"Follow me, I know a more secluded path," Ye Ming said.
Jiang Xiuxiu hurriedly followed him.
They wound through the forest, making a circuit of the mountain, and eventually found a hidden trail.
To her surprise, there was such a path on this mountain.
Compared to the villagers' main route, this one was much more concealed, barely used by anyone.
Jiang Xiuxiu could see wild grass growing over it, almost obscuring the way.
It seemed like a path once traveled long ago but forgotten over time.
To prevent any accidents, Ye Ming extended his hand to hold Jiang Xiuxiu’s.
They walked closely, one behind the other.
The sound of possible villagers' footsteps gradually faded away, leaving the surroundings silent, the crunch of their steps on twigs and leaves clearly audible.
Birds occasionally chirped and fluttered their wings above.
In this tranquil setting, Jiang Xiuxiu found her mind wandering.
What exactly did Xu Bai want? Why was he so confident that he could make her stay if he wanted to?
Moreover, what was the connection between the villagers and Xu Bai? Could she possibly sow discord among them?
And how did Ye Ming discover such a secluded path, which even the villagers seemed unaware of?
Jiang Xiuxiu’s curiosity was piqued after seeing the path, but her thoughts were interrupted by Ye Ming’s words.
"Jiang Xiuxiu, I’ve realized that I quite like you."
Walking ahead of her, Ye Ming suddenly said this.
His tone was casual, as if it were an offhand remark, but the implication left Jiang Xiuxiu stunned.
"Like her?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu froze.
What did he mean?
Jiang Xiuxiu looked up in astonishment, only to see Ye Ming turn around and smile at her.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a gentle glow on his face, which bore a calm, gentle smile.
However, his dark eyes had deepened in color, like a snake lurking in the shadows, silently watching its prey.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Jiang Xiuxiu was taken aback.
"What?"
Was Ye Ming joking?
Her heart skipped a beat at his words.
She took a couple of steps back, looking at Ye Ming in disbelief, but his smile, though gentle, was serious, with no sign of jest.
"Will you?"
Jiang Xiuxiu responded, "How could I agree to that?"
Although they knew each other, they had no romantic foundation. Her feelings for Ye Ming hadn’t developed to that extent.
Such a sudden confession was too abrupt.
Besides, why would he be interested in her?
Jiang Xiuxiu felt they didn’t have any deep bond.
"Is it completely impossible?"
Ye Ming tilted his head, asking after hearing her response.
"Let me think about it."
After hesitating for a couple of minutes, Jiang Xiuxiu replied.
Thinking it over, Ye Ming did have many favorable traits.
He had a good temperament, was her chosen ally, and his manners and conduct indicated good upbringing.
In terms of romance, he would likely be an ideal partner for many women.
Jiang Xiuxiu even felt she might be the one benefiting from this.
But still…
Sighing, Jiang Xiuxiu found her mind in turmoil.
Her heart was racing, and she couldn’t sort out her feelings.
She decided she would consider it further once she calmed down.
For now, she needed to assess her true feelings toward Ye Ming.
Receiving Jiang Xiuxiu’s response, Ye Ming blinked and subtly smiled.
"Alright," he said.
Setting aside this issue, Ye Ming still fulfilled his role as a good teammate.
Without further conversation, they quickly followed the path back to the village.
To avoid being cornered by villagers at Wang’s house, Jiang Xiuxiu decided to find another place to stay.
Luckily, not far from Wang’s house, there was an abandoned hut.
Few people ever went there, making it a safe hiding spot.
After what happened in the dream, Jiang Xiuxiu realized that Xu Bai seemingly couldn’t appear physically in reality.
At least for now, he had to rely on the villagers to harm the players.
However, she couldn’t be sure if this limitation would persist as the game progressed.
Determined, Jiang Xiuxiu settled in the hut and divided tasks with Ye Ming.
Ye Ming would go back to gather information about the other players, while Jiang Xiuxiu would stay and observe the villagers’ reactions.
Before they parted, Jiang Xiuxiu suddenly asked, "Ye Ming, where did you get those buns you gave me?"
It seemed none of the players were skilled cooks, and she doubted any of them could make buns.
"They were given by the villagers," Ye Ming confessed honestly. "The fields at Wang’s place have long been barren. This morning, we couldn’t find anything else edible."
Jiang Xiuxiu felt a bit at a loss but said, "It’s fine, just leave it at that."
Thinking optimistically, she had already been forced to accept a dowry in her dream.
However, she sternly instructed Ye Ming to avoid eating anything given by the villagers, even if it meant stealing food from others.
Then, she asked him to collect any belongings of Wang Xiaoyue and her sister from the Wang family and bring them to her.
Her intuition suggested that the sisters might hold some clues.
As the boss, Xu Bai might not realize that players, unlike NPCs, didn’t become ghosts after dying in the game.
While Xu Bai was eager for her to die, she needed to find something to resist.
Ye Ming agreed to her requests, and they soon went their separate ways.
Jiang Xiuxiu hid in the abandoned hut, keeping a low profile. The hut’s location, close to Wang’s house but far from the village, meant no villagers would come by.
With nothing to do, Jiang Xiuxiu began searching the hut.
To her delight, she discovered something surprising.
The hut had once been the home of Wang Xiaoyue and Wang Xiaoyun’s grandparents.
Jiang Xiuxiu quickly found an old diary that likely belonged to Wang Xiaoyue’s grandfather.
From the diary, she learned that about twenty years ago, the family’s daughter had married a neighbor from the adjacent house, and they had twin daughters, Wang Xiaoyue and Wang Xiaoyun.
Unlike the collective move of the Wang family, this house was abandoned after the grandparents passed away a couple of years earlier.
Rural houses, unlike those in the city, often ended up deserted when there were no residents.
From the readable parts of the diary, Jiang Xiuxiu discovered that Wang Xiaoyue’s grandfather was an educated man who encouraged her to pursue higher education.
Both families made sacrifices to support her studies.
Besides mundane details, one entry caught Jiang Xiuxiu’s attention:
The grandfather noted that the twin sisters, Wang Xiaoyue and Wang Xiaoyun, had always been close.
Contrary to Jiang Xiuxiu’s previous thoughts, there was no jealousy between them. They shared a deep bond, even sharing clothes, much to their parents' delight.
However, since Wang Xiaoyue spent most of her time away studying, and the sisters’ deaths occurred two years after their grandparents passed, the diary provided no further insights into their fate.
The diary also mentioned the village’s bride sacrifice tradition.
According to the grandfather, the custom had been abandoned decades ago.
At the diary's end, a passage made Jiang Xiuxiu ponder:
“For the third year now, heavy rains during harvest have flooded the crops.
During these rains, we all have the same strange dream.
Some say the river god is angry, claiming the forty-three years of neglect have enraged it.
I despise such talk and scold anyone who brings it up.
I don’t believe in sacrificing innocent lives for a river god.
But how long can these old bones of mine hold on?”
With this, the diary ended.
The information was enough to make Jiang Xiuxiu think deeply.
According to the diary, the river god bride was chosen every three years.
The forty-three-year gap, plus the two years after the grandfather’s death, meant the river god had been without a bride for forty-five years.
Dividing forty-five by three gives fifteen, which matches the number of players minus one.
Could this be a coincidence?
Most likely, the river god was Xu Bai.
Had he revived in recent years?
And what happened to Wang Xiaoyue and her sister a month ago?
Jiang Xiuxiu pondered these questions, flipping through the diary.
Suddenly, she heard a faint sound outside the window.
Carefully, she put the diary down and crept to the window.
Peeking out, she saw two villagers, armed and sneaking towards the Wang house.