Strange Tales from the Deep Mountains (XIV)

It's okay, Su Su can do whatever he wants, he will always be there for him, protecting him.

Qi Wujin composed himself, hummed in agreement, then met Li Su's gaze and asked softly, "So, what does my bride want to do?"

Li Su silently prepared her words before tentatively asking, "Will they still be in danger tonight? Xia Liqiao is outside; will those little snakes hurt her? And what about Li Xue and the others...?"

“Baby, do you still have time to worry about others?” Qi Wujin’s dark pupils narrowed slightly, and a beautiful smile curved his lips as he interrupted him, continuing, “Tonight is our wedding night.”

The smile on his lips quickly faded, his eyes drooped slightly, his expression turned forlorn, and his voice lowered: "My darling, are you still thinking about other people at a time like this?"

His voice was low and tinged with a hint of aggrieved complaint, with the last syllable drawn out. Coupled with his pitiful expression, Li Su's heart softened instantly, as if she had just done something wrong.

Li Su was a little flustered. He had never comforted such a big male... snake before. Li Su nervously moistened his dry lips and carefully said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way... I just..."

Qi Wujin raised his beautiful face slightly, his deep green pupils filled with grievance, "What is it?"

Li Su swallowed hard, feeling like she'd been caught in the act.

"I'm just a little worried about them..."

Qi Wujin's voice lowered, his thin eyelids drooping to cover his eyes, "So, my darling is still thinking about other women on our wedding night."

"I think I suddenly understand what it feels like for those male leads in TV dramas who don't seem like innocent, pure-hearted guys..."

"What brand of green tea is this? It smells so good?!"

"Oh no, oh no, once I start feeling sorry for men, I'm doomed..."

"Wow... if all green tea girls were this beautiful..."

"He's faking it! Baby, you're not allowed to feel sorry for him!!!"

Li Su was bewildered by his appearance. She crawled forward two steps to Qi Wujin's side. She wanted to pat his back to comfort him, but her fingers paused in mid-air when she saw his bare upper body. Finally, she carefully touched his shoulder with her fingertips. "I'm sorry, don't be sad..."

She withdrew her fingertips as soon as they touched his shoulder.

It's so cool.

Li Su rubbed her fingertips together.

Qi Wujin still had droopy eyelids, looking like he was saying, "I'm very sad, you have to think of something."

This instance is completely different from the first one. The NPCs in it all have their own thoughts, and their words, actions, and even facial expressions are very natural and no different from ordinary people.

Li Su marveled at the vividness of the NPCs in the dungeon, and a plan formed in his mind. Perhaps he could learn from Qi Wujin what exactly happened each night.

Li Su braced herself on the soft couch with both hands, brought her head close to Qi Wujin's face, and looked up at him from below. Only then did she see Qi Wujin's face with his head slightly lowered: "Then, what are we going to do tonight?"

"I'm so happy! The baby is so cute!"

"It reminded me of those two bird memes, hahaha..."

Li Su: You really cried? Let me see.

Qi Wujin slowly lifted his eyelids to meet his gaze.

Li Su blinked, then belatedly realized she was a little scared.

It seems that every bride dies pregnant and becomes a female ghost. Although he is a man, if Qi Wujin finds out, the consequences will probably be even worse than those female ghosts.

Li Su silently gripped the vines by the soft couch, preparing to back away, when a large, cold hand pressed down on the back of her neck, and the icy sensation instantly spread throughout her body.

The two were so close that Li Su could see the lines in Qi Wujin's pupils.

Qi Wujin did not answer his question, but moved closer to him step by step, causing Li Su to tremble silently.

Is Qi Wujin about to make a move against him? Is the time up?

Feeling his trembling, Qi Wujin gently rubbed the warm, delicate skin beneath his palm with his fingertips.

Only when their noses touched did Qi Wujin stop, a smile spreading across his eyes, and he said, word by word, "My darling couldn't wait?"

Qi Wujin's words sounded strange. Li Su resisted the urge to back away, gripped the thick vines beneath her, and nodded. After all, she needed to escape from Qi Wujin's side as soon as possible to avoid having her physical abnormality discovered.

Qi Wujin's nose was gently brushed against by the boy's nodding motion. He was a little greedy for this soft feeling, like he was addicted to petting a cat. He narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but rub Li Su's nose again.

But these actions had a completely different meaning in Li Su's eyes—Qi Wujin was sniffing his scent, trying to find a suitable place to bite.

"No, don't do this..." Li Su trembled slightly, but dared not dodge, and could only softly stop him, her voice trembling with sobs.

Qi Wujin paused, the smile on his lips froze, his narrow pupils narrowed instantly, his long eyelashes drooped, and he stared at the person in front of him who was so frightened that his eyes were red-rimmed, his voice low and deep: "You hate me?"

Seeing his expressionless face, Li Su became even more frightened and closed her eyes to avoid his gaze: "Please..."

Li Su kept her eyes tightly closed, not daring to open them at all.

Qi Wujin stared at the person who was suppressing even his sobs, his eyelids drooping, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a large, icy hand pressed down on the back of his neck. Li Su's face turned deathly pale. He could feel the cold breath getting closer and closer, but he still didn't dare to open his eyes.

Qi Wujin stopped less than a centimeter away from him, his voice gentle: "Sweetie, you're too tired, get some rest for the night."

