The effect was remarkable. Sur touched the child's head one last time, straightened up, and prepared to leave. The child suddenly grabbed the flower snake and hissed.
Su Er: "Be obedient, I will come to find you again."
The child grabbed the snake and swung it around.
Su Er remembered that he didn't understand what people said, so his face turned cold and he imitated the butler, staring at the other's hand holding the snake.
The child tilted his head. Past experience told him that if he didn't let go, he would be beaten. He took advantage of the last moment to stroke the snake, and then reluctantly let go.
The flower snake escaped from the clutches of the devil and swam quickly behind Sur. It no longer had the majestic demeanor of spitting out its tongue and demanding blood.
Before leaving the room, Suer glanced back at the child, who was holding his finger. He felt strange. If he was strong, he seemed a little afraid of others. At least he hadn't tried to snatch the egg from his hand. But if he was weak... even the flower snake didn't dare to act presumptuously in his presence.
He walked out with a lot on his mind, and when he looked up, his eyes met Ji Heng and others not far away.
"Are you here to see the child too?"
Ji Heng: "I guess so."
Wei Jun wasn't as calm. Not long ago, he'd boasted about Su'er's longing for the warmth of home, but now his face was practically swollen from being beaten. He pointed out wistfully, "There are countless instances, but the chances of encountering it are slim."
"I understand." Su Er nodded. "It's just planting a seed."
Whether it can germinate depends on God's will.
Ji Heng comforted him by saying, "Ghosts have long lives, there's plenty of time to meet again."
Su Er nodded: "I will also work hard to meet more hosts and try to accumulate enough points to leave as soon as possible."
Wei Jun, who was standing by, sensed that human nature was far more sinister than a demon, and forcibly changed the subject: "...What on earth is that child?"
Su Er shrugged: "I took several puffs, but it's still not as strong as the snake's Yin energy."
Wei Jun then mentioned that the child might have poisoned them.
Su Er missed lunch and was a little surprised when he heard this: "It's really busy."
He set fire outside his own room and poisoned someone. His professional ability is very strong at such a young age.
"Fortunately..." Wei Jun took a breath with a complicated expression, squinting in the direction of the house: "He has received retribution."
According to Suer's ability to cause trouble, there is a high possibility that this child will be beaten to death early on the way.
They all had the same idea, and everyone looked at Suer with meaningful eyes.
Ji Heng: "Let's start by investigating his background." He paused and reminded: "Time is running out."
The atmosphere, which had finally eased somewhat, became solemn again.
The situation was indeed gradually deteriorating. Two poisoned players were resting in the room. The weaker the player, the more predatory the snakes would be. If they couldn't recover in time, they would become prey. Not to mention Cao Ledao, who didn't even have a snake to ward off disaster. Adding the players who had died in the ruined temple, nearly a third of the people had gone in.
corridor.
Wang Xun was embracing a beautiful concubine, admiring the flowers. Before he could greet Ji Heng and the others, he heard them ask about the child. His expression instantly darkened. He waved his hand, and the concubine beside him, not wanting to offend him, tactfully left.
After letting out a breath, Wang Xun began to talk about an old story.
"This child's biological mother is my first wife. She lost two previous pregnancies, and the doctors initially said the chances of survival were slim. His mother often went out to pray for a safe delivery." At this point, Wang Xun's expression was tinged with fear. "Who would have thought that on the day of delivery, the child would survive, but the mother would not."
Song Jiayue couldn't help but say, "This isn't the child's fault."
"I'm not unreasonable," Wang Xun revealed another hidden secret. "His mother's skin was blue when she was buried. A few days later, I heard that the midwife who carried her died. And ever since he was born, accidents have been frequent in the mansion... Fortunately, after this month, the bad luck will end."
The servant had previously mentioned that the child would be sent to the temple next month, and now Wang Xun emphasized the time again. One player hurriedly asked, "Why wait until this month is over?"
Wang Xun: "I wanted to send the child away two years ago, but Master Tian sent a note saying that the child and I are not destined to be together yet, and he must be raised in the mansion for four years before he can be sent away."
Ji Heng suddenly raised his eyes: "Tian Yi Gua?"
Wang Xun nodded. "At the time, strange things were happening in my home, so I went to see the master. Unfortunately, after entering the house, I couldn't even walk to the main hall. Finally, a snake led me out."
Speaking of this, he sighed with infinite emotion: "The master is indeed a hermit."
Ji Heng seemed to have other thoughts and looked at him: "You invited us here, I'm afraid there must be another reason."
Wang Xun scratched his head awkwardly.
Suspecting that his beautiful concubine was a fox spirit was just an excuse. He just wanted to ensure that nothing unexpected would happen in the last month.
