Each person received a bowl of mung bean soup, and after drinking it, everyone's eyes became clear.
Nine dishes were laid out on the table: a mung bean soup, two vegetarian dishes, and six meat dishes. Among them, only the cold-dressed grave grass that Aunt Qu served the second time was not soulless. On another plate of steamed locust flowers sat a child with a white flower bud on his head.
Qian Chang rubbed his eyes and saw the two- or three-year-old child grinning at him, not at all shy.
He couldn't help but wonder, if locust flowers can become spirits, then why don't the grass on graves have them?
"Stop looking." Huang Yingzong put down his chopsticks and told Aunt Qu that he was full, citing his Buddhist beliefs as an excuse.
Yao Shu followed closely behind, gazing affectionately at Huang Yingzong, and said that she believed him too.
Lin Shu rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Then I'll believe it too."
Qian Chang: "Then I...believe...to it too."
"I'm observing mourning for my great-grandmother, she died." When it was Jiang Xiaowan's turn, she changed her excuse.
"I am observing mourning for my great-grandfather, who has passed away." Ye Zhan copied the answer verbatim.
"Since you're not going to eat, you should get some rest."
Aunt Qu didn't insist. Instead, she reminded them, "It's cool in the mountains, so wear more clothes at night. I think it will rain tonight. If you can't sleep, just chat in the house and don't wander around. Don't be afraid if you hear any noise at night. There are many small animals in the mountains, and some of them will come down and rummage through things."
"knew."
"We will be careful."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Aunt Qu served grass from graves as the first dish and then told everyone to drink more mung bean soup. She wasn't going to do anything harmful for the time being, so we should just do as she said.
No one touched their chopsticks anymore. Shi Jinzhe stood up and took the lead in helping Aunt Qu clear the dishes. He wanted to know what would happen to the meat dishes.
Sher sat still, and Aunt Qu praised him for being sensible. Shi Jinzhe ignored her, lowered his head, picked up the small pot of mung bean soup, and walked through the long corridor. The other seven people followed his example, each carrying a plate to the kitchen.
The empty iron pot wasn't as hot as it had been at first, leading him to deduce that it was the invigorating soup that was burning him, not the pot itself.
Upon entering the kitchen, Shi Jinzhe noticed that it still had an earthen stove and no modern kitchen equipment; the only advanced feature was two plastic bags.
Aunt Qu took out a few sheets of oil paper, drained the vegetable soup, picked out the dry ones, put them into the oil paper and wrapped them up, then put them all into a woven basket, picked them up and said, "I'm going out for a bit, you all get some rest."
After she left, the group searched the kitchen.
Qian Chang: "I didn't find anything special. It's just old. The houses are old, that's fine, but if people still live here, there should be some modern things. But I can't see any of that."
Huang Yingzong: "It's isolated from the world. Anyone who comes to this place is doomed. They may never have any contact with the outside world."
Lin Shu: "Sigh, judging from what she said, something unusual must have happened tonight. The small animals on the mountain, just by looking at the vegetables, you can tell they aren't ordinary small animals."
"Be careful tonight. We don't know if Aunt Qu is good or bad. Let's get through tonight safely first and then talk about other things." Jiang Xiaowan leaned against the door and, as she relaxed and leaned back, she smelled a faint fragrance in her nostrils.
She moved her foot back and found an incense stick in a crevice between the rocks.
Item: [Special Soul-Repelling Incense] (Disposable Item)
Effect: It cannot be extinguished by wind or rain. Silently recite the four words "May the gods protect you" and after lighting it, ghosts within a two-meter radius cannot approach it. The effect lasts for 9 hours.
Jiang Xiaowan was overjoyed and quickly and carefully pried it out. She had just said that this was a good thing and that she was very lucky.
"Sister is so lucky. She was the last one to come into the kitchen but was the first to get a useful tool." Ye Zhan flattered her with a half-smile, his eyes fixed on the incense in her hand.
"This is what happens when you do a lot of good deeds. You don't need to be envious."
Before Jiang Xiaowan could speak, Lin Shu retorted, seeing Ye Zhan's sinister gaze, and asked, "You're not convinced? Then let's have another fight."
Ye Zhan threw the knife, and the two started fighting immediately, each blow aimed at a vital spot. The kitchen floor tiles were smashed to pieces by the knife, a sight that made everyone's head spin.