Did he mishear?

Li Su opened his eyes in a daze, only to be met with a shadow. All he could see was Qi Wujin's pale chin getting closer and closer, and then something soft yet cold pressed against his forehead.

Their cool, thin lips touched briefly on each other's foreheads before parting. Looking into Li Su's eyes, Qi Wujin whispered, "Goodnight, my bride."

Li Su opened her lips, but before she could ask a question, her eyelids closed uncontrollably.

Just as the boy was about to fall backward, Qi Wujin pulled him into his arms, his back arching as he buried his head in Li Su's neck. Regardless of whether the person in his arms could still hear him, he murmured again and again, "Don't be afraid of me... Su Su, don't hate me..."

Qi Wujin's ink-black hair cascaded down, enveloping the two of them, making them appear inseparable.

"What is this NPC doing?"

"This game is so badly broken, it's unwatchable. Seriously, how is this new dungeon even remotely related to horror?"

"Seriously? This is it for our wedding night? I thought we'd at least do something special, cough cough..."

"I'm doomed, I'm starting to feel sorry for this man too TwT..."

"It's really hard not to be moved when a beautiful woman sheds tears, waaaaah..."

"But why do I feel like the beauty... the snake is just trying to trick the baby into coming over so she can get a good night's sleep because she's too tired?"

"Upstairs, I agree with your opinion."

"If that's the case... damn, this snake is both beautiful and handsome, and he even dotes on his wife. What do I have to compete with him for? Waaaaah... my wife, waaaah..."

In her dream, Li Su did not sleep soundly.

The baby's cries grew louder and louder, seemingly screaming and yelling right next to his ear.

The person who was fast asleep on the soft couch had their eyes tightly closed and began to tremble, yet they were unable to open them.

"Waaaah... Daddy! Daddy! Daddy—"

The person on the soft couch suddenly opened their eyes, their chestnut pupils reflecting a sea of ​​green. A bead of cold sweat trickled down their forehead, and Li Su's chest heaved rapidly.

He was about to get up when he found a thick arm across his waist.

Li Su's pupils dilated as she looked up along the arm and saw Qi Wujin's face.

He was asleep too, his handsome eyes tightly closed, as if he were dreaming of something sad, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

The cries of a baby still lingered in my ears, mixed with a dense, overlapping chorus of "Mama, Mama..."

Li Su felt a chill run down her spine.

He had to escape, now, while Qi Wujin was still asleep.

Li Su secretly called out to the system: Is Qi Wujin asleep?

The system paused briefly, then replied: [Asleep.]

Li Su breathed a sigh of relief, then quietly lifted Qi Wujin's arm with her fingers, carefully moved it out of his embrace, and placed it on the soft couch.

She kept glancing nervously at Qi Wujin as she moved, until he was completely standing on the ground and still in the same position, at which point Li Su finally felt relieved.

This was their wedding night, but Qi Wujin did nothing to him. Li Su didn't understand and couldn't figure out why.

I can only guess that perhaps those terrible things will be done in the middle of the night, and perhaps Qi Wujin will cut open his stomach, just like those women who have become ghosts.

Just thinking about it made Li Su break out in a cold sweat. She quickly looked away from Qi Wujin, stepped on the cloth shoes on the ground, and ran away without even putting them on properly. She just stuffed her feet into the shoes.

The moment Li Su turned around, the person who had been fast asleep on the soft couch opened their eyes without warning.

Deep green eyes stared at the boy's retreating figure.

Li Su thought Qi Wujin's cave was very dark, with only a kerosene lamp lit, and the whole cave was illuminated by the glowing green light of the vines. But after running out of Qi Wujin's cave, Li Su found that it was already very bright.

It was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Li Su had no idea where she was or which direction to go.

"Waaaaaahh ...

"Daddy! Daddy—"

The child's sharp cries rang in her ears again, as if coming from a very far place, hollow and echoing... Li Su couldn't help but reach out and cover her ears.

Where did the sound come from?

Li Su dared not move forward easily. He still remembered that Qi Wujin had carried him into the water. Now that Qi Wujin was gone, he was not sure if he could return to Xia Liqiao's location alive.

"Dad! Dad! Dad—" The voice grew more urgent with each cry, as if trying to lead him over.

Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. Li Su took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and carefully tried to pinpoint the location of the child's crying.

The darkness amplified the fear in her heart. Li Su clenched her hands and asked in a trembling voice: System, can you see where the child is?

System: [This involves a game quest and cannot be disclosed. Players are advised to explore on their own.]

Li Su bit her lower lip, opened her eyes, but it was still pitch black in front of her, and she couldn't see anything.

Although the system couldn't provide any help, he did glean some answers from its words.

The cries of these children were the key to the mission.

Li Su rubbed her eyes and mustered her courage to take a step forward.

The vines under her feet were twisted and piled up. Li Su carefully felt her way forward, afraid that she might trip over them.

After he tentatively walked forward for a while, a faint blue light suddenly appeared in front of him.

Finally, it was no longer pitch black. Li Su used the faint light to see the path under her feet and carefully ran while lifting her skirt.

A chilling aura swept over her, forcing Li Su to stop abruptly.

A red figure, enveloped in blue light, was rapidly approaching him.

"Why?"

"Honey, why did you only come to see me now?!"