Chapter 138: After Dark, Don’t Knock
As Gu Qiqi charged towards the strange villagers, they seemed frightened and turned to run into the dense forest.
Seeing this, the system felt a jolt of anxiety, thinking immediately—when did they stand there?
Then…
Wait a minute, no spirit energy fluctuation? That’s a relief!
Gu Qiqi acted decisively; the most direct way to solve the unusual situation was to deal with the people causing the disturbance!
After confirming the villagers had no spirit energy fluctuations, this system, which had been submissive in front of Luxianbei and had now taken on a bold stance towards the villagers, began to seriously ponder why there were living villagers in the Bamboo Slips Illusion.
It clearly remembered that the last time Su Yiqian came, there were no living people in the whole illusion, only a group of urban legends parasitized by crimson lanterns.
But why was this time different?
Could the difference be that last time it was merely consciousness infiltrating the illusion, while this time Gu Qiqi was physically and vividly dragged in? The system pondered when a loud shout interrupted its thoughts.
“Villagers! Villagers, don’t run away! I won’t hurt you; I just want to ask you some questions!” Gu Qiqi shouted to those villagers.
Then, those villagers ran even faster.
“Gu Qiqi…”
“Eh?!”
“Before you shout those words, can you please put down the bat in your hand? You look like a mountain bandit.”
“Oh!”
…
Gu Qiqi’s spirit pattern, [Mythological Species · Kua E’s Divine Body], was of the type that pursued physical strength enhancement. Over time, even without releasing the spirit pattern’s power, her physical strength was extraordinary.
Yet, even so, she surprisingly couldn’t catch up to those villagers in a short time.
Perhaps it was because those villagers were accustomed to the mountain paths and were exceptionally familiar with the surrounding environment. They ran through the forest at an astonishing speed, their running posture quite peculiar.
The dark green bushes, almost black, among the dense forest were particularly thick, with most parts reaching waist height, making it so that only the upper bodies of those villagers could be seen from afar.
Their upper bodies were completely stiff, arms hanging down, spines straight, and even their necks appeared to be suspended by something invisible, extending straight out.
For a normal person, simply maintaining such a strange posture would be uncomfortable, let alone running, yet those villagers not only could run, but they also did so very quickly, looking as if they were puppets being pulled through the grass without making a sound.
“System, I feel like they might not be human!” Gu Qiqi noticed something strange and whispered to the system, “Don’t their movements look like they’re hanging? Running like they’re floating over the grass, yuck, that’s creepy.”
“……” The system fell silent for a moment before responding, “I also think those villagers are strange. If the situation seems wrong later, just k*ll them directly.”
The system had always considered itself a law-abiding one, never having instructed Gu Qiqi to do anything illegal. Sometimes, it even corrected her bad behavior when it couldn’t bear to see her wild ways.
To that end, it had even set up a daily task for Gu Qiqi called [Do One Good Deed], which was merely a gimmick. Completing it only gave a tiny amount of points, but the intention was good.
However, the situation was different now. This was in the Bamboo Slips Illusion, and from what the system understood about the background of the Bamboo Slips Illusion, everyone or any urban legend here was not good news.
If you didn’t k*ll them, they’d likely find a way to k*ll you…
…
Gu Qiqi chased those villagers through the forest for about an hour, covering nearly ten kilometers. Yet, despite this half-marathon level of physical exertion, she still couldn’t catch up to those strange villagers.
After the villagers disappeared over a hill, Gu Qiqi followed seconds later but couldn’t find any trace of them.
Fortunately, she discovered signs of human activity along her path. In the low-lying area ahead, she saw plumes of smoke rising, indicating she was getting close to the settlement of those living in the Bamboo Slips Illusion.
“System, it seems like there are people living in that valley ahead. How about you release a task, and we go check it out?” Gu Qiqi suggested.
The system, busy drafting a reasonable task description, was momentarily at a loss for words upon hearing Gu Qiqi’s suggestion.
“……”
d*mn! Are you teaching me how to do my job? Are you the system, or am I the system? I refuse!
“There’s no need to post a task for such a trivial matter! Just head down there and look around. When the time comes, I’ll naturally issue you a task.”
I’ll take this opportunity to craft a reasonable task description, the system added in its mind.
“Oh!” Gu Qiqi replied nonchalantly and followed the winding, muddy mountain path towards the invisible village hidden in the valley.
