Chapter 44

After climbing the stairs back up to the ground level, Deng Yan was slightly surprised to see people from other groups emerging as well, not just her own.

“Ran into them on the way back,” Zhu Ming explained. “The underground maze is a bit complicated.”

Bai Lianxue and Sun Ningning quickly took their leave and returned to their own group. Zhu Ming looked at the sky—it was getting dark but not completely black. She knew they probably couldn’t accomplish much else today.

“A-Zou, give me the seeds. Let’s go do Question 1.”

“Okay.” Yun Zouchuan didn’t question her at all and directly handed the seeds to Zhu Ming.

Deng Yan was a bit puzzled. “Why not just plant them in the dormitory? Do we have to go outside?”

Zhu Ming said with a serious, plausible air, “Since they specifically provided us with exam tables, wouldn’t we be failing to appreciate the examiners’ goodwill if we didn’t answer on them?”

It made a certain amount of sense. It was better to be cautious. Deng Yan asked no more questions.

Filthy and disheveled, Zhu Ming didn’t bother washing up. She carried that bag of soil toward the exam tables, with Wenren Tu and the others following behind.

To Zhu Ming’s slight surprise, the triplets from the Sword and Shield Group had actually come out even earlier than she had. They were currently huddled together, quietly discussing something. The moment they saw Zhu Ming and the others, Boss Zhao put on a smiling face and waved. “Big sister, you finally came out! If you’d been any longer, I was about to go down and look for you.”

Honestly, Zhu Ming’s current appearance was quite wretched, but her spirits were still high. Seeing how enthusiastic Boss Zhao was, she simply walked over to the Sword and Shield Group. “You guys got out pretty fast. Have you found any clues for Question 2?”

Boss Zhao replied, “Not yet. Once we realized the maze teleports you randomly, we were afraid we wouldn’t have enough time to get back, so we hurried back. We’ll head down early tomorrow and search thoroughly.”

Zhu Ming smiled. “Has your group completed any other problems? All four of us went in together. Didn’t you leave one person behind?”

The Sword and Shield Group’s attitude toward the ladies of the Moon Group was incredibly good. They were open and brimming with enthusiasm. Boss Zhao said, “Don’t even mention it. Little Wei still hasn’t figured out the answer to that poem.”

“You haven’t completed Question 1 either?” Zhu Ming asked, surprised. “Weren’t you fully prepared?”

Boss Zhao coughed awkwardly twice. Third Brother Zhao responded craftily, “We just kept feeling like something wasn’t quite right. The three of us are such big, careless men. We’ve been wanting to consult you all again, not daring to start otherwise.”

“Mind if I take a look?” Zhu Ming asked.

Third Brother Zhao showed a simple, honest smile. “Not at all, not at all. It’s perfect timing for you to come and look. We should be thanking you.”

Hearing this, Wenren Tu couldn’t help but laugh. “Helping the people is the eternal aim of our Management Bureau! Although our Mingming isn’t part of the Bureau, under my influence, she’s definitely reformed and wholeheartedly turned toward doing good.”

“You’re from the Management Bureau,” Third Brother Zhao said, surprised. “Wow, that’s really impressive, then.”

“It’s nothing special, mainly my own hard work…”

Zhu Ming, acting very much the part, thoughtfully reminded them that it was best to take soil from the underground maze. As for the water, it was related to the murals—she told them to think about it themselves.

Third Brother Zhao smiled while cursing inwardly. As if they needed her to remind them of that stuff? Anyone with eyes could see Zhu Ming walk out of the dormitory covered in filth; one guess was all it took to know where her soil came from.

She was clever, keeping the crucial detail about the water to herself. It seemed the Moon Group wasn’t as naive and innocent as they’d thought.

Zhu Ming then looked at the Sword and Shield Group’s seeds, quite surprised. She picked them up and examined them closely. “Our seeds look exactly the same?”

Third Brother Zhao replied, “They sure do. Actually, the seeds for all four groups are identical.”

“Ah!”

Just at that moment, Wenren Tu, who was curiously examining the Sword and Shield Group’s handicraft, tripped over a table leg. The entire exam table lurched, startling the Sword and Shield Group members into quickly turning back to steady it.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry! It’s too dark, I just wanted to look closer at your handicraft pattern.” Wenren Tu apologized with an embarrassed face. “I really didn’t mean it!”

“Forget it.” Seeing nothing was damaged and no real harm was done, Boss Zhao magnanimously forgave her. “Can’t blame you, it’s getting too dark. I’d say we’ll have to head back to the dorms soon.”

“It really is almost night,” Zhu Ming chimed in helpfully. “We feel the exam tables are significant, so it’s probably best to answer on top of them. Consider this reminder our apology. A-Tu, A-Zou, Deng Yan, we need to get our seeds planted quickly too. Let’s go.”

