Su Er didn't take the joke too seriously, but was rather enthusiastic about Ji Heng's ability to kill ghosts.
"If she survives the seventh day, we'll have to hide."
Soul: "So powerful?"
Ji Heng nodded: "The female ghost seemed to be injured just now."
Su Er's first reaction was that it was related to the electric shock device, but he said, "The Li family invited a monk to perform a ritual to pray for her soul to be reborn. Maybe she was hurt."
Ji Heng didn't know whether to accept this statement, and his eyes were fixed on the bottom column on the badge.
Seeing this, Su Er was helpless: "Now I don't know what the charm value is used for."
Ji Heng: "No rush."
Li Shouzhang had told us not to go out after 10pm, but Ji Heng had other plans: "Go out for a walk."
The tongue-pulling ghost had been dealt with, and Su Er thought the danger would not be too great, so he did not question his decision and followed him directly.
The sound of chanting continued, and the yard was empty. The two men groped their way towards the source of the sound and found a small room with an open door. Light from the room spread out, illuminating an arc-shaped area of light in the yard.
Only then did Su Er truly get a good look at the mourning hall. It was rather shabby. Monks sat on cushions, chanting sutras for the deceased. The three Li brothers and their descendants were present, all with solemn expressions. Mosquitoes were flying around Li Youzun, but he seemed oblivious to them and made no effort to shoo them away.
Su Er whispered, "Li Youzun felt that his daughter had brought disgrace upon the family and was unwilling to hold a grand funeral, yet he was willing to come to the wake."
What's more, the other two brothers of the Li family were also there, which made it even more unacceptable.
Ji Heng: "Guilty conscience."
Su Er came to his senses and asked, "Are they worried about retaliation on the Night of Returning Souls?"
Ji Heng nodded.
There is no taboo against eating and drinking during the wake. After the master finished chanting the sutra, Li Shouzhang said a few words to his father Li Youzun and then walked out of the mourning hall.
Ji Heng winked at Su Er, and the two of them carefully hid their bodies and followed behind.
The road was dark, but Li Shouzhang did not use any lighting tools. As if he was worried about something, he kept his head down until he turned into a small room.
In order not to reveal their whereabouts, Suer and Ji Heng went around to the window and observed what was happening inside in the moonlight.
Li Shouzhang took out a set of tea sets from the cupboard and added hot water to each one. When the last cup was full, he took out a small paper bag from his pocket and carefully added water to several cups.
His hands were shaking when he first picked up the plate, and he nearly stumbled as he walked out. After standing there for a long time, Li Shouzhang looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath, calmed himself, and started walking steadily again.
In the mourning hall, Li Shouzhang first bowed his head and respectfully handed the monk a glass of water with both hands, and then placed it in front of each of the remaining people.
Su Er always remembered the location of the cups with medicine in them. Fortunately, he was not short-sighted and could clearly distinguish that the cups with medicine in them were given to the three brothers of the Li family.
Ji Heng: "This family is really interesting."
Su Er's eyebrows twitched: "Look at it from a brighter perspective, maybe it's a meal replacement powder."
Ji Heng glanced at him and Suer shrugged.
No matter how bold Li Shouzhang was, he wouldn't dare to openly poison the three brothers in the mourning hall. That would be too obvious. Indeed, after drinking the water, Li Youzun didn't show any signs of discomfort, just coughing a few times.
The wind was strong at night, and his blood circulation seemed to slow down after standing still in one place. Sur felt his hands and feet were a little cold.
Ji Heng: "Go back and come back when it's almost dawn."
Su Er wouldn't let his body get to him; catching a cold would only hinder the mission's progress. Ji Heng also didn't stay long, returning to his room to rest. The next morning, he woke him up early to go out and stake out the area.
It was already dawn, and the monk left. Li Youzun breathed a sigh of relief after a night without incident, and personally escorted the monk to the door.
"Father," Li Shouzhang said respectfully, "I will accompany you for a while."
Li Youzun said with satisfaction: "Go ahead."
Su Er and Ji Heng couldn't just walk out the main gate, so they had to climb over the wall. There were almost no people on the street at this time, so they didn't dare to follow too closely and deliberately slowed down their pace.
As they were walking, Ji Heng suddenly asked, "Have you finished reading the brochure?"
Su Er: "I have a rough idea of it."
Ji Heng: "The above are some well-known points, but players will not write their own experiences into them."
Suer had a hunch that the other party might be going to popularize some knowledge points.
Sure enough, not long after, Ji Heng spoke again: "The selection of dungeon members is relatively fair."
Suer pondered this sentence and felt that there were many loopholes, at least not this time.
Ji Heng reminded: "If one team dies using the team props, the other team will not get any points even if they pass the level."
Su Er thought thoughtfully: "I am the newcomer, and I will probably be a burden."
The combination of these two would obviously significantly reduce the overall strength. While Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yi were not as strong as Ji Heng, they worked well together and might even be able to clear the level more easily than them.
Su Er followed along the wall, looking for cover to prevent Li Shouzhang from turning around suddenly, while asking a puzzled question: "Why did Wen Buyu and Ge Xuyan come in?"
Ji Heng didn't answer, giving him enough time to think.
Su Er and Ge Xuyan had not had much contact, so after reminiscing, he asked tentatively, "Is it related to the force value?"
Ji Heng smiled appreciatively: "No matter which value it is, when it is about to break the critical point, the game will teleport you to a medium-to-high-difficulty level dungeon."