Ji Heng: "Unfortunately, our abilities are limited, and there are some problems we cannot solve."
Wang Xun's smile disappeared instantly, and he clasped his fingers nervously together. "What's the problem?"
"It's complicated." Ji Heng: "But we will stay for a few more days, get to know each other, and at least ensure your safety."
Wang Xun quickly clasped his fists in thanks.
Wei Jun quietly pulled Suer aside: "Did you see it?"
Suer was just wondering why Ji Heng, a man of few words, would waste his breath.
Wei Jun whispered, "That child is peculiar, and the housekeeper and servants have been abusing him for years. Sooner or later, something bad will happen in the house. If something happens, doesn't it mean we are incompetent?"
The Wang family seems to be powerful and influential, and when they get angry, they will definitely make them suffer.
Su Er reacted: "If something goes wrong, as long as Wang Xun is alive, he will think it is our achievement."
They may even become more dependent and seek spiritual support.
Wei Jun wasn't saying this for no reason. Earlier, in the haunted house, the old man had attacked Su Er. Wei Jun was worried that this would leave a shadow on him, so he emphasized, "Tian Yi Gua may appear righteous, but don't be too scared. Just like Ji Heng, he looks like a decent person, but doesn't he seem more terrifying in comparison?"
"…"
That seems to be the case.
Ji Heng did not just talk the talk, he asked Wang Xun to move to the house next to his.
Wang Xun was busy asking people to pack up and move out of the room. Ji Heng looked at Wei Jun and Su Er, and seemed to have heard their conversation just now.
Wei Jun didn't feel guilty at all, and calmly discussed the dungeon: "The only information the host gave us was to change our fate. Could this be the condition for passing the level?"
The most annoying thing about this dungeon is that the host did not clearly state the conditions for passing it.
Soul pointed at himself.
Wei Jun frowned. He was indeed an exception. He wouldn't die if he didn't change. He looked at the others, asking if they had similar experiences.
Everyone shook their heads, and Song Jiayue said, "The host is elusive, and the requirements for passing the level are unclear. This is the first time I've encountered this."
Su Er had been observing Ji Heng and found that he seemed to be hiding something. It was not until a player's snake began to hiss for blood again that everyone dispersed. Su Er quickly followed Ji Heng and asked, "Do you know something?"
"It's just a guess," Ji Heng said, "We need some more evidence to prove it."
After saying that, he actually let out a low sigh. The sigh was too heavy, mixed with many factors. Su Er could only hear helplessness in it.
Ji Heng suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed the attacking snake, and without changing his expression, he cut his finger and fed two drops of blood to the flower snake. Although the flower snake was not satisfied, it did not launch another sneak attack.
In comparison, the snake behind Sur was much more obedient, and had not yet woken up from the nightmare of being rubbed by a child not long ago.
The blood on Ji Heng's fingers quickly solidified, and he said, "Come with me to see someone."
·
"Can't you be more careful? Luckily, I'm back. If we couldn't find him, you and I would be in big trouble!"
From a distance, I saw the butler pointing at a servant's nose and scolding him.
The butler had his back to them and didn't know who was behind him. The servant saw Suer and Ji Heng and whispered a reminder.
The butler turned around, terrified: "You two... do you have any instructions?"
Ji Heng got straight to the point: "There's something I want to inquire about."
The butler smiled awkwardly: "You say."
Ji Heng's eyes darkened, and his aura became somewhat oppressive: "Young Master of the mansion, has anything strange happened recently?"
The expression on the butler's face changed instantly. He turned his face away guiltily and denied it.
"Think it over carefully before you speak." Ji Heng narrowed his eyes: "If I ask your master to investigate..."
"Don't do that!" The butler waved his hands repeatedly, looked around to see no one was around, and glared at the servant with a bitter face: "It's all this careless guy's fault!"
The servant didn't dare to retort after being scolded, and said timidly: "To be honest, the young master disappeared for a while."
From the servant, they learned that about half a month ago, the housekeeper suddenly discovered that the young master had disappeared. Usually, this servant was responsible for delivering meals, but everyone in the mansion treated the child as an unlucky star and only came every two or three days. On weekdays, the child would eat tree bark and roots when he was extremely hungry. So much so that no one knew when he disappeared.
Housekeeper: "There's a dog hole in the outer wall that hasn't been repaired yet. We found a piece of cloth there and guessed the child ran out through the dog hole."
Although the master did not think highly of the young master and even felt disgust and fear for him, Tianyi Gua had specifically instructed that the child must be raised in the mansion for four years. If he really ran away, they could not bear the responsibility.
Su Er found it ironic: "If you don't even give him enough food, aren't you afraid that he will starve to death?"
