Ji Lianyan's face suddenly turned, leaning in close to say these words. The swaying red lantern cast a crimson glow on Ji Lianyan's jaw, and a chilly wind brushed against Tang Ning's back. Tang Ning's eyelashes trembled, "N-no, using the blood of livestock?"
"Of course not." Ji Lianyan lowered his gaze at Tang Ning, "Appetites are nurtured bit by bit."
"At first, chickens and ducks could satisfy, then pigs and dogs, followed by cattle and sheep."
"Ultimately, only lives could fill the hunger."
Holding Tang Ning's hand, Ji Lianyan's voice was tender as if whispering sweet nothings, "Desires are insatiable, no other way."
Tang Ning's fingertips couldn't help but tremble, a chill ran down his spine. If this were true, then his earlier speculations might be correct.
The offerings were the village's women and children.
What comes next?
Elders?
Thinking carefully, besides the eccentric Grandpa Ji, there weren't many elderly in the village. No, that's not right. If the ghost's appetite grows, then the next targets should be the young and middle-aged.
The entire village should know this pattern of survival, but players like Tang Ning wouldn't. He was Ji Lianyan's wife, semi-integrated into the village, protected by Ji Lianyan. Ji Ke, being a direct member of the Ji family, might have some inside information.
So, what about Lin Yun? He is a young adult, ignorant of the situation, and even encountered that engagement gift box!
Lin Yun stood in the room, motionless, with a lengthy talisman affixed above. This life-saving item was obtained in a perilous dungeon, allowing him to feign death by sticking the talisman to his forehead when in danger, causing ghosts and creatures to lose interest.
However, the talisman had its drawbacks – one being that you couldn't move while using it. After all, the dead don't move. Once the talisman was applied, even blinking would render it ineffective.
It was thanks to this item that Lin Yun survived this particular dungeon.
He was extremely cautious, to the extent that even when all the ghostly children had left the room, he remained still in his spot.
Then he noticed—
A face, strange and distorted, peeked through the shattered glass window, revealing features with flattened contours. The eyes and eyebrows were pure black, like ink strokes. The cheeks were adorned with vivid red blush, and the lips were delicate, painted in a blood-like red.
Unfortunately, two ashy-black tear streaks marred the exquisite makeup on the face.
The paper bride's eyes darted around, surveying the chaotic room.
Lin Yun kept his eyes open, the prolonged lack of blinking making them sting.
After a while, the unfulfilled paper bride retreated, drifting away lightly.
Lin Yun maintained his position, even though his eyes had started to feel dry.
"Knock, knock, knock." Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed, "Open the door, it's me."
It was Ji Ke's voice.
Lin Yun remained silent.
They had discussed several ways to communicate, and if Ji Ke visited, there would be a predetermined signal.
"Hurry up and open the door!" The knocking intensified, shaking the wooden door, "I know you're in there!"
Lin Yun held his breath.
Fearful of being influenced by the ghost, he pressed his tongue against his palate, successfully suppressing the imminent scream.
Because of this, a thin sheet of paper drifted in from under the door.
That thing had flattened him completely into a thin sheet of paper!
"It's okay if you don't open the door; I'll find you," the voice echoed eerily.
The paper bride floated around the room, initially drifting under the bed, bending in an impossible folded posture, "Are you under the bed?"
Lin Yun, standing rigidly in the center of the room, held his breath.
The paper bride floated to the wardrobe, directly slipping through the crack. A slightly muffled sound emanated from the cabinet, "Not in the cabinet either."
Having checked the only two places suitable for hiding in the room without success, the re-emerging paper bride seemed genuinely ready to give up this time.
Silently, it floated toward the door.
The lightly drifting paper collided with Lin Yun, right in the center of the room.
A crisp sound echoed.
Lin Yun's mind went blank. Pressed closely against the paper bride, it only had one expression painted on, but at this moment, he seemed to see a hint of suspicion in that face.
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Coincidentally, it dripped onto the paper bride's face.
Using this item not only prevented movement but also risked exposing his true identity through sweating, let alone sweating directly onto the monster.
"Hehe, found you." The paper bride laughed.
Run!!!
Lin Yun's entire body erupted in cold sweat, tearing off the talisman and sprinting!
A chilling sensation loomed behind him, as if something was relentlessly pursuing. Lin Yun reached the door, despairingly realizing that opening it would take time. Although just a second, it spanned the gap between life and death!
The paper's playful laughter and the icy sheets enveloped Lin Yun. Eyes, mouth, and nose were covered by an impenetrable material. He futilely reached to tear off the paper, pulling with extreme force, enduring a pain comparable to ripping off his own skin.
Blood oozed through his fingers.
Fresh paper adhered to the wound.
