IGSB – Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Entering the New World (Part 14)
All was silent, and Xia Zhiyi’s mind was racing.
Why did the servants in the Gu Residence always mention “Miss” instead of “Master”? Why did everything in the residence have to be done according to the young lady’s preferences? Why did the deceased Gao Hui's hand appear in the young lady’s room?
Now, everything had an answer.
The Ghost King was right before her eyes.
But the thought of Miss Gu eating people sent another wave of goosebumps over her skin. Yet, the more critical the moment, the more she had to remain calm.
She didn’t want to die here so soon.
Enduring the chill, she straightened up, trying her best not to look at Gao Hui’s hand, and said to Miss Gu with calm composure, “I was looking at your dress, Miss. It’s very beautiful, the pattern is lovely, and the color combination is perfect. One look and you can tell it’s expensive.”
Upon hearing this, Miss Gu giggled, seemingly in a good mood. “You have good taste.”
Then she beckoned with her finger, her voice filled with an indescribable temptation. “But how can you see clearly from so far away? Come closer and have a look. Come on.”
Although Xia Zhiyi was reckless, she wasn’t that reckless. So she said, “No need, thank you for your consideration, Miss. Don’t worry, I can see clearly from here. My vision is 5.3 in both eyes, it’s excellent!”
Miss Gu: “…”
Who cares if your eyesight is good or not!
Miss Gu didn’t respond to that.
The two were at a stalemate for a moment.
Xia Zhiyi subtly retreated a little. Jing Ruyu wasn’t here, and now the open door was her only source of security. Fortunately, this Ghost King didn’t seem like she was about to attack.
She hadn’t forgotten the purpose of her trip either.
Master Gu’s words were useless, but the Ghost King’s words should be effective, right?
If the Ghost King said to extend the time, as long as the wedding day didn’t arrive, the time for clearing the field would have to be pushed back, right?
But how should she persuade this Ghost King to agree to extend the time…
Just as she was hesitating about what to say as an opening, Miss Gu spoke first, “What have you come to see me for?”
—Here it comes!
Xia Zhiyi immediately seized the opportunity and stated her purpose, “Tomorrow is your wedding day, Miss. I am truly happy for you. The only fly in the ointment is, I feel there isn’t enough time.”
Not enough time?
Miss Gu snorted coldly, leaning lazily to the side. “What time is not enough? Is your time not enough?”
“Of course not,” Xia Zhiyi said with a smile, “It’s that there isn’t enough time for you and the wedding, Miss.”
She deliberately sighed and said, “Miss, I’m going to say something honest, please don’t be angry.”
“Speak.”
“I’ve discovered that your father… doesn’t dote on you as much as others say.”
“?”
Miss Gu was stunned for a moment. Xia Zhiyi seized the opportunity and immediately began her wicked plan—sowing discord.
“When I first arrived, I heard Butler Qiao say that Master Gu dotes on you the most, that he would even go bankrupt to give you the best, most impeccable grand wedding. I was so envious when I heard that.”
“But when I went out today, I noticed new weeds growing in some places, and there are still many neglected corners in the residence that haven’t been thoroughly cleaned. I thought, perhaps Butler Qiao was too busy decorating the residence and forgot to order people to clean these nooks and crannies. That would mean she wasn’t meticulous enough. But you’re getting married tomorrow! If the guests come and see this, who knows how they’ll laugh at your Gu Residence.”
“So I went to your father and suggested he postpone the wedding. But he completely dismissed it, not caring if you would be laughed at, not caring if your wedding would be absolutely perfect. He rejected my suggestion outright, only thinking about marrying you off tomorrow!”
“Sigh, I originally thought he was truly a good father who wanted to give his daughter the absolute best, but now it seems… sigh—”
She used the best acting of her life, letting out the most regretful sigh of her life, so genuine it was as if she was truly thinking of Miss Gu’s best interests, without a single personal motive.
But Miss Gu didn’t speak, and the large room once again fell into silence.
Seeing this, she decided to provoke her a little more. “Ah, could it be that the Master still calls the shots in this residence, and you, Miss, have no power at all? Then I, who wanted to offer a suggestion, came to the wrong person…”
The silent Ghost King behind the beaded curtain seemed to be sizing her up, and also seemed to be pondering, making her completely inscrutable.
After a long while, she heard a disdainful snort from behind the beaded curtain. “Hmph, what do you know.”
Power?
Here, she is power. No one can defy her.
“Tell me,” Miss Gu spoke again, “how many days do you want?”
—Success!
Xia Zhiyi directly gave a number. “Too long isn’t good either, so let’s say five days.”
