The young man contemplated for two seconds and nodded obediently.
The Taoist took a couple of steps down the corridor when he suddenly spotted something. His footsteps abruptly halted, and he looked down with a surprised expression.
Bai Lixin approached his side and followed his gaze downward.
The corridor they were currently walking through was a hollow passageway with one side consisting of walls and the other of glass windows. Looking down through the windows allowed them to see the scene beneath the library clearly.
The library was designed with winding corridors, a suspended central area that extended from the ground floor to the roof of the fifth floor.
Around the suspended area were several intersecting corridors.
Following the Taoist’s gaze, Bai Lixin also looked down and his gaze froze as well.
From this bird’s-eye view, the central suspended area formed a square shape, which seamlessly merged with the staircases and corridors on either side. From a distance, it resembled a huge “coin”.
In an instant, Bai Lixin thought of the “coin” mark on the staff member’s corpse he and Shen Mo examined while at the hospital.
“You seem quite surprised, Master. Is there something special about this coin?”
“Uh,” the Taoist hesitated before shifting his gaze back, “how should I put it? Sometimes people use architecture to convey certain meanings. For example, in the exhibition hall of an emperor’s tomb, they might use lighting and materials to create a light sword that resembles a bronze sword, in order to project a sense of power and to ward off evil spirits.”
Xin asked, “So is this coin also meant for warding off evil spirits?”
“Uh, this coin…” the Taoist chuckled dryly, “have you heard of burial objects?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Who would use a burial object to ward off evil spirits?
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Hahaha, “Burial Object.”]
[To be honest, is it okay to bury a copper coin? At the very least, it should be a gold coin.]
[But this coin is quite large, and its symbolism is good—round heaven, square earth, a prosperous country and peaceful people.]
[A coin? I remember there was one on the dead body. Could there be a connection between this coin and that one?]
[There must be a connection. It has appeared too frequently.]
[God Xin’s harvest tonight is quite abundant.]
—————————-
“You know,” the Taoist looked at Bai Lixin uncertainty, “ I might be overthinking things?”
Bai Lixin: “Master, let’s be honest. With so many coincidences like the willow trees, willow wood, and this coin, it’s highly unlikely that overthinking is the case, right? Aren’t you trying to say that this place is starting to look more and more like a tomb?”
The Taoist: “…”
‘I’m numb.
Why did you say it out loud!’
The Taoist’s mouth twitched. “Um, well, how about we go down?”
He wanted to escape, and he wanted to escape right now!
Bai Lixin: “If this place really is a natural tomb, there should be a powerful ghost here, right? Do you want to catch it, Master?”
The veins on the Taoist’s scalp twitched, and he finally squeezed out two words from his mouth: “Don’t want.”
‘Damn, aren’t you enjoying the show a bit too much? Remember the consequences?!
With such a big tombstone, should I catch it? Or should I just kowtow to it? I’m here to make money, not to risk my life!’
Bai Lixin didn’t insist either and just shrugged casually. “Okay then, let’s go down.”
Taking the elevator down wouldn’t work; they had to use the stairs.
Before leaving the corridor, Bai Lixin glanced at the large copper coin symbol down below.
The staircase was pitch black. When they were almost at the staircase, the Taoist suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face pale. He looked at Bai Lixin’s with an expression of horror. “I suddenly remembered something quite frightening. Do you want to hear it?”
‘I can’t be scared alone.’
Bai Lixin said, “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”
The Taoist hesitated for a moment before continuing, “It’s about this library. I just walked right in without thinking too much about it, but can you imagine the layout of this library in your mind?”
“Layout?” After pondering for two seconds, Bai Lixin placed his finger on the cold glass and slowly drew a rectangular shape, “Is it something like this?”
There was a layer of white mist on the glass, and when Bai Lixin withdrew his finger, he left behind a very regular rectangular shape.
The Taoist extended his index finger and added a stroke to Bai Lixin’s drawing, “It’s a rectangular shape, but don’t forget, the library’s roof clearly has an extended canopy. Damn, I initially thought it was a canopy, but now that I think about it, who the hell would put a canopy on the fifth floor?”
While cursing, the man extended a bit beyond the rectangle’s edge, “Damn it, isn’t this a damn coffin?! Seriously, who designed this library? Damn it.”
S419M: [Ahhh! It’s a coffin, Lord Host, are we inside a coffin now?]
Escape System: [Wow, so thrilling, so exciting!]
