38. The Ghost Village Worships Gods (4)
From now on, your name is Xie Yunhuai.
The players all looked worried, feeling frustrated by the stalemate in their mission.
In the silence, Guo Shulin, who had covered most of his face with his collar, raised his hand and said cautiously, "Um... I might have gotten some useful information."
When everyone's eyes were on him, he awkwardly turned away from Qin Fu'an's gaze and stammered, "The family I'm staying with has two children. I promised to teach them how to weave grasshoppers from straw. In exchange, they told me the location of the mountain god temple. Also, the annual mountain god sacrifice is in two days, so several adults in the village have gone to guard the temple for the mountain god early."
Children always say whatever comes to mind. Guo Shulin got up at five o'clock and made grass grasshoppers for the two children. His hands were cut and bled from the grass stems, and that's how he got this little bit of information that could be considered useful.
"So, are we going to explore the Mountain God Temple next?" Liang Ping subconsciously looked at Liu Yu and Zhong Hao, clearly indicating that he wanted the two of them to lead the way.
Impatient with the delay, Liu Yu said directly, "Let's split into two groups. One group will go to the mountain god temple, and the other group will stay in the village and the surrounding area to see if there is any other information."
After saying that, he expressed his intention to stay in the village.
No one present was a fool. Everyone knew that going to the unknown mountain god temple was full of uncertain dangers. Staying in the village might allow them to reap the benefits. Therefore, apart from Liang Ping hesitantly expressing his desire to go with Liu Yu, the other players did not respond to Liu Yu's suggestion.
Liu Yu's expression darkened instantly.
He sneered and said in a deep voice, "Forget it, you're all so arrogant. Since none of you are really committed to working together to clear the game, there's no need to keep gathering around to discuss things. Let's just show our skills and avoid anyone holding anyone back."
After saying that, he turned and left the player team that had been temporarily put together.
Liu Yu left decisively. Liang Ping, who had always wanted to join him on the border, did not expect things to turn out this way so suddenly. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed Liu Yu away.
It wasn't that Liang Ping was particularly loyal to Liu Yu, but rather that he had been assigned to the same group as Liu Yu last night and had encountered danger in the middle of the night. He had personally witnessed Liu Yu's skills, which were far superior to what he had imagined. As a newcomer, Liang Ping could only gamble on Liu Yu, betting that his confidence meant he was sure he could pass the test smoothly.
After the two left, the remaining players exchanged glances. Cen Tian spoke first: "What about you guys? Why don't we all talk things out? Do you want to cooperate? How do you want to cooperate? Those who want to go it alone can leave now."
She always spoke frankly and directly. After Liu Yu exposed their fake friendship, they did have to face the question: should they go it alone or cooperate?
“…I want to cooperate.” Guo Shulin was the first to state his thoughts, but as he said this, he cautiously glanced at Qin Fu’an.
Although Qin Fu'an was dangerous, it must be admitted that even though he remained indifferent and observed everything from beginning to end, he still possessed the aura of a powerful and reliable boss that was not to be trifled with.
Guo Shulin had already made up his mind: if Qin Fu'an stayed, he would secretly cling to Qin Fu'an's coattails; if Qin Fu'an chose to go it alone... then he would obediently stay away and absolutely not go near him unless necessary.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fubiao, who was slightly older, nodded and said, "I also prefer cooperation. Although this dungeon is not difficult, there is strength in numbers. If we work together, we should be able to clear it more smoothly."
“I have no objection.” Cen Tian nodded readily.
“Neither do I.” After Zhong Hao finished speaking, the others all looked at Qin Fu’an, the only one who had not yet expressed his opinion.
Meeting the expectant gazes of the group, Qin Fu'an pondered for a moment before saying calmly, "Cooperation is possible, but there's a condition."
"What's the premise?" Guo Shulin asked impatiently.
Qin Fu'an reached out and patted the little mute boy who had been standing quietly beside him, his tone softening slightly: "It's simple, if you see him being bullied by the villagers..."
Before he could finish speaking, Guo Shulin nodded knowingly: "I understand. If we see him being bullied, we'll help him bully him back tenfold or a hundredfold!"
