LATEST UPDATES

Published at 3rd of May 2023 06:32:28 AM


Chapter 34

If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again




To live with the priest.

“Because of some rumours and the cultural customs of the Nightmare Border, the church has almost no believers. Only the two of us live here, you can pick out the room you like.”

Ye Zun slightly let out a sigh of relief. Of course, he was looking forward to living together with the priest, but always staying in the same room and sleeping in the same bed as they did last time, while it was alright once or twice, doing so all the time will be hard to endure.

It’s not that he didn’t like the priest enough; the priest was definitely the person he liked most in this world.

But he had lived alone since he was a child, so not only was he not used to lying on the same bed with another, it was his body’s instinct to reject overly intimate closeness.

He can only be at ease when he is by himself. If they slept together all the time, he would definitely be nervous and develop insomnia, or even neurasthenia* under such immense stress.

[T/N: neurotic disorder with symptoms of physical and mental exhaustion, associated with depression or stress. It is no longer in the WHO ICD, but is still classified as an illness in the chinese society of psychiatry’s classifications]

Fortunately, that person never made him feel uncomfortable.

“I’ll live next door ba, I want to be neighbours with Father!” But he didn’t like it if they were too far apart, so living independently yet closely to each other like this was perfect. “If I ever have insomnia, I can talk to you through the wall, knowing that Father is sleeping next door. I really look forward to it.”

Just thinking about it made him happy.

“Alright ah, I was also thinking the same.”

In the church, there was a large library, and even a whole garden.

Walking and exercising were very convenient.

He usually didn’t like going out. For Ye Zun, the world he lived in now was full of unknown dangers, and since he was still weak, he didn’t like going out even more.

“As for the rent, I have a lot of magic crystals. If I enter an instance every seven days, I will have around 400 magic crystals a month. I only have 200 to give to you now, is that enough?” 

The priest startled slightly, then smiled. “Haven’t you seen the rates outside?”

Ye Zun’s ears were a little red. “Is 200 too little? It was originally 250, but I spent a little in the instance, and after deducting bits and pieces, there is only 200 left. There are still two instances this month, and once I earn more in the future, I will give it all to you.” 

The priest looked into his eyes, where the reflection of his own clear eyes were covered with a smile. It was the most beautiful sight in the entire church. “Generally speaking, 50 magic crystals should be enough, but, I would like to ask you to be my assistant. The pay is 100 magic crystals a month. Um, since the church doesn’t have any income right now, I will have to owe it to you for now. Is that okay?”

Ai? Does that mean the priest will have to give him 50 magic crystals?

“Father, you won’t be able to live well like this, you will go bankrupt.”

“Don’t think it’s that easy ah, cleaning the church and arranging books is a huge amount of work. Of course, as the only assistant, I will treat you well, so don’t worry.”

Having said that, Ye Zun still gave all his magic crystals to the priest.

“En?” Lin adjusted his glasses and looked at him, with a slight inquiry in his eyes.

“Didn’t you say that the church has no source of income for the time being? It’s useless for me to carry it around. If I need any, I can come and find Father ba. Father, you can use it if you need to. After all, this will be the place where we live, it should be properly repaired.”

He couldn’t conjure up the image of this man’s worried appearance over a lack of money.

Lin looked at Ye Zun. The slightly cold and abstinent eyes behind the glasses lens curved gently. “Am I being raised*?”

[T/N: having all needs taken care of buy a rich person (sugar da—)]

Ye Zun subconsciously tugged at the locks of hair that had grown a little longer around his ear and followed along with the man’s joke, “Father looks very expensive. If I want to raise you, I must work very hard.”

Lin’s fingers gently rested on his head, and he said in a low and soft voice, “Little rascal… Then, do your best ba, Master*.”

[T/N: can also be taken as “owner”]

With a hand gently ruffling his hair, Ye Zun pinched his ears that were suddenly hot. With a calm face and a light smile, he quietly said, “I’m off to work.”

Then, with a composed appearance, he pursed his lips and walked out.

Lin, who stayed in the study, looked down at a small pile of sparkling spar on the table. White with a light blue hue, it was the cheapest kind of magic crystal.

Something like this, if he needs it, he can easily bury the ruins of the abyss under the dust.

But for the first time, he though it looked pure and cute.

Like the shimmering light and dew on petals.

That person had given him everything he had.

“I will treasure it well.”

……

【 This instance is a multi-player instance, please pay attention. 】

【 Please select your identity in the instance:

A: You are a novice paranormal event investigator, tasked with going deep into danger to solve a horrifying incident.

