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Ainsel is a freelancer, you can support them on:

The evil god’s power could be unleashed, allowing it to strike a deal with Fire Demon. This would at least give tangible form to the intangible entity. In such a scenario, killing Fire Demon wouldn’t directly eliminate the evil god, but it would at least severely wound it.

“Would an evil god remain unmoved by a severely injured human with formidable talents?”

Bai Yu believed that the evil god was observing everything unfolding in Pingshan Village. This being wasn’t unintelligent, it would either terminate the ritual or collaborate with Fire Demon.

Sheathing her sword, Bai Yu swiftly controlled Zhao Mingyue’s body towards the east village. The funeral was over, so the wedding should still be ongoing.

“The family banquet and the wedding. I’ll check out the wedding situation first,”

Cloaked in night, Bai Yu wove through the disorderly houses, following the wax corpses’ trail until reaching the main road dividing the village.

Compared to the west village, the east was much quieter.

In the west, one could still speak as long as they ignored the whispers. But in the east, Bai Yu suspected that even a single word or syllable uttered within this area would become the source of a curse.

The evil gods’ power stemmed largely from their own malice, and curses were an extension of that malice.

With prior experience, Bai Yu easily found the location of the wedding ceremony by following the wax corpses.

Unlike the west, it wasn’t a small building but a rather large courtyard residence reminiscent of an ancient official’s manor. The wedding banquet was being held here.

Bai Yu didn’t rush in. Scanning the area, she spotted three “old friends” observing the ceremony from the outer buildings, including Shen Shuyun, who sat on a roof beam eating something.

Noticing movement behind her, Shen Shuyun turned to see Bai Yu lightly leap onto the roof she occupied.

“Who might you be?” Shen Shuyun stood up, one hand in her pocket gripping something.

Bai Yu tapped her mask, the upper half dissolving to reveal Zhao Mingyue’s eyes before instantly sealing shut again.

“Zhao… It’s you! I thought this outfit looked familiar, just missing a sword at the waist. Looks a bit odd without it.” Shen Shuyun spoke directly, seemingly unconcerned about the curse.

Seeing this, Bai Yu gestured towards her mouth.

“I know.” Shen Shuyun took out a phone, quickly typing. After a moment, she held it up, displaying a message: “As long as you control the amount, the curse can’t kill you. In fact, it has benefits. After accepting the curse, those wax corpses won’t actively attack you.”

Deleting the previous text, she typed another: “I only just learned this. It’s truly bizarre, and a moment’s carelessness could lead to death.”

The inability to listen or speak, lest one be cursed and die unknowingly—just this aspect alone made this place far more dangerous than previous tasks. And the wax corpses weren’t even the main threat.

Bai Yu wasn’t surprised that Shen Shuyun had uncovered the secrets of this place. These women had emerged from the same place as her. Anyone who had survived this long might be crazy, but they were certainly not stupid.

Caution was paramount. They wouldn’t recklessly barge in without first understanding the situation.

“Things are complicated now. You might not believe this, but Lu Liangting has been captured and forced to be the groom in the wedding ceremony.”

“He’s currently inside the courtyard, but I’m not sure which room.”

“There are a few powerful individuals hidden among those wax corpses. I suspect this evil god has sealed several fierce ghosts within them. They’re very strong. Some unlucky guy went in and got ambushed. Coupled with the curse he’d already been afflicted with, he died a gruesome death. His body was devoured, leaving only useless organs and bones.”

Shen Shuyun’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and she showed the messages to Bai Yu.

With the mask concealing her face, Shen Shuyun couldn’t discern Bai Yu’s expression.

The mask was icy cold, just like the aura Zhao Mingyue now exuded, vastly different from her usual self.

Shen Shuyun studied Zhao Mingyue’s outfit, her gaze lingering slightly on her chest. She really wanted to say that Bai Yu’s current appearance was far more attractive than before. Now, her figure was slender and well-proportioned, with alluring curves, especially those long, slender legs, simply stunning.

Coupled with her current attire, the only way to describe it was dashing and elegant. That sharp, icy aura was the perfect complement. If she wore black stockings instead of leather pants, it would be even more perfect.

Who wouldn’t like such an ice beauty?

Recalling Bai Yu’s previous appearance, though her body was also proportionate, the constant aura of blood about her was off-putting. You could smell the stench from ten meters away.

Once, Shen Shuyun almost blurted out:

“Doctor, you’ve killed a lot of people again!”

After some thought, Shen Shuyun couldn’t resist typing another line: “Why did you come here, and why did you have me spread the news?”

“The people here took the initiative to find me,” Bai Yu’s slightly chilly voice emerged from beneath the mask, not Zhao Mingyue’s.

