Strange Tales from the Deep Mountains (Part 1)
A young girl with red lips and white teeth sat on a swaying wooden boat. She leaned quietly against the wooden post of the boat, her long eyelashes covering her eyes as if she were fast asleep. However, the furrowed brows that she couldn't help but smooth out made people want to reach out and touch them.
The old boatman put down his oars and sat down next to the girl. He fumbled in his linen shirt for a while before finally pulling out a cigarette and holding it between his lips.
“Clatter.”
A bright yellow flame leaped from the lighter's nozzle, illuminating the boatman's face. A gust of wind blew by, causing the flame to flicker and cast alternating shadows on the boatman's dark face.
His hands trembled slightly, and it took him a long time to finally aim the flame at the end of the cigarette. The yellowish cigarette paper was immediately ignited. The old boatman lifted his thumb slightly and put the lighter back into his jacket pocket.
He took a deep breath, and the flame at the end of the cigarette spread rapidly, igniting the coarse yellow tobacco wrapped in the cigarette paper. The pungent and irritating taste instantly entered his mouth, lingered in his throat, and was finally slowly exhaled through his nose, forming a small gray circle in the gloomy air before gradually dissipating and merging into the dark atmosphere.
A soft rustling sound came from his side, and the old boatman turned his head, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
The girl, who was sitting on the boat, slowly opened her eyes. Her glassy pupils were filled with confusion, as if she was still not clear about the current situation.
The girl wore a pure white silk dress, her satin-like hair cascading down to her waist, and her skin was fair and radiant; she looked like someone who had grown up in a wealthy family.
The old boatman glanced at her briefly before looking away, seemingly uninterested in the incongruous young woman before him.
Li Su blinked and turned her head to look to both sides.
The overcast sky was completely dark, and rows of dense trees lined both sides of the wide river. The trunks of the trees were so thick that two people could not encircle them.
Where is this?
The unfamiliar environment made Li Su feel anxious, so she quickly called on the system.
Welcome player Li Su to the second dungeon: Strange Tales of the Deep Mountains.
Li Su frowned involuntarily and asked the dark-skinned boatman in her peripheral vision: Is this person also a player?
No, he's an NPC from the second instance.
NPC?
Li Su observed the boatman sitting next to him for a while. He wore a thick yellow sleeveless jacket and black pants. His arms were long and thin but full of muscle lines and casually draped over his legs. He was smoking a cigarette naturally, unlike the stiff NPCs in the first instance.
At least in appearance, they are no different from normal people.
Li Su withdrew her gaze and continued her conversation with the system: Am I the only player in this instance?
[A brand new dungeon, "Strange Tales of the Deep Mountains," is open to 6 players.]
Li Su pursed her lips, a faint sense of unease rising in her heart. Was the sharp decrease in the number of players in the dungeon a good thing?
The system, oblivious to Li Su's worries, continued: "However, you don't need to worry too much. Because this is a completely new instance, unlike the first one, I will accompany you throughout the entire game."
It's not very comforting...
Li Su hugged her knees with both hands, trying to put her head on them, when she vaguely realized that something was wrong.
Looking down, she saw a pure white long dress and hair falling to her chest.
Li Su's pupils dilated: What...what is this...? Why...?
The system's unhurried, mechanical voice continued: "[This instance is special; players need to be dressed as women to enter the Witch Village. This was pre-arranged for you by the system.]"
Li Su's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and her clear eyes seemed to be filled with water as she looked away from her white dress as if trying to escape.
[Don't worry, your body is still your original body; only your hair has been lengthened. You must maintain your female identity throughout this game instance and cannot be exposed, otherwise you will face mortal danger.]
Her rosy lips were bitten white by her pearly white teeth, and Li Su was so ashamed that she didn't even dare to open her eyes. She simply closed her eyes and tried to hypnotize herself.
The system continued to introduce the contents of the instance.
In the remote mountain village, not a single woman could be seen, yet at night, the mournful cries of women could always be heard, and baby boys were being born one after another.
Wuzhai is famous for its ability to guarantee that all couples seeking children will conceive a son. Many couples who pay large sums of money, including billionaires, come to Wuzhai hoping to successfully conceive a son.
Many couples who came to Wuzhai gave birth to sons shortly after returning home, making Wuzhai famous. More and more couples and tourists flocked to Wuzhai, some hoping to conceive, others simply out of curiosity.
Strangely, a new rule was later introduced in the witch village: only women were allowed to enter, and no one else was permitted. However, none of the women who entered ever returned, let alone gave birth to any newborn children. The bodies of all the men who tried to enter the village to find their wives and children were found outside in gruesome manners, and several reporters who came to report on the events also vanished without a trace.
The system's cold voice calmly recounted the story's background, and combined with the eerie environment before her, Li Su couldn't help but tremble slightly, only able to hug her legs tightly in an attempt to comfort herself.
Player Li Su is invited to go to the witch village to investigate the secret behind this.
Mission Hint: Make sure you stay disguised as a woman! Don't let the villagers find out, or the consequences will be dire!
Main Quest 1: Player Li Su is tasked with uncovering the secrets of the witch village deep in the mountains. (Limited time: 6 days)
Main Quest 2: Player Li Su is required to successfully leave the Witch Village. (Limited time: 6 days)
Special Note: If a player dies in the game, they will also die in the real world.