Qian Chang asked in a low voice, "How are we going to explain this to Aunt Qu when she comes back, after she's been beaten like this?"
"Whoever hit the driver, go find them." Fu Guan wasn't in a hurry at all. He bought paper and pen from the prop shop and went to chat with Shi Jinzhe.
Fu Guanzai: [Is this dangerous?]
Time runs out: [None.]
He checked it as soon as he came in.
Fu Guanzai: [Let's divide the battle. Don't actually kill them all; each person should take one down.]
Linlang mentioned Ye Zhan's threat to her during the last dungeon run. She said it was quite annoying, but he had to share the danger. She wasn't going to die now; she'd talk about it when the game was almost over.
Shi Jinzhe put down his pen as a reply, choosing to mediate between the two, specifically Ye Zhan, to test whether he had locked in his health from the start.
In the dimly lit kitchen, several moths fluttered around the exposed light bulb. Without the sickle, Ye Zhan was not yet used to using the heavy sword, and Lin Shu always took the opportunity to dodge his attacks when he turned his wrist.
After being successfully blocked once again, Ye Zhan placed his palm on the blade and slashed fiercely, preparing to activate his skill.
Just then, a golden ring suddenly bloomed on the ground, locking onto his movements. It then rapidly reduced Ye Zhan's attack speed and power. Next, a golden vine wrapped around his hands and feet, forcefully pulling Ye Zhan's body backward.
In an instant, Ye Zhan felt something draining from his body. Before he could think, Lin Shu punched him hard in the chin, sending him crashing to the ground with his head hanging back, his face covered in blood.
Fu Guan let out an exaggerated "Oh dear!" and pointed at the tangible Fool's Man standing in front of Lin Shu, "Sorry, I was a step too slow in stopping you."
Ye Zhan wiped the blood from his face. When he opened his mouth, his teeth were red, like a wild beast that had just devoured its prey.
He said to Shi Jinzhe sarcastically, "Brother's skills in taking sides are really good. Aren't you afraid of upsetting your sister?"
"Don't you have a mother? You recognize everyone you meet as your relative? If you're so starved for love, why don't you call me 'Mom' and let me hear it?" Lin Shu raised her hand to punch him again, but was stopped in time by the Fool's Card next to her.
Fu Guan explained, "Those who have grudges can settle them after clearing the dungeon. In this round, we should try to avoid any deaths. You saw those weaklings. There are not only ghosts here, but also spirits and demons, all of which are hundreds of years old. If they are all dead, how will we withstand the damage later?"
After saying that, he pretended to take out a stack of cards, each one glowing. The way he did it made it seem like he could materialize dozens of tarot cards at the same time.
When time runs out, turning around reveals that suspicion and deception are hidden skills of every advanced player.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. If it's a faction battle, it would be very frustrating if a high-level player couldn't control the field well and caused their teammates to drag them down. Soloing isn't something everyone can do; teamwork is sometimes very important.
Fu Guanzai was still saying, "Even I'm not confident, how can you do it?"
"You're right, I'll concede." Lin Shu straightened the pink dress that was dragging her down; it was a piece of junk, and she could only fight with her fists while wearing it.
"And what about you?" Fu Guan asked Ye Zhan again.
Ye Zhan moved her bluish arm, showing off the tightly wrapped golden vines, "as if I had other choices."
"Okay, then let's just get through tonight." Fu Guan clapped his hands, making the final decision.
There wasn't much to see in the kitchen, so the eight of them headed outside, afraid that Aunt Qu would come back and see the messy floor.
Jiang Xiaowan took the incense sticks and saw that there were still embers under the stove. She prepared to light them and carried them all the way back to her room.
Seeing this, Yao Shu quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't use the stove fire to light this incense."
"Is there some kind of explanation?" Jiang Xiaowan noticed that Yao Shu seemed to know a lot about these things.
"The instructions say to silently pray for the protection of the gods. I've never heard of the gods, but the stove fire is the incense offering of the Kitchen God. Lighting it will offend him. Light a different kind of fire instead."
Jiang Xiaowan immediately withdrew her hand, wondering if this prop was some kind of trap.
It was so close! If Yao Shu hadn't been there, she would have been infected.
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