Chapter 68 "The Little Taoist Priest" Teammate Zhong was itching to try it.

Master Jian's plan to recruit players was thus delayed until the next day. After some deliberation, and drawing four cards representing members of the "Staying Up All Night" event from other timelines within this fictional movie world, the four players immediately logged in. However, their unfamiliar backgrounds could not escape the GM Jian's all-seeing eye, or rather, his "Joker" ability.

"Hello, welcome to the 3 AM Ghost Stories Club. I am your host, and you can call me 'The Fool'."

The cold voice floating in the black virtual space silenced the players.

They looked up and could only see one person standing in the darkness.

Above the person's head was written a line of text: Jian, Host, Note: The only and only GM in the entire server who stays up all night to kill.

Jian Dieda's title as a system host is incredibly prestigious and seems very valuable.

The team chat channel thus remained eerily quiet, with everyone wary of each other.

Because this game always involves a probability of death, apart from a few top players, most people face the fate of "sudden death" after failing, which is what everyone knows as staying up all night.

Therefore, those who can come to the fourth cycle are different from those who came to the second cycle.

They are balder, have a higher tolerance for sudden death during all-nighters, and are just as concerned about their personal win-loss ratio as real-world workplace elites.

After all, team spirit is important, and so is protecting your hair.

"Hello, GM." After another minute, one of the four bald men finally stopped being silent. A middle-aged man, who was trying to appear calm, chuckled nervously, "Hello to the other three as well. It's been a pleasant collaboration."

“Yes, from now on, we hope everyone will immerse themselves in role-playing to facilitate investigations and extract more information,” another woman chimed in. “What do you all think?”

“Of course, let’s begin,” the last two replied.

It seems these four people are quite experienced in society. Jian Dieda gave a brief greeting and announced everyone's main storyline on the ink-wash style ancient book screen.

This includes what happened in Qingyang Town before, Xiaomei's background, and the personal information of several NPCs. Their task is to find the inconsistencies in the script, catch the ghost, and then, like the Knights of the Round Table, piece together the terrifying truth behind the unsolved case before the mission time expires.

Jian Dieda also said, "The next exploration dungeon is Cilonggou, which requires a team of nine people. Go find Furongdan now, and the map marker will guide you."

All four of them agreed.

After they accepted their mission, the host's mission panel still showed that the Qingyang team had not yet been successfully formed. Seeing that one person was currently missing, Jian Dieda guessed who it was after a moment's thought. It must be Zhong Ding, because Furong Dan had said that the Zhong family did not want to interfere in the Nine Schools' investigation.

But he wasn't in a hurry. Since last night, Jian Dieda had been waiting for Zhong Ding to take the initiative to find out his background. Early in the morning, after staying up all night, Master Jian got up, made his quilt, got dressed, and even washed his hair with a basin of water.

The cool well water splashed onto his face, and Jian Dieda quickly smoothed his hairline, revealing a particularly handsome and upright young man's face reflected in the basin.

He ignored it, and habitually sniffed his nose, feeling as if he could smell the familiar aroma of dumplings again.

No wonder he remembered it so vividly. Last night, he sneaked into the kitchen and ate all of Miss Lanlan's chive dumplings. It was during his digestion that Zhong Ding almost stole his virginity. Now, whenever Jian Dieda thinks of dumplings, he thinks of Zhong Ding, and then he becomes hungry both physically and mentally.

The fact that he was hungry for two different reasons combined clearly shows that he was truly hungry.

Jane Dieda's desire to go out and find people also began to stir.

Just then, a beautiful figure pushed open the door.

Lanlan really brought over dumplings. This was specially prepared by a certain Mr. Zhong in the kitchen early in the morning for this little immortal. When she arrived, she was unhappy. She kept stopping and starting along the way, touching flowers and looking at trees. When she finally got close to her target, she felt really unlucky to have to talk to a beggar.

"What little immortal? He's just a stupid Taoist priest," Lanlan muttered.

It's just that everyone misjudged the situation.

Master Jian's face certainly didn't resemble that of a lowly beggar. The moment the door opened, Lanlan was confronted by a handsome young Taoist priest. His straight, black ponytail was loosely draped over his Taoist robe. His indifferent eyes, seeing that Lanlan didn't say anything, first fell on the dumplings.

Jian Dieda: "Beautiful lady, I'm hungry, I need food."

Lanlan was stunned, her face turning both dark and red: "You...you...oh dear! You bad Taoist priest...you're so handsome!"

