“Those two are really putting on a show. With Huang Er's character, even with a different face, tsk! A fake couple just doesn't suit them."

Mingmei sat alone, bored, on the futon in the center of the Mountain God Temple's main hall, staring at the murals that seemed to come to life.

Wang Wenfei and Meruitte, pushed into the murals by Huang Er, hadn't realized they'd been tricked and were still having a great time in the world within the painting.

Mingmei propped her chin with one hand, thinking that the painting realm was created by the Mountain God as a "resting place" for villagers who came to make wishes and returned to fulfill them. She wasn't sure whether to consider her role good or bad.

Indulging the villagers' desires until they had nothing left to ask for, nothing left to repay, and abandoned their physical bodies to be forever immersed in the painting realm, becoming the Mountain God's most devout believers.

This god's heart was already tainted.

Sighing, she looked up again at the gold-plated, compassionate statue of the Mountain God and scoffed, "Do you think a Mountain God like you even needs to exist?"

At that moment, Mingmei's voice echoed in the empty hall. Talking to the Mountain God statue was no different than talking to herself, so she continued, "Guigui, even though Lu Xiaoyao's livestream was shut down, you're so capable... help me out and let me see what's happening on their end, okay?"

[Isn't there enough happening here for you to watch?]

"What's there to see? Wang Wenfei and the others probably still have a while. I want to see Lu Xiaoyao. My electronic map shows them three running around at the foot of the mountain. Haven't they left yet? I want to see what's going on."

[Shouldn't you be asking yourself why they're running around?]

Guigui said grumpily, then secretly turned on Lu Xiaoyao's livestream for Mingmei to watch…

"Get away! Ahhhh!"

Lu Xiaoyao was truly going crazy. Even though Julian had given her the torch again, her mentality was collapsing again and again!

She watched the two of them share a torch and stand there without anything happening, then looked at the group of flayed corpses chasing her from behind.

Lu Xiaoyao ran and dodged, looking for an opportunity to smash the torch directly on the head of one of them.

The "one-hit kill" effect made Lu Xiaoyao realize the true use of the torch. Alone, she wielded the torch and fought against a group of beings that were neither human nor ghost.

In the middle of the fight, Lu Xiaoyao shouted in despair, "Why are you only chasing me?! Are you guys bullying the weak and fearing the strong?!"

Lu Xiaoyao described herself as weak and easily bullied, but her attacks were ruthless, a single blow to the head each time. No one could tell where she was "soft."

"Shouldn't we go help?"

Julian looked at Lu Xiaoyao fighting alone, feeling a little unbearable.

"It's no use. Whether you help or not, those things will still盯着Lu Xiaoyao," Mu Chen explained. "She didn't eat the bento."

"Didn't eat the bento... Ah! You mean..."

Julian had eaten two bentos. The description of the first one was very strange at the time. It wasn't until after he finished eating that the system prompted him - [Congratulations to the player for achieving full favor with the villagers.]

"That... the villager favor and the corpses in front of us..."

Julian's words trailed off, meeting Mu Chen's eyes, and he shuddered. The feeling of horror in his heart reached its peak as he looked at the group not far away!

"You mean these are... are the villagers from the foot of the mountain?!"

...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

The New Moon Village bonfire party was really lively. Wang Wenfei and Meruitte enjoyed their evening very much. On the way back, there were bright streetlights on both sides of the road, dispelling the darkness into the deserted corners.

But even so, on the way home, a child suddenly darted out from the side of the road and bumped into the unsuspecting Wang Wenfei and the others, causing them to fall on their bottoms.

Wang Wenfei quickly crouched down and helped the child up, who seemed to be only two or three years old, already at the age to speak.

But even after she asked several times, the child remained silent, his black and white eyes staring straight at her, making Wang Wenfei's back feel a little cold.

"Erbao?" (lit. Second Treasure)

Just as the two of them, one big and one small, were at a stalemate, a family opened their courtyard door on the side of the road. A young woman came out and quickly walked towards Wang Wenfei, pulling the child to her side and asking anxiously, "Erbao, are you okay? What happened? Why did you run out without a word? Hmm?"

The little guy named Erbao shook his head and still didn't speak. He peeked out from behind his mother, stealing a glance at Wang Wenfei and the others. When he was discovered, he immediately retreated, looking very cute.

"Your child is so young, parents need to watch them carefully. A moment of carelessness can easily lead to irreversible consequences."

Meruitte said, seeing the other woman's face suddenly turn pale, and thinking that her words were a bit too much, she added, "I... I'm not trying to curse anyone, I'm just saying that children are so young, adults should pay more attention."

"I know, I know, thank you! Thank you for finding Erbao, thank you!"

The woman really wasn't angry and sincerely apologized to them, even bowing to them, which startled Wang Wenfei. She quickly helped the other woman up, but they didn't have time to hear the mumbling in her mouth.

"Erbao! Wife!"

Just then, their door opened again, and a young man rushed out in a panic, with the same expression of panic. When he saw that his son and wife were standing not far away, safe and sound.

Suddenly, Wang Wenfei and the others saw the man rush over, hug his wife and children, and cry loudly.

"Let's go..."

The scene made Meruitte feel strangely scared. This family seemed a little too nervous, right?

The interlude that night quickly passed. The next day, as soon as it dawned, Meruitte and Wang Wenfei got up early and ran around the village for exercise. Then they met Erbao again.

This time, he had even run outside the village. Wang Wenfei and the others couldn't ignore it when they saw him. Looking around, there wasn't a single person around the child. Wang Wenfei sighed and, with Meruitte, stopped the child. Meruitte picked Erbao up and carried him in the direction of the road where they had met Erbao's family the night before.

Sure enough, before they even arrived, they heard Erbao's mother and father wailing in despair.

...

After watching Lu Xiaoyao's 1vsn battle scene, Mingmei turned her attention back to Wang Wenfei and the others. As a result, the appearance of Erbao's family in the painting realm aroused Mingmei's interest.

"Erbao ah..."

Mingmei sighed softly, and memories that didn't belong to her appeared in her mind. They were the memories of the Mountain God, the memories of the child's mother, disheveled and kneeling before the statue, begging her to return the child to her side.

"Please, please, Mountain God, please let Erbao come back to life, please let him return to my side, please..."

[As long as you're with your child, it doesn't matter where you go?]

"It doesn't matter, as long as, as long as Erbao comes back, I don't need anything, please, Mountain God, I beg you..."

Soon after, a crazy man came to the Mountain God Temple and made the same wish before the statue, hoping that he could always stay with his wife and children and return to their side.

"Even if I give up all reality, give up this physical body, as long as my family is together, that's all that matters."