His bloodied hand gradually lost strength. The intense suffocation caused Lin Yun to slowly collapse on the ground. They say when you die, memories flash like a carousel. In Lin Yun's mind, horrifying creatures flickered – countless deaths and narrow escapes. To survive, he could abandon everything, whether items or...
Teammates, cursed with the most venomous words after being abandoned by him, resounded in his mind.
But when Tang Ning's face, which belonged to the realm beyond black and white, appeared, the carousel suddenly transformed into vivid hues. Only because the beauty emanating from this face was too intricate for the black and white imagery.
"Lin Yun—" he heard the newcomer calling him in panic.
Since when did carousels have sounds?
"Lin Yun! I don't know how to tear this paper!" The voice was fast, almost crying. Lin Yun was lifted from the hard ground and embraced by a soft body.
He recognized Ji Ke's hug by the new appearance.
It felt soft.
Originally, they had agreed to take turns holding the newcomer, conserving energy. However, Ji Ke had clung on without letting go, voluntarily assuming this additional task. He naturally didn't want to waste energy, coldly carrying Ji Ke all the way.
Now, Lin Yun seemed to understand Ji Ke's intentions a bit.
It was genuinely comfortable, devoid of edges, soft like a pool of water cradling a battered soul.
In the final moment of losing consciousness, the layer of paper covering his face was suddenly torn away. He saw the tear-stained face of the newcomer, holding him but looking towards another direction, crying and shouting, "Ji Lianyan!!!"
Lin Yun closed his eyes, collapsing into Tang Ning's arms.
"Ji Lianyan!" Tang Ning was on the verge of madness, his voice breaking into a different pitch.
When he and Ji Lianyan arrived, it was already too late. The paper bride had attacked Lin Yun. Ji Lianyan explained that every night someone had to die, staining the village's soil with blood to temporarily appease the vengeful spirits.
Tang Ning anxiously and fearfully touched the paper on Lin Yun's face, asking Ji Lianyan what to do.
Ji Lianyan asked, "Do you really want to save him?"
He nodded urgently.
Then Ji Lianyan reached out, expressionless, cutting his own wrist.
Fresh blood gushed out continuously. When the blood touched the paper bride, it reacted as if scorched by fire, frantically avoiding it, too terrified to linger in the room.
The paper on Lin Yun lost its power and could be easily torn off.
This should have been a cause for joy, but Ji Lianyan knelt to the ground, his lips showing a grayish tint, long eyelashes hanging down, as if ready to close at any moment.
Tang Ning threw Lin Yun aside and rushed to Ji Lianyan, embracing the weakened youth. Ji Lianyan's body, like before, had no warmth. Tang Ning desperately tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, wrapping it around Ji Lianyan's wound, the fabric quickly staining red with blood in the intensely fragrant room.
Ji Lianyan's face, even paler than the paper bride's, struggled to open his mouth. His feeble voice seemed to dissipate into the air, "Don't cry, I'm fine."
Tang Ning's hands holding Ji Lianyan trembled.
How could everything be fine?
If he had known that saving Lin Yun would come at the cost of injuring Ji Lianyan…
"Take me into the coffin..." After saying these words, Ji Lianyan had no strength left, closing his eyes silently, resembling a lifeless body.
Tang Ning quickly checked Ji Lianyan's breath and, finding a faint sign of life, managed to calm down.
The coffin... was it the one in Ji Lianyan's room?
Tang Ning struggled to carry Ji Lianyan on his back. Ji Lianyan was taller, his toes dragging on the ground, his entire weight pressing down on Tang Ning. He almost knelt down under the burden.
What made Tang Ning even more miserable was that there was another person lying like a corpse in the room.
If he left Lin Yun, who was unconscious, and the revived paper bride encountered him again, wouldn't his trip be in vain? Ji Lianyan's injuries wouldn't be meaningless?
But if he carried Lin Yun away...
As a useless person like him, carrying two people at once might result in three corpses halfway through!
Tang Ning hadn't expected this scenario. Out of the four, he turned out to be the only one with the ability to move.
In such a situation, any of Ji Lianyan, Lin Yun, or Ji Ke could handle it, but Tang Ning couldn't.
His original card had a frail body, and after contact with Ji Lianyan, it seemed like all his energy had been drained. After using the "Suck and Blow" card on Ji Lianyan and a series of actions, Tang Ning found it challenging to move quickly.
What to do? What to do?!
Tang Ning, carrying Ji Lianyan, struggled to bend down and grabbed Lin Yun's hand, attempting to drag him along.
After dragging for a while, Lin Yun remained motionless.
Tang Ning was desperate, and at that moment, a strong sense of being watched emerged.
Stiffly lifting his head, Tang Ning saw a pale face with blue and white hues behind the broken window. Spotted, slackened skin covered with wrinkles, and murky eyes.
The eccentric Grandpa Ji stood behind the window, staring fixedly at Tang Ning, uttering each word deliberately, "Drop him."