"Let's go."
At this moment, Ye Ming suddenly reached out and grabbed Jiang Xiuxiu's sleeve.
"The others have already gone far ahead. We're falling behind," he said softly.
Jiang Xiuxiu was slightly startled, she quickly came back to her senses, and realized they had fallen behind the main group.
Meanwhile, the curtain of the sedan by the riverbank, which had been lifted by the wind, had fallen back down, completely concealing whatever was inside.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xiuxiu averted her gaze and followed Ye Ming toward the departing players.
They walked quickly, and before long, they left behind the sounds of gongs and drums.
Soon after, the players found the Wang household.
Compared to other residences, the Wang house seemed much more desolate. The courtyard was in disarray, covered in dust, clearly uninhabited for a long time.
They barged in, kicked open the wooden door, and quickly tidied up the place.
Then, the players divided the rooms.
Jiang Xiuxiu and Ye Ming got the woodshed at the back of the courtyard.
They found some quilts in the cabinet and spread them on the floor.
Then, the two locked the door and went out to search for information.
Considering the delicate stance of the surrounding NPCs, Jiang Xiuxiu didn't plan to ask them for information but decided to first explore the Wang household to see if she could find anything.
From the layout and rooms of the Wang household, Jiang Xiuxiu could deduce that it was a typical rural family of five: grandparents, parents, and Wang Xiaoyue.
However, after a thorough search, Jiang Xiuxiu discovered that while the house might suffice as a temporary shelter for the players, it seemed too empty to be a home.
There were no clothes in the wardrobes, no common family photos, and many cabinets were either empty or filled with miscellaneous trash.
It was as if the place had been ransacked.
Jiang Xiuxiu checked Wang Xiaoyue's room, finding only a few damaged dolls and certificates on the wall, with nothing else of note.
The only remaining items were a few yellowed elementary school textbooks.
"The other rooms are the same," said Ye Ming, who had just returned from searching the parents' room. "There are no important items left, only some worn-out clothes and quilts."
Seeing this, Jiang Xiuxiu had a hunch.
After Wang Xiaoyue disappeared, or had an accident, the other family members likely moved away.
They took valuable items and necessities and left the village.
As for other items, like kitchen utensils, they left them behind.
Anything related to Wang Xiaoyue, possibly out of sentimental reasons, was also taken.
Thus, the players could obtain limited information from the Wang household.
To uncover the truth behind Wang Xiaoyue's disappearance, they would need to investigate further outside.
Understanding this, Jiang Xiuxiu felt somewhat disappointed.
On the bright side, players who could cook could fend for themselves in the game.
After picking some vegetables in the courtyard, the female players prepared a meal with the leftover rice.
Hours flew by, and soon it was getting late.
The sky outside the village was overcast, and as night fell, the entire village was shrouded in darkness.
Jiang Xiuxiu and Ye Ming searched diligently for another hour, confirming there was no basement or similar hidden place in the Wang household.
Afterward, they decided to return to their room and get some sleep.
It was their first day in the game, they had spent some time on the bus earlier and later wandered around the village.
As the time neared nine o'clock, everyone started feeling sleepy.
After washing up, Jiang Xiuxiu went into the woodshed and lay down on the makeshift bed.
For safety reasons, Ye Ming slept not far from her.
The environment in the woodshed was harsh, with drafts everywhere and a damp floor.
Lying in the cold bedding, Jiang Xiuxiu felt this was the most challenging environment she had encountered in her gaming experience.
Trying to suppress the discomfort, Jiang Xiuxiu began to recall everything that had happened during the day, hoping to discover any useful information.
Soon, she drifted into sleep amidst her chaotic thoughts.
As the saying goes, what you think about during the day will appear in your dreams at night.
Before falling asleep, Jiang Xiuxiu kept thinking about the bridal procession she saw by the riverbank, and she ended up dreaming about it.
"Jiang Xiuxiu, Jiang Xiuxiu..."
In the beginning of her dream, she was also lying in the woodshed, sleeping.
But in her dream, she was awakened by a familiar voice calling her name.
The voice was soft, as if the speaker was trying not to attract attention.
In the dream, Jiang Xiuxiu easily woke up to the sound.
She opened her eyes, got up from the bed, and opened the door of the woodshed, following the source of the voice.
