A+?
All the players were stunned on the spot. They had heard of copy upgrades before, but this was the first time they heard of copy downgrades.
Wen Shi himself was also shocked.
Seeing his expression, Liu Yun suddenly remembered the scene when the factory director was murdered. She couldn't help but ask, "So what are you surprised about every time?"
Wen Shi lowered his eyes and said nothing.
He didn't look particularly relaxed about the difficulty reduction. Seriously, the only time he'd experienced normal activity was during the first dungeon, when he summoned Xie Tangyan. There were dual limits on the number of actions he could take each day, as well as on the power game. The boy's strength had also been limited in the factory, though not as completely, as it was necessary to balance the power of the terrifying deep-sea monsters with Jian Qingrong.
Only in this copy, the game actually allowed a child to have the power to monopolize fourteen key NPCs.
Wen Shi's tone revealed the same confusion as Liu Yun's: "So what is it dissatisfied with?"
How come the game, as a recommender and externalizer, ends up blaming itself?
Closing his eyes, Wen Shi said helplessly to his friends around him: "So I am the one who is being blamed."
Ji Yuanzhi; Liu Yun: "..."
When the copy was announced to be downgraded, the ratings of the program dropped sharply at the same time. The host's eyes went dark and he almost fainted.
"What are you all still standing there for? Come with me to find someone!"
The staff carried the equipment and prepared to set off.
At this moment, a small figure appeared in the distant mountain stream. When wading through the ditch, he held up his trouser legs. His center of gravity seemed unstable and he would slip off the smooth stones at any time.
"Papa——"
The sound of water and the distance made the child's voice very muffled.
Ah Sang excitedly ran towards Wen Shi and hugged his thigh in fear: "We met a bear, and everyone was eaten...hiccup..."
Wen Shi's eyelids twitched.
My dear, if you talk while burping like this, it will be difficult for your dad to help you speak again.
Wen Shi picked him up. The child had not gained weight, but he was a little heavier.
The scene was completely silent, with all sorts of strange gazes focused on Little Bit. The host put away his sassy expression and stared intently at Ah Sang, as if he could see through him. As a seasoned host, even at this point, he still insisted on doing his job well and reported the popularity rankings:
Wen Shi and his partner who died early won the championship.
The last one is a player named Yan Yan. His paired guest is a thin woman who doesn't talk much in daily life.
"Due to an unexpected incident, I'm afraid the final round of games won't be able to begin today."
The host was interrupted by Yan Yan, "Shouldn't the family be notified when an accident like this happens?"
A hint of coldness flashed across his eyes: "I remember you said that love can transcend life and death. The death of a partner does not mean that their love cannot continue."
Yan Yan hinted to the host that he could bring the news of the Red Coat Woman's death back to her family and then hold a ghost marriage.
On the first day, Wen Shi kindly shared clues about the ghost marriage to prepare everyone, but he never expected to be used against him. Yan Yan's provocation was intended to increase his screen time. His popularity is currently at its lowest, and he will definitely be eliminated. Nothing could be more appealing than a conflict with the number one.
Even in the real world, this is an effective marketing method.
No matter how weird or powerful the child was, he didn't believe the game would just let him go, or even allow him to hurt the player.
If a ghost marriage could really be held, Pei Wenwei would be in great danger. Even if he escaped by chance, he would be seriously injured and would have no energy to deal with himself.
Yan Yan thought he was thoughtful and his proposal of ghost marriage was vicious, but he was able to achieve complete self-interest.
The host's smile returned to his face. "This guest is right. Although the game cannot continue, the filming can continue."
The audience comments became active again. The host swiped the screen a few times and said, "Everyone praised this proposal." He looked at Yan Yan and said, "Congratulations, you have the support of most of the show's loyal fans. They decided to give you another chance and not eliminate you this round."
Yan Yan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Scum." Liu Yun cursed in a low voice.
Yan Yan shrugged indifferently.
As for Wen Shi, the first thing he considered was that since there were no paired guests, the recording of the program could be suspended.
The host couldn't wait to make this proposal come true: "I will go and inform the families of the victims. You can move freely for now and gather at the village entrance before 6 pm." He glanced at Wen Shi and said: "I hope everyone will uphold their loyalty to love and truly stay together no matter life, old age, sickness or death."