Lanlan suddenly became a fence-sitter, no wonder she changed her attitude, Master Jian's original skin was just too perfect for the image of a righteous and awe-inspiring young man depicted in martial arts novels.

His beauty is different from that of sculptures like bronze vessels and bells.

The young Taoist priest's face radiated pure light and courage; his outstanding appearance, untouched by worldly gloom, was enough to captivate countless young women.

Master Jian's face remained expressionless as he said in a mature tone, "Hmm, am I more handsome, or is your husband more handsome?"

He has a poker face, but he can always say things that make people laugh and cry with a calm expression. After Lanlan realized what he meant, she blushed.

Lanlan immediately fell into the kind of dilemma that all girls in the world have.

The master is so beautiful that everyone wants to marry him.

Taoist priests are handsome and desirable.

She married once and then married again.

Alas.

Wouldn't it be better to let them have their way?

Jane Dieda, in a "human-machine" tactic, said: "Woman, you have disappointed me greatly."

"You bad guy! You big bad guy!" Sister Lanlan finally blushed, feeling thoroughly bullied. She didn't actually think she liked either of them. As a young woman, she fundamentally preferred visual feasts to imagining herself with different handsome men...

Thinking of this, Lanlan immediately delivered her master's gift to Jian Dieda. Jian Dieda did want to eat, but he didn't sit down and enjoy the breakfast alone. Instead, he took back the initiative and said, "He asked you to deliver it? Why didn't he come to me himself? Is this how the Celestial Master's Mansion treats its guests?"

"Who are you? The master is too busy to have time," Lanlan said.

Jane Dieda deliberately teased her, saying, "I'm your husband's little darling, he said so himself." After saying that, he was first disgusted by the mushyness.

Lanlan also thought this big idiot was incredibly cheesy, but she couldn't argue with him. "Since you miss him, why don't you go find him? He's in the Buddhist hall!"

“I’m not going,” Jian Dieda said while eating dumplings. “Your Fifth Master wouldn’t have let me stay long anyway, so don’t take my jokes seriously.”

Lanlan was taken aback and started to have wild thoughts. She even misunderstood that Lanlan had said something wrong, which made the little Taoist feel like he was living under someone else's roof.

She felt a little guilty for some reason.

Because Zhong Tianshi's kind and beautiful heart hadn't yet been properly conveyed to the young Taoist priest.

"Are you stupid... The master said you can stay here, he will protect you, you just need to listen to him."

Jian Dieda shook his head and said, "I have my own plans. Have you heard of the red-clothed demon in Qingyang Town?"

Upon hearing this, a 'ding-dong' sound immediately rang in her ears, and Lanlan's side quest as an NPC was instantly activated. The associated quest appeared on her panel: [Gain the trust of Master Zhong Wu and persuade him to convince the town mayor to release Xiaomei. Quest Reward: Peach Wood Sword Cultivation Talisman x1]

So that's how it is. Master Jian originally thought that the peach wood sword was targeting a demon, but the reaction that day was actually due to the plot.

However, we cannot let our guard down completely.

Let's use the book he studied all night, "How to Chat with a Guy You Like at First Sight."

He knew Lanlan would tell Fifth Uncle, so he didn't reveal his identity any further. But based on his memory, Jian Dieda went outside the Buddhist hall to attract someone's attention.

Master Zhong was reflecting on his mistakes inside when he heard the sound of someone peeking through the window, which disturbed his thoughts. But the rustling sound behind him quickly stopped, followed by the sound of someone walking back and forth. The person with those heavy footsteps was definitely not Lanlan.

Zhong Tianshi felt a strange sense of anticipation, while at the same time he caught a glimpse of wanting to turn back and open the door. He was unfamiliar with investing in someone, but he wanted to know if the young Taoist priest was angry that he had inadvertently detained him in Qingyang. Unfortunately, the latter simply walked away respectfully.

This really made Zhong's teammate really eager to try it out.

The two had their own thoughts.

Fifth Uncle was also willing to take the bait.

With Lanlan's embellishments, the phrase "Red-Clothed Demon" has inadvertently helped the main plot develop. Uncle Wu found Zhong Ding, who was sitting in a wheelchair. Because he had used the family's treasure to divine a place full of ominous signs, this man, who was considered to have five deficiencies and three lacks by the world, seemed to have known something all along, and kept his head down. Seeing this, Uncle Wu was even more misled into thinking that Master Zhong was playing a big game. He whispered, "I originally thought that this little Taoist priest was just someone you randomly picked. It turns out he had this purpose. If you and him are investigating the case of the Red-Clothed Demon, then this makes sense."

