Chapter 138

Jiang Liu ran wildly through the deep mountains.

After seeing Elder Hu, a bold idea had taken root in her mind, one that explained all the mysteries she had encountered since arriving in this village.

Before leaving the secluded courtyard, she had asked Elder Hu one last question—

Were the ones who fell into a deep sleep all so-called outsiders?

The old man, whose face was almost decayed, remained silent, but his eyes seemed to hold all the answers.

Under such a gaze, the phrase “my condolences” became a strange kind of hint.

Burial was a ritual passed down since ancient times, not only to let the dead rest in peace but, more importantly, for the living to express their grief and emotions.

But what if everyone in this village was already dead?

A clear image flashed through Jiang Liu’s mind: when they were watching the opera outside the memorial hall, the food in front of all the villagers had remained untouched.

Even Elder Hu, whom she had noticed at the time, was merely repeating the motion of lifting his chopsticks. The food in his bowl had not diminished at all; it was more like he was mechanically simulating the actions of his past life.

The scene she had overlooked at the time now appeared clearly in her mind’s eye.

Everything here was completely reversed! The so-called burial could only be for the living!

As the thoughts in her mind gradually became clear, the desolate mountain peaks on both sides seemed to be covered by a layer of eerie wind, and the noisy sounds from the village below became more and more blurred.

She had to be faster, even faster!

She was practically flying, the scenery on both sides receding continuously until she saw the dry stream, saw the withered well waiting for someone to visit.

And the slender figure standing by the well, preparing to jump.

“Don’t jump!”

Upon seeing that familiar face, a rare trace of panic rose in Jiang Liu’s heart. She shouted hastily and leaped forward, grabbing the figure that was just within reach.

Yang Caisi was looking down at the dry well in contemplation when she was startled by the hand that suddenly appeared from behind. Upon hearing Jiang Liu’s voice, she came to her senses and looked at her in surprise.

She had run too fast.

So fast that she had been reckless, her calves entangled in mud and dry grass, the patches glaringly obvious.

Her hair was disheveled by the mountain wind, a few strands almost blowing into her mouth, a stark contrast to Jiang Liu’s usual neat appearance.

But that face was as beautiful as ever, her glass-like eyes fixed on her, unblinking. The mountain wind seemed to stop whistling, and all that was left in her eyes was her own reflection.

Yang Caisi reveled in this unique feeling.

Looking at Jiang Liu like this, a rare, secret pleasure rose in her heart, and the corners of her lips turned up unknowingly—

She was genuinely happy for Jiang Liu’s concern and care.

“Sister, what’s the panic?” Her voice was tinged with joyful laughter, her clear eyes curving into crescents. She pulled Jiang Liu over and leaned in, as if to kiss her, but only helped her tidy her flying hair.

Jiang Liu’s mind went blank for a moment. She looked at the Abandoned Well, then at Yang Caisi, and after a long pause, she managed to say, “You weren’t planning to jump?”

After leaving Elder Hu’s place, she had gone back home, only to find that both Xiao Si and Zhao Ziming were gone.

She had great confidence in Xiao Si’s abilities; no one could take someone away from under her nose.

That explained everything—it was Xiao Si who had taken Zhao Ziming.

What did she want to do? Could she have also guessed the truth about the village and wanted to put herself in danger to carve out a path for her to clear the level?

She was always making decisions on her own, just like she had done so many times before.

The more Jiang Liu thought about it, the more something felt wrong. So much so that without telling anyone, her feet had already carried her up the mountain.

“I had that thought,” Yang Caisi said, pulling her hand to sit by the well, her tone very relaxed.

Before Jiang Liu could get angry, she laughed to herself and quickly explained, “But I wouldn’t jump.”

She tilted her head to look at Jiang Liu, her eyes brewing with deep affection, so profound it seemed to want to envelop Jiang Liu completely.

“I promised you I wouldn’t take risks on my own.”

Yang Caisi’s tone lifted slightly.

To be honest, when Gao Yuan explained Zhao Ziyang’s existence, she had already connected it to the strangeness of this village and had an idea about how to clear the level.

At that time, she did want to jump into the well herself to test it out. After all, her contract hadn’t expired yet, and the System wouldn’t really let her die in an Instance.

But the moment she stood by the well, she hesitated.

She knew she wouldn’t be in danger, but what she would face after jumping was still unknown, and her sister would not agree to her taking such a risk.

Yang Caisi repeatedly told herself that she had regained everything she had lost. They were about to leave this place and start a new life.

Perhaps she should abandon her identity as an NPC and try to adopt a different mindset.

Of course, she didn’t say these latter words out loud.

Jiang Liu understood the unspoken words.

Only then did the stone in her heart finally fall back into place. She belatedly realized how her concern had thrown her into disarray, how she, at her age, had acted with such little composure.

She patted Yang Caisi’s head with mock annoyance. “That’s more like it. No more reckless behavior in the future.”

“I’ll listen to you.” Yang Caisi pursed her lips and leaned her head against her neck.

The mountain wind blew quietly, weaving their hair together, inseparable.

***

Then again, the Instance’s process still had to be followed.

Jiang Liu looked back at the dry well, a complex mix of emotions welling up in her eyes.

“I didn’t expect Qiao Ke to pull something like this.”

She felt a little wistful.

When she understood everything, she had the same thought as Xiao Si: since there were questions about the Abandoned Well, she could just jump in and try it herself.

