Chapter 5: Red and White Collision of Evil

Qi Wuyuan let out a soft breath.

After he interrupted Chen sao, the obedient reactions of the surrounding NPCs gave him more confidence.

For him, the NPC identity card was both a restriction and a kind of privilege that set him apart from other players.

“The Fourth World” was actually quite fair.

Qi Wuyuan touched the photo frame, his eyes showing a trace of satisfaction.

Ruan Xiaoxiao stopped working on her homework, stared at Qi Wuyuan on the screen, and said with excitement: “Ah, he noticed it.”

Qi Wuyuan had already discovered the basic rule of “The Fourth World”—fairness.

This fairness was reflected in many aspects.

When players drew identity cards before entering a instance, the system never revealed too much information about them.

Veteran players all knew the difference between ordinary identity cards and NPC identity cards.

Ordinary cards gave relatively high freedom; players didn’t need to worry much about breaking character and failing the mission.

NPC cards imposed more restrictions, but allowed players to gain certain dungeon privileges if they stayed in character.

Legend had it that one player became so immersed in their NPC role, performing it so well, that they were mistaken for the boss and ended up tricking both the real NPCs and all the other players.

Each type of card had its own pros and cons, and “The Fourth World” never let any player gain an unfair advantage from what the system provided.

But Qi Wuyuan didn’t know this information from anyone else.

He hadn’t received any help from the guide.

Instead, he probed and figured it out himself.

Ruan Xiaoxiao was certain that Qi Wuyuan had realized the special nature of the NPC identity card.

Not every newcomer had the courage to test and uncover information the system deliberately hid.

Just as Ruan Xiaoxiao finished speaking, a pair of hands pressed down on her head from behind: “Have you finished your homework?”

Ruan Li knew his younger sister wouldn’t study properly. He sneaked into her room to supervise her, and sure enough, saw her slacking off. He immediately warned: “Turn off the light screen. I can tell you’re watching a livestream. No playing—finish your homework now.”

Ruan Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue and explained: “Brother, I’m not playing.”

“I found a really good newcomer. Why don’t you watch with me first?”

She tapped the light screen quickly, sending Ruan Li an invitation.

“Brother, I promise this newcomer’s performance definitely won’t disappoint you.”

Hearing this, Ruan Li’s curiosity was piqued. He sat down beside her, touched his wrist, and opened his own light screen.

“Oh? Then let me see this newcomer you’re talking about.”

[Player No. 697 has entered the livestream room.]

Qi Wuyuan didn’t notice the small prompt that flashed across the light screen on his left wrist.

He was busy thinking about the electronic voice that had just sounded in his mind.

So it turned out that only now did the dungeon mission officially begin.

Holding the photo frame, Qi Wuyuan’s eyes flickered with thought.

Among the system’s hint words for the first day, at least one was very obvious—“crossing the river.”

The wedding escort team had already stopped at the riverbank, and the four sedan bearers were skillfully preparing boats for crossing.

It was clear the group was about to cross the river.

Qi Wuyuan tightened his grip on the photo frame, mentally bracing himself.

Once they boarded the boats, something was very likely to happen.

He couldn’t conveniently lift the curtain to observe outside.

Closing his eyes, he extended his left hand, tapping his thumb clockwise across several knuckles. When he opened his eyes again, his expression was serious.

Some viewers in the livestream noticed his action, but for now no one knew what he was doing. The barrage of comments discussing it quickly passed by.

The boats were ready. The sedan bearers had prepared rather simple vessels, all made of wood, long and narrow, with no cabins for shelter.

Such small boats could carry the sedan chair, but probably not many people inside.

Chen sao walked to the sedan, lifted the curtain, and softly said to Qi Wuyuan: “The bride should cross the river now.”

Her words carried no awkwardness in treating a man as a woman.

There was even a trace of reverence.

Although Qi Wuyuan’s identity had been set as the bride, he hadn’t been dressed up excessively.

He wasn’t even wearing a skirt.

Only a finely embroidered bright red robe draped over him, with smooth black short hair neatly falling by his ears.

Still unsure of the strange customs of this village, Qi Wuyuan followed Chen sao’s words, stepping out of the sedan with the photo frame in his arms.

The players waited by the river with the wedding escort team, watching the NPC’s actions, and in their hearts they knew something was likely about to happen.

Wen Yao signaled to the three newcomers with her eyes and whispered: “Something might happen later, but since the instance has just begun, it’s still relatively safe. As long as you follow us obediently, don’t look around or make noise, with me and Brother Quan here nothing will go wrong.”

At this point, even a fool should realize that everything written on their light screens about “The Fourth World” was true.

