Chapter 29: The Gu Tribe 28

The others did not hear Brother Cheng’s words. However, Ning Jidong was a man of deep and troubled thoughts; although he could not hear the details regarding the instance, the malicious glares from the players made his heart sink. These people were clearly working together, and no matter how vigilant he remained, his caution was no match for the eerie, supernatural methods of the players.

Brother Cheng held a knife against the young girl. As he walked over, intending to use several puppet talismans on them, he heard Liang Ye say, "Stop."

Brother Cheng dared not move. Liang Ye snatched the talismans from his hand, inspected them, and finding nothing amiss, confirmed they were indeed puppet talismans, items from an A-rank instance.

"Master Liang, please, rest assured," Brother Cheng said respectfully. "How would I dare to deceive you? Do I not value my own life?"

Liang Ye said nothing, merely letting out a cold, derisive scoff, looking at him with utter contempt. Brother Cheng didn't mind; he immediately used the talismans on the NPCs and turned to Liang Ye, asking, "Master Liang, should we be leaving now?"

Liang Ye stared at him coldly. "Don't think I don't know what you’re planning. Try playing tricks on me again, and you won't have a life left to lose."

Cold sweat dripped down Brother Cheng’s face. It was fortunate that the system placed restrictions on Liang Ye during the first few days of the instance—with such a terrifying god-like figure nearby, who wouldn't be afraid?

Before the players left, Liang Ye fixed his gaze on the girl for several long moments. Zhou Zhu felt dizzy under his stare. Just moments ago, held by the players and facing the threat of death, she hadn't cried out, but now, she truly wanted to weep. She desperately suppressed the urge, looking at the players with fearful, wet eyes. Would they kill her?

Brother Cheng slowly lowered the tip of his knife. She looked far too pitiful.

"Is she okay..." a young girl among the players asked sympathetically. This intellectually impaired NPC had gone through such a terrifying ordeal and was now scared out of her wits.

Liang Ye embraced Zhou Zhu. The body in his arms was trembling to a frightening degree. Assuming it was purely out of terror, his voice involuntarily softened. "Zhu Zhu, don't be afraid... I’ll have them take you back."

"Okay," Zhou Zhu muttered. Her soft face rested against his sternum, feeling painfully hard. Beneath Liang Ye's fair skin, faint blue veins were visible. His exquisite, cold features and silver hair gave him an air of aloofness and mysterious arrogance.

Liang Ye called Ning Jidong and his two sons over, looking down at them from his height. "She is your master."

The men’s eyes glazed over for a moment, and they nodded. Liang Ye gave a disgruntled scoff, coldly scrutinizing the NPCs for a few seconds. Ning Jidong submitted to his inspection, while Ning Cheng and Ning Yan remained silent, knowing they had no power to resist.

"Take good care of her on the way back," Liang Ye commanded. If not for the system’s restrictions, he wouldn't be staying in the players' camp right now. He would have kept a firm, death-grip watch over the girl himself, rather than relying on these NPCs to protect her. The boy's eyes were dark and cold as an abyss, his silver hair seeming to radiate a violent aura. In a while... in just a little while longer, he would slaughter all these people, one by one.

As the man’s hand supported her waist, Zhou Zhu finally realized how wrong she felt. Her head was burning, and her forehead was hot. The lingering scent of blood from the players still clung to her nostrils, but she fought it with all her might. Her soul trembled from the intense fear and unease; she must not be treated as a bloodthirsty monster!

No matter whose blood it was, she must not drink it. She could not—she absolutely could not—become something like a vampire, someone who would abandon human conscience and stop at nothing to survive. If she became that, she would be trapped in this horror game instance forever. And if that happened, could she even be considered human anymore?

Ning Cheng looked at her with a slightly strange expression. The girl seemed to be running a fever. They had been placed under the puppet talismans, but they hadn't lost their senses; Brother Cheng’s talismans only ensured that they could harbor no malice or ill intent toward the subject. Now, the girl’s feverish state worried him.

"Are you not feeling well?" Ning Cheng asked in a low, cold, and clear voice. "What exactly is wrong?"

Zhou Zhu kept her head down, whispering, "It's nothing. Perhaps the smell of blood here is too strong... I think I’m just a little dizzy." She even offered a pitiful apology, her slender shoulders trembling, looking as if she were about to faint. "I-I'm sorry... did I scare you...?"

Ning Cheng was silent for a long time. He had been afraid of his own intrusive thoughts and hadn't dared to get too close, but in the end, he reached out to steady her swaying, near-fainting body. He couldn't just let her fall and get hurt.

—

The scene was simply too...

Ning Yan had only just recovered from the dizziness of the puppet talisman. He had been carrying his father, who had passed out midway, and the moment he opened his eyes, he saw his brother holding the young girl in his arms. From his angle, he could see his brother—who was usually cold, heartless, and stone-faced—now showing none of his former cruelty.

"Are you alright?" his brother was asking, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Blood, or whatever you need... I’ll give it all to you, alright?"

Ning Yan stared at the scene in shock. "Brother," he snapped, grabbing his brother and pulling him away from the girl, his tone sharp. "What are you doing?"

Ning Cheng’s body stiffened slightly.

"Father’s life is still hanging in the balance, and you’re... getting cozy?" For reasons unknown, Ning Yan threw out a snide, mocking remark.

Ning Cheng took a deep breath. "She isn't right... she might be unwell, she seems delirious... I was just steadying her."

What could possibly be wrong with her? Ning Yan kept his handsome, refined face tight, still carrying Ning Jidong, and refused to speak.

"N-Ning Cheng?"

When Ning Cheng set the girl down, Ning Yan finally noticed something strange. "What... what is wrong with her?"

The girl looked up at them, her eyes unfocused. *No, I must not become a monster like a vampire...*

Ning Cheng’s face had turned pale, whether from his own condition or from blood loss, it was hard to tell. "I don't know."

Perhaps it was a curse. A bloodthirsty curse, as strange as those suspicious tourists.

"Ning Yan," Ning Cheng said, his cold eyes lowered, inviting his younger brother to join him. "My blood alone... is not enough."