The man Feng Xiaoxiao was holding didn’t look like her lover at all, even though part of her face was covered by a big pus-filled sore that affected her beauty, she still looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. But the man she was hugging had a face full of aging features, far from the handsome and charming appearance that Feng Xiaoxiao described.
Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren couldn’t hide their expressions when they saw Feng Xiaoxiao’s lover. They were initially touched by Feng Xiaoxiao’s courage to defy the village rules and venture into the forbidden area for her loved one. But now they had doubts. Did Feng Xiaoxiao choose this person as her lover because she lacked paternal love?
This doubt turned into shock for Mo Yang when he found Xu Shuai. Mo Yang wasn’t very familiar with Xu Shuai, a fellow dream world player whom he had only known for two days, but he vividly remembered Xu Shuai’s uniquely ugly face. The narrow, slanted eyes, flat nose, and crooked mouth were recognizable even if he aged twenty years.
So when Mo Yang walked up to a shriveled old man in his forties or fifties, with dried skin, in the corner of the pen, he called him “Xu Shuai” with certainty. Xu Shuai looked at Mo Yang’s face with a complex expression and after a while, he asked, “How did you find your way here?”
His voice was hoarse, lacking the vigor he had before.
“God, it can’t be! You are Xu Shuai!” Sun Buguai screamed in a low voice. Xu Shuai might be unattractive, but he had the appearance of a twenty-something-year-old. However, the man in front of them was ugly and old, easily in his fifties! Xu Shuai had only been missing for a day, how could such a horrifying change occur?!
Xu Shuai didn’t rush out at the first opportunity to be taken away by Mo Yang and the others because he didn’t want to hear mocking and pitying words. His dry eyes stared at Sun Buguai and he said, “…I am Xu Shuai. Is my appearance bothering you?”
Sun Buguai instantly closed her mouth. She felt that Xu Shuai was dangerous at this moment.
Murong Feng quickly changed the subject, “Alright, now that we’ve found everyone, let’s leave here quickly. The longer we stay, the more likely we’ll be discovered. Also, what should we do with the other people here? Should we take them with us or…”
But it was Feng Xiaoxiao who spoke up at this moment, her expression appearing cold and indifferent, devoid of the previous urgency to save her lover. “We can’t take them with us.”
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Feng Xiaoxiao had lost her previous eagerness to rescue her lover, and her expression now seemed cold and gloomy. “These people are criminals who have committed crimes in the village. Without the permission of the village chief and the priest, we absolutely cannot let them out.”
“And besides, they have confessed their crimes. Even if you insist on taking them away, they won’t leave. They have to redeem themselves here until they receive forgiveness.”
Chen YuanYuan found Feng Xiaoxiao’s reasoning absurd, “Are you contradicting yourself? Wasn’t your lover unjustly imprisoned? And what did our companion do wrong? He has only been here for a day, right? How does your village determine someone’s guilt?”
But Feng Xiaoxiao remained composed and didn’t answer Chen YuanYuan’s question. “Anyway, now that we’ve found Lang, we need to leave quickly. If you insist on taking these people with you, it’s up to you, as long as you can convince them. I’ve found Ah Lang, and we need to leave as soon as possible.”
After saying that, Feng Xiaoxiao pulled the man in his forties towards the exit. Mo Yang stopped her and said, “Wait, what’s happening to them in this state? How can we make them return to their previous appearance?”
Feng Xiaoxiao paused and glanced at Ah Lang and the others confined in the area. She replied with a complex expression, “We just need to provide them with more substances that can restore their qi, blood, and vitality.” However, the things lost can never be completely restored.
Then Feng Xiaoxiao quickly left with her lover. Mo Yang and the others carefully searched the confinement area again but didn’t find Uncle Li. They also attempted to take the confined individuals with them, but they behaved like domesticated animals, completely ignorant, and believing they were guilty, just as Feng Xiaoxiao had described. This left Mo Yang and the others speechless, filled with doubt and vigilance.
