Chapter 64.2 Crazy Love Season
After heavy rain, the next day’s sky remained overcast. It was still a cloudy day.
The wedding had ended quite late, so the crew and the candidates had all stayed at the old mansion last night. Before 8 o’clock, the crew members began to notify the participants to wake up and prepare for the new day’s recording.
The host looked much wearier, no amount of makeup could hide the dark circles under his eyes.
Even more enthusiastic than the show’s crew were the households A’Sang had persuaded. They gathered at the mansion’s entrance early in the morning, catching the attention of the camera crew. They immediately surrounded the cameraman, expressing their desire to join as candidates.
A crew member reported this to the host.
The host gave them a sharp look. “How can this be allowed? Candidates need to be carefully selected.”
Of course, this “careful selection” essentially meant choosing those who had sponsored the show.
The crew member wore a mournful expression. “Didn’t you forget? Those who sponsored before were all present at the wedding yesterday. Bad news travels far. In their circle, there probably won’t be anyone willing to sponsor our show anymore.”
The host paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his face clouded. After two days, he had been nursing a grudge. His original plan was to find another formidable candidate to pair up with that damned Aaron and crush the opponent. However, he had overlooked the events at the wedding. For the time being, he might not be able to find anyone.
Only the naive and impoverished monsters and villagers of Sealed Coffin Village would eagerly sign up.
Suddenly, the host slowed his steps and revealed a bizarre smile. “Fine, let them participate.”
The crew member dutifully carried out their tasks, informing the villagers who had come.
…
At breakfast, Wen Shi, who had been treated with great respect just yesterday, shot a glance at Red Jacket Lady’s father. The latter reluctantly moved aside and sat in another spot. Wen Shi seized the main seat.
“Enjoy your meal, everyone.”
He acted like a true host, entertaining everyone during the meal.
A player whispered, “We’re all on the same show, but why is there such a big difference in fate?”
Ji Yuanzhi replied calmly, “Because while you were still doing dating shows, he already got married.”
“……”
After breakfast, the host led the players and candidates outside.
At the entrance, stood at least seven or eight villagers. As soon as they saw Wen Shi coming out, they lined up and grinned.
Wen Shi looked puzzled.
A’Sang was especially satisfied, feeling it was super cool that all the households he had visited had shown up.
The deformed man standing in the center spoke first, “We’ve come for Mr. Aaron.”
Wen Shi tentatively guessed, “To apply as candidates?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
From the first day when no one paid any attention to him on stage, to now when others were approaching him, Wen Shi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Could it be that the saying is really coming true…”
Player Zhou Lulu instinctively responded, “That there is much trouble in front of a widower’s door?”
Wen Shi looked at her deeply and finished the interrupted sentence, “If you bloom, the gentle breeze will come.”
Zhou Lulu smiled awkwardly.
The cameras didn’t miss this moment. The host addressed the camera, “To provide more options for our special guest and to console Mr. Aaron in his bereavement, the production team has specially arranged eight candidates for him. We believe that before the sun sets, Mr. Aaron will surely find another person who captures his heart.”
A’Sang felt a bit wronged. It was clearly him who brought them.
Wen Shi glanced at the odd-looking individuals near the entrance—those with wide tops and narrow bottoms, missing limbs, or fangs almost touching their chins. It was like a showcase of deformities.
“The production team has gone through quite a bit of effort.” They managed to gather such a variety.
A’Sang squeezed Wen Shi’s palm and finally couldn’t hold back, “I went door to door last night to bring them here.”
“……”
Wen Shi remained silent for a full ten seconds, understanding A’Sang’s well-intentioned efforts. At least he had managed to secure options for himself.
Among them, the man with a slightly regular appearance had a deformed head.
Seeing Wen Shi looking at him, the deformed man widened his smile, completely unaware of the vial hanging around the child’s chest, with an eye inside it staring blankly at him.
Host: “I believe today will definitely be an exciting day!”
If quality wasn’t up to par, then they’d make up for it with quantity. The host didn’t believe that eight villagers wouldn’t be able to deal with a single guest. The one trouble he had was resolved as well. The host displayed an electronic notice, “The main station sent an overnight notification banning the use of controlled cutting weapons during the program recording.”
None of the players present had a primary attack skill, except for Liu Yun who could use a whip, which didn’t fall under controlled cutting weapons. Therefore, this ban was clearly aimed at Wen Shi.