Bai Lixin sighed, rubbing his temples to alleviate the annoyance.
——————————-
In the live broadcast room
[Fuck, that’s scary.]
[This is the first time I’ve seen such a huge coffin.]
[I imagined myself as one of the students studying there, and the thought of studying inside a coffin every day… well, it’s really unsettling.]
[Do you guys remember the fountain that God Xin saw when he entered the campus? I was puzzled at the time, wondering why the three water columns were slanted. Think about it, isn’t the fountain facing the library? Three water columns, like three sticks of incense, and the pool is like a censer.]
[… And then the library is a coffin. The fountain gives the coffin incense every day…]
[…]
[Help, I’m freaked out. Suddenly I feel so creeped out.]
[No ghost appeared in today’s live stream, but I’ve already sensed the oppression that a ghost’s appearance can’t bring.]
[Quietly tucking my feet back under the blanket, heh, blanket sealing technique!]
[Wow, the plot suddenly got interesting, so thrilling!]
[??? Brother, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say.]
————————-
The Taoist suddenly felt dizzy. He struggled to hold onto the wall, preventing himself from falling down embarrassingly.
Glancing at the staircase, the Taoist felt like crying, “If I’m not mistaken, even the stair railing is made of willow wood. Could it be that my compass wasn’t malfunctioning at first? But because there were too many ghosts, it went crazy?”
“Are you sure we should go down the stairs? The compass pointed at the stairs twice.”
After a moment of silence, Bai Lixin said seriously, “How about I go down myself? Maybe you should stay and leave tomorrow morning?”
The Taoist widened his eyes, “You want to leave me alone in this haunted place? I disagree!”
Bai Lixin glanced at the staircase. A cold breeze continually seeped onto them from the rotating stairs.
The Taoist swallowed hard. With shaky hands, he took off his bag from his shoulder and rummaged inside for a while. Finally, he pulled out two crumpled yellow talismans.
He held one talisman in his hand, then handed the other one to Bai Lixin.
The Taoist glanced at the stairs again, then spoke with a voice of despair, “We can only go down. Hold the yellow talisman and don’t look back. No matter who is calling you behind, you must never turn back, you understand?”
Bai Lixin took a closer look at the staircase and nodded earnestly.
The Taoist took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go!”
As he spoke, he dove into the staircase.
Bai Lixin followed closely, but when he stepped onto the stairs, he couldn’t see the Taoist’s figure.
Before him was pitch-black darkness, and he could only hear some disordered footsteps.
He switched on his flashlight, illuminated the flight of stairs ahead, but there was no sign of the Taoist.
However, logically speaking, since he had entered the staircase right behind the Taoist, he should be able to see him.
As Bai Lixin was descending the stairs and looking around with confusion, he suddenly heard faint footsteps approaching from behind.
Accompanying the footsteps was the Taoist’s panting and trembling voice, “So, you’re here. I twisted my foot just now, and when I looked up, you were gone. It hurts so much. Could you give me a hand?”
A somewhat cold hand slowly grabbed onto Bai Lixin’s shoulder.
Bai Lixin: “….”
‘Even if I were a fool, I wouldn’t appreciate being taken for one.’
—————————————
In the live broadcast room
[Fuck, God Xin, don’t turn around!!! Run forward quickly!!!]
[I’m blind, I’m blind. Who can give me a pair of eyes that can’t see ghosts? I’ll thank your ancestors for eighteen generations.]
Through the screen, the viewers clearly saw the “thing” behind Bai Lixin.
It was a group of combined entities with no discernible boundaries. Countless ugly shadows with distorted expressions and facial features opened bloodthirsty mouths. They were clinging tightly to Bai Lixin, their faces just a few centimeters away from his.
Bai Lixin’s neck moved slightly.
The viewers held their breath, their palms sweating profusely.
[Don’t turn around, don’t turn around, whatever you do, don’t turn around.]
The next second, Bai Lixin turned his head to throw off the hand, then his steps quickly ran down the stairs below.
The bizarre entity behind him pursued him madly.
With each descending floor, the pursuing entity multiplied. In an instant, there was a horrifying mass trailing him, an endless stream of terror that seemed to have no end.
Every time those terrifying entities were about to touch Bai Lixin, he always managed to dodge them perfectly.
In the live broadcast room, players held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
It wasn’t until Bai Lixin’s feet were securely on the ground that the monstrosities seemed to hit an invisible barrier, piling up like carp leaping over a dragon gate.
