Lin Xia thought of the shopkeeper’s miraculous abilities, her heart stirred with excitement.
The shopkeeper must be a deity!
“I’m willing to give all the gold ingots to your son,” she said solemnly.
Partly because she felt deeply for Fan Shuyao and her son, and partly because she sensed it was the shopkeeper’s guidance. Whatever the reason, she would agree—she was, after all, a kind-hearted person. Although being pulled into the infinite-dungeon world had exposed her to much malice and ugliness, her innate goodness remained intact.
People like her were actually harder to survive in the dungeons, yet she had luck on her side—she had encountered the incense shop.
Wasn’t this a form of karmic reward?
Fan Shuyao was very grateful and said softly, “Thank you.”
After receiving the gold ingot, she first used her magic to extract the merit within it and transfer it into her son’s body.
Golden light enveloped the boy, expanding in circles that gradually wrapped around him.
“Mom?” the boy called uneasily.
Fan Shuyao crouched down, gently hugged him, then held his hand and said, “Go, baby.”
Sensing their imminent separation, the boy clutched her arm and cried, “I don’t want to leave you, Mom…”
Tears welled in Fan Shuyao’s eyes, but she still spoke firmly: “Mom was wrong. You suffered in my womb this life. In your next life, you will be happy. You will have loving parents and a carefree life.”
The farewell scene was profoundly sad. Lin Xia and her teammates watched, their noses tingling from emotion.
“The golden light seems strong… maybe you could absorb it too. Want to try?” Lin Xia said in a rough voice. “That way, you could reincarnate like your son.”
For some reason, she felt that when the shopkeeper gave her a bag of gold ingots, with large and small ones, it had already accounted for Fan Shuyao and her son—the small ingot for the boy, the larger one for Fan Shuyao.
Fan Shuyao hadn’t expected this, and paused. “I’m afraid the golden light isn’t enough…”
But she didn’t finish her sentence, because the golden light suddenly intensified, enveloping her as well.
Fan Shuyao’s eyes widened in shock, then she looked at Lin Xia with immense gratitude: “Thank you for the reminder.”
Lin Xia shook her head, secretly relieved. She had guessed correctly: the merit in the gold ingots was enough to send the mother and son both into reincarnation.
The shopkeeper truly foresaw everything.
After repeatedly thanking her, Fan Shuyao raised her hands and used her magic on the four directions of the village.
After a moment, she said, “I have removed the village’s restraints. They will return to normal.”
Immediately, Lin Xia and her teammates saw notifications appear on their interface:
【Mission Complete!】【Reward Item +1】【…】
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
The dungeon mission had been completed so easily?
At this moment, Fan Shuyao and her son’s figures gradually became transparent in the golden light.
“Thank you,” she said once more, then removed the red cord from her wrist and handed it to Lin Xia. “I’ve worn this since childhood. It used to be tainted with my grudges, an ominous object. But the golden light just purified the grudges and absorbed a portion of merit. I infused it with my magic—now it’s yours. In a critical moment, it should protect you.”
Lin Xia’s interface showed a new notification:
【Obtained Special Item: Red Defense Cord—100% damage negation, 72-hour cooldown.】
She was stunned, then overjoyed.
A 100% damage-negating item was extraordinarily rare. Dungeon rewards usually only had a chance to grant skills or items—this was a treasure!
Who could have imagined that her kindness toward Fan Shuyao and her son would be rewarded?
Fan Shuyao also gave each teammate an item. These items contained her magic. Though single-use, they could also block 100% of damage. Everyone was thrilled.
“Goodbye.” After giving the gifts, Fan Shuyao and her son completely vanished, the golden light fading.
Lin Xia and her teammates stood quietly, watching them leave. Only after a long time did they regain their senses.
“The villagers should have woken up too,” Lin Xia said, her tone tinged with disgust. “Those beasts got off too easily.”
An experienced player comforted her: “Those villagers were NPCs. Just think of them as actors.”
That made sense, and Lin Xia finally felt a bit at ease.
“Wait, there’s something strange,” the veteran suddenly said. “Why hasn’t it told us to leave the dungeon yet?”
Normally, once the mission was complete and rewards granted, the next step would be a notification of successful dungeon clearance, telling them to exit.
But they were still inside, unsure of what had happened.
Lin Xia and the others realized: yes, why were they still here? Was there a main quest they hadn’t completed?
Just as they pondered, the interface lit up again:
【Fan Shuyao and her son have been released by the players, escaping their trapped fate. The Xiushui Mountain Village dungeon will now permanently close.】
Lin Xia: ???
Teammates: ???
So this dungeon would never open again, never allow players to enter?
This was a first in the infinite-dungeon world!
Before they could react, the interface prompted:
【Dungeon Closure Countdown】【10s, 9s…】
Lin Xia: !Teammates: !
Ten seconds later, Lin Xia and her group were forcibly ejected from the dungeon.
Unknown to them, all players outside also received the announcement of the dungeon’s permanent closure, causing a frenzy.
Soon, forum posts appeared:
【Who’s so amazing that they permanently closed a dungeon?】【This seems to be the first time this has happened. What occurred?】【Either way, this is good. Xiushui Mountain Village was terrifying—full of ghosts. Many were lost inside; even lucky survivors were psychologically scarred.】【I just had a bold thought! If dungeons permanently close one by one, we might not have to enter any more dungeons. We wouldn’t have to worry about death. Maybe we can return to the real world!】
The comment sent waves of excitement through the players.
Indeed, if all dungeons closed permanently, could they finally go home?
At the incense shop, Xi Mufu regretted not bringing rice to give free to the otherworldly guests.
“I don’t know when the planting skill will upgrade,” she said with a sigh.
Ji Jiu: “Bring some next time.”
Xi Mufu nodded. “I’ve decided. Once the next rice harvest is done, I’ll plant a batch of rare herbs. When giving gifts to the otherworldly guests, it will be impressive.” She turned to Ji Jiu. “What do you think?”
After all, giving rice to others felt strange—herbs were more reliable.
Ji Jiu: “Good.”
The two chatted as they walked outside.
“By the way, I wanted to talk to the guests earlier, but it felt like some force was suppressing me, keeping me from speaking,” Xi Mufu suddenly remembered and stopped, looking up at Ji Jiu.
Ji Jiu didn’t mention that he had already dealt with that force; he simply said, “Probably a rule restriction. Don’t worry about it.”
Xi Mufu trusted him completely and didn’t question it further.
The two had reached the backyard and were about to continue their meal inside when a sudden loud explosion filled the sky—
Brilliant fireworks blossomed overhead!
The New Year had arrived!