Wen Shi really wanted to say that it wasn’t necessary at all. He only had a little over five thousand points left, and he couldn’t afford to be messed with further. Moreover, they only mentioned the ban during program recording. In a different light, he could still use them during breaks.
Red Jacket Lady’s house was positioned deeper in the village, occupying a large area. Once players left her property, they were surprised to find many villagers outside. Villagers dressed in black mourning clothes finally gained some popularity. Some were carrying carts of chickens and geese, others were herding cattle, and there were villager leading large black dogs that were skinny and emitting a foul smell. This was a corpse dog, raised on a diet of corpses. Chickens crowed, cows mooed, the dog let out a muffled breath… the scene was a mix of smoky atmosphere, making the entire Sealed Coffin Village come alive.
The host was excitedly introducing today’s activities, as if having anticipated this moment for a long time.
“The upcoming segment is quite interesting. We’re going to the marketplace. However, the marketplace is a bit far from here, and you’ll have to pass through a foggy area. If you’re not careful, you might get lost. You’ll need to consult with the villagers first and have them guide you. Each villager has a different method of transportation, so be sure to choose wisely.”
The production team gave each pair two hundred yuan and emphasized, “Remember, all expenses can only be paid using the money we provided.”
Ji Yuanzhi’s match, who had been injured during her wedding, had been sitting in a wheelchair. The wheelchair had been crafted by Ji Yuanzhi himself. He bent down and whispered near the girl’s ear, like a lover, “You’ve spent time in the village. Do you know how to get to the marketplace?”
The girl shook her head vigorously, “Only a few villagers are eligible to go to the marketplace. I’m not one of them.”
Surprisingly, Ji Yuanzhi believed her words.
Wen Shi’s candidates also said they were too poor and had never been to the market.
Without allowing players more time to think, some villagers had already set off. Once everyone was gone, the players wouldn’t have a choice anymore.
Wen Shi focused his attention on a man who was nearby herding cattle. Before he could even speak, the owner of the cattle waved him away, “Get in line, I’ll only choose one pair.”
Wen Shi hurriedly explained, “No, they’re not pairs. They’re all my candidates.”
“One, two… eight?!” The cattle owner’s eyes widened as he counted, “Are you kidding? Get out of here. My cattle can’t carry so many people!”
Wen Shi pursed his lips. As he stepped back, another player immediately filled the spot and began negotiating with the cattle owner.
Wen Shi then turned his gaze toward an elder who had a cart full of chickens and ducks. Before he even got close, the old man started shooing him away, “Zhao Er, Hu Dazhuang… these beggars always come to my house to steal chickens. Get lost quickly.”
It was obvious that the elder disliked Wen Shi’s candidates due to their poverty and stubbornness.
It seemed like the host had picked a bone with Wen Shi, as a gust of wind brought the host next to him, “Oh, it looks like no one wants to take this group of participants to the market.”
Wen Shi ignored the host’s mockery.
The strategy of the bandits was to follow behind when others set off. However, there was a foggy section along the way, making it likely for them to get lost.
To put it plainly, the issue was the large number of candidates and their poor quality. Squinting his eyes, Wen Shi realized he had to figure out a way to get to the marketplace.
Half of the villagers had already left the village. Suddenly, Wen Shi raised his voice, “A matchmaking through martial arts contest! Whoever wins will have the chance to accompany me in and out of the grand mansion. Besides material possessions, my life will also belong to the winner.”
Whether they were human or ghost, everyone wanted to “borrow life” For exanplez the reason why the participants were willing to join the show was to claim the players’ lives.
Money couldn’t sway the villagers who were eligible to go to the market, but Wen Shi believed his life could.
As expected, this sentence caught the attention of the villagers leaving the village.
An elderly man with a limp asked, “What’s the rule for this marriage contest?”
Wen Shi: “How about all of you fight for me?”
“……”
A’Sang thumped his chest, “I’m also my dad’s possession, and my life can be taken too.”
The villagers weren’t fools. They wouldn’t turn on each other and harm themselves. They simply turned around and left.
Most of the players thought Wen Shi was being fanciful. They gradually negotiated the price and left one by one.
Ji Yuanzhi raised an eyebrow at Wen Shi, who waved his hand, indicating he should go first.
By suggesting something outrageous first and then introducing a more feasible option, people often found the latter reasonable, even like a pie in the sky. Suddenly, Wen Shi took a proactive step towards the camera, “This martial arts contest will be guarded by me and my close friends until 12:04 am. Interested viewers can also participate.”