Seeing that Bai Lixin was safe, the players quietly unclenched their fists.
[Whew, that scared the life out of me. I thought God Xin was about to go on a killing spree again.]
[Yeah, another day for ghosts to survive.]
[Exactly, haha, I was worried for the ghosts, I was afraid they’d be taken out by God Xin.]
One reassuring barrage comment after another rolled by. However, only they knew that what they had been worried about was not the ghosts, but Bai Lixin.
Unconsciously, Bai Lixin had already become their pillar of strength. In this live stream room, the atmosphere was always relaxed and pleasant, unlike other rooms. Bai Lixin’s fans tacitly never expressed their anxiety or fear, and they instinctively protected the ambiance of the live stream.
After all, ghosts were the monsters that had killed many players in this horror game. How could they genuinely be worried about those hideous and frightening things?
Even though Bai Lixin always managed to turn danger into safety, they still worried about any potential threat to their sun.
[Something’s not right. Look at this, it doesn’t seem like the first floor.]
A bullet comment caught the attention of many in the live stream room. Soon, more and more viewers noticed something off.
[The first floor has tiles on the ground, this is a cement floor. Damn, where is this?]
[Did God Xin find another hidden plot?]
[God Xin is amazing!]
————————–
The moment Bai Lixin’s feet touched the ground, he already sensed that something was wrong.
Cement floor.
Floors one to five all had tiled floors. Although he hadn’t been to the second floor, it probably wasn’t an exception.
The staircase was a spiral type, making it difficult to distinguish between floors.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the place where he was standing now should be below the first floor, the underground.
As for how many underground levels there were, he wasn’t sure.
Even though he had reached the ground and felt the pursuit behind him disappear, he had no intention of looking back.
The monsters that had been lurking at the staircase entrance saw that Bai Lixin never turned around and reluctantly dispersed.
Holding a flashlight, Bai Lixin looked around while moving forward.
As he descended the stairs, he never spotted the Taoist. Now that he had arrived here, he still didn’t catch a glimpse of the Taoist’s figure.
It seemed they had become separated from each other.
He took out the phone from his pocket, intending to call the Taoist. However, upon unlocking his phone, he noticed that the signal indicator had turned into a big “X.”
There was no signal here.
The space here was extremely vast, the ground beneath his feet was paved with cement, and the walls on both sides were meticulously constructed from blocks of carved marble.
Marble was very hard in texture, and correspondingly, it was challenging to polish.
Yet, the marble on these walls was so polished it was almost reflective.
In the middle of these marble walls and at regular intervals were hollow rectangular spaces, each containing a stone figure.
Some had fierce, monstrous faces, while others appeared benevolent.
S419M: [Lord Host, this place seems very much like a place of worship.]
Bai Lixin shone the flashlight deeper into the distance, and noticed that the path was very long.
At the end of the path was a towering and huge archway made of gemstones.
S419M: [It’s likely that an ancient god is enshrined here.]
Escape System: [Although I’m a little scared, it’s so exciting. Big brother, are you afraid?]
S419M: […I’m not afraid!]
‘Who do you expect to believe that!’
With the flashlight in hand, Bai Lixin continued to move forward steadily: [We’ll only know after taking a look.]
The young man contemplated for two seconds and nodded obediently.
The Taoist took a couple of steps down the corridor when he suddenly spotted something. His footsteps abruptly halted, and he looked down with a surprised expression.
Bai Lixin approached his side and followed his gaze downward.
The corridor they were currently walking through was a hollow passageway with one side consisting of walls and the other of glass windows. Looking down through the windows allowed them to see the scene beneath the library clearly.
The library was designed with winding corridors, a suspended central area that extended from the ground floor to the roof of the fifth floor.
Around the suspended area were several intersecting corridors.
Following the Taoist’s gaze, Bai Lixin also looked down and his gaze froze as well.
From this bird’s-eye view, the central suspended area formed a square shape, which seamlessly merged with the staircases and corridors on either side. From a distance, it resembled a huge “coin”.
In an instant, Bai Lixin thought of the “coin” mark on the staff member’s corpse he and Shen Mo examined while at the hospital.
“You seem quite surprised, Master. Is there something special about this coin?”
