Chapter 12: Stay

Truth be told, Lu Xi did not entirely trust Ji Chenling at first. Although he appeared slightly older than her, he kept calling her "sister." But then again, just as men cannot resist a "green tea" woman, women are equally helpless against a "green tea" man.

On second thought, however, she possessed nothing worth plotting for. Yet, she knew she couldn't bring herself to sacrifice or save someone she had only just met. She was merely an ordinary person of flesh and blood; she possessed all the baseness, selfishness, greed, and desire inherent in human nature. Before transmigrating, Lu Xi had read many novels, but she felt she could never be one of those protagonists who transmigrated into a world to conquer a hero or a supporting character. She was a lazy person who preferred to drift with the tide; she was selfish, instinctively putting herself first; and she was a lover of freedom who lived entirely as she pleased.

As time passed, the day began to draw to a close. Lu Xi rummaged through the kitchen and finally selected a sturdy axe.

"Sister Lu Xi, what are you doing?" Cui Cui’s voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"Could I borrow this axe for a day?" Lu Xi turned to look at the cute, well-behaved little girl.

Cui Cui gave a sweet smile. "Of course! Sister Lu Xi is our guest; you can do whatever you like."

"Whatever I like? Why are you so nice to me..." Lu Xi weighed the axe in her hand, chatting aimlessly with the girl. Under the glow of the setting sun, the area outside was a brilliant gold.

Cui Cui replied with a laugh, "Grandma said that from now on, Sister is part of our family."

Part of the family? Lu Xi keenly sensed a clue in those words. Every instance had its own story, and the conditions for clearing it varied. She pulled out a stool, took a lollipop from her pocket, and beckoned to Cui Cui. "Come here, Cui Cui, let’s chat for a while."

Ordinary NPCs sometimes provided crucial information—the clues. Cui Cui gazed longingly at the lollipop in the girl's hand. Lu Xi unwrapped it, handed it to her, and asked, "Why are we family?"

The sun had mostly set, and Lu Xi could distinctly feel the surrounding air temperature plummeting. As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl’s expression suddenly darkened, losing all its previous sweetness.

"Doesn't Sister want to stay here forever?" Cui Cui tilted her head, staring unblinkingly at Lu Xi’s face, her voice eerie.

Lu Xi glanced out the window. The countryside air was fresh, and the endless fields reminded her of her childhood home.

The atmosphere shifted bit by bit. As the last sliver of sunlight vanished, the bustling noise within Muguan Village came to an abrupt halt. Lu Xi failed to notice the change in the little girl’s eyes, where the whites were being gradually consumed by black.

"Not at all," Lu Xi replied earnestly, looking out the window. "I like it here very much. The scenery is beautiful, the pace of life is slow—it's like a paradise on earth."

Lu Xi had made up her mind. She was a coward who feared death, but as long as she was alive, it didn't really matter which world she lived in. If she were trapped in this current instance forever, but could eat well, drink well, and spend her days planting vegetables and weeding with the villagers, it wouldn't be so bad.

The spread of black in Cui Cui’s eyes suddenly stopped and began to return to normal.

"Really?" Cui Cui blinked and leaned in. When Lu Xi turned her head, she was met with an oversized face, which gave her quite a start. Cui Cui was still young, and the baby fat had not yet faded from her cheeks. They looked chubby and soft to the touch. Lu Xi, utterly charmed, couldn't help herself and planted a big "mwah" on her cheek. Cui Cui froze, her round eyes widening.

"Here, you can have all these candies."

"Cui Cui, Lu, come and eat dinner," Grandma Cui said, pushing open the door with a kind and gentle smile.

Lu Xi tidied up her things, folded her black cloak neatly, and stuffed it into her backpack. "Coming! Thank you, Grandma."

Because Lu Xi was a guest, Grandma had prepared four dishes and a soup, a mix of meat and vegetables. "Thank you, Grandma," Lu Xi said with a sweet smile, pulling out a chair for her. She had decided to get on good terms with the NPCs. Passing the challenge could wait.

In Muguan Village, time seemed to accelerate after sunset. From the moment the sun dipped below the horizon to the time dinner was served, the world outside had already darkened. Night had quietly descended, and the terror that haunted so many players was slowly closing in.

Lu Xi, however, was immersed in the world of food, burying her head in her meal. One had to admit, Grandma’s cooking was truly excellent. As she ate heartily, she failed to notice the changes coming over her two companions.

"Girl, stay in Muguan Village, stay here..." Grandma’s tone suddenly became strange, eerie and ethereal.

Lu Xi looked up. She saw that both their eyes had completely changed. The old woman had no irises, her sockets filled entirely with white, looking like a distant relative of a zombie. The young one had eyes turned completely black, like some sort of doppelgänger. Both of them exuded a chilling, sinister aura.

Lu Xi took a sip of soup and said, unfazed, "Sure! I quite like it here; staying wouldn't be bad at all."

Grandma, who had been about to pull a kitchen knife from under the table, froze. A normal player would have been screaming, overturning the table, and running for their lives by now.

Cui Cui gave an eerie smile, and right before Lu Xi’s eyes, blood began to stream from her seven orifices. The old light bulb overhead flickered, emitting a buzzing sound. When the light returned to normal, the clothes on Cui Cui and her grandmother had changed into burial shrouds. The vibrant, gaudy shrouds, paired with their deathly pale skin, made them look exactly like malevolent ghosts who had just crawled out of their coffins to claim a life.

Lu Xi stood up abruptly. A twisted grin appeared on Grandma’s wrinkled face, and the hand gripping the kitchen knife slowly began to rise. Then, halfway up, it paused.

Lu Xi had pulled out a clean tissue and was patiently and meticulously wiping the blood from Cui Cui’s face. She looked at the little girl earnestly, saying as she wiped, "Stop bleeding now. You’re wearing such a pretty outfit; it would be a shame to get it dirty."

Could burial clothes really be considered pretty? Lu Xi was clearly speaking against her conscience.

"Grandma, you should eat more, too." After finishing with Cui Cui, she even served the old woman some vegetables. "Grandma, you’ve worked hard today. You’ve treated me just like your own granddaughter. If you don't mind, you can be my own grandma from now on."

Continuing to lie through her teeth... After all, who doesn't know how to spin a tall tale? As long as she remained steady as a rock on the surface, no one would notice that her heart was trembling like a sieve.

As soon as she finished speaking, fearing the old woman might not believe her, she held her breath and leaned over, gave Grandma a hug, and planted a big "mwah" on her cheek as well.