That's how it was written in the novels he stayed up all night reading during his university years, and Guo Shulin knew it very well.
Qin Fu'an: "...No, I'm asking you to take care of him for me. I can't be with him all the time. If he encounters danger, I hope you can take him away immediately."
This is also the fundamental reason why Qin Fu'an was willing to choose cooperation.
The situation in the village is still unknown, but the little mute is clearly unpopular there. If the whole village hates the little mute, then as the player's story progresses, the little mute, as a special NPC in the story, will definitely face even more severe hostility and humiliation than before.
However, Qin Fu'an also needs to follow the storyline. For example, if he plans to explore the Mountain God Temple, he cannot bring the little mute with him. In such cases, it would be safer to have other players help take care of her.
“I’m fine with it.” Cen Tian was the first to agree.
The others, considering the little mute's special identity and performance in this instance, also nodded in agreement.
At this point, the temporary cooperative team was officially established.
The little mute could hear their conversation, especially when they weren't talking about the game. For example, he could clearly hear Qin Fu'an asking them to take good care of him.
He wanted to say that he didn't need the care of these strangers, but before he could even raise his hands to make a gesture, Qin Fu'an, who had anticipated this, took his hand.
The little mute boy: "..."
The hand that held his was dry and warm, with strong knuckles, yet it made the little mute feel a strange panic once again.
He had only secretly seen other people in the village holding hands like that, and soon the people holding hands would get married and become a family.
No one had taught the little mute boy what normal social distance was, so when he was held to sleep in the morning, he felt uncomfortable but not anxious.
But he had seen others holding hands before, and when this scene, which he had only ever seen on others, suddenly appeared on his own, he couldn't suppress the dazed panic he felt.
So after Qin Fu'an and the group of strangers talked for a while and finally parted ways, the little mute girl struggled for the first time to clearly free her hand from Qin Fu'an's grasp.
Meeting Qin Fu'an's calm gaze, the little mute opened his mouth helplessly, then hurriedly tried to express something using sign language.
In his panic, he forgot that Qin Fu'an could hear his thoughts.
Qin Fu'an suddenly chuckled, raised her hand to ruffle his hair, and replied casually, "It's okay, if you don't like it, you don't have to hold my hand. You didn't do anything wrong, so why apologize?"
The little mute boy was stunned.
He could clearly feel that the person was unhappy the moment he pulled his hand away.
But then he suddenly became gentle, not only refraining from cursing him loudly like the villagers, but also saying that he had done nothing wrong.
"?" The little mute looked at Qin Fu'an with a puzzled expression, and for the first time, he mustered up the courage to try to see what Qin Fu'an was thinking from his beautiful green eyes.
Are you angry or happy?
Is he pretending not to be angry or does he really not care?
However, those pale green eyes not only didn't reveal any negative emotions, but also held a hint of a smile, clearly reflecting his figure and making his puzzled expression stand out even more.
"..." The little mute pursed his lips, took two steps back uncomfortably, and did not look at Qin Fu'an again.
Qin Fu'an shared the breakfast he had received from Zhong Hao with the little mute boy. As the boy ate earnestly with his cheeks puffed out, he suddenly said, "After breakfast, I'm going to the Mountain God Temple. You..."
Before he could finish speaking, the mute boy, who had been engrossed in eating, was startled and suddenly looked up at him, his eyes wide with fear and unease.
"Don't go!" the tentacles echoed in unison, conveying the little mute's unspoken message.
I was both anxious and panicked.
"Don't go! The mountain god's temple is a place that eats people!"
"The mountain god festival is coming soon. If they find you, you'll be offered up to the mountain god!"
"Don't go, once you go you'll never come back..."
"Don't go, I'll take you down the mountain, away from here..."
The little mute had already abandoned his breakfast, gripping Qin Fu'an's sleeve tightly with both hands, repeating those words in his mind while shaking his head in vain at Qin Fu'an.
Don't go, it's dangerous, you'll get eaten.
