Chapter 31 Returning Home 1 Wind Orange Village
When they met before, Ling Yuanshan was very cold and aloof, like a spoiled teenager. He didn't show this expression when he questioned the warden in the dungeon, as if he was very hurt.
After he finished venting, Wu Wangwang said, "You've been asking Madam to fire me, but I didn't dare say anything. What if you found out and got angry, and decided to secretly make me lose my job after the dungeon is released?"
Ling Yuanshan gritted his teeth menacingly: "I can do it now too."
“You can’t,” Wu Wangwang’s voice suddenly changed, as if a god was whispering, “You promised me that you wouldn’t let Madam fire me, and you made a promise that you can’t go back on.”
After hearing this, Ling Yuanshan actually lost all interest in having Wu Wangwang fired. He dazedly covered his head with his hand, saying, "How could this be..."
This was actually the power of the Ghost Mother, but Wu Wangwang would not reveal her identity. She took out her ring and said, "These rings are called the Covenant. They are the reward I received in my sixth dungeon. The words spoken by the person holding these rings, whether human or not, will become the covenant. If you break it, you will die."
Just as he was teleporting through the instance, Ling Yuanshan touched the ring and assumed that the restriction he felt was caused by it.
Ling Yuanshan pointed at Wu Wangwang with a trembling hand: "You still tricked me?"
Wu Wangwang was silent for a moment, then put the ring back: "This is not a trap. I'm just worried about losing my job. You've been into so many dungeons, you should know how important a job is to someone like me. If I come out of a dungeon and lose my job, I'd rather stay in a dungeon for the rest of my life."
Speaking of work, Ling Yuanshan thought of Wu Wangwang's crazy mother. He had heard about her to some extent: a family that favored sons over daughters, greedy parents, a wicked younger brother, and those older sisters who were sold or killed.
It must have been very difficult for Wu Wangwang to find a job and survive in the dungeon. She doesn't have many emotional fluctuations, which is probably due to the hardships of life. She is too tired to even have the strength to smile.
Having seen so many people suffer, even when angry, it's hard to be demanding of someone struggling to survive. Ling Yuanshan hesitated, then calmed himself down, saying only, "Alright then, I don't blame you, but the previous agreement still stands. You can't tell anyone about this."
Wu Wangwang nodded seriously: "I know, and I don't have anyone to talk to. Luckily, I didn't harm anyone."
After listening, Ling Yuanshan was somewhat puzzled: "Don't you know that telling others will drag them into the game? But you've already cleared the dungeon seven times."
“I’ve always worked for myself. I have no friends, no relatives, and I don’t even run into neighbors. Every time I die, it’s because of my parents. I don’t want to tell them these things, because I’m afraid they’ll lock me up and keep killing me.” Wu Wangwang revealed the original owner’s thoughts.
Yes, that was the original owner's true thought. She had the money and survived, so it was impossible for her not to think about slapping her family in the face. But she quickly realized that she absolutely could not say it, because the requirement to enter the instance was "death," and if she came out of the instance or returned, she could continue to live.
Her parents would definitely keep trying to kill her, and then guard the things she brought out of the dungeon. If she really died, they would just sell them to someone else to arrange a ghost marriage, and definitely not waste anything.
The original owner was unaware that informing others was tantamount to inviting them into the game, and struggled silently for a long time.
Ling Yuanshan felt a pang of pity upon hearing this. He even felt that his aggressive questioning had been excessive, so he apologized softly, "I'm sorry..."
Wu Wangwang shook her head: "No need to talk about that. You saved me too. Without you, I don't know how long it would have taken me to get out of the seventh dungeon."
Things can be discussed openly. I'm constantly being watched by this game, but as long as it doesn't endanger my life, there's nothing to be upset about.
Ling Yuanshan wanted Wu Wangwang to get some rest, but then he remembered something else: "By the way, do you know the maximum time interval between entering a dungeon?"
"There's such a thing?" Wu Wangwang asked in surprise, she had no idea.
“Yes,” Ling Yuanshan said with a solemn expression, “At most, we can only stay away from the dungeon for six months. That is to say, from the first time we enter the dungeon, we are very likely to encounter accidental death. No matter what we do, we can only delay for six months. On the last day of the sixth month, an unavoidable death will inevitably occur.”
