IGSB – Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Entering the New World (Part 5)
Xia Zhiyi wasn't about to preach morality to a ghost that wanted her dead.
It was like playing a lute to a cow; a complete waste of effort.
It was just a contest of who could be more shameless than a ghost. Who was afraid of whom!
Jing Ruyu saw it clearly.
Her ex-girlfriend had not only adapted to the environment with extreme speed but had even embarked on her own path of survival by any means necessary.
Very good, very impressive. At the very least, she had truly managed to stun the quest NPC, even if it was just for a brief moment.
Xiao Qiao came back to her senses and gave a cold smile. "Provoking me? They wouldn't dare."
She raised the lamp in her hand, her eyes glowing faintly. "I'll tentatively accept that the tray incident wasn't your fault, but don't forget, you have to finish your work. No rest until you're done."
Then she aimed the candlelight at Jing Ruyu, urging her with a meaningful look, "Hurry up and get inside."
Jing Ruyu raised an eyebrow slightly, her expression barely changing.
Xia Zhiyi's gaze flickered between the two.
She could tell that Xiao Qiao held a greater malice towards Jing Ruyu.
A malice without a known reason.
"Are you scared?" Xiao Qiao stared intently at Jing Ruyu.
Jing Ruyu opened her mouth to speak. "Scared? Of course, I'm scared."
A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Xiao Qiao's face.
"I'm scared that once I go inside, I'll get distracted because flower arranging is so boring, and then Butler Qiao will mark me down for being clumsy again. So..."
As she spoke, Jing Ruyu had already walked to Xiao Qiao's side, smiling as she hooked her arm around Xiao Qiao's slender one.
"Please come in with us. With you supervising, I'll definitely work hard and without distraction."
Xiao Qiao's smile froze on her lips. "?"
Xia Zhiyi remembered how the ghost servants had avoided Xiao Qiao, and she instantly understood. She strode forward, snatched the lamp from Xiao Qiao's hand, and grabbed her other arm.
"I think she has a point. Qiao, we really need you. Let's go!"
"You two—wait—"
Before Xiao Qiao could finish, the two of them had already used their height advantage to hoist her up like hooligans and carry her inside, forcibly making the quest NPC act as their overseer.
As they expected, with the quest NPC present, the ghosts didn't reappear to cause harm.
They figured this might also be a way for players to protect themselves.
Xiao Qiao now looked as if she had lost all will to live.
She was petite, a teenage girl who hadn't fully matured. Now, sandwiched between the two of them, her toes barely touching the ground, she looked utterly wretched.
As a quest NPC, she had never been treated this way before. Today was a great humiliation!
"You'll regret treating me like this!"
When the opportunity arose, she would definitely kill these two first!
The two continued arranging flowers without stopping. Jing Ruyu didn't even turn her head, having no intention of paying her any mind.
Every wisp of air in the ice cellar felt malicious to her.
The frigid air seeped into her limbs and bones, mercilessly tormenting her nerves, trying to lull her into a state of drowsiness.
But she couldn't sleep, she couldn't sleep...
At this thought, she forced herself to stay alert and focused.
Xia Zhiyi, however, took a moment to placate Xiao Qiao perfunctorily. "Uh-huh, it's fine. We'll deal with the future when it comes."
If they didn't do this now, they probably wouldn't even have the chance to regret it later.
Xiao Qiao: "..."
She wanted to struggle, but she was afraid of accidentally kicking a cabinet and having Xia Zhiyi's sharp tongue run wild again.
So she turned to Jing Ruyu, asking in a bewitching tone, "Don't you want to sleep?"
Jing Ruyu still ignored her.
Xia Zhiyi responded again, "Who would want to sleep in a freezer this cold? You? Well, you're certainly not ordinary. How impressive!"
She gave her a thumbs-up, successfully diverting her attention from Jing Ruyu.
Xiao Qiao: "..."
She didn't want to talk anymore.
She preferred the version of her from the morning who would freeze in fear. That one looked foolish, was easy to manipulate, and clearly wouldn't live long.
After the incident in the storeroom, Xia Zhiyi was no longer foolish enough to greet the ghosts and NPCs here with a smiling face. It wasn't like they were willing to acknowledge her anyway.
So she had to take it one step at a time, firmly grasping every fleeting chance to save her own life.
