Everyone’s mood was not good. While the disappearance of Xu Shuai and Uncle Li yesterday didn’t create much panic for them, Liu Meiren disappearing without any reason while sleeping next to Sun Buguai today was truly horrifying.
Zhang Xiaoyao and Murong Feng repeatedly questioned Sun Buguai, who looked devastated. “I didn’t feel anything. When I woke up this morning and looked beside me, her spot was already empty. I would have noticed if she made any movement. Uncle Li has been missing until today, and could it be that Liu Meiren… Liu Meiren has also…”
As Sun Buguai’s fear grew, it seemed like he could scare himself to death at any moment. Chen Yuanyuan, standing beside her, said, “At most, she’s just seriously injured and will come back. Now is not the time to cry, let’s quickly go find her!”
The first place that came to everyone’s mind was the forbidden area of Phoenix Village.
However, considering they had already been warned last night that if they trespassed into the forbidden area again, they might not be able to stay in Phoenix Village anymore. Sun Buguai was Liu Meiren’s best friend, but at this moment, she remained silent and showed no intention of going to the forbidden area again for her friend. She just cried and asked Zhang Xiaoyao and the others to help find her.
Murong Feng sneered at her state. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t get involved in anything anymore? No one is a fool. If you want to get through this, you need someone’s approval. Alright, let’s go search in the village first. What else can we do?”
The group gathered together, but no one mentioned going to the forbidden area.
Mo Yang, of course, did not speak up either. However, when Feng Zhao and Feng Yan came out, he directly asked, “Our companions have disappeared from your home in the middle of the night twice now. Shouldn’t you explain?”
Feng Zhao, the priest of Phoenix Village who usually showed no favoritism, seemed to have a great liking for Yang Heigou. He looked directly at Mo Yang and said, “Yang Heigou, what kind of explanation do you want us to give you?”
Mo Yang said straightforwardly, “Is Liu Meiren in the forbidden area?”
Feng Zhao looked at him and smiled, “She should not be there. After all, Liu Meiren hasn’t committed any crimes, and she is a guest. We wouldn’t send her to the captive area for no reason.”
The others were surprised by Mo Yang’s direct question, but now that it was out in the open, they could speak up as well.
“If she’s not in the captive area, then where is she? We’ve been here for less than three days, and we’ve already lost three people. You should take responsibility for helping us find them. Moreover, just because you say she’s not there doesn’t mean she isn’t. We want to see for ourselves!”
Feng Zhao glanced at Zhang Xiaoyao, and Feng Yan giggled, “Sure, we’ll take you to see. But after seeing it, don’t blame us for any problems. Our village was peaceful and harmonious before you came here, but strange things have been happening one after another since you arrived. You ask us, but we also want to ask you if you’ve provoked something and brought it to our village. If that’s the case, you better speak up early, so as not to drag down the people in our village.”
Feng Yan called Feng Ming after he finished speaking, and asked him and Feng Hui from next door to lead the guests to the forbidden area to take a look.
Since these people already knew about that place, there was no need to hide anything. Besides, those who were bound to die would die sooner or later, so why bother caring so much?
Mo Yang could see the disdain and hidden anticipation in Feng Yan’s eyes, which made him furrow his brows. He also observed Feng Ming and Feng Zhao, who was leading them toward the forbidden area, and it seemed like they had the attitude of “do whatever you want, as long as you don’t cause trouble for us.”
Mo Yang was certain that Liu Meiren and Uncle Li were probably dead.
However, they hadn’t found the bodies of these two people yet. Perhaps, at the end of the game, they wouldn’t be able to find their bodies either.
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.
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Mo Yang thought he would be directly refused, so hearing this response didn’t hinder him. “What is your forbidden area used for? I saw many phoenix flowers in those five connected ponds, along with the red liquid.”
Feng Ming glanced at him and, seeing Mo Yang’s beautiful eyes earnestly looking at him, inexplicably felt a bit unable to resist. “It’s nothing much. It’s just the juice made from the phoenix flowers. It’s a specialty of our village.”
“I smelled it, and it smells really good. Do you sell this flower juice?”
Before Feng Ming could answer, Feng Hui directly refused, “This is something only people from our village can use. If you want to use it, you can only become a member of our village. Alright, we have arrived. You can go in and see for yourselves, but don’t linger inside and come out quickly.”
This time, there was no need for anyone else to speak. Sun Buguai was the first to rush into the captive area to search for people. However, after repeatedly examining those rigid individuals making the flower juice and enduring their grotesque and repulsive appearance, she couldn’t find Liu Meiren.
