The team card ensured that the bound teammates wouldn’t be too far apart upon entering the instance.
Li Zhi reached out and pulled Chi Yi out of the wheat field. Feeling the warmth of her body and the normal sensation of her skin when grasping her wrist, the wariness in Li Zhi’s eyes finally dissipated completely.
Chi Yi, unaware that she had just been suspected moments ago, stood on the ridge and curiously surveyed the surroundings. “Zhi Zhi, don’t you think something feels off here?”
As they walked along the ridge toward the village ahead, Li Zhi asked, “What’s strange?”
Chi Yi replied, “It’s too normal! Not scary, not oppressive, and even kind of cozy. In this instance, what’s normal is the most abnormal thing! This place must be dangerous, maybe even more so than the last two instances!”
Li Zhi patted her shoulder. “Nice, you’ve made great progress.”
Wow, she got praised by Zhi Zhi!
Chi Yi’s face lit up with joy, and she proudly lifted her chin.
The barrage of comments exploded with “I’m shipping them so hard”:
[“Finally, it’s Li Zhi’s instance! Watching her clear levels makes everything else seem boring.”]
[“Lychee is teaming up with Chi Yi again! I love these two together!”]
[“Is Chi Yi planning to bind herself to Li Zhi forever? Can she not walk on her own?”]
[“If Chi Yi keeps going like this, she’s going to lose all her popularity.”]
[“Chi Yi may be average, but she and Lychee are a great pair. They’re so fun to watch! Don’t like it? Plenty of people do.”]
[“She used to be the nation’s first love, so famous, and now she’s just a sidekick to a supporting character. How sad.”]
[“Who let these toxic fans in here? Why are they so hateful toward Zhi Yi?”]
[“Fun fact: Chi Yi’s rival, Wen Qianxue, is also in this instance! They’ve been at odds since their debuts. This is gonna be good!”]
…
After crossing the ridge, they arrived at a threshing ground where players from all directions started gathering. Slowly but surely, more players joined in.
Chi Yi had been joking and laughing with Li Zhi, but when she saw Wen Qianxue among the group, her expression suddenly became complicated. She and Wen Qianxue were classic rivals, clashing since their debuts due to their similar public personas. They had frequently competed for resources and endorsements, with their fan bases often engaged in fierce battles.
In reality, there hadn’t been any direct conflict between Chi Yi and Wen Qianxue, and they had rarely interacted over the years. However, in the entertainment industry, some people are just born to be rivals.
Now, entering the same instance—one that was life-or-death—meant they would be fighting not just for survival, but also for popularity. The competition was inevitable.
When Wen Qianxue noticed Chi Yi, her expression also became quite interesting. However, both were seasoned professionals in the entertainment industry, and their facial expressions were well controlled. Within a moment, they both returned to their usual calm, with Wen Qianxue even nodding and smiling at Chi Yi in greeting.
There were ten players in total this time—five men and five women. Besides the well-known Wen Qianxue and Chi Yi, three of them were idols who had debuted from the same talent show. The three seemed familiar with each other, and Li Zhi guessed that they had probably used a team card as well.
Chi Yi whispered in Li Zhi’s ear, “They debuted with Lian Qinglin from the Milky Way group.”
The three guys were indeed quite handsome, fitting the current idol aesthetic, but in Li Zhi’s opinion, they still fell a bit short compared to Lian Qinglin. One had pink hair, another had white, and the third had bright golden hair, making them particularly eye-catching among the players.
The remaining four were also familiar faces from the entertainment industry. Upon seeing Li Zhi in the instance, some players were excited while others were disappointed. The excited ones knew that with a top-tier player like her, they had a good chance of winning without much effort. The disappointed ones were aiming for the MVP title but felt there was no way they could outshine Li Zhi, cursing their bad luck under their breath.
After waiting a while at the threshing ground to make sure no more players would arrive, the group headed toward the village not far away.
By now, the sun had set, and the village was bathed in the warm glow of dusk, creating an atmosphere of tranquility. As soon as they reached the village entrance, a young man in a cloth shirt and leggings came running toward them.
Upon seeing the group, he anxiously asked, “What are you doing here, just strolling around? The troupe leader told you to inform the villagers about tonight’s performance. Did you notify them?”