Not only the little mute himself, but also all the soul tentacles on his body surged up, binding Qin Fu'an tightly with every single one of them, trying to keep Qin Fu'an in place by doing so.
The little mute boy's reaction was very strange.
Qin Fu'an noticed his body trembling slightly with fear, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Why would simply visiting the mountain god temple cause such severe fear and trauma to the little mute boy?
And what about his claim that the mountain god temple eats people?
Could it be that the main quest in this instance, which requires players to explore the haunted village and the mountain god, actually involves the people of the haunted village worshipping an evil god or demon?
Qin Fu'an had seen too many man-eating demons and ghosts, but he had never seen an evil god. However, after waking up from a thousand-year slumber, he had become curious and learned about the various gods and ghosts that were passed down in the East and West.
The fact that this instance is named "Mysterious Village" is already suspicious, and it also features an unknown mountain god...
Qin Fu'an reached out and pressed down the little mute boy who was still frantically trying to persuade him. When the boy looked at him nervously, Qin Fu'an suddenly smiled and changed the subject:
"I can't keep calling you 'little mute' forever, can I? How about I give you a temporary name, and if you don't like it later, I'll give you another one?"
The little mute boy was visibly stunned.
A pair of clear, clean eyes stared at him, filled with doubt.
Without even listening to the tentacles convey anything, Qin Fu'an could guess what the little mute was trying to say from his remarkably easy-to-understand expression.
"Why are you suddenly bringing up names?"
"Weren't you talking about the mountain god temple?"
"If I get a new name, will you no longer have to go to the mountain god's temple?"
Although the little mute boy lived a hard life, he tried his best to take care of himself. He wore tattered but clean clothes, and his thin face due to malnutrition made his eyes look very round and big.
Therefore, when he doesn't know how to hide his emotions, whatever he's thinking will naturally reveal more obvious emotions in his beautiful, clear eyes.
It's easy to understand, so in many cases he doesn't even need to speak.
Qin Fu'an really wanted to pinch the little mute's cheeks. Although there wasn't much flesh on them, they were indeed the most well-behaved child Qin Fu'an had ever raised.
"Only with a name can you leave a mark on this world." Qin Fu'an coaxed the little mute boy to sit down in the haystack, teasing him in a coaxing tone: "Besides, I am a god. The name I give you will bring you a lot of good luck and blessings. Do you want it? If you don't, you will never have another chance."
Even though he was the one who wanted to name someone else, he managed to make it sound like the other person had gotten a huge advantage.
Viewers couldn't help but flood the screen with comments criticizing Qin Fu'an's ill intentions.
Only when something has a name can it leave a trace in this world.
It's clear you want to completely brand the little mute girl with your mark!
Is there anything that deepens the karmic bond between beings more than personally naming a life?!
[I told you long ago that this streamer didn't seem like a good person, now you believe me, right?]
[But if a man isn't a little bad, his girlfriend won't love him...]
[The person upstairs is love-struck, get out!]
[I still can't forget Xiao Xie from the last dungeon run, ugh, what a jerk!!]
[Host, don't go too far! I'm keeping an eye on you for Xiao Xie! You womanizing bastard, falling in love with every girl you see, a scoundrel with no morals and no self-respect!!!]
[But, but I think the streamer and the little mute girl... are also a great couple to ship QAQ~]
No matter how enthusiastically they shouted, or how much they felt sorry for Xiao Xie, Qin Fu'an didn't care at all. His mind and eyes were only on the little mute in front of him, and he didn't even spare them a glance.
Damn it! The angry viewers kept cursing and sending gifts to Qin Fu'an, because only the star-level bullet comments could make those condemnations stand out. Although they felt frustrated, Qin Fu'an was really good at it. They were like fish that had been hooked and hooked. They were cursing fiercely, but they couldn't bear to look away and wander into other live streams, afraid of missing any part of Qin Fu'an's performance in the dungeon.
This is probably what it means to hate superficially and love deeply.
The culprit condemned by the audience not only showed no remorse for betraying Xiao Xie, but also softly uttered three particularly familiar words after the little mute obediently nodded in agreement to be named.
