Li Zhi looked at the white pill in the palm of her hand. It was hard to believe that modern medicine’s diagnosis of heart failure could be cured by such a tiny pill. But it was an undeniable fact—if even severed limbs could be regenerated, why not heart disease?
This alone demonstrated the immense power of the [Ghost] system, an entity beyond comprehension. Did they truly have a way to expel such a formidable force?
Li Zhi glanced at Li Feng. He was also staring at the pill, his expression predictably heavy, but his eyes remained as resolute as ever.
Just like Yu Gong moving mountains, or Jingwei filling the sea, weren’t these stories of individuals battling forces far greater than themselves?
The ancients were not afraid, so why should people today be?
Taking advantage of the fact that the safe house hadn’t closed yet, Li Zhi pulled Li Feng aside. “Brother, what items did you get?”
Naturally, there was nothing to hide from his sister. Li Feng revealed, “A live stream blocker, which can be used infinitely. A nightmare pillow, usable in both the instance and the real world. And a doll that can block one fatal injury, but it can only be used in the instance.”
Seeing the doll her brother took out, Li Zhi couldn’t help but laugh.
The doll, dressed in an adorable puffy skirt, looked far too out of place with her tall, burly brother.
Knowing her brother wouldn’t accept the items if she gave them to him outright, Li Zhi pulled out the verdigris incense burner she had bought after clearing the last instance. “Brother, trade me your nightmare pillow. I’ll give you this in exchange.”
Li Feng knew that her incense burner could summon a friendly ghost, making it a very powerful tool. Although she called it a trade, it was essentially a gift, as his nightmare pillow was practically useless in the instance.
Li Feng was about to refuse, but Li Zhi quickly shoved the incense burner into his hand, not giving him a chance to argue. “I have a feeling I can make use of this nightmare pillow. Just give it to me!”
Knowing the rules of these items, Li Feng understood that if the exchange wasn’t voluntary, the person who ended up with the item would face backlash. Fearing his sister might be affected, he reluctantly accepted the incense burner. “Alright, let’s trade.”
If the next instance gave him a more useful item, he’d just trade it back to her then.
With an incense burner that could actively attack, a doll to block damage, and a blocker to prevent audience detection during instances, Li Feng’s toolkit was quite well-rounded now. This eased Li Zhi’s worries.
The safe house soon began its countdown to closure, and with a final glance at each other, the siblings were transported away.
When Li Zhi returned home, she found herself sitting at the dining table where she had been eating before being transported into the instance. Shang Jinru and Li Shuang had been counting the seconds, waiting for her return. As soon as Li Zhi looked up, she saw her mother and sister sitting nearby.
“Sis~!” Li Shuang leapt forward, overjoyed and excited. “You actually met big brother! Mom and I were shocked when we saw it!”
Li Feng had been called back to the military, so the family had already anticipated the possibility of him appearing in an instance. However, they never imagined that the two siblings would end up in the same instance. The moment they reunited, much of the earlier worry melted away.
Shang Jinru handed her daughter a cup of water. “Did your brother say when he’ll come back?”
“He said he’s not sure yet; it depends on the military’s orders.” Li Zhi took the water and reassured her mother, “Now that big brother has cleared this instance, he has three tools at his disposal. With both defense and offense covered, given his skills, even if he goes into an instance alone next time, he’ll be fine.”
Shang Jinru sighed softly and nodded.
As the three women were chatting, there was a sudden knock at the door. Li Zhi immediately knew who it was. “It must be Han Han.”
She opened the door, and sure enough, Meng Yuhan was there, accompanied by Grandma Luo. Her eyes were sparkling with both anticipation and nervousness. As soon as she entered, she pulled out the white pill. “Sister Zhi, it’s my first time using an item, and I’m a bit scared…”
After all, it was a pill meant for an elderly person, so it was only natural to feel apprehensive at the critical moment. Seeking help from the all-capable Sister Zhi was the best solution.
Li Zhi took the pill and examined it before asking, “What were the instructions that came with it?”
Meng Yuhan replied, “It said it could cure heart failure. Just take it with water, and it will take effect!”
Li Zhi poured a glass of water for the equally nervous Grandma Luo. “Then just take it directly.”
Grandma Luo’s eyes reddened slightly as she held the water cup. She looked at her granddaughter, whose eyes were full of anticipation, then glanced at the gentle expression on Li Zhi’s face before taking the pill and swallowing it.
The whole family watched her anxiously. After a while, Grandma Luo touched her chest and hesitated, “It seems… it feels a bit more comfortable.”
Li Zhi said, “Let’s go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.”
Grandma Luo nodded and looked at her with gratitude. “Zhi Zhi, I really don’t know how to thank you this time. If it weren’t for you, our Han Han…”
Tears welled up in her eyes, “Thank you so much, you’re our family’s lifesaver.”
“Hanhan is very smart; she’s helped me a lot too,” Li Zhi replied with a smile. “You must have noticed by now, she’s a very capable young lady.”
Meng Yuhan proudly lifted her head.
Li Zhi turned to her, “Do you want to go into the next instance with me again?”
Meng Yuhan was startled. Grandma Luo’s face lit up with joy, ready to agree on her granddaughter’s behalf, but to her surprise, Meng Yuhan refused. “Sister Zhi, next time I want to go in by myself.”
Grandma Luo’s expression turned from joy to alarm, but before she could speak, her granddaughter took her trembling hand and said seriously, “Grandma, I can’t always rely on Sister Zhi. I’m too weak right now. When I’m with her, no one can notice me. And Sister Zhi is always worried about my safety, never daring to let me handle tasks on my own. If something happened to me, she wouldn’t know how to explain it to you.”
Grandma Luo looked at her granddaughter. After just one instance, she seemed to have grown up so much.
