Livestreaming To Fame In An Infinite Flow World Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Folklore Horror (1)

“What did he mean by ‘once liked’?”

Just five short words, yet Auntie frantically dissected and speculated over them in her mind. At the same time, she cautiously glanced toward Wei Shenglu.

It had only been two days since they exited the instance.

Wei Shenglu’s consciousness was still in turmoil. Most of the time, he seemed as if he were still trapped in that dark, cold underworld; only occasionally did he regain clarity.

At this moment, his expression was obscured by scattered strands of white hair. Through the gaps between them, one could see his raven-feather lashes trembling slightly, and his fingertips suddenly curling tight.

Auntie did not dare to look too closely. She hurriedly lowered her head, shivering, and fixed her gaze unblinkingly on the villa’s floor.

“There’s one minute left before the stream ends. Goodbye.” Jian Yuntai’s voice came from the phone. All the earlier dejection had vanished; he spoke with a smile in his tone. “Actually, I lied to Cui Yu. I always thought he looked better with his white hair loose, not tied up.”

As soon as his words fell, the viewers were already in tears:

“I know what he meant! In the first round, when Cui Yu snatched the bride, he had his hair tied up. So after the instance looped, Jian Yuntai deliberately said he looked better with it tied just to provoke him.”

“I never expected Wife to think like that. It’s a pity Cui Yu will never know, sob sob sob…”

“It’s clearly sweet, so why does it hurt this much?! Even real angst isn’t this painful!”

“Maybe because it’s expired sweetness… By the time you realize how sweet they were, it’s already over qaq.”

“? Sister, what you said hurts even more!!!”

Inside the Xiang’an Team villa, there was dead silence.

Auntie did not know whether to leave or stay. The tablet in her hands lit up and dimmed again, reflecting her bewildered and helpless face.

“Zzz… zzz…”

Just as the atmosphere grew stiff and heavy, a crackling static suddenly came from the phone.

After a long while, a low sigh sounded from within. “The livestream’s already over. What are you still watching?”

Wei Shenglu’s expression did not change. But Auntie’s heart jolted violently—she recognized that male voice at once.

—Hacker Bai.

A B-level criminal of the Xiang’an Team. His Sinister Type was Ghost Type, and he could use his mental power to connect to the global network. No matter how heavily protected a program was, it posed no problem for him—let alone Auntie’s small phone. Hacking it was effortless.

The Xiang’an Team forbade criminals from communicating with one another.

This was a violation!

Of course, Auntie was not foolish enough to rush forward and snatch the phone—that would be no different from courting death. After hesitating, she cautiously stepped back two paces. Seeing that Wei Shenglu did not stop her, she gathered her courage and retreated several more steps.

When she left, she even closed the door behind her.

She did not have the ability to handle a violation herself; she could only go find someone who could.

The room fell into silence.

“He once liked Cui Yu. But that was only in the past.” From his voice, Hacker Bai sounded like a very reserved young man; even his tone was refined and gentle. “Even Cui Yu is already in the past in his heart. Let alone you.”

A soft thud came from his end.

It seemed like a military chess piece had fallen onto the board.

“Cui Yu is me.” Wei Shenglu had not changed his posture from beginning to end. Only now did he slightly lift his face. His fingertips had already dug viciously into his own palm.

Drip—

Drip—

Thin streams of bright red blood flowed out, trickling down his pale hand before mercilessly striking the floor.

Another thud sounded.

Hacker Bai placed another piece on the board. After removing his glasses, his pupils appeared a washed-out sea blue, his gaze unfocused as he said, “Cui Yu is you. But you are not only Cui Yu. Don’t forget the positions you both stand in.”

If Auntie were still here, she would have assumed he meant the opposing stances of the Xiang’an Team and the Zhao’an Team.

But that was not the case.

Several full minutes passed in silence before Hacker Bai spoke again. This time, his voice carried thick fear and lingering dread. “Half a year ago, it mistook me for a Sinister Divine Type and went mad trying to wipe me out. If I hadn’t voluntarily surrendered to the Xiang’an Team, I wouldn’t have survived. A year ago, didn’t you also choose to betray that sinful abyss?”

