Chapter 36 [Bonus Chapter for 10,000 Nutrient Solution Readings]

Not long after Xie Xubai and his companion entered the lecture hall, the old butler appeared out of nowhere, followed by a group of bodyguards and servants who looked like summoned creatures, just as usual.

The other players instinctively held their breath, tensing their bodies in anticipation.

The commotion of so many people appearing at once should have been quite loud, but they didn't hear a single footstep!

Xie Xubai rubbed his fingertips, lowering his eyelashes in contemplation.

After the initial surprise, he quickly accepted the fact that Yan Yue did not recognize him.

Judging from the current situation, this seems to be a great thing, because there is a bearded man among the players who harbors great hostility towards him.

Xie Xubai didn't delve into the reasons why the bearded man was hostile to him; it was pointless.

She didn't intend to confess her identity to Yan Yue on her own. On one side was an NPC she had only talked to a few times, and on the other side was a comrade-in-arms. Everyone knew how Yan Yue would choose his side.

He pondered how to get players to help him find clues without revealing his identity, and soon he had a few ideas.

During the time Xie Xubai was thinking, all the players remained silent, including the usually noisy Hu Chang, who wisely chose to shut up.

The NPCs simply don't understand anything related to the dungeon; they're not blind or deaf. Speaking rashly could cause unnecessary trouble.

The group switched to using the team chat function to communicate.

Yan Yue: Just like we discussed earlier, act according to the situation and never rashly anger the NPCs.

Player 1: Understood. I took the teacher qualification exam before. If there's an interview later, let me go first, and you guys can observe the situation from behind.

Hu Chang: Ha! Someone's actually willing to take the plunge, very good. Yan Yue, I thought you'd bring that little girl with you into the dungeon this time. What, not pretending to be so righteous anymore?

Dungeons can be tackled in teams, but it requires spending a huge amount of points to purchase team-up items, and the number of team members is also limited by the dungeon.

For example, in this 7-player dungeon, you can only team up with 1 person.

Hu Chang had already figured it out: the player who volunteered to take the hit was the assassin the strategy team had arranged for Yan Yue.

Therefore, he mocked Yan Yue's benevolence and morality as an act, saying that when faced with protecting a weak person like Xu Qingran, he would ultimately choose to ensure his own safety.

This sarcasm carried a hint of jealousy.

One is rated 6, the other 5; their treatment in the strategy group is worlds apart. If Yan Yue had cleared the game through skill, that would be one thing, but the key is that he was lucky, which infuriated Hu Chang.

Yan Yue: Compared to criticizing me, how much better is it for you [5] to shamelessly ask the Speaker of the Council for the return of the cicada?

As he spoke, he glanced at the players behind Hu Chang.

The person was completely wrapped in white bandages, making it impossible to determine their gender or age. Only their nostrils, mouth, and a pair of listless, lifeless eyes were visible on their face. They glanced absentmindedly at the ceiling, then curiously looked at the tiles at their feet.

Unlike the assassins who eagerly sought him out to volunteer, this assassin, codenamed "Cicada Life," was intellectually deficient and lacked any autonomy.

The skill, unusually, has two effects: one is immunity to pain, and the other is...

Yan Yue took a deep breath.

He knew it was unrealistic to talk about humanity in an infinite game, but he still couldn't understand why the council chairman would hand Chan Sheng over to Hu Chang.

Yan Yue emphasized: Now that we've brought him in, we should cherish his life.

Hu Chang scoffed: "Do you even need to tell me? Worry about yourself. There are no special NPCs to help you in this game. Don't end up dragging your cronies down with you; that would be a laughingstock..."

The text you type with your mind will be displayed one by one.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a clear, youthful voice.

"Yes, that's the person. Let him go."

"Leaving" means being eliminated, which means death.

This was the consensus among all the players present.

In an instant, they looked up in horror at the harmless-looking boy, wondering if they were hallucinating.

Especially Hu Chang.

When he met Jiang Kaile's indifferent gaze, he belatedly realized that the boy's "let him go" was referring to him!

But what did he do wrong?!

Hu Chang recalled his actions after meeting the boy and felt that he had done nothing wrong.

Even after identifying Xie Xubai and Jiang Kaile's low scores, he did not reveal his contempt, and even restrained his mockery of Yan Yue.