The three newcomers, though frightened by the current environment, felt somewhat reassured after hearing Wen Yao’s words.

Li Quan frowned as he looked at the small boats not far away.

In such a cramped environment, if something happened underwater later, his ability to fight would be restricted, leaving him at a disadvantage.

Seeing that the newcomers were at least cooperative, Wen Yao reminded them: “Don’t fall into the river.”

She hadn’t forgotten the hint word “eye contact.”

She added: “Don’t look around recklessly. If you really can’t help it, just close your eyes.”

The newcomers nodded nervously. Suddenly, Wen Yao noticed Chen sao walking toward the sedan chair, lifting the curtain and saying a few words.

It looked like the bride was about to come out of the sedan.

Wen Yao quickly nudged Li Quan, and the two of them looked toward the sedan together.

This was the perfect chance to openly observe the boss.

Seeing the guides’ actions, the three newcomers also turned their eyes toward the bright red sedan.

They saw two slender fingers lift the curtain, and a black-haired youth dressed in red leaned out from inside.

The young man leaned forward slightly, his eyes showing a careless indifference mixed with a chilling, emotionless coldness.

Through the loose wedding robe, one could faintly see his thin, even frail figure, his movements carrying a strange, morbid beauty.

His exposed skin was paler than normal, a cold white tone, with a fragile delicacy that poor households could never raise.

At some point, the moon slipped out from behind the dark clouds, and under its light his handsome face was revealed. His pale pink lips pressed together lightly, appearing lofty and untouchable in the moonlight.

As the youth stepped out of the sedan, the players hadn’t even had time to exclaim “The bride is actually a man,” before their eyes were pierced by the photo he carried in his arms.

He was holding a photo frame, inside it a striking black-and-white picture.

It was a memorial portrait.

Li Quan felt the murderous aura emanating from the portrait, quickly averting his gaze, not daring to look again.

Several newcomers were also startled. One female player nearly screamed again, but fortunately this time she was smart enough to cover her mouth, so nothing happened.

Even Wen Yao was taken aback.

This low-level instance’s boss turned out to be far more troublesome than expected.

She could see the heavy aura of death surrounding Qi Wuyuan.

At that moment, in Li Quan and Wen Yao’s livestream, once the audience saw the boss’s face clearly, the barrage of comments surged.

[Huh? Was the “Red and White Collision of Evil” boss like this before?]

[Maybe they adjusted the instance.]

[Say what you will, this boss looks really good!]

[I’ll fangirl over his looks first.]

Wen Yao unconsciously frowned, a flash of worry in her eyes.

The four sedan bearers, strong and muscular, quickly tied ropes to prepare three small boats, signaling for the others to board.

There were three boats in total: one taken up by the opera troupe and their instruments; one by the sedan chair, which occupied most of the boat’s space; and the third left for others.

Chen sao led Qi Wuyuan to the third boat and said softly: “When the bride crosses the river, she must never share a boat with the wedding escort team.”

She then turned to Erwa and Li Quan: “Since you’re not part of the escort team, you can cross the river together with the bride.”

Share a boat with the boss?

Li Quan naturally didn’t want to agree.

But there was no fourth boat available.

The river was too wide, and even with flashlights they couldn’t see how deep it was. The players had no choice—they had to cross to the village to attend the funeral.

At this point, crossing the river meant they had to share a boat with the bride.

Li Quan could only grit his teeth and reluctantly agree.

Qi Wuyuan noticed the players’ strange attitude toward him but didn’t explain further.

He boarded first, walking straight to the bow of the boat.

Erwa didn’t think much, simply got on and skillfully picked up the oar.

Then, Li Quan clenched his teeth and followed onto the boat.

The villagers seemed to have excellent night vision. Apart from the players, who used flashlights to light their way, everyone else moved about in complete darkness.

Zhao Jinming held the flashlight Li Quan had given him when they got off earlier, carefully following Wen Yao’s instructions.

After a few minutes, under the cover of night, they could no longer see the riverbank they had come from.

At that moment, Zhao Jinming keenly heard the sound of footsteps.

Huh? Footsteps?

The people on the boat were completely still, surrounded only by river water—where could footsteps be coming from?

As if compelled by some unseen force, Zhao Jinming shifted his flashlight, the beam sweeping across the river’s surface.

He lowered his head to look at the water.

“Don’t look—”

Wen Yao’s warning came too late.

Zhao

Jinming saw, in the water, a swollen and decayed face staring up at him, locking eyes with his own.

Under the flashlight’s beam, Zhao Jinming could even clearly see that this “person” was standing in the water.