Chapter 38 Lantern Clues
In any case, the crisis is now resolved, and Jiang Wenxi has broken free from the savage's grasp and run out, still clutching her supply pack in her arms.
The three of them ran for a while before stopping, only stopping when they were sure the savages couldn't catch up. They were all in good shape, so they weren't out of breath. When they reached a shady spot under a tree, they held out their hands to Jiang Wenxi, indicating that he should keep his promise and hand over the reward.
【No, she really wants it?】
Someone immediately asked a question in the live chat, but was quickly countered by others.
Why shouldn't we have individual matches?
Yu Shuling and the male lead didn't have much of a relationship. Although they shared a secret, Yu Shuling didn't think they had to be bound together forever. After all, she could hear clearly that there could only be one winner in the end. Even she and Kawana would have to separate later, or they would have to "fight each other."
Although this game is a war without gunpowder, Yu Shuling's competitive spirit is innately strong.
Jiang Wenxi was clearly reluctant to hand over the supply pack. Yu Shuling hadn't done anything before, yet now she was demanding his pack and rummaging through it. Although the supply pack was official and didn't contain any private items, Jiang Wenxi still felt that Yu Shuling was disrespectful, arrogant, and annoying.
However, having been in the industry for several years, Jiang Wenxi wasn't a complete novice who had never been on variety shows. He naturally knew that if he showed dissatisfaction at this moment, few people besides his fans would stand by him. So he could only suppress his displeasure and pretend nothing had happened as he handed over the supplies package, as if no internal struggle had occurred.
Yu Shuling could easily see through his little scheme, but she was too lazy to expose him. She simply opened the bag and started picking through the items with Kawana.
Jiang Wenxi didn't have much useful stuff in his bag, while Yu Shuling had everything she needed, especially since she'd already ransacked the savage's house; she was now practically the richest person there. Yu Shuling didn't care for ordinary things, and eventually picked up a clue slip of paper. Seeing her about to take the clue, Jiang Wenxi couldn't help but speak up, but Yu Shuling cut him off:
"The savages would have stolen your whole bag, but I only took a clue and left you so much else. Aren't I kind?"
After she finished speaking, she encouraged Kawana, who was a little embarrassed, to take the items. Kawana was infected by her bandit-like demeanor and smiled shyly at Jiang Wenxi, but she didn't stand on ceremony and took two items, which were quite ordinary supplies.
Jiang Wenxi was furious with the two of them.
At this moment, his idea of teaming up with Yu Shuling had long since vanished. He wished he could turn back time to when he was captured by the savages. Being captured by the savages didn't necessarily mean death or being offline; the official system wouldn't provide such a cruel death trap. He had mainly participated in singing and dancing programs or appeared as a guest on talent shows before; when had he ever been tricked like this?
Having achieved their goal, Yu Shuling and Chuan Nai made their escape, leaving Jiang Wenxi alone to sulk. Now that his "home" had been destroyed by the savages, he dared not return for the time being and became a "vagrant" wandering around.
Yu Shuling found a cool spot, unfolded the note, and saw two lines of poetry written in running script:
"Flowers bloom inside the wall, but their beauty fades outside; I wanted to pick them, but the road was blocked; when the road was opened, the flowers had already withered; all the joy was in vain." [1]
Kawana could manage simple characters, but the profound and complex nature of Chinese culture made guessing riddles based on poems a bit difficult for the foreign friend. The foreign friend stared wide-eyed, looking to Yu Shuling for help. Yu Shuling quickly went through the answer in her mind and soon provided it:
"It's a lantern."
This poem describes the appearance of a lantern, which is not very common, but it was no challenge for Empress Dowager Yu, who grew up immersed in the refined culture of the Book of Songs.
The village wasn't exactly modern, but Yu Shuling hadn't noticed if there were any lanterns hanging on the eaves when they entered. After seeing the clue, and since they had nothing else to do, the two decided to explore and look for them. After a quick look around, they didn't find any. Kawana thought there was something else about the lanterns that she didn't know, so she humbly asked Yu Shuling for help.
Later, lanterns evolved into animal or flower-shaped lanterns, but the poem describes a normal red lantern, not something else, so Yu Shuling gave a negative answer.
The summer sun was scorching. When the sun was at its strongest, its heat on their backs felt like being doused with lukewarm water. It was an absolute ordeal in such weather. Before long, both of them were drenched in sweat. Yu Shuling pulled out some antiperspirant spray from her backpack and reapplied sunscreen. Even with good stamina, walking like this for a long time would be unbearable.
She didn't say she was giving up, so Kawana naturally gritted her teeth and persevered. The main dancer's strength was undeniable, and even though her pretty little face was sunburned, she didn't complain once.
But Yu Shuling couldn't find the lantern, so she remembered that she had played games with people on the dating reality show. Some of those people also played online games, and some large online games had similar NPC quests. She had looked into it before going on the show, and some quests only appeared at specific times.
Yu Shuling suspected that the thing might not come out until the appointed time. After searching around and finding nothing, she and Chuan Nai decided to head back home, rest and recharge their energy, and fight again later.
But halfway there, Kawana suddenly remembered something, grabbed Yu Shuling's wrist, and strode back. She walked so fast that Yu Shuling stumbled before keeping up. It took Kawana quite a while to remember to explain:
"The window, one of the windows is covered by a curtain!"
Reminded by Kawana, Yu Shuling seemed to vaguely remember.
Not long after, Yu Shuling stood at the door of one of the small tile-roofed houses they had passed. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She then pushed hard, and as expected, the door wouldn't open. Yu Shuling then tried to open the window, but it wouldn't budge. However, there was a small crack at the edge of the window, so Yu Shuling picked up a string of twigs and used them to pry open the lock on the door inside.
The village gate was an old-fashioned wooden door, and instead of a regular lock, it used a bolt. Yu Shuling fiddled with it for a few moments with a twig, and somehow it opened. She tossed the twig aside and strode inside with her head held high.
Actually, this prop was prepared for the night, but upon seeing someone approaching, the assistant director quickly contacted the people lying in ambush inside via walkie-talkie to improvise. Yu Shuling went in first, leaving Kawana to guard outside, which suited the directing team's wishes perfectly.
Curtains covered all the glass surfaces on the four walls of the room, with a blackout lining inside, shrouding the entire room in a dim darkness, so quiet that only the sound of light footsteps echoed.
But just as a faint "click" sound came, it seemed as if an invisible wind blew by. Before the girl standing outside could react, the door slammed shut in front of her.
At the same time, Yu Shuling reacted quickly, instinctively grabbing the person who suddenly appeared behind her.
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Author's note: This is a light revival, updates will be irregular, but I will really finish it!
Updates might gradually return to 2-3K over time.
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