Chapter 22 Komura Oh dear, you lazy bum~ Why are you only arriving now~...
Yu Naixin: "...?!"
Yu Naixin's pupils suddenly contracted.
What happened?!
Even if the little boy's torch is gone, she's standing so close! Her torch could easily cover all the children!
Could it be that the information provided by those two bastards, the White Bone Scholar and the Fox Demon Priest, was wrong?!
The little boy's mother stumbled and fell to the ground.
"You mustn't ask..." the woman sobbed uncontrollably, "You mustn't ask! The mountain god will punish you!... Da Niu, my Da Niu...!"
The surrounding villagers had tacitly moved away from the little boy's mother, making room for her in a fairly large open space.
Just like how they avoid Yu Naixin.
It seemed like this wasn't the first time they'd encountered such a situation, and their handling of it could even be described as practiced.
The villagers' faces no longer showed the fear and dread they had when they saw Yu Naixin; only a deep numbness and indifference remained.
The torch, which had been in the little boy's hand, fell to the dark ground of the village after losing its support, and rolled right at Yu Naixin's feet.
Even though the flames on the torch had gone out, leaving only a bare wooden stick, Yu Naixin's foot, which was closest to it, seemed to be burned, and she felt a faint pain.
It turns out that... the villagers of Cocoon Village are forbidden from knowing anything about the outside world.
Young children may not be aware of this, or even if they are, they may not take it to heart. However, older and more experienced people are well aware of this unspoken rule.
Yu Naixin looked at the villagers around her. Even though they all looked emaciated, a closer look at their faces revealed obvious differences.
But now, so many different faces are showing the exact same expression.
Monotonous and indifferent.
Yu Naixin felt a chill run down her spine as she watched.
The little boy's mother was still lying on the ground, crying and wailing. Her thin, bony body was trembling violently, as if it would fall apart at any moment.
After a while, hushed whispers began to circulate among the surrounding crowd.
"...Da Niu's mother only has this one child, right?"
"That's right, her husband passed away a couple of years ago, leaving only this mother and daughter..."
"Da Niu is really insensible. The adults have repeatedly told him not to ask, but he just can't control himself!"
"This isn't the first time. Little kids often make these kinds of mistakes. They'll get used to it as they grow older..."
"I should have let my two kids come over and see what happens when they misbehave..."
Many people were whispering among themselves, but not a single person showed any concern for the little boy's mother.
No one even stepped forward to help him up or offer a word of comfort; it seemed as if the little boy's mother was some kind of ominous figure, to be avoided at all costs.
They don't care how a mother who has lost her only child will live in the future; they only care whether this matter has affected them.
The little boy's mother was clearly in the center of the crowd, yet she was so tacitly ignored by the crowd.
Finally, the woman stopped crying in despair. She struggled to get up from the ground, and before she could even stand, she began to look around rapidly, anxiously searching for something.
"Da Niu...where's my Da Niu?!" The little boy's mother's voice was hoarse and rough, with obvious sobs. "Da Niu! Come to your mother! Today is the day the mountain god is getting married. Come with your mother to the altar..."
The woman grew increasingly anxious as she spoke. Finally, she stood up and stumbled off in one direction, calling out her child's name as she ran.
Yu Naixin: "...!"
A very bad feeling arose in Yu Naixin's heart, and she subconsciously wanted to step forward and stop the woman.
However, the villagers nearby had already made way for the little boy's mother, allowing her to run away quickly.
The roads in Cocoon Village are only so big, so the villagers who made way for the woman naturally walked closer to Yu Naixin.
Yu Naixin was already some distance away from the little boy's mother, and this further obstruction completely deprived her of the opportunity to hold the woman back.
The little boy's mother ran unimpeded all the way to the edge of Cocoon Village. The moment she touched the thick fog that enveloped Cocoon Village, she, like her child before her, dissolved into nothingness.
The villagers started whispering again.
"Da Niu's mother has gone mad..."
"Another one has gone mad..."
"I'll have to give my wife a good talking-to later. She has to keep that brat in check..."
Amidst the scattered whispers, the surrounding villagers finally began to move around, each going about their own business.
It was only at this moment that Yu Naixin realized that the villagers had deliberately stayed there, eagerly awaiting how things would unfold.
For people like them, trapped in the village of Cocoon, the deaths of the little boy and his mother seemed like a rare spectacle in their monotonous lives, not to be missed.
As the excitement drew to a close, Yu Naixin even saw a lingering sense of satisfaction on the numb faces of many villagers.
Yu Naixin suddenly felt that the cold she felt now was nothing compared to the chill she had experienced in the simulator when she was shivering from the yin energy emanating from the paper doll boy.
She felt a chill run through her entire body.
After experiencing three tragic deaths in a row, Yu Naixin no longer doubted the authenticity of the dating reality show "Heartbeat 1000%".
Yu Naixin has always considered Cocoon Village as another real world, and even believes that there may be a wider world outside of Cocoon Village.
But at this moment, Yu Naixin sincerely hoped that her previous judgment was wrong.
If that little boy, his mother, and all these villagers were all living, breathing people...
