Chapter 1 The阴 Wind Subsides

As the yin wind dissipated, the hall returned to tranquility. The candles burned serenely, their flickering light dispelling the thick yin energy that had enveloped the hall.

Xie Lingxi and the others didn't possess the sensitivity of a Night Watcher, but they could sense, through instinct, that the hall was safe again.

Huomo scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing with a look of surprise and delight, asking,

"You're a Night Watcher? You're actually a Night Watcher..."

The fact that a mere scolding could frighten away a vengeful spirit spoke volumes about Wang Tai's profession.

"Is it that strange? Jinshui Amusement Park has supernatural elements. It's normal to be matched with a Night Watcher," Zhang Yuanqing replied with a smile. "Everyone, I can't vouch for the other attractions, but when it comes to the haunted house, I can protect you until we meet the ghost bride."

The four teammates exchanged glances, all seeing the joy in each other's eyes.

They hadn't expected to have such a rare profession in their team.

In a supernatural副本 filled with ghosts and monsters, having a Night Watcher as a bodyguard was more reliable than most props.

After all, Night Watchers were specialists in this area.

Suddenly, the way the four teammates looked at Zhang Yuanqing was filled with reliance.

"We only have one hour. Let's not waste time. See if there are any clues here." Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept across the hall. With his night vision, he quickly locked onto the offering table behind the grandmaster's chair.

He walked over to the table and found a red paper underneath the plate filled with peanuts and longans.

Zhang Yuanqing picked up the red paper and examined it under the candlelight:

"Dowry: Steelyard, Gold hairpin, Medicated wine, Wedding quilt."

The others gathered around.

Xie Lingxi pinched her chin, her bright eyes darting around, and said:

"These things aren't dowries, but since it's written on the paper, we should find these four items and treat them as dowries."

Finding these four items was equivalent to possessing the bridegroom with the dowry.

Qi Tian Dasheng: "What happens if we don't find them?"

Huomo: "Of course, we die. After finding the dowry, will the ghost bride choose one of us?"

Zhang Yuanqing: "Why choose one? Why not all of us enter the bridal chamber together?"

Seeing his teammates staring at him blankly, Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Just kidding, trying to liven up the atmosphere. You guys have no sense of humor."

His teammates remained expressionless.

Xishi rolled her eyes, and Xie Lingxi continued:

"The task's path is becoming clear. In one hour, the ghost bride will choose a husband, and the standard for choosing a husband is the bridegroom who possesses the dowry. Therefore, we need to find four dowries in this mansion.

"But whether the chosen lucky one has a chance of survival or is destined to die, we don't know."

Huomo sized up the little girl. "You really don't remember the strategy content?"

Her analysis was so logical.

Xie Lingxi pouted, pretending to be aggrieved. "I really don't know."

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the number of people in the team, a chill running down his spine.

Following the current clues would lead to two possible outcomes. First, finding the four dowries would be considered as everyone meeting the requirements, and then they would wait for the ghost bride's favor.

Second, the four dowries could only guarantee that four people meet the requirements, and those who don't meet the requirements would undoubtedly die.

The first outcome was fine, but if it was the second...

Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself:

"If it's the second outcome, then the team will definitely start fighting among themselves at this stage of the副本. By then, the number of people who can survive might not even exceed four. No wonder they didn't seal the props and skills. This is forcing us to kill each other. The S-level 副本 is truly a step-by-step killing machine..."

If that situation really happened, how many people would be left in the team?

He, as the captain, had a hidden mission: the number of people in the team couldn't be less than three.

In addition, the husband selection aspect also had a confusing effect, giving people the feeling that only those selected by the bride would have a chance of survival. It was a cognitive bias that the lucky ones always had preferential treatment...

But Zhang Yuanqing was certain that the person chosen by the bride would be doomed.

The reason was simple. First, the old version was like that. Second, if only those selected could live, then the hidden mission would be meaningless.

No matter how hard you tried, there would only be one person left here.

What difference would it make if the team lost members or not?

Of course, if the ghost bride was a fickle playgirl, that would be a different story.