After a pause, he continued meaningfully, “Isn’t the Alliance’s reason for hiding Jian Yuntai’s identity obvious? They don’t want it to notice him. It only mistook me for a Sinister Divine Type and still drove me to this state. If it finds out that besides you, there’s another Sinister Divine Type in this world…”

—One could easily imagine Jian Yuntai’s fate.

Hacker Bai did not say it outright. Instead, he reminded him, “If Jian Yuntai’s Sinister Divine Type identity is exposed and it notices him, then tell me… do you think you, staying by his side, could escape?”

Wei Shenglu pulled out a handkerchief and pressed his lips together as he wiped the blood from his palm. “Only by staying at his side can I protect him.”

“You want to protect him. But does he care about you?”

“……”

“Why don’t we make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

Outside, hurried footsteps could already be heard. Soldiers from the Inspection Team were taking positions at the door. The sea blue in Hacker Bai’s pupils gradually faded as he lowered his voice. “Let’s bet… on whether he’ll like you in the next instance.”

If he fell in love again, it would mean Jian Yuntai liked Wei Shenglu himself—not other external factors.

If he did not, it would mean the one Jian Yuntai loved was only Cui Yu—one could also say the Wei Shenglu who had lost most of his memories. There were too many uncertainties within that. Perhaps Jian Yuntai had simply been moved by Cui Yu’s childhood experiences. It was even possible that it had only been because of his appearance.

Bang bang bang—

Knocking sounded simultaneously at both their doors. Soldiers pressed their rifle butts against the door but did not dare to break in.

Wei Shenglu remained completely unaffected, as if he heard nothing of the noise and commotion outside. He tossed the handkerchief into the trash can and lifted his eyes to look at the stars and fireflies beyond the window.

“Fine. I’ll take the bet.”

Zzz… zzz…

A chess piece fell onto the board with a metallic clang.

The next second, the phone screen went completely black.

※※※

Three days later.

As usual, they were picked up by special vehicle and sent to the Livestream Team, then departed together from there.

In front of the Livestream Team’s building, many ordinary citizens had gathered. Following behind the Inspection Team soldiers, Jian Yuntai boarded the armored vehicle under everyone’s cheering and excited gazes.

Smack—Fatty tossed several books up.

“It’ll take four hours to drive there. I haven’t read these either. You read two, I’ll read two. That’ll settle it nice and quick.” Fatty climbed into the back seat of the armored vehicle and patted the dust off his pants. “By the way, does reading this stuff even help?”

“It’s better than not reading at all.” Jian Yuntai casually flipped open one of the books. Reading in a moving car made him dizzy, so he could only seize the moments when he wasn’t feeling queasy to read as much as possible.

Rumble! Rumble!

Beside the armored vehicle, a convoy sped past. In the back seat of every car were all kinds of weapons. At a rough glance, there were dozens of broadswords and other arms. The convoy roared by, leaving behind nothing but flying yellow dust and dirt.

“Damn!” Fatty hurriedly rolled up the car window.

Jian Yuntai glanced toward the tail end of the convoy and asked in confusion, “Another ‘King of Hell’s Wedding’ instance?” Only when it was a leftover instance that ordinary people could not clear would the Livestream Team arrange so many streamers at once.

Fatty also stared over there curiously for a long while. Suddenly, he straightened his back, slapped the window, and pointed at the last car in shock. “Isn’t that Cha Huafeng in the passenger seat? Don’t tell me she’s going to break into a leftover instance again this time. That’s just too unlucky!”

“It’s not a leftover instance. The people in those cars are mercenaries.” The driver was an Inspection Team soldier, around forty years old, with an honest, good-natured smile.

In the past, when he drove streamers around, he rarely dared to join their conversations. But this time, he could not hold back. Complaining, he said, “Sigh… I originally wanted to take that mission from the Mercenary Tower too. The reward was just too generous. Unfortunately, my internet lagged. By the time I could click in, all the slots were already filled.”

Fatty asked, “Who’s the employer?”

The driver answered without hesitation, “Cha Huafeng! I don’t know her personally, but I’ve heard bits and pieces about her over the years. This time, it seems she spent all her savings to help someone named Lin, Lin…”

“Lin Fuxue,” Jian Yuntai supplied.

The driver slapped the steering wheel. “Right! That’s the name. I heard she wanted to rescue an NPC from an instance for this Lin something. She’s been planning it for months.”