Just before she left, a glistening black shadow drifted behind her, coalescing into a strange face that looked half human and half fish, with an elongated neck observing the footprints on the ground for a while.
The shape of those footprints was peculiar; each step dragged out a long mark in the soft mud, looking like the traces left from a fall or as if someone with a leg disability who couldn’t bend their knees was dragging their feet as they walked.
…
The sky gradually darkened, and the light ahead took on a dim, yellow hue like that of a rainy dusk, shrouding everything within sight.
Gu Qiqi walked for about ten minutes along the narrow, cramped mountain path before finally leaving that bizarre forest, her vision widening.
In the distance, she saw some cultivated fields; those fields were barren and the soil hardened, looking as if crops hadn’t been planted there in a long time. Strangely, there wasn’t even a single weed growing in the abandoned fields.
Surrounded by the dense jungle of the distant mountains, those fields resembled a sickly sight, inexplicably reminiscent of a balding patch amid thick hair.
Further away, some finely crafted scarecrows stood under the dim light, appearing like tall human silhouettes. A gust of wind blew through, unveiling a faint stench of rotten flesh.
Covering her mouth and nose with one hand, Gu Qiqi glanced through the fields and spotted a sinister village. At the entrance stood a stone tablet, now just a base, with a few strands of decayed, black hemp rope hanging from the nearby well, likely long dried up.
The houses in the village were mostly constructed from piled stones, covered with plaster. There was overgrown grass at many doorsteps and wall bases, carrying an air of dilapidation.
As night approached, the wooden windows of the old houses were pitch black, showing no light, while some doors stood ajar, the gaps resembling enormous mouths devouring light.
As dusk waned, the village was engulfed in immense darkness and silence, not a sound to be heard, and being there felt like suddenly intruding into a long-abandoned, empty village.
In this eerie silence, Gu Qiqi could even hear her own breathing.
However, although it was quiet, it didn’t bring a sense of calm.
Within those dark houses, something emitted an almost imperceptible ghostly light, appearing as though it was watching and peeking at her with a non-human gaze.
Gu Qiqi frowned and looked around, whispering, “System, this is so strange! Didn’t those villagers just live here? But we clearly saw smoke coming from the mountain!”
“……” The system did not respond immediately, remaining silent for a few seconds before a mechanical voice resonated in Gu Qiqi’s mind.
[This is a world of void, a twisted utopia.
In the depths of the valley where moonlight doesn’t reach, things that have never been seen before stir.
In the depths underground, the treasure vault harbors only wriggling poisonous snakes and nameless scale tribes.
Task: Investigate the desolate village, find a villager, obtain useful information, and locate the shrine in the village.
Reward: 300 points, a hearty dinner.]
Upon hearing the task reward of a hearty dinner, Gu Qiqi’s eyes lit up as she quickly asked the system, “Uh, uh, system, is there enough for dinner?”
“Absolutely!” the system replied through gritted teeth.
“Awesome! Finally, the task reward isn’t that strange-tasting alchemical potion anymore!” Gu Qiqi cheered. “Can future additional rewards be exchanged for a big meal?”
“……” The system fell silent for a few seconds before replying sternly, “No, that’s not possible.”
“Ah—!” Upon hearing that, Gu Qiqi let out a long sigh, a hint of unresolved sadness and disappointment appearing on her brow.
The system, “……” Why are you sighing?! Do you think I want to give you those alchemical potions? They’re expensive! Isn’t it for you to get stronger?
In fact, had Gu Qiqi’s spirit pattern not hit a bottleneck recently, needing higher-level materials for a further breakthrough—which were difficult to obtain in the market—the system would still be feeding her those alchemical products.
After accepting the task, Gu Qiqi didn’t think too much and strode towards the nearest house. She reached a dilapidated wooden door, paused, leaned her bat against the earthen wall, and prepared to knock when a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Outsider, don’t knock after dark.”
That voice sounded peculiar, like wind whistling through a gap in teeth, mixed with gusts, making it oddly uncomfortable.
Turning to look, an old man in a dark coat was approaching quickly from a distance.
His walking posture was strange; arms hanging down, back straightened, neck elongated, knees unbent, stepping with tiny, shuffling steps as if dragging himself across the ground. From afar, it looked like a hanging man was floating toward her…
