“Let’s resolve this instance first,” Yan Wei smiled. “You guys stayed behind at the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel earlier. Did you manage to handle the situation?”
As he spoke, he suddenly bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and threw it at Yan Mingguang.
Given Yan Mingguang’s physical stats, dodging it should have been a blink of an eye’s work. Yet, the snowball hit his shoulder squarely. Yan Mingguang shook his head helplessly, “Stop fooling around.”
Yan Wei pouted, “No fun—”
He was suddenly hit by a snowball Yan Mingguang threw back at him.
Yan Wei: “…You learn fast.”
His Teacher Yan reverted to his usual unflappable demeanor, though his expression softened, and the snowball in his hand grew larger.
After listening to Yan Mingguang briefly recount the matter with A Yu, Yan Wei glanced at the now illegible evil ritual, frowned slightly, but after a moment of contemplation, said, “A Yu was indeed just a pawn. She thought she had obtained an evil ritual to change her appearance, and over the years, she harmed many, shrouding Guanyin Town in darkness and turning the sea black. But this ritual likely has another purpose.”
“There are only two possibilities behind this scheme. Either someone used A Yu’s actions to transfer the deathly aura to Jiang Jingyun’s corpse, intending to use her body for something, and Jiang Jingyun herself is indeed just a corpse. Or, A Yu was merely a smokescreen for Jiang Jingyun’s ghost, and the real culprit behind A Yu’s actions is still Jiang Jingyun.”
“The former,” Yan Mingguang said.
Yan Wei nodded, “The latter is impossible. If A Yu was a decoy for Jiang Jingyun’s ghost, then some of the deaths in Guanyin Town wouldn’t be her doing. If she knew of any deaths unrelated to her, she wouldn’t be completely unaware, believing the ritual’s effects were solely benefiting her.”
The hauntings in Guanyin Town over the past five years, and the deaths or driven mad, were indeed A Yu’s doing.
But A Yu was also being used, committing atrocities for four to five years, only for the deathly aura to ultimately converge on Jiang Jingyun’s corpse.
Why did it converge on Jiang Jingyun’s corpse?
“What about Zhong Bufan?” he asked.
“He’s resting after a long day.”
Yan Wei nodded, “Right, it’s almost dawn. I hope Lin Zhen and Lin Qing are making progress.”
They fell silent.
The eastern sky gradually brightened, and the snowfall had ceased, leaving the ground blanketed in white. Yan Wei used the Moon Wheel’s spatial abilities to wrap himself in a small snowball, placing it atop the large one Yan Mingguang had rolled, then put away the Item.
He instructed Yan Mingguang, and with some nearby branches, they added “arms” to the snowman, adorned its face with eyes, and drew a mouth, giving it a cheerful expression.
In the distance, towards the Shen Estate, wisps of Black Aura suddenly rose, piercing the sky.
As the sky just began to light, the emitted Black Aura slowly obscured it, as if dark clouds were pressing down. However, the Black Aura was still relatively small, and as Players, they could see it earlier than the ordinary townsfolk of Guanyin Town, who remained oblivious.
Yan Wei and Yan Mingguang’s expressions darkened as they simultaneously looked towards the Shen Estate. Soon after, Song Cheng’an and others found them, while Yu Feizhou stayed with Lin Zhen and Lin Qing as a precaution.
Zhong Bufan glanced at the snowman, instinctively wanting to quip about their “refined taste,” but upon seeing Yan Wei, he immediately remembered the other’s identity, swallowed his words, and felt that even Yan Wei’s snowman must have some profound meaning.
Song Cheng’an also looked uneasy, his tone urgent, “This is the Resentment and deathly aura from Jiang Jingyun’s corpse. It was sealed in the courtyard by the mage in the instance’s setting. How could it suddenly be released? If this continues and the deathly aura spreads, won’t the whole town be filled with corpse risings?”
Yan Wei already had some understanding.
“This seal doesn’t seem to have broken on its own. I’ve been in the corpse chamber; if the deathly aura inside had truly broken the seal, it wouldn’t be such a small disturbance. And right now, only Players can see it.”
Zhong Bufan immediately understood, “That dog Zhuo Xidong deliberately tore the seal to show us? Why would he do something so thankless? If the deathly aura spreads, turning Guanyin Town into a dead city, both our tasks would fail. Is he trying to take us down with him?”
Yan Wei, however, chuckled helplessly.
Yu Zhengqing flicked his sleeve, “What are you laughing at? We’re about to be completely done for.”
“I’m just laughing at how some people can calmly give up their lives to keep others focused on their goals, some can maintain kindness even in an instance, and I’ve even seen Players who protect ordinary NPCs in instances,” Yan Wei said, his voice gradually cooling, “but this is the first time I’ve seen someone use the lives of everyone in the instance to threaten their opponent.”
Zhuo Xidong truly was an old rival he had repeatedly clashed with throughout the Ghost Marsh instance. Knowing he couldn’t win, Zhuo Xidong resorted to this desperate move, exploiting Yan Wei’s compassion.
Song Cheng’an asked, “What do you mean?”
“He’s directly asking me for the Guanyin’s Pure Vase water.”
“He’s insane!?”
“He’s not insane; he’s more clear-headed than anyone,” Yan Wei sneered. “He’s telling me that if I don’t give him the vase water, letting them win this instance, then we all die together, and the entire Guanyin Town will be our funeral.”
Yu Zhengqing scoffed, “He’s dreaming. There’s no way we’d give it to him—”
“I actually intend to give it to him. He’s played this move just right.”
Everyone was shocked.