This is a check and balance for players. He paused and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the critical point of charm is 60."
Soul raised an eyebrow.
Ji Heng: "Because the game wants you to die."
"…"
"Death at the critical moment fits the dungeon's aesthetic."
Su Er thought about it and had no way to refute it. Besides, the number 59 was indeed strange: "Where is Wen Buyu?"
"Either she's got some incredible item, or..." Ji Heng paused. Li Shouzhang, who had just seen the master off, didn't go back directly, but instead took many turns and finally entered a dark alley. A moment later, a graceful figure approached from a distance. Ji Heng raised an eyebrow at the scene, "The game has arranged an identity that's advantageous for her."
For some reason, Ji Heng didn't come closer. Instead, he looked at a nearby big tree, and Suer climbed up neatly.
They were too far away to hear their conversation, but they could see Wen Buyu gently hugging Li Shouzhang. Su Er exclaimed, "According to the rules here, this is considered a private exchange. The female ghost didn't even attack her."
In comparison, Ge Xuyan's death seemed somewhat unjust.
Ji Heng said, "Ghost has a grudge against the Li family. I'm afraid Li Shouzhang was instigated by Wen Buyu to give the Li family the drug. Their interests are converging." When he said this, his eyes fixed, "I just don't know why Li Shouzhang listened to her."
Suer jumped down from the tree, suddenly grabbed Ji Heng's shoulders, and spoke in a shrill voice: "I made a mistake and was punished in the ancestral hall, leaving a stain. Your family will not agree that we are together! Kill those stubborn old men who are trying to stop us, okay? I have a way to help you get elected as the chief of guards!"
"…"
"If you don't agree, I'll tell everyone about our relationship and die with you!"
She put her hand on her belly and said, "Besides, I'm already pregnant..."
Before Su Er could make a more exaggerated performance, Ji Heng interrupted him: "What you said makes sense."
Logically, knowing this information should be enough for them to secretly plan to reap the benefits, but Ji Heng showed no intention of leaving. After a while, he raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said, "The adulterer is here."
When Su Er looked up, he saw Shen Jiangbei and Wan Yi appearing out of nowhere, and walked directly into the alley entrance, and a cry of surprise instantly rang out from inside.
"Let's go," Ji Heng said, "let's go see a play."
As we got closer, the sounds of quarreling gradually became clearer.
Li Shouzhang's angry voice rang out: "This is a false accusation!"
"That's right." Wen Buyu became calmer: "Even if it gets out, no one will believe that he will be with me."
"That's why I rented a camera in advance, and I've taken a lot of interesting photos these past two days."
Wen Buyu clenched her fists tightly. Her plan was to take a gamble. The other players were all focused on the three Li brothers, and she'd secretly supported Li Shouzhang's election so she could pocket all the points. Now that her biggest secret had been exposed, she had no choice but to change her mind. "Why don't we all join forces?"
Li Shouzhang quickly promised: "As long as I become the head of the guards, I will definitely not treat you unfairly!"
"Okay." Wanyi smiled playfully, "But..."
He glanced at Wen Buyu and stopped talking.
Wen Buyu seemed to guess what Wanyi wanted to do, and his pupils trembled suddenly.
"The Li family is powerful. It's possible that you could find someone to get rid of us when you return," Wan Yi stroked the camera in his hand. "Only when we share a common secret can we discuss anything."
Shen Jiangbei, who had remained silent, spoke up at this moment: "Your sister has already brought shame to the family. If it is revealed that you are in love with a woman who has been to the ancestral hall, Li Youzun will probably kill you for the sake of justice."
Mentioning his father, Li Shouzhang's body shuddered reflexively at the punishment he had received from childhood to adulthood.
Wen Buyu could already sense Li Shouzhang's hesitation, and his nails almost dug into his palm.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense. Shen Jiangbei suddenly turned his head and glanced at them sharply: "Who?"
Ji Heng walked out without dodging.
Su Er raised his eyebrows: "Incitement to murder, is this allowed?"
Ji Heng: "He didn't hire a killer, he just hinted a few times."
Besides, although Wen Buyu's fighting power was not high, he had been in the game for so long that killing an adult male was not a problem. The most likely outcome was Wen Buyu's injury and Li Shouzhang's death.
In this way, not only will Wen Buyu get rid of the ace in her hand, but she might also be forced to rely on the culprit because of her injuries.
However, at this moment, Wen Buyu suddenly said to Ji Heng, "Take me through the game, and I'll tell you a secret about the town. Given your strength, once you learn it, you'll definitely be the biggest winner of this game."
To show her loyalty, she was willing to cut off her own escape route, and then she said to Wan Yi in a deep voice: "On the contrary, even if I die, I will not reveal a single word to you."
Shen Jiangbei frowned, having never expected her to do this.
Several parties confronted each other, and the air seemed to freeze at this moment.
"Why has it come to this?" After an unknown amount of time, Soul spoke up, breaking the silence. "Everyone has their own stance, and they're all fighting tooth and nail to survive. To achieve this goal, using all possible means and scheming against each other is understandable. But don't forget... we've also laughed and cried, shared friendship, and almost become each other's support, trustworthy friends!"
He raised his head, facing the vast sky, and smiled bitterly: "So, in order to reconcile, we have to align our interests again... Please elect me as the Chief of Guards."
"…"