"Xie Yunhuai."
Qin Fu'an looked into the little mute boy's clean and clear eyes, his voice slightly dark, carrying a hint of inexplicable emotion, and said, word by word, "Xie Yunhuai, from now on, these three words will be your surname and given name."
From then on, the little mute was no longer a nameless, unwanted little mute.
His surname is Xie, and his given name is Yunhuai. He is a precious treasure that even the mythical beast Qin Fu'an covets.
Xie Yunhuai stared blankly at Qin Fu'an, his mouth opening and closing as he silently recited each word of the new name that would truly belong to him from that moment on, mimicking Qin Fu'an's pronunciation.
However, out of Xie Yunhuai's sight, the barrage of comments on the live stream screen exploded.
[??? Host, aren't you going to explain this to us?!]
[No, Xie Yunhuai? Huh?! Is it the Xie Yunhuai I know??]
[...I was stunned. For a moment, I couldn't tell whether the problem lay with me, the world, or the streamer, but I felt I should log off, otherwise, why would I start hallucinating in broad daylight?]
[Ahhhhh, could it be what I'm thinking? No way, no way? Is Xie Yunhuai the Xie Yunhuai I'm thinking of? Streamer, streamer, streamer, stop focusing so much on romance, come check the comments!!!]
[Wait... We already know Xie Yunhuai escaped the Fierce and Mysterious High School instance and successfully entered the Mysterious Realm, so this newly minted Xie Yunhuai in front of us, could it be... ah??!]
[Thanks for the invitation. I just asked the official customer service, and they said everything is normal. That's just empty talk! I don't care, if this little mute is really Xie, I'll gift the streamer ten villas as a wedding present right now!!]
[…………]
Because Qin Fu'an gave Xie Yunhuai a name on a whim, the live stream's popularity was immediately boosted by the shocked audience, even surpassing some powerful high-level streamers on the leaderboard.
But the audience didn't care, and neither did Qin Fu'an. While half-believing and half-doubting, the audience happily brought Qin Fu'an gifts of money from civil affairs bureaus all over the country, all the while watching Qin Fu'an hold Xie Yunhuai's hand and teach Xie Yunhuai to write their names.
[What a jerk, streamer! Did you already have this trick up your sleeve? It deepens the karmic bond, lets you touch Xiao Xie's hand and cuddle with him, and you get to enjoy his bright, adoring gaze. Tsk tsk tsk~]
[I apologize for calling the streamer a scumbag before. I'm sorry, but you were also wrong. Who told you to keep it from us and not say a word!]
[Waaaaah, I thought I'd never see Xiao Xie again! He was just a random character in the last dungeon, and now he's a bullied little mute again?! I'm going to kill all those bastards who bullied him!!]
[Oh right, when the host wanted to go to the mountain god temple just now, Xiao Xie's reaction was really strange. Could the host ask him again why?]
[I know, but I can't give away any spoilers, it's painful...]
[I know, I can't say it either, ughhh, the rules in the live stream are so frustrating!!!]
Qin Fu'an's gaze inadvertently swept across the live broadcast screen, then he lowered his eyes without making a sound and continued to teach Xie Yunhuai to write their names on the ground stroke by stroke.
Xie Yunhuai seemed particularly interested in the two names, and he wrote them very carefully and attentively all morning. Whenever Qin Fu'an tried to let go, he would grab Qin Fu'an's sleeve and not let go.
Xie Yunhuai's clumsy little thoughts were too obvious. Even if Qin Fu'an wanted to pretend he didn't see through them, as time ticked towards noon, he could only helplessly hold Xie Yunhuai's hand, which was red from being rubbed by tree branches.
“You’ve written very well, you don’t need to write anymore.” Qin Fu’an looked at Xie Yunhuai’s flustered and evasive gaze and said calmly, “There’s still plenty of time. Even if I don’t go to the Mountain God Temple now, I will eventually go later.”
Xie Yunhuai couldn't leave him here forever.
Xie Yunhuai was actually well aware of this, but after Qin Fu'an bluntly exposed him, he still opened his mouth silently.
