The Game with Fairies

In the game world, Xiao Yecao had grown from the skinny child she was at the beginning into a young girl.

At the age of fourteen, her figure had almost reached Li Muyang’s chest, and although years of living in the village had left her weak from constant bloodletting, she was much better off than the emaciated street child she had been at the start.

Under Li Muyang’s careful nurturing, the young girl gained weight and her skin became delicate.

Her long ponytail, tied behind her head, swayed as she walked, adding a touch of cuteness.

From the outside, Xiao Yecao looked just like any other village girl.

The only flaw was her pale skin from constant bloodletting, which made her look lethargic and somewhat wilted.

Listening to Xiao Yecao’s curious question, Li Muyang, walking ahead, said, “Granny Gu has asked us to see her. She said she has something to discuss…”

Li Muyang was also curious about what Granny Gu wanted with him.

The progression of this nurturing game was uneventful throughout the second stage.

The content consisted of nothing more than feeding her every day and accompanying her all the time, which took up much of Li Muyang’s time.

After passing the second stage, the nurturing in the third stage also started without incident, still the daily feeding routine.

This repetitive and monotonous routine almost made Li Muyang think that the rest of the game would continue this way.

But then, Granny Gu suddenly had something for him.

Li Muyang wondered if the peaceful routine was about to be broken?

He and Xiao Yecao climbed the stone steps of Black Cloud Village, step by step until they reached the ancestral temple at the top of the village.

The old temple looked like a giant skull and somewhat gloomy. Beside it, there is a twisted ancient tree with gnarled branches on the cliff.

With a kind smile, Granny Gu sat on the steps in front of the temple, her head wrapped in black cloth that resembled a black halo.

She was no different from the other elders in the village, dressed in simple and old clothes and with a kind and gentle smile.

Seeing Li Muyang and Xiao Yecao arrive, Granny Gu cheerfully said, “Little Fish, do you have time today? This old woman would like to ask for your help.”

The mysterious Granny Gu seemed very approachable.

As the old woman finished speaking, two options popped up in front of Li Muyang.

【Of course, no problem. Granny Gu, what do you need me to do?】

【Help? But Granny Gu, today is the day Xiao Yecao goes to the mountains for bloodletting. If we’re late, Steward Wu will surely scold us.】

The two options appeared, and Li Muyang saved the game without a second thought.

Such choices could lead to different outcomes, so Li Muyang saved the game first as a precaution before making a selection.

“Help? But Granny Gu, today is the day Xiao Yecao goes to the mountains for bloodletting. If we’re late, Steward Wu will surely scold us…”

Li Muyang hesitantly uttered even this sentence.

Under the morning light, Granny Gu cheerfully stood up, shaking her head with a smile, “No worries, it won’t take much of your time.”

With that, the old woman turned and walked towards the ancestral temple.

Li Muyang and Xiao Yecao exchanged glances and followed her.

The three of them, one in front and two behind climbed the small staircase in front of the ancestral temple, and then Granny Gu opened the large doors of the temple while hunching her back. �

Instantly, a chilling wind blew out from within, and Li Muyang felt a cold shiver run through his body.

Although it was an interactive game, this immersive experience was almost indistinguishable from reality.

Granny Gu stood at the entrance, smiling at Li Muyang and Xiao Yecao.

“Go on in…”

Li Muyang and Xiao Yecao stepped through the temple’s grand entrance together, but the doors behind them closed instantly the moment they entered.

Surprisingly, the kindly smiling Granny Gu did not enter the ancestral temple but stayed outside the door.

This strange situation made Xiao Yecao subconsciously move closer to Li Muyang.

Li Muyang then called out, “Granny Gu…”

However, as soon as he spoke, a low and hoarse voice came from the depths of the dark and eerie ancestral temple.

“I’m here… come in.”

Although Granny Gu was clearly locked outside the main gate, her voice was now coming from deep within the ancestral temple.

Xiao Yecao and Li Muyang looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes.

Curious and nervous, they walked towards the dark depths of the temple, where two rows of dim oil lamps floated and vaguely formed a path.

“This ancestral temple… is it really this big inside?”

Li Muyang murmured in confusion.

He and Xiao Yecao had been walking along this path formed by the floating oil lamps for a long time, probably for several hundred meters.

Could such a small ancestral temple have such a vast interior space?

Xiao Yecao nervously looked around while clutching the corner of Li Muyang’s clothes and said cautiously,

“It wasn’t like this the last time I came to the ancestral temple…”

There seemed to be a strange presence drifting about in the darkness, and the light from the two rows of oil lamps could not illuminate anything.

It was as if something was blocking the light, preventing Li Muyang and the others from even seeing the path beneath their feet.

Eventually, the two reached the end of the path marked by the oil lamps and saw a large oil lamp standing in the darkness.

Instead of a wick, there sat an old woman, Granny Gu, hunched over and sitting cross-legged.

Her smile was warm, her back hunched, her face almost buried in her chest as if her aged spine could no longer support her neck.

She wore a strange robe covered in dark green patterns, draped over her like a shroud, covering her entire body except for her wrinkled face.

Seeing Li Muyang and Xiao Yecao arrive, Granny Gu’s face revealed a hint of a smile.

“Little Fish, do you still remember the promise you made to me back then?”

“Now, this old woman has come to collect on that promise.”

The old woman’s words echoed in the darkness.

In the endless darkness around, there seemed to be some kind of restlessness stirring, and faintly, it appeared as if countless eerie shadows were moving about.

Xiao Yecao, gripped by fear, clutched Li Muyang’s hand and murmured, “Elder Brother…”

Li Muyang was also somewhat panicked, mainly because the scene in the ancestral temple was too eerie, making it difficult for someone like him who was afraid of ghosts.

But after all, it was a game, so Li Muyang tried to look at the old woman with composure and said, “Granny Gu, please tell me.”

The old woman sitting on the candlestick laughed softly, her voice hoarse as she said,

“That Steward Wu in the village, this old woman wants his heart… can you go and dig it out for me?”

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