With a rumbling engine, the armored vehicle sped off under the escort of the Inspection Team. The driver’s puzzled voice was swallowed up by gasoline fumes and swirling dust.

“She spent her entire fortune and mobilized so much manpower and resources just to rescue an NPC?”

“Sigh. I hope she gets what she wished for.”

……

……

【50-player instance assembled. Loading… Player Jian Yuntai successfully loaded.】

【Welcome to Life Crystal Great Escape.】

They had just gotten off a vehicle not long ago, and as soon as they entered the instance, they were back on another one.

This time, it was a bus that reeked of gasoline.

The bumpiness far exceeded that of the armored vehicle. Jian Yuntai had barely steadied himself before he was jolted into the air.

He quickly grabbed the pole beside the seat.

A retching sound came from beside him. Fatty had spent four hours on the armored vehicle reading folklore books and was already carsick. This sudden jolt nearly made him vomit outright.

Jian Yuntai looked left and right for a plastic bag but could not find one. Fortunately, Fatty was only dry-heaving and had not actually thrown up. The other players in the back, however, were not so lucky.

Retching sounds rose one after another—someone really did vomit.

In an instant, the entire bus was filled with the stench of vomit.

“Open the windows and let some air in.” A loud male voice came from the driver’s seat, his tone amused. “What’s wrong with you city folks? It’s only a six-hour ride and you can’t handle it? Bear with it—five more minutes and we’ll be there.”

【Streamer Jian Yuntai】

【Since you have entered a brand-new instance, your data has been adjusted accordingly. You currently have 1,496 Likes, 93 Coins, and 1.28 million Bookmarks. Please keep up the good work!】

【There are 482 streamers participating in this Life Crystal instance. You are currently ranked 271 in the livestream category.】

【Your remaining survival time: 02 hours 05 minutes 54 seconds.】

Swaying unsteadily, Jian Yuntai stood up. Stepping over Fatty, who was bent over dry-heaving, he used one hand to slide the window open.

There were no curtains on the bus. He casually glanced outside, ready to sit back down—only to freeze suddenly.

Fatty did not even lift his head. “What’s wrong?”

Before Jian Yuntai could answer, several exclamations burst out from the seats behind them. “Driver, steady the car!”

“We’re not in a hurry. Just drive slower.”

“Fuck… Just stop the bus. I’d rather walk.”

“?” Fatty looked out the window in confusion. The sight scared him so badly that even his dry-heaving stopped. His face turned pale.

There was no road outside the window.

There was a bottomless cliff.

The “road” that was jolting the bus was a stone path carved into the mountainside, so narrow that it could barely fit a single bus. Worse still, rocks on the right side of the mountain jutted out from time to time. The driver paid them no mind, as if he did not see them at all, and drove straight ahead.

Scrape—

The protruding rocks scratched against the paint of the bus.

The bus tilted sharply to one side, and everyone’s bodies lurched with it. Screams instantly filled the vehicle.

【Instance Background: Folklore Horror】

At a moment like this, no one paid attention to the instance’s background audio. A hot-tempered Sinister Monster Type suddenly stood up and stormed to the driver’s seat, slamming down with a loud bang.

He smashed a hole into the seat.

“I told you to slow down! Are you deaf?!”

The driver jumped in fright at first, then looked baffled. “When we mountain folks go up the mountain, this is the usual speed. It’s you geological survey team people who are so fussy—scared of a little broken road.” He kept muttering under his breath, but his feet did not stop moving.

He lightly tapped the brakes, and the speed indeed slowed.

Only then did the players start to feel slightly better. Viewers gradually began entering the livestream:

“Three days without seeing you—Wife got even prettier!”

“Day three of missing Wife, sob sob sob~”

“Hahaha the start already made me laugh. I was so scared Fatty would puke all over Jian Dadan.”

It was not just the viewers who were afraid—Jian Yuntai was too.

After searching for a long time without finding a plastic bag, Jian Yuntai pulled out a small black bag from under the seat. Inside were two pieces of bread and an A4 sheet of paper. He took everything out, then quickly opened the bag wide and aimed it at Fatty’s face.

“Don’t puke on me.”

“……” Fatty was silent for a few seconds before cursing, “When I puke later, I’ll aim it right at you.”

Jian Yuntai said calmly, “You can try.”

Fatty immediately backed down and grinned. “Forget it. I’m afraid your fans will tear me apart.”