[I can secretly send you away from here.]
Countless tentacles simultaneously conveyed the same message.
Looking at Xie Yunhuai's earnest yet pleading eyes, Qin Fu'an felt a slight pang in his heart. He helplessly rubbed the boy's head and whispered, "Okay, I won't go to the mountain god temple."
He seemed to have compromised.
Xie Yunhuai carefully observed Qin Fu'an's expression. Not seeing any perfunctoriness or deception in his expression, he immediately softened his expression and revealed a genuine smile. His round eyes curved slightly, as if he had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Little did he know that countless kind-hearted viewers in the live chat were reminding him not to believe a word Qin Fu'an said.
As a player, how could Qin Fu'an not go to the Mountain God Temple?
[Qin Fu'an, a liar.]
[Qin Fu'an, a liar.]
[Qin Fu'an, a liar.]
The audience flooded the screen in unison, seemingly with the urge to slap the five words Xie Yunhuai left behind at the end of the previous instance right in Qin Fu'an's face.
Damn it, he even lied to his own wife! Qin Fu'an is definitely no good person!
As Xie Yunhuai turned around with a relaxed and trusting expression, Qin Fu'an put two fingers together, lowered his eyes, and silently recited a short incantation. Xie Yunhuai, who had just turned around, suddenly froze, and then fell backward into Qin Fu'an's open arms without any warning.
"I'm a liar, and you're just a fool who got fooled." Qin Fu'an chuckled as he brushed Xie Yunhuai's slightly furrowed brow, laid the sleeping man down on the haystack, got up, and pushed open the door to leave.
Next, the audience saw him pick up a few pebbles and bury them around the small, dilapidated house. No one knew what the purpose of burying those pebbles was, but Qin Fu'an left directly after burying them, showing no concern what danger Xie Yunhuai might encounter if left alone in the house.
When he arrived at the east side of the village, Cen Tian and the other players had already been waiting there for a while.
"You've finally arrived." Zhong Hao breathed a silent sigh of relief upon seeing him, and then said, "We just discussed it and decided that Cen Tian and I will go to the Mountain God Temple with you, while Xiao Guo and Brother Li will stay in the village to continue gathering other information. We'll meet here before dark. What do you think?"
Qin Fu'an had no objection to this arrangement.
He absolutely had to go to the Mountain God Temple. Xie Yunhuai's reaction made him take it seriously. If the Mountain God Temple really did enshrine some evil god, Qin Fu'an didn't think these players could safely bring back the information intact.
Rather than relying on secondhand information from others, Qin Fu'an chose to go himself.
"Let's set off now."
Once Qin Fu'an and the other two had walked far away, Guo Shulin, who had been covering half of his face, finally relaxed and pulled down the collar of his shirt that was covering his face.
He was suffocating, having to keep speaking in a strained voice, but it seemed Qin Fu'an didn't recognize him.
On the other hand, that fire-breathing chick looks quite extraordinary; I wonder if I'll ever see it again once I'm out there.
Meanwhile, Cen Tian was sharing the information she had received with Qin Fu'an and Zhong Hao.
"Liu Yu and that new player have been following us. They probably want us to go to the mountain god temple first so they can reap the benefits. We need to be more careful from now on."
Zhong Hao was curious about why she could sense such a long distance, because the coordinates Cen Tian mentioned were at least a hundred meters away from them.
Cen Tian didn't hold back and answered directly: "It's very simple, just put all the attribute points you earn into Strength."
Because you've focused all your energy on strength, all aspects of your body's functions will increase significantly.
Zhong Hao: "..."
To my utter surprise, the answer was so simple and straightforward.
Cen Tian shrugged: "There's nothing I can do, I have a fear of being unable to fight."
Just like when she faced Qin Fu'an, although she appeared calm on the surface, every cell in her body was screaming for danger.
[Author's Note]
Sweetie: The first lesson in surviving in an infinite flow game: Max out your power!!!
.
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:
Starfall, one cup of sake, five bottles;
Qingyu Guzhou, 55010348, Muchuan Hui, Foglight in the Mountains, 47381138 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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