If it were Zhao Sanliang talking to Su Er, he would have gone silent upon receiving that message and warned him not to do anything reckless.
But Ji Heng and Su Er are alike at their core—they would never underestimate the hosts, yet they also refuse to let fear cloud their judgment. So Ji Heng didn’t try to dissuade him.
[If you haven’t changed your mind by the end of the month, go find Yao Zhi. I’ll give him the team-up item.]
Satisfied with the reply, Su Er quickly sent a message back: [Got it.]
After barely four hours of sleep, he looked visibly tired the next day at school.
The news of Zhu Yun running away from home didn’t stay secret for long—it soon spread through the class. The homeroom teacher even took a few minutes during class to remind students that grades weren’t everything and to never lose hope.
“Zhu Yun had such good grades—what could’ve pushed her that far?” a boy whispered from the front row.
Right then, the school bell rang.
Su Er deflected, “Teacher Yao’s coming in.”
The boy instantly turned and sat upright.
Yao Zhi stepped up to the podium and, noticing the dark circles under Su Er’s eyes, raised an eyebrow. How does this kid look more exhausted than me, and I just came out of a game?
It wasn’t convenient to talk during the day, so he waited until the evening self-study period to call Su Er to the office.
“You don’t look well.”
Su Er admitted, “I had a nightmare.”
Yao Zhi didn’t probe. Nightmares were common for players. “Ji Heng said you want to enter a game early next month?”
Su Er nodded.
“Why?”
Most players—except the more fanatical—avoided dungeons like the plague.
“I want to carve out a path to survive.”
New players had an advantage—their thinking wasn’t yet constrained by the game’s rules. Plus, he was still young and didn’t want to spend decades being tormented by a mysterious game.
Yao Zhi knew Su Er was determined and didn’t argue. Instead, he said gravely, “Then you have to take responsibility for your choice.”
After a pause, Su Er nodded. “I understand.”
By the end of the month, less than a week after that conversation, Su Er showed up after school as promised.
Both of them disliked unnecessary chatter. Yao Zhi handed him a greenish fruit. “Eat this.”
“…Can I call Ji Heng to confirm?”
Su Er wasn’t paranoid, but swallowing a fruit as a team-up item? Really?
Yao Zhi wasn’t offended at all. “Good. You’re right to check.”
Su Er video-called Ji Heng to confirm. Once assured, he took a bite.
Sour.
Like swallowing ten lemons at once.
The overwhelming tartness numbed his taste buds, and his vision blurred. When he came to, he was inside a castle, seated at a long table filled with delicious food. The aroma wafted through the grand hall.
His mouth dry and bitter, he resisted the urge to reach for a drink.
To distract himself, he began surveying the area. Besides himself and Yao Zhi, there were six other players—four men and two women. But the most eye-catching thing wasn’t the people, but the luxurious setting.
Everything screamed opulence. Even the chair beneath him was made of gold.
“Welcome to the world of Seven Days and Seven Nights,” came the familiar opening line. All players instinctively sat straighter.
The man speaking was extremely handsome, wearing a small top hat. Even the buttons on his coat were inlaid with gems. “I’m the host of this game, the Smiling Merchant.”
True to his name, he maintained a gentle smile even in silence. “This is a welfare zone—you’re about to receive the greatest reward of your lives.”
Su Er glanced at Yao Zhi, who subtly shook his head—he hadn’t heard of this kind of welfare zone either. The other players looked equally confused.
“Now, let’s give a warm round of applause to the greatest middleman of all—Mr. Gou Baopu!”
The players clapped obligingly.
A chubby man appeared out of thin air in the host’s seat. At first glance, he looked cheerful—chubby and Buddha-like. But there was one detail: the nine-tier crystal chandelier hanging above him cast no shadow.
“Ghost King,” an experienced player muttered instinctively.
The Smiling Merchant savored the involuntary fear in everyone’s eyes. “Your game is called What’s Borrowed Must Be Repaid.”
Yao Zhi asked, “What’s the win condition?”
“Don’t be nervous, I said it’s a benefit round.” The Smiling Merchant rubbed his hands sheepishly. “Three days from now, there will be an auction held here—for items.”
Even Su Er felt a jolt of excitement. The lure of rare items was strong enough to nearly overpower their fear.
“Before the auction begins, please do your best to earn wealth and maintain your daily living needs. If you manage to save up, you can use it to buy items.”
“What do you mean by maintain daily living?” someone asked.
The Smiling Merchant replied, “Just like the food in front of you—every dish is clearly marked with a price.”
Su Er looked down carefully. Sure enough, there was a line of black numbers around the edge of each plate—even the base of the water cup wasn’t exempt.
“Oh, right,” the Smiling Merchant clapped as if he’d just remembered something, “lodging also comes with a fee.”
The Ghost King Gou Baopu raised his glass with a smile. “It cost quite a bit to build this place. Those who can afford it should pay for a room—it's not exactly safe in the corridors at night.”
He turned and clapped his hands. From the shadows, two ghostly dolls crept out and tiptoed to the wall, sticking a sheet of paper onto it.
