Spring Banquet (22)

The Days I Clear Escape Games Pretending to be an NPCCh56 - Spring Banquet (22)

The moon had risen high up in the sky, signifying the arrival of midnight, and all the players' information was updated.

[ Resentment dwells where insects fly, and in the name of love, blossoms bear fruit. ] am6Bwx

"Help me, help..." a player who was fortunate enough to be invited to the flower viewing banquet was convulsing on the ground.

Laughter was heard not far from where he was as a beauty leaned over the player while drinking wine. The sweet-smelling liquor moistened the beauty's lips and tongue, and he watched as the liquid was transferred into another person's mouth. The eyes of the player who drank the wine became unfocused and he gradually lost consciousness.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

The player's eyes were a little moist as he watched 'himself' and the beauty flirt with each other while drinking wine. However, the real him was lying there, barely able to move a finger despite having exerted all of his strength.

The ground where he was laying cracked open, resembling the mouth of a demon. sXIg18

Tiny tentacles which were as thin as a hair strand drilled out from the cracks. They slowly wrapped around the player's head, covering it completely

The player's tears came out more fiercely. He wanted to call out for help and he wanted to resist, however, he could only let his head be pulled into the dirt.

Little by little, his head was completely engulfed by the dark brown soil and his body was dragged into the crack by invisible forces until there was no more sound.

The cracked ground silently sealed back up, and the player who was playing around with the beauty suddenly disappeared without anyone noticing.

rklTCy

Next to the flowerpot not far away, another player woke up. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was kissing a beauty.

The warm breeze carried the fragrance of wine and flowers, making anyone who smell it become intoxicated. The players had been cautious since the beginning, they had avoided touching the food and wine, let alone allowing themselves to fool around with the beauties.

However, there were hallucinogens mixed in the air; no one present was able to escape it, no matter if they were a player or an NPC.

The players above-ground were already f*cked, while the players who went underground were struggling at death's door. h7MZ8v

When they saw the updated information, they immediately thought of where they were; there were well-developed root systems, huge tree trunks and hidden insects. This couldn't be it, right?

The true identity of the 'ghost' was here!

Even the identity of their character was here.

The Cape of Desolation's game rules: 0uaMrd

The 'ghost' may have two identities, the identity of its character and its true identity, but to identify it, you are only required to state 'its' true identity.

If the instance revolves around a dead character, then that character would generally be recognised as the true identity of the 'ghost'. Therefore, the difficulty of the instance would be reduced as there would only be the need to find who the 'ghost' was disguised as.

If the instance does not revolve around a dead character, then the 'ghost' could have two identities and one of its identities would be hiding among the group of players.

Thus, there will occasionally be some surprises, such as: After searching a long time for the 'ghost', its real body turned out to be your own character? QWgi1u

But no matter what kind of situation it is, the actual state of the 'ghost' is subject to its real body.

The two pieces of information overlapped: The fact that the 'ghost' can only be active at night and the fact that it is related to plants. These were the fixed attributes that both the true identity and the disguised identity must abide by. The players were thus able to exclude a large number of suspects.

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

So even if they were to be slapped by the insects, these people were still very happy.

The closer they were to the target, the more insane their opponents would act. The fact that these insects were attacking them like crazy must mean that they were close to the target. eMi76K

"It turns out to be eleven o'clock."

The players above still had the moon as an indicator of time, but the players underground had nothing, they were only vaguely aware that it was around midnight. It was only after the information on the card update that Saman was able to confirm the time.

He became even more certain that the 'ghost' must be directly related to the thing that was hunting all the demons.

In fact, the identity of the 'ghost' was very well positioned when looking at it from this perspective. The only troublesome thing was surviving in this treacherous environment.

That's why this instance was officially classified as mid-end.

The greatest characteristic of a high-end instance is the extreme difficulty in determining the identity of the 'ghost'. Furthermore, the environment is also very unfriendly, so there is basically no room for salted fish to survive.

Saman was a player who has experience playing in high-end instances. However, he still gets the numb feeling of 'not being able to see the sun again tomorrow' every time he plays a high-end game.

In comparison, this instance was very friendly. At least all the players who went underground and were able to survive by chance would basically be able to guess the identity of the 'ghost'.

As for the group of players above, although they might not be able to guess the identity of the 'ghost', their chances of survival were higher than the others. 7Df Rm

Looking from this perspective, many salted fish players might be able to survive until the end.

Along his journey, Saman also met several players.

Some players had stopped and were either sitting cross-legged on the ground or lying down and sleeping in one of the membrane compartments. There were also some red-eyed players who were pushing their bodies to continue moving up.