The ghost bride's环节 might only kill one person, but the danger in the haunted house wasn't just the ghost bride. First, there was the internal crisis within the team, and second, there were other vengeful spirits in the haunted house... As the captain, this 副本 was really too difficult. If there wasn't a high reward for clearing it, it would be completely unreasonable. Fortunately, I have the Subduing Demon Pestle, even if I face the ghost bride directly, I'm not afraid... Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously glanced at his teammates and found that their eyes were dark, and they had already begun to be wary of each other.

No one was stupid.

Zhang Yuanqing coughed.

"Time is short. Let's find the dowry first. Everyone, stay close to me. Don't spread out. Ordinary vengeful spirits can't get close to me."

In this situation, his words were the most effective. Everyone still relied on his profession.

Immediately, the group bypassed the screen wall behind the hall and came to the inner courtyard. Looking around, the corridors were winding, hung with red lanterns, and the deep red candlelight illuminated the shadows of trees, flowerbeds, and rockeries.

In the distance, they could vaguely see arched doors connecting to other courtyards, and orderly rows of houses stood in the night.

The ghost bride really is the daughter of a wealthy family... Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly.

Judging by the size of this mansion, it must be a three-courtyard residence.

He surveyed the layout of the houses and turned back to remind everyone: "The yin energy here is very heavy. Stay close to me..."

His voice came to an abrupt halt. Behind him was empty, without a single figure.

The teammates were gone.

This is a bit scary... Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, didn't stop, and continued to walk forward.

He had to find them as soon as possible. None of these people were Night Watchers. Although their skills and props weren't sealed, their methods for dealing with spirits were limited. If they encountered a difficult vengeful spirit, they could die at any time.

He passed through the garden and saw a house ahead with candlelight shining through the lattice windows.

The other houses were pitch black.

Zhang Yuanqing cautiously walked into the corridor, approached the house, and sensed it carefully. The house was filled with yin energy, but no vengeful spirits were entrenched there.

He tiptoed to push open the lattice door, and the scene inside the house came into view.

This seemed to be a woman's boudoir. To the east was a bed with lowered curtains, in the center was a round table, and by the window was a dressing table with a bronze mirror facing the door.

A golden steelyard lay quietly in front of the dressing table.

Zhang Yuanqing stepped over the threshold, turned around to close the door, came to the dressing table, and picked up the golden steelyard. It was only half an arm's length and the thickness of a thumb.

This thing was used to lift the bride's red veil, symbolizing "satisfaction." (cheng xin ru yi)

"Not too difficult. I found it right away..."

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to leave the house, he suddenly heard the crackling sound of electricity, and the King Cat speaker in his pocket transmitted a sound:

"That day, she came to Jinshui Amusement Park..."

This pit of a thing always makes sounds at inappropriate times. Hmm, what does it want to say? Speaking of which, it's also part of the amusement park. Maybe it knows some information... Zhang Yuanqing's attention shifted to the King Cat speaker, expecting it to say something.

The King Cat speaker didn't disappoint this time, and the sound continued to play:

"The spirits in the haunted house trembled and prostrated themselves on the ground. The great existence didn't make things difficult for the weak vengeful spirits. She instructed the bride to find a young man for her, a young man named: Yuan Shi Tian Zun!"

Zhang Yuanqing's mind "buzzed" as if struck by lightning, and he was stunned.

Looking for me? Looking for me!!

Who is looking for me, and why are they looking for me?

Astonishment and confusion surged up, and then he understood who it was.

The Niangniang of the Three Dao Mountains!

"The official announcement of the Taiyi Sect said that a powerful Boss caused the灵境 disturbance. The introduction of Jinshui Amusement Park said that the existence woke up after a long slumber and was surprised to see these novel little things in the world. These details can all match the Niangniang of the Three Dao Mountains...

"I woke up the Niangniang of the Three Dao Mountains. She's looking for me because there's half of her Yang spirit in the Subduing Demon Pestle... Damn, this old hag is haunting me. Can't she just let me go? I'm still a kid..."

Zhang Yuanqing actually knew that he would eventually have to face the Niangniang of the Three Dao Mountains as he continued to level up.

But that should be after he became a high-level灵境 Walker, using the Yang spirit in the Subduing Demon Pestle to make a deal with the Niangniang.

