IGSB – Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Entering the New World (Part 17)
Xia Zhiyi's idea of "pulling off something big" was to rebel against the Ghost King.
The two of them were well aware that the entire Gu Residence was under the Ghost King's command. If they were to face her head-on, they would be outnumbered and doomed to fail. Therefore, even with fire as a crucial weapon, they needed a double insurance policy.
What should they do when there were too many enemies and no way to call for backup? Turn enemies into allies and build up their own strength!
The ghost, who was firmly in their grasp, clearly understood her meaning.
It just didn't dare.
Who would? The courage to defy the Ghost King wasn't something one could summon at will.
Jing Ruyu saw through its resistance and cowardice. Her gaze locked onto it as she said, word by word, "From life to death, you've all been used by the Ghost King. Even as a pile of bones, you're not allowed any peace. Are you truly content with this situation?
"You don't want to escape? You don't want to resist? You don't want to break free from the Ghost King's control completely? Or perhaps... you don't want to become the Ghost King yourself?"
Become the Ghost King?
It was the first time Xia Zhiyi had heard such a thing, and she found it quite novel.
"Can they become Ghost Kings?"
To which Jing Ruyu replied, "I don't know."
Xia Zhiyi: "?"
Jing Ruyu retorted matter-of-factly, "When it comes to something like a Ghost King, shouldn't it be a matter of the strongest taking the throne?"
Xia Zhiyi: "Oh, that does make a bit of sense..."
Jing Ruyu simply believed this vast world ought to have its own standard of "the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest."
The strongest would rise, and the strongest would control the world.
As for whether this was right or wrong, the New World itself knew the answer. The players didn't need to investigate too deeply—they didn't have the opportunity to. Just staying alive was enough to leave them mentally and physically exhausted.
The ghost: "..."
Excuse me, I'm still here. When you're making wild guesses, could you please consider the feelings of the ghost in question!
To be honest, becoming a Ghost King was indeed every ghost's lifelong dream, the pinnacle of a ghost's existence. But not every ghost was born so fortunate or so powerful.
It dared to dream, but its strength didn't permit it to act! It would probably be devoured by the Ghost King and turned into her nourishment before it could even try anything!
Although it was unwilling to accept it, the disparity in strength was just that merciless.
"Please, just be proper humans and stop inciting a ghost to stir up trouble. Search your consciences. Do you really dare to go up against the Ghost King?"
"We do," Xia Zhiyi said.
"?" The ghost was stunned.
"I argued with her yesterday."
"You... you weren't torn to shreds by her?!"
"Ah, she did mention having such a plan," Xia Zhiyi replied with utmost modesty.
"..."
It was rendered speechless.
My apologies, I have been rude.
I only knew the one beside you was absurdly powerful; I never expected you to be so incredible yourself.
This batch of guests is terrifying!
It didn't want to waste any more breath on them. It immediately started burrowing into the ground, "If you're so capable, do it yourselves! Stop trying to egg me on!"
Even though it was already dead, it didn't want to be a scapegoat!
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu silently watched as the soil before them settled back to normal.
After a moment, Xia Zhiyi sighed, "So unambitious."
"Still," Xia Zhiyi said, stepping out from the shade and glancing at the torch in her hand, "we did gain something."
Jing Ruyu nodded lightly.
"Zhiyi," she suddenly said, "shall we make a trip to the backyard?"
To reach the Ferry Crossing, the backyard was the only path. They had no choice.
Jing Ruyu could take a detour by herself, but the others couldn't.
Since they were discussing cooperation, they might as well try to persuade the mountain of ghastly white bones in the backyard and eliminate a potential threat.
"Let's go!"
On the way to the backyard, to test Xia Zhiyi's theory about memory erasure, the two made sure to experiment on a few more servants of the Gu Residence. The result was the same as with the young maid.
Shortly after hearing their words, each servant's eyes would glaze over, and then they would forget everything that had been said, reverting to their roles as loyal tools of the Gu Residence and its young lady.
The path of winning over the household servants was completely sealed off.
As they were walking, Xia Zhiyi suddenly stopped Jing Ruyu and offered a reasonable hypothesis, "What if... Miss Gu isn't afraid of fire?"