She had been cautious, not using Zhao Mingyue’s voice.

Shen Shuyun continued typing, “Everyone is waiting for someone else to make the first move. In this situation, we either all go in together, or we find someone strong enough to lead the way.”

It wasn’t impossible to fight alone, but the problem was that after one person went in, there would be many others waiting to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. (An idiom meaning exploiting someone else’s efforts.)

Everyone present, including Shen Shuyun, thought this way.

But they also knew this was a golden opportunity.

Lu Liangting, as the groom, was tied up at a wedding banquet filled with dead guests, forced to marry a wax corpse. After the ceremony, he might even be turned into a wax corpse himself. In such a situation, how could he not be terrified and desperate?

If someone appeared to save him at his most vulnerable moment, wouldn’t a connection naturally form? Wouldn’t the path ahead become easier?

Building a relationship was always hardest at the beginning. Once some foundation was established, it would naturally become easier.

Perhaps, after a heroic rescue, there might even be a scenario where he offers himself in gratitude?

Time ticked by.

If this continued, Lu Liangting would meet only one fate.

Once he was chosen by the evil god, everyone would die.

Not far away, someone stood up.

“Stop pretending to be dead. If we’re going in, let’s go together. There are so many rooms, who knows which one Lu Liangting is in? It’s all up to individual skill and luck. One person per room, whoever gets him first wins.”

The speaker also wore a mask, her face mostly hidden by a hood. Judging from her build and voice, she was around twenty-five.

This age wasn’t ideal for starting a relationship. After all, Lu Liangting was only seventeen or eighteen, still a young student. Being six or seven years older significantly increased the difficulty of winning him over.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible that Lu Liangting had a thing for older women. If so, age would be an advantage.

Based on current information, Lu Liangting’s only known preference was for black stockings, there was no evidence of a preference for older women.

Besides Shen Shuyun and Bai Yu, there were three others present, their identities currently unknown.

“You should know the one who just spoke better than I do. She’s Black Fist, the arena fighter. The short-haired one on the left is Shadow. I’m not sure about the one on the right, either Qi Cang or Tuttle.”

Most game participants used code names, either chosen by themselves or given by others. The latter carried more weight. Among these people, some used their real names, unconcerned about their identities being exposed.

“Don’t be surprised. You’re different from us. We have our own circles. We play our own game and wouldn’t involve a monster like you.”

As if anticipating Bai Yu’s doubts, Shen Shuyun explained.

As she said, they had connections with each other, not necessarily cooperative relationships, but in necessary situations, they would exchange information and items of equal value to break free from the constraints of the higher-ranked players.

Bai Yu withdrew her gaze, not asking further. She had heard about such circles before but hadn’t paid much attention.

Bai Yu’s gaze lingered on Black Fist for a moment before sweeping over Shadow and Tuttle.

None of these three were easy to deal with. Black Fist was famous in the arena, where game participants mainly dueled. She also took on assassination and bounty hunting jobs, helping clients eliminate enemies or do other dirty work. Only when the number of participants dwindled and she had no more jobs did she quiet down.

Daring to do such dirty work, her strength was undeniable. She was ranked ninth.

Shadow was an assassin, her title reflecting her profession. To be given a nickname by others meant she had some skills.

As for Tuttle, Bai Yu only remembered her as a heavy knight, focused on defense.

“Have you seen Dragon Girl?” Bai Yu suddenly asked.

Shen Shuyun shook her head without speaking. She knew about Dragon Girl and Bai Yu’s relationship and wouldn’t dare to get involved.

“If you see her, contact me immediately. You can tell her my location.”

With that, Bai Yu jumped down from the roof.

Since she had revealed herself, she couldn’t just sit back and reap the benefits. If she dared to do so, she would be ganged up on, wasting a lot of time.

First, she needed to confirm if there were any statues or other evil god artifacts at the wedding venue. If not, she would leave and attend the family banquet.

The location of the statues wasn’t hard to guess. If they weren’t at the funeral or wedding, they must be at the village shrine or Zhao Mingyue’s uncle’s house.

Seeing Bai Yu jump down, the others followed suit without hesitation.

Shen Shuyun was the last to descend. She watched from afar as Bai Yu charged into the wedding banquet like a war god, licking her lips.

Bai Yu had asked her to find Dragon Girl and reveal her location. In other words, Shen Shuyun could use Bai Yu’s location information to negotiate with Dragon Girl as a form of “payment.”

“Let’s go steal the groom!”

“I wonder who will be the lucky one to find Lu Liangting first. As long as it’s not Doctor.”