But during her run here, another doubt had quietly surfaced in her mind—

“His promise is too big.”

Yang Caisi seemed to know what she was going to say and also shook her head with a light sigh.

A discarded piece about to be delisted by the System couldn’t possibly have the power to let all players clear the level without meeting the mission objectives.

If the conditions he broadcasted through the System were not a problem, then all the suspicious points could only stem from the Instance itself.

“Gao Yuan is trapped here. It’s rare to see a seal that not even an NPC can break through,” Yang Caisi said, showing Jiang Liu the message.

“He suspects that this is the end point.”

A hint of confusion appeared on her brow, and she frowned as if puzzled, but then relaxed a moment later.

The so-called end point was itself a special type of Instance. Its very existence was to successfully send off players who had cleared the game.

Yang Caisi had been in the business for fifty years and had never handled such an Instance.

Jiang Liu lowered her eyes, looking down at her mud-caked calves. Because of her sitting posture, her pants had ridden up slightly, revealing a glaring red mark on her ankle.

This was Qiao Ke’s real scheme.

The end point was real, and jumping into the well was real. With just a little thought, one could see the key to the village.

But he had added a prerequisite: that the other players had to assist the villagers in successfully burying someone, and that person… was Zhao Ziming.

When everyone was focused on the person of Zhao Ziming, they would naturally overlook the mission’s background itself.

What if ‘Zhao Ziming’ was just a code name, and all the players had unknowingly become the same kind of existence as him?

All of this was answered when Jiang Liu saw the blood-red mark on her ankle, similar to Zhao Ziming’s.

“By the way, where’s Zhao Ziming?” Jiang Liu suddenly remembered her missing companion and looked around.

Yang Caisi shrugged and lifted her chin, pointing to a tree behind them. “Still sleeping.”

She had done as the village chief had said and placed half of him into the well. As expected, Xiao Zhao had woken up, shouting that he thought he had seen Elder Hu, but that he had been gone for a long time.

It was at that moment that Yang Caisi truly confirmed the Instance’s mechanism.

Jiang Liu listened to what she had done and found it amusing. “I’m here, you know. Isn’t it nice to just stay put?”

Yang Caisi nodded obediently, her face full of compliance. “Okay, I’ll listen to you from now on.”

Jiang Liu pinched her cheek, the soft feeling making her feel exceptionally satisfied.

“That’s more like it.” She stood up and stretched her shoulders. “Let’s go down the mountain now and plan a grand funeral for ourselves.”

***

The preparations took a full three days.

Tang Ruo and Xu Meng led people to persuade the other players. The blood-red marks that appeared on their own bodies were irrefutable proof.

Most people were cooperative. The few stubborn ones, like the muscular man, were subdued by Yang Caisi through force, and they reluctantly sewed their own Burial Clothes.

The village chief didn’t know why their attitude had suddenly changed, but he was exceptionally happy about it, bustling about to prepare all the necessary tools and supplies.

On the fifth day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

A suona band, beating gongs and drums, set off from Mountain Well Village. The morning mist haloed the guide lamps, and yellow paper was scattered like it was free along the way. The villagers, dressed in funeral attire and carrying ritual vessels, set off toward the back mountain in a grand procession.

The filial son smashing a basin, yellow paper leading the way—it should have been a scene of weeping and filial piety, but because of the row of ‘deceased’ in colorful Burial Clothes following behind, the scene had an added touch of drama.

The villagers had many complaints about this nondescript funeral procession. When they set off, their faces were still somewhat ashen.

But as they walked, the idle chatter gradually stopped. At some point, the sound of the wind also fell completely silent, and all that could be heard were the messy footsteps of the crowd.

Xu Meng wore the standard-issue Burial Clothes prescribed by the villagers, tugging at the collar from time to time. She felt unaccustomed to it, and when she glanced at the stiff movements of the villagers in front, her face turned pale.

Behind her, a few players were whispering. It was strange; they were clearly the ones about to be sent off, but mixed in with the procession, they seemed more like the rare living people.

At some point, the villagers on both sides of the procession began to walk faster, their figures becoming fainter and fainter, as if a gust of wind could blow them away.

Jiang Liu saw Xu Meng’s small movements and raised her voice to comfort her. “Once we walk this path, we’ll be reborn. Don’t worry about it.”

Her words were like a warm spring breeze, instantly spreading throughout the entire procession, blowing away the cold and gloomy aura from the players and instead lifting their spirits.

“We’ll be able to go back soon!”

In the silence, someone shouted this.

At the thought of returning to reality, the players’ emotions were stirred. Someone even started humming along to the melody of the suona, and the journey was filled with laughter and joy, making it seem more like a happy occasion.

The closer they got to the Abandoned Well, the more Jiang Liu felt whispers in her ear, as if countless people were murmuring to her, and every voice was familiar.

They were the countless versions of herself.

From the beginning at the Theater Garden to the end at the Abandoned Well, every voice was a path she had walked.

Her right hand was squeezed tightly, which managed to distract Jiang Liu a little.

She looked sideways at Yang Caisi, only to see that she was lost in thought, her grip tightening, though it was unclear what she was recalling.

Jiang Liu smiled faintly, squeezed her hand back, and with a powerful leap, pulled her toward the Abandoned Well.

This grand funeral, along with their tortuous past, was buried together in the earth, heading toward the future with the hope of a new life.

A white light flashed, and this Lost Way Game—was over.