Chapter 21: Midnight

Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling that Luxi’s reasoning made sense.

Chen Yiyi was still lost in thought. Earlier, while searching for clues, she had accidentally entered a cellar stained with old blood, which had frightened her deeply. She hadn’t quite recovered yet.

Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of anger rose within her.

“Look at you, acting all capable. We already knew these things even if you hadn’t said them,” Luxi said calmly, staring at her for a few seconds before smiling. “Why do you always pick on me? It’s like someone else is controlling your emotions.”

She spoke half-jokingly, but Jiang Yanyan’s eyelashes twitched slightly.

“You’re the one being controlled…” Chen Yiyi suddenly stood up, instinctively ready to argue.

But in that instant, a shiver ran through her, and her previously muddled mind snapped sharply awake.

She blinked and thought, “Right, what’s there to get upset about over something so trivial?”

It was all so inexplicable.

Chen Yiyi sat back down, still shooting Luxi a glare.

The group had basically pieced together the background story of Muguan Village and seemed to have found a possible way to open the “door.”

Unfortunately, putting the plan into action was a whole different matter.

At first, they assumed the female ghost would be trapped where she had died, so after dark they quietly searched the cellar, the ancient well, and some abandoned old houses.

But they found no trace at all.

Luxi hadn’t joined them. Instead, she returned to Cui Cui’s house with Ji Chenling.

“Cui Cui, where’s the village chief?” Luxi asked immediately upon meeting her.

Since returning from the Punishment World, she hadn’t seen any sign of the village chief.

After nightfall, Cui Cui and her grandmother also became part of the ghostly crowd.

Yet, they didn’t harm her.

That was why Luxi felt so at ease.

Cui Cui happily ran up to her, her eyes completely black, blinking curiously.

“Sister Luxi, why have you come back again?” Cui Cui tilted her head.

Luxi replied, “Because I can’t leave yet. Can you tell me how to get out of Muguan Village?”

Cui Cui rubbed her little face against Luxi’s hand and said, “Sister, the village chief is gone. That well can only be used once. Originally, only one guest could survive…”

As an NPC, Cui Cui was providing a key clue.

Luxi nodded. “Then what should I do next?”

“Luxi girl,” an elderly voice spoke from behind as Cui Cui’s grandmother returned, leaning on a cane and walking slowly. “If you want to see them… go sleep in that place. Maybe if you sleep there, you’ll see who you wish to see.”

“What place?”

[Attention, players: one of you has already received the most important clue.]

The sudden announcement startled everyone.

From afar, other players exclaimed, “Who is it?”

Who was so lucky to get such a vital clue so quickly?

The players had scattered in search of an escape route, so when the mechanical voice rang out, no one knew who the fortunate player was.

[Good evening, players. Friendly reminder: among you, one player has been replaced by a ghost. Please do not let it find the clue holder. Protect the clue holder at all costs.]

…

Pushing the door open, a choking cloud of dust hit them.

The next moment, a tall figure blocked her path.

Ji Chenling took the brunt of the dusty air.

The house was an old self-built structure, looking so dilapidated that it seemed ready for immediate demolition.

Luxi craned her neck, inspecting the surroundings. “Are you sure anyone can live here?”

Indeed, Luxi was the lucky player who had obtained the clue.

With a ghost now among them, she had no intention of revealing her identity just yet.

The air inside was damp and stale, thick with the smell of mold, as if it hadn’t been ventilated in ages.

Ji Chenling looked around and said, “It must be because it never gets sunlight.”

There were no windows in the house.

Though small, it had two rooms and a living area.

The floor was covered only with dust and cobwebs, no other filth, barely livable.

“I’ll clean up the room a bit,” Ji Chenling rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

“I’ll help,” Luxi said, not thinking of him as just a guy—if there’s work to be done, it must be done.

After a brief cleanup, it was already half past ten at night.

Lying on the bed, Luxi stared at the ceiling and asked, “Do you think there’ll be sleep paralysis tonight?”

“Why be afraid, sister? I’m here,” Ji Chenling said, closing his eyes and scooting closer, wrapping a long arm around her and pulling her into his embrace.

“Get off, you’re crushing me,” Luxi said helplessly.

Just half an hour ago, they nearly argued over who would sleep on the bed.

Luxi insisted they split the night: she would sleep the first half, Ji Chenling the second.

But this rogue had refused.

Luxi had no choice but to let him have the bed and find a narrow bench to squeeze in on.

Yet this stubborn fellow still objected.

How it ended up like this was anyone’s guess.

The young man grinned mischievously, inching closer to crowd her.

“Do you dislike me that much, sister? I knew I shouldn’t have made you angry. Fine, I’ll just sleep outside then. The snow is so heavy; I can experience nature’s gift out in the frozen wilderness…”

Luxi was speechless, watching him put on a show.

“Let me sleep outside, let me freeze out there. No one cared before, and now even sister doesn’t care about me…”

“Hey, hey! Fine… fine. You just stay here quietly and shut up, okay?” Luxi sighed deeply and tugged the blanket up over him.

“Alright, I’ll listen to sister,” Ji Chenling smiled, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Strangely, with Ji Chenling sleeping beside her, Luxi felt the eerie atmosphere in the house dissipate considerably.

At least around the bed, the surroundings didn’t feel as sinister.

She glanced back. Ji Chenling was already fast asleep, his breathing steady.

So soon?

Luxi couldn’t fall asleep. In over twenty years of life, it was the first time she’d shared a bed with an adult man. Though they were just chatting under the covers, it was still an indescribable kind of excitement.

She just couldn’t sleep!

Luxi stared wide-eyed for most of the night. Just as sleep finally began to claim her, she suddenly heard a creaking sound from under the bed.

In the pitch darkness, even the slightest noise seemed unusually loud.

Instantly alert, Luxi’s clear eyes shot open.

Could it be a mouse under the bed?

She felt like crying internally—Luxi, don’t kid yourself. In this strange, haunted world, where would mice come from? It must be a ghost.

She shrank back, pulling the blanket over her head.

Better it be a mouse.

She shrank further. Surely the horrors of this realm wouldn’t target someone on the bed, right?

At that moment, a cold hand suddenly grabbed her right ankle.