Seeing the old butler expressionlessly call over two bodyguards, attempting to take him away, Hu Chang's face twitched, and he turned around in a panic, asking, "Young Master Jiang, what exactly did I do wrong? You have to let me die knowing why!"

Jiang Kaile was used to such ill-intentioned people, and when they forced a smile, they were even more disgusting. He couldn't be bothered with them anymore.

But Jiang Kaile glanced at Xie Xubai, who was also surprised, and fearing misunderstanding, raised his chin at Hu Chang and condescended to explain: "You spoke too loudly just now, which was not steady at all. The Jiang family does not need a tutor like that."

After he finished speaking, he didn't give Hu Chang a chance to continue arguing. He waved his hand like swatting away a mosquito and said, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and take this gentleman to the door. Don't say we haven't treated him well."

Hu Chang was horrified to find that he was unable to move.

He immediately realized that Jiang Kaile's last words had become a binding force of rules on him, making it impossible for him to even raise his hand, let alone use any skills or items to resist!

At the critical moment, a sinister look flashed across Hu Chang's face, and he gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Chan Sheng, take over!"

Behind him, the bandaged man with shifty eyes suddenly shuddered.

The next second, Hu Chang and the bandaged man flashed and switched positions in the blink of an eye.

The person who was standing still was Hu Chang, while the bandaged man with a blank look in his eyes was dragged away by the bodyguard by the arm.

Seeing this, Yan Yue pinched his brow, annoyed, and scolded in the team channel: Everyone knows that the A-level Ghost King dungeon is not simple, can't you be more careful!

Hu Chang's face twisted in pain. The Cicada Life-Saving Technique was a life-saving measure he had painstakingly obtained from the Speaker of Parliament, but it was gone right at the start—a complete loss!

The thought of the audience outside the live stream witnessing his foolish act of losing his life right at the start of the game, and how his popularity would plummet and how many points he would lose, made him feel even more frustrated and angry.

Yan Yue's angry rebuke was like adding fuel to the fire.

Hu Chang felt as if his face had been slapped hard from a distance, and he couldn't help but clench his fists in shame and indignation.

Just then, Xie Xubai suddenly spoke up: "Wait a moment."

The bodyguard holding the bandaged man didn't recognize Xie Xubai, but he didn't stop walking.

Jiang Kaile suddenly glared at him coldly and said sharply, "The teacher told you to wait a moment, are you deaf?"

As he uttered his last word, a powerful pressure crashed down like thunder, nearly causing the bodyguard to collapse to his knees.

Sensing Jiang Kaile's anger, he stopped in a panic and turned around anxiously to explain, "No, no, I didn't mean to. I really didn't hear it. Young Master, please don't be angry!"

The bodyguard then turned to Xie Xubai and said, "Excuse me, sir!"

The team chat channel erupted in another uproar.

With the name "Dragon Slayer Boy" in hand, even if the appraised values ​​were low, the players dared not underestimate Jiang Kaile.

They couldn't hide their shock. They hadn't expected that the unassuming young man beside them would receive such attention from Jiang Kaile.

Could it be that the opponent's level in this instance is one level higher than Jiang Kaile's?

Facing the players' surprised and uncertain gazes, Xie Xubai waved to his bodyguard, indicating that everything was alright.

He walked up to the bandaged man with a calm expression and asked gently, "Do you know what 10 plus 10 equals?"

The bandaged man paused, looking uncertainly at Yan Yue and the other players.

The others were so anxious that they frantically tagged him in the team chat: Answer his question, quick!

Messages popped up one after another, densely packed like a tide.

However, the bandaged man was illiterate.

He opened his mouth in confusion and said, "Equals 10?"

Depend on--

The other players, who had thought they were seeing a glimmer of hope, were suddenly plunged into despair.

Jiang Kaile almost laughed in anger upon hearing this, and turned to the old butler to ask, "Is this the tutor that my good father carefully selected for me?"

The old butler nearly broke out in a cold sweat: "There must have been a problem during the identity verification. I'll go check right away and give you an explanation, young master!"

He turned to the bandaged man, about to shout for the others to drag the shameful thing away, when Xie Xubai suddenly smiled and said, "You're very serious."

Although he had the body of an adult, Xie Xubai looked into the other person's clear and innocent eyes and guessed that his intelligence was no more than that of a three-year-old.

