Chapter 60 Crazy Love Season
He had a restless night without good sleep.
A photographer came to the doorstep at 7 AM. After greeting the homeowners, he walked over to knock on Wen Shi’s door.
“Wake up, time to prepare for the photoshoot.”
When Wen Shi woke up, he first glanced at the holes in the wall. The chilly wind came through the holes, but there was nothing inside, no eyes or anything.
They would start recording the show in an hour. Breakfast was at Red Jacket Lady’s home. Because of the child’s “corpse oil” comment from yesterday, Wen Shi avoided the soup on the table and just ate half a bun. Four dishes, two soups, and a bowl of porridge were on the table, but A’Sang didn’t like them either. He ate a few bites tiredly, lost in thought.
Even the mealtime was recorded entirely. Out of nowhere, the cameraman mentioned, “Right now, the most popular pair is Zhou Lulu and her match. Your popularity, which was the highest before, dropped to sixth after last night.”
Wen Shi glanced at the cameraman. The chilly lens made him remember all those countless eyes that stared at him last night.
A drop in popularity meant there wasn’t much interest. Being both at the highest and the lowest wasn’t a good situation.
Red Jacket Lady still wore that jacket. She intentionally moved closer to Wen Shi and said in a sickly sweet tone, “I believe we’ll definitely surpass the others today.”
Wen Shi changed the topic, “And Uncle? I want to greet him.”
Yesterday, the steward said ‘Master wouldn’t approved.’ It was clear this family had another key NPC: the father of Red Jacket Lady.
This person didn’t join them for breakfast.
“You’ll meet him soon,” Red Jacket Lady mysteriously said, “There’s a big event at home today.”
After breakfast, the cameraman led them to the shooting location—a small hollow on a hill near the village.
Wen Shi roughly estimated that as they walked out of the village, they must have passed at least a hundred households. Assuming each had two people, the village had more than two hundred residents. So, the people who went to watch the recording last night were just a small part of the Sealed Coffin Village residents.
In the distance were short mountains, undulating like they were blocking all exits. It should be summer now, with flowers in full bloom, but the temperature in the mountains was low. Even though host changed into different clothes, he still couldn’t escape the pink color.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s begin…”
Someone interrupted, “We’re missing one pair.”
Wen Shi also noticed that the petite female player from yesterday didn’t show up.
The host’s face was filled with regret, “That pair had very low popularity, so the production team sent them back.” In the next moment, the tone heightened again, “The assurance that ‘Crazy Love Season’ can have high viewership lies in us creating shows that the audience loves to watch!”
The echoing voice in the valley left players feeling cold at heart. Sent back? Where could they even go back to?
Completely indifferent to their varied expressions, the host announced yesterday’s most popular rankings from high to low. Ji Yuanzhi was eighth, while Liu Yun ranked fourth.
Ji Yuanzhi’s position was risky. Not only did he choose a living match, but the other person was also the weakest among the candidates, equivalent to having no attraction. Thankfully, he was prepared and proactively spoke with A’Sang to get more camera time. As for Liu Yun, some midnight experiences propelled her up the ranks. Wen Shi noticed Zhou Lulu, ranked first, with bloodshot eyes and fresh bloodstains on her clothes. It seemed she encountered a ghost last night.
He lowered his gaze, pondering quietly for a moment. Ji Yuanzhi surely guessed one of the hidden rules of the instance, but still obstinately chose a living person. It appeared that the danger of selecting a deceased match was far greater than anticipated.
“Loving couples wish to stick together every minute and second. Privacy is an unavoidable issue between lovers. Being too close loses novelty, being too distant lacks security,” the host revealed a chilling smile, “So, today, the first game we’re playing is Hide and Seek, one seeking and one hiding. We believe you’ll grasp the essence of companionship while seeking and hiding.”
As he finished the last word, the game’s prompt seamlessly transitioned—
【Side Quest One: Hide and Seek, also known as Blind Man’s Bluff.
Sealed Coffin Village was once a backward and secluded village, favoring sons over daughters with poor medical conditions. After years of a vicious cycle, the number of unmarried men in the village grew. To alleviate the situation, someone proposed the idea of buying brides from outside.
Li Xiaoluo was an only child who had been abducted and brought to the mountain village. Whether eating, sleeping, or moving, she remained constantly watched. At times, the families who bought her intentionally let her escape, having other villagers guard the mountain paths, only to catch her again. They called this game “Hide and Seek.”