With the speed reduced, the carsickness eased considerably.

Fatty also pulled out a small black bag from under his seat. Printed on it were the same words: Geological Survey Team.

Opening it, he found the same two pieces of bread and an A4 sheet densely covered in text—a missing person notice.

The other players had the same items. It seemed everyone had one of these bags.

Naturally, everyone’s attention focused on the missing person notice. Many immediately picked up the A4 sheet to read.

【Missing Person Notice】

【Name: Nong Lingling】

【Gender: Female】

【Age: 16】

【Height: 157 cm】

【Slim build, long hair worn loose and tied into a high ponytail. When she went missing, she was wearing a red down jacket and blue jeans. At 8:00 AM on November 27, she left from the Stone Plank Entrance of Mother Goddess Mountain to go down the mountain to buy daily necessities, but she did not return home on time.】

【Her family had asked around in the villages at the foot of the mountain and even consulted the village chief. Nong Lingling had not appeared downhill. It was presumed that she went missing somewhere within Mother Goddess Mountain. If you have any information, please call the contact number below.】

【Mother Goddess Village Committee Phone: 048-924xxxx】

Fatty leaned over for a look. His first, very straight-male reaction was, “This girl’s actually pretty good-looking.”

Jian Yuntai frowned at the missing person notice and said nothing.

Fatty nudged his shoulder. “What, you got a crush?”

“……” Jian Yuntai rolled his eyes at him and lowered his voice. “Our player identity is a geological survey team, yet we all have the same missing person notice in our bags. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

Fatty paused, then snapped back to attention. “You’re right.” He turned to carefully scan the inside of the bus. When he turned back again, his expression had grown serious. “Before the world warped, I followed a few geological survey teams. Good lord, the setup back then! It was practically one vehicle for people and another vehicle just for the surveying equipment. Our team doesn’t have a single machine—not even the most basic camera or video recorder. What the hell are we surveying?”

Jian Yuntai nodded. “The geological survey team is probably just a cover. This missing person notice is the real focus.”

The moment he finished speaking—

Screech!

The bus came to an abrupt stop without warning, skidding forward a short distance. Everyone pitched forward. Without seatbelts, they all slammed into the seats in front of them.

Jian Yuntai reacted quickly. He braced himself against the seat ahead, and with his other hand he still had enough presence of mind to grab Jinjin, who had been flung into the air.

Bang—!

Beside him, Fatty’s head collided hard with the seat.

“…………” Under Fatty’s pitiful, aggrieved stare, Jian Yuntai guiltily averted his gaze.

The driver stood up from his seat and moved to the front of the bus. “I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I’m your guide into Mother Goddess Village this time—you can just call me Black Dog. The older generation in the village liked to give cheap names. My mom said a cheap name was easier to raise.”

As he spoke, Black Dog scratched his head and gave a smile.

He was a lean, middle-aged man with dark, rough skin. His greasy hair hung limp over his forehead. Even when he spoke, his expression carried a slick, calculating air.

“It’ll take about half an hour to reach Mother Goddess Village. This is the rest stop you originally scheduled. We’ll rest here for about forty minutes. Once everyone’s back on the bus, we’ll continue.” With that, Black Dog opened the bus door. “Your mentors are probably already waiting impatiently. Hurry and get off.”

The players exchanged glances.

One by one, they rose from their seats and filed off the bus in order.

“Brother Jian, Fatty…” A short and timid voice came from behind. When they turned around, Fatty immediately looked speechless. “You’re here too? Didn’t you say you’d only enter D-level instances from now on?”

Sun Bin gave an awkward smile. “After I got out of the ‘King of Hell’s Wedding’ instance, my dad gave me a serious scolding. But… I thought this instance sounded pretty interesting. I really couldn’t resist coming in to try it. And I heard you two were here too.” Though he said “you two,” his gaze remained fixed directly on Jian Yuntai. Cheerfully, he added, “With Brother Jian here, what’s there to be afraid of!”

“I’m younger than you,” Jian Yuntai said calmly.

Sun Bin obsequiously punched Jian Yuntai lightly on the shoulder. “Calling you Brother Jian is a sign of respect.”

Jian Yuntai brushed his hand away and said mercilessly, “Last time I risked my life to save you because your political elite father begged the Livestream Team. I had a mission to rescue you. This time, even if you die right in front of me, I won’t save you.”