Miss Gu: “…”
She admitted this goading tactic was very effective, and was even planning to generously bestow a little time on them to let them know who was really in charge of this residence. But she never expected this person to make such an exorbitant demand, daring to ask for five days!
She even knows that too long isn’t good?!
“One day. No more. If you think that’s too little, then you get no days at all.”
As expected.
Xia Zhiyi smiled knowingly. “Miss is still the wisest.”
Xiao Qiao returned with Xia Zhiyi and publicly announced that the wedding date would be postponed.
The residence would need one more day to prepare, and the guests could also rest for another day, responsible only for eating and drinking well.
This news shocked everyone.
After Xiao Qiao left, everyone gathered around to ask Xia Zhiyi what she had done.
Xia Zhiyi said with a calm face, “Nothing much, just went and sowed a little discord.”
Xiao Ya and the other two: “?”
It sounds like there’s no morality in this world that can restrain you.
Jing Ruyu scanned her up and down, only relaxing imperceptibly after confirming she wasn’t injured.
Xia Zhiyi didn’t notice her reaction. She suddenly grabbed her arm and said with a serious face, “Ruyu, I know who the Ghost King is.”
Jing Ruyu: “Who?”
Xia Zhiyi: “Miss Gu.”
Jing Ruyu: “How are you sure?”
“I saw it,” Xia Zhiyi said. “Gao Hui’s body is in her room, and she’s the only one whose words have any authority in the residence.”
Xiao Ya covered her mouth in astonishment.
Liuliu and Zhou Yan were even more shocked into silence.
So all this time, they’ve been helping the Ghost King prepare for her wedding???
Jing Ruyu caught the main point and asked with a frown, “You went to see her?”
Xia Zhiyi: “Yeah, Master Gu couldn’t extend the time, so I thought I’d go see her.”
Jing Ruyu: “It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me go with you next time.”
Xia Zhiyi patted her shoulder nonchalantly. “Relax, didn’t I come back just fine? I don’t think she’s in a position to harm me.”
Perhaps it was because it was daytime, or perhaps because of some restriction. In short, something must be restraining Miss Gu’s actions, preventing her from eating people at will for the time being.
But on the wedding day, that might not be the case…
“Anyway, when you go to the backyard tonight, you can feel a little less pressure. If you encounter danger, just come back. We can plan for the long term and go another day.”
Finally having lightened Jing Ruyu’s burden, Xia Zhiyi let out a relaxed sigh.
“By the way, how’s it going? Have you guys come up with a plan for tonight?”
“There was a plan, but we hadn’t decided whether to implement it. But now that you’ve said Miss Gu is the Ghost King…” Jing Ruyu’s brow furrowed slightly, “it must be implemented.”
Relying on the tacit understanding built up over a year of being together, Xia Zhiyi instantly understood the plan she was talking about. “Are you talking about… luring the Ghost King into the courtyard to create more opportunities for you?”
Obviously, the Ghost King is the greatest danger at night. For every second she doesn’t appear, the person outside is in even greater peril. Under these circumstances, it’s naturally best to control her location and keep her within the players’ line of sight.
Jing Ruyu nodded.
“Liuliu has a watch and has calculated the time the Ghost King stayed on the previous two occasions. If the door isn’t opened, the Ghost King will linger outside for over an hour, constantly trying to bewitch the players into opening it.”
Xia Zhiyi: “…”
She said in amazement, “So she was shouting for that long that night? Her voice is really something, truly befitting a Ghost King.”
Jing Ruyu: “…”
…That’s not really the point.
Xia Zhiyi obediently returned to the topic herself. “Having an extra hour is indeed better, but right now there’s only one way to lure the Ghost King into the courtyard…”
“So, who will be the brave warrior to proactively ask the young lady for fruit?”
Jing Ruyu: “It hasn’t been decided yet. That’s why I said we hadn’t decided to implement it—”
Before she could finish, Xiao Ya, who had been sitting quietly to the side, raised her arm. “I’ll do it.”
Everyone’s gazes instantly converged on her.
She slowly straightened her back and repeated with conviction, “I’ll do it.”
Jing Ruyu was going to brave the danger alone to find the ferry crossing, and Xia Zhiyi had bought them an extra day. Under these circumstances, as someone who wanted them to take her away from here, it would be too unjust to shrink back and reap the benefits.
Besides, Jing Ruyu just said that as long as someone is there to snap you out of it, the hallucination can be quickly dispelled and isn’t hard to break. The Ghost King was banking on the fact that they were strangers and exhausted from the day, wanting to sleep at night with no energy or inclination to care about others.
