DSMC Chapter 180.1

Yan Jiyun had not yet fully figured out the situation here, so he did not ask too many questions. In front of Liu Jingxi, he pretended to be a little slow and did whatever he was told. At first, Liu Jingxi suspected that he had deliberately driven the car that way, but after realizing that he was driving fairly steadily, that suspicion faded.

After passing through the woods, they continued for a while before everyone started climbing up the mountain.

Yan Jiyun had never climbed a mountain in a dungeon before, so it was a rare chance for him to take in some different scenery.

What was strange, however, was that when they climbed to a not-too-high point halfway up the mountain, they simply sat down on the ground and stopped moving.

Everyone looked in the same direction.

Yan Jiyun did not see anything particularly special ahead. There was a huge natural lake in the distance. He did not say anything. He just had a feeling that something was going on here.

One of the young men with purple-dyed hair said, “Xi-ge, should we go and see if we can get out?”

Liu Jingxi was lazily sprawled on the grass nearby. “No. It’s not like we haven’t tried before. We can’t get out. Let’s just enjoy the scenery here.”

Another young man with green hair said, “What’s so good about the scenery? Every time we explore a place, we have a little more hope. I don’t want to stay in town anymore. I want to go out and make my way in the world. I want to see what’s outside.”

Another long-haired young man said, “There’s simply no road out.”

A young man with a full tattoo sleeve said, “Roads are made by people finding them.”

Purple Hair: “But this is the only road we have to get out. Since we came here today to look at the scenery, why don’t we go down there and take a look around?”

Liu Jingxi: “I drank a little too much today. I don’t feel like moving. Let’s just look at the scenery.”

Yan Jiyun thought about his main mission. He had to leave Jiangnan Town before the quest ended. In other words, it was not just the players who could not leave the town — the NPCs could not leave either. What exactly was going on?

Could a lake really stop them from getting out? Couldn’t they just build a boat and leave?

The mountain forest was not even that high. Couldn’t they simply build a road through it and leave that way?

He thought about the enormous pool of water they had encountered on the road. Could that be the reason they could not get out?

Surely not?

Tattooed Arm: “Last time we tried to get out, we ran into that monster. Xi-ge even sprained his ankle and it took a month to heal completely.”

Purple Hair: “We came too late last time. It’s still daytime now, so that monster definitely won’t appear.”

Liu Jingxi: “Not necessarily. Although the old men never let us mention the monsters that appear in the woods, that thing definitely doesn’t only come out at night. Someone who went into the mountains to chop firewood before even got hurt.”

Purple Hair: “But I heard the fortune-teller next door say that anyone who tries to leave our Jiangnan Town will die. There are ghosts causing trouble.”

Tattooed Arm: “Who knows whether they’re real ghosts or fake ones? Speaking of that, things have been pretty unsettled at my house lately. My mom got up in the middle of the night and saw a ghostly shadow drifting outside the window.”

As soon as he said that, Yan Jiyun got goosebumps and could not help rubbing his arms.

Liu Jingxi lit a cigarette and began puffing away, then blew a puff of smoke toward Yan Jiyun. “Didi, are you afraid of ghosts?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. He genuinely did not like supernatural things at all. He hated them. “Yeah, terrified. Cousin, how about we go back first? This forest is so gloomy. It’s really scary.”

Liu Jingxi deliberately went against him. “Oh, really? How about I take you to experience it for yourself later?”

Yan Jiyun silently took two steps back: “……”

However, climbing up from the foot of the mountain had already exhausted quite a bit of Liu Jingxi’s energy. He was a little drunk and clearly had no intention of investigating the route out of town anymore.

The group began playing poker on the mountain. Yan Jiyun joined them for a couple of rounds. Although he looked “meek and timid,” his card skills won over Liu Jingxi’s drinking buddies.

When most of the alcohol had worn off, the group became eager to explore the depths of the woods, but by then the weather had begun to turn gloomy.

Yan Jiyun followed them down to the foot of the mountain. As soon as they reached the bottom, they encountered three middle-aged men wearing drab uniforms. Their expressions were extremely serious, and their backpacks contained axes, sickles, and other tools. Their sudden appearance in front of them was rather frightening.