B: You are the protagonist of a horror story. One day, you suddenly realise that there are some things around you that are too terrible to even think about…

C: You are a player of an infinite survival game and have gotten a mandatory task. You must survive in the designated location for seven days and avoid the death condition* before you can withdraw and return after the specified period.

[T/N: 死亡规律/law of death: basically certain actions you take that triggers the outer forces (or something like that) to kill you off]

D: Finding it difficult to choose? Would you like the options to be randomised for you? 】

Ye Zun: Am I not already a player of this infinite flow game?

However, it could be seen from these choices that different options required different tasks of various difficulty levels to be solved.

If he chose A, the player’s task was to investigate the entire horrifying incident, as well as to solve the problem, which will undoubtedly be very difficult. But generally, the rewards will be very rich.

If he chose B, he will become the protagonist of a horror story, and he will definitely have access to the most comprehensive information. With the closest contact with a horror-based setting, the corresponding risk of eventual death was also very high.

However, generally, if there is only one protagonist in a general story, the protagonist will be safe until the end no matter how dangerous the situation is, unless it is a story with multiple protagonists .

Option C was seemingly the safest, because there is no need to investigate and come in contact with paranormal events, nor to resolve the ghosts inside. If he’s lucky, he won’t even need to do anything at all. As long as he doesn’t happen to trigger the death condition, he can safely pass the level.

However, this “seemingly” cannot be ignored. Because there were very few horror stories where no one dies at all, before the protagonist and detective dies, it is these irrelevant passers-by whose deaths lay down the necessary clues.

That is to say, if the players choose to enter the infinite flow survival game, they will continue to face life-or-death situations, and the chances of surviving were infinitesimal .

——Ah, have I matured as well?

In just a few short breaths, Ye Zun had already thought about the possible dangers hidden in the options.

It was absolutely impossible for him to choose C, so out of A and B, which one should he pick?

【 The countdown to the choice finalisation has started. If the player gives up the option to choose, the amusement park will automatically randomise it for you. 10, 9, 8, 7… 】

Ye Zun let out a sigh and selected an option.

Rather than having his decisions be made by others, he preferred to take it into his own hands.

A beam of white light flashed and a mirror-like door appeared in front of him.

Ye Zun walked towards the mirror, touching his fingers on the mirror surface. The two merged into one, and he disappeared into the rippling waves.

……

The beautiful Hushan University gradually ushered in spring. Seasonal flowers of various colours bloomed one after another.

First came the pure white and flawless magnolias, then the overflowing plum blossoms, followed by the various species of peach blossoms. Then came the cherry blossoms that took over all of the campus, as well as the hanging begonias that will bloom until the summer, and then the hibiscus by the water that thrived in autumn, and there were also the pink feathers of acacia flowers.

This season was the time for peach blossoms.

Because it was located at the foot of the mountain in the suburbs, the school only had teachers and students around on weekdays. However, during the holidays, many people would drive here for outings and camping.

The campus was very big and remained open to the public, not minding the entry of visitors.

Ruan Yu was a new student, starting her first year in university. On weekdays, except for the people in her dormitory and the dormitory next door, she basically didn’t have contact with anyone else. Her English grades were very poor. One would have to perform exceptionally well in the entrance exams to get a good score, but she practically forgot most of the knowledge over the summer vacation. When she arrived at the university, she suddenly felt overwhelmed. Because her performance in English for last year’s exam was poor, she missed out on a scholarship.

For this reason, she planned to go to the library to study every day and try her best to improve her grades when the weather warms up.

When it hit half past ten at night, the library was forced to close.

Ruan Yu walked down the street, smelling the fragrance of flowers in the air and feeling intoxicated.

The light of the street lamps was blocked and scattered by the dense branches and leaves, leaving a dim spot when it reached the ground. The shadow that were cast of their real counterparts were indistinguishable.

After walking for a while, she slowly realised that something was a little strange. Why were there so few people on the road? Why was it only herself?

However, not everyone stayed in the library until it was this late, and the library was quite far from the first year’s dormitory area. Most people would be mingling around the area between the dormitory and the off-campus night market during the night.

No matter how beautiful the night scenery was, if it was only one person walking, they would begin to feel prickles in their hearts the farther they walked.

She constantly looked left and right and couldn’t help thinking of the female college student who had been murdered, something she saw on the news.

“Next time, let’s not be this late.” 

A gust of wind blew by. Red petals floated like she was in a dream.

She couldn’t help reaching out to catch one, then she appeared to be startled and stared straight into the distance.

Ruan Yu hesitated for a moment and the direction of her footsteps turned slightly. Instead of heading towards the dormitory, she turned to the path leading to Lake Zhulin.