She believed they wouldn’t screw her over!
Xia Zhiyi looked at her as if looking at a child who had grown up.
Who would have thought that when this child first came in, she had such a listless attitude of not caring about anything and letting things be?
Indeed, the New World makes people wicked and forces them to grow up in a hurry.
Xia Zhiyi walked up, took her hand, and said with utmost reliability, “You’ll sleep in our room tonight. Don’t worry, I promise I won’t let you open the door!”
Xiao Ya nodded vigorously.
Wasting no time, she resolutely walked out of the courtyard, found Xiao Qiao, and proactively said, “I’d like to eat the fruit Miss sent. Could you give me some?”
Hearing this, Xiao Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Of course, you can.”
Night fell, and the lights went out.
After agreeing on a secret signal for her return, Jing Ruyu went out through the back window.
The back window faced a wall. She climbed onto the wall, deciding to take the road less traveled.
She would also return through the back window, not the main door, to prevent the Ghost King from disguising herself as her and luring everyone.
After climbing onto the wall, she crouched low. Once she was far from the courtyard, she looked at the Gu Residence shrouded in the cold moonlight and slowly rolled her neck.
I hope the journey goes smoothly…
Inside the room, Xia Zhiyi stood before the tightly shut window, silent.
When Jing Ruyu left, she had stuffed an extra fire starter into her hands, hoping it would help, but her heart, suspended high in her chest, just wouldn’t settle.
She still liked this person, and still couldn’t help but worry about her safety.
So what if she had some skills? Wasn’t she still an ordinary person? When encountering those ghosts and ghouls, wasn’t she still alone and vulnerable, in immense danger? Not to mention the pile of skeletons everywhere under the backyard…
She sighed softly.
—I hope she can return safely.
Xiao Ya glanced at the doorway piled high with tables and chairs, then turned to look at the silent Xia Zhiyi. She called out softly, “Zhiyi?”
Xia Zhiyi turned around. “Hm?”
Xiao Ya: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Xia Zhiyi: “I’m not sleeping. You go ahead and sleep.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ya immediately sat up straight. “Then I won’t sleep either. Maybe if I don’t sleep, I won’t have hallucinations.”
Xia Zhiyi smiled and comforted her, “Go to sleep, it’s okay. The Ghost King’s fruit probably has a built-in hypnotic effect. You can’t escape it.”
Xiao Ya: “…”
It was clearly a comforting tone, so why don’t I feel comforted at all??
Sure enough, just as Xia Zhiyi had said, Xiao Ya’s eyelids soon began to fight, and her ramrod-straight body started to sway. She was clearly exhausted but forced herself to stay up, not daring to fall over.
Xia Zhiyi sighed, walked over, and while helping her lie down, she soothed her in a soft, low voice, “Go to sleep. I’m here, nothing will happen. Go to sleep, go to sleep.”
It was unclear whether Xia Zhiyi’s voice was too gentle or the effect of the Ghost King’s fruit was too strong, but Xiao Ya soon couldn’t hold on any longer and completely succumbed to drowsiness.
She mumbled a dazed “mhm” and obediently closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Xia Zhiyi tucked her in, then went back to the door to check the bolt and the tables and chairs. The small hole in the door was also blocked by a stool. Everything was fine.
She unconsciously walked back to the window.
I wonder where she is now, if she’s run into any danger…
The Gu Residence at night was quiet but not peaceful.
The ghouls lurking in the dark exhaled white breaths under the night sky, stretching their stiff limbs.
They loved the night the most. There was no annoying sun, and no infuriating restraints.
By the wall, a ghoul buried under a flowerpot quietly poked its head out, greedily taking in the fresh air.
It was waiting, waiting for the next clueless player to foolishly wander into the night. It couldn’t wait to drag another person down to die with it!
Just then, it saw a black shadow flash by, instantly merging with the darkness under the eaves.
A pair of blood-red pupils slowly appeared, staring coldly at it as if gazing at its prey, making one’s hair stand on end.
“A ghost!”
It subconsciously screamed in fear and abruptly shrank back.
But after a long time, nothing happened.
The timid creature cautiously poked its head out and scouted its surroundings. There was nothing, and it heard nothing, as if those eyes were just its imagination.
It stood there stunned, belatedly muttering to itself, “Wait, I’m a ghost too. What the hell am I afraid of…”
“But what was that just now?”
“Could it be… a new one?”
No one answered.
It boredly burrowed back in.
The Gu Residence under the moonlight once again sank into silence. The night was long.
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