He never expected that the old hag would have such great power and influence, and could actually affect low-level灵境.

"Damn it, I knew the task couldn't be so simple. Now it seems that taking out the Subduing Demon Pestle will expose my identity?"

The Niangniang is looking for him, isn't it for the Subduing Demon Pestle?

"In this kind of灵境 that's been influenced by the Niangniang, I'm afraid that as soon as I take out the Subduing Demon Pestle, that old hag will come over and kill me. What will my fate be then? The Bosses in the灵境 may or may not have a sense of morality. What if they just casually crush me, this little ant..."

After repeated consideration, Zhang Yuanqing decided to hide his identity and continue the task, and not use the Subduing Demon Pestle.

The consequence of exposing his identity might be facing the terrifying大神 of the Niangniang of the Three Dao Mountains directly. There were too many uncertain factors.

And if he continued the task, if he could clear the haunted house, nothing would happen. If he really reached a desperate situation, it wouldn't be too late to take out the Subduing Demon Pestle.

After thinking clearly about the pros and cons, he wasn't flustered anymore. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly saw in the bronze mirror that the door was being pushed open.

He was shocked and quickly turned around, only to find that the door was closed and not opened.

What's going on? Zhang Yuanqing turned his head in confusion, returning his gaze to the bronze mirror. At this glance, his pupils shrank slightly.

In the bronze mirror, a woman in a white dress appeared, her hair disheveled. She stepped over the threshold and walked into the house in a strange posture.

The room reflected in the bronze mirror seemed different from the room he was in.

The woman in the white dress walked strangely to the dressing table and sat down.

At this time, Zhang Yuanqing finally saw why she walked in such a strange posture, because she was walking backwards.

The next scene would scare ordinary people to death. The woman in the bronze mirror raised her hand and took off her head, holding it in her arms.

Her hands had cyan-black skin, and long, sharp nails that were jet-black.

The black hair of the head spread out, revealing the woman's face, a pair of eerie white pupils, a pale face, and five black lips, staring fixedly at the bronze mirror, as if gazing at Zhang Yuanqing in another world.

This female ghost isn't pretty... Zhang Yuanqing quickly retreated, intending to withdraw from the house.

However, the disheveled hair in the mirror seemed to come alive, rising like tentacles, and suddenly pierced into the mirror's surface.

The bronze mirror rippled, and clusters of hair strands penetrated the mirror, wrapping around Zhang Yuanqing's wrists and body, constantly tightening, in a posture of dragging him into the mirror.

"Hmph!"

The viscous black light in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes surged, and he opened his mouth and sucked hard.

Spirit Devour! (Shi Ling)

This skill that could suppress vengeful spirits only slowed down the speed of the hair strands' entanglement, and couldn't devour the female ghost in the mirror.

This female ghost is very strong, not an ordinary vengeful spirit... Zhang Yuanqing moved his feet forward little by little, getting closer and closer to the bronze mirror.

He quickly thought about countermeasures. He shouldn't use the Subduing Demon Pestle if he could avoid it. The Bloodthirsty Blade was a prop for physical output and was ineffective against spirits. The Red Dance Shoes' attack was also on the physical level, and stomping was ineffective against spirits...

After thinking it over, he decided on you, Little Dope!!

Zhang Yuanqing spat out a wisp of yin energy and summoned Little Dope.

"Ah ba..." The round and cute infant spirit landed on the dressing table, lazily stretching its limbs. Then, it saw the female ghost in the mirror.

In an instant, like a cat whose fur had stood on end, the infant spirit rolled and crawled off the dressing table at a speed that shouldn't have been possible at its age, shrinking behind Zhang Yuanqing, crying loudly in fright.

... Zhang Yuanqing cursed: "Useless thing, go get her!"

He transmitted an attack command to the infant spirit.

"Ah ba ah ba!"

Obeying orders was the nature of a spirit servant. The infant spirit raised its shallow eyebrows, called out fiercely twice, grabbed Zhang Yuanqing's trouser leg and climbed up, all the way to his shoulder, and pounced with all its might.