As they stepped out of the confinement area, they saw the villagers of Fenghuang Village standing in a circle, holding red lanterns.
The village chief and the priest, Feng Zhao, stood at the forefront, both wearing smiles. However, the enchanting smiles that intoxicated people during the day seemed eerie under the illumination of the red lanterns in the dark night.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Sraffwfv uefrar, mjc sbe afii er kts sbe nfcaegfv lcab atf obgylvvfc jgfj bo beg nliijuf klatbea qfgwlrrlbc?” Mfcu Itjb’r nblmf kjr ufcaif jcv rboa, gfrfwyilcu j ktlrqfg.
Vec Deuejl jcv Ole Zflgfc mbeivc’a mbcagbi atfwrfinfr ktfc atfs rjk Mfcu Itjb. Ktfs rffwfv jogjlv bo qgbnbxlcu tfg jcufg jcv ofjgoei bo atf jawbrqtfgf. Ktfs delmxis gfnfjifv fnfgsatlcu jybea Mfcu Wljbzljb.
“Zhao, please don’t be angry. We searched the entire day and couldn’t find our friend. In our anxious state, Feng Xiaoxiao told us there might be another place where our companion could be. And then she deceived us and brought us here.”
“Yes, we thought she had good intentions, but she never told us that we couldn’t come here. After she entered, she found a man and ran away with him. We found one of our friends inside.”
“Zhao, Feng Xiaoxiao used us. We didn’t have any intention to trespass on the forbidden area! Please don’t be angry…”
Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren shifted all the blame onto Feng Xiaoxiao, while Zhang Xiaoyao, Chen Yuanyuan, and the others remained silent. Mo Yang didn’t appreciate this way of shifting responsibility. He stepped forward and faced Feng Zhao directly, his eyes fixed on her.
“We did trespass into the forbidden area, and that was indeed a mistake. But can you explain why our companion ended up in your forbidden area without any reason? And why is he in his current state? We came here for tourism and were not informed that we would be treated this way.”
Feng Zhao glanced at the visibly aged Xu Shuai and chuckled softly.
“This is our forbidden area, and it is where we punish the criminals.”
“Your friend was confined here because he committed a crime, naturally.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Shuai, with a heart full of anger, exclaimed, “I just arrived in your village a day ago! What crime did I commit? Tell me! You tell me?!”
Feng Zhao looked at the elderly Xu Shuai in front of her, then casually averted her gaze. Xu Shuai, standing tall with picturesque features, compared to the repulsive and hunched Xu Shuai in front of him, created a striking visual contrast.
She didn’t answer Xu Shuai’s question. Instead, someone from the crowd behind her suddenly sneered, “You’re ugly!”
“Being ugly is an original sin in our village, don’t you know?”
Xu Shuai widened his eyes as if he had heard something extremely ridiculous.
Then, Feng Mengmeng’s charming voice appeared again, “You are not only ugly but also harbor ill intentions toward my sister! Hmph, take a good look at yourself in the mirror, do you think you deserve even a strand of my sister’s hair?! “
“I didn’t have any ill intentions towards her! It was her own choice!”
“Are you out of your mind? Look at my sister’s appearance! Then look at yours! Do you think my sister would choose you unless she was possessed by a ghost? There are so many brothers in the village who pursue my sister, but she didn’t agree to any of them. How could she suddenly be interested in you, an ugly person who just arrived here? It’s because you forced her, that’s why she agreed! So, you insulted my sister, and you are guilty!”
Feng Mengmeng’s words were like a switch, and the hundred people behind her started saying in unison, heartlessly, “Guilty!” “Guilty!”
The synchronized and low voices gradually became urgent and loud in the dark night, constantly stimulating the nerves of all the players.
“Ah ah ah—! I’m not guilty! I’m not guilty! I’m not ugly! I’m not ugly!”
Finally, Xu Shuai couldn’t bear the mental pressure any longer. He covered his head and shouted wildly. When Mo Yang felt something was wrong and reached out to pull him, Xu Shuai collapsed on the ground, his small eyes still open in anger.