He was serious because he actually counted on his fingers before answering the question. Even though the other person seemed not to understand the question at all, he answered 10 out of 10 fingers.

However, Xie Xubai needs such an assistant right now.

Not particularly intelligent, but unlikely to have ulterior motives; they are attentive and obedient. Players who can enter dungeons should also have considerable combat strength.

Jiang Kaile noticed Xie Xubai's unusual attitude towards the bandaged man and asked in confusion, "Does Teacher intend to keep him here?"

"Well, I'm lacking an assistant to help me move the teaching materials." Xie Xubai turned to Jiang Kaile. "Is that alright, Jiang?"

Jiang Kaile couldn't refuse Xie Xubai's request.

However, since the person with the bandages was of unknown background, he was hesitant to place him near the teacher and decided to agree first and observe for a while before making a decision.

Xie Xubai extended his hand to the bandaged man: "Looks like you'll be my teaching assistant from now on. My name is Yu You, what's yours?"

Upon hearing Xie Xubai's self-identification, Jiang Kaile couldn't help but glance at them again, somewhat suspicious.

The bandaged man stared blankly at Xie Xubai: "I..."

"Before you came here, did someone tell you to stay if you could?" Xie Xubai whispered in the bandaged man's ear, using a coaxing tone, "Come with me, listen to me, and I'll guarantee you'll stay in the Jiang family, okay?"

The warm breath felt like a gentle breeze caressing his earlobe. The bandaged man looked up at Xie Xubai's gentle and warm smiling face, and his cheeks inexplicably felt hot.

Because it was wrapped in bandages, it wasn't very noticeable.

“…Yes, the Speaker of the Council said so.” The bandaged man’s confused mind finally came to its senses. “My name is Chan Sheng.”

"The cicada remains silent in its pupa for many days, only to burst into song and awaken the summer, thus emerging from its cocoon and being reborn." Xie Xubai pulled him up, his tone smiling. "It's a good omen."

“Yes…!” Hearing Xie Xubai’s gentle tone, Chan Sheng inexplicably remembered something and opened his mouth incoherently, “That person is very good, exceptionally good!”

He vaguely remembered that the name was given to him by a very important person, but he couldn't remember who that person was.

In her haste, she instinctively grabbed Xie Xubai's hand, her eyes covered with spiderweb-like red blood vessels, looking extremely terrifying.

The players were terrified, and almost wanted to rush over and pry the offender's hand off.

But to everyone's surprise, the young man wasn't angry at all. Instead, he patted Chan Sheng's hand reassuringly and said earnestly, "I felt it. He's a very good person."

In an instant, Chan Sheng's pupils trembled, and when he opened his mouth again, his tone was joyful and eager as he said, "You're great too, I can help you with anything!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Chang almost couldn't hold back and glared at Chan Sheng with a snarling expression.

—Will this idiot, so easily fooled by the NPC, ever realize who he's working for?!

Clearly, Chan Sheng's small brain couldn't decipher the meaning in Hu Chang's eyes. After a couple of seconds of confusion, he indifferently looked away.

Hu Chang was so angry he felt like he was going to vomit blood.

"You suddenly reminded me," Xie Xubai said to Jiang Kaile. "I was in a hurry to get here and didn't have time to pack my luggage. Could you please ask Jiang to find someone to take me home first?"

He knew he was already trapped in a cycle, unable to escape the Jiang family's territory, but Jiang Kaile should have a way of dealing with it.

Sure enough, the boy said dryly, "Teacher, since you're not feeling well, don't bother going back and forth. Give me the key later, and I'll find someone to help you move your luggage over."

"Okay." Xie Xubai said with a smile, then pressed his temples, pretending to be sleepy.

Seeing this, Jiang Kaile quickly said, "Teacher, are you tired? I'll take you to rest right away."

"No need. We need Jiang here. Let Chansheng accompany me, and we can find someone else to show us the way." Seeing the boy's reluctant expression, Xie Xubai winked at him. "Can I come and talk to Jiang tonight to find out about your studies?"

Hearing that Xie Xubai would come to see him that evening, Jiang Kaile's expression softened slightly: "Of course, teacher can come to see me anytime."

As soon as Xie Xubai left with Chansheng, the other players immediately started discussing in the team communication chat what Xie Xubai's true identity was.

