.

The dungeon would never let them clear it just by building a path.

Meanwhile, the tour guide on the other side seemed completely done with Shi Jian and the others’ rogue infrastructure efforts.

He looked utterly deflated. Just moments ago, he still acted like a real person—now he was like a soulless NPC pushing the plot forward.

His eyes were hollow, and his voice was flat.

“All of you came here with a shared wish—to see the sunrise.”

“Since it’s a wish, how could you give up so easily?”

Shi Jian muttered quietly, “There’s no such thing as impossible if you’re willing to give up. And can’t we see the sunrise anywhere? Why does it have to be here?”

The guide completely ignored her, acting like he didn’t hear a thing, and continued speaking.

“Let’s pack up and head into the village. It’ll be dark soon.”

...

【Hahahahaha, he just straight-up ignored Shi Jian!】

【Is that super pretty streamer called Shi Jian? Her road-building spree was so entertaining.】

【Real name recommendation for Shi Jian. Trust me, sisters, I’m the type who sucks but loves watching horror games. I’ve tried lots of top-tier streamers, but in the end, Shi Jian’s the one. Every time it gets scary, there’s an instant twist and things turn funny. Follow her now and you’ll be an OG fan!】

【Alright, I’m sold. Following now!】【Thinking about how the instance roasted Shi Jian during the PK—she's such a contrarian, 2333.】

【I'm on the streamer's side. She's right, you can see the sunrise anywhere.】

The streamers were all a bit helpless now. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter Xingfu Village. They couldn't exactly live out in the mountains.

They also got one more piece of information from the tour guide—

They had to see the sunrise.

Xingfu Village was just behind them, a road leading straight down.

As Shi Jian walked, she cautiously scanned her surroundings. Her eyes kept being drawn to the dead, twisted old trees. A nearby streamer, voice trembling, asked her:

“Do you feel something breathing on the back of your neck?”

There wasn’t the slightest breeze—if anything, it was oppressively hot due to the still air.

Shi Jian was standing right next to him, and she didn’t see anything breathing on his neck. There were even other streamers walking behind him.

But from the sweat beading across his forehead, she could tell he wasn’t making it up.

That could only mean the thing breathing... wasn’t human—and it was really close to her.

Shi Jian’s whole body lit up with fear. She instinctively swallowed, trying to stay calm as the male streamer anxiously waited for her response.

Shi Jian kept her composure and said, “I don’t.”

Then she pointed to the cap attached to the male streamer’s jacket. “Why don’t you put that on?”

The jacket he wore since entering the instance came with a hood.

While she gave him the suggestion, Shi Jian was already putting on her own hood. No way was she letting anything breathe on her neck.

Male streamer: ?

The other streamers followed suit.

Whether it was because Shi Jian’s action worked or the thing breathing had moved on, nothing else happened after that.

Soon, they reached the village entrance. This time, there were no ordinary people in the group—it was all streamers.

But once they arrived, they realized the tour guide had vanished.

No one knew when he had disappeared.

“Let’s just go in. Maybe he was only here to give us a bit of setup and guidance?”

They couldn’t just stand there waiting, so after a moment of confusion, they decided to ignore his absence.

Everything about the village—from its name to the dead trees lining the road—oozed a sense of foreboding, but as they approached, it didn’t seem as terrifying as they had imagined.

At least from the outside, it just looked like a somewhat underdeveloped rural village.

The roads weren’t paved, just dirt paths. Chickens and ducks wandered freely. It was nearing dinnertime, so many homes had fires going, smoke rising into the air. Children ran about, shouting and playing. In the nearby fields, men and women were working the land.

Seeing outsiders arrive, the villagers—young and old—gathered around.

The group explained why they were there."Sorry, we came here to hike, but the road got blocked and we can't get out. Would it be possible to stay here for a few nights?"

A middle-aged man in the village gave them a once-over and muttered, "Came to hike, huh?"

"You're from the city, aren't you?"

Shi Jian and the others nodded. Yeah, yeah, that's right.

The middle-aged man sneered and muttered, "Only you city folks would be bored enough to come all the way out here. But yeah, the scenery is pretty nice."

After grumbling to himself, he added:

"Staying a few nights isn’t a problem, but we can’t just let you stay for free."

The core message: Pay up!

"……"

Shi Jian and the others didn’t even want to enter Xingfu Village in the first place. Now that they were forced into it, they had to pay on top of that?

Shi Jian actually thought this was pretty reasonable. After all, even that senior Huang wanted compensation before—so she wasn’t surprised anymore.

One of the streamers pulled out a wad of cash. "Is this enough?"

"I’ll cover everyone."

She acted very generously.

Shi Jian recognized the money at once—it was the same ghost currency Tang Tian had explained to her before. Other instances had confirmed it too. Even Cinderella had used that stuff to settle up with Shi Jian.

Shi Jian had some of it herself. She could also throw money around if she wanted. From her perspective, spending a little to boost presence and favorability with the audience was absolutely worth it.

She just regretted that she’d hesitated due to nerves and missed the chance this time. But she quietly resolved to seize the next opportunity.

However, the villager’s face darkened instantly, and he flared up.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

"You're giving me paper money for the dead? Trying to curse me or something?!"