The deaths of two people in the town, with the cause of death remaining a mystery, have already unsettled the people.

The Zhong family did not doubt that Xiaomei might not be able to kill two grown men. It was because this legendary demon, who had disappeared for a hundred years, had not been able to find any clues since he committed the crime. Even the Fifth Uncle had not intentionally driven Furong Dan away. The reason why he did that was clear to Master Zhong.

"Because the Celestial Master is risking his life to ensure the peace of Qingyang Town. The more he uses the Flesh Double Path, the more his life force will be absorbed from Zhongding's body, causing it to decay faster."

But the young Taoist priest had come specifically for this matter.

Zhong Ding touched his gold ring, turned it to reveal the traditional lingzhi pattern, and then wheeled his wheelchair to the door. After a whole day of contemplation, it was time for him to sort out his thoughts. The moment to meet a certain uninvited guest was approaching.

With the change in positions, dialogue between the two sides is necessary.

The wooden wheelchair arrived at the foot of the tree.

People look up at the trees.

Amidst a sky full of stars and the early warmth of April, a person emerges from a beautiful cluster of white flowers.

Both sides felt that this scene was familiar, and naturally, it was also very entertaining.

Master Zhong couldn't resist the test and glanced at one person a few more times.

This time, Jian Dieda was dressed as a genuine Maoshan Taoist priest. He took out a broken compass, compared it with a book of Plum Blossom Divination, and said, "It's dumplings."

Last night we had dumplings.

This morning we had dumplings.

In the evening, we ended up eating dumplings again.

The difference between the three is that the dumplings for the late-night snack were brought by Master Zhong himself. Jian Dieda saw him frowning, squinting, and looking at him with neither joy nor anger, and his mouth inexplicably started to itch.

Is anyone there...?

I once said that Master Zhong's gaze was very sexy?

Although a dignified Celestial Master must be a cold and ruthless strongman who has experienced many vicissitudes, a man's personality is actually very gentle and modest. He will show subtle sympathy and reluctance for many things, so his beautiful face is filled with a kind of haggardness, sorrow and bitterness that easily makes people feel sorry for him.

On the contrary, Zhong Ding lowered his head, savoring the image of the young Taoist priest and his face, his inner thought being, "What a lively and silly fool."

The past of the Nine Schools and the demons caused his master to die, and also cost him the life of a young Taoist priest.

Knowing full well that there would be calamity on the way down the mountain, this person still went so far, climbed so high, and ate so much. This is something a person born tormented by illness would never dare to imagine in his entire life.

Zhong Ding had no choice but to comply and took the initiative to open a chat window between them.

"Were you with those three people from last time?"

Master Jian shook his head. He knew Zhong Ding didn't believe him, so he simply showed his broken peach wood sword.

The sword was broken by the demon at the beginning of the movie's plot, which also shows that the young Taoist priest himself had the strength to confront the red-clothed demon head-on.

Unfortunately, Zhong Ding remained skeptical, and he even uttered this remark.

"Oh, in that case, why don't I arrange for you to travel with them?"

Hearing this, he fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself, "Why is this person always like this?"

She's awkward and hesitant, yet she likes to keep things bottled up inside.

Chatting with him is more tiring than dating someone properly.

Jane Dieda was also unhappy, and said sullenly, "You just don't want to agree to investigate the case with us, right?"

Master Zhong fell silent, forcing himself to sound more venomous: "Well, I'm not used to others holding me back."

Jane said, "Don't worry. I won't."

“I have real skills. Yesterday was a mistake, and tonight there will be another change. I can deal with some strange demons by throwing a copper coin. I don’t need to use a real sword.”

In the blink of an eye, the young Taoist priest, with a straight face, put on a cute act, threw down his bundle, folded a small frog, and tossed it to the man to amuse him.

"Whoosh, you monster, take this!"

Master Zhong: "..."

Hey, someone tell this idiot that he's too old to act cute.

Perhaps because the Republic of China was still uncivilized, even though the young Taoist priest took the initiative to invite the Celestial Master to join the nine-person demon-catching team on their second expedition to Cilonggou, his application was still rejected by his teammates.

"That book is completely useless."

Master Jian complained about the incompetence of the small system. He also recalled what had just happened. When Zhong Ding said he was leaving, he almost subconsciously said, "Don't go."

This statement is like an instinct.