……

“That was the case back then. Hearing from the library teacher who saw her last, my good sister Ruan Yu disappeared on the way from the library back to the dormitory. The night she disappeared was on Friday, so it wasn’t until Monday three days later when everyone found out that she hadn’t come back to class that we reported it to the police.”

“What did the police say?”

“After a few months of investigation, because there were no clues, she was temporarily labelled missing. The school lost a lot of money to the family. Ruan Yu’s hometown was remote, but her parents originally ignored her. Back then, she said that she almost couldn’t come to university even when she passed the exams because of her mother’s objection. After getting the compensation, that family never bothered with this again.”

“Why does Miss Zhou want to find me and investigate this now?”

“It’s a long story, I’m afraid I can’t explain it in a short time. Can I tell you slowly?” 

“No need to rush, please do.”

“In the beginning, the son of a senior at work was also admitted to the university, and I was considered a future alumni. Back then, I also tutored the child for a period of time, so I can also be considered a friend. Not long ago, he asked me about something going on in school, whether there had been any ghost stories going around the campus.”

“What kind of ghost stories?”

“He said…in the night of a springtime April, after ten-thirty, take a walk in the peach blossom forest on Lover’s Slope* behind the library, and if you are lucky, you will meet a stunning beauty.”

[T/N: I think it’s kind of common for schools to have an area where couple like to ‘hang out’, somewhere hidden from the public eye]

“That doesn’t sound too scary.”

“Right ah, the pressure during high school is overwhelming, and anyone would want to fall in love the moment they get into university. Many first years have this wish, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary. But, a few days later, in the middle of the night, he suddenly called me, saying in such a panicked and frightened tone: they died! It scared me, and I immediately asked who he was talking about. But that kid was terrified, kept on repeating the word die over and over again, I almost made a call to the police.”

“What happened?”

“I only found out after asking a lot of people. A student in the school suddenly committed suicide, and people guessed that it was because of academic pressure. For incidents like these, schools generally do not let people spread it elsewhere in order to reduce the negative impact. The majority of the students were completely unaware of it. The deceased was a senior student from the fourth year and had nothing to do with my colleague’s son. I went to comfort the junior, but he denied calling me in the first place and blocked me directly. Out of concern and doubt, I suggested to my senior that he should take care of his son. The senior learned from his friend in the dormitory that the child seems to be in love. Moreover, he seemed to have fallen in love after the death of the student.” 

“So basically, this person first asked you whether there were ghost stories about beauties, and then suddenly made a weird call to you one day, saying that someone died. But the deceased seemed to be a senior who had nothing to do with him. And then he blocked you, someone who he trusted enough to call for help in times of panic, and instead immediately turned to focus on his love life.”

“Right, anyone would find this strange ba. It’s not that his attitude towards me changed, but there had just been a death on campus. Who would be in the mood to fall in love ah.”

“What did you do?”

“I just found it a little weird at the time, and didn’t do anything in particular. I happened to head back to school for some errands and wanted to meet up and talk to him. Then, when he saw me, he seemed to have an odd expression for a moment. I couldn’t tell what kind of emotion it was. Something like vigilance and hostility, like a fear of having no hope, or as if he were asking for help. But for a moment, it really was unusual. After that, he greeted me as warmly and happily as he did in the past. Only one thing was very suspicious. When I asked for his lover and said I wanted to meet up, he suddenly became very gloomy and cold, and before I knew it, we started arguing.”

“Could there have been any misunderstandings while you two were talking at the time?”

“There wasn’t. He was constantly taunting me, as if I held other ideas towards him, sneering and belittling me in a rather annoying way, like I was scum.”

“So he was angry. Then?”

“I threw coffee on his face. Told myself to never contact him again in the future. After that, while I was walking, I saw a card in my bag, advertising some kind of ghost stories research club. Without even thinking, it’s obvious that our school has no such club at all. He probably established the group with someone else in private. Because he was so rude, I didn’t think much about it at the time. However, three days later, he suddenly died.”

“How did he die?”

“Suicide.”

“Why?

“The police said it was a failed online relationship. Took things too hard after the heartbreak.”

“Online dating? What kind of person was the other party?”

“They couldn’t find anybody. The reason for this is because all his roommates knew he was in love, but none of them had ever seen his lover. Additionally, when the accident happened, he was on a high-speed train going to the city when he stood up and jumped out of a window, and another passenger said that he seemed to be on his phone from time to time… However, there were no signs of his lover on his phone, computer, or any other platform. The other party was like a hacker who deleted all their information after breaking up. “

“What does this have to do with you asking me to investigate Ruan Yu?”

