50. The Ghost Village Worships the Gods (16)

Two Xie Yunhuai?

What else returned along with the soul and memories?

It is the divine status that the little mountain god was stripped of, and Xie Yunhuai's own stronger control.

While the villagers fled in panic, even faster were the plants that seemed to come alive, covering the hillsides near the eerie village.

Qin Fu'an stood beside Xie Yunhuai, and together they watched indifferently as the robust undead were bound in circles by soft yet equally resilient plants, with even finer, denser thorns deeply embedded in their bodies, sucking the lifeblood and flesh that never belonged to them.

As the villagers' muscular bodies grew increasingly thin and transparent, jumbled beams of light appeared on the mountain behind them, and Guo Shulin's voice drifted from afar: "Boss! We're here to help you!!!"

Qin Fu'an: "..."

He waited for the group to rush closer, then stepped out of the array barrier ahead of them.

"What did you find?" Qin Fu'an asked first.

Cen Tian nodded: "We tried digging, but the space under the altar is huge. If I'm not mistaken, it's probably a small mass grave."

Because there are just too many bones inside.

"We suspect that those skeletons are the original bodies of these villagers."

As Zhong Hao spoke, he looked at the group of souls bound by plants.

“They seem to be trying to break free,” Li Fubiao said, subconsciously moving closer to Qin Fu’an.

Qin Fu'an looked over and saw that the villagers, whose life force had been drained, had now become untouchable spirits, or what the public would call "ghosts".

Real vines cannot bind ghosts.

This was expected. Qin Fu'an turned to look at the boy inside the barrier.

Meeting his gaze, Xie Yunhuai pursed his lips, then answered, "The rest is not my power."

Qin Fu'an looked slightly taken aback.

The players who were originally surrounding Qin Fu'an were also stunned.

Then Cen Tian broke the silence in surprise: "You can speak now?"

Surprisingly, her voice was actually quite pleasant.

Although the boy's voice was hoarse from not speaking for many years, it was still pleasant to hear. His tone was gentle, like a pool of clear water being gently stirred—clear, clean, subtle, and soothing.

Like melting snow, or like rippling waves, it makes you want to hear more from him.

Xie Yunhuai himself seemed a little stunned. After hearing Cen Tian's voice, he looked at Qin Fu'an and said, "This was originally my power, but I had to pay the corresponding price in order to break free from the restraint."

As he finished speaking, Qin Fu'an pointed out the main quest progress, which displayed an extremely high number: 97%.

The main quest is almost complete.

"Don't eat dirty things." He turned around and ruffled the boy's hair, his sharp eyebrows slightly raised. "Digest it properly first, and leave the rest to me."

Feeling the slight, firm rubbing on his head, Xie Yunhuai looked at Qin Fu'an's beautiful green eyes and nodded at him after a moment.

After calming down the little mountain god and getting everything back, the ghosts that had completely degenerated into earthbound spirits scattered in panic and fled.

But they escaped, while several survivors were imprisoned in the same spot.

Qin Fu'an walked towards them.

As he approached, the plants that had been tightly binding the group slowly loosened as if by telepathy.

Just as one of them suddenly lunged to take Qin Fu'an down with him, before Qin Fu'an could even make a move, that figure was kicked away by Cen Tian standing beside him.

Several players watched helplessly as the person pounced on them, was kicked away, and landed, drawing a thick arc in the night. If it weren't for the thick layer of paper money on the ground, they would probably have been kicked to death or even crushed to death.

Facing the awe-inspiring gazes of the group, Cen Tian withdrew her leg, coughed lightly, and offered a rather insincere explanation to the people who were stuck on the ground and unable to get up: "Sorry, I forgot you're not the evolved version anymore, and I accidentally lost control of my strength."

Temple keepers: "..."

Do you think we'd believe that?

It has to be said that Cen Tian's kick was really intimidating. At least when she was dragged back to the mountain god temple, no one dared to make a move.

Qin Fu'an walked at the end of the group, next to Xie Yunhuai, who was frowning, walking unsteadily, and looking disgusted.

