“Big brother, where are we going today?”
On the slate road of Black Cloud Fort, Little Wild Grass followed behind Li Muyang with a curious face, asking as such.
In the game world, Little Wild Grass had grown from the skinny young child she was at the very beginning into the half-grown girl she was now.
At the age of fourteen, she was in the throes of physical development.
Her stature had nearly reached Li Muyang’s chest—years spent living in the fort had left her frail, after all, she was often bled.
But no matter how frail, she was much better off than the emaciated orphan she had been at the start.
Under Li Muyang’s careful nurturing, the girl’s body had filled out, her skin became fair and tender, brimming with collagen.
The chest of her villager’s attire showed the faint bulges of development.
Her long ponytail tied behind her head swung with each step she took, adding a touch of cuteness.
From the outside, Little Wild Grass now looked entirely like an ordinary village girl.
The only flaw was the paleness of her skin caused by constant bleeding, which made her look listless and somewhat wilted.
Listening to Little Wild Grass’s curious question, Li Muyang, walking ahead, replied, “Grandma Gu said she needed to see us, she mentioned she has something to talk about…”
Li Muyang was also curious, wondering what Grandma Gu needed from him.
The progression of this nurturing game, during the entire Second Phase, had been smooth sailing, solely comprising day after day of feeding and accompaniment, taking up a great deal of Li Muyang’s time.
After passing the Second Phase, the nurturing in the Third Phase also began without any incident and was still made up of the daily feeding routine.
This repetitive and monotonous daily life had almost made Li Muyang believe that the upcoming tasks would all be similar ones.
But it was at this point that Grandma Gu suddenly had something for him.
Li Muyang guessed that perhaps the tranquil everyday life was about to be disrupted?
He and Little Wild Grass ascended the blue stone steps of Black Cloud Fort one by one until they finally arrived at the ancestral temple at the top of the settlement.
The ancient temple looked like a giant skull, slightly ominous, with a twisted ancient tree tangled on the cliff beside it.
The kind-looking Grandma Gu sat on the steps in front of the temple, her head wrapped with black cloth in circles as though she was wearing a black halo.
She didn’t seem different from the other elders in the village—dressed simply and worn, with a kind smile and gentle demeanor.
Seeing Li Muyang bringing Little Wild Grass over, Grandma Gu said with a chuckle.
“Little Fish, do you have free time today? This old lady would like to ask for your help with something.”
The mysterious Grandma Gu seemed very approachable.
As the old woman finished speaking, two options popped up before Li Muyang’s eyes.
[Of course, there’s no problem. What do you need us to do, Grandma Gu?]
[Help out… But Grandma Gu, today is Little Wild Grass’s day to go to the mountains for blood extraction. If we’re late, Manager Wu is definitely going to scold us]
…
The two options popped up, and without a second word, Li Muyang saved his game.
It seemed all GAL players were prone to save-scumming.
Given that the choice could lead to different outcomes, Li Muyang saved first as a precaution before making a decision.
“Help out? But Grandma Gu, today is Little Wild Grass’s day to go to the mountains for blood extraction. If we’re late, Manager Wu is definitely going to scold…”
Li Muyang hesitantly spoke the line.
But under the morning light, Grandma Gu cheerfully stood up, shaking her head with a smile, “No worries, it won’t take up much of your time.”
With that, the old woman turned and walked toward the ancestral temple.
Li Muyang and Little Wild Grass exchanged glances and followed suit.
The trio climbed up the small staircase in front of the ancestral temple, one by one, before Granny Gu, hunched over, opened the grand doors of the temple.
In an instant, a sinister cold wind blew out from the temple, and Li Muyang, standing at the entrance, felt a chill throughout his body.
Although it was an interactive game, the immersive experience felt almost no different from reality.
Granny Gu stood at the entrance, smiling at Li Muyang and Little Wild Grass.
“Come in…”
Li Muyang and Little Wild Grass stepped through the temple’s grand doors simultaneously, yet the moment they entered, the doors behind them shut instantly.
The kindly smiling Granny Gu, surprisingly, did not enter the ancestral temple but remained outside the door.
This peculiar situation made Little Wild Grass subconsciously move closer to Li Muyang.
Li Muyang then spoke, “Granny Gu…”
However, as soon as he spoke, a deep, hoarse voice of an old person came from the depths of the dark and sinister ancestral temple.
“I’m here… come in.”
Although Granny Gu had been shut out, her voice was now coming from deep within the temple.
Little Wild Grass and Li Muyang exchanged glances, both saw surprise in the other’s eyes.
The two of them, curious yet nervous, walked towards the dark depths of the temple. The darkness was dotted with two rows of dim oil lamps, vaguely forming a path.
“Is this ancestral temple really that big inside…”
Li Muyang murmured in confusion; he and Little Wild Grass had followed this path of floating oil lamps for a long while, probably for several hundred meters.
A small ancestral temple with such a huge interior space?
Little Wild Grass, clutching the hem of Li Muyang’s clothes, looked around nervously and cautiously said.
“It wasn’t like this the last time I came to the ancestral temple…”
There seemed to be a strange aura floating in the darkness, and the light from the two rows of floating oil lamps seemed unable to illuminate anything, as if something was blocking the light, preventing Li Muyang and the others from even seeing the path under their feet.
Eventually, the two reached the end of the path marked by oil lamps, where they saw a huge oil lamp standing in the darkness.
But atop this oil lamp, instead of a wick, sat a hunched old woman, Granny Gu, with her knees crossed.
Her face was kind and gentle, her back hunched over, her face nearly buried in her chest, as if her aged spine could no longer support her neck.
She was cloaked in a strange robe adorned with dark turquoise patterns, like a shroud wrapped around her body and head.
Only her wrinkled face was exposed.
Seeing the arrival of Li Muyang and Little Wild Grass, a hint of a smile appeared on Granny Gu’s ancient face.
“Little fish, do you remember a request you promised me long ago?”
“Now, the old woman has come to collect on that promise.”
The words of the old woman echoed in the darkness.
The endless darkness around them seemed to stir, and within it, one could vaguely make out the movement of countless eerie shadows.
Little Wild Grass, gripped by fear, clutched Li Muyang’s hand and murmured, “Big brother…”
Li Muyang too was somewhat panicked; the scenes within this ancestral temple were too strange, overwhelming for someone afraid of ghosts like him.
But after all, it was just a game – Li Muyang composed himself and looked at the old woman, saying, “Please tell me, Granny Gu.”
The old woman, sitting hunched on the candlestick, chuckled lowly, her voice hoarse as she said.
“That steward Wu from Black Cloud Fort, the old woman wants his heart… can you go and dig it out for me?”