“A ghost story about a stunning beauty, a card from the Ghost Stories Club*, a lover that no one has ever seen. His roommates and I, we all thought he was acting unusually before the accident. Some people said it was like he was possessed by a ghost. Then we came up with an idea, did a little research, and soon found that seven people in this school have disappeared or died at about the same time every year. I was surprised to find that Ruan Yu was also on this list, and she turned out to be the second person.”

[T/N: not sure what else to call it because “怪谈” is just about ghost/supernatural stories, so using ‘occult club’ or ‘paranormal club’ may not be entirely accurate. Yes, I will regret this later when I realise how stupid it sounds. Yes, this does remind me of the best anime dub of all time.]

“Understood, you want me to investigate your late friend Ruan Yu and the company’s senior’s son… Excuse me, what is his name?”

“Jiang Shao.”

“The entrusted content is to investigate Ruan Yu’s disappearance and Jiang Shao’s suicide, and whether there is a relationship between them and the rumours of the beauty who appears on a spring night at ten-thirty in the school.”

“Not only that, it is best to figure out how to completely solve this problem. I don’t want anyone else to die because of this anymore.”

“I will do my best. But I hope you understand that we only solve cases related to supernatural beings. If the investigation shows that this is a real crime, we cannot be in the way of the police.”

“I understand. Of course, it’s best if it has nothing to do with the supernatural. This is the Ghost Stories Club’s introduction card, and here’s the contact information of his roommates. As for any details of the seven dead or missing students, there’s only so much I can give you.”

“This is plenty. Thank you very much.”

[T/N: the whole exchange above may sound stilted in English, but it really is rather stiff in Chinese as well, like a movie script]

……

The recording ended. Ye Zun took off the headphones.

【 You are a new member of the paranormal agency. You have always been interested in supernatural events and have finally joined the agency through various means. But, when you arrived at the address they gave to report in-person, you found that there was no one there, and even the key used to enter was found under the flower pot by the entrance after you knocked on the door unsuccessfully.

On the table, there is only a piece of paper and a tape recorder.

The paper read: Until it is May 5th, never turn on the tape recorder.

You came on May 4th, but before you saw the note, the tape recorder was beeping by itself.

“This must be a test for me from the agency.”

You decided to go to Hushan University to solve this supernatural incident with your seniors.

But here comes the problem. You’ve never met the seniors, only having made contact with them online. This time, with your own strength, can you find the lost seniors and solve the supernatural incident? 】

【 This game is a ten-player instance. Players are requested to play their roles. After the seventh day, the instance will end, and the survivors who have cleared the level will have the clearance rewards divided equally. 】

Ye Zun’s eyelids twitched. The last few words were really indescribably malicious.

The rewards are predetermined, but have to be shared equally with others. Wouldn’t it be best to have as few people as possible?

Is the Demon God’s Amusement Park encouraging players to kill each other?

……

In Hushan University, someone was handing out flyers on campus.

Students were generally more simple, especially first years who were more curious about things, and some people took the initiative to go up and take one.

“Recruiting new members for the Ghost Stories Club, wow, sounds interesting. I want to go and play, do you want to come too?”

“I haven’t heard of it, it’s probably some kind of unregistered club ba, the kind that makes you pay the membership fee and then never contacts you after. Basically meaningless.”

“The flyer says you can make a lot of friends oh, and there will even be an event tonight. The most important thing is, their standards for joining the club require your appearance to be top-notch!”

“What? What do they look like themselves, daring to require something like that from others?”

“But the people who are handing out the flyers are all super good looking ah. They are all brothers and sisters who probably average 8 or more points on the scale.”

“I want to go!”

……

“So many people have signed up already, look.”

“No, a lot of these people’s looks do not qualify.”

“I don’t understand, why does the Ghost Stories Club have so much emphasis on looks?”

“Have you researched the profiles of the victims involved in these stories?”

“What?”

“Even Ruan Yu, who has the most mediocre looks among these people, is definitely a beautiful woman after taking off her glasses and putting on make-up. The criterion for the chosen victims in this story are their appearances. It doesn’t have any interest showing up for ordinary people.”

“Ah, what if something happens…”

“Don’t worry ba, we are fully prepared. We have many people, all who want to see what that thing is. Instead of worrying about something or other, you should worry about whether these people you found can actually set off a ghost story ba.”

“I know, I’ll keep looking.”

“Wait, what’s going on over there?”

“Probably shooting a commercial ba. There are a lot of people who make trips like this to our school, since there’s good scenery and we don’t charge any money.”

“Let’s go there and check it out. People in entertainment generally have higher-than-average looks.”