“I know, I know.” Sun Bin was not discouraged in the slightest. He grinned foolishly. “I brought several bodyguards in with me this time. I definitely won’t trouble you two Bosses.”

While he was saying that, Jian Yuntai had already stood up and was heading toward the bus door.

Fatty shot Sun Bin a speechless glance and muttered, “You really are trash but addicted to playing. Sooner or later your dad’s going to have to bury his own son—white-haired sending off black-haired.”

Sun Bin only managed an awkward laugh.

……

……

The bus had already left the cliffside road behind; they had reached the mountaintop.

Before them stretched a wide expanse of dense forest. Beyond this forest should be the Mother Goddess Village Black Dog had mentioned.

Someone was already waiting at the edge of the woods.

The man wore a Taoist robe, with a wisp of white beard hanging from his chin. Though his face looked like that of a middle-aged man in his fifties, when he spoke, his voice sounded like a centenarian elder.

“Sun Bin.” He read from a list in his hand.

Sun Bin immediately stepped forward. “Here. I’m Sun Bin.”

Without lifting his head, the Taoist continued reading the names from the list.

Each player whose name was called responded with “Here.”

After finishing all fifty names, the Taoist turned around on his own and said, “All of you, follow me.”

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and cast a cold glance at Black Dog, who was trying to follow behind. “You wait here and do your job properly.”

“Yes, yes.” Black Dog nodded and bowed repeatedly. The smile on his face did not change in the slightest despite the cold treatment.

Still warm. Still calculating.

Dusk had already fallen. The sun seemed to hang at the edge of the mountaintop, its last streak of golden light striking the treetops. Rays of light filtered through the leaves in a Tyndall glow, leaving patches of dim beams across the murky soil.

After walking nearly a hundred meters, the Taoist finally stopped. Turning to face the crowd, he said, “All disciples of our sect are among the best demon hunters. This time, our Patriarch sent you to disguise yourselves as a geological survey team and come to Mother Goddess Mountain to hunt demons. You must not disgrace the sect and let others laugh at us. Do you understand?”

His final question suddenly rose in pitch.

That short speech contained an enormous amount of information. Many players were still confused, yet instinctively shouted, “Understood!”

“Louder!”

“Un—Understood!!!”

【Player Jian Yuntai】

【You have triggered the main quest.】

【Mother Goddess Village is located atop Mother Goddess Mountain, with a population of over 500. It is said that 300 years ago, a deity descended here, split open a path to create the stone plank road down the mountain, and spread incense offerings that expanded the village’s population, greatly increasing its prosperity. The people were filled with gratitude, voluntarily sculpted a golden statue to enshrine the deity, and built the Mother Goddess Temple.】

【The people here deeply revere the Mother Goddess.】

【However, after the Mother Goddess departed, yin energy gathered atop the mountain, and demons began to roam. This is both a place where generations of villagers have lived—and a place where evil beings congregate.】

【Please investigate the mystery behind Nong Lingling’s disappearance.】

All the players heard the instance’s background narration. As they followed the Taoist deeper toward a mountain cave, they whispered among themselves.

“Nong Lingling’s disappearance must have something to do with demons, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious? The instance is called Folklore Horror. That girl was definitely taken by a demon.”

“Hiss— I watched Young Master Xue’s livestream before. There were quite a lot of different kinds of demons in this instance. How are we supposed to know which one actually took her?”

The deeper they went into the cave, the quieter the discussion became.

The temperature difference between day and night at the mountain peak was extreme. This was also a cave inside Mother Goddess Mountain. After only a few steps, the cold seeped into their bodies, and even their leg bones ached from the chill.

Clack, clack.

Fatty’s teeth chattered as he shivered. “Damn it, in the middle of winter they only give us a short-sleeved shirt. I’m freezing to death.” He looked at Jian Yuntai and asked in suffocation, “Aren’t you cold?”

“Cold,” Jian Yuntai replied calmly.

Fatty felt even more suffocated. He instinctively reached out to touch Jian Yuntai’s exposed arm, but immediately jerked his hand back with a whoosh.

—Damn, it was as cold as a chunk of iron.

Jian Dadan really could endure!

They turned another corner, and there was light ahead.