She was no longer the mischievous, troublesome little girl she once was.
Meng Yuhan looked between her grandmother and Li Zhi, her expression and tone firm. “This time, I’ve also obtained a tool. I can go into the instance on my own.”
Grandma Luo’s lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
Yes, if Li Zhi kept taking her granddaughter into instances and something terrible happened, could she truly not blame Li Zhi? She wasn’t a saint, and she wouldn’t be able to. The fact that Li Zhi had brought her into an instance once was already a great kindness.
After a long pause, Li Zhi smiled and patted Meng Yuhan’s head. “Alright, how about from now on, you train with me and your Sister Shuang Shuang every day?”
Meng Yuhan beamed and nodded, “Okay!”
After seeing off Grandma Luo and Meng Yuhan, Li Zhi took a shower and went to her room for a nap.
When she woke up and checked her phone, she saw three missed calls from Chi Yi.
Her WeChat was also filled with voice messages from her. Li Zhi squinted her eyes and called back. The call was answered almost immediately, and Chi Yi’s familiar sweet voice came through.
“Zhi Zhi, you’re awake?”
Li Zhi put the phone on speaker and lazily rolled over. “Just woke up, what’s up?”
“I saw your livestream room close and knew you were out.” Chi Yi said, “Lian Qinglin and I just came out of an instance too, half a day earlier than you. I saw that your brother also entered an instance? Did you two team up?”
Li Zhi replied, “No, he entered on his own. We just happened to run into each other.”
Chi Yi gasped in amazement. “Wow, you two have such good luck!”
After chatting for a bit, Chi Yi’s tone turned somber. “Zhi Zhi, did you hear that Teacher Zhu didn’t make it out of his last instance?”
Li Zhi froze and sat up from her bed. “Was he eliminated?”
Chi Yi responded, “No, he triggered the death condition and couldn’t avoid it.”
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Chi Yi let out a sigh. “Out of the seven people from the newcomer instance, only the three of us are left now.”
She seemed unwilling to linger on such a depressing topic and her tone lightened again, “I was just talking to Lian Qinglin about it. How about we get together for a hotpot party to celebrate us making it through safely this time?”
Li Zhi chuckled, “Sure, are we cooking it ourselves?”
Chi Yi said, “Of course! All the hotpot places outside are probably closed by now, right? How about we do it at your place? Your mom’s cooking is amazing, and I’m still craving the spicy diced chicken she made last time!”
After agreeing on the plan, Li Zhi hung up the phone and changed into her pajamas. She walked out of her bedroom and told Shang Jinru about having friends over for hotpot the next day. Shang Jinru was delighted. “That’s great! It’s been so long since we had this kind of lively gathering!”
The next morning, Lian Qinglin and Chi Yi arrived, each carrying groceries. One brought vegetables, the other brought meat—everything they needed for a hotpot feast. They even brought gifts, one for Li Shuang and another for Shang Jinru.
Shang Jinru beamed with warmth. “Chi Yi, Qinglin, come on in, come on in. You two didn’t need to bring so much! It’s just a meal!”
Chi Yi smiled sweetly, “Auntie, it’s our pleasure.”
“Not at all, not at all! I’ve been looking forward to having you two over! Make yourselves at home, the fruits and desserts on the coffee table are all for you.”
It had been a long time since the house was this lively. Ever since Li Feng left and Li Zhi was constantly going in and out of instances, only Li Shuang and Shang Jinru were left at home. There were many moments when Shang Jinru felt life had lost its spark. But now, with so many people in the house, she felt like life was vibrant again.
Li Zhi called Meng Yuhan to join them, and when the young girl entered and saw Lian Qinglin sitting on the couch munching on an apple, she nearly let out a scream.
It was then that Li Zhi learned Meng Yuhan was actually a fan of Lian Qinglin.
“Come on, let’s take a group photo and get a personalized autograph!” Chi Yi held up her Polaroid camera, snapping away as Lian Qinglin posed with a big grin, while the shy and flustered Meng Yuhan stood beside him.
When the photos developed, Lian Qinglin swiftly signed his name and handed the picture to his fan with a cool flourish. Suddenly, he asked, “Yuhan, when your Sister Zhi and I were in the instance, who did you vote for?”
Meng Yuhan, who had been happily admiring her signed photo, froze.
Her expression grew a little guilty, and her eyes began to dart around nervously.
It was clear she hadn’t voted for her idol.
Lian Qinglin: “……?”
Chi Yi couldn’t hold back her laughter, bursting out with a honking snort.
Lian Qinglin gritted his teeth, “Unbelievable! You didn’t even vote for me, and you still call yourself my fan? You tricked me into giving you a signed photo!”
Meng Yuhan quickly hid the autograph behind her back and dashed to hide behind Li Zhi, peeking her head out. “You didn’t perform as well as Sister Zhi…”
What a fair little fan! Lian Qinglin looked like he was about to explode from frustration.
With the help of the young crowd, dinner preparations flew by, and soon the mouthwatering aroma of hotpot filled the house. The family’s rectangular dining table, which could be extended into a large round table, was usually only used during Lunar New Year or when they hosted guests. Now, with so many people, it was pulled out and filled to the brim with delicious dishes. In addition to the hotpot, Shang Jinru made each person’s favorite dish, filling the table with an abundance of food.
Chi Yi ate while marveling, “It’s been ages since I’ve had such a lively meal.”
Indeed, ever since the live streams began, a heavy cloud had settled over everyone’s hearts, making it difficult to feel truly happy again.
Lian Qinglin raised his glass. “Let’s not dwell on that! Come on, let’s toast to being alive!”
Everyone lifted their drinks and clinked glasses with him, smiling. “To being alive.”
As long as they were alive, they believed they would eventually see the world return to peace.