One of the three, a dark-skinned middle-aged man, said, “What are you young people doing here? Hurry up and leave. Go home.”

Yan Jiyun stood at the back and quietly sized up these NPCs. He warily hid behind Liu Jingxi. Why was the smell of blood on these three men so strong?

He was still thinking about it when he heard the middle-aged man address Liu Jingxi. “Young Master Jingxi, hurry home. Don’t keep going into the mountains. It won’t do you any good.”

But young people were always rebellious. Whatever the older generation told them not to do, they insisted on doing just to go against them.

The middle-aged man still showed Liu Jingxi a certain degree of respect, even addressing him as Young Master.

But what era was this? How could there still be such a traditional place where people addressed someone as Young Master?

Liu Jingxi brushed him off casually. “Nothing’s going to happen just because we go in.”

The middle-aged man said, “Listen to your uncle. Don’t go in. The last time you came here, your mother was worried sick about you.”

Liu Jingxi pouted.

The middle-aged man tried persuading Liu Jingxi and the others a few more times. Seeing that they did not seem willing to listen, the three men simply followed them from neither too close nor too far away.

Liu Jingxi found it too boring and decided to head back.

Yan Jiyun, however, felt that he had gained quite a lot this time. The young people in this town could not leave, so Jiangnan Town should be living an isolated, self-sufficient life.

His instance login point had been on the main street, but he had also discovered quite a few things. When they had been drinking and attending the wedding banquet, no one had been playing with their phones.

They all had modern cars to drive, so why did they not have phones? That was way too strange.

Could it be that they were afraid that once young people went out and came into contact with the outside world, they would not want to return to the town?

What he had discovered so far was:

1. There are monsters in the mountains.
2. Young people are not allowed to leave Jiangnan Town.

They had been out for half a day, so it could not really be considered a fruitless trip.

Yan Jiyun had brought quite a lot of points with him this time as well, but they were not unlimited. If he could save them, he would.

With three men keeping an eye on them, it was inconvenient for Liu Jingxi and the others to do anything they wanted. In the end, they returned to the car with a sense of frustration.

Everything Liu Jingxi had now came from his father.

Yan Jiyun found it very strange. If cars could appear in the town, why couldn’t people leave? Weren’t cars manufactured outside? Then how had this one gotten here?

On the way back, Yan Jiyun pondered this question as he drove.

This was a very bizarre town. They could afford to drive modern cars, yet they did not even have a single mobile phone? Even those brick-like ones from the 90s? 

He had not seen any usable navigation system in the car either. What exactly was going on?

Yan Jiyun returned to town with his head full of questions and smoothly drove Liu Jingxi back to the Liu residence.

The others still wanted to go out for the second half of the night, but Liu Jingxi said he was not going. He was no longer in the mood to have fun.

The wedding banquet was already over, and the Liu family’s hired helpers for the day were cleaning up. However, the festive decorations had not yet been taken down, so traces of the lively atmosphere from earlier in the day could still be seen.

Old Master Liu had gone to rest after drinking, while Liu Jingxi’s mother was standing in the front hall talking to several women in their forties or fifties.

When she saw Yan Jiyun return with Liu Jingxi, she looked at him a couple more times.

Yan Jiyun immediately spoke up to make his presence known. He needed to find a reason to stay at the Liu residence. Apart from not having to worry about food and lodging, it would also make it convenient for him to investigate the Liu family.

A family with such a strong sense of tradition should have quite a few secrets, right?

Yan Jiyun obediently said, “Auntie, you can just call me Xiao Yan.”

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and he obediently stood beside Liu Jingxi, which made the contrast between them even more apparent.

Xie Huishuang wore an immaculate bun. She tended to scrutinize people a little more when looking at them. She possessed the gentleness and delicacy of a Jiangnan woman and had taken good care of herself, making it impossible to tell that she was already over fifty.

Xie Huishuang: “All right, you’re a good kid. Just stay at our house tonight. You came from quite far away, didn’t you? At this hour, there won’t be any transportation for you to get back.”