Humans and ghosts were natural adversaries. The ghost in the garden was a coward, yes, but that didn't change the fact that it wanted to kill them. So, was the hint it had "unintentionally" given them actually true?
What if the Ghost King, Miss Gu, truly wasn't afraid of fire? Wouldn't all these fire starters they had prepared be a complete waste of effort?
"Let's go test it," Xia Zhiyi said, tucking the fire starters away securely and raising her torch.
"This path happens to lead to Miss Gu's room. If she really is afraid of fire, maybe we can subdue her on the spot, take out her entire nest, and call it a day?"
Jing Ruyu heard this and nodded seriously. "An excellent idea."
Then, her tone shifted. "If you recall that the New World requires us to attend the wedding."
With the bride gone, what wedding could there be?
Xia Zhiyi: "..."
She fell silent. After a moment, she slowly gave a thumbs-up. "Then the groom will just have to marry himself.
"Loving oneself can be beautiful, too. You know, like Narcissus."
"..."
Jing Ruyu couldn't help but chuckle.
Xia Zhiyi always had a solution, even if this particular one was a bit unconventional.
"But we can go and verify it," Jing Ruyu agreed with her idea of testing the theory. "Just in case."
Deciding to act, the two of them carried half a bucket of water and their torches, pretending to be driving away pests as an excuse to approach the pavilion where Miss Gu resided.
The path was uneventful and their approach went smoothly.
That is, until they saw Miss Gu appear in the upper story of the pavilion from a distance.
She stood there, fearless of the dazzling sunlight, her vibrant red skirt fluttering in the wind. Her true face remained obscured.
Then, she slowly tilted her neck.
In that instant, the pair felt an intensely oppressive gaze pierce them like an arrow shot from a bow.
They had been spotted.
The two of them stopped in their tracks, meeting that gaze.
Following that, Miss Gu raised a hand, gave a gentle wave of her flowing, wide sleeve, and turned back into her room.
Before they could figure out what that meant, the servants who had been bustling around them suddenly stopped their work. In perfect unison, they turned their heads to stare, their expressions turning incredibly cold.
They didn't look like people, but like puppets being controlled.
They were surrounded, unable to move an inch. The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, and the silence was chilling. Neither of them dared to let their guard down.
Just then, an emotionless voice suddenly spoke out, "Go back. My young lady is not receiving guests."
The words had barely been spoken when, like water hitting hot oil, a commotion erupted.
Before they could locate the source of the voice, a sea of voices surged toward them from all directions, endlessly repeating the same phrase: "Go back. My young lady is not receiving guests."
The voices rose and fell, one after another, the pressure immense.
"Go back—"
"Not receiving guests—"
"Go back— Go back—"
In this situation, Xia Zhiyi felt as if she had stumbled into a zombie siege.
Although the servants were telling them to leave, their bodies remained rooted to the spot, showing no intention of letting them pass.
Jing Ruyu habitually shielded Xia Zhiyi behind her.
"This is a little terrifying," Xia Zhiyi muttered from behind her.
Even if the Ghost King engaged in kindergarten-level squabbles with her at night, her power was not to be underestimated.
The Ghost King wasn't making a move simply because the conditions weren't right yet.
"Don't panic. They don't look like they're going to attack us."
"Mmm..."
Jing Ruyu suddenly glanced at the torch in her hand and abruptly raised it high. The gazes of everyone around them immediately lifted with it.
She raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered the torch, and the surrounding gazes followed it down.
"So that's how it is." With that, she plunged the burning torch into the bucket of water, extinguishing it without hesitation.
Seeing this, Xia Zhiyi immediately extinguished her torch as well.
It was like flipping a switch. The moment the torches went out, the servants' expressions returned to normal. They turned away and went back to their chores as if nothing had happened, completely oblivious to the recent events.
The danger was gone.
Xia Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Jing Ruyu looked at the two extinguished torches in the bucket, then lifted her gaze to Miss Gu's tightly shut door.
That was the answer.
"Let's go to the backyard."
"Alright."
Hopefully, the white bones wouldn't let them down.
If you enjoy my translations, please consider supporting me!
Comments
Post a Comment