Amidst the seeking and hiding, Li Xiaoluo’s will gradually faded until she began to conform, blending into life here.
A year later, after a New Year’s Eve dinner, Li Xiaoluo, who had never even killed a chicken, suddenly took a knife and killed a drunk village family, gouging out their eyes. She went on killing family after family, until the fourth one, where she was beaten to death when she ran out of strength.
Her final words left in the world were, “I gouged out thirteen pairs of eyes in total, so they can’t watch me anymore.”
The owners of these thirteen pairs of eyes hated Li Xiaoluo to the extreme, but couldn’t find her.
In this round of the game, if players choose to hide, the candidates and these thirteen pairs of eyes will simultaneously search for you. If you manage to hide for half an hour, you win.
If players choose to seek others, you need to find your match and a part of Li Xiaoluo’s body within thirty minutes.】
“Please make your choice within ten seconds. Ten, nine…”
Red Jacket Lady also asked Wen Shi, “Are you going to pretend to be a ghost or hide?”
Wen Shi: “Hide.”
Hiding only required doing one thing, while seeking others would involve catching two.
The other players had made their choices. Except for Ji Yuanzhi and the player named Zhou Lulu. Most of them chose to hide.
The host instructed the players acting as the ghosts to close their eyes and count silently to three hundred. Then, they gestured to the rest, indicating they could start hiding.
As everyone hurriedly scattered, Wen Shi approached the host, “Do you have a map of Sealed Coffin Village?”
The host’s smile slightly stiffened. This was the first time he encountered such a request from a guest.
It was an unreasonable request, yet logical. The host handed one over. As a goodwill gesture, he pretended to look kindly at the area circled in red pen, giving a hint, “The most dangerous place is often the safest.”
Wen Shi glanced over the map briefly. The village was encircled by mountains to the north and south. The southern range had a gradual slope, with a designated road under construction. In contrast, the northern peaks were more rugged. The map indicated a decline beneath the mountain, marked as the graveyard.
The cameraman observed him following the host’s suggestion and walking north, seemingly heading to the perilous-sounding graveyard. Confidently, he said, “Viewers love that.”
A’Sang had good stamina. Limited by his short legs, he could only jog behind.
Wen Shi lifted him up, “Scared of ghosts?”
A’Sang shook his head instinctively, then nodded, “Scared. Hold me, Daddy.”
“Okay,” Wen Shi kept his gaze on the surrounding woods, the tree canopies thick and vast, blocking out the sunlight. Even in the daytime, the forest was quite dark.
Through the gaps in the trees, one could vaguely make out pairs of malicious eyes. When Wen Shi moved, they moved too. Never blinking, those eyes tirelessly fixated on their prey.
The graveyard wasn’t too far from here. In the distance, a slightly crooked gravestone stood atop a rise. In Sealed Coffin Village, the coffins weren’t buried underground. They were all placed in the open.
The cameraman halted, not following along.
Seeing him suddenly scared, Wen Shi asked with a laugh, “Not coming along? How will you capture exciting shots?”
The cameraman opened his backpack and took out a drone.
“……” You win.
Wen Shi’s reason for choosing the graveyard was simple. It had been confirmed by the host as a dangerous spot. Red Jacket Lady also hailed from this superstitious village. Regardless of her identity, she should have some apprehension about places like graveyards and ancestral halls.
Of course, whether she did or didn’t was inconsequential. Wen Shi’s main focus was evading those thirteen pairs of eyes.
“Can you play dead?” he asked A’Sang.
A’Sang nodded.
“How convincingly?”
A’Sang thumped his chest. “Exactly, like the kind that doesn’t even breathe.”
Wen Shi patted his head. “Good child.”
The other was a zombie, so playing dead was nothing to worry about.
“Daddy, are you going to play dead too?” This time it was A’Sang who asked, a faint furrow in his brows. “Not easy to do convincingly.”
Trying to play dead convincingly was indeed difficult.
“You know nothing about your dad’s abilities.”
As they neared the graveyard, Wen Shi summoned the Wandering Corpse, followed by releasing the Old Man Ghost, and finally restored his health. After giving them a few instructions, Wen Shi lowered his head and said a few words to the child.
The child’s eyes widened instantly.
The coffin lid wasn’t nailed shut. Wen Shi set A’Sang down, took a deep breath, and pushed it open with force. A rush of cool wind hit him instantly. Just as the coffin lid had barely revealed a few centimeters of space, a ghostly claw with a swift gust of wind punctured Wen Shi’s chest directly at a lightning speed.
