Once his cousin finished the congee and left for work, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room to catch up on sleep. When he woke up, rhythmic, dynamic sound effects filled his ears. Opening his eyes, he saw the glow of the television screen flickering across the room; the ceiling light was off.
He sat up and looked toward the window. His young aunt was sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, playing his PS5. Her sleeves were rolled up, exposing two fair, tender forearms, and her lithe body swayed left and right as she worked the controller.
Zhang Yuanqing yawned, got up to turn on the light, and walked behind her to watch her play.
She was playing a horror game. The art style was eerie and macabre, the music uncanny. The protagonist was an ugly little figure clutching a bloody axe, hacking through stages and leaving severed flesh flying everywhere.
The screen's glow reflected in her bright, limpid eyes, and her lovely oval face wore a bright, faint excitement.
"This game is great. It's perfect for nighttime. Really healing," his young aunt said without looking back.
She had three major hobbies: shopping malls, horror movies, and horror games.
*You mean soul-crushing, you twisted woman...* Zhang Yuanqing chimed in insincerely, "Yeah, pretty fun."
She turned her head and rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you being so fake with me?"
Turning back to the game, she continued:
"Actually, it really is a healing game. All the ghosts and monsters on screen are figments of a little boy's imagination. He's a psychiatric patient fighting hard so he won't be swallowed by his inner demons. In the end, he hacks out a path of blood and finally reaches the light. The ending is deeply moving."
While she spoke, Zhang Yuanqing had poured himself a glass of water. Sipping it, he replied, "Nice concept."
His young aunt gave two assenting hums and added:
"Every boss has a specific pattern. As long as you pay attention and observe, even a little boy can defeat terrifying demons. But frightening visuals and music often fill people with dread and rob them of calm judgment.
"You should give it a try too."
Zhang Yuanqing was in no mood to play video games with her. It had been nearly twenty hours since he left the Spirit Realm. In a dozen or so hours, the Spirit Realm would reopen, and what awaited him might be death.
He was better off thinking about what to do in the last dozen hours of his life so he wouldn't leave with regrets.
Call his mom and cuss her out? Hug his young aunt and have a good cry? Or join his uncle for one last round of singing, dancing, and rapping?
He suddenly realized he had no particular regrets, nor any lifelong unfulfilled dreams. As a college student from a fairly well-off family, his life had never had that many troubles to begin with.
Only those who had weathered life's storms carried so many lingering regrets they couldn't let go of.
"Come on, just play!" His aunt wriggled her waist, wheedling playfully.
Looking at her lovely back, Zhang Yuanqing's gaze gradually softened. He sat down beside her and took the controller from her hands.
If he only had a dozen hours left to live, playing another game with her wasn't a bad way to spend them.
With his young aunt munching on potato chips and chattering away as she gave instructions, Zhang Yuanqing cleared the game. Checking the time, he realized it was already eleven at night.
"Not bad, not bad! You're really talented."
Licking her fair, slender fingers, she patted her nephew on the shoulder in praise, casually wiping her saliva on his clothes in the process.
"Gross! That's disgusting," Zhang Yuanqing said with utter revulsion.
"Bah! Mine is nectar of the gods. Don't take your blessings for granted," Jiang Yu'er said shamelessly.
"Nectar of the gods? How much a jin?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed.
"Priceless at any amount! But Auntie can give you a few drops for free." Jiang Yu'er pouted, making a show of leaning in to smear spit on him.
Zhang Yuanqing leaned back to dodge.
*Click!*
The doorknob turned. Grandma stood in the doorway, frowning at the two of them.
Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu'er immediately sat upright and proper.
"Are you still eating dinner or not?" Grandma scolded. "Sleeping during the day and staying up at night! The moment you wake up, it's video games! Born human yet trying to become an immortal? Walking the earth yet trying to ascend to heaven?"
Zhang Yuanqing put down the controller. "Got it, got it. Coming right now."
Grandma shot a chilly glare at her daughter, and his young aunt slunk meekly back to her bedroom.
Dinner had been kept warm, and Grandma reheated the dishes that had gone cold. Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly filled his belly, returned to his room, and summoned his inventory to confirm that the Corpse-Suppressing Talisman was still there.
Next, he reviewed his character status panel.
Then, while praying that Li Dongze would have good news, he pondered every detail of the Mountain God Temple.
During the game with his aunt earlier, he had gained a new realization.
Since the Spirit Realm was also a game, did it have patterns as well? If he could find the patterns, even if he were just a frail boy without the strength to truss a chicken, maybe he could still clear it.
As his thoughts wandered, a piercing ringtone sounded, making Zhang Yuanqing's heart skip a beat.
He grabbed his phone from the bedside. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. He answered.
"Hello, is this Zhang Yuanqing?"
A sultry voice came through the speaker. A look of pleasant surprise flashed across Zhang Yuanqing's face, and he hurriedly asked, "Did you get the information on Sheling Tunnel?"
Guan Ya gave a soft hum. "The Decurion obtained more detailed dossier materials for you, and he had me send them to your email. Knowing how you young people never check your email, I called to give you a heads-up."