Only by staying alive in this moment could she look forward to the next.
Jing Ruyu turned to look at her, then turned back without saying anything.
In the end, with the air of "holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles," the two of them completed their task in the ice cellar relatively smoothly.
Walking out of the ice cellar, they placed Xiao Qiao back on the ground.
Xia Zhiyi finally showed a sincere smile. "Thank you, Butler Qiao, for your support in our work."
With her feet finally on solid ground, Xiao Qiao couldn't help but clutch her chest, feeling extremely vexed.
After working in this line for so long, this was the first time she had been carried around by players!
"I don't like you.
"I'm waiting to see how you die!"
After delivering her sinister threat, Xiao Qiao turned and left.
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu exchanged a look, then calmly walked towards the exit, paying her words no mind.
This place was filled with ghosts who wanted people dead. Death was as common as three meals a day, so what did a threat or two matter?
Leaving the cold, gloomy cellar, Xia Zhiyi looked up at the relatively bright sky and suggested, "Should we go back to the courtyard and rest for a bit?"
She could tell Jing Ruyu had been uncomfortable in the ice cellar, even though Jing Ruyu hadn't said anything. Coupled with Xiao Qiao's inexplicable and intense malice towards Jing Ruyu, she felt it was necessary for Jing Ruyu to recover properly.
No matter how much Jing Ruyu knew, she was still a novice, just like her...
Jing Ruyu tilted her head back to feel the faint sunlight. Her body gradually warmed up, and her complexion improved considerably.
"It's still a while until dinner," she said. "While we don't have any tasks, let's ask around the residence for news about the Ferry Crossing. We have less than three days, time is tight."
Xia Zhiyi immediately frowned. "Three days? Aren't we supposed to stay for a total of four days?"
Jing Ruyu also frowned, her expression solemn. "It is four days, but I don't think we should count the day of the wedding.
"I suspect that day might be when the Ghost King's restrictions are lifted."
"Ghost King?"
"Yes, the Ghost King."
"What's that? Like the final boss in a game instance?"
"You can understand it that way."
"Good heavens... What do you mean, restrictions lifted? Is it in a sealed state right now?"
"It means..." Jing Ruyu stopped walking and turned to look at Xia Zhiyi. "It can kill without restraint, no longer bound by any limitations."
"Hiss—"
Xia Zhiyi sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes narrowing.
Jing Ruyu continued, "As for its current state, where it is, or what it looks like, I have no idea. So, Zhiyi, you must be careful and vigilant in the New World. Quest NPCs will appear in different forms, and so will the Ghost King.
"If you encounter the Ghost King, hide if you can. If you really can't hide and have to face it, don't give up.
"Remember, in the instances of the New World, there's no such thing as a dead end."
Xia Zhiyi recalled the ghost hand that Jing Ruyu had chopped off in the ice cellar and nodded in understanding, giving an "OK" gesture. "Don't worry, I've got it."
There were always more solutions than problems. As long as the Ghost King was a physical entity, she could always come up with a way to launch a physical attack. If she couldn't win, she'd just run again!
Looking at Jing Ruyu again, she couldn't help but say a soft thank you.
Jing Ruyu didn't understand. "Thank you for what?"
Xia Zhiyi said, "Thank you for teaching me so much."
With Jing Ruyu's company, she had already learned a lot in less than a day, which at least gave her some mental preparation for what was to come.
And since this was a test, there would surely be other instances later. She feared she wouldn't be so lucky then as to meet someone like Jing Ruyu who was willing to help her.
In a place fraught with danger, just managing to save one's own life was good enough. Who would have the mind to help others?
Jing Ruyu suddenly smiled. "You're welcome. We're acquaintances, it's only natural."
Xia Zhiyi raised her eyebrows.
Alright, "acquaintances" again.
That made sense. If she knew as much, she would probably help her too, for the sake of being "acquaintances."
On the topic of being "acquaintances," both of them tacitly avoided discussing it further, lest the awkwardness of their breakup linger once more.
Walking along the corridors of the Gu Residence, they changed the subject while searching for an NPC who didn't look busy and could be spoken to.
"Looking at it this way, three days is really short."
"Indeed."
"Is this a normal time limit for a novice? Shouldn't they give us a few more days' grace since we're new? This day is almost over! Do you think there might be a way to add a few more days?"