It seemed like he was reminding Wen Shi not to run away, and it also seemed like he was encouraging him to use this time to escape from Fengguan Village.
Unfortunately, Wen Shi remained indifferent.
On the other side, Yan Yan was ready to be questioned, but the person involved was not angry at all, and did not even look at him.
After the host left, Wen Shi took the child and wandered around the area, preparing to further research the customs and practices of Fengguan Village. As for Yan Yan... Wen Shi planned to follow Jian Qingrong's principles: if you choose to help others, you will never regret it, and when you are let down, you should treat it as a funeral gift.
One of the major rules of forgiveness is: The person is dead, so why bother caring about it.
The other players are temporarily unable to get rid of their paired guests and are forced to chat about love while looking for clues.
Wen Shi asked with concern: "Are you full?"
Ah Sang didn't ask if he was full or not, he just replied, "It takes two days to digest."
Wen Shi asked about the matter: "When you were eating, did you encounter any mysterious power that blocked your way? Or was your own power suddenly restricted?"
Ah Sang shook his head honestly: "It went very smoothly."
His strength was also good and had not been weakened much. His speed was the same as before he came. Even if he could not eat and encountered a ferocious beast, he could still run away.
The overly smooth progress increased Wen Shi's vague uneasiness.
"Is the game a quirk?"
On the one hand, he actively wants to kill him, but on the other hand, he seems to be very supportive of himself.
Or is this copy the same as the big ones, with some aspects that affect the judgment of the game?
The little hand pressed the center of his brow, and A Sang shook the bowl: "Dad, don't frown."
Wen Shi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How about I take you to meet your new family?"
A Sang didn't quite understand and expressed an indifferent attitude.
The game's contradictory attitude is really weird. Maybe Xie Tangyan and the others can see something.
When it is warm, open the property panel and upgrade.
"Reminder: The current home level has reached level three. Do you want to spend 5,000 points to unlock the feature [Family Afternoon Tea]?"
The amount of points was so huge that it was really heartbreaking. Wen Shi said with a forced smile, "Yes."
"Please wait a moment—"
"The afternoon tea function has been successfully unlocked. I am checking my family's schedule for the next six hours—"
"Xie Tangyan, at noon, handles government affairs and reviews memorials; at noon, he practices swordplay; at noon, he is accompanied by a group of people to watch plays and listen to music."
"?, dog training all day."
"A Sang, just be in a daze and digest your food."
"Servant Jian Qingrong, I think of you when I'm doing research, when I'm building the sanatorium, and when I'm eating and sleeping."
Wen Shi was stunned. This was a lot of information.
"Invitations have been sent to all the family, and afternoon tea is planned for three o'clock."
Ten seconds later: "Invitation accepted."
The game is not completely exploitative. Apart from the large amount of points required to unlock it, the detailed introduction to the afternoon tea function states that a wave of afternoon tea activities can be held for free every seven days.
The program recording was temporarily suspended. Without the annoying cameras following him, Wen Shi felt much freer. He returned to the cemetery and noticed that the number of coffins seemed to have increased. Several of the coffins were covered in dirt, and the land around them showed signs of renovation, as if they had just grown out of the earth.
Wen Shi stood here for a while. Not long after, someone else came to the cemetery. It was Old Li, the manager of the old house, followed by two strong men.
Their arrival added a mixed smell of sweet and stinky flavor to the cemetery. The young man, expressionless, found an empty coffin and lifted it up, seemingly ready to move it away. Old Li looked at Wen Shi with a creepy smile and said, "After the young lady dies, everything in the house will be yours. You must come back with me, my son-in-law. The family will tailor your clothes for tonight's wedding."
All mine?
Wen Shi highlighted the key points and nodded, "Okay, you guys go back first, I'll be there soon."
Old Li's smile was particularly strange. He didn't force it. Like the host, he seemed to be hoping that Wen Shi would run away.
After standing quietly in the cemetery and observing the extra coffins for a while, Wen Shi walked down the mountain alone.
The old house was festooned with lights, and the servants worked efficiently, red lanterns strung across the winding corridor. It was a cloudy day, and the lanterns, lit early, looked like a long snake covered in eyes, watching every move within the house.
The tailor had been waiting for a long time, her paper-white face painted with two red cheeks. She held a measuring tape, and when she saw Wen, her smile was extremely unnatural. "Sir, let me measure your size."