Amidst the rapid loss of Wen Shi’s health, the Wandering Corpse and the Old Man Ghost lying in ambush struck simultaneously. Together, they grabbed the ghostly claw, forcefully pulling out all the remains, shattering bones in the process.
The child wasn’t interested in the dry bone structure. He used his small body to catch the fallen Wen Shi. Even though the situation had been explained beforehand, the bloodstains were still chilling to see.
“D-Dad, you…”
“I’ve gotten used to it.” Ever since acquiring the bloodlock feature, dying once in every instance became a routine, like raising a flag that was sure to be planted.
Wen Shi broke into a cold sweat, “Did I scare you?”
The child shook his head. “Not scared of real death either. I-I will turn Dad into a zombie and give him eternal life.”
“……” Wen Shi was almost filially overwhelmed.
The same words, Jian Qingrong had said them too, just that he wanted to turn Wen Shi into a malevolent ghost.
With the ghost inside the coffin resolved, Wen Shi motioned with his finger, having the Wandering Corpse put him in the coffin and then letting everyone enter.
The interior of the coffin was spacious, meant for two people. Aside from the space for a corpse, there was another empty space with a set of burial clothes, resembling the attire of Sealed Coffin Village residents, just in red.
“Phew—” Wen Shi let out a relieved sigh.
The mission stated that thirteen pairs of eyes intensely hated Li Xiaoluo but couldn’t find her.
There was only one reason for not finding her—those eyes could only see living people, and since Li Xiaoluo was dead, they couldn’t capture her.
【One Strike Flattens All】would cost five thousand points. It would be a waste to use it on mere eyes, and besides, these eyes were everywhere. It wasn’t certain they could all be dealt with in one move.
Wen Shi needed to evade their eyes while still maintaining viewer ratings.
What could attract the twisted viewers more than bloodshed and violence?
With a sliver of health left, Wen Shi was exceedingly cautious, ready at all times to use a healing potion.
The Old Man Ghost and Wandering Corpse formed a double defense line. A’Sang surely had some tricks up his sleeve too. With the three of them together, even if there was an unforeseen mishap, they’d manage to hold out for a while.
The graveyard emitted a spooky ambiance, occasionally accompanied by chilly gusts of wind.
The creepy eyes that had hovered over the hill began a cautious search once their target vanished. They reached the front of each coffin, meticulously inspecting them. These eyes appeared soaked, emitting a foul stench. Even when the coffin lid was halfway open, they persisted in lowering their height, staying near the coffin, and peering inside from an angle.
No heartbeat, no breath, just a strong stench of blood.
Amidst the gusting wind, it seemed like there were faint wails.
“Where could it be…”
“Where exactly is it hidden…”
The sounds of pain and impatience gradually faded away, but Wen Shi remained still inside the coffin.
The drone circled around again and again. Below the slope, the cameraman kept his attention on the sky above. Dense leaden clouds remained gathered here, growing thicker and heavier, a sure sign of imminent rain. His filming subject, however, hadn’t come down again.
“Is he dead?”
The cameraman was quite excited.
Gruesome scenes of death could still win over the audience’s favor. The cameraman believed this risk was worth taking. As it was daytime now, the graveyard’s gloom wasn’t too overwhelming.
As an all-around cameraman, he acted as a commentator while walking, “More than twenty minutes have passed, and Mr. Aaron hasn’t appeared again. I’m currently on my way to find him. Oh, a strong scent of blood is carried on the breeze… Dear viewers, one of the coffins is opened, and there’s a lot of blood on the ground…”
The cameraman eagerly carried his camera and walked over.
Finally, he stood beside the half-open coffin, leaning in to peer inside.
Inside the coffin, the four figures—elderly, weak, sick, and disabled—all opened their eyes simultaneously, staring coldly back at him.
“Something you need?”
Thud!
The camera fell to the ground, the scene catching the cameraman completely off guard that he ended up sitting on the ground. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
His scream startled a group of birds and beasts in the nearby woods.
It wasn’t the cameraman’s fault for being scared. He wasn’t the first to visit Sealed Coffin Village. He was well aware of the kinds of deaths that awaited the guests here. But just now—
There was a hole in the chest of the man inside the coffin, and the child beside him had a bluish face, his eyes devoid of any vitality. Further out, there was a half-human, half-ghost mummy. The Wandering Corpse had temporarily vaporized its blood to fit inside the coffin, storing it in the mutated pomegranate flower seeds. At the very edge lay a withered old man’s corpse. The old man’s body was mostly bones, with just a bit of skin on his face. As his desiccated eyeballs, like shriveled grapes, bulged from their sockets, they rolled down with a “gululu” sound.
