Chapter 70: An Inn in the Wilderness

Ren Ye had truly lost his composure!

He had always thought that the key to his faction’s victory lay in replicating supernatural abilities and the Nation-Stabilizing Sword.

This was because there were so few players in Prince Huai’s faction—counting the Princess, there were only four people. In the event of a confrontation, the replication of such “divine techniques” could turn the tide in crucial moments.

This was one of the few advantages they had, but now… the Star Gate had actually forbidden their use.

Now, everyone had been turned into ordinary people, and the disadvantage was even more apparent. The Princess and Tang Feng were both women, and without any supernatural abilities, if a fight broke out, it would be like handing over two heads on a silver platter. You couldn’t expect two weak women to defeat anyone just by pulling hair, could you?

Just imagining the graceful, fairy-like Princess having to fight by pulling hair made Ren Ye’s heart ache inexplicably.

It was so frustrating!

“Ha~!”

Ren Ye let out a long sigh, trying to adjust his emotions and walked toward the entrance to the tomb.

The only good news now was that everyone likely didn’t know this restriction on supernatural abilities would occur, so everyone shared the same mindset. The next step was to avoid revealing who was in Prince Huai’s faction and how many people they had. They needed to keep a low profile to avoid being targeted.

If possible, they could send Tang Feng to “sleep” around again to gather information.

But God help him, Ren Ye really hoped she wouldn’t mess with Li Yan anymore—this teammate was already locked in, and there was no point in continuing to sleep with him.

…

In the wilderness, the cold wind blew as Ren Ye walked along a winding path, his footsteps crunching on the dry branches underfoot.

Around him, the dense forest swayed as tree branches danced in the wind, slapping against each other, creating a rustling sound. If one were to look around at this moment, under the moonlight, any little detail would inevitably send the mind wandering.

Scary movie scenes, like the old corpse in a mountain village, the corpse carrier in western Hunan, or an ancient temple in the wilderness, will uncontrollably appear in one’s mind.

Fortunately, Ren Ye had a bit of experience with this. He kept his eyes forward, his steps steady, focusing only on the thought of the Princess’s little feet wearing silk stockings. Therefore, he didn’t notice anything… particularly eerie along the way.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Ren Ye paused slightly. He noticed a light glowing from a winding path leading deeper into the mountains. From a distance, he could see three two-story buildings, standing there somewhat abruptly, resembling an ancient inn along the road.

After a moment’s thought, Ren Ye slowly walked toward it.

The buildings drew closer, and the light from the lamps illuminated the path clearly.

Ren Ye focused his gaze and saw a wooden sign hanging under the eaves of the main building, with two words written on it: Wilderness Inn.

It was really an inn! But was it a bit too out of place here?

In the wilderness, on the way up the mountain, who would come to an inn like this? Was it set up to cater to wandering spirits and ghosts?

But just thinking about the words “wandering spirits and ghosts” made Ren Ye shiver slightly.

He cautiously approached the inn, surveying the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a few people busy on the left side.

Thanks to the light from the lamps, he saw a dwarf less than a meter and a half tall, using a bucket to clean a huge oil pot. The dwarf wore simple clothing, holding a pig bristle brush in his right hand, carefully scrubbing the rust off the pot.

The pot was enormous, at least a meter and a half in diameter, and the dwarf worked hard, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Next to the dwarf was a pair of small, youthful teenagers, appearing about thirteen or fourteen years old.

The girl wore a red robe, and the boy wore a blue one. They awkwardly cleaned a large bamboo steamer. Their pale faces under the light appeared very ghostly, but their cheeks were also very red, as if they had applied blush.

The steamer was made of bamboo, much like those used to steam buns, except it was large, with a diameter almost the same as the iron pot, and a height of half a meter.

Ren Ye wasn’t easily scared, but seeing this made him feel a chill. The sudden appearance of these figures in the wilderness… it was a bit eerie.

Clack clack!

At that moment, an elderly woman with gray hair and a hunched back stepped out of the inn.

She had originally intended to hurry the three servants along but turned around and saw Ren Ye. “Oh, dear guest, are you staying here?”

“No, I’m just passing through,” Ren Ye replied cautiously, taking a step forward to continue walking.

“Guest, this is your first time at Qingliang Mountain, isn’t it?” The old woman stepped down the stairs, a smile spreading across her old face. She kindly reminded him, “…Everyone in Qingliang Prefecture knows that you shouldn’t walk alone in the mountains at night. If you do, you might lose your life.”

The lamps cast a soft glow, and the old woman’s face was kind and gentle as she quietly watched Ren Ye.

“Has anyone come before me?” Ren Ye asked.

“Business is good tonight; six guests have already arrived,” the old woman chuckled lightly, pointing to the three busy servants. “As you can see, we’re already preparing the meal.”

“Oh!”

Ren Ye nodded slowly. “If I don’t stay here, can I still go up the mountain tonight?”

The old woman smiled mysteriously, shaking her head without saying more.

Ren Ye paused in front of the inn, thinking for a moment… It seemed that the princess’s tomb trials had already begun from this moment.