After walking in pitch darkness for so long, the first instinct upon seeing light should have been to hurry toward it. But from the source of that light came continuous animal cries—different kinds of roars and howls mixed together.

Tiger roars, cat cries, wolf howls.

Leopard calls, lion roars, even strange barking sounds.

There were even beastly cries they had never heard before.

Everyone involuntarily stopped.

No one wanted to step forward.

“What are you afraid of?” the Taoist scoffed. “These are demon beasts specially captured by the sect for you. Once you sign a master-servant contract with one, it will become your first contracted demon in your career as a demon hunter. During your upcoming trial in Mother Goddess Village, the only thing you’ll be able to rely on will be the demon inside that cage.”

“Now—go up and choose your demon beasts!”

The cave was silent for about half a minute. Then a player immediately rushed forward and shouted, “How do we form the contract?”

He had already set his sights on the tiger demon.

The Taoist said leisurely, “Wait until I open the cage. Go in and choose. These demon beasts have already been subdued by the sect. You only need to bite your fingertip and drip your blood onto them to form the master-servant contract.”

As he spoke, quite a few players reacted quickly and hurried toward the cage.

For a moment, the cave filled with the sound of footsteps.

The livestream viewers were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized:

“The demon beasts in the cage aren’t the same! Some are strong, some are weak. That means players start differently right from the beginning. Those people rushed to the front because they want to pick stronger demon beasts.”

“There’s even a cat in there… I’m not looking down on cats, but compared to a tiger in terms of size, it really doesn’t seem impressive.”

“Since they’re all demon beasts, strength and weakness probably have nothing to do with species, right?”

If the viewers could notice this, there was no way players capable of entering a C-level instance wouldn’t.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that simple.

The cat that viewers thought looked weak was sitting right on the tiger’s head, viciously clawing one of its eyes. “Roar!” The tiger let out a miserable howl, yet still lay obediently on the ground, not daring to move. It even seemed afraid of the cat demon.

That left everyone in a dilemma.

How were they supposed to tell which was stronger and which was weaker?

Inside the golden cage, fifty demon beasts were all crammed into a corner, huddling together as if afraid of the cold. Some were completely blocked from view.

“Hmm…” Jian Yuntai stood by the golden cage for a while, his gaze moving one by one across the many demon beasts.

Fatty suddenly leaned over, covering his mouth with one hand and lowering his voice. “Ever raised hamsters?”

“…?” Jian Yuntai replied, “I’ve killed rats.”

Fatty choked for a second, but his train of thought wasn’t affected. He continued, “Some hamster breeds can’t be kept in the same cage. If you house them together, they’ll fight to the death. Sometimes two little hamsters will be all lovey-dovey during the day. But after one night, when the owner opens the cage, one of them might be left with only half a bloody head.”

“When you put a whole group of hamsters that can’t be cohabitated into the same cage, you’ll find them all squeezing together. You’re pressing on me, I’m pressing on you. People who don’t understand hamster behavior might even think it looks cute. But those who do will know this is a typical dominance hierarchy within the group.”

After saying that, Fatty jerked his chin toward the golden cage. “The class hierarchy in this cage is exactly the same as with hamsters.”

After his explanation, the barrage of comments sped up noticeably:

“Damn… If I’d heard Fatty say this ten years ago, I wouldn’t have been traumatized by half a hamster head. I can testify he’s completely right.”

“Yes, yes! I used to keep hamsters too. I never understood why one of them got bitten to death. Now I finally get it. My poor little hamster, 5555555.”

“So if A is pressing down on B, then A must be the stronger demon, right? That makes it easy to tell. They’re stacked like a pyramid. Just contract the one at the very top!”

Fatty thought the same. He patted Jinjin’s head and said, “That cat demon lying near the top looks pretty good. Just wait—I’ll contract it and bring it back to be your child bride.”

Jinjin happily let out a “meow.”

Having found his ideal “match,” Fatty didn’t forget about his brother. He said to Jian Yuntai, “There’s a leopard over there too, lying pretty high up. Leopards are good. Why don’t you take the leopard?”

Jian Yuntai’s gaze didn’t shift at all. He kept staring at the most bloated part of the “pyramid.”