The darkness in the coffin had surpassed the gloom of the daytime graveyard.
In an instant, this darkness locked onto the cameraman. Especially when the child opened his mouth, he felt as if his soul was being sucked away, with death relentlessly closing in.
…
Beside the village well at the entrance.
Ji Yuanzhi had already found his match, at least for now she was just an ordinary woman. She was easy to find in the process of searching for Li Xiaoluo’s remains. Amidst his search, he heard distant screams.
It didn’t sound like any player’s voice.
Who could possibly be making such eerie sounds?
Time was running out, so he didn’t delve deeper. He was prepared to exhume the remains.
Finding Li Xiaoluo’s remains wasn’t too difficult for Ji Yuanzhi. He used illusions to confuse the NPCs and extracted information from them. Earlier, he had approached an elderly person in the village and learned that Li Xiaoluo’s body had been divided into eight parts after her death. The closest part was by the village well.
Midway through digging, an intense feeling of being watched from behind hit Ji Yuanzhi. He turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of an eye passing by.
He adjusted his glasses and tracked the movement of the eye, confirming it wasn’t headed towards him.
Before long, a candidate rushed over. Without even glancing at Ji Yuanzhi, the candidate hoisted a massive rock and hurled it down the well with tremendous force.
“Aah!” A muffled sound of bones collapsing mixed with a cry echoed from the bottom of the well.
This time, it was the voice of a player.
Ji Yuanzhi furrowed his brow. It seemed a player had hidden down the well. In this instance, the well, water tank, graveyard, and similar places held a stronger natural aura of darkness than others. By using such locations in combination with certain items, there was a high likelihood of deceiving the eyes of ghosts and monsters.
Unfortunately, some eyes couldn’t be fooled.
After personally witnessing the murder, the candidate looked surprised and gazed down the well. “There seems to be some sound. Did you hear it?”
Ji Yuanzhi didn’t answer and continued quietly excavating the remains.
Throughout the game, those responsible for seeking players were safe. As long as they didn’t break taboos, any monsters would ignore them. The challenge lay in finding the corpse without any clues. Those who dared to take on this task possessed innate advantages in skills and items.
Meanwhile, players in charge of hiding felt every second drag on, except for Wen Shi.
He lay inside the coffin, currently bargaining for a favor.
“You just shouted so loudly,” blood loss had left Wen Shi’s voice ethereal, “you deliberately exposed my position.”
The cameraman’s mouth twitched, unable to refute.
Wen Shi stated firmly, “You’ve disrupted the rules of hide and seek.”
The word ‘rules’ pressed down like a mountain, causing an involuntary shiver to run through the cameraman’s body.
One layer of reasoning upon another, Wen Shi continued, “Tell me the locations of all of Li Xiaoluo’s bodies, and I’m willing to reconcile.”
“Li Xiaoluo?” The cameraman clearly knew the person. His expression shifted as he swiftly refused, “No.”
With half-closed eyes, Wen Shi responded, “Just inform me after hide and seek ends.”
This request fell within an acceptable range. The cameraman hesitated for a moment before asking, “Why do you want to know this?”
“After Li Xiaoluo’s death, her body probably wouldn’t have been buried so haphazardly.”
The villagers of Sealed Coffin Village chose to dismember the body and buried the parts in different places. Such actions undoubtedly held purpose, either for suppression or to improve feng shui. Wen Shi mused calmly, “Her body has been torn apart for too long.”
The cameraman blinked. “So you mean…”
Wen Shi slowly speak a few words, “Piece it together and give her a proper burial.”
Doing a good deed each day, such as giving this person a proper burial.
The cameraman paused, and Wen Shi asked, “How much time is left?”
The cameraman checked the time reflexively, “One last minute.”
A pair of pale hands gripped the edge of the coffin, a young man covered in blood slowly sat up. A wave of eerie cold surrounded him as he tilted his head and smiled at the camera, “Dear viewers, I will bring you a completely different audiovisual experience from the previous episodes. I’ll show you the brilliance of humanity…”
The last word he spoke carried an indescribable peculiarity, quickly dissipating as Wen Shi intentionally made a cute gesture, “Remember to keep supporting me, heart~”
Just to be sure, after waiting a few more minutes, Wen Shi regained his health before officially stepping out of the coffin.