Wenshi was very cooperative, and the cool temperature of the tape measure was transmitted to the skin through the clothes.
The seamstress said meaningfully, "My son-in-law has a great figure. Even when he lies in the coffin, his skeleton will still be perfect."
Wen Shi: "You are really good at praising people."
When I take over this house, I will fire you first.
The female tailor didn't hear the hidden meaning. She wrote down the data, put away the measuring tape, and closed the door before leaving.
Lunch was brought into the house by the maid. It was a very simple meal of one meat and two vegetables.
Wen Shi only ate a few bites of food and took a nap until the game sent him a reminder that afternoon tea time was almost here.
…
Sanatorium, information room.
There is an extra round table here. In the pitch-black environment underground, the only light source is an old light bulb directly above.
The first person to appear in the information room was a woman with a beautiful face and serious temperament. After a while, a young man suddenly appeared on another high chair. As soon as he appeared, he leaned lazily on the back of the chair. It was obviously an unruly sitting posture. His arrogance was revealed in his glance.
The demon's tail suddenly slapped the ground, cracking the tiles. The boy sneered and said, "Get out."
A vague outline appeared in the shadows. Jian Qingrong had the identity of a [Gatekeeper], and since the afternoon tea was being held on his own land, he could come and go freely.
He prepared the afternoon tea himself. The snacks were mainly green, and the tea was also green tea. It was obvious who he was referring to.
[No killing of servants] was the rule of the homeland, but the boy hated being bound by constraints the most. Just because he couldn't kill didn't mean he couldn't hurt. A shadow appeared in front of Jian Qingrong, its tail brimming with terrifying power, sending a warning.
Jian Qingrong actually took the initiative to move forward and tried to let the tail pierce his shoulder blade. The boy knew very well that this person had no habit of being abused. The moment the tail was stained with blood, he felt something was wrong. Suddenly, he looked towards a place where a small red dot was flashing, and sure enough, he was taking pictures again.
As for who the secret photos were taken for, it goes without saying.
The boy wanted to pierce the man's heart right then and there.
Xie Tangyan looked at the chaotic scene and uttered only two words: "Noisy."
The energy contained in the air became more and more violent. There was no wind here, and every gust of air passing by was filled with murderous intent.
"I'm sorry," Jian Qingrong lowered his cold and cruel eyes, "You can attack me directly, but please don't destroy the sanatorium."
This time the boy reacted quickly, "I just care too much about my brother and I'm worried that he cares more about outsiders than me."
An outsider read it very solemnly.
Xie Tangyan saw the two people's expressions change in an instant and knew that Wen Shi had arrived.
A young man with a faint smile appeared in the room. As soon as he appeared, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed a little.
Wen Shi was the last to arrive, holding a baby in his arms. He felt that this adorable little baby would surely be loved by everyone, and he had already imagined the scene of everyone scrambling to hold A Sang.
As soon as he appeared, he saw Jian Qingrong and the young man showing weakness to each other.
Wen Shi knew that these two people didn't get along, but it didn't matter. A Sang's presence could definitely divert attention.
In the end, the boy only saw Wen Shi, and his milky white horns regained their luster: "Brother."
The corners of his mouth hadn't fully curled up yet, and his eyes turned cold: "Brother, why are you holding a dirty little baby?"
Wen Shi: "…"
This was not what he had imagined.
The boy was obsessed with his brother, but not his brother. He ignored Ah Sang and picked up a piece of cake from the plate with his beautiful fingertips. Unfortunately, the greasy sweetness of the cake did not dispel the murderous intent between his lips and teeth: "It was this bastard who made me miss my brother's farewell."
The young man was talking about Jian Qingrong.
In order to destroy those backups, he almost dug up the entire factory.
Jian Qingrong didn't say a word in defense and just stood there, ready to be insulted.
The boy still couldn't tolerate other 'tea' around his brother, and the tip of his tail showed an attacking state again.
Wen Shi sighed, looked at Xie Tangyan, smiled and greeted her, "Sister."
Wen Shi finally discovered that his parallel world self was like the various coordinates radiating from him as the axis. He and these people had something in common, but they seemed to have no similarities with each other.
Why is this happening?
Before he could think for two seconds, the boy and Jian Qingrong were on the verge of a fight again.
