The so-called "ancestral grave" refers to the practice of burying people who have died unexpectedly and cannot enter the family grave. They are usually buried at the edge of their own land, which is also known as "watching over the land."
For a prestigious family like the Chengs, it wouldn't be surprising if they specifically designated an area for this purpose rather than burying their members randomly in the fields.
Yu Deng responded with an "Ah, I see."
As for the Cheng family, Yu Deng currently only knows that his unseen husband is dead. Could this be referring to the deceased husband?
"We should go in and check the situation," Cheng Xiao said, putting his arm around Yu Deng's shoulders. Just as they were about to enter, they saw Sister Tong, an experienced player, returning.
Sister Tong said gravely, "My props have been triggered."
Her item, which detects weapons, indicated that a weapon was nearby, most likely the place where the incident occurred.
The group hurried into the house with the panicked crowd and went up to the second floor, where they saw a beautiful woman lying on a dressing table. A long, sharp silver hairpin was stuck in her throat, piercing through both sides of her neck.
The brown tabletop was stained with splattered blood.
"I followed the madam's orders and called her as soon as it was dawn," the maid who was responsible stammered. "But when I came in, I found her like this..."
The butler had already hurried over and instructed someone to place the deceased Fourth Concubine on a chaise longue.
Yu Deng peered over Cheng Xiao's shoulder to observe.
The concubine's eyes were closed, so her expression was unclear, but her face did not show signs of pain or agony, and her clothes were neatly arranged.
"Little Mom, look, she doesn't seem to have struggled at all during the whole process," Cheng Xiao whispered in Yu Deng's ear.
Was it that she didn't struggle, couldn't, or didn't dare?
Yu Deng tried to conduct a rational analysis following Cheng Xiao's words. However, reasoning was not his strong suit, and after a while, his head felt like it was buzzing.
The Cheng family members had mostly arrived, and Cheng Chaoxia's face was even more unpleasant than the day before. Someone was instructed to remove the hairpin.
"Wait, this hairpin looks familiar. Isn't this my sister's?" one concubine suddenly spoke up. Her sister referred to Cheng Laoye's legitimate wife.
The old lady glanced at her indifferently. "I lost it last month."
"That's just your word against mine. The master has favored her the most in recent years, always letting her serve him, and even agreed to give her son a share of the estate. You've always been jealous of her, haven't you?" The concubine was persistent, almost aggressive. "The master's death must be related to you, right?"
Yu Deng listened intently.
Could the culprit really be the old lady? Is it really that simple?
"I was reciting Buddhist scriptures all day yesterday and didn't see him at all. Last night, I wasn't here either," the old lady sneered. "I'm already at death's door; why would I wait until now to act?"
At this moment, the butler, after examining the hairpin, hesitated and said, "This hairpin has bloodstains on the tip that are a different color. They must have dried for quite some time."
"I knew it. The master was definitely killed by this thing," another concubine said sarcastically. "If it wasn't the madam, then it must be the eldest daughter. Wasn't she always unhappy about not being able to inherit the Cheng family because she's a woman, and quarreled with the master many times?"
Cheng Chaoxia retorted angrily, "Concubine, watch your words."
She took a deep breath. "I did have disagreements with my father, but now that Chaolin is gone, would I really have a reason to harm my father? On the other hand, Fifth Concubine, wasn't your marriage to the Cheng family voluntary? Couldn't you be suspicious too?"
Cheng Wenhao tugged at his mother's sleeve, trying to calm her down.
Meanwhile, Yu Deng was stunned, his brain frantically recording information as if it were about to burn out.
[So much information, I'm already dizzy. Is there a pro analyzing this?]
[Wow, even in the live streams of several players, no one got any useful information, but now the NPCs are voluntarily sharing some.]
[It must be a balancing point in the storyline. After all, it's a novice dungeon, and the difficulty shouldn't be that extreme.]
[Yu Deng's expression is so amusing, it's like something I can't even describe.]
If one's mindset is right and they treat the dungeon like a game, then what's happening now feels like a cutscene.
The NPCs revealed a lot of information, though it was somewhat vague, but the players finally had a direction for exploration.
Each faction held its own views, suspected each other, and none was willing to admit they were the culprit. After a long argument, they dispersed unhappily.
Having listened to the Cheng family's love and hate entanglements, Yu Deng returned to the mansion where he was staying, filled with various doubts.
On the way, Yu Deng remembered the electronic voice he heard during the side quest.
"By the way, Mr. System, I heard Cheng Xiao is my target for this mission."
[Yes, he is the player that needs to be contained in this instance.]System 01 said. [Host, because this is your first instance and there are new players among them, the system took some time to lock him in.]
When new players clearly show an intent to disrupt the dungeon, the main system can lock onto them. Cheng Xiao, who wanted to burn down the mansion, was caught this way.
[If your target were an experienced player, the system would analyze their past behavior and lock them in, usually informing the host at the beginning of the dungeon.]
Yu Deng nodded, understanding. "So, what about targets who are NPCs?"
[When you encounter them, the system will provide hints or guidance.]
"Oh, so how do I complete the special mission?" Yu Deng hadn't had time to think about this aspect of the task and quickly asked.
"And, what exactly is the special power?"
Yu Deng carefully recalled the system's initial explanation.
Some of the small privileges he had received were due to his special identity, but what about the power?
[You need to restrain the target and prevent them from disrupting the dungeon. If necessary, you'll need to act on behalf of the system to make them sign a contract,] the system explained.