His steps seemed ethereal, still struggling to recover from his severe injuries.
The cameraman stared at the crimson stains on the young man’s chest and swallowed. “How are you still alive?”
Wen Shi didn’t flinch while lying, “I’m one of the rare few with a heart on the right side, the stab was on the left.”
For the time being, A’Sang acted as Wen Shi’s makeshift crutch, supporting him as they walked toward the depression in the mountains.
Upon arriving, only three players were waiting. After a while, Ji Yuanzhi approached, and Wen Shi noticed he didn’t have any body parts with him.
Sensing his curiousity, Ji Yuanzhi explained, “Remains can be stored in the backpack. I triggered other side quests. Failing to complete them will result in being haunted by vengeful spirits.”
Glancing at Wen Shi’s blood-stained clothes, Ji Yuanzhi guessed that this guy had died again.
Further questions from Wen Shi interrupted his thoughts, “Do the side quests require finding all of Li Xiaoluo’s body parts?”
Ji Yuanzhi shook his head, “Just need to find three parts.”
“Here.”
The hide-and-seek time was over. Earlier, the cameraman discreetly handed a note to Wen Shi with locations of Li Xiaoluo’s remains. Now, Wen Shi passed it on to Ji Yuanzhi. He unfolded it, revealing a list of eight locations, one of which was the dry well.
“This is…” His surprise was obvious, even his glasses couldn’t hide it.
Wen Shi saw Zhou Lulu walking over, “She probably found something too. With her contribution, we have all the body parts.”
Ji Yuanzhi was more curious about how he obtained the detailed locations. Wen Shi whispered, “I asked the cameraman.”
Ji Yuanzhi: “You just ask, and he gives?”
A’Sang chimed in, borrowing Wen Shi’s earlier words, “You know nothing about Dad’s abilities.”
“……”
Nine players started the game, but after a round of hide-and-seek, only eight remained, with three of them seriously injured.
The candidate paired with the deceased player disappeared. The host explained that it was because the candidate was too devoted and had gone to collect the deceased player’s remains.
No one believed this nonsense. The host gleefully continued, “After the last game, the highest-rated pair is Mr. Aaron’s! Viewers’ comments say…”
The host’s eyes widened suddenly. He leaned closer to the tablet to confirm he hadn’t misread, “They said they saw a brilliance of humanity in him, and that when he was stabbed in the heart, the blood splattered quite aesthetically.”
The host decided not to read the remaining comments and offered a reminder, “Today, there will be three mini-challenges in total. After evaluating the overall popularity, the least popular pair will be eliminated. Hope you all continue to strive!”
Wen Shi’s gaze grew heavy. This mechanism practically meant a player would die every day. He observed the people around him. Unlike the first night when everyone was willing to share clues, the players were now subtly hostile towards each other, viewing their competitors with a hint of rivalry.
The host wanted this effect. “After the loving hide-and-seek activity, the second challenge will help you get to know each other better. This challenge is…”
He deliberately drew out his tone, aiming to create suspense.
“Gift exchange! Recently, you’ve been living with your match, so they have the right to ask for a gift first.” The host grinned mysteriously, “Candidates can ask for something within reason from your romantic interest. Of course, the candidates will also give something in return.”
Ji Yuanzhi asked coldly, “What if I don’t want to give what the other person asks for?”
The host laughed, “I already mentioned it’s within a reasonable range of mutual giving. The candidates won’t go overboard. If you can’t fulfill such a small wish from your match, that shows a lack of sincerity. Then what qualifies you to participate in our dating show?”
Implicitly, this was a rule that must be followed.
The girl paired with Ji Yuanzhi blushed and spoke first, “Sweetheart, I just need you to pick ninety-nine roses from the mountains.”
Zhou Lulu’s match, a burly man, said, “I’m a simple guy who likes someone skilled at farm work. Just go into the deep mountains and bring back two bundles of firewood, but remember, they have to be branches from mulberry trees.”
Liu Yun’s match, a seemingly gentle and elder sister-like figure, eagerly said, “Would you accompany me to pay respects to my parents? Is that okay?”
One candidate after another made requests. When it came to Red Jacket Lady, she lightly pointed her rosy nails and looked at A’Sang with a hint of innocence, “I. Want. Him.”
A’Sang hugged his bowl tightly.
The villagers are inviting me for a meal.
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