Wu Wangwang hadn't expected there to be such a rule. The original owner of this body was usually so busy that she didn't even keep track of time. Now, hearing Ling Yuanshan say this, it was indeed an accident that occurred at the limit of time.
They've already been inside once, and at the latest, before March of next year, they'll still encounter deaths.
Ling Yuanshan reached out and patted Wu Wangwang's shoulder: "Don't worry too much. As long as you're not a patient or living a very difficult life, you won't go in frequently. Normal people don't have that many accidents around them. I'm telling you this because I want to ask if you got any rewards from those seven dungeons?"
After the Sinful Bones dungeon ended, a reward was indeed given. Wu Wangwang took out a small weight and placed it next to her ring: "I got a weight. Don't underestimate it because of its small size. When it's on a scale, it can display the corresponding weight of anything."
"...Two?" Ling Yuanshan was shocked. "You didn't start getting rewards from the sixth dungeon onwards, did you?"
Wu Wangwang smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "Well, I used all my previous dungeons to deal with problems from my family of origin. They're very difficult to deal with, as you know."
Seeing this, Ling Yuanshan had no choice but to think for a moment and then took out a piece of rope and gave it to Wu Wangwang: "Here, this is the reward I got. You can keep the scissors too, you don't need to return them to me. This rope can be extended indefinitely, so you can keep it for future use. Bring more items, and you'll have less to lose when you enter the dungeon."
Actually, Wu Wangwang could have cleared the dungeon without these things, but Ling Yuanshan was clearly apologetic for his earlier rudeness, so this should be considered an apology gift, which Wu Wangwang simply accepted.
Ling Yuanshan told Wu Wangwang to rest more, as he needed to go out and explain to his mother why he had entered the girl's ward alone.
The ward door opened, and sure enough, the lady was outside, along with Ling Yuanshan's father. Ling Yuanshan explained to them with a stiff face that he was angry that Wu Wangwang had suddenly run upstairs, and that if she hadn't followed, she wouldn't have been hurt at all.
A little later, the lady came over with a meal prepared by the Ling family kitchen for patients.
"Greetings, Madam." Wu Wangwang greeted politely.
The lady placed the things on the small table and said, "Wangwang, thank you for your hard work, but if you encounter something like this again, you should still tell your teacher and parents. You can't let Shanshan run wild."
This wasn't Ling Yuanshan being silly; it was a misjudgment on their part. They hadn't expected the other side to have a puppet that could control people. Such a device would be extremely dangerous to use in the real world, and normal people would try to avoid being discovered. Yet, it was used for fighting and brawling.
Wu Wangwang wanted to explain for Ling Yuanshan: "Madam, it's not that the young master is being unreasonable. I saw them fighting, but I couldn't beat him. I was afraid he would get a reprimand, so I thought I'd help cover it up. I didn't expect..."
The lady smiled and patted Wu Wangwang's head: "Don't worry about that. Your safety should be the priority. There won't be any stains on Shanshan's file. No one can be a stain on his record. Don't worry."
Since the lady had said so, Wu Wangwang simply nodded in agreement and offered no further explanation.
In the following days, Wu Wangwang ate meals delivered by the Ling family instead of the dry food from the hospital. Her injury was relatively minor, and she recovered in seven days, while Ling Yuanshan's injury was much more serious. Wu Wangwang even visited him once before he was discharged.
Ling Yuanshan lay on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages, and greeted Wu Wangwang: "Don't worry, I'm fine. Be careful when you go back."
There was no one else in the ward, so Wu Wangwang took the opportunity to move closer and asked, "Young Master, why did that person use a puppet to kill you? I'm not sure I can go back to school until I find out the reason."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yuanshan shook his head with a heavy expression: "I don't know. My dad asked around and investigated. The official reason is that the prettiest girl in our senior year liked me, and it was considered a case of jealousy."
Jealousy wouldn't lead to killing someone with game items. Even if the other person is young, it's unlikely they would do something like that. Game items are precious, and it's wise to use them sparingly when you don't know when you'll be entering a dungeon again. Otherwise, dying in a dungeon is such a waste.