With that, Zhu Ming put down the seeds in her hand, beckoned, and led the group to the Moon Group’s exam table.

Her expression unchanged, Zhu Ming poured all the soil into the flowerpot and told Yun Zouchuan to complete the remaining steps.

The three Sword and Shield Group brothers exchanged glances. Third Brother Zhao asked, “Big sister, we’re all rough and tough men in our group. We really didn’t understand what you said earlier. Could we observe and learn?”

Yun Zouchuan looked toward Zhu Ming. Zhu Ming took a seed from her pocket, tossed it lightly, and placed it on the table. “Of course. We’re all Participants here. Mutual help is what it’s about.”

Boss Zhao and Third Brother Zhao exchanged a glance and smiled.

Third Brother Zhao: See? I told you we had to get on good terms with them. The opportunity came just like that, right?

Boss Zhao: Girls really are just simpler and easier to get along with. I like it.

Boss Zhao and Third Brother Zhao brought their own group’s flowerpot, water, and seeds over, prepared to follow every step exactly.

Second Brother Zhao also wanted to join in the fun, but his two brothers subtly pushed him back: Just sit this one out, you!

The sky was getting darker and darker, and no lamps or lights were provided here, making it hard for everyone crowding around Yun Zouchuan to see clearly. The steps were actually quite simple. Yun Zouchuan used a twig to stir the soil in the flowerpot and, seeing it was fine and free of gravel, prepared to place the seeds inside.

Just at that moment, Boss Zhao kept leaning forward, forward, until he accidentally knocked Third Brother Zhao down!

With an “Ai-yah,” Third Brother Zhao sprawled across the Moon Group’s exam table, directly knocking the flowerpot over. Soil spilled all over the table. In the chaos, he swapped the two groups’ seeds.

“Ow, ow, ow, look at this clumsy oaf I am!” Boss Zhao immediately pulled Third Brother Zhao up. “So sorry, almost knocked your flowerpot over. Big sister, look at this…”

Zhu Ming waved magnanimously. “It’s fine. This makes us even—a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. Let’s just both forget the apologies; consider it quits.”

Boss Zhao let out a hearty laugh. “You’re straightforward, sister. I like you.”

Zhu Ming chuckled twice. “Thanks for that, Big Brother.”

They gathered the soil scattered on the table, piled it back into the pot, and Yun Zouchuan was finally able to proceed with the next steps. She picked up the seeds and looked at them, didn’t notice anything amiss, buried them in the soil, and watered them thoroughly.

“It’s really very simple,” Yun Zouchuan said. “Soak the soil thoroughly initially, then just sprinkle a little water every day.”

Boss Zhao adopted an expression of sudden enlightenment. “Ohhh, so that’s really simple! Just bury it a little bit, right? Thank you! I’ve learned!”

With that, he quickly pulled Third Brother Zhao away, not forgetting to look back and warn, “Keep your flowerpot in your room tonight. Some people around here… tsk tsk tsk, you gotta be careful.”

Wang Ziwei, the implied target, offered two fake laughs and said nothing. He just unhurriedly moved his own group’s things into the dormitory.

The sky darkened rapidly and intensely. The groups went back inside one after another, none daring to take the risk of staying outside.

The Moon Group was in the room furthest to the left. Inside the dorm were four beds, each against a different wall, with names affixed to the headboards—positions were fixed.

Deng Yan was to the east, Yun Zouchuan to the west, Zhu Ming to the south, and Wenren Tu to the north.

Zhu Ming’s luck was a bit worse; her bed was right next to the door, but the door couldn’t be locked, meaning anyone could enter.

As soon as it was dark, the four lay down on their respective beds. Because they’d only eaten a little something that day, Deng Yan’s stomach growled continuously, and the other three weren’t feeling much better.

Zhu Ming was still covered in dust and sweat, even more uncomfortable than the others. She lay prone on the bed, unable to sleep for a long time. She endured it for a while but finally opened her eyes.

However, when she opened them, she noticed something different.

Unlike the absolute blackness when night had abruptly fallen, a gentle, dreamy blue fluorescence was now filtering in through the doors and windows of the dormitory.

Moonlight?

No sooner had the guess formed in her mind than it was overturned. This blue fluorescence was emanating from inside the temple. The window behind the dorm looked out onto the wilderness, which was still utterly pitch-black.

Through the frosted glass, she couldn’t see what specific thing was emitting the light. Zhu Ming watched for a moment, then withdrew her gaze.

She sat up and quietly slipped out of bed. Her roommates weren’t asleep yet, and this slight noise reached their ears.

“What are you doing?” Wenren Tu asked in a hushed voice.

“I’m going to wash up a bit.”