Chen Yuanyuan and Liu Meiren covered their mouths.
Zhou Pangzi quickly approached and touched his nose, relieved after a while, “Thank goodness, he’s still alive.”
Mo Yang looked up and stared directly at Feng Zhao with his sharp eyes.
However, Feng Zhao didn’t think there was anything wrong. He even smiled and reached out to touch Mo Yang’s eyes, but was interrupted midway by a thrown shrimp that hit him directly.
Feng Zhao tilted his neck slightly and glanced at Wan Mei, who had appeared next to Mo Yang at some point. He frowned displeasedly and then withdrew his gaze, saying, “Considering that you were all unaware, we won’t pursue the matter of you trespassing into the forbidden area. We just hope that in the following days, none of you will do anything bad. Although we are hospitable, the rules in our village are also strict.”
After finishing his words, Feng Zhao turned around with the red phoenix lamp in his hand and left. The others followed him without saying a word. Despite so many people walking together, there was not a single sound of footsteps, which made the players feel uneasy.
“As for that trash, Fenghuang Village doesn’t welcome him. Let him stay here for now.”
Everyone knew who the “trash” referred to.
It wasn’t until the villagers of Fenghuang Village left that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere just now was too oppressive and eerie. The imposing aura of Feng Zhao, the high priest, was overwhelming.
“Oh my, what kind of village is this? I was thinking of living here for a long time and enjoying myself, but now I realize I’m already lucky to not be labeled as an original sinner as soon as I entered!” Zhang Xiaoyao touched his face and then looked sympathetically at Xu Shuai lying on the ground. Although people who are considered ugly in the real world are also discriminated against behind their backs, Fenghuang Village’s standards seemed excessive.
It’s as if “beauty” reigns supreme here, and appearance is the ultimate justice. He silently glanced at Mo Yang and suddenly felt that in this game, sticking close to Yang Heigou, the super handsome guy, should lead to a smoother progress. Didn’t the high priest just show a lot of tolerance towards him?
“Tsk, I never expected the villagers of Fenghuang Village to have such a side. Our actions this time must have made them vigilant, and any further attempts might be closely monitored. But we still haven’t found Uncle Li, and now I’m starting to doubt whether those two phoenix trees never withered due to eternal love. Feng Xiaoxiao, that woman, doesn’t seem reliable either,” Mu Rongfeng said with a serious expression, tapping a fan that appeared in his hand at some point.
Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren frowned upon hearing this. “If we had known this, we shouldn’t have come tonight. After all, we already have the information and the answers. Isn’t it enough to stay until the end of the game? Now, the villagers’ favorable impression of us has surely diminished,” they said.
Mu Rongfeng laughed and looked at Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren with a mocking gaze. “You two are interesting. Can’t you understand human language? I just said that we can’t fully trust Feng Xiaoxiao’s words. Look at the villagers’ ghost-like appearance earlier and this enclosed place where one ages twenty years in a day. Do you think those two phoenix trees represent a beautiful love story? Wake up, ladies! This isn’t a dating sim game; it’s a suspenseful mystery game! People might die in here!”
Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren’s faces turned sour after being confronted by Mu Rongfeng. Sun Buguai’s temper was a bit more volatile. “Are you the one who doesn’t understand human language? They clearly said that this place is off-limits and we trespassed. Do we have any right to argue about it? If someone broke into your family’s restricted area, I bet you wouldn’t be smiling and speaking politely to them. Besides, this is just a level-one suspenseful mystery game! Why are you fussing around? It’s impossible for someone to die directly in such a game and suffer mental trauma after leaving the game, right?”
After saying these words, Sun Buguai rolled his eyes, grabbed Liu Meiren’s hand, and left, throwing a few more remarks before leaving. “I just need to secure a passable completion. I’m not good at suspenseful mystery games, so I plan to focus on dating sim games to earn money afterward. I asked my guide, and once I clear level one of the three major game types, I can choose to specialize in a single game. So, I and Meiren won’t participate in the events after this game. Don’t come looking for us; we won’t do anything.”