The demon stared silently at the pitiful man. He was controlling his own power, and unique lines appeared on his skin. Finally, his smile calmed down again, and his star-like eyes were cold. "Brother, between the two of us, who do you like more?"
Jian Qingrong's eyes were filled with expectation, but he said, "Don't make it difficult for him."
A fatal question.
While Wen Shi was silent, Ah Sang said with the most innocent expression: "I feel a little full."
As soon as these words were spoken, they successfully shifted all attention to him.
A'sang casually mentioned his experience of showing off his meal. After hearing that he ate fourteen monsters without being supervised by any force, the three people present finally put aside their arguments and thought about it.
After a while, Jian Qingrong walked up to A Sang, looked at the little baby with two dimples when he smiled, and smiled back.
Ah Sang was even more friendly: "Hello, big brother."
Wen Shi was relieved to see this. Fortunately, there were people who got along well with each other.
"Give me a few tubes of your blood." Jian Qingrong's interest grew stronger as he discovered that this child possessed a variety of strange sources of pollution.
"Give me a bowl of blood." A Sang took out the bowl and seemed to be very interested in Jian Qingrong's blood. He asked the other party to give him a bowl of blood in return.
The two sides reached an agreement and began to bleed openly on the table.
Wen Shi, who was just about to have some afternoon tea, said: "..."
Xie Tangyan and the young man had been discussing the power system in a friendly manner at some point.
"It is better to cultivate inner strength than to cultivate external things."
Xie Tangyan stroked the scabbard and said, "It's no problem for me to cut off your tail with this external weapon."
Wen Shi put down the teacup silently.
Anyway, the purpose of this trip has been achieved. Now the situation is chaotic, but I believe that after returning, these people will try to figure out the reasons why the game has contradictions with A Sang.
Wen Shi waved his hand gently: "Everyone, I have an important event to attend later, so I'll leave first."
If you continue to stay here, the fire at the city gate will burn you sooner or later.
After saying that, he directly sent a request to the game and disappeared from where he was the next second.
The boy frowned slightly, then belatedly asked, "What activity?"
There were bloodshot eyes in my brother's eyes, and he seemed not to have had a good rest.
Jian Qingrong and Xie Tangyan also looked at A Sang at the same time.
This seemingly innocent child had no intention of revealing any secrets, nor did he express his dissatisfaction with them placing his father in the center of the Shura Field. He simply smiled adorably and said, "My brothers and sisters are so capable, why don't you go and see for yourself?"
The atmosphere became stiff and silent.
"That's a good idea."
Jian Qingrong had a gloomy expression and was the first to break the silence. The light shining down from above his head could not dispel the gloom in his eyes.
He stood up and fetched the sophisticated instruments, and began to disinfect them carefully on the round table for afternoon tea. Then he held the scalpel and personally went out to slowly remove the entire eyeball of his left eye.
A strong smell of blood spread in the information room, and the pastries were inevitably stained with the smell of blood.
Ever since Wen Shi returned the files, Jian Qingrong could sense a mysterious power resurfacing within him, particularly his eyes, which seemed to possess a life of their own, capable of seeing infinitely far and wide. Once, while riding in an elevator, his mind wandered for several seconds. When he came to, he saw only a pair of icy pupils reflected off the elevator's interior. Deep within those dark eyes was a hint of majesty that didn't belong to him.
Jian Qingrong hates things that are out of control, except Wen Shi.
He had once wanted to destroy these eyes, but now they had a new use.
In the quiet archive room, the only thing left was the tip of a knife cutting through flesh and blood.
The young boy sat aside with an expressionless face, feeling something was wrong deep in his heart. It was clearly a human body of flesh and blood, but the blood on the tail reminded him that the other's blood was cold.
A wishing bottle had been pre-filled with an unknown liquid. Jian Qingrong placed his eye inside and then tended to the wound. His face was slightly pale, his hair was disheveled, and his left eye was bandaged. The blood seeping through the bandage created a strange and eerie look.
"It is indeed so."
Jian Qingrong admired the eyeball inside for a moment under the light. The eye was still alive after being gouged out, and everything it saw could be reflected in his mind.
After drilling a hole in the bottle and threading a string through it, Jian Qingrong walked up to Ah Sang, tied the wishing bottle around his neck, and whispered in an unquestionable tone, "Wear it."