Presumably because the game was about to end and they were all still alive, the players were much more relaxed. They were all very lively when they returned to the mountain temple, and they could even exchange a few words about real-world information while talking about the game.

Guo Shulin was the only one who felt dejected at the thought of what he would face after the game ended, his face drooping and looking utterly hopeless.

He couldn't control himself and would sneak glances back every now and then. Every time he turned around, he saw Qin Fu'an and the little mountain god holding hands firmly.

Guo Shulin: "..."

I can't look anymore, my eyes hurt!

Xie Yunhuai had endured it all the way, but when they were almost at the top of the mountain, he finally couldn't hold back and tried to break free from the hand that was being held.

Not only did they fail to break free, but they also received a puzzled look from Qin Fu'an.

Xie Yunhuai: "...Let go."

His fingers were curled up, and the hand that Qin Fu'an was holding, all the way down to his shoulder and body, seemed to be numb and weak, unable to muster any more strength.

Qin Fu'an responded by holding his hand even tighter, their hands clasped together in a cross shape, and said quite frankly, "What do you mean by letting go? The mountain path is difficult to walk on, and there's all this stuff on the ground. What if you fall if I don't hold your hand?"

Xie Yunhuai wanted to say no, but as he turned his head, he bumped into those smiling green eyes, which were both cold and strangely gentle in the darkness.

So, inexplicably, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

She tacitly accepted Qin Fu'an's seemingly outrageous behavior, only her ear tips, hidden in the night, were burning silently.

Qin Fu'an achieved his goal, but he did not let the silent Xie Yunhuai off so easily.

While the people ahead were hurrying on their way, he pulled the boy to a stop, and while the boy was still in a daze, he leaned closer.

Xie Yunhuai stood frozen in place, his breathing becoming exceptionally light. He carefully tensed his body, not even daring to ask Qin Fu'an what he was going to do.

However, upon sensing the other party's approach, the enveloped body seemed to become out of control, as if being electrocuted, with every inch of flesh and blood slightly numb.

Where is that bead?

Qin Fu'an's question rang in my ears.

Xie Yunhuai was momentarily stunned, then looked back in confusion: "What... beads?"

Seeing the genuine doubt in his eyes, Qin Fu'an fell silent.

Something seems off.

After the last instance ended, Xiao Xie took away more than just a bead, but in this instance, Qin Fu'an didn't see any of them.

I initially thought it was due to amnesia, but now it seems...

"Have you ever seen a red bead?" Qin Fu'an used his weak spiritual power to conjure up the appearance of that strange bead.

Xie Yunhuai glanced at it twice and shook his head: "Never seen it before."

Qin Fu'an: "..."

Oh dear, I think I've mistaken someone for someone else.

Meeting the boy's clear and innocent gaze, Qin Fu'an sighed helplessly, "It's nothing. Let's go, let's go to the temple first."

"What is that?" Xie Yunhuai couldn't help but ask, "Is it what you're looking for?"

Qin Fu'an was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Mm."

Xie Yunhuai calmed down.

The two walked together towards the mountain god for a while, and Xie Yunhuai stopped in front of the mountain god's temple.

He turned to look at Qin Fu'an, his eyes flashing, and after two seconds he spoke softly, "You thought that bead was with me? So you've mistaken me for someone else?"

Qin Fu'an could easily understand the unspoken meaning in his words.

Have you mistaken me for someone else?

Were all the good things you did for me just because you mistook me for someone else?

Was it all just a mistaken identity from beginning to end?

Qin Fu'an saw the boy's hands unconsciously curled into fists and hidden behind his back, saw his uneasy trembling eyelashes, and... the surging emotions that were still very obvious despite his efforts to hide them.

Qin Fu'an calmed himself down, feeling a bit helpless, but mostly soft-hearted.

Just like in the previous world, although they don't share the same memories, they are just as intelligent and perceptive.

Based solely on his own words...

Facing the boy's eyes, which were still fixed on him despite his attempts to escape, Qin Fu'an chuckled and reached out to pull the uneasy boy into his arms.

"What are you thinking? How could I possibly mistake someone for someone else?"