The road ahead seems to have no end and Saman was slightly exhausted. He has no recollection of which road he has walked, nor could he remember where he was. jHJ8 r

Walking blindly and not knowing when they will reach the end was extremely terrifying. Fortunately, neither of them were newcomers who had just started and their ability to withstand pressure was good, therefore, no one complained about wanting to give up.

After an unknown amount of time, a ray of light appeared in their vision.

It was different from the feeble light from their torch. The light that shone through the layers of membrane was hazy, like looking at the moonlight through a paper window screen.

Qing Lin couldn't help but rub his eyes, "I think I can see some light." 12gsOC

Saman broke the top membrane with the sword, "I can see it too."

As they ascended, the light became more and more apparent. By the time they reached the last floor, it was as if the light was separated by only a layer of frosted glass.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Hope was just out of reach. Under the influence of this great temptation, they could not even feel the heaviness of their bodies anymore.

The moment he swung his sword down in the dark, the dazzling light that broke through made the two people who had been in the dark environment for a long time squint. It took Saman a few seconds to ease up. 8idGqy

In front of him was a huge cylindrical space with many holes in the surrounding walls and light was leaking in from those holes. The description best fit for this place was a woven bamboo basket that was flipped upside-down.

In addition to the light, he also saw many grey and black objects flying in and out of those holes.

Saman looked around for a long time. He saw countless transparent hair-thin tubes that curved upward against the walls on both sides with some sort of liquid flowing in the tubes.

At that moment, Saman felt a breeze blowing from behind and didn't have time to think as he rolled to the ground and avoided a direct hit. cfQF18

In the middle of this chaos, he saw a large ferocious mouth fly overhead with a section of its tongue fluttering in the air, dripping black and slimy mucus.

Before he could react, a rope flew over and tied around the monster's body. In an instant, the monster was strung into pieces and green juices poured out.

"Hey, are you alright?"

It was another player. HEzwkl

It took Saman a moment to realise that many players had gathered here, forming small groups of twos and threes. There were more than a dozen groups of players in total, some of whom he had met before and some he had not.

The players above-ground were suffering heavy casualties, while the players underground had finally joined together. In addition, there was someone who was neither above-ground nor underground, but in a place with trickling water.

The water had already reached above his knees and each step required more effort than before so a lot of Ren Yifei's energy was being consumed.

However, the greatest impact at present was not the physical exertion, but the mental pressure. 4u6Fp

"Ha..." Ren Yifei could see the white water vapour from his breath as he exhaled, his skin was turning blue and his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Every time the water hit his body, it was like a cold knife curving into his bones. It was so cold that he almost couldn't feel anything.

If the cold water had just submerged him instantly, he might not have had these profound feelings. But now, this rapidly rising water was like being sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, leaving the individual torn between hope and despair.

"Calm down, calm down, take a deep breath." 3AkFxR

When he gets out, should he first look for the pagoda or Hua Yu? He tried to divert his attention elsewhere so as not to get caught in a prolonged slump.

At that moment, he didn't even want to take revenge against Hua Li, and he didn't even think of Qing Hong as the culprit.

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

He was not He Jun, but the player Ren Yifei.

Once he let go of any unnecessary personal emotions, the next step was to determine the best way to utilise the little amount of time he has. oAlab6

Hua Li suddenly attacked him, although she has her own personal reasons, there must be some more superficial reasons. For example, he inadvertently touched on their key interests.

After thinking about it, only the instance with the cloud chariot came to mind. At dusk, he saw the reflection of the pagoda in the lotus pond... after that, he was tricked into coming here.

Moreover, after so long and in addition to it being time for the banquet, it would be impossible that Qing Hong was not aware of his disappearance. He was aware and yet he agreed to it. This could only mean that this information was very important to them.

The same was true for the players. QdjJkz

Ren Yifei had originally only wanted to complete his character quest, but an invisible force had pushed him into his current situation.

This instance does not allow 'He Jun' to keep a low profile. Whether it was because of his character or because of the mission, he was unable to escape.

Whatever the secret they were trying to hide, he had to figure it out.

"Ah!" 0cItYe

The resistances in Ting Yun Pavilion were being demolished.

Qing Hong and Kong Que were both big demons. Although this was Qing Hong's domain, he also has many concerns, that's why the two of them were unexpectedly equally matched. It was only a pity that these magnificent houses were ruined in the process.

In the distance at Qing Sui Hall, Hua Li was so nervous that her face became pale. Her abilities could only be regarded as mediocre. If it hadn't been for her relying on Qing Hong's power, she wouldn't even be qualified to talk to those big demons.