When she came out of there, Wan Mei, Mo Yang, and Zhou Aipi all subconsciously furrowed their brows.
Sun Buguai didn’t notice anything amiss and could only cry while speaking to everyone, “I looked inside, but I didn’t find Meiren. Should we go and look again?”
“Heh, Sun Buguai, you know Liu Meiren the best. If you’re sure she’s not inside, then she isn’t. We won’t go in either.” Zhou Aipi quickly spoke up, “Let’s search in other places in the village. Also, can the two of you brothers allow us to leave the village and search? They might have left the village to go hiking, who knows?”
Feng Hui smiled, “You can go outside to search, but it’s best to return to the village before 8 p.m. After 8 p.m., the village doesn’t allow outsiders to enter. Alright, do as you please. We have work to do.”
Feng Hui and Feng Ming quickly left.
Mo Yang, Wan Mei, Zhou Aipi, Zhang Xiaoyao, Murong Feng, Chen Yuanyuan, and Sun Buguai were left standing there, unsure of what to do.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Buguai finally spoke, “Should we go outside the village and search? Maybe they found something and went outside the village?”
Sun Buguai looked at Mo Yang and Zhou Aipi while saying this. She felt that Zhang Xiaoyao and Murong Feng weren’t too friendly towards her, and Mo Yang’s face was the biggest pass for moving around in this village.”
Mo Yang didn’t directly refuse, and he also thought about going outside the village to see what was happening. Mo Yang decided to leave, and Wan Mei and Zhou Aipi followed suit.
Eventually, the seven of them left the village through the main gate. As they passed by the two flourishing phoenix trees at the village entrance, Wan Mei carefully looked at them for a while before walking away with a pensive expression.
Outside the village, they found an undeveloped mountain path. They didn’t have much hope as they embarked on their exploration, but after walking for a while along the mountain path, they saw the bodies of two people they thought they would never see again…
Sun Buguai and Chen Yuanyuan instantly turned pale, and the expressions on the faces of the others weren’t much better.
Mo Yang looked at Feng Xiaoxiao and her companion, whom he thought was called Alang, whose bodies were ravaged as if by a large beast. Even though he had anticipated this outcome, it still made him feel uncomfortable.
To everyone’s surprise, Dr. Wan took out a pair of medical gloves and began meticulously examining the bodies.
Mo Yang: “…”
Other players: “…”
Indeed, this person’s style was consistently unexpected.
After about ten minutes, Dr. Wan concluded and disdainfully discarded the used medical gloves. He spoke with confidence, “They were imprisoned and had their blood drained before being thrown onto the mountain.”
It wasn’t as it appeared on the surface. Their being killed by some large wild beast was merely a crude cover-up.
After listening, Mo Yang squatted down and carefully examined the bodies of Feng Xiaoxiao and Alang. He noticed marks on their bodies that indicated they had been roughly bound with ropes.
“Damn it, I knew there was something fishy about the people in Fenghuang Village, but they even killed their villagers. Aren’t they a bit too sick in the head?”
Murong Feng couldn’t help but curse, “Feng Xiaoxiao’s face was even slashed by them. What kind of… what kind of village is this?”
“It’s not a kind and beautiful village. I suddenly feel that the phrase ‘beautiful but deadly’ really suits their village. But what do we do now? Feng Xiaoxiao was also killed, so who is the traitor, and who is the murderer? Why do I feel like everyone in their entire village is a killer?”
Zhang Xiaoyao rolled his sleeves, feeling troubled. “How am I supposed to face Beauty in the future?”
At this moment, Mo Yang shook his head, “The people in the village are not killers; they are just accomplices. Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s go back. Tonight, it’s best if we sleep in pairs and, if we’re really worried, tie ourselves together with a rope. Let’s hope that we won’t be missing more people when we wake up tomorrow morning.”
Mo Yang’s words made everyone’s faces turn grim, but they also knew he was speaking the truth. They could only return to Fenghuang Village with sullen expressions. At the village entrance, they saw Feng Zhao and the four Beauties following behind him. Feng Zhao’s eyes were fixed on Mo Yang as he caressed the tree trunk and softly said, “Ah Yang, we truly like you. Don’t you want to become a member of our village?”
Mo Yang felt his scalp tingle from being called that. “No, even though your village is picturesque and your people are beautiful, I still prefer my own home. It’s getting late, let’s go back, have dinner, and sleep.”