Wu Wangwang felt this was a big problem; who knew if the other party would come back to attack again?
"Where did he go after being expelled? Should I go there?" Wu Wangwang still wanted to nip the danger in the bud. Even though she was forced to enter the game every six months, she still wanted to enjoy a peaceful human life.
Ling Yuanshan moved his injured arm: "No need. My dad has people watching him. He said he's about to transfer to No. 5 Middle School. He's still a minor, only seventeen this year. At most, this kind of thing will send him to a juvenile detention center. Plus, we didn't die, so the sentence won't be long. It's better to just keep an eye on him and see what he does next."
Since Ling Yuanshan had said so, Wu Wangwang didn't press the matter further. She shook hands with Ling Yuanshan, signifying a pleasant cooperation, but actually giving him a quick recovery buff, hoping he would return to school soon.
Although Ling Yuanshan couldn't go to school because he wasn't discharged from the hospital, Wu Wangwang still wanted to study. The madam said that since she was already studying, she might as well continue studying. She had good grades, and if she studied hard, she might be able to go to the same university as Ling Yuanshan next year. Even if her grades were a little lower, it wouldn't matter, as she could go through the recommendation channel of famous teachers and wouldn't take up any enrollment quota.
Wu Wangwang went to school every day with her little schoolbag, learning general knowledge from her deskmate. Her preliminary test scores meant that she could only choose a few subjects.
After absorbing the knowledge from the textbook, Wu Wangwang managed to improve her English and geography scores, and also made progress in biology and chemistry. Physics was really difficult to learn, and her scores always fluctuated in the single digits. After the monthly exam, the teacher sighed and let her choose politics, history and geography, which was equivalent to the liberal arts students of the old era.
When I was choosing my subjects, before I even registered, the teacher asked me if I had any special talents, like languages. I figured I could always choose another subject if I had the talent, and I could switch to another track if necessary.
Wu Wangwang had recently been informed by her classmates that she was very strong in both sports and arts, but she didn't know which one to choose. She hesitated for a moment and said she would go home and ask. The teacher gave her several forms and told her to think it over carefully.
That evening, Wu Wangwang gave all the forms to his wife and let her choose.
But after reviewing it, the lady rejected it all and told Wu Wangwang to study the regular subjects, since these special skills could be trained in extra ways, and she didn't rely on these skills to find a job, so why waste time?
Moreover, Wu Wangwang's greatest ability is growing flowers. If she can cultivate those rich and beautiful flowers, they will be valuable. Why make things difficult for herself when she is studying?
Unless she likes it herself, if you're unsure, just go with the most basic one.
Wu Wangwang thought it made sense. She was actually skilled in painting and playing musical instruments, but not to the point of being particularly fond of them. It was more suitable for her to live a life of leisure under the tutelage of a wealthy woman.
October arrived in the blink of an eye, and school was out for break. Wu Wangwang came back to take care of the flowers. The lady thought the flowers were blooming well and asked Wu Wangwang to cut some so she could take them to the hospital for Ling Yuanshan.
Despite having a good life, Ling Yuanshan could only live like a mummy in the hospital, which even Wu Wangwang felt sorry for.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the madam contacted the hospital to allow Ling Yuanshan to return for the holiday. The Ling family became lively again. Everyone was always happy whenever the master and young master returned, as if the lifeless villa had come back to life.
Wu Wangwang personally cut all the flowers that decorated the villa, and she even made a separate bouquet for the lady of the house so that she could go and pick up Ling Yuanshan.
The lady, holding the flowers, said, "They're really beautiful. Wangwang, come with me. Shanshan has been asking about you these past few days, worried that you're being bullied by those bad boys at school."
"Young Master, you're overthinking it. Didn't all those bad students drop out? No one will bully me." Wu Wangwang didn't really want to ride in the car and made an excuse to decline.
Knowing that Wu Wangwang gets carsick and doesn't like to sit, the lady didn't insist when she refused. She just said that she would wait for Ling Yuanshan to come back in the evening so that they could play together, since people of the same age always have more to talk about.