【Red-Green Colorblind Skill】

【The world in the player’s eyes faded, leaving only red and green. Red represented danger, green represented vitality. The skill lasted thirty seconds. Cooldown time: one full day.】

This kind of choice would influence the entire future course of the instance. He didn’t want to pick casually.

Strong? Strength alone wasn’t enough.

What mattered was whether it suited him—whether it could help lead him to final victory, and guide him onto the path with the strongest vitality.

At that moment, red and green light intertwined inside the golden cage, mottled and difficult to distinguish.

But the most intense green light was at the bottom of the “pyramid.”

For now, it was still hard to tell which demon beast was emitting that massive green halo.

Jian Yuntai made no move. He decided to wait and observe.

Click—

The Taoist opened the golden cage.

All the demons in the cage stirred at once, their fur bristling as they stood up excitedly. Clang, clang—some of them accidentally knocked against the golden bars.

“Pick me!”


“Choose me!”

“These demon beasts… they can talk?!” A player was caught off guard, startled, and instinctively stepped back half a pace.

The Taoist’s mocking voice rang out immediately: “I really don’t understand why the sect sent you newborn demon hunters. You don’t even have a shred of basic knowledge. What have you been learning in the sect all this time?”

After scolding them, he continued to explain: “Demon beasts are still demons. If they are demons, they must have intelligence. These creatures were handpicked by the sect for you. If they couldn’t even speak, the sect wouldn’t have chosen them.”

Then he shouted loudly, “Hurry and go inside to choose! Don’t waste any more time. Don’t blame me for not warning you—all of you better get into Mother Goddess Village before night falls!”

“…………”

Experienced players weren’t going to let a sudden shout disrupt their plans.

They looked at one another, each waiting for someone to be the first to ‘take the plunge.’

But no one volunteered.

So all eyes naturally turned toward the only two livestreaming players—Fatty and Jian Yuntai.

Fatty waved repeatedly. “Don’t look at me.”

Jian Yuntai kept his hands in his pockets, saying nothing.

Half a minute of silence passed. The Taoist grew impatient. “Are you going to choose or not? Night is coming soon!”—night.

This was the second time he had mentioned it.

What would happen after nightfall?

The players didn’t know, but after countless runs through instances, they knew something bad would probably happen after dark.

There was no time to hesitate!

One player immediately stepped forward, bit his fingertip, and dripped blood onto the leopard’s head.

Outside the cage came a few anxious shouts.

It was obvious that several people had their eyes on that leopard, but they were too late—it had already been chosen.

Seeing that the player showed no ill effects, everyone else relaxed and began stepping into the cage.

After the leopard was taken, the monkey demon, snake demon, lion… all were quickly selected one by one.

Fatty could no longer sit still. He rushed straight toward the cat demon.

Jian Yuntai, however, remained in place.

He didn’t move.

He appeared completely calm, as if he didn’t care which demon he chose as his contracted companion.

The livestream viewers panicked:

“Jian Dadan, don’t be so chill! All the good ones are being picked. Are you going to settle for what’s left?!”


“I thought after Fatty said that, Jian Dadan would pick the leopard. But the leopard was taken the moment it appeared—ugh! It’s like someone stole a cake you were about to eat, so frustrating!”


“It’s fine, I think that jackal demon looks pretty good… damn! Are the players in this instance rabbits or what? They’re so fast, I didn’t even react before the jackal was gone.”

In just three minutes, over twenty players had contracted demons.

The contracted demons were taken out of the golden cage, leaving a large empty space inside.

The “pyramid” structure of the beasts was broken.

The location of the green light became very obvious. Deep inside the golden cage, between two massive demons, a patch of snowy white fur curled up.

The tip of the tail was still stained with blood.

Tap, tap—

Jian Yuntai finally took a step forward.

As he moved, all players’ gazes followed him.

In the previous instance, the moment Jian Yuntai had pierced the Soul Contract Record was captured and made into a gif.

It went viral. Not only did fans know he had ruined the Life Crystal instance, even people who normally didn’t follow livestreamers had seen it.

Gradually, the players already inside the cage respectfully made way. Jian Yuntai walked almost unimpeded toward the two demons.

The demon beast on the left was a snake—huge and ferocious.

The demon beast on the right was a tiger—muscular and majestic.

Which one would Jian Yuntai choose?

Everyone was thinking the same thing.