“Uh,” the Taoist hesitated before shifting his gaze back, “how should I put it? Sometimes people use architecture to convey certain meanings. For example, in the exhibition hall of an emperor’s tomb, they might use lighting and materials to create a light sword that resembles a bronze sword, in order to project a sense of power and to ward off evil spirits.”
Xin asked, “So is this coin also meant for warding off evil spirits?”
“Uh, this coin…” the Taoist chuckled dryly, “have you heard of burial objects?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Who would use a burial object to ward off evil spirits?
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Hahaha, “Burial Object.”]
[To be honest, is it okay to bury a copper coin? At the very least, it should be a gold coin.]
[But this coin is quite large, and its symbolism is good—round heaven, square earth, a prosperous country and peaceful people.]
[A coin? I remember there was one on the dead body. Could there be a connection between this coin and that one?]
[There must be a connection. It has appeared too frequently.]
[God Xin’s harvest tonight is quite abundant.]
—————————-
“You know,” the Taoist looked at Bai Lixin uncertainty, “ I might be overthinking things?”
Bai Lixin: “Master, let’s be honest. With so many coincidences like the willow trees, willow wood, and this coin, it’s highly unlikely that overthinking is the case, right? Aren’t you trying to say that this place is starting to look more and more like a tomb?”
The Taoist: “…”
‘I’m numb.
Why did you say it out loud!’
The Taoist’s mouth twitched. “Um, well, how about we go down?”
He wanted to escape, and he wanted to escape right now!
Bai Lixin: “If this place really is a natural tomb, there should be a powerful ghost here, right? Do you want to catch it, Master?”
The veins on the Taoist’s scalp twitched, and he finally squeezed out two words from his mouth: “Don’t want.”
‘Damn, aren’t you enjoying the show a bit too much? Remember the consequences?!
With such a big tombstone, should I catch it? Or should I just kowtow to it? I’m here to make money, not to risk my life!’
Bai Lixin didn’t insist either and just shrugged casually. “Okay then, let’s go down.”
Taking the elevator down wouldn’t work; they had to use the stairs.
Before leaving the corridor, Bai Lixin glanced at the large copper coin symbol down below.
The staircase was pitch black. When they were almost at the staircase, the Taoist suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face pale. He looked at Bai Lixin’s with an expression of horror. “I suddenly remembered something quite frightening. Do you want to hear it?”
‘I can’t be scared alone.’
Bai Lixin said, “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”
The Taoist hesitated for a moment before continuing, “It’s about this library. I just walked right in without thinking too much about it, but can you imagine the layout of this library in your mind?”
“Layout?” After pondering for two seconds, Bai Lixin placed his finger on the cold glass and slowly drew a rectangular shape, “Is it something like this?”
There was a layer of white mist on the glass, and when Bai Lixin withdrew his finger, he left behind a very regular rectangular shape.
The Taoist extended his index finger and added a stroke to Bai Lixin’s drawing, “It’s a rectangular shape, but don’t forget, the library’s roof clearly has an extended canopy. Damn, I initially thought it was a canopy, but now that I think about it, who the hell would put a canopy on the fifth floor?”
While cursing, the man extended a bit beyond the rectangle’s edge, “Damn it, isn’t this a damn coffin?! Seriously, who designed this library? Damn it.”
S419M: [Ahhh! It’s a coffin, Lord Host, are we inside a coffin now?]
Escape System: [Wow, so thrilling, so exciting!]
Bai Lixin sighed, rubbing his temples to alleviate the annoyance.
——————————-
In the live broadcast room
[Fuck, that’s scary.]
[This is the first time I’ve seen such a huge coffin.]
[I imagined myself as one of the students studying there, and the thought of studying inside a coffin every day… well, it’s really unsettling.]
[Do you guys remember the fountain that God Xin saw when he entered the campus? I was puzzled at the time, wondering why the three water columns were slanted. Think about it, isn’t the fountain facing the library? Three water columns, like three sticks of incense, and the pool is like a censer.]
[… And then the library is a coffin. The fountain gives the coffin incense every day…]
[…]
[Help, I’m freaked out. Suddenly I feel so creeped out.]
[No ghost appeared in today’s live stream, but I’ve already sensed the oppression that a ghost’s appearance can’t bring.]
[Quietly tucking my feet back under the blanket, heh, blanket sealing technique!]
[Wow, the plot suddenly got interesting, so thrilling!]
[??? Brother, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say.]
————————-
The Taoist suddenly felt dizzy. He struggled to hold onto the wall, preventing himself from falling down embarrassingly.