After seeing Madam off, Wu Wangwang returned to the flower room. The moon must be bright today; we should move some flowers out to bask in its light.
While they were busy, the housekeeper suddenly came over with Wu Wangwang's phone: "Wangwang, your phone is ringing. It sounds like a stranger is calling you. Should you answer it?"
Wu Wangwang stood up and wiped her hands with a towel: "Stranger? I haven't given anyone else my number."
She picked up the phone and saw that it was indeed a stranger. After a long time, the call suddenly ended. When she turned on the phone, she saw that this stranger had called her more than a dozen times. No wonder the housekeeper had to come and deliver the phone.
Just as I was thinking that, my phone rang again, as if it were a matter of life and death. It seemed to be something urgent. The housekeeper said, "Why don't you answer it? It seems like someone really needs to talk to you. Maybe it's an acquaintance who has changed their phone number."
“That’s true,” Wu Wangwang nodded and pressed the answer button. “Hello? This is Wu Wangwang.”
There was no sound from the other end, but Wu Wangwang keenly heard the sound of something being dragged. After a while, it sounded like a door creaking open, and it was clear that the person opening the door was carefully controlling the noise.
The dragging sound continued, and after a long while, someone spoke: "I went through so much trouble, and you actually came back alive, while I wasted two props! You must be wondering why I had to kill you, right? Go ask me in hell."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Yuanshan's voice rang out: "Wu Wangwang, don't go out. He has a substitute prop—"
However, before Ling Yuanshan could finish speaking, the voice interrupted him: "Oh? That girl's name is Wu Wangwang? It's okay, let's go together."
Wu Wangwang understood, but to protect herself, she whispered, "Those who commit evil will surely bear all the harm themselves."
The next second, the glass in the greenhouse suddenly shattered. The housekeeper screamed and dodged, while Wu Wangwang remained motionless and was hit on the head by an iron frame. She fell to the ground with a thud, and the housekeeper screamed and ran over to forcefully cover the wound on her head.
As her consciousness gradually shifted, the clear weather faded away, and the sound of pattering rain filled her ears. The temperature also dropped rapidly. Wu Wangwang opened her eyes and looked around. She found herself standing by a dirt road, with lush trees on both sides and some colorful wildflowers that were only found in the countryside.
The air was filled with the scents of earth, leaves, grass, and rain—so rich, yet so refreshing, that it made you relax without even realizing it.
Having not experienced this feeling of nature for a long time, Wu Wangwang took a deep breath and then noticed that she was wearing a spaghetti strap dress that didn't allow for much movement.
The dress was a beautiful navy blue, revealing two pale arms. The hem was just above the knee, and when the wind blew, it would flutter gently, revealing a white lace underskirt underneath. On her feet were a pair of small white leather shoes that weren't very comfortable for walking on muddy roads.
To be honest, these shoes felt a bit like torture. Wu Wangwang wanted to change them, but she noticed two things stuffed in the pocket of her skirt: a cell phone and a to-do list.
With a small suitcase beside her, Wu Wangwang held the checklist and realized that this copy seemed to be an ill-timed trip.
Moreover, she was all alone.
Logically speaking, Ling Yuanshan should have been among those who came in. He might have encountered an accident at the hospital, as well as the murderer she cursed. If the other party had killed Ling Yuanshan, they would definitely have come in as well, since the Ghost Mother's blessings never fail.
But at this moment, there was not a single living person on the path except for Wu Wangwang himself.
Wu Wangwang frowned. She carefully looked at the list. This should be the first clue she got her hands on, and it would also be the key to passing the level.
I resigned on August 2nd; I had dinner with friends on August 4th; and we made plans to go on a farm stay at Fengju Village on August 6th...
The rest of the text was blurry, as if it had been soaked by rain, but the paper itself felt dry to the touch.
Wu Wangwang couldn't understand the meaning of the list, so she opened her phone. It showed that today was August 6th, and it was 10:30 in the morning.
Based on her experience playing Fu Mei, Wu Wangwang started frantically looking at the contents of her phone, but the contents were very limited. It seemed that something had happened to a girl named Mei Su, so after a gathering with her friends, she decided to abandon her past life and embark on a rebirth journey.