Outside the door stood a slender woman in her twenties.
She wore a strange white dress, with long, thick black hair cascading down her back.
She stood quietly in the desolate courtyard, bathed in cold moonlight, her skin appearing unnaturally pale.
At this moment, the woman had her back to Jiang Xiuxiu.
It was she who had called out to her.
"Jiang Xiuxiu, long time no see," the woman said softly, still with her back turned.
Jiang Xiuxiu was sure that she didn't know this woman.
But when the woman spoke, Jiang Xiuxiu uncontrollably asked, "Wang Xiaoyue?"
The woman's back trembled slightly, her voice becoming even more ethereal. "It's me."
She admitted it.
In the dream, Jiang Xiuxiu had an unusual clarity.
Seeing the woman's back, a strange intuition told her that she was dreaming.
If it were real, Jiang Xiuxiu would be cautious and remain silent.
However, for some reason, her dream self was completely different from her real self.
After confirming that the person in front of her was Wang Xiaoyue, the dream Jiang Xiuxiu panicked and urgently asked, "Where did you go? We are all looking for you. What happened to you?"
"You want to know where I went?"
Upon hearing Jiang Xiuxiu's question, the woman let out a strange, soft laugh.
She slowly turned around, her voice becoming eerie yet gentle, filled with a kind of allure. "If you want to know the answer, follow me."
Under the bright moonlight, Wang Xiaoyue turned around, facing Jiang Xiuxiu.
At some point, her dress had changed from a thin white dress to a luxurious, intricate red wedding gown.
And her face, once that of an ordinary person, had become that of a paper bride.
She was the paper bride Jiang Xiuxiu had seen in the sedan by the riverbank.
The next second, Jiang Xiuxiu woke up abruptly.
In the darkness, she opened her eyes.
No one was calling her, no strange woman, the room was silent, with only her and Ye Ming's faint breathing.
Soft moonlight streamed in through the wooden window.
Jiang Xiuxiu moved her hands and feet slightly, feeling the coldness of her bedding.
What did that dream mean?
Jiang Xiuxiu was bewildered but had a bad premonition.
Especially now that she was awake.
According to the rules, ghosts generally wouldn't attack sleeping players at night, but awake players were in great danger.
As Jiang Xiuxiu thought of this, she suddenly heard a faint sound in the distance.
It was the same sound of gongs and drums she had heard during the day.
What was going on? Were they having a wedding ceremony at midnight?
Holding her breath, Jiang Xiuxiu listened carefully.
Then she realized that as time passed, the noise was getting louder.
The ceremony was coming towards them.
Were they heading for her?
Jiang Xiuxiu's palms were sweaty with fear.
After what felt like an eternity, the ceremony finally stopped outside the Wang household.
Then, they all fell silent.
"The promising time has arrived."
The festive wedding announcement broke through the stillness, reaching her ears.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu's face changed instantly.
She was in danger now, she couldn't stay awake.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xiuxiu grabbed a piece of wood beside the woodshed.
She aimed at the back of her neck and, without thinking, hit herself hard.
She didn't want to play with these people, if she was discovered, she would most likely die.
If they had the ability, they could wake her up again.
As the wood hit her, a dull pain spread instantly.
The next moment, Jiang Xiuxiu blacked out completely.
The next morning, Jiang Xiuxiu was awakened by Ye Ming's shaking.
Rubbing her still sore neck, she saw the bright sunlight outside and knew she had made it through the night safely.
It seemed that as long as she could fall asleep in time, she could avoid danger.
However, considering her physical condition, she couldn't use this method frequently.
Jiang Xiuxiu thought for a moment and told Ye Ming about her experience the previous night.
"A dream?"
However, after hearing about Jiang Xiuxiu's experience, Ye Ming looked puzzled. "I slept well last night and didn't dream of any of this."
So, she was the only one who dreamed about Wang Xiaoyue?
Jiang Xiuxiu was a bit confused.
Afterward, the two washed up and went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
While eating, Jiang Xiuxiu observed the other players.
Soon, she noticed that after the night, three female players were missing.
Apart from this, the male players seemed energetic, while all the remaining female players, including Jiang Xiuxiu, looked pale.
Jiang Xiuxiu had a hunch and went to ask around.
Then she learned from the other players that all the female players had dreamed about Wang Xiaoyue the previous night.