Until the temperature in the lecture hall suddenly rose by thirty degrees, and the heat hit us like waves.

The ceiling and walls were cracked, revealing charred charcoal marks. The light green marble floor tiles were a deep red, as if there were raging flames burning underneath. The entire space seemed to be distorted under the intense heat!

The players got goosebumps all over their bodies, and slowly looked up at Jiang Kaile, still shaken.

As the flames rose higher, the old butler and the others seemed to transform into charred and ferocious ghosts, baring their fangs and howling mournfully in the dim firelight.

Jiang Kaile sat upright on the podium, his scarlet eyes gleaming, completely ignoring the ghostly screams.

This young man was actually the Demon King of this instance!

The players felt a chill run down their spines and quickly drew their weapons to prepare for battle, but Jiang Kaile seemed to have no intention of killing them.

"As you can see, I already have a teacher, I don't need any other teachers, and no one can replace him."

“But my father is senile and has always tried to put people around me to force me to bow down to him.”

Jiang Kaile stood up and strolled down the steps with an elegant and composed demeanor, like a little prince straight out of a fairy tale.

However, the scorching heat that made it hard for the players to breathe, the charred ghostly figures struggling on the cracked walls, and the boy's emotionless bloodshot eyes all added an absurd and terrifying touch to the scene before them.

Jiang Kaile smiled and looked at the players present: "So, I need your help to make a move so that I can become the master of the Jiang family."

This question sounds like a death trap!

The players swallowed hard, not daring to disobey. The old butler and the other servants and bodyguards were still screaming desperately inside the wall. If they refused, that would probably be their fate in a few seconds.

Thinking of this, they felt incredibly envious, even jealous, of Chan Sheng, who had been taken away by Xie Xubai.

Compared to Jiang Kaile's request, what exactly is the angel problem of 10 plus 10?

Can we come back and make them answer those questions again, and take them with us too?!

On the other side, Xie Xubai and his companion walked towards the guest rooms, led by bodyguards.

Not long after, Xie Xubai fell a few steps behind and whispered to Chansheng, "Knock him out, don't kill him."

Without a second thought, Chan Sheng slashed with his hand.

With a thud, the bodyguard's vision went black, and he slammed his head to the ground.

Xie Xubai crouched down to examine the wound carefully. His breathing and pulse were normal, and there was no injury at all where he had been hit.

If the bodyguard hadn't been knocked down right in front of him, he would have almost thought the man had accidentally fallen asleep on the ground.

Xie Xubai turned his head in surprise.

Choosing Chan Sheng was originally just a coincidence, but he never expected to have struck gold. He immediately gave the person a thumbs up and said, "Well done!"

Chan Shengxie squatted down beside Xie Xubai with his legs together, his eyes crinkling at the sound of praise.

Then, Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes to calm himself down.

The sound of the wind gradually subsided, and the shadows of the trees slowly came to a stop.

Something seemed to be settling down in his eyes, deep and unfathomable like the sea.

In an instant, Xie Xubai stepped into his own memory space once again.

All the memories were like snow-white pages falling from the sky, and he stretched out his hands.

The paper fluttered like snowflakes, and with the howling hurricane, it coalesced on his chest into a thick and elegant ancient book.

With just a thought, countless messages, gossip, and pleasantries exchanged with the Jiang family were meticulously presented on paper, allowing him to browse through them at will.

The storm shook his clothes violently, but Xie Xubai's gaze remained calm and undisturbed.

The loop rule can go back in time, clearing away what he did before, making all his past efforts come to naught, like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket, completely wasting away.

But it cannot erase his memories, the knowledge he worked so hard to acquire, and the information he once knew.

Those months of working himself to the bone weren't for nothing.

He had a general understanding of the various skills of the professional team behind the scenes. He knew the weaknesses of the Jiang family very well.

To break the cycle, we must understand the Jiang family's past and trace the root of the problem.

Since the information provided by Lü Xiangcai was incomplete, why not ask him directly?

Xie Xubai extended his hand, calmly looking down. His slender fingers touched the invisible ancient book, his fingertips slowly tracing the names of several people, revealing a composure like that of a chess player placing a piece.

Now, who should we target first?

Author's Note:

This counts as an extra chapter. I'll continue writing after Yuncheng wakes up. *smack smack*