"Hmm... it's not impossible?"
The two thought about it for a moment, but with no leads, they decisively gave up and moved on to the next topic—Jing Ruyu's short blade.
Xia Zhiyi looked around and said, "Since Xiao Qiao could see the ghost knock over the tray, she probably saw you take out the short blade too, right? Could it be that she didn't recognize it as something from the Gu Residence?"
Hearing this, Jing Ruyu immediately shook her head and said with certainty, "No, she recognized it, she just didn't say anything.
"Or rather, she couldn't be bothered to say anything."
In the instance, whether it was the Ghost King or the quest NPCs, or even the entire New World, they were all incredibly arrogant in Jing Ruyu's eyes.
They looked down from on high at the players who had broken into the instance, indifferent to their deaths, viewing them as ants.
An ant, even with a knife in hand, what kind of trouble could it stir up?
Therefore, Jing Ruyu was more inclined to believe that Xiao Qiao couldn't be bothered to take back the knife. She felt it wouldn't be of much use in her hands anyway, since it would be a dead end for her regardless.
Xia Zhiyi understood her meaning and couldn't help but frown. "I don't like it here."
Jing Ruyu looked at her profile and echoed with a smile, "I don't like it either."
The two of them walked more than halfway around the Gu Residence without finding any place related to the Ferry Crossing, nor even an NPC they could talk to.
Because the NPCs were all dutifully either busy with preparations or on their way to be busy, like robots who only knew how to work all day.
Fortunately, this time was not entirely fruitless.
They saw Master Gu and the new son-in-law who was about to marry into the family.
Master Gu was dressed brightly, with a goatee on his chin. His entire being, from head to toe, exuded wealth, radiating an aura of "I am a rich man."
Compared to him, the new son-in-law was much plainer. There was nothing striking about his attire, but his face was handsome and refined, at least proving that the young lady of the house didn't have bad taste.
The two walked towards them, one in front of the other, their respective statuses clear.
Behind them followed two servants and Butler Qiao.
"Oh, you two must be the honored guests from afar," Master Gu spoke first as they approached, smiling. "Thank you both for coming to my daughter's wedding. I apologize for not being able to greet you personally this morning."
The new son-in-law beside him properly clasped his hands and bowed to them.
Xia Zhiyi raised an eyebrow.
Whoa, they're both quite polite?
"However..."
As Master Gu spoke, he suddenly reached out and pinched Xia Zhiyi's arm, even giving it a squeeze.
Xia Zhiyi was shocked. "What the hell are you doing!"
She instinctively slapped Master Gu's hand away, quickly retracting her arm and hiding behind Jing Ruyu.
Jing Ruyu raised a hand to shield her, glaring at Master Gu with unfriendly eyes. The words that came out were cold. "What do you think you're doing?"
Master Gu paid them no heed, shaking his head to himself with regret. "You, you're too thin. Not enough meat."
He looked at Xia Zhiyi, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "You need to eat more, fatten up a bit. Being too thin is no good."
Then he turned to Jing Ruyu. "You need to eat more too. Both of you need to eat more."
"Xiao Qiao," Master Gu looked back at the quest NPC, "these next few days, prepare more good food for our guests. We must not neglect our honored guests. We can't let them get thin. My Gu Residence doesn't lack this bit of money."
Xiao Qiao lowered her eyes and complied.
Master Gu turned back to them, gave them a friendly smile, and then led his entourage past them and walked away.
As soon as they left, Jing Ruyu turned and lifted Xia Zhiyi's sleeve to look at the spot where she was pinched—there was nothing there.
"Did he hurt you?" Jing Ruyu asked as she lowered her sleeve.
Xia Zhiyi was completely bewildered by Master Gu's action. She rubbed the pinched spot. "It hurts a little, but it's fine.
"By the way, I touched him just now. He was warm. He's a person."
Jing Ruyu nodded.
Xia Zhiyi recalled Master Gu's appearance just now, and the more she thought about it, the stranger his attitude seemed.
"But, don't you think this Master Gu's attitude is very strange? It's not like he's afraid we'll be too hungry to work, nor is it like an elder concerned about a junior's health. It's more like..."
"Like someone at a market complaining that there isn't enough meat on a cut."
Xia Zhiyi remembered something and paused for a moment.
"He doesn't... eat people, does he?"
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