“The tasks listed there are updated daily, with rewards marked at the end.” Gou Baopu smiled gently. “Do what you can according to your ability.”
“It’s already late,” the Smiling Merchant said as others checked the task list. One of the few female players, Zhu Yanyan, looked instead at Gou Baopu. “Doing tasks right now doesn’t seem very practical.”
Gou Baopu swirled his wine and said nothing, his eyes drooping lazily.
The Smiling Merchant filled the silence, “One more thing—if any of you have anything rare, you can trade with him at any time.” He suddenly leaned closer to Su Er and sniffed. “I smell something… You're hiding a valuable treasure.”
Su Er lowered his gaze. Clearly, the host was trying to make him a target.
Gou Baopu asked one last time if anyone wanted the food on the table. When no one responded, he had the ghost dolls clear it away, took a slice of bread himself, bit into it, and vanished from the hall in an instant.
The oldest player, a man named Lu Huan, was already in his fifties. But his physical power was still strong enough that no one dared underestimate him.
“It’s safer if we all stick together tonight,” Lu Huan suggested.
No one disagreed. The danger was greater at night, and since none of them could afford lodging, staying together increased their odds of survival.
As they talked, the crystal chandelier went dark, leaving only dim lights in the corridor every few meters. The hall grew chilly, so everyone decided to rest in the corridor for now—at least the thick carpet helped block the cold seeping up from the floor.
The benefits of having name badges in the dungeon became obvious—one glance, and you knew everyone’s name. No one talked much. They each found a spot and sat down in a comfortable position, eyes closed to conserve energy.
The night dragged on painfully. After an unknown amount of time, someone finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “What time is it?”
Watches didn’t work inside the game, and there were no clocks on the walls. Zhu Yanyan answered calmly, “About four hours have passed.”
Everyone turned to look at her. Zhu Yanyan said flatly, “I’ve been counting.”
“Four hours, huh…” Yao Zhi stood up, walked to a window, and looked outside. The sky showed no signs of lightening.
Zhu Yanyan added, “Some dungeons have day or night cycles that last twenty hours.”
Hou Kewei, sitting next to her, murmured, “We’re not that unlucky… right?”
Zhu Yanyan turned her head slightly—she never placed her hope in a dungeon’s mercy.
“There’s something approaching,” Su Er suddenly said.
The corridor was silent—for now, at least, nothing seemed out of place. But Lü Huan and Zhu Yanyan both immediately stood and started changing positions.
Even without sensing anything unusual, being cautious never hurt.
Su Er wasn’t totally sure either—he just felt cold. Based on his experience from previous dungeons, whenever he felt this way, encountering something ghostly wasn’t far off.
Like a migrating herd, once one person stood, the rest followed.
Yao Zhi, who had been at the back, suddenly shouted, “Run!” Then he grabbed Su Er and bolted forward at sprinting speed.
Lu Huan looked back and swore. A ghost doll was less than ten meters away—its mouth was stretched unnaturally wide, and in the blink of an eye, the area below its nose turned into a gaping black hole.
But it didn’t chase them. Instead, it climbed onto the shoulder of a chef who had just appeared. The chef held a cleaver in one hand, his steps spanning meters at a time. He glared at the players with deep resentment and demanded, “Why?”
He was visibly annoyed. “Why didn’t you eat the food I made?”
“Don’t get separated,” Zhu Yanyan reminded in a low voice at a fork in the corridor.
At this point, being alone pretty much meant death.
All the players had decent physical stats—none of them were lacking in stamina or speed. Su Er, though not as strong as the others, was younger. With Yao Zhi pulling him along, he managed to keep up.
After running for more than ten minutes, someone looked back and said, “I think we’re safe.”
They all stopped, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.
Su Er thanked Yao Zhi. The latter, still grim-faced, said, “No money for food, weird nighttime hours… at this rate, we’ll collapse from exhaustion sooner or later.”
A girl leaning against Zhu Yanyan whispered, “Since we still have strength, should we go do some tasks?”
“Forget it,” Lu Huan said. “I checked. The easiest one is digging holes for Old Zhao in the garden, and the reward isn’t even enough for a meal.”
Zhu Yanyan replied seriously, “We can hold out without food, but not being able to drink is worse.”
Su Er stayed silent. Not far off, there were more sounds—they’d probably have to run again soon.
Hou Kewei suddenly looked toward a corner. “We can trade with Gou Baopu at any time, right?”
The Smiling Merchant smiled and nodded.
“What if we run into ghosts on the way…”
Smiling Merchant: “I’ll escort you there. Gou Baopu is an excellent middleman. For trade partners, he even provides complimentary refreshments. But if you can't offer something that satisfies him…”
The rest went without saying.
Hou Kewei called over someone he knew. “Let's go make a trade.”
That person hesitated. “But I don't have anything worth trading.”
“I do,” Hou Kewei said. “I’ll lend you one.”
The two seemed to have a good relationship. That person threw an arm around Hou Kewei's neck, thrilled. “Brother, you're the best!”
