Chapter 1 Zhang Yuanqing Wakes Up

After his cousin finished his porridge and left for work, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room for a nap.

When he woke up, his ears were filled with dynamic sound effects. He opened his eyes to the flickering glow of the TV screen, the ceiling light off.

He sat up and looked towards the window, where his aunt was sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, playing his PS5. She had rolled up her sleeves, revealing her white, tender arms, her delicate body swaying left and right with the movements of the controller.

Zhang Yuanqing yawned, got up, turned on the light, and walked behind his aunt to watch her play.

She was playing a horror game with a gloomy art style and eerie music. The protagonist was an ugly little figure wielding a bloody axe, hacking and slashing his way through levels, creating a scene of flying flesh and blood.

The light from the TV screen reflected in her limpid eyes, a hint of excitement in her round, bright face.

"This game is good, perfect for playing at night, quite therapeutic," his aunt said without turning her head.

His aunt had three great hobbies: shopping malls, horror movies, and horror games.

It's depressing, you perverted woman… Zhang Yuanqing echoed insincerely, "It's quite interesting."

His aunt turned her head and glared at him. "Why are you being so pretentious with me?"

She turned back to the game and said,

"Actually, this is a therapeutic game. The ghosts in the picture are all imagined by the little boy. He's a mental patient who is fighting hard to avoid being swallowed by his inner demons. In the end, he fights his way out and sees the light. The ending is very touching."

While she was talking, Zhang Yuanqing had already poured himself a glass of water and replied as he drank, "A good concept."

His aunt hummed in agreement and continued,

"Every boss contains specific patterns. As long as you pay attention to observation, even a little boy can defeat terrible demons. But the terrifying images and music often make people feel fear and lose their calm judgment.

"You should try it."

Zhang Yuanqing wasn't in the mood to play games with his aunt. He had been out of the Spirit Realm for almost 20 hours. In another dozen hours or so, the Spirit Realm would open again, and waiting for him might be death.

He might as well think about what to do in the last dozen hours of his life, so as not to leave any regrets.

Call and scold his mom? Hold his aunt and cry? Accompany his uncle for a singing and rap performance one last time?

He suddenly realized that he didn't have any particular regrets, nor any long-cherished wishes. As a college student from a relatively wealthy family, his life had never had too many troubles.

Only those who have experienced the vicissitudes of life have many regrets they can't let go of.

"Oh, come on, play!" His aunt twisted her small waist and acted coquettishly.

Looking at her beautiful back, Zhang Yuanqing's eyes gradually softened. He sat down next to his aunt and took the controller from her hand.

If he only had a dozen hours left in his life, playing another game with her wouldn't be bad.

Under his aunt's guidance, interspersed with the sounds of her munching on potato chips, Zhang Yuanqing completed the game. When he checked the time, he realized it was already 11 o'clock at night.

"Not bad, not bad, very talented."

His aunt sucked on her tender fingers, patted her nephew on the shoulder in praise, and wiped her saliva on him in passing.

"How disgusting, so dirty," Zhang Yuanqing said with a look of disgust.

"Tch, this is fine nectar and jade liquid. Don't be ungrateful," Jiang Yu'er said shamelessly.

"Fine nectar and jade liquid? How much does it cost per pound?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed.

"I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money, but Auntie can give you a few mouthfuls," Jiang Yu'er pouted, as if she was about to smear saliva on Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing leaned back to dodge.

*Click!*

The doorknob turned, and his grandmother stood in the doorway, frowning as she looked at the two of them.

Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu'er immediately sat up straight.

"Are you still going to eat your dinner?" his grandmother scolded. "Sleeping during the day and sleeping during the night, waking up just to play games. You want to become an immortal when you're born a human, you want to go to heaven when you're born on earth?"

Zhang Yuanqing put down the controller. "I know, I know, I'll eat right away."

His grandmother gave her daughter a cold glare, and his aunt scurried back to her boudoir.

........

Dinner had been kept warm. His grandmother reheated the cold dishes, and Zhang Yuanqing hastily filled his stomach. He returned to his room and summoned his inventory to confirm that the Corpse-Suppressing Talisman was still there.

Then, he examined his attribute panel again.

After that, while praying that Li Dongze would have good news, he began to think about the details of the Mountain God Temple.

He had a new inspiration while playing games with his aunt.

Since the Spirit Realm was also a game, did it have patterns? If he could find the patterns, even if he was a weak little boy, he might be able to clear the level smoothly.

As he was lost in thought, a shrill ringtone sounded, causing Zhang Yuanqing's heart to stop.

He grabbed the phone from his bedside table. The caller ID was an unfamiliar number. He chose to answer.

"Hello, is this Zhang Yuanqing?"

A sexy voice came from the speaker. Zhang Yuanqing revealed a look of surprise and quickly asked,

"Did you get the information about the She Ling Tunnel?"

Guan Ya 'hmmed' and said,

"Team Leader asked for more detailed information for you. He asked me to send it to your email. I know you young people never check your email, so I'm calling to let you know."