Those present either knew Yan Wei’s identity or, like Yu Zhengqing and Geng Liang, didn’t but dared not oppose him. In this critical moment, no one could grasp Yan Wei’s intentions, and no one spoke up.
Yan Wei, however, said, “I have no ulterior motives. If he wants it, give it to him. We haven’t returned to the Shen Estate all night, so Zhuo Xidong and his group must have roughly guessed that there’s no Jiang Jingyun ghost. He wants the Guanyin’s Pure Vase water to suppress the deathly aura and end this instance. The reason I say to give it to him is that I think the Guanyin’s Pure Vase water might not be a good thing.”
Geng Liang blurted out, “How is that possible? The Shen Estate faction has been clear from the start about wanting the vase water to suppress Jiang Jingyun…”
“Jiang Jingyun is fake,” Yan Mingguang said, “so how can the vase water be real?”
Geng Liang was speechless.
Yan Wei raised his hand and took out the white porcelain bottle.
“Whoever wants to, take it to them. If he wants it, then I’ll give it to him. Song Cheng’an, the array at the Guanyin Temple is a major force amplifying the evil aura in Guanyin Town. Regardless of the truth, the longer that array remains, the more the town’s evil aura will grow. Can you go to the Guanyin Temple now and do your utmost to break that array?”
“I can, but I’m afraid I might not manage alone.”
Geng Liang said, “I’ll go with you. My senses are naturally strong, so I can help you feel the array’s flow.”
Yan Wei tossed the porcelain bottle to Yu Zhengqing, “In that case, you and Zhong Bufan go give this bottle to Zhuo Xidong and his group. Don’t overthink it; just be a bit reluctant and let them suppress the deathly aura quickly.”
Yu Zhengqing opened his mouth to retort, but his hands moved faster than his words, and he caught the bottle before he could speak.
Yu Zhengqing: “…”
Zhong Bufan was all nods and bows, “Got it!”
At the start of the instance, Yan Wei had been hiding behind Song Cheng’an, only occasionally speaking up. But now, his casual instructions were met with unanimous compliance from everyone.
The broken seal leaking deathly aura was like a sudden countdown, pressing on everyone’s hearts. No one dared to delay, and in the blink of an eye, only Yan Wei and Yan Mingguang remained.
“You know where we’re going, right?”
Yan Mingguang nodded slightly and grabbed his hand.
Activating a short-range teleportation skill, Yan Wei found himself in front of Mr. Bai’s residence in an instant.
Yan Wei glanced at the man beside him, “It seems great minds think alike.”
They both had thought of the upright Mr. Bai.
At first glance, there seemed to be no connection, but upon closer examination, the only links between A Yu and Jiang Jingyun, who died four to five years ago, were the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel and… the Guanyin Academy.
Why the Guanyin Academy?
When they first learned of Jiang Jingyun’s past, there were mentions that after Jiang Jingyun was sold to the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel, suitors flocked like carps to carp stream, even including scholars from the Guanyin Academy.
Which scholar from the Guanyin Academy?
In Jiang Jingyun’s room, aside from the brothel attire she likely viewed as shameful, there were some of her own clothes. These clothes were rather plain in color, with styles leaning towards male garments, completely unlike women’s clothing.
The portrait of Jiang Jingyun that Yan Mingguang found depicted a stunningly beautiful woman, but her attire was quite masculine. She didn’t wear her hair in a bun but tied it up, giving off the air of a dashing scholar at first glance. Though the portrait clearly showed a woman, her clothing and demeanor had an undeniable heroic aura.
A Yu said that Jiang Jingyun had somehow learned poetry and literature, unlike ordinary women, exuding scholarly grace.
A Yu also said that she had a beloved, and the beloved loved a stunningly beautiful woman.
A Yu, for the sake of mere superficial beauty, had harmed innocents, staining her hands with blood over five years. If that woman were still alive, wouldn’t A Yu have mentioned her, or perhaps already killed her?
She mentioned nothing, so the woman must already be dead.
According to Yan Mingguang, A Yu had no prior suicidal tendencies, but when Zhong Bufan mentioned that all A Yu’s actions had benefited Jiang Jingyun’s corpse, the woman suddenly changed, singing an indistinct opera piece, and quietly took her own life. Did she feel cornered and chose death, or did this revelation make her feel like a joke, losing the will to live?
Was Jiang Jingyun that stunningly beautiful woman?
The Resentment and deathly aura, if touched by the living, would turn them into the dead or something half-alive like A Yu. If touched by the dead, it would catalyze vengeful spirits, solidifying resentment. Even if Jiang Jingyun hadn’t become a vengeful spirit, soaking in this deathly aura for so many years, she would have likely turned into one.
Who in the Guanyin Academy could write such exquisite calligraphy, teach Jiang Jingyun poetry and literature, rush to the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel to redeem her in her time of need, and even draw the reversing array at the Guanyin Temple, nurturing a corpse with vast deathly aura for five years?
Faint opera singing seemed to drift from the courtyard. Yan Wei exchanged a glance with Yan Mingguang, who led the way as they stepped into Mr. Bai’s small courtyard.
Within a few steps, they reached the small opera stage. Mr. Bai, dressed in a green robe, stood before the stage, still the picture of uprightness. He was watching the opera troupe perform, softly humming along with the melody.
The page had once told them that Mr. Bai enjoyed opera and would occasionally invite troupes to perform.
Yan Wei and Yan Mingguang stood on the path, the opera lyrics subtly weaving into Yan Wei’s ears, merging with the memory of A Yu sitting on the steps, humming an opera tune while stepping on snow.
It was a piece from “The Butterfly Lovers.”