The streamers looked at each other: ?

Wait—don’t the villagers also use this money?

……

Because they were in a horror instance, everyone naturally assumed that ghost currency was the default for transactions—but the villagers were using regular money.

And none of the streamers had any of that.

In the end, a kindly old woman stepped forward to defuse the tension.

"Old Jiang, why are you getting mad at a few kids?"

"It’s fine if they don’t have money. They can do a bit of work. It’s not like we’ve got much to eat anyway. Our village is poor, not like your big cities—don’t take it personally."

The friendly granny introduced herself, "My surname’s Yu, just call me Granny Yu."

She lavished praise on the streamers. "Such beautiful girls, and handsome young men."The streamers began working in exchange for food and lodging, and they were assigned to different households. Shi Jian and another female streamer were assigned to Granny Yu's home.

"Actually, it’s not so bad. Since they don’t accept ghost currency, at least that means they’re not monsters, right?"

Shi Jian didn’t comment either way on that logic.

After all, there had been some who turned into monsters later. It was hard to say.

Of course, Shi Jian hoped they wouldn’t turn out to be monsters.

Granny Yu led Shi Jian and the other female streamer to settle in. The living conditions weren’t great—it was a stone house with a courtyard, and Shi Jian had to share a kang bed with the other streamer.

Granny Yu was especially affectionate toward Shi Jian, constantly praising her beauty. "The moment I saw you, I felt a closeness, girl."

"How can someone look like a fairy from a New Year painting?"

Just then, Shi Jian noticed the New Year painting pasted on the wall in Granny Yu's house.

The fairy on it had kindly features and a chubby white face.

Shi Jian: Could it be that I remind her of that?

Shi Jian politely declined, “Not really.”

Granny Yu scolded playfully, “Humble!”

Shi Jian bluntly told her, “No, I just think the fairy in the New Year painting isn’t good-looking.”

How could it compare to her?

Granny Yu: “……”

“Well, if you need anything, just call me. I have to go make dinner.”

Before she left, Shi Jian took the chance to ask, “Is it difficult to see the sunrise around here?”

In fact, ever since the tour guide said everyone’s wish was to see the sunrise, Shi Jian had already mentally prepared herself for the possibility that the sunrise wouldn’t be visible here.

Granny Yu’s answer confirmed it completely. “It’s the rainy season right now. It rains a lot. Even when it doesn’t, the whole place is covered in thick fog. We haven’t seen the sun in a long time—let alone the morning sun.”

……

Shi Jian quickly changed out of her hiking gear. The colors and style were just too tacky. She switched into her private athletic outfit from her bag and felt like now she looked decent.

The athletic outfit was something Shi Jian had bought with accumulated points. The material was soft and the design tasteful.

She wanted to stroll around the village a bit.

The female streamer staying with Shi Jian didn’t plan to join her. She was a little tired. “Be careful, okay? Maybe get someone to go with you?”

Before settling in, they’d overheard the other streamers talking about heading out for a walk later.

Shi Jian waved her off. “It’s fine, it’s not dark yet. I’ll just stick around nearby, won’t go far.”

Shi Jian’s walking range was basically just this street where Granny Yu’s house was, and she didn’t plan to go more than 50 meters from it.

Still, as soon as she stepped out of Granny Yu’s house, she immediately felt intense stares. Even though she wasn’t dressed up, she still stood out—far too polished, too out of place in the village.

Like the most beautiful, delicate rose in a rose garden suddenly blooming in the most barren soil.Shi Jian wasn’t afraid of being watched—she actually liked being watched. But here, the feeling was subtly uncomfortable.

“Girl, want some candy?”

An elderly man sitting by a doorway called out to her. His hair was white, several of his teeth were missing, and his withered palm held out two pieces of candy, which he kept extending toward her.

“You just got here, huh… Want to come to Grandpa’s house for a bowl of water? Grandpa’s old now, no good anymore, no one to talk to.”

He sighed, his smile tinged with sorrow.

He looked so pitiful—an elderly man nearing the end of his life, evoking thoughts of one’s own family elders.

Before Shi Jian could respond, someone gently tugged at the corner of her coat. A pale little boy looked up at her. “Jiejie… Jiejie…”

“I got lost. Can you take me home?”

The little boy looked very well-behaved—nothing like a troublemaker. His eyes shimmered with tears, his voice filled with dependence.

Another streamer had also noticed the situation. She was a pretty and delicate-looking woman who quickly walked over to the boy, crouching down in front of him. “Where’s your house…”

Shi Jian interrupted the woman streamer. First, she called out loudly to the old man:

“Sorry, Grandpa, I’m cutting back on sugar.”

Then she looked down at the lost boy with an apologetic smile. “Oh no, Jiejie is a visitor, came from outside, doesn’t know her way around the village. I can’t take you home.”

“How about this—let Grandpa take you, okay?”

“Grandpa’s bored, no one to chat with. You keep him company, and he’ll walk you home. Perfect.”

Little boy: “……”

Old man: “……”

Shi Jian had assigned their roles with perfect clarity in just a few sentences.

And before they could react or refuse, she immediately pulled the crouching woman streamer to her feet, lowering her voice.

“There’s someone in Grandpa’s house.”