The round and chubby little body penetrated the bronze mirror and plastered itself on the female ghost's face.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately calmed his emotions and transferred his consciousness to the infant spirit, taking away the female ghost's perception.

The female ghost's grim face became dull, as if she had suddenly lost her mind.

The steel-like, deadly hair instantly lost its strength to maintain itself and drooped weakly.

Well done!

Zhang Yuanqing immediately summoned back Little Dope, let it lie on top of his head, and turned to run.

The infant spirit's ability only lasted for three seconds, but that was enough for him to escape the house.

Rushing out of the door and over the threshold, Zhang Yuanqing had just returned to the garden when he heard a "bang" of the door closing behind him. Looking back, the candlelight in that house had been extinguished, and it was pitch black.

The inner courtyard was filled with gusts of yin wind, and many vengeful spirits were circling in the distance. They longed for the aura of the Night Watcher, but were also wary of his power, and dared not approach.

"I have to find them quickly, lest they all die..."

Zhang Yuanqing quickly left this garden, passed through the arched door, and came to the next courtyard. He soon saw Xie Lingxi.

The little girl was standing in front of a water tank in the corner of the courtyard, throwing her upper body into the tank, grabbing the edge of the tank with both hands, and struggling hard. Something in the water tank seemed to be pulling her.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't "pull" herself out of the water tank.

Gradually, her struggling strength became weaker and weaker...

Zhang Yuanqing approached slowly, smelled a scent of alcohol, and looked down. The tank was filled with a dark liquid, and an infant spirit dragging an umbilical cord was swimming in it. It was the umbilical cord that was wrapped around Xie Lingxi's neck, dragging her down into the water.

Zhang Yuanqing held up Little Dope with both hands, and regardless of its struggles, threw it into the water tank.

Seeing a fellow creature enter, the umbilical cord infant spirit immediately released the umbilical cord and bared its teeth at Little Dope.

Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Xie Lingxi's shoulders and pulled her out of the water tank with force.

"Cough cough..."

Xie Lingxi coughed violently, her face flushed red, and her bangs and sideburns stuck wetly to her forehead and cheeks.

After a dozen seconds, she initially calmed the discomfort in her lungs, saw Zhang Yuanqing's face clearly, and burst into tears of joy:

"Brother Wang Tai, you came to save me, sob sob, I never want to enter a灵境 related to Night Watchers again, it's too, too scary..."

This was her first time entering a副本 with supernatural elements.

"How did you end up here?" Zhang Yuanqing's eyes were fixed on the water tank.

The two infant spirits were fighting in the alcohol, biting and entangling each other, stirring the dark liquid into rippling waves.

Xie Lingxi tiptoed and glanced into the tank. Remembering that she had just drunk a lot of it, she retched for a while: "Too disgusting, too disgusting..."

After expressing her disgust, she answered Zhang Yuanqing's question:

"Brother Wang Tai, I followed you out of the hall, and a fog came over, and I found that you were all gone. I went to look for you, and unknowingly came here, and smelled a scent of wine, and found this tank by following the scent.

"I thought it was one of the dowries, and I just opened the wooden lid when a rope stretched out from the tank and dragged me into the water."

She looked at the umbilical cord infant spirit in the water tank, thinking about the liquid she had just choked on, and her little face was pale: "Too disgusting, too disgusting..."

Zhang Yuanqing silently calculated the time, and sized up the girl: "You held your breath for quite a long time."

Xie Lingxi shook her head and said娇声: "I have a prop, it can restore life force, without it, I would have suffocated in the water tank long ago."

As she spoke, she raised her snowy white wrist, where there was a emerald green jade bracelet.

A bracelet that restores life force... Is this girl also a Wood Sprite? Her temperament doesn't seem like it... Zhang Yuanqing 'hmm' a了一声, didn't pay too much attention to the bracelet, and said:

"Follow me to find them, hopefully it's not too late."

Xie Lingxi collected some liquid, while Zhang Yuanqing recalled Little Dope, who was fighting with peers for the first time in his life, and walked along the cobblestone path towards the depths of the mansion.

"By the way, give me that card."

"Ah? What card."

"Don't play dumb, the card you brought out of the parking lot, I saw you put it in your back pocket."

".......