Faced with Zuo Meng's extremely eager and enthusiastic gaze, Ye Tianxuan's smile froze slightly.
He encounters countless players each time he enters a dungeon, as well as players he recruits from the 35-town area. It would be a bit difficult for him to know every single one of them.
He didn't have a strong impression of the person in front of him.
But since he said he saw it in Elysium...
Ye Tianxuan turned his gaze to Yin Xiu, who also shook his head.
It feels somewhat familiar... but the events in Bliss City happened quite a while ago, and I've gone through several dungeons since then, from Ye Tianxuan's life and death to the safety of the town. After all the ups and downs, I'm reminded of this seemingly insignificant person from a previous dungeon...
The two bigwigs fell silent, seemingly trying to recall anything about this person.
Zuo Meng sniffed and forced a smile, "It's okay, boss! It's alright if you don't remember! It's not important anyway! Just remember that I came to Town 35 because of Boss Ye!"
As he spoke, his previously somewhat gloomy mood slowly returned, and he looked excited. "I never thought I'd have the chance to run dungeons with two such great players again after Bliss City. It's such an honor to be randomly matched with you! I'll try my best not to hold you back and do my best!"
Ye Tianxuan was still pondering who the person in front of him was when Zhong Mu suddenly leaned forward and explained earnestly, "Boss Ye, he's a player from Bliss City who's bound to the Lazy Sin Sect. I watched that dungeon livestream, so I remember him!"
He still tactfully avoided mentioning that Zuo Meng mistook Yin Xiu for a newcomer when they first met.
"If you put it that way, I do have a vague recollection..." Ye Tianxuan vaguely remembered a very ambitious and hardworking player who became decadent after being bound to laziness, and was forced to turn on by him and slapped awake.
"Yes, yes, that's me!" Zuo Meng was completely unaware of what kind of image she had in Ye Tianxuan's memory, and nodded happily in a hurry.
"Then our group is all familiar faces." Ye Tianxuan smiled and glanced at everyone. The only player he wasn't very familiar with was from the 35 Town dungeon, and they had gone through the dungeon together. It was a true group of familiar faces.
"A group?" Yin Xiu looked at Ye Tianxuan, feeling the weight of those around him.
"Oh right, I forgot to remind Yin Shashen, who never looks at guides, that the players in this dungeon are divided into groups of six. So there are exactly six of us here, and we're the group in charge of the wedding." Ye Tianxuan explained with a smile.
Yin Xiu glanced at him indifferently, then dragged the two sticky people beside him and started walking towards the village in the distance. "Let's go take a look first."
Yin Xiu used to not need teammates. This six-person group assignment would only be troublesome for him. He couldn't remember them and didn't care. Whether he knew this or not was indeed not very meaningful to him.
Anyway, teammates will all die in the end.
But things are different now. The two people holding Yin Xiu's hands, who are right next to him, are very happy. This is their first time entering the dungeon as players, and they are Yin Xiu's teammates! They can help Yin Xiu!
Li Mo and Ya Ya exchanged a silent glance, secretly competing with each other, determined to help the person they liked get through this dungeon properly!
The group of people gradually approached the village entrance along the muddy and rugged path, and in the distance they could see two or three kind-looking old people standing in front of the dilapidated houses.
They were chatting amicably under the banyan tree, and the soft sounds drifting over indicated that they were indeed discussing a wedding and planning their evening's activities.
Upon noticing the approaching group of strangers, the elderly people immediately stopped their chatter and greeted them with smiles, saying happily, "Out-of-towners? You must be the ones the village invited to come and plan the wedding, right? Welcome to Yin Village! The village is very busy these days, so you've come at just the right time."
Yin Xiu, who was walking at the front, responded expressionlessly to the smiling and enthusiastic old man.
[Rule number one: Do not blindly trust the villagers of Yin Village, especially the older ones.]
The people in front of him looked completely harmless and kind, but the fact that the old man was giving such clear instructions about the rules meant that he must be the most dangerous person in the village.
Judging solely from the atmosphere and the way they spoke, the elderly people standing in front of me seemed quite ordinary, nothing special. They were even smiling, and their amiable demeanor made people feel relaxed.
The smiles on the elderly people's faces gradually turned awkward under Yin Xiu's silence.
When they noticed that Yin Xiu remained silent and unresponsive, they turned their attention to the people behind him and continued, "You've all had a long journey. Logically, after such a long trek, you should rest and get some rest before continuing your work tomorrow. But the village is busy right now, and we need your help tonight. You'll have to work a little harder later."
The others remained silent, but Ye Tianxuan strode forward, smiling at the old people. "Not at all, this is our job. But we are indeed a bit tired. I wonder if the village has arranged a place for us to stay? At least we can get a good night's sleep."
"Where to stay..." the old people said slowly and deliberately, their smiles pausing for a second before they resumed their friendly smiles almost imperceptibly. "We'll definitely arrange accommodations for you! Don't worry, come with us."
As they spoke, the old men turned around and led them into the village.
Yin Xiu, who was walking in front, didn't say anything. The two people next to him, one big and one small, had been making it clear from the moment they entered the village that no one else should approach Yin Xiu. However, Zuo Meng, who was following behind, stuck her head out and whispered a few words to Zhong Mu.
"The village seems to be in a hurry. We've only just arrived and they're already rushing us to help with the wedding. And I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems like they didn't prepare any accommodations for us at first. It feels a bit strange, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Zhong Mu raised an eyebrow and stared intently at Zuo Meng, "Didn't you read the strategy guide before coming in?"
Zuo Meng awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, "I did watch it, but it was very blurry, and I didn't remember much..."
Zhong Mu pointed and said, "This won't do! It's very important to read the guide before entering the dungeon."
"I know, I know." Zuo Meng lowered her head, as if she were being scolded by someone even newer than herself.
"It's easy to lose your life if you don't know the hidden dangers in this instance." Zhong Mu, being good-natured, still lowered his voice and whispered to Zuo Meng, "Have you noticed that this instance is in groups of six? We didn't see any other players when we came here. You know, it's impossible for an instance to have only six players participating at a time."
Zuo Meng's eyes widened immediately. "Oh yeah... where did the other players go?"
Zhong Mu glanced cautiously at the old man leading the way and whispered, "Six people per group, each group comes here in batches. As long as the players who came to the village the day before disappear, it will not affect the players who come here the next day. Players do not share information with each other, so even if a player disappears, the people who come later will not be able to find him."
Zuo Meng's mind raced for a moment, and she immediately figured it out, her face turning deathly pale.
"The villagers made us participate in tonight's events as soon as we arrived, and they didn't even arrange accommodations. Is it because something bad is going to happen to us tonight, and we don't need accommodations at all? We don't even have a chance to stay in the village."
Zuo Meng had read quite a few copies of the game, and Zhong Muyi's reminder made him understand.
Meanwhile, the elderly man leading the way was still praising them, saying, "We are very considerate of your trip to Yincun. The houses we have arranged for you are in excellent locations. During the day, they are well-ventilated from north to south, have excellent natural light, and offer a wide view. At night, they are quiet, peaceful, and well-insulated, so you won't disturb your neighbors. They are all single rooms."
As he spoke, he led everyone to a secluded area on the edge of the village, pointing to a square, black box hanging high on the cliff, and smiled, "Look, it's right there."
Everyone's eyes followed suit, fixed on the "single room" located in the lower part of the mountainside, accessible only by climbing a rope ladder.
There are six hanging coffins.