Most of her past has been deleted, and she can only see some traces of the past in the bills that can't be deleted. She was very busy and didn't earn much money from her job, so she often needed her parents' financial support. But a year ago, her parents stopped supporting her for some reason.
Mei Su usually needs to spend money to buy a lot of gifts and various fruits and snacks. The amount is not something a girl can finish eating. Perhaps it is for giving away.
Unable to keep up with her income due to high expenses, and suffering a mental breakdown, Mei Su resigned and deleted everything from her phone that might trigger painful memories.
The last post on my WeChat Moments was: "You all can go to hell! I'm quitting this job!"
Although she said she was going home, Mei Su hadn't contacted her parents and relatives for a long time, and four days after resigning, she decided to go on vacation to a rural village with her friends.
Judging from the tickets and fares Mei Su bought, her journey was not smooth. She set off yesterday, taking the high-speed rail and train. This is a bus station, where she will need to change to a motorcycle or other means of transportation to reach Fengju Village.
But it started raining as soon as we got off the bus. In this weather, no motorcycles would come.
Looking at the list, Wu Wangwang suddenly had a feeling that this instance was very dangerous. She had to follow the list, otherwise, she would die unexpectedly.
In other words, to be on the safe side, it's best to arrive at Fengju Village before midnight to meet up with the other friends.
The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear even the chirping of insects; it didn't seem like a place where humans might appear.
Wu Wangwang had no choice but to open her phone and find a map navigation app. Fengju Village was quite a large village. Starting from this station, it was about eight kilometers away. The road was probably not easy to travel along the way. The map kept changing, and it seemed that no suitable recommendations could be found.
Looking at the distance, Wu Wangwang felt it was acceptable; she could just run there and maybe even make it in time for lunch.
As they were getting ready to depart, Wu Wangwang suddenly felt something was off, as if a step was missing: "Referee? Is the referee here? Where is the referee?"
After several "okay" sounds, someone suddenly rode over on a motorcycle. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. A man wearing a raincoat stopped outside the station on a shaky, dilapidated motorcycle.
The roar of the motorcycle was very clear in the rain. The man reached up and wiped his face: "Wait, why is there another player?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Wangwang frowned: "Huh? Is the quantity wrong?"
As the rain intensified, the referee stopped the car, took off his raincoat at the stop, and carefully examined Wu Wangwang before slapping his forehead: "I knew it! I forgot there was one more person! Oh no, what are we going to do now..."
It looked a bit troublesome. Wu Wangwang remained silent, waiting for the referee to think it over.
After a while, the referee asked, "You came in because of a special item, but this instance is very special. The number of people is the key. It will be difficult to handle if there is one more person. How about this, I will send you back, and you can pretend you were never here, okay?"
“I don’t want to,” Wu Wangwang replied immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
The referee was stunned: "Don't want to? You're not mistaken, are you? If you die here, you're really dead. Stop messing around, I'll take you back."
Wu Wangwang took a step back: "I don't want to, I want to save Shao—no, I want to save my husband. My husband was murdered before he came in, I have to save him."
After hearing this, the referee gave a look of utter exasperation: "How can there be such a couple in this kind of dungeon! You love-struck lovers really don't know when to show off your affection. Haven't you heard that showing off your love leads to a quick death?"
"No, my husband would die even faster without me. When we join forces, we are invincible." Wu Wangwang uttered these lines in a calm tone that made people want to die.
The referee, wearing slippers, felt like he was going to tear the soles of his shoes apart. He held his forehead, trying to keep his composure. After a long while, he conceded: "Fine, fine, I give up. I'm just unlucky to have run into you guys. I can let you stay in this instance, but there are some things I need to tell you in advance."
Then, Wu Wangwang learned the biggest secret in this instance—Mei Su had died on her way home, and she was an extra player who, from this moment on, had to play the role of a dead person.
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Author's Note: [End of Chapter]
Wu Wangwang: Honey, I've come to find you!
Ling Yuanshan: I never imagined that the settings from the previous dungeon would be carried over to this one [laughing and crying emoji]
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