“In the middle of the night? Are you crazy?” Wenren Tu tried to scare her. “Nights in dungeons are always very dangerous.”

Zhu Ming took a deep breath and said, “I want to be a clean ghost.”

Wenren Tu: “…”

Yun Zouchuan turned over and said, “It’s too early, I can’t sleep.”

Though they weren’t close yet, Deng Yan also really couldn’t sleep. “Me neither. Do you think there will be wandering ghosts here tonight? This dungeon type is different. Will the wandering ghosts be different too?”

Wenren Tu said, “We’ll find out after one night. Even if the form is different, the essence is the same.”

Yun Zouchuan had also noticed the blue fluorescence inside the temple and asked, “What’s making that glow?”

No one answered for a moment. No one knew. To find out, they’d have to open the door, which was a little risky.

Wenren Tu said, “Wait, Zhu Ming. What if a monster pounces in the moment the door opens, and she’s still in there washing…”

The three of them associated that image and couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. In the washroom, groping in the dark to catch water and wipe herself down, Zhu Ming felt her forehead line with black veins. Her hearing might have been a bit dull, but she wasn’t deaf.

The three, unable to sleep, started chatting. The conversation eventually circled back to Zhu Ming.

“I see you two know people in other groups. Are you friends?” Or enemies? Deng Yan was prepared for anything; she wanted to get as much background info as possible upfront. She wasn’t really a gossip, but she couldn’t afford for anyone to let personal feelings drag the team down.

Yun Zouchuan said, “With Bai Lianxue? We’ve been in a dungeon together before. Not very close.”

Deng Yan asked, “What about the one in the Harp Group… the one with the clothing…”

Wenren Tu cleared her throat dryly. “There’s some… conflict. But don’t worry, Zhu Ming won’t let emotions cloud her judgment.”

Deng Yan let out an “Oh,” but didn’t quite believe it inwardly. She could guess that Zhu Ming and Yin Yu had some emotional conflict, and romantic entanglements were always the easiest way to cloud a person’s judgment.

Two heavy coughs sounded from inside the washroom, signaling that someone’s ears were working just fine.

Wenren Tu pretended not to hear and naturally shifted the conversation to the dungeon’s content. “We can set Question 1 aside for now. Question 2: I’m guessing the materials needed are in the treasure chests in the underground maze, just like the soil. We can’t ignore Question 3 either. Should we leave someone outside tomorrow?”

Deng Yan was just about to say, “Worst case, I can keep staying outside,” when a faint, strange sound came from outside the door.

Tsng—

Almost the instant the sound fell, Wenren Tu’s whole demeanor snapped to seriousness. “Shh!”

The three instinctively looked toward the door. Against the backdrop of the gorgeous, bewitching blue fluorescence, a blurry human silhouette appeared before them. The figure was tall and graceful, possessing six arms, each holding a sword, shield, book, ruler, harp, and moon.

In an instant, goosebumps erupted on all three. Looking at those six arms and the pedestal beneath her feet, it was clearly the Six-Armed Goddess Statue!

How had the statue, which had been an ordinary piece of stone by day, suddenly come to life now that night had fallen?

A flash of inspiration struck Wenren Tu’s mind. Examiner Crowcrow’s raspy voice echoed in her memory: Do not look upon that which is Blasphemy!

Just as the arms of the Six-Armed Goddess Statue slowly moved, attempting to push the door open, Wenren Tu barked harshly, “Close your eyes, everyone!”

If the Participants were Believers and the Six-Armed Goddess was a true God, how could Believers possibly disobey or resist a deity?

The only thing they could do was close their eyes in deep, profound reverence.

Whoosh—

The door opened silently without a sound. Aside from a chilly night breeze and the tsng of a sound, there was nothing.

Inside the washroom, Zhu Ming also heard Wenren Tu’s command to “Close your eyes.” She splashed the water into the basin, stood in place, and closed her eyes, using a towel to wipe the water from her body.

She didn’t know what had happened outside to make the three instantly fall silent and shut their eyes, but Zhu Ming trusted Wenren Tu’s judgment.

The washroom here lacked any modern bathing system. There was only a single faucet, a basin, and four clay pots and towels. To bathe here, one could only use the simplest method of filling a pot with water.

The accident had happened at an incredibly bad time. Zhu Ming could only pray that whatever unknown ghost or spirit it was wouldn’t notice the washroom.

However, the cool, wispy stream of air that grazed her back told her that the only dependable thing in this world was a jinx. That thing had indeed entered.

Zhu Ming slowly set down the wet towel and stood still, hoping the entity would leave.

Tsng—

The strange sound she’d heard in the underground maze instantly arrived right beside her ear. An icy coldness coiled around her. Even with her eyes closed in darkness, Zhu Ming could clearly perceive that malice, as palpable as a physical substance.

Hss…

So close.