A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses arrived late. His name was Shen Wangqing—tall, refined, and handsome, with a gentle smile on his lips but unfathomable depths in his eyes.
“I guess he’s probably someone from the inn, here to pick us up.”
This Instance was rated A, which wasn’t too difficult for the five veteran Players.
The Instance was called “Snow Mountain Inn.” The story summary described a group of people arriving at a world-famous landmark—a snow-capped mountain. At its peak stood an inn that had been built over a century ago. Legend had it that thirty years ago, a group of university graduates had gathered there for a reunion, only to perish in a nameless fire.
Strangely, while the bodies were reduced to ashes, the interior of the inn remained completely intact. Passersby at the foot of the mountain claimed—the fire wasn’t ordinary flames but green ghost fire.
The town itself was remote, but after the story was spread by those with ulterior motives, it quickly went viral online. Countless tourists flocked from elsewhere, drawn by curiosity or adventure, and the town grew prosperous as a result.
In this Instance, the five Players also arrived as tourists.
“Are you Boss Wen?”
Shen Wangqing stepped over dry branches as he approached Wen Di, his eyes smiling deeply as he looked at him.
“Yes, that’s me. I’ve been waiting for you at the inn for a long time. Seeing that it’s already dark and you still haven’t arrived, I came to check.” Wen Di’s small face darkened as he deliberately put on a sinister expression and said,
“Let me tell you, this forest can devour people. If you don’t make it to the inn before the full moon, it’s very dangerous…”
After speaking, a terrifying smile spread across his lips.
His skin was excessively pale and translucent, and under the half-moonlight, he truly appeared eerie, causing Yao Nana to tremble in fear. She glared at him and snuggled closer into Liu Yajun’s embrace.
“You’re the boss? Are you even of age? How can you be the boss?”
Lu Jieyang looked astonished and reached out to pinch Wen Di’s tender, pale cheek. He didn’t find it scary at all—instead, he thought it was utterly adorable. Shouldn’t a brat like this, with such a sour expression, be standing in the corner at home as punishment for misbehaving?
Wen Di’s eyebrows shot up, and he angrily swatted Lu Jieyang’s hand away. “I’m already twenty!”
Lu Jieyang’s hand went numb, and a sweet fragrance wafted to his nose. He clasped his hands behind his back, blinked, and repeated, “Oh, twenty, huh…”
“To be precise, he’s not the boss but the boss’s wife.”
Fu Zhen suddenly spoke up from the side.
His voice was cold yet carried immense weight, like a hammer striking the heart, impossible to ignore.
“Boss’s wife?? What do you mean?” Not only was Lu Jieyang shocked, but Liu Yajun and Yao Nana also widened their eyes in surprise.
“The actual owner of the inn is his husband, surnamed Fei, named Fei Xuyao. However, he died in an accident a year ago, so Wen Di is now left to manage the inn alone.”
Fu Zhen was usually cold and taciturn, hardly interacting with others in previous Instances, but today he surprisingly offered an extra explanation.
Hearing Fu Zhen’s words, the NPC Wen Di flushed red again, feeling an indescribable sense of shame. He was actually a married person, and his partner wasn’t a wife but a man. Although he didn’t oppose the idea of being with a man, he had little experience in such matters.
But it didn’t matter—a qualified NPC must fully immerse themselves in their role!
“So, he’s a… male wife?”
Lu Jieyang’s handsome features were visibly shaken, but for some reason, his ears suddenly turned red. He couldn’t help but steal a glance at the little boss who kept his head down and ignored everyone, then lowered his own head as well, scratching his slightly burning nape.
“How do you know so much? Why didn’t I receive any of this information?” Liu Yajun glared at Fu Zhen with indignation.
“Don’t waste my breath with such trivial questions,” Fu Zhen replied coldly.
“Damn it, what did you just say?!” Liu Yajun was so furious he nearly lunged forward, but Yao Nana held him back.
Liu Yajun was simply unwilling to accept it, though deep down, he understood why there was such an information gap.
There were two reasons. First, their assigned character roles were different, which meant they possessed different background information. For instance, his role was that of a merchant who had gone out to gather herbs, only to be attacked by a wild boar, lose his way at the foot of the mountain, and accidentally stumble upon this famous site.
As a result, he knew nothing about this snowy mountain or the inn.
Fu Zhen’s role, on the other hand, was that of a prestigious university student who had come specifically to investigate the wonders of the Snow Mountain Inn, so he had access to information about the innkeeper’s identity beforehand.
The second reason was that Fu Zhen had an extremely high point balance. With tens of thousands of points, one could exchange for information about the next Instance.
“Can you all keep it down? If you keep arguing, you might attract wolves!”
Wen Di turned and glared at them.
The group fell silent.
They followed him up the mountain in quiet.
“Little boss, what about my car? What if someone drives it away while it’s parked at the foot of the mountain?”
Lu Jieyang hurried to Wen Di’s side, lowering his voice as he asked. His large frame made Wen Di appear even smaller and thinner.
Wen Di scowled at him. “Didn’t you do any research before coming here? Once you reach the foot of the mountain, cars can’t go any further—you have to walk up. Even if you managed to drive up, your car would be buried in the heavy snow at night.”
Lu Jieyang grinned, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Of course I did my research. I even asked someone specifically for tips. Turns out they were wrong—the guide they gave me must have been from years ago. It didn’t mention you at all, let alone that Boss Fei…”
He trailed off, his voice dropping to a near whisper. Logically, one shouldn’t mention the deceased in front of their family, but for some reason, his mouth had run ahead of him.
Sure enough, Wen Di’s expression changed at the mention of that surname, revealing a mix of sorrow and stubborn pride as he tried to hide it. He lifted his slightly reddened eyes to look at Lu Jieyang. “Don’t you dare mention him!”
Seeing his reddened eyes, Lu Jieyang’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately apologized. “Sorry, sorry, I won’t say it again.”
Following Wen Di, the group finally reached the inn just before the full moon rose.
From the outside, the inn was pitch black, like some colossal creature shrouded in mist, ready to open its maw and devour its visitors whole.
Moonlight illuminated the tiles on the roof, while the walls were made of damp-smelling brick and wood. Its only notable feature was its size. It was divided into three courtyards—front, left, and right—with a four-story building in the rear courtyard and three-story structures elsewhere.
Two bright red lanterns hung above the main entrance.
“This inn is entirely made of wood. If a fire really broke out, how could it possibly remain undamaged?” Yao Nana leaned against Liu Yajun, examining the massive structure, her delicate face growing somber.
The mystery of the inn’s fire was information known to all Players entering the Instance.
It was also the key to their escape.
“So, the rumors are most likely not true.”
Lu Jieyang stuck close to Wen Di the whole way, grinning cheekily without a hint of seriousness, but when he spoke these words, his expression turned noticeably more earnest.
Wen Di turned to look at him and saw his eyes deep and dark, as murky as ink in the night.
Noticing Wen Di’s gaze, Lu Jieyang immediately lowered his head and smiled at him, then put on a nervous, fearful expression:
“Boss Wen, which room are you staying in? Can I stay next door? I’m really scared.”