The eye, soaked in the solution, looked like a living thing. As for the food he couldn't eat, Ah Sang wanted to throw it away, but the moment he looked into the eye, he dropped his arm uncontrollably.
A Sang frowned...he couldn't throw it away.
A mechanical voice echoed in the data room.
"Afternoon tea is over, the home is temporarily closed, please be prepared."
The old light bulb flickered a few times, and except for Jian Qingrong and the bloodstains on the table, the figure sitting at the round table gradually disappeared.
As a servant, shouldering the cleaning duties, Jian Qingrong diligently took the rag and began to wipe the table. His only remaining eye gleamed with a strange brilliance: "Now I can see it with my own eyes."
…
Fengguan Village.
Shortly after Wen Shi came back, the program team sent someone to inform him that he didn't need to gather at the village entrance, and all the guests would come to offer him their blessings later.
It was raining, and the entire Fengguan Village was shrouded in mist. The desolate sound of a suona drifted in through the thin window paper. Red is the most unlucky color in Fengguan Village, and now Wen Shi was forced to wear red.
The clothes sent by the tailor did not look like something for the groom to wear. It looked more like a weird wedding dress. At first glance, it was embroidered with auspicious dragons and phoenixes, but when the light was on, each pattern was made up of small "longevity" characters. They were exquisite and yet very scary when you looked closely. Each "longevity" character hid a face with mixed feelings of sadness and joy, and in a blink of an eye, these faces disappeared.
Old Li knocked on the door and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, the time is almost up and the guests are all here."
Wen Shi put on an ominous wedding gown. The complicated attire only brought a feeling of coldness. The thin threads of red and gold seemed to wriggle, sucking his flesh and blood.
The pale fingertips tied the last button, the knot almost pressed against the neck, and Wen Shi's throat involuntarily tightened for a moment.
He walked to the window and leaned against it casually. Through the thin window, he vaguely saw countless cameras outside pointing at the door. Most of the face of each cameraman was covered by the machine. He could feel the inexplicable and strange excitement in these people. To suit the occasion, the host's pink dress had a few ruby buttons added. Under the drizzle, the gems emitted a scarlet glow.
Servants with pale faces stood in rows, with cages of chickens and geese on both sides.
This is only in the third courtyard.
In the second courtyard, out of Wen Shi's sight, Steward Li directed the servants: "Lower the coffin—"
The coffin, brought back from the cemetery, lay quietly in the center of the courtyard. Its pitch-black exterior emanated a putrid stench, its interior filled with incense ash. The coffin had settled three-quarters into the earth as it landed. A cloud of white paper money scattered around. Steward Li knelt on the ground and devoutly lit incense. The incense, even in the rain, remained extinguished, and wisps of smoke drifted toward the first courtyard.
The first courtyard.
The banquet hall, decorated with silk and paper flowers, was an eye-catching red.
The three tables in the front row were empty, with only white rice mixed with incense ash placed on them, chopsticks inserted vertically into them. In the middle row sat about ten villagers from Fengguan Village who had come to observe the ceremony. The Red Coat Woman's family had been in charge of the road construction, but after the incident, their family was resented by the rest of the village, and their interactions gradually became less frequent.
In the back row are the program crew and guests.
Liu Yun was looking at the culprit of all this.
Across from him, Yan Yan was diligently studying the food to see if there were any death rules. Feeling he was being watched, he smiled nonchalantly, "Don't tell me you don't want to know what Pei Wenwei's trump cards are, and what the process and rules of ghost marriage are. If nothing unexpected happens, we might also experience it."
Isn't it nice to have a real-life example to study?
Liu Yun wanted to say something, but was stopped by Ji Yuanzhi, who shook his head and said, "Those who do too much evil will eventually perish."
The auspicious time had not yet arrived, and Wen Shi was still staying in the room.
All he saw was a sea of scarlet. The sound of the suona grew louder and louder, foreshadowing the wedding was about to begin. Wen Shi lowered his eyes and said, "How lively."
How can such a lively atmosphere be without singing and dancing?
When [One Sword to Peace] is used for the second time, the peerless dancer effect can be activated. The skill introduction says that when he dances with the sword, it will cause a sensation in all directions.
Wen Shi looked towards the wardrobe and saw the zombie standing there holding a harp, almost blending into the shadows.
"Are you ready?" He smiled and said, "I'll dance and you play music to celebrate my first wedding."