The livestream chat exploded with suggestions:

“Pick the snake! That’s clearly a python. It might not kill in one strike like a venomous snake, but it’s super strong. If you encounter other monsters, it can wrap right around them!”


“Better pick the tiger! Riding a tiger through a small village is so majestic, hahaha…”


“One vote for the snake!”


“Tiger! Tiger! The tiger is majestic!”

While the viewers argued, Jian Yuntai faced the two demons’ expectant stares and spoke coldly:

“Step aside. You’re crowding my contracted demon.”

“???” The players all froze in surprise.

Only after Jian Yuntai spoke did everyone look closely and notice the tiny snow-white tail curling between the two ferocious demon beasts.

Damn… how did anyone even see that?


If you weren’t paying close attention, you wouldn’t have noticed there was a little one in there.

Demon hunters chose demons—but demons were also choosing their demon hunters in return.

These demons had lived far longer than the demon hunters, sometimes eighty or ninety years. They could easily discern human social hierarchies and instantly recognize who was the strongest.

Earlier, the way players had respected and even made way for Jian Yuntai had not gone unnoticed by many of the demon beasts.

Who wouldn’t want a stronger master?

The snake demon immediately hissed anxiously, “Back there is a scraggly little fox. I could crush it with a single bite. Demon hunter, choose me instead! I’m far stronger than that one.”

“Don’t listen to him—pick me!”

Bang! Bang! The tiger demon swiped the snake demon’s head aside. The snake’s head slammed against the golden cage, and its massive body was sent several meters away.

“…………”

The snake demon moved aside, letting fresh air flow through. A beam of hopeful light suddenly landed on the little fox’s body, warm and lingering, almost like a fleeting moment of comfort.

But he was so injured he couldn’t even open his eyes.

Had someone come to save him?

The thought barely formed in his mind when the tiger demon shouted passionately:

“Exorcist! Don’t pick him just because he looks cute! He’s completely useless—not only is he considered weak by other demons, he’s rejected by his own kind.”


“Choosing him will only hold you back!”

The warm light that had just touched the little fox suddenly turned into a scorching needle, carrying the tiger’s harsh words straight into his heart, piercing him with a thousand wounds.

Hope had arrived for just a few seconds.

And then it was brutally ripped away.

The little fox had just raised his tail half an inch—now he slowly lowered it, utterly disappointed.

He wrapped himself tighter.

This time he buried his head between his snowy paws.

The surrounding silence was so complete it was as if you could hear a pin drop.

Just as the little fox was sinking further into despair, warmth suddenly spread across his snowy paws, followed by the sweet scent of blood. It was like tasting the most delicious pastry in the world; the taste of blood felt strangely intimate, yet sweet.

“What?! Why would Jian Yuntai choose him?!” Whispered voices immediately rose around him, full of astonishment.

“It can’t be random! Jian Yuntai is such a boss-level player. He must have a reason for doing this.”


“No way… could we have all misjudged him?”

After a long pause, the little fox suddenly realized:

He had really been contracted!

The shock made him shiver—words could not describe the feeling. It was like being trapped in the darkest, most terrifying hell, and suddenly a shaft of brilliant sunlight pierced through.

Within that light, someone extended a hand toward him.

Gently: Let me take you out of here.

Almost instantly, he lifted his head. Forcing himself through the intense pain, he slowly opened his beautiful fox eyes.

His master—


His master for life—

The boy’s face was delicate, radiant light illuminating his brows and eyes, softening the sharpness in them. The faint smile in the boy’s eyes was the most beautiful sight the little fox had ever seen.

He stared, utterly captivated.

【Player: Jian Yuntai】


【You have contracted a demon: Fuzhu】

【Fuzhu is the young lord of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan. During his youth, his clan migrated and suffered treachery. His inner core was stolen, and his powers sealed, forcing him to take the form of an ordinary fox.】

【Fallen to this state, he endured years of oppression.】

【Fuzhu held an intense grudge against his enemies, obsessing over them for years, wishing to devour them alive.】

Jian Yuntai met Fuzhu’s gaze. Looking into those excited, admiring eyes, he felt as though, in that instant, he had become the little fox’s savior.

But the instance’s background audio quickly snapped him back:

【Player: Jian Yuntai】


【You are the enemy who stole Fuzhu’s inner core—his mortal nemesis he has obsessed over for years, wishing to devour alive!】

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