It was as if the Jane Dieda deep within his soul had said countless times to someone exactly like him, "Please, don't leave first this time." Afterwards, he regained his senses, sat on a tree quietly watching the moon, and returned to the main storyline of a transmigrator desperately trying to return home.

He thought the matter was over, but that night he encountered a strange incident. The incident started when he suddenly needed to use the restroom after reading the entire script. Lanlan had already gone to bed. He was wearing a coat and suspected that the food had been poisoned, but he didn't think that there was something wrong with his appetite. When he was mocked by the system for getting lost all the time, he walked to the well and was still wondering why the peach wood sword was moving again. Could there be a demon in the mansion?

He kept his head down, stroking the cracks in the sword, and didn't notice the white mist that had accumulated at the well in the courtyard, behind which was a person.

As a stray cat darted out from the dark night and leaped away down the corridor, Jian Dieda looked down the steps into the open space under the plum tree in the backyard, where small red flowers were falling.

A little girl stood there for who knows how long.

The two figures stood back to back. Jian Dieda noticed that although the little girl was alone, she remained motionless, silent, and did not turn her head. Was she deaf? Looking at the two shadows on the ground, Jian Dieda felt as if his eyes were hallucinating. The girl's head seemed longer, her limbs thinner, and her whole body looked like a thin noodle. A heavy, fishy mist accompanied the beating of her heart. The little Taoist priest was uncontrollably walking towards the well. This process caused Jian Dieda's usually cold palms to start sweating. He felt, without exaggeration, the terror of the abnormal.

[Beep, beep...] Only the busy signal of a failed connection echoed in my ears.

The terrifying creature resembling a little girl by the well remained motionless. At that moment, Jian Dieda suddenly worried about someone's safety, because he remembered Lanlan saying that Zhong Ding had just activated his magic weapon during the day and was currently in a weakened state. Because of this, it was easy for something bad to take advantage of the situation and harm the people of Qingyang Town…

When he came to his senses, Jian Dieda had already been pulled to the wellhead by the "demon".

The dark, circular wellhead came into view.

He watched as his hands and eyes reached out to help him up, but he still couldn't open his mouth. The young Taoist's upright eyes, bloodshot and bulging, were firmly blocked by a spell, and he could hear something singing in the water.

These are all in the local dialect of Qingyang Town.

As the eerie, chilling little girl reached the climax of her "singing," the young Taoist priest's heart couldn't take it. Theoretically, such a small girl shouldn't be dangerous, but he also felt that the face imprinted at the bottom of the well would make him regret looking at it for the rest of his life...

However, at this moment, a dazzling black and red hue shone through the carved corridor of the garden.

I don't know if I'm seeing things, but on this ghostly night, an extra hand did indeed land on the young Taoist's shoulder, and then easily pulled him into an embrace, giving him a gentle hug with a strong fragrance.

Master Jian and Master Zhong met again. Generally speaking, Zhong Ding should have spoken up and ridiculed this person who was spouting nonsense, but the man did not do so at all. Firstly, because Zhong Ding never liked to deliberately embarrass anyone. Secondly, he always knew that Master Jian was so weak because he had been injured while catching demons in the mountains and had lost his peach wood sword.

What made things even more complicated for him was that the earnest but silly little Taoist priest was also worried about him at that moment.

"Zhong Ding, there's a ghost in the well."

Zhong Ding hummed in agreement, gently stroking the young Taoist's ear and lowering his eyes to comfort him: "Yes, there is."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The long-haired Taoist priest, whose body temperature had risen, had already lost his voice by this point. He did not explain anything, including why he himself, whose heart was inexplicably racing, had returned. The other young Taoist priest, whose face was slightly flushed, also did not ask any questions.

By the time they realized it, both hands they were holding were already sweating, and neither of them wanted to let go of the other.

"..."

When the two of them looked back at the mist not far away, the hallucination effect at the eerie wellhead had faded. Zhong Ding's hair was blown into the air, and he only needed to tell Master Jian with his eyes.

"Don't look at it, it's a water demon from the well. Come on, forget what this well looks like first."

So Master Jian obediently kept quiet, and the two demon hunters tacitly got rid of the ghostly figure in the ancient house, a horror game whose gender was not necessarily real.

-----------------------

Author's note: Actually, Jiulang has a really gentle temper, hahaha.

Young Master: Baby, baby, can you tell me again how you always recognize me from a crowd?

Jianzi: Because you will always be the gentlest and kindest fox spirit who will never be mean to me.