Yan Jiyun had not expected her to have already established the background and distance of his supposed distant relative for him.

Yan Jiyun: “Thank you, Auntie. Then I’ll accept your kindness.”

He guessed that Xie Huishuang had said this because he was hanging out with Liu Jingxi. Although she had a gentle air about her, she was not particularly warm. All Yan Jiyun could see on her face was politeness and distance.

Liu Jingxi was about to sling an arm around Yan Jiyun’s shoulder and head toward the backyard when Xie Huishuang called out to him. “Jingxi, wait a moment. I have something to talk to you about. Xiao Yan, I’ll have Ah-Juan take you to the place where you’ll be staying tonight. See if there’s anything unsuitable or anything you’re missing, and come back and tell Auntie.”

Yan Jiyun tactfully withdrew: “Okay.”

He had originally wanted to eavesdrop on what the two sides were talking about, so he deliberately slowed his pace. But Ah-Juan, who was walking ahead of him, seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. When he walked slowly, she slowed down too.

Yan Jiyun heard Xie Huishuang bring up Liu Jingxi’s fiancée: “When do you want to hold the wedding banquet? Jingjing turned twenty last month, so it’s just the right time for her to get married. You two should hurry up and give me a grandson or something. We can’t let the third branch get ahead of me. Who knows what that woman will whisper into your father’s ear later? I won’t have any face left. I can’t count on your older brother. You’re the only one I can count on, Jingxi.”

Liu Jingxi sounded rather impatient. “Mom, what’s there to rush about when it comes to marriage? I never wanted to get engaged in the first place. You were the one who arranged the engagement without asking me. I don’t like Ouyang Jingjing. I want to break off the engagement.”

Xie Huishuang took a breath. “We’ve already sent the betrothal gifts over. If you go back on your word now, where does that leave my reputation? Absolutely not! I’ve already picked an auspicious date. You’re getting married within three months. Also, starting today, Jingjing will be staying at our house for a while. You two should spend some time developing your relationship.”

Liu Jingxi said helplessly, “Mom, can you stop meddling in my affairs? I really don’t like Ouyang Jing.”

Xie Huishuang seemed unwilling to listen to her son’s thoughts at all and continued speaking on her own. “Regardless, you’re already engaged, and Jingjing is a proper young lady from a respectable family. Once she marries you, she’ll definitely take care of the household for you. After that, whatever you want to do for fun, Mom won’t interfere.”

Liu Jingxi: “But I only want to marry someone I love!”

Yan Jiyun was led farther and farther away by Ah-Juan. With the houses and rockeries blocking the way, Liu Jingxi and his mother’s conversation became increasingly indistinct, so he simply stopped listening.

The Liu residence was a large property, and it was probably an ancestral home. Apart from the floors and walls, most of the house was made of wood. Even the windows were wooden, though glass panes had been used in them, creating a rather interesting blend of Chinese and Western styles. However, the residence did reveal one piece of information: the Liu family had indeed been wealthy many years ago. Judging by the cost of living a hundred years ago, these panes of glass and the particularly red floor tiles must have been shipped in from overseas. Back then, they probably would have cost hundreds of thousands of silver taels. At today’s prices, that would amount to tens of millions. The Liu family was willing to spend that much money decorating their house, which showed that such an amount was merely pocket change to them.

Yan Jiyun followed Ah-Juan toward the inner courtyard. Ah-Juan was a woman who did not talk much. She wore two thick braids and always kept her head lowered, as though humility had been ingrained into her very bones. She looked like the maid of some wealthy household, always giving him the illusion that he had traveled back to the Republican era.

He could not help sighing once again at how strange this dungeon was.

So far, he had not encountered anything dangerous in this Level 4 instance. He had not even received a basic mission. Could he be approaching it the wrong way?

More than half a day had passed without him encountering anything related to the main storyline.

Wait.

Was leaving Jiangnan Town equivalent to a great escape? If this was an escape-type instance, what kind of main mission would it even need?

This damn game really was something. It could simply kill him outright, yet it insisted on adding a few missions just to show off its “mercy.”