This inn appeared too suddenly, and the people here looked suspicious. Of course, he could ignore the old woman’s warning and keep going, but the cost might be his life. Moreover, if he didn’t enter the inn, he might miss something important.

The Star Gate in Qingliang Prefecture is really strange. It doesn’t give any hints on many key pieces of information and plot points—everything depends on the players guessing and making their own choices.

Ren Ye weighed the pros and cons in his mind and slowly nodded. “Then I’ll stay.”

“Please, the seventh guest has arrived!” The old lady shouted happily, “Quick, get ready, start the fire and prepare the food, we don’t want the guests waiting too long!”

With that, the old lady, wearing a gray robe, led Ren Ye into the inn.

In the brightly lit hall, Ren Ye turned his head and saw that there were already six people inside: four men and two women, each sitting alone at their own table with no interaction between them.

“Guest, feel free to choose a table to sit. Please wait a moment, the rooms will be available shortly,” the old lady greeted Ren Ye with a smile.

Ren Ye stood at the door, feeling the gaze of the six people on him from the corner of his eye. He didn’t look at them and instead chose a table near the door to sit.

“Thud, thud!”

Just then, a burly man with an extremely ugly expression entered the inn, cursing loudly, “As expected, I can’t get up the mountain. Looks like I’ll have to stay here tonight.”

Ren Ye looked toward the voice and saw a man with a scar on his face, around thirty years old, and with a strong build.

The old lady smiled at him, “You’re back again?”

“If I don’t come back, should I die?” The burly man responded harshly, with a very unpleasant expression, and sat down at a table.

Ren Ye glanced at him but didn’t say anything.

At that moment, a woman sitting nearby quietly asked, “Did you go up the mountain road? What did you see?”

As soon as she spoke, everyone in the hall, including Ren Ye, turned to look at the scarred man.

“Heh!”

The scarred man snorted coldly. “I saw… thousands of headless people, carrying baskets, holding mountain-clearing tools, walking towards the tomb path.”

When the others heard this, a chill ran down their spines.

“Heh, nonsense,” a man dressed like a wandering ruffian scoffed.

“Believe it or not,” the scarred man replied, though his hand, holding the teacup, was trembling.

After hearing their conversation, Ren Ye confirmed that the eight people sitting in the hall must be players, including Tang Feng, Li Yan, and possibly the princess.

…

Shanghai.

Ren Daguo sat at home in cool shorts and a vest, smoking a cigarette and staring at the computer screen.

His son had gone off with the investigative unit, and his daughter had returned to school. He was alone again at home…

He put out his cigarette, reached for the mouse, and was about to browse for high-speed train tickets to the Capital. Tonight, an old friend he hadn’t contacted in a while had asked him to go to the Capital to discuss work matters, and he had already agreed.

“Ding dong!”

Just as Ren Daguo was looking up the ticket information, the doorbell rang.

He paused for a moment, stood up, put out the cigarette, and shouted, “Coming!”

He had just ordered takeout, so he thought it was the delivery. Yawning, he walked to the living room and opened the door.

Outside, Yan Duoduo and Huang Wei appeared.

“Big Brother!”

“Uncle!”

They each called out different titles.

Ren Daguo was taken aback. “Oh, both leaders are here? Come in, come in!”

“Good.”

The two nodded, changed their shoes in the foyer, and entered the Ren’s residence.

Ren Daguo closed the door and immediately asked, “What’s the matter? Is it something about my son…?!”

“Oh, no, no,” Yan Duoduo quickly waved his hand, sensing Ren Daguo’s concern. “Little Ren is fine. We’re here to discuss something with you.”

“What’s going on?” Ren Daguo asked.

“It’s like this,” Yan Duoduo replied truthfully, “The leadership in our unit specifically asked about Little Ren’s family situation. I reported his information, and the higher-ups asked me if you and Qingning are planning to travel to the Capital. If you are, we can arrange everything, including the expenses.”

Ren Daguo’s expression turned blank. “Why suddenly arrange for us to go on a government-funded trip?”

Yan Duoduo initially thought about lying, but then reconsidered and spoke honestly, “First of all, don’t worry too much. After the last incident, we were all very tense. Although we’ve caught several criminals, there might still be some who slipped through. We’re inviting you to the Capital because the security there is higher, and you can also enjoy some sightseeing. Of course, it depends on your own wishes. If you don’t want to go, you can stay here in Shanghai.”

Ren Daguo blinked. “Well… I do have the intention to go to the Capital.”

Yan Duoduo had expected Ren Daguo to react badly, but hearing him say that made him incredibly happy. “Would your daughter like to join as well?”

“She still has classes. I’ll ask her.” Ren Daguo warmly invited, “Come, come, have a seat. I’ll give her a call.”

“Alright, alright.”

The two nodded and walked towards the sofa.

…

At the guest inn on Qingliang Mountain.

Ren Ye waited for a while, and then saw three more people enter the inn, one by one.

Now, there were exactly eleven people in the hall.

The old lady walked in from outside, smiling as she said, “This inn only has eleven rooms. Since we’re full, we won’t be accepting any more guests tonight.”