“That’s right ya, if you’re just asking for good looks, we can simply pay someone from the outside to come ah.”

……

On April 13th, at half past nine in the evening, a group of thirteen people formed a circle on the Lover’s Slope behind the library.

There were tents around them as well as a skilful team operating cameras and lighting cards, just like a professional on-location shooting for a program.

Both men and women were present. Except for the suspected on-site staff, the thirteen men and women in the circle are all young and beautiful.

The girls snuggled together, a little nervous and a little excited.

There are also a few men and women, who looked down-to-earth and generous, yet having the same quality looks as the others. At a glance, anyone would know that they were not ordinary people.

“Oh my god, I heard that the president of Ghost Stories Club is a super rich second-generation. In order to start this club, he specially used money from his own pocket to invite the small stars and Internet celebrities from the entertainment industry to come here.”

“Although I don’t know any of them, I really want to scream ah. Look at the little Gege across from me, so tall and handsome ah, how come I’ve never seen him on TV? Don’t those scouts have eyes?”

“But don’t you think the president doing something like this is very… It’s not a cosplay club, why would the Ghost Stories Club want some handsome guys and pretty girls?”

“That person’s probably a face-con ba. Besides, there’s no ghosts in this world. Although it’s a Ghost Stories Club, to put it bluntly, isn’t it just someone wanting a  reason to get a group of people to play around with for some excitement? It’s good to have a top-notch face ah, so that you don’t have to worry about no one joining, and all you make are high-quality friends.”

Of the thirteen people sitting there, there were some who didn’t seem out of the ordinary on the surface, but in their hearts, they were wary of those around them.

…there are actually so many people, and with the staff members, there’s a total of 20 people. But there are only ten real players.

…who are they? Although the president is very suspicious, you don’t need a brain to know that people who pull off such tricks will never easily put themselves in the spotlight.

…these good-looking celebrities are also unlikely to be players, they should be hired scapegoats.

…there are definitely experienced players among those seven staff members! What ruthless means, are they letting NPCs pave the road for them?

“Hello everyone, welcome to the Ghost Stories Club…” A girl who was obviously a professional broadcaster that was invited here to act as a host began to warm up.

Her demeanour was generous, talking with a sweet voice, and she was very good at invigorating the atmosphere. She organised everyone to play a few small games, and after telling a few short stories, she quickly got everyone familiarised.

The president was a handsome and imposing young man, who attracted everyone’s attention as soon as he made a sound.

After all, he was a real example of ‘Mr Perfect*’.

[T/N: 高富帅: literally, tall, rich, and handsome]

In the exciting atmosphere, the time quickly reached half past ten.

The host received the cameraman’s gesture, and immediately entered the next phase. “To join the Ghost Stories Club, there must be a traditional recruitment event, that is, a test of courage.”

The little hostess deliberately put on a trembling and courageous look, and everyone who have now relaxed cheered in a friendly atmosphere.

“Okay la, our test of courage meeting will be held by the lake. Have you seen the peach blossom forest by the river across from us? Everyone has to follow the path and walk over with a camera. During the day, the staff hung number plates in the woods. Everyone has to find their own number plate and take pictures of the whole process of going back and forth. Doing so, it will be considered a success.”

“Ah, I’m so scared!”

“What’s the point of something like this? It’s too simple, can’t you make it something more stimulating?” 

The president took over the conversation. The second he spoke, he carried a convincing aura. “Although it doesn’t seem to be scary, as far as we know, the only place in this school where real supernatural phenomena have been sighted is this peach blossom forest.”

Everyone suddenly quieted down and listened closely to what he said.

“You have to listen carefully to what I will say now. During this game, there is a certain probability that you will meet strange people in the peach blossom forest. Remember, don’t talk to anyone, just come back when you have obtained what you need. If someone speaks to you, you must pretend that you can’t hear or see, otherwise, you may be at risk of being followed by ghosts.”

He had a serious expression, only showing a hint of a smile he could not hide at the end.

But there were still many people who showed that they were frightened, making sounds out of fear.

“I’m guessing, it must be people from the Ghost Stories Club who dressed up to scare us.”

“But hearing it like this, it really does sound exciting ah.”

The hostess blinked and deliberately glanced at a couple of beautiful girls in the crowd. “Oh, yes, it is said that the more beautiful a person is, the more likely they are to come across this phenomenon oh. This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to be recognized by a ghost for your beauty. Do your best! The peach blossom ghost doesn’t care about gender, that is, you little brothers also have the opportunity to have an affair. Who should we start with?”

The author has something to say:

Ye Zun is already present.




Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!