The housekeeper said, "You don't know. Meals were delivered on time at first, but this kid only ate meat. I once saw him eating a dead mouse. It was a mouse that had been poisoned, and he ate it like nothing happened!"
Thinking about it now, the butler felt a pang of fear. He patted his chest and continued, "Fortunately, the person came back on his own in the end."
Ji Heng: "When did you come back?"
The housekeeper said, "It was the night you arrived." Even then, he still offered compliments: "Who knows, the master is so blessed that he'll bring us a turn for the better."
He was worried every day that the master would find out that the child was missing.
Ji Heng promised not to tell this to anyone. The housekeeper and the servants breathed a sigh of relief at the same time and then went back to their respective tasks.
When they were alone, Ji Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly curled his lips and asked, "Do you think this is unreasonable?"
Soul nodded.
He hadn't played dungeons often, but he knew the game liked to give out bits and pieces, letting players explore on their own. But the clue about the child was like it was given for free.
He first disappeared, then came back on his own, and finally appeared in front of them on his own initiative.
Ji Heng took him to where the children lived and laughed: "Maybe it really is given away for free."
While they were talking, they had already walked outside the courtyard gate. A child was digging tree roots. When he saw Su'er, his eyes lit up, thinking that there was something delicious or fun to do: "Father, my father Su'er..."
There was another person standing in the yard. At first glance, he had fluttering clothes and looked like an immortal.
Sur hesitated for a moment before walking over. The child began to stroke the snake, and the snake looked as if it had lost all hope in life.
The fortune teller's eyes were dark and he looked like he hadn't had a good rest. When his eyes met Sur's, his expression became terribly cold.
Suer didn't know what he had done to offend him, so he looked at Ji Heng with a questioning look.
Ji Heng said slowly: "If the only way to leave this world is to change your fate, then your appearance is an accident."
Normally, if a player fails to clear a level within seven days, they will die tragically. This death is causally linked, triggering the game's mandatory death condition. This dungeon's death condition is clear: if you don't change your fate, you will die according to the results of the batch.
But even if Sul didn't change his fate, he couldn't die. To put it bluntly, it was a bug.
He suspected from the beginning that the divine fortune teller's elusive appearances were not because he was trying to be mysterious, but because he was trying to find a way to fix the loophole.
Su Er asked cautiously: "So this child showed up on his own initiative because..."
"You are lonely and unmarried, and this child is destined to suffer from the curse of misfortune. His fate is far more terrifying than yours." The fortune teller waved his sleeves and let out a voice that cut through the air. "If you have even a little compassion and form a good relationship with him, his fate will devour you."
Su Er wondered, could fates devour each other? He swallowed and said, "Suppose my fate changes, does that mean I've fulfilled the requirements for clearance?"
The fortune teller had no intention of explaining and asked coldly, "I'm helping you cheat, can't you see?"
Tianyi Gua had no power to change Su Er's fate of being a bad husband. If his fate remained unchanged, Su Er would remain in this world forever, which was contrary to the rules of the game. However, as the host of this game, he had to find a way to uphold the rules.
"…"
At this moment, Suer finally understood why Ji Heng sighed not long ago. There was once an opportunity to leave the copy right in front of him.
"But he wanted to burn me..."
"That's to get your attention." The child's fate is special. His nature is evil, so he can only do evil things.
"…"
"I wanted to get you out of the game early so he could change your fate." The calm demeanor on the fortune teller's face vanished completely, replaced by murderous intent: "But you changed his fate!"
Su Er glanced at the child foolishly playing with the snake, recalled the words, 'My father Su Er, everyone here is garbage,' and lowered his head silently: "I just taught him one thing."
The fortune teller's fingers were trembling. "If nothing unexpected happens, he will, due to some events, grow into the new Ghost King in ten years. By then, this world will be turned upside down because of him, evolving into a brand new instance. During this period of evolution, this instance will temporarily be used as a novice difficulty instance."
Some of the confusion in Suer's mind was resolved. No wonder this child is still so weak now.
"But according to the latest hexagram, before he could even summon the wind and rain, he was nearly killed by a host when he was activated as a novice dungeon."
"…"
The fortune teller never expected that in order to fix a bug, he would create such a huge hole.
"Pray," he said, a cruel look flashing in his eyes. "If you can't fix it, you will die with me as a token of your sin."
"…"
After he finished speaking, the fortune teller flicked his sleeves and disappeared into thin air without even looking at Sul.
Su Er stood there for a long time, and the child kept grinning at him: "My father Su Er... everyone here is garbage..."
Su Er was silent for a while, then he put his hand on his forehead and said, "What a sin."