Chapter 19: The Scapegoat

"You? Coming with me?" Li Fugui’s small eyes darted around.

A man and a woman alone, and she was the one who initiated the invitation—it was hard for him to keep his composure!

"Yes, yes! I'm coming right now!"

Li Fugui was still wearing a tank top and loose shorts, but he didn't care; he stepped out wearing his slippers.

As the two walked toward the outskirts of the village, many villagers cast surprised glances their way. Li Fugui was known throughout the village as a notorious good-for-nothing. In his thirties or forties, he refused to hold a proper job, spending his days idling, gambling, drinking, and harassing the local women.

Xia Wulei had consulted with Chu Wei before deciding to choose Li Fugui.

"That old lecher once followed me all the way to my doorstep and tried to drag me into his house by force. If one of my mission targets hadn't happened to pass by, I might have actually fallen victim to him."

Chu Wei spoke of this with cool indifference, as if it didn't weigh on her mind at all.

Yu Huaiyu said indignantly, "Why didn't you tell us? I would have put a sack over his head and beaten him!"

Chu Wei was dismissive. "He’s just an NPC; at the end of the day, he’s nothing but a bunch of data. Besides, we didn't know back then if he would turn into a vengeful spirit on the seventh day. If he did, offending him now might only lead to a more severe retaliation."

It had to be said that Chu Wei possessed the strongest mindset among them. Her sole focus was clearing the instance; she cared for nothing else.

However, as Chu Wei spoke, Xia Wulei recalled the fragments of clues she had found regarding the secret of Yun Village. One detail in the clues had caught her attention: it mentioned that Yun Village was filled with countless wronged souls, and wondered what would become of the villagers who had committed evil deeds.

"Could the wronged souls who died here also turn into evil spirits?"

Upon hearing Xia Wulei’s question, Hong Qi and Chu Wei paused, falling into deep thought.

"It doesn't seem impossible... A similar situation happened in my last game."

Hong Qi recalled his experience and recounted it. "A player inadvertently wandered into a ghost's room. On the final day, that player also transformed into a ghost and attacked us. But not everyone can become a ghost; some just disappear when they die."

In that light, the ghosts appearing on the final day might not be limited to those mentioned in the clues.

When Xia Wulei suggested her plan to trap Li Fugui, Chu Wei expressed some concern. "What if he turns into a ghost and comes back to harm you?"

Xia Wulei smiled, unbothered. "That’s exactly what I want—for him to turn into a ghost."

As they stepped outside Yun Village, Li Fugui’s devious mind began to race.

"That place is quite far. Let's take a rest over there first."

Li Fugui reached out to grab Xia Wulei, but she dodged him nimbly.

"No need, Brother Li. My brother is still waiting for me. Let's hurry and catch a couple of fish so we can head back."

Xia Wulei’s smile was radiant, making Li Fugui feel increasingly restless with desire.

Since they were still not far from Yun Village, Li Fugui had to restrain himself, thinking to himself that once they reached their destination, she would be at his mercy anyway.

Though Li Fugui looked sturdy, he was actually weak and lacked stamina. By the time he reached the lake under Xia Wulei’s urging, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"W-wait, let me... let me rest for a moment..."

Li Fugui plopped onto the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Xia Wulei leisurely took off her shoes, rolled up her pant legs, and dipped her feet into the cool water, letting out a comfortable sigh.

"Come on over, Brother Li! It’s so comfortable!"

Li Fugui looked up, his eyes widening. Her small, snow-white feet were dangling before him, and the surface of the water shimmered beautifully under the sunlight.

"I'm coming! I'm coming right now!"

Li Fugui swallowed hard, ripped off his shirt, and lunged toward Xia Wulei.

Xia Wulei slipped away, diving into the water and splashing it toward him.

"The water is so cool!"

Greed shone in Li Fugui’s eyes as he laughed. "So, you little minx likes to play like this? Your brother is here to keep you company!"

Li Fugui dove into the water with a loud splash!

"Brother is here... Wait, where is she?"

As the spray settled, Li Fugui wiped his face and tried to move toward where Xia Wulei had been, only to find the water surface completely empty.

Li Fugui floated in the water, looking bewildered.

"She didn't drown, did she? It’s no fun if she's dead."

He frowned and was about to swim toward the shore when he suddenly felt his ankles tighten!

A tremendous force dragged him downward. Submerged in the water with nothing to anchor himself to, he could only flail his limbs desperately.

"Help... someone, help..."

The cold lake water poured into his nose and mouth. The threat of death filled Li Fugui with terror.

"I even dragged you into the water, and you still haven't died after all this time."

Hearing a voice, Li Fugui looked up to see Xia Wulei sitting on the bank, watching him with an expression of complete indifference.

"Little sister, save me!"

Seeing Xia Wulei, Li Fugui shouted for help, stretching his hand toward her, too panicked to process what she had just said.

"Still have energy? Fine, I'll give you a hand."

Xia Wulei extended her hand, and a hoe appeared in her grasp.

Li Fugui: ?

Oh crap, no!

With a single swing, the hoe smashed down on his head. Li Fugui instantly lost consciousness and sank into the water.

Once Li Fugui had completely vanished, the water ghost surfaced, grumbling, "Why did you have to pick the middle of the day when the sun is so bright? The daylight weakens my power, and I was in the middle of my beauty sleep..."

Xia Wulei: ...

"Never mind that. So, can you leave this lake and come with me now?"

"I suppose I can." The water ghost hesitated, her face uncertain.

Seeing the water ghost’s expression, Xia Wulei had a sudden bad premonition.

"What's wrong?"

The water ghost scratched her head. "After I found a substitute, a voice suddenly appeared in my head, asking if I was willing to become a resident of the 'Pre-Transparency Realm'."

Xia Wulei was stunned.

Do players become residents of the Pre-Transparency Realm after they die in the game? And what exactly is a resident?

Xia Wulei’s mind was filled with questions, but there was no one to answer them. The water ghost seemed just as confused, so she simply shook her head and looked at Xia Wulei. "Forget it, I'll go with you."

"There are too many rules and regulations to follow as a 'resident' anyway. It’s freer to just follow you."

Xia Wulei nodded, gesturing for the water ghost to take her hand.

"By the way, what’s your name?"

The water ghost shook her head blankly. "I don't remember."

"In that case, I'll pick a name for you." Xia Wulei looked thoughtful.

For some reason, the water ghost felt a bit nervous, as if her destiny was being decided.

"Then I'll call you A-Shui!"

The water ghost—or rather, A-Shui—was speechless.

A-Shui: ...That's it?

Xia Wulei was clearly very satisfied with her naming ability. "Simple, easy to understand, and fits your status perfectly!"

A-Shui was speechless. "Fine, whatever makes you happy."

With their hands clasped, a soft white light flashed, and A-Shui vanished from the spot.

Xia Wulei followed her into the space and found A-Shui looking absolutely shocked by the edge of the pond.

A-Shui: "It's so big?! This whole place belongs to you?! I can walk around here freely??"

Xia Wulei waved her hand with grand flair. "Behold! All of this is the empire I have conquered for you!"