The host was amused. Wasn’t this seeking death? Opening the ghost gate at midnight, even if it was just for four minutes, was enough for a batch of evil spirits to arrive.
With the current ban on the use of controlled cutting weapons, this bastard wasn’t worth fearing. The host was sharp-eyed and realized that the one who could play the harp had neither strong attack power nor endurance. And as for the little kid, he couldn’t possibly handle a large number of evil spirits all at once.
Only crazy villagers would compete with evil spirits. They quickly left one after another.
The candidates were furious, accusing Wen Shi of being fickle.
Wen Shi ignored all this. His target audience was the viewers, and he indeed succeeded in getting their attention.
The viewers were not humans. They wanted to witness the special guest fleeing in terror, experiencing a tragic scene before his death, rather than seeing how the special guest tormented ghosts. They had been feeling frustrated over the past two days, wishing they could step in themselves. Now, the opportunity had come. They flooded the live chat with messages, expressing their determination to join in tonight.
The production team wanted to hear the viewers’ opinions. With the sudden surge in viewer numbers, the host was overjoyed.
However, Wen Shi started acting aloof at this point, “Alright, I’m going back to my room to get some sleep. See you all tonight.”
The host hurriedly stopped him, “The daytime activities…”
Wen Shi interrupted, “We’re going to fight at night, who has the energy to go to the market?”
It was a strict rule for program recording guests to participate. Intentionally not participating would lead to a gruesome death. But now, with Wen Shi’s martial arts contest sparking viewers’ interest, he had become the guarantee for ratings. If he died, the host could vent his frustration, but the ratings would definitely drop.
Following the game’s pattern, Wen Shi dangled a huge reward, making the viewers all want a taste.
The host had no choice but to lower his status, “You’re my great uncle, my ancestor. Please, I’m begging you, grace us with your presence.”
The rules were unyielding, and those who violated them ended up dead. Wen Shi knew he couldn’t skip the daytime activities, but he didn’t immediately agree, “What about those carts for carrying chickens and stuff? Can I rest well sitting on them?”
There were no cars in the village, and all the villagers had left, leaving only a small, worn-out cart.
The host grew a bit anxious.
At the right moment, Wen Shi suggested, “How about this? Put some extra layers of padding on the cart, and you can be the cartman.”
The nearby crew member’s pupils widened. This was the first time in their professional careers that they met a person behaving so imperiously to such an extent.
The host was insulted, yet the number of viewers continued to increase. The more arrogant Wen Shi behaved now, the more they looked forward to his brutal death when the Ghost Gate opened at midnight.
Wen Shi’s lips curved upward, a mixture of caution and eagerness. For these viewers, it seemed like the darkness before dawn, which paradoxically stirred up their anticipation.
The host gritted his teeth. “You need to sign a guarantee, promising to hold the martial arts contest tonight, and only your close friends and family can participate in guarding the challenge. You can’t deliberately alter the rules to provoke chaos among the participants.”
Wen Shi smiled. “Of course.”
“Good.” The host had the production team draft an electronic contract and borrowed some padding from a villager’s house. Then, he walked up to Wen Shi with a sturdy professional smile, gesturing, “Please.”
Wen Shi held the child dignifiedly as he got onto the cart. He glanced at the dumbfounded candidates beside him. “You too, get on.”
Experiencing a human-pulled cart for the first time felt fine. He urged, “Move quickly, or else others will reach the market, and there’ll be no one to host.”
He wore an expression that was evidently considerate of the program’s needs.
Seeing the continuously rising ratings, the host smiled superficially, “Alright, sit tight, and I’ll accelerate.”
Enjoy your moment of pride now. Tonight, you’ll learn what it means to be worse off than dead. The evil spirits emerging from the Ghost Gate were the most terrifying lunatics, experts in tormenting people in the most gruesome ways.
A’Sang held his bowl with a hint of worry. “Dad, if there are too many of them, I might not be able to handle it.”
Or perhaps he could turn his dad into a zombie now. If they fought together, they might be able to secure a victory.
The host’s ears perked up, catching A’Sang’s lack of confidence. His smile finally held some genuine emotion. Very well, they could all die later.
Leaning lazily on the small cart, a faint smile touched Wen Shi’s lips, “Don’t worry, it’s only four minutes, I’ll hold my ground.”
He took out the【Family Crest】and lightly traced the raised pattern with his fingertips.
…My lunatic “big brother-in-law,” it’s your turn tonight.
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