What kind of hell on earth must the entire Cocoon Village be?
[Wow, I thought this newcomer was fearless, able to flirt with all the male guests with ease, but it turns out she's so weak and helpless in front of the NPCs in the instance?]
[A common problem for newcomers: their useless sense of morality and kindness often become stumbling blocks to their progress.]
She seemed quite remorseful, it's hilarious! Is she thinking that if she hadn't answered the little boy, the mother and child wouldn't have died?
There's nothing she can do. She has no idea this is a fixed procedure; once she triggers it, it will definitely follow the script. It's just a process of providing information to the show's guests.
[It's not impossible for the guest to stop her, but as a complete newcomer with no props, no weapons, and no authority, it's simply impossible for her to do so.]
[We finally found such an interesting guest for the show, don't let such a trivial matter confine you to it so quickly!]
Suddenly, a very familiar sound of wind rang out in front of Yu Naixin.
The expressions of the surrounding villagers suddenly became vivid. Like ants being battered by a rainstorm, they began to scatter in panic, often bumping into each other, creating complete chaos.
The fox demon priest appeared right in the center of the wind.
The villagers who could escape fled desperately, while those who couldn't escape could only kneel on the ground, trembling, prostrating themselves and shouting "Sacrificial Lord!"
Yu Naixin raised an eyebrow at this.
The villagers would watch with great interest as the mother and son were punished to death by the mountain god. Even when faced with her, the mountain god's bride who was destined to be sacrificed, the villagers would try their best to avoid her.
What did the fox demon priest do to them to make these villagers so afraid?
However, the fox demon priest himself paid no attention to these ants. He ignored the villagers and stared straight at Yu Naixin.
A dangerous glint flashed in those fox eyes.
"Yu, Nai, Xin." The fox demon priest called out her name word by word, "You just openly expose yourself in Cocoon Village like this, aren't you afraid of death?"
This was the first time Yu Naixin had heard a male guest call her by her full name, and she was quite surprised.
Previously, whether it was the fox demon priest, the paper doll boy, or the white bone scholar, they all addressed her as "Miss Yu" in a very consistent way. Yu Naixin thought they only knew her surname.
Even the viewers in the live stream seemed to not know her name, referring to her as "this newcomer" or "this female guest."
Does her real name have any special meaning in the dating reality show "Heartbeat 1000%"?
"Oh, you rascal!" Yu Naixin blushed and pointed shyly at the fox demon priest. "Why are you only arriving now? I've been waiting for you for ages!"
"Waaaaah~ You're so annoying~"
The affected tone made even the fox demon priest, who wished she could devour Yu Naixin alive right then and there, unable to help but show an expression as if she had been struck by lightning.
[Damn, that intonation and rhythm gave me goosebumps!]
Has this newcomer adjusted their mindset? They've recovered so quickly, that's impressive. Now I can finally continue watching their livestream with peace of mind.
[What did the fox spirit say just now that was muted in the live stream? Not only were her mouth movements blurred, but the sound was also cut off!]
[This is hilarious! This newbie always has an endless stream of tricks up their sleeve!]
[But you know what, being good-looking really does give you the freedom to do whatever you want. It's not so bad coming from her mouth, hahaha!]
While the fox demon priest was still reeling from the shock, Yu Naixin swiftly tore off the hem of her shirt.
The clothes she was wearing were originally made by the paper boy from white paper, and they also retained the characteristic that paper is easy to tear. Yu Naixin tore off a large piece of paper cloth without much effort.
As the piece of paper was removed, it was as if a signal had been ignited, and a pale figure rushed towards Yu Naixin like an arrow released from a bow.
Yu Naixin showed no resistance whatsoever, letting the figure pick her up in his arms.
This figure was none other than the paper doll boy.
Previously, when the two were alone in the tailor shop, Yu Naixin had already experimented and found that there was a certain connection between the paper cloth made by the paper doll boy and the paper itself.
As long as she makes a big commotion on these paper cloths, the paper boy will receive the message immediately, thus achieving the effect of issuing commands.
The fact that paper and cloth are easy to tear is something Yu Naixin had already verified.
The fox demon priest was, after all, the domain lord of Cocoon Village, and Yu Naixin felt that even if she was determined to die, there was no need to confront him head-on.
Before leaving the paper doll boy's tailor shop, Yu Naixin had already prepared a way out for herself.
She dared to brazenly wander around Cocoon Village alone, gathering intelligence, because she had a backup plan.
Holding the paper doll boy in her arms, Yu Naixin wrapped one arm around his neck for support, and with the other hand, she made a face at the fox demon priest: "Let's go~"
The paper doll boy was clearly much more nervous than Yu Naixin. He didn't dare to linger in front of the fox demon priest. After he had a firm grip on Yu Naixin, he hurriedly ran away in the direction he had come from.
Only Yu Naixin's provocative final words remained, echoing joyfully in the fox demon priest's ears.
Fox Demon Priestess: "...?!"
The fox demon priest then belatedly realized that the place where Yu Naixin was staying was very close to the paper doll boy's tailor shop!
By the time he realized something was wrong, he had already lost his chance to stop Yu Naixin!
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