I am a Flower Vase in an Infinite World / I Am a Useless flower in an infinite

Chapter 75

"Exactly! You people..."

"Dong! Dong!" The sound of the funeral drum interrupted the murmurs.

A middle-aged man, like any other guest paying respects, entered the scene. However, the players' eyes widened at the sight of this man, as if witnessing something unbelievable. They stared in horror at his feet, bound with hemp rope, as he stepped over the threshold and onto the mortuary floor.

Uncle Wang! Uncle Wang had come to pay his respects too!

Tang Ning turned swiftly, biting his tongue hard, the sharp pain causing tears to flow instantly. Waves of cries erupted in the mortuary, with all present sobbing loudly.

Why had Uncle Wang come? Wasn't he afraid of Ji Lianyun?

As Tang Ning pondered, he caught sight of the blood-stained rope-bound feet.

Amongst so many people, Uncle Wang's primary target for attack once again seemed to be him.

Whether it was encountering ghostly encounters in Jiliang Village, walking the night roads yesterday, or attending the funeral today...

Was it possible that the person Uncle Wang wanted to kill the most had always been him?!

Fear gripped his throat, rendering Tang Ning unable to produce a loud cry. Instead, intermittent sobs escaped his lips, his slender body trembling into a small ball. He forgot the terrifying scene of Ji Lianyun's head being held in someone's hand just moments ago, clinging tightly to Ji Lianyun's trousers, his tear-streaked face pressed against Ji Lianyun's leg.

――Ji Lianyun.

――Ji Lianyun.

――Ji Lianyun!!!

The eternal lamp on the altar flickered faintly, Tang Ning knelt amidst the cluster of snowy-white flowers, his tear-filled eyes brimming with utmost helplessness, as if the tears might engulf the reflection of the flames in his eyes.

The sight of a hand, fingertips bitten through, appeared before Tang Ning's eyes—it was Ji Lianyun's hand, emanating a faint scent of blood, as a bead of blood, like a splendid agate, rolled towards Tang Ning's eyes.

Instinctively, Tang Ning closed his eyes, as the droplet of blood mixed with the tears on his lashes, leaving a graceful trail on his snow-white face.

Footsteps sounded in his ears, and it seemed like Uncle Wang, who had been standing beside him all along, had left.

No.

It only moved away from Tang Ning's side, not leaving the entire mortuary.

The dragging footsteps circled the mortuary like a ghostly presence, as if a dark cloud loomed over the place, and the mournful cries of the people were the incessant rain.

After a while, amidst the cries, Uncle Wang's voice echoed in the mortuary: "You're not sincere."

In an instant, Tang Ning's neck tensed, even if he wasn't the target, the intense sense of danger made his body scream to flee. He retorted to Uncle Wang, "Other people have both eyes crying."

"You only have one eye crying."

As if realizing something, Tang Ning abruptly turned, weaving through the crowd of dark figures, towards a figure gradually being hoisted up by a hemp rope.

The toes had already left the ground, struggling desperately in the air, yet even with such force, it only increased the swaying arc of the body.

Blood continued to seep from the bandaged left eye, saturating the cloth with rich crimson, streaming down the flushed cheeks.

Ji Ke's hand tightened around his own neck, his intact right eye widening to the extreme, veins bulging with intense fear and resentment!

Witnessing this scene, Tang Ning's eyes widened in shock, as Ji Ke was suspended by the hemp rope, in full view of everyone!

Witnessing this scene, Tang Ning's eyes widened in shock, as Ji Ke was suspended by the hemp rope, in full view of everyone!

No player intervened to save Ji Ke; they all remained cautiously kneeling, tears in their eyes, watching vigilantly between Ji Ke and Uncle Wang. There was no hint of sadness in their eyes, coldness replacing tears.

Each tear fell like a drizzle onto the dusty mortuary floor, as Ji Ke's hand tightened around his own neck, blood streaming from his eyes like tears.

Tang Ning stiffened and turned to Ji Lianyun beside him, a faint voice squeezed out of his throat, "Help... him..."

Ji Lianyun looked somewhat exhausted, as if the bloodletting on Tang Ning's face had drained too much of his energy. He reached out his hand, tainted with a hint of blood, and gently brushed Tang Ning's tear-filled eyes.

Due to his weakness, his touch seemed exceptionally gentle. The cool palm gently covered Tang Ning's eyes. "I'm sorry, I can only protect you."

As it turned out, the real Ji Lianyun couldn't frighten Uncle Wang away with just a glance, like the ghostly bridegroom from last night.

Ji Lianyun's hand was quite large, covering more than half of Tang Ning's face. Tears mixed with blood dripped down the lower half of Tang Ning's face, gathering on his snowy-white jawline, one drop after another, falling like pearls off a broken string.

Tang Ning seemed to hear the intermittent "he-he" sound coming from Ji Ke's throat, like a skipping tape recorder, and in that moment, fragmented memories flashed before his eyes.

They were all disjointed scenes.

In their attempt to dispel the ghostly wall, he had to place his hand on Ji Ke's shoulder, following Ji Ke's every step.

He fell unconscious in the woods after being attacked by the paper bride, waking up with Ji Ke carrying him through the eerie darkness of the forest.

As he lifted the curtains of the sedan chair, nothing seemed clear. However, he caught a glimpse of amazement in Ji Ke's eyes. Ji Ke covered him with a red quilt, holding his hand as they crossed the burning braziers.

Wearing Ji Ke's old clothes and holding a mirror, he walked step by step, calling out for Ji Ke's soul. Finally, he encountered the soul that had been peeping at him bathing behind a tree.

He knew Ji Ke probably liked him a bit.

That bit of affection wasn't much, not enough to make Ji Ke risk his life to save him. When they encountered the ghost children while picking pearls, Ji Ke only focused on saving himself.

But this was normal. They had never met before, and they had only interacted for a mere three days in the game. He shouldn't have such strong feelings of reluctance towards Ji Ke.

Nor should he have a slight sense of resentment towards Ji Lianyun for not being as powerful as the ghostly bridegroom, as Ji Lianyun covered his eyes.

The faint cry for help from his throat abruptly ceased.

Tang Ning's breathing seemed to halt as well.

With trembling hands, he pushed away Ji Lianyun's hand covering his eyes, gazing at Ji Ke hanging from the rope, the light fading from his intact eyes.

Why did he feel like there should be light in Ji Ke's eyes?

Pairs of eyes belonging to Ji Ke flashed in his mind. Amidst the jumbled memories, one particular moment stood out—the happiest moment he had in this game. That young man named Ji Ke, giving him a thumbs up and loudly praising him, saying, "You, newcomer—"

"You're amazing!"

So, it was the image of himself reflected in Ji Ke's eyes when they first met, shining brightly.

Tang Ning covered his mouth, finally understanding why he found it so difficult.

This time, the current Tang Ning found it difficult. He didn't bravely reach out like he did before, grabbing Uncle Wang's leg, being that confident Tang Ning.