After they left, silence fell among the players again. Su Er noticed someone was eyeing him and smiled slightly as he looked over. Their gazes met, and under the other man’s slightly evasive stare, Su Er stared even harder until the man grew uncomfortable and asked, “Why are you looking at me?”
Su Er knew this guy had him in mind for something. He didn’t respond, just silently noted down his name and looked away.
A sound from the distance grew louder and louder. Just as the group hesitated about whether to run again, a familiar figure appeared, walking toward them.
“Hou Kewei?” Zhu Yanyan took a step back to keep a safe distance.
There was still blood on Hou Kewei’s sleeve, and he held a room card in his left hand.
“Where's your friend?” Zhu Yanyan asked.
Hou Kewei didn’t answer. The host spoke with a cheerful lilt: “He killed him.”
Hou Kewei shot the host a furious glare but shrank back quickly under the Smiling Merchant’s gaze. He gritted his teeth and asked:
“Will the trade details be revealed?”
“Of course. The instance is being improved,” the host nodded matter-of-factly. “After all, this is a welfare zone. We need to give everyone some reference.”
He turned to face the crowd. “This clever player chose to kill his teammate. Just so you know, selling out a teammate is also a kind of trade.”
Su Er: “Player-on-player killing is forbidden.”
The Smiling Merchant leaned in and took a sniff. “Still smells valuable. Looks like no one robbed you.”
Su Er glanced at the merchant. “Thanks.”
At the same time, the merchant's tone suddenly turned stern: “Let me emphasize one last time: Gou Baopu is an excellent middleman! As long as what you're trading has value, he’ll take it.”
Yao Zhi said in a low voice to Su Er: “Seems like the welfare zone isn’t restricted by some of the usual rules.”
“Exactly!” The Smiling Merchant heard that light whisper loud and clear. “Mr. Hou overdrew a dining knife and stabbed his teammate. Feel free to follow his example. But let me be clear: you may only break certain rules when trading with Gou Baopu.”
The host led Hou Kewei to his room with a smile and a polite bow. “Wish you a pleasant night.”
Seeing that, Su Er's eyes flickered. “You can enter the instance more than once?”
Yao Zhi shook his head. “Someone tried tallying clearance methods and instance content before, but in the end, it turned out to be a waste of effort.”
Zhu Yanyan added: “There’s no way the game would allow a bug like that—letting different players farm experience repeatedly”
Su Er raised an eyebrow. “Hou Kewei doesn’t seem like it’s his first time in this instance.”
The one who answered him was the Smiling Merchant, whose voice held a strangely fond tone but his eyes were full of malice. “The welfare zone is different. If you're lucky enough, you might just encounter it multiple times.”
Then he let out an exaggerated ‘Yoo-hoo!’ “Look at that—you’ve got new trouble on the way.”
From a crack in the ceiling, translucent jellyfish-like skin began to ooze down. Dripping sounds followed. The water was tinged with a foul, fishy smell, and the carpet beneath quickly became sticky and disgusting.
The Smiling Merchant retreated to a corner, ready to enjoy the show again.
Su Er suddenly said, “I want to make a trade.”
Yao Zhi grabbed his arm. “Don’t be reckless.”
Su Er replied softly. “I know what I’m doing.”
The Smiling Merchant didn’t give him a chance to back out. He led Su Er straight to Gou Baopu.
With him there, the path was indeed completely safe. Even the chef wielding a knife at a corner acted like they weren’t there.
The door opened, and Gou Baopu stood up enthusiastically, flashing a radiant smile. “Welcome, my esteemed guest. Please, have a seat.”
Su Er sat down across from him.
Gou Baopu personally poured a cup of hot tea. Su Er blew on it, took a sip, then unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth.
The host never lied about the rules. If he said the stuff here was edible, then it was definitely safe.
Gou Baopu didn’t mind his actions and kindly asked, “What does my guest wish to trade?”
Su Er asked in return, “As long as it has value, anything goes?”
Gou Baopu nodded. “However, if it's deemed worthless, you’ll have to pay with your life.”
Su Er pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the table.
Gou Baopu: “What’s this?”
Su Er: “A marriage contract.”
In the last instance, it was supposed to be burned together with the wedding documents. But the Ghost King arrived earlier than expected, so Su Er stuffed the paper into a brochure and kept it.
With the sugar kicking in, Su Er felt much better and continued. “My late husband was the Ghost King. He’s super valuable.”
Gou Baopu twirled the prayer beads around his wrist. “...He is him. You are you.”
Su Er: “Marital assets are shared. I’m making the call—I'll give you half his estate.” He even left the Ghost King's birthdate and time of birth. “The ghost marriage was arranged by his mother. The old lady’s probably been killed out of spite by now. As the surviving spouse, I have the right to handle his posthumous affairs.”
His righteous tone made Gou Baopu’s eyelid twitch.
“No need to beat around the bush,” Su Er said seriously. “Right now, I can’t even afford food. I want to pawn off my late husband to make ends meet. How about it?”
----------
No comments:
Post a Comment