*As expected of the authorities! Joining the official organization was definitely the right choice...* Zhang Yuanqing's mood brightened instantly. Suppressing the urge to throw himself at the computer to check his inbox, he said sincerely, "Please thank Decurion Li for me, and thank you too, Guan Ya. Once I successfully complete the trial quest, dinner is on me!"
*Successfully complete the trial...* Guan Ya sighed inwardly. Hesitating, she said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, "All right. We'll be waiting."
She had already read the dossier sent over from the Taiyi Sect. Reading it had left her with only cold dread and despair. No wonder the Decurion had been in a gloomy funk all day.
In Li Dongze's mind, this newly recruited Night Wanderer was almost certainly going to perish in the trial quest.
Ending the call, Zhang Yuanqing pulled back his ergonomic chair, booted up his laptop in a hurry, and logged into his email.
Amid the clutter of unread emails, he found the message sent by Guan Ya.
He downloaded the attached document.
[Sheling Tunnel, Spirit Realm No. 0079. Difficulty Level: S. Type: Solo (Lethal).]
[Main Quest 1: Survive for three hours.]
[Main Quest 2: Explore Spirit Realm No. 0079.]
*Identical to my trial quests...* Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted. That was a good sign; the closer the description matched his own quests, the better.
[The setting of Spirit Realm No. 0079 is not Sheling Tunnel, but an ancient Ming-dynasty temple known as the Lady Sandao Temple.
[By my estimation, this Lady was likely a Night Wanderer of exceedingly high status—no, perhaps she can no longer be referred to as merely a Night Wanderer. It remains unclear whether such a peerlessly graceful Lady truly existed in the Ming dynasty, or if she was a fabrication of the Spirit Realm.]
Following that was a lengthy account of Lady Sandao's deeds, matching what Zhang Yuanqing had read in the temple.
He continued reading:
[The quest to survive for three hours is relatively simple. Initially, after reading the notes, I was haunted by a vengeful spirit whose trait is to continuously drain the yang qi of living beings until the target dies.
[Night Wanderers possess an innate suppression over spiritual entities. I banished it without much effort, but when I attempted to devour it, I met with immense resistance. This might be the Spirit Realm's protection over the vengeful spirit.
[Anyone who reads the notes is cursed, relentlessly pursued by the vengeful spirit. Any method of banishment is temporary; banishing the spirit once grants a safe window of approximately fifteen minutes.
[It is worth noting that the general layout of the Mountain God Temple consists of a main hall and two adjacent back courtyards. The candle in the main hall is an extremely potent item with the ability to suppress evil and purify. As long as one hides inside the main hall, one is safe. The cost, however, is that the candle extinguishes fear in the human heart. Lingering in the candlelight for too long makes one fearless, and inside such a perilous Spirit Realm, fearlessness is fatal. Furthermore, it cannot be moved and cannot be taken out of the Spirit Realm.
[After staying in the main hall for half an hour, I suddenly heard cries for help coming from the back courtyard, interspersed with spine-chilling roars—roars that did not sound like any living creature. After some hesitation, I decided to head to the back courtyard to explore.]
*The main hall really is a safe haven. I verified that firsthand. But I never imagined the source was the candle—I thought it was that beautiful Mountain God Lady...*
*The cries for help came from that massive banyan tree. I didn't hear any roars, though... That eastern courtyard really is terrifying.* Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill run through him, quietly drawing in a sharp breath.
He took a deep breath and concentrated on reading further. The subsequent information was vital; if he knew the state of the other courtyard beforehand, he could evade danger while exploring.
[The massive banyan tree is very dangerous. Do not look back. Do not look back...]
[This banyan tree seems to have gained sentience, but why would it call for help? As for the terrifying roar, I never found its source, because its appearance interrupted my exploration. It was a pair of... red dancing shoes.]
[It did not attack me immediately, but invited me to dance. Out of a desire to test the waters, I accepted its invi—]
[I couldn't remember its dance steps at all. They were far too chaotic and intricate. For someone like me with no dance experience, it was an impossible task. No, even someone with dancing experience couldn't possibly memorize those steps. I failed, and the red dancing shoes began hunting me down.]
[I managed to escape back to the main hall, but two of my ribs were broken from being stomped on by it. I believe I have discerned its true nature: it is an exceedingly terrifying item whose pursuit ignores terrain and obstacles, never resting until its objective is met. My preliminary conjecture is that it is a rule-based item.]
[Unbelievable. To think there is actually a rule-based item in a trial realm! I finally understand why Qian Shou, despite carrying an item with him, still died in the Mountain God Temple, and why no one has ever cleared this Spirit Realm. What a sick joke! Those who enter Sheling Tunnel are either Level 1 novice Night Wanderers or ordinary mortals. How could anyone possibly clear it?]
[The reason for the temple's decline remains unknown for now, as does the secret concerning a thousand years of rise and fall. I hope I can successfully complete the second main quest and bring the truth back to the organization.]
The dossier ended there, with no further follow-up.
Zhang Yuanqing knew that this Night Wanderer had most likely died during that second main quest.
Chapter 12