Of course, after receiving her reward, Xi Mufu immediately donated half of it.
—This was an unwritten rule in the Xuan sect. Now that she had stepped into the mystical world, she naturally followed it.
Not long after, Lunar New Year’s Eve arrived.
“If only the head of Shanqu Temple and the two elders were here,” Xi Mufu said to Ji Jiu while putting up spring couplets.
She had gone early to the farm to invite the professors and their students. Two male students were excellent cooks and were busy in the kitchen. Two professors from the north were making dumplings themselves, and the rest were playing cards in the yard. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
Xi Mufu hadn’t expected that her first Spring Festival after her grandfather’s death would be accompanied by so many people. Her mood was unexpectedly light and joyful.
“The head of Shanqu Temple just messaged me,” she said, smiling, “He’s been as busy as a spinning top these past few days. He plans to come to Jingning Town on the third day of the New Year and leave the remaining tasks to his disciple. He really knows how to slack off.”
Ji Jiu, of course, didn’t judge the head of Shanqu Temple and changed the topic. “It seems there will be fireworks tonight.”
In fact, there were not just fireworks—there were also many performances on the main street. Unfortunately, Xi Mufu couldn’t leave the incense shop to watch. Previously, the head of Shanqu Temple had joked about letting her participate in a mystical contest, but it was really just a joke; she couldn’t leave Jingning Town.
Still, she had watched the main street performances every year before, so it wasn’t particularly exciting. As for the fireworks, she could enjoy them from the yard.
“I wonder if there will be a visitor from another world tonight,” Xi Mufu said after finishing the couplets, hopping down from the stool. “If they arrive while we’re keeping vigil until midnight, they really know how to pick the timing.”
As it turned out, her words were prophetic.
That evening, as everyone ate the reunion dinner and watched the Spring Festival Gala, Ji Jiu suddenly looked toward the front yard. “Someone’s here.”
Xi Mufu froze.
At this hour, anyone coming to the incense shop could only be a visitor from another world.
—Although they were in the backyard, the front of the shop hadn’t closed, waiting for the otherworldly guest. Who would have thought the guest would actually arrive on New Year’s Eve?
Xi Mufu admired her own intuition. She exchanged a glance with Ji Jiu, set down her bowl, and hurried to the front yard.
Two days ago, Lin Xia had entered a dungeon called Xiushui Mountain Village. The villagers inside were normal by day but turned into fierce ghosts at night. Players had to survive for seven days and uncover the mastermind behind the haunting to help the villagers dispel their resentment.
The horror of this dungeon was that every night, the players were hunted by the ghostly villagers. If they couldn’t escape, they would die.
In just two days, two team members had already been killed by the ghosts.
As someone without a guild and insufficient strength, Lin Xia had survived two days and one night without being eaten by the ghosts—but she had been terrified nearly to death.
That night, her luck ran out. A male ghost chased her relentlessly. She had used all her skills and items but couldn’t escape. As her cooldowns hadn’t reset yet, the ghost was about to catch her. In a panic, she hid in an abandoned wooden house in the village.
“Where… is this?” She pushed the door open and found that it wasn’t dilapidated at all. Instead, it was well-furnished, like a general store.
But the items inside were unusual. Shelves were stacked with incense paper and gold ingots, looking like a shop that sold funeral supplies.
“Could this… be the incense shop mentioned on the player forum?!”
Xi Mufu and Ji Jiu, entering at that moment, heard her words.
Player forum?
Was the visitor from another world a player?
For a moment, Xi Mufu speculated: could her world actually be the Fourth Day Disaster game, and the visitor a game player?
However, judging by the first two batches of otherworldly visitors, they had always been anxious and fearful, not relaxed and casual like normal players. She quickly abandoned that guess.
Regardless, it was an important piece of information.
Xi Mufu composed herself and stepped forward to greet her. “Hello, may I ask what you would like to buy?”
Lin Xia’s eyes widened at the sight of two living people—but not with fear of a ghost, rather with excitement. “Yes… the shopkeepers are a man and a woman, even more handsome than celebrities… it must be the incense shop!”
She had memorized the official notices from the three major guilds—detailing the layout of the incense shop and the height and appearance of the two shopkeepers. She could not have been mistaken!
She had become the third lucky player!
“That’s wonderful!” Overcome with excitement, she almost teared up. “Shopkeepers, may I buy incense paper?”
As soon as she spoke, a message popped up on her interface:
[Proactively initiated a transaction with the incense shop. Reward: 100 points.]
Xi Mufu replied immediately: “Of course. How many would you like?”
Lin Xia cried with joy.
It really was the incense shop. She was saved!
She remembered from the notice that incense paper attracted all NPCs in the dungeon. This time, she would surely survive!
“I’d like to buy several.” Lin Xia asked nervously. “Five packs, is that okay?”
According to the three guilds’ predictions, one pack of incense paper required the exchange of a skill or item. She currently had three items and two skills, intending to use them all for incense paper. Even if she didn’t use them all this time, she could save them for future dungeons.
Xi Mufu: “Sure.”
She handed over five packs of incense paper.
To Lin Xia’s surprise, the interface indicated she only needed to pay one skill or item.
“This… how is this possible?” She could hardly believe her eyes.
Xi Mufu, however, knew that each category could only exchange for one skill or item. She agreed to trade five packs because the visitor looked desperate, tear-streaked, and clearly in need of help. She could not refuse.
Lin Xia regained her composure and remembered that Vice President Pu Yunfeng had allowed the shopkeepers to choose freely from her skills and items. Without hesitation, she carefully described all she had.
“Please choose,” she said respectfully.
She felt nervous—her strength was limited, and her skills and items were basic, nowhere near Vice President Pu’s level.
Xi Mufu listened, then looked to Ji Jiu for his opinion.
Ji Jiu: “You decide.”
Xi Mufu thought for a moment and selected the [Spatial Teleportation Scroll].
This item allowed instant teleportation between two locations, with no distance limit or cooldown—meaning she could go wherever she wanted at any time.
With this item, perhaps she could participate in the mystical contest mentioned by the head of Shanqu Temple.
Lin Xia immediately clicked to complete the transaction. When she received the incense paper, her eyes turned red again.
“Thank you!” She thanked them solemnly, then hesitated before asking, “Shopkeepers, may I ask you something*****?”
She wanted to ask if they had come to save them—all players hoped for this.
Unfortunately, Xi Mufu heard nothing—the question seemed silenced.
Xi Mufu: ?
She noticed Lin Xia’s tightly shut lips and realized some force was restricting her speech.
“What do you want to ask me?” Xi Mufu hesitated but voiced her own question. “Are you*****?”
She wanted to ask if this person was a Fourth Day Disaster game player. But when she tried to speak, she found she could not, feeling an invisible force pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. Sweat formed on her forehead.
Ji Jiu noticed her unease. His expression darkened slightly as he waved his hand gently.
The force seemed to silently struggle against him. After a few moments, realizing it could not overpower him, it quietly vanished.
Ji Jiu held Xi Mufu’s wrist and asked, “Are you okay?”