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Xie Yunhuai's nose was bumped.

But Qin Fu'an's offhand joke was the real culprit that made him feel a lump in his throat in an instant.

His previously anxious heart gradually calmed down and began to beat in an orderly fashion. He nestled in Qin Fu'an's arms, listening to the other man say with a smile that he couldn't possibly have mistaken him for someone else, that he had only lost the bead. His fingers unconsciously gripped the other man's clothes again.

"I will never mistake you for someone else."

The boy looked up and met a pair of light green eyes, seeing the gentle smile in them, and... a sincerity untouched by any lie.

"Xie Yunhuai, even if you don't remember your own name, even if you've become an unspeakable being..."

"Trust me, I can still recognize you at a glance."

After Qin Fu'an finished speaking, he gently placed his blood-stained fingertips on Xie Yunhuai's cold, pale forehead.

Xie Yunhuai subconsciously closed his eyes and sensed a strange spiritual energy flowing from between his eyebrows.

This process lasted about ten seconds, and after the fingers on his forehead were removed, he opened his eyes.

"What is this?" he asked, raising his hand to touch his forehead.

The previously moist blood seemed to have never existed; his forehead and fingertips were all clean and smooth.

But where he couldn't see, intricate formations and contracts were simultaneously being inscribed into every soul around the boy, using blood as the thread.

"This is a soul contract." Qin Fu'an did not hide anything. "No matter where you are, no matter what you look like, or even whether you are alive or dead, I can find you with it."

Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility of mistaking someone for someone else, and the boy in front of me will not be regarded as a substitute.

Even Qin Fu'an, who possessed the Teng Snake talent and awakened the Deceptive talent in the game, knew that to soothe Xie Yunhuai's unease and suspicion, beautiful words were far less reliable and reassuring than concrete actions.

So he didn't make any nice promises like he used to.

He inscribed a formation and a contract for himself and Xie Yunhuai.

The formation is used to facilitate communication between heaven and earth, thereby completing a soul contract that both parties voluntarily agree to. No matter where the two parties are, as long as they are in the same world, they will sense the attraction between their souls.

Qin Fu'an did it voluntarily.

Xie Yunhuai, who was originally unaware of the situation, was also judged to be acting voluntarily by the rules of heaven and earth communicated through the array.

"..." Xie Yunhuai had never heard of the existence of Soul Contracts.

Despite being a mountain god, he seemed to understand these strange contracts better than Qin Fu'an.

But as long as he closes his eyes and calms his mind, he can clearly sense Qin Fu'an's presence.

Therefore, everything Qin Fu'an said is true.

Qin Fu'an did not lie to him, nor did he mistake him for someone else.

All the kindness and protection shown to him were genuine.

"I didn't distrust you..." he wanted to explain himself.

But as soon as they finished speaking, the players who had gone in to rummage through the bones came out again to look for the two of them, without waiting for them.

Thus, their conversation was forced to end, and under the curious and gossipy gaze of the players, they walked into the mountain god temple one after the other.

Qin Fu'an looked at the boy walking ahead, trying to recall where things had gone wrong.

I initially thought it was a kid who left school in the previous instance and wandered into a new instance where he was bullied, but it seems that's not the case.

Even if those souls still recognize him, Xie Yunhuai, who is now the Little Mountain God, is definitely not the Xie Yunhuai who left the school with the Strange Pearl.

Two Xie Yunhuai?

Souls are shared, but bodies are not?

Staring at Xie Yunhuai's thin back, Qin Fu'an decisively abandoned the dangerous idea of ​​burning down the village and taking the other person away from the game instance.

[Author's Note]

Anzai: (Shocked) I think I have multiple wives?!

Yunzai: (Smiling) How many wives do you want?

Anzai: Hmm... the more the better? (Just kidding)

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Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:

10 bottles of "Spring Mountain Like a Smile" and "Jiang Cheng Zi";

5 bottles of Shandong steamed buns and fish-themed drinks;

Two bottles of "Clear Rain and Lonely Boat";

Jingxi, ftugfj, Ling, 50329996 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!