Feng Zhao watched Mo Yang’s departing figure and sighed, “What a pity. He could have avoided becoming a sacrifice.”
One of the four Beauties who followed behind him spoke, “We understand your pity for his appearance, but not everyone is fortunate enough. He is destined to become a part of our blood and beauty. There’s no need for you to feel sad.”
Feng Zhao nodded, “Yes, it’s a destined matter. Who can change it?”
Feng Bing pursed her lips, lowered her head, and a flicker of anger and mockery flashed in her cold eyes.
The dinner that evening was sumptuous, with various dishes of chicken, duck, fish, and specialty dishes. Unfortunately, everyone had their minds occupied with what they experienced and didn’t eat much.
When it was time to sleep, Mo Yang, Wan Mei, Zhou Aipi, and Chen Yuanyuan slept in the same room. Mo Yang originally thought Chen Yuanyuan would sleep with Sun Buguai, but Chen Yuanyuan directly said she didn’t trust Sun Buguai and would rather sleep on the floor than in the next room. In the end, she slept on the sofa in Mo Yang’s room. Zhou Aipi, the chubby guy, occupied another long sofa and looked up enviously at Wan Mei, who calmly lifted the covers and lay on the bed.
Tsk tsk, they say not to overthink, but they’re already sharing a bed, covered in phoenix brocade blankets. If you round it up, it’s practically like being married, right?
As the four of them settled down to sleep, Feng Jiao sneered at Feng Mengmeng, “Don’t daydream here. Yang Heigou is undoubtedly the best sacrifice. Feng Zhao has already given him a chance to join the village, but he refused. Now, he can only die. Do they think that sleeping together can protect them? It’s hilarious. In this village, who can escape? Even those two, they are nothing more than puppets in someone else’s hands.”
Feng Mengmeng bit her lip, her eyes filled with reluctance. She genuinely liked Yang Heigou and believed he would be a worthy candidate to entrust her life to.
“Enough, let me say something unpleasant. Even if he agrees to stay, do you think he would be yours? Even if he isn’t taken by the High Priest, he would only belong to Feng Bing and her four female attendants. You’re not at the stage where you can go a year without drinking phoenix flower juice and still maintain your face. Think about it, if he sees your previous face, would he like you? It’s good enough if he doesn’t get scared away by you.”
Feng Mengmeng touched her face in a frightened manner and realized it was still smooth, tender, and firm, which relieved her.
“…Forget it, even if I can’t have him, I will eventually possess his beauty. I should be content with that. Let it be.”
After that, Feng Jiao and Feng Mengmeng turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Midnight.
The intense fragrance of phoenix flowers gradually filled the entire Phoenix Village, including Mo Yang’s room.
The door of the room quietly opened at some point. Soft branches extended from the ground, snake-like, and gently entwined Mo Yang’s body on the bed, dragging him down and out.
When Mo Yang was being dragged off the bed, Wan Mei, who appeared to be sleeping beside him, opened his eyes. He calmly lifted the covers, fanned away the cheap scent lingering around his nose with some disgust, put on his black pig-head backpack, and also took Mo Yang’s pink pig-head backpack. He followed the branches.
As they entered the courtyard, Wan Mei noticed that these branches were all extending from the well in Feng Mengmeng’s courtyard. The branches densely packed the mouth of the well, a nauseating sight.
Mo Yang was dragged into the well by the branches. Wan Mei stood at the edge and took a glance. Only after all the branches had retracted did he curl his lips in disdain and jump in.
At first, it was icy well water, but after sinking for about ten seconds, the passage in the well changed from straight to curved. Wan Mei swam along the bend and, after about twenty seconds, arrived in another world underground—
It was a vast place, like an underground labyrinth. It was densely packed with the brown, well-developed root branches of trees.
Wow, fantasy setting. It’s harder in detective exemplar
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
I liked the way that both Wan Mei and Mo Yang were gone, while the rest of the team will definitely wake up in panic. As expected, Wan Mei will never let Mo Yang be far from him—even using Mo Yang as a way to know the secrets of the Phoenix Village (and trees). The best duo and dynamic, for real!
Also, thank you so much for translating “Welcome to the Dream World” everyday! I always look forward to your translations! Please know that I, and everyone here, is very thankful for all of your efforts!
You’re welcome, I really liked this novel, especially how everything ends and gets resolved, so that’s why I wanted to translate it for others to read. (^◡^ )
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
So it wasn’t “we want you” but instead “we want to be you”?!!!