"Creak—"
The sudden sound of wooden planks beside him startled Li Su, who instinctively looked up and met the old boatman's gaze.
In just a moment, the old boatman looked away, his rough, dark hands pressing down his pointed straw hat to cover his eyes.
He had finished his cigarette at some point, took two steps forward in his black cloth shoes, picked up the oar that he had just set aside, walked to the bow of the boat, and then plunged the oar into the eerily green river water.
Li Su's eyes were slightly red, and tears welled up in her clear eyes. She clutched her skirt tightly with both hands, her gaze fixed on the back of the old boatman standing at the bow of the boat.
[Player Li Su is now livestreaming.]
"Hi, honey!"
"This time it's really my wife!!!"
"Wife, wife, wife is wearing a pretty little dress! Ahhhhhh! (Makes a sharp, explosive sound)"
"Wait a minute, this environment... what kind of instance did my wife enter this time? There's only one person here??? I've never seen this instance before?"
"Has the game been upgraded? The new dungeon is awesome! But seeing SuSu all alone is really scary..."
"Wait a minute, honey, is this the second instance? Why hasn't she returned to the real world? Could she be so unlucky as to have been trapped in the game again?"
"It's reasonable to suspect that this horror game is also unwilling to let the baby leave."
"Hahaha, although... I'm so happy to see my darling SuSu again!"
Li Su took a deep breath and mustered her courage to speak: "Hello..."
He clearly thought his voice was loud enough, so why did it still sound like a cat's?
Feeling a little wronged, Li Su clenched her fists and tried to raise her voice: "Excuse me, where is this place...?"
The small boat had been drifting on the river for a long time. Li Su felt that the water vapor in the river was constantly rising, making him feel damp and stuffy. Even his clothes felt a little damp. Coupled with the gloomy and dim environment in front of him, it was constantly pressing on Li Su's already fragile nerves.
The old boatman pressed down with both hands, causing the oars to sink a little deeper into the water. His coarse cloth jacket was stretched high by the muscles bulging on his back, as if it would tear at any moment.
Despite being a thin, elderly man with a white beard, he possessed immense strength, giving off an eerie sense of dissonance.
Seeing that the old boatman didn't turn around, Li Su thought he hadn't heard her because her voice was too soft, so she raised her voice again: "You..."
"Don't you know where you're going?" The old boatman interrupted Li Su without turning his head, his rough and weathered voice breaking the silence.
Li Su instinctively wanted to nod, but quickly realized that the NPC had his back to him and couldn't see his movements, so he stopped and replied, "Mm."
The old boatman then took the oar out of the dark green lake, braced himself with one hand on the crossbeam inside the wooden boat, turned around, and looked the girl sitting beside him up and down with his cloudy eyes.
The old boatman's wide straw hat brim covered most of his face, with only his mouth and chin showing. Li Su couldn't see his expression, but he could feel an uncomfortable gaze on him.
Just as Li Su was about to lower her head to cover her face, the old boatman in front of her spoke again: "Did your husband bring you here?"
Li Su froze.
Does she have a husband in this instance?
"You don't have a husband now," the old boatman said.
"Hey hey hey! There's a problem. The system says there isn't one right now. Could it be that Su Su really does have a husband in this instance?"
"You mean to say that my beautiful wife is about to have a husband?"
"No, I can't accept it! My baby can't have another man!"
Although she didn't understand the system's intention, Li Su still nodded and said, "Hmm..."
The old boatman let out a cold laugh: "Ha."
The wooden boat, having lost power, slowly came to a stop. The old boatman turned around again and plunged the oars into the water to row backward.
"You think a man who drugged his wife and brought her here just to have a baby boy is worth marrying?"
There was no husband at all, and Li Su was completely at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the old boatman seemed to have gotten used to the silence, and continued talking to himself: "Do you know the legend of our village?"
"Don't worry, you will definitely be able to fulfill your husband's wish and conceive a baby boy in Wuzhai."
The small boat slowly approached the shore, and Li Su could see the faint outline of houses emerging from the depths of the misty mountains in the distance.
The old boatman plunged his oar into the loose, dark earth, bringing the small boat to a complete stop. Pointing to the village ahead, he said, "Just keep going straight along the road ahead, and you'll reach Wuzhai."
[Disembark.]
“Oh…” Li Su slowly got up, got off the small boat and stood on the riverbank. After sitting on the swaying boat for so long, he still felt that the ground beneath his feet was shaking like the lake water.
Li Su looked a little pale, and despite feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit, she thanked the old boatman, saying, "Thank you."
The old boatman didn't speak; the wide brim of his hat cast a dark shadow on his withered, wrinkled face, making him appear even more gloomy.
The old boatman picked up the wooden oar stuck in the ground, and the small boat swayed in the water again, drifting further and further away. Li Su also withdrew her gaze and walked along the only path in the reeds that were two people tall towards the village ahead.
The small boat, which had drifted to the middle of the river, miraculously stopped, and even the dark green river water seemed to be frozen, without a ripple.
"Making a deal with a god comes at a price..." the old boatman murmured, looking at the pure white, delicate figure emerging from the reeds.
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