Hearing this indifferent attitude towards matters that didn’t concern them, Mu Rongfeng couldn’t help but get irritated. He opened his fan and vigorously fanned the air before turning to Mo Yang, Zhou Pangzi, and the others to vent his frustration.
“I don’t understand how these two women even entered the Dream World! They’ve completely turned this incredible tool that could lead us to the pinnacle of life or even dominate the world into a mere dating game machine! Who are they to be acting like this? Are we nothing without them? Honestly, they’re fools who wouldn’t last three days in a TV drama!”
Although Mo Yang, Zhou Api, and Zhang Xiaoyao thought Sun Buguai and Liu Meiren’s behavior was foolish, they respected their choices and refrained from commenting. However, after listening to Mu Rongfeng’s words, Chen Yuanyuan couldn’t help but retort, “Don’t use a discriminatory tone like that. At least I don’t treat the Dream World as a dating game machine. You call them fools, but you’re not clever either if you can say such things to my face.”
With that, Chen Yuanyuan turned and walked away as well.
The remaining men felt that staying here wouldn’t yield any further discoveries, especially with four young adults in the village watching them closely. They carried the unconscious Xu Shuai to one of the dilapidated stone houses near the enclosed area. In this game, Xu Shuai was essentially useless, and whether he could complete the game lying down would depend on his luck.
Afterward, the group returned to the homes of Feng Mengmeng and Feng Yan. They had expected to be met with cold gazes, but it seemed as if the incidents in the forbidden area hadn’t occurred at all. The residents still greeted them with warm smiles.
Mo Yang looked at Feng Mengmeng, who was holding his arm and smiling innocently and romantically. Remembering her mocking tone when she said Xu Shuai was guilty of being ugly, he made a subtle move to shake off Feng Mengmeng’s hand and, while meeting her confused gaze, said, “I’m sorry, but tonight, you don’t look very appealing to me. I don’t like it, so I’ll go rest.”
Upon hearing these words, Feng Mengmeng was struck as if by lightning, as if receiving a massive blow. It was only after Mo Yang entered the house that he heard Feng Mengmeng’s uncontrollable sobbing. He quietly sat on the bed, seemingly oblivious.
You have the freedom to dislike someone unattractive, but when you criticize their appearance, it doesn’t make you any more beautiful than them.
In his dream, Mo Yang felt as if he could smell the rich fragrance he had encountered in the enclosed area. He stood between the two phoenix trees at the village entrance, which appeared grotesque and devoid of any beauty in his dream. They seemed alive, with lush branches tightly entangling him, as if to break his bones and twist his tendons.
Mo Yang suddenly opened his eyes, catching a glimpse of a fleeting figure outside the window. It was still dark, but he felt intense soreness throughout his body as if the events in his dream had become a reality. Just as he was about to be engulfed in the dream, he was hit by a stone. Mo Yang picked up the stone from the bed, thinking that maybe if he collected seven of them, he could summon a mysterious ally.
However, now he could be sure that the figure was a real person, and that person… was likely someone from the enclosed area.
After all, that face full of festering sores was quite unsettling.
It was now five o’clock in the morning.
Unable to sleep, Mo Yang decided to go outside to watch the sunrise and take a look at the two hideous phoenix trees from his unsettling dream.
As he passed by Feng Yan and Feng Zhao’s house, he heard Sun Buguai scream, “What’s going on?!”
Mu Rongfeng and Zhang Xiaoyao’s voices quickly followed. “Meiren! Liu Meiren is gone!! She was sleeping next to me last night!!!”
These girls are not bad teammates, they didn’t ruined someone’s plan and didn’t do something bad for game. They done their personal choices
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
I really thought before that Wan Mei was the one throwing rocks. But I guess it’s the NPC’s work! I’m betting it’ll be a significant factor in the game!