Therefore, no matter how nervous she was, she couldn't help at all. C7KDvd

"It would be nice if senior brother was here," the first wife looked into the distance, "Only senior brother is capable of stopping them."

Hua Li wanted to refute but she couldn't. Indeed, if He Jun was here...

An invisible barrier enveloped Qing Sui Hall and the first wife suddenly turned her head.

"Sister, why are you looking at me like that?" js7RQd

Madam Hua Yu looked at her for a long time. Her eyes showed sadness as she said, "Hua Li, you still don't understand why we are so obsessed with senior brother, right?"

Hua Li felt that the atmosphere was strange, even a little dangerous, but it was as if it was only her imagination. She shook her head and asked mockingly, "Why?"

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

The first wife's voice was very soft as if she was talking to herself, "Because without him, there would be no Qing Hong, and there would be no Hua Yu."

"Before we met him, Qing Hong was just a remnant of a plant whose core had been dug up, and it was only a matter of time before he died. As for me, I was a potted plant that was brought around as a gift. No one ever expected a future for us." KPfAUd

"Everyone in the world said that if it wasn't for the two of us, senior brother would already be number one in the demon world. They were right, senior brother had spent too much time on us."

"He has warmed my world, and I am willing to use my body as firewood to warm his world. That's why, I'll never allow it," the first wife looked up, her eyes had turned pure green, "I won't forgive anyone who destroys senior brother's path of cultivation!"

"I married Qing Hong, but not for the reason you think I did. Qing Hong is a lunatic. I wanted him to stay away from senior brother and had simply told Master. But as a result, Qing Hong actually suggested 'marriage' between the two of us, only then would he let go."

"He doesn't know that senior brother is a pure person. Once he gets married, it would be impossible between them. However, despite my numerous calculations, I didn't consider you." HXRaQw

"And because of you, one mistake was made after another."

The first wife had no emotions on her face as vines shot out from her hand and directly wrapped themselves around her sister's neck, "Senior brother had disappeared after dusk and could not be found anywhere. He is not the type of person who would leave without saying a word. Tell me, where did you hide senior brother?"

The same kind of vines shot out from Hua Li, but her powers were being suppressed by the first wife, "Sister..."

She struggled to speak "Sister, help..." A8HS15

"I thought that senior brother staying here would stop you guys. But I was wrong..." You guys do not deserve to simply die.

The first wife took a deep breath, "I don't care what you and Qing Hong are up to. I just want to know, where is my senior brother?"

"Hahahaha..." seeing that begging for mercy was ineffective since Hua Yu really wanted her dead, Hua Li felt a little pain in her heart and simply gave up struggling, "He's dead."

"Nonsense!" Hua Yu didn't believe it at all. Who would be able to kill someone like He Jun? U3P20K

Just Hua Li alone? She is no match for him!

"Cough, hahaha, Qing Hong had designed a special formation for his senior brother. As long as he steps into that place, he will become a mortal."

Hua Li spat out a mouthful of blood as she felt her life slipping away.

From the corners of her eyes, she looked in Qing Hong's direction and suddenly thought that if she were to die, would Qing Hong miss her for even a moment? YXMr6H

No, Hua Li thought, definitely not. If she were to kill He Jun, they would be itching to resurrect her and kill her again.

Since there was someone as unfortunate as her in this world, why should there be such a person who was favoured by both the heaven and earth? He has always been loved by others, and he does not know what it is like to ask for something and not get it. Furthermore, there will be people who would risk their lives for him when he is in danger.

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

How enviable...

Between the person she likes and her, her sister has chosen the former. It's so sad that she is always the one who was left out. bhg2k3

"Sister," Hua Li struggled to breathe, "Actually that diagram... I designed it. It is not only where Qing Hong's obsession lies, but also half of my life's work. I will prove to the world that they were all wrong! I can do it too!"

She vomited out a mouthful of blood and was unable to maintain her human form, "I want the world to know that I, Hua Li... thousand of years later..."

"Hua Li, for the sake of our familial ties, I will give you one last chance. Where is senior brother?" Green demonic patterns crawled all over Hua Yu's skin. Her demonic powers surged up, but the entire Qian Sui Hall was enveloped by a formation so the two demons fighting in the distance did not notice it.

She couldn't be exposed for the time being, her senior brother needs someone to provide support. AaJLYu

"Hahaha... I won't, let him ruin my plan," Hua Li smiled as tears ran down her face and blood poured out from her mouth, nose and ears.

Closing her eyes, Hua Li transmitted her last command, "Maximum water volume, flood the entire labyrinth."

If she can bring that person down, her death would not be in vain.

"Sister, he's unfortunately dead." PduSDQ

T/N