As expected of the official organization, joining the official organization was the right choice… Zhang Yuanqing's mood instantly brightened. He resisted the urge to rush to the computer to check his email and said sincerely,

"Thank you for me, Team Leader Li, thank you, Sister Guan Ya. When I successfully complete the trial mission, I'll treat you to a meal."

Successfully complete the trial… Guan Ya sighed inwardly. After hesitating, her voice softened unusually:

"Okay, we'll wait for you."

She had already read the information sent by the Taiyi Sect. After reading it, she only felt cold and despair. No wonder the team leader had been gloomy all day.

In Li Dongze's heart, this newly recruited Night Wanderer was probably going to die in the trial mission.

After ending the call, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his ergonomic chair and eagerly started his laptop and logged into his email.

He found the email sent by Guan Ya among the messy unread emails.

He downloaded the attached document.

.......

【She Ling Tunnel, Spirit Realm Number 0079, Difficulty Level: S, Type: Single Player (Death Type)】

【Main Task One: Survive for three hours.】

【Main Task Two: Explore Spirit Realm Number 0079.】

Same as my trial task… Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted. This was a good sign. The closer the description was to his task, the better.

【The scene of Spirit Realm Number 0079 is not the She Ling Tunnel, but an ancient temple from the Ming Dynasty called the Sandaoshan Niangniang Temple.

【According to my speculation, this Niangniang should be a Night Wanderer of extremely high rank, no, perhaps she can no longer be called a Night Wanderer. It is not clear whether there really was such a beautiful Niangniang in the Ming Dynasty, or it may be a fabrication of the Spirit Realm.】

Then there was a large paragraph describing the deeds of the Sandaoshan Niangniang, the content of which was consistent with what Zhang Yuanqing saw in the temple.

He continued to read:

【The task of surviving for three hours is relatively simple. Initially, after reading the contents of the notes, I encountered an entanglement with a Wraith, whose characteristic is to continuously extract the yang energy of living beings until the target dies.

【Night Wanderers have a natural suppression of spiritual bodies. I didn't spend too much effort to expel it, but when I wanted to devour it, I encountered great resistance. This may be the Spirit Realm's protection of the Wraith.

【Anyone who has read the notes will be cursed and relentlessly entangled by the Wraith. Any method of removal is only temporary. Removing the Wraith once will give you about 15 minutes of safety.

【It is worth mentioning that the overall layout of the Mountain God Temple is a main hall and two adjacent backyards. The candles in the main hall are an extremely powerful prop with the ability to suppress evil and purify. As long as you hide in the main hall, it means safety. The price is that the candles will eliminate the fear in people's hearts. Prolonged exposure to the candlelight will make you fearless. Being fearless in such a dangerous Spirit Realm is fatal. Also, it cannot be moved or taken out of the Spirit Realm.

【After staying in the main hall for half an hour, I suddenly heard cries for help, cries for help coming from the backyard, interspersed with horrifying roars, roars unlike those of living beings. After hesitating for a while, I decided to go to the backyard to explore.】

The main hall is indeed a safe house, I've personally verified this, but I didn't expect the source to be the candles. I thought it was that beautiful Mountain God Niangniang…

The cries for help came from that big banyan tree, I didn't hear the roars, the eastern courtyard is really terrifying… Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened, and he secretly sucked in a breath of cold air.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on reading further. The information that followed was very important. If he could know the situation of the other courtyard in advance, he could avoid danger when exploring.

【The banyan tree is very dangerous, don't look back, don't look back…】

【This banyan tree seems to have gained consciousness, but why is it asking for help? As for the terrible roars, I didn't find the source, because its appearance interrupted my exploration. It is a pair of… red dancing shoes.】

【It didn't attack me immediately, but invited me to dance. Out of a testing mentality, I agreed to its invitation…】

【I can't remember its dance steps at all, too chaotic and complicated. For someone without dance experience like me, this is an impossible request, no, even someone with dance experience can't remember those dance steps. I failed, and the red dancing shoes began to hunt me down.】

【I successfully escaped back to the main hall, but two of my ribs were broken by it. I think I understand its true colors. This is an extremely terrifying prop. Its tracking ignores terrain and obstacles, and it will not give up until it achieves its goal. Preliminary speculation is that it is a rule-based prop.】

【Unbelievable, there is actually a rule-based prop in a trial Spirit Realm. I finally know why Qian Shou clearly had a prop with him, but still died in the Mountain God Temple. I know why this Spirit Realm has never been cleared. What a joke, those who can enter the She Ling Tunnel are either level 1 early-stage Night Wanderers or ordinary people. How can they clear it?】

【I don't know the reason for the decline of the Mountain God Temple, nor do I know what the secret is that concerns the rise and fall of a thousand years. I hope to successfully complete the second main task and bring the truth back to the organization.】

The information ended here, with no follow-up.

Zhang Yuanqing knew that this Night Wanderer had most likely died in the second main task.