Troupe leader….performance.
It seemed this instance had something to do with a traveling theater troupe.
In previous instances, after encountering the first NPC, the system would pop up with a reminder that a storyline had been triggered. This time, however, nothing happened, leaving the players momentarily dumbfounded.
To the young man, they just looked like they were spacing out, which made him furious. “The stage is already set up! If you don’t sell tickets tonight, you can go hungry for three days!”
Pink Hair immediately responded, “Don’t be mad, we’re on it!”
The young man scowled, handed them a copper gong, and said, “You need to notify every household. There’s a famine going on, and many places can’t even afford food, let alone a show. But I’ve heard this village is relatively wealthy. If you sell more tickets tonight, maybe everyone can get a better meal.”
After saying that, he left. Pink Hair curiously struck the gong, and the sound rang out loudly—clang clang.
Someone asked, “What’s going on? Why isn’t there a task notification?”
Wen Qianxue suggested, “Let’s just complete this task for now and inform the villagers about the performance tonight.”
With no task prompt yet, it seemed like the best course of action. The group took the gong and headed into the village. Pink Hair led the way, and as they passed by a house, he shouted, “The theater troupe is performing tonight! If you have money, come support us. If you don’t, just show up!”
The gong’s sound echoed far into the village, and soon, several children ran out of their houses, laughing and circling around them. “The theater troupe is here! We get to watch a show tonight!”
Some villagers stood by their doors, curious. “Which troupe are you from? What’s tonight’s play?”
Pink Hair cleverly replied, “Come and find out.”
As they spread the word, the players also took the opportunity to explore the village. Li Zhi stayed at the back of the group, quietly observing the surroundings. It genuinely seemed like an ordinary village, with the villagers showing no hostility toward them. Everything felt perfectly normal.
The village wasn’t small, with about a hundred households. By the time they had informed everyone, night had already fallen.
Small kerosene lamps began to flicker to life around the village. After dinner, the villagers emerged, carrying long benches, chatting and laughing as they made their way to the open-air stage at the village entrance to watch the performance.
In the era of kerosene lamps, attending a performance was the villagers’ main source of entertainment. The children were especially excited, running around in the streets, clapping and singing a nursery rhyme:
“Time for the show! Time for the show!
Lady Liu from the city defied tradition,
She drowned herself in the pond,
Deserved her fate, shame on the honor she spurned!”
The players, walking behind the villagers, exchanged confused glances as they listened to the children’s song.
“Drowned in a pig cage… dishonored the family.” Li Zhi repeated the words, chuckling. “It looks like this storyline involves chastity.”
In this era, performances were the norm for entertainment, and most villages had an open-air theater. The villagers, familiar with the routine, headed straight for the performance area, where torches were already lit on both sides, illuminating the place brightly.
The makeshift stage, usually used for gatherings and announcements, had been set up by the theater troupe, complete with curtains.
The young man they encountered earlier was now standing at the entrance, selling tickets. Seeing such a large crowd coming to watch, he was grinning from ear to ear.
This kind of open-air stage didn’t have any seating; people brought their own benches. Long wooden benches were placed one after another, and villagers pulled their children close as they sat down, filling the area with a lively atmosphere.
Only the very front row of benches remained empty. No one knew who had set them up, but no one dared to sit there.
Soon, the drums and gongs on stage sounded, signaling the start of the show. The crowd below gradually quieted down.
The players stood off to the side, feeling somewhat at a loss. Pink Hair glanced around, then pointed to the empty front row and suggested, “Why don’t we sit there and watch?”
The others also felt awkward just standing there, so they hunched down and started moving forward.
As they reached the second row, Pink Hair, who was leading the group, was suddenly grabbed by a hand.
An elderly woman, her head wrapped in a black cloth, wore a stern expression. Her pale, three-eyed gaze looked chilling as she stared at them.
“Don’t you know the rules?” Her murky eyes slowly swept over the players, and she lowered her voice as if afraid someone might overhear, “The first row—living people can’t sit there.”
Pink Hair’s hand trembled. He looked back at the empty benches in the first row and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
Thanks for chapters