Although Yu Deng didn't quite understand why he needed to step in, he still nodded, albeit confused.
Since each dungeon has a different mode and background, the unlocking period for special powers and the powers you receive will vary.
This dungeon hasn't reached the unlocking period yet. However, please note, Host, that the temporarily granted abilities are not unlimited and need to be replenished after being used up.
Yu Deng understood this; it's just like the blue bar in games.
So his current task is to keep an eye on Cheng Xiao and prevent him from disrupting the dungeon too much.
Yu Deng frowned, feeling a bit odd about it. After all, he was a player, tasked with helping maintain the notorious dungeon. It felt like being a bad guy.
And not even a very clever one...
But not completing the task could mean death, so he decided to take it step by step.
Shaking his head to stop the inner conflict, Yu Deng returned to the mansion.
"What happened earlier?" Cheng Xiao asked the players who stayed behind.
Surprisingly, the tall and thin veteran player who had stayed behind and didn't go to guard the body shook his head. "Nothing."
"Then what was that about?"
The tall and thin player pointed to one of the players. "This guy tripped while going downstairs without watching where he was going. I thought something had happened when he yelled."
Yu Deng stood not far from them and looked at the man.
The man had the worn-out look of someone beaten down by society. Yu Deng remembered he hadn't heard him speak the previous day. The man looked weary and apologetically said to everyone, "I was so absorbed in looking for clues that I lost my footing. I'm sorry."
Saying this, he floated over and asked them what they had discovered.
The players briefly exchanged information. They had originally planned to hold a meeting in the morning, but with the recent incident involving the NPC, the Cheng family was in chaos, making it an opportune time to search.
The group decided to search for clues during the day and postpone the meeting until noon.
Cheng Xiao did not comment much, only saying he had been keeping vigil all night and needed to rest first. Yu Deng also quietly slipped back to his room.
Once back in his room, Yu Deng glanced at the mirror and realized his face was covered in dirt, and his clothes were also dirty, carrying a scent of incense ash and candle smoke.
Yu Deng frowned, roughly wiping the dust off his face and trying to brush off the dirt from his clothes. This movement immediately made him wince in pain, bringing tears to his eyes.
Oh, it was from the injury sustained during the side quest last night. Conditions hadn't allowed for any treatment at that time.
No wonder he had been feeling intermittent pain earlier...
Yu Deng looked around the room but couldn't find any ointment or similar items.
Besides, the injury was near his shoulder blade, so he couldn't see it himself.
It was impossible to ask the butler for help.
Yu Deng silently sat for a while and then knocked on his stepson's door again.
"What's wrong?" Cheng Xiao opened the door. The room behind him was a bit messy, with a large suitcase spread open on the floor and many items scattered on the desk.
Cheng Xiao paused for a few seconds, seemingly considering something, and then let Yu Deng in.
"Do you have any medicine?" Yu Deng gestured, "For treating bruises and injuries."
Cheng Xiao nodded. "Yes, Little Mom is injured." He picked up a jar of ointment from the desk and handed it to Yu Deng.
Yu Deng took the ointment and looked up. "Can you help me? I can't reach it."
Cheng Xiao hesitated for a moment. "What?"
Yu Deng glanced at him, pressed his lips together, and turned his back to Cheng Xiao. He lifted his pure white cotton and linen shirt.
A slender, soft waist was revealed.
The skin was even whiter than the shirt, not pale but a luminous, beautiful white. The elegant curve of his back led to two small dimples at his waist, and further down, the curve was obscured by his long pants.
Cheng Xiao knew Yu Deng was very thin, having embraced him when he first entered the dungeon.
One hand could easily wrap around him.
But now, under this visual impact, Cheng Xiao realized just how white and thin Yu Deng's waist was.
"Little Mom, you..." Cheng Xiao locked the door with a quick motion and took a few steps toward Yu Deng.
Meanwhile, Yu Deng remained oblivious.
He maintained the posture of lifting up his shirt and turned his head slightly, somewhat impatiently urging, "Hurry up, it hurts so much. My arm is getting sore from holding it up."
Cheng Xiao said nothing.
Yu Deng mumbled softly, "Can you see the injury? It's under the shoulder blade, and there's a bit of pain at the back of my waist too."
Cheng Xiao knew why it hurt.
Yesterday, Yu Deng had bumped into the staircase railing, and now there was a small bruise there.
It looked pitiful, yet made one's heart ache, urging him to feel even more sympathy.
Yu Deng stood in the messy room, like a painting or, rather, like an exquisitely tempting poison.
Cheng Xiao lowered his gaze, a nameless fury rising from the depths of his heart and quickly spreading through his limbs.
"Yu Deng."
Cheng Xiao called him by his full name for the first time, his voice heavy and devoid of any teasing.
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
Yu Deng stared at him blankly. "What?"
What does purpose have to do with it? How could he have intentionally gotten hurt? He had just lit the candle, after all.
This was called a valiant injury.
Yu Deng pouted, feeling aggrieved. "Why are you being so harsh?"
If you're not going to help, then fine.
Yu Deng tried to lower his shirt, but Cheng Xiao grabbed both his wrists with one hand, pinning them above his head.
Cheng Xiao's other hand touched Yu Deng's back, then grasped his slender waist.
"Do you know what you look like now?"
Whether or not he knew how his appearance made one want to bully him.
The more Cheng Xiao spoke, the angrier he became for no apparent reason.
"Do you treat everyone like this?"