Glancing at the staircase, the Taoist felt like crying, “If I’m not mistaken, even the stair railing is made of willow wood. Could it be that my compass wasn’t malfunctioning at first? But because there were too many ghosts, it went crazy?”
“Are you sure we should go down the stairs? The compass pointed at the stairs twice.”
After a moment of silence, Bai Lixin said seriously, “How about I go down myself? Maybe you should stay and leave tomorrow morning?”
The Taoist widened his eyes, “You want to leave me alone in this haunted place? I disagree!”
Bai Lixin glanced at the staircase. A cold breeze continually seeped onto them from the rotating stairs.
The Taoist swallowed hard. With shaky hands, he took off his bag from his shoulder and rummaged inside for a while. Finally, he pulled out two crumpled yellow talismans.
He held one talisman in his hand, then handed the other one to Bai Lixin.
The Taoist glanced at the stairs again, then spoke with a voice of despair, “We can only go down. Hold the yellow talisman and don’t look back. No matter who is calling you behind, you must never turn back, you understand?”
Bai Lixin took a closer look at the staircase and nodded earnestly.
The Taoist took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go!”
As he spoke, he dove into the staircase.
Bai Lixin followed closely, but when he stepped onto the stairs, he couldn’t see the Taoist’s figure.
Before him was pitch-black darkness, and he could only hear some disordered footsteps.
He switched on his flashlight, illuminated the flight of stairs ahead, but there was no sign of the Taoist.
However, logically speaking, since he had entered the staircase right behind the Taoist, he should be able to see him.
As Bai Lixin was descending the stairs and looking around with confusion, he suddenly heard faint footsteps approaching from behind.
Accompanying the footsteps was the Taoist’s panting and trembling voice, “So, you’re here. I twisted my foot just now, and when I looked up, you were gone. It hurts so much. Could you give me a hand?”
A somewhat cold hand slowly grabbed onto Bai Lixin’s shoulder.
Bai Lixin: “….”
‘Even if I were a fool, I wouldn’t appreciate being taken for one.’
—————————————
In the live broadcast room
[Fuck, God Xin, don’t turn around!!! Run forward quickly!!!]
[I’m blind, I’m blind. Who can give me a pair of eyes that can’t see ghosts? I’ll thank your ancestors for eighteen generations.]
Through the screen, the viewers clearly saw the “thing” behind Bai Lixin.
It was a group of combined entities with no discernible boundaries. Countless ugly shadows with distorted expressions and facial features opened bloodthirsty mouths. They were clinging tightly to Bai Lixin, their faces just a few centimeters away from his.
Bai Lixin’s neck moved slightly.
The viewers held their breath, their palms sweating profusely.
[Don’t turn around, don’t turn around, whatever you do, don’t turn around.]
The next second, Bai Lixin turned his head to throw off the hand, then his steps quickly ran down the stairs below.
The bizarre entity behind him pursued him madly.
With each descending floor, the pursuing entity multiplied. In an instant, there was a horrifying mass trailing him, an endless stream of terror that seemed to have no end.
Every time those terrifying entities were about to touch Bai Lixin, he always managed to dodge them perfectly.
In the live broadcast room, players held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
It wasn’t until Bai Lixin’s feet were securely on the ground that the monstrosities seemed to hit an invisible barrier, piling up like carp leaping over a dragon gate.
Seeing that Bai Lixin was safe, the players quietly unclenched their fists.
[Whew, that scared the life out of me. I thought God Xin was about to go on a killing spree again.]
[Yeah, another day for ghosts to survive.]
[Exactly, haha, I was worried for the ghosts, I was afraid they’d be taken out by God Xin.]
One reassuring barrage comment after another rolled by. However, only they knew that what they had been worried about was not the ghosts, but Bai Lixin.
Unconsciously, Bai Lixin had already become their pillar of strength. In this live stream room, the atmosphere was always relaxed and pleasant, unlike other rooms. Bai Lixin’s fans tacitly never expressed their anxiety or fear, and they instinctively protected the ambiance of the live stream.
After all, ghosts were the monsters that had killed many players in this horror game. How could they genuinely be worried about those hideous and frightening things?
Even though Bai Lixin always managed to turn danger into safety, they still worried about any potential threat to their sun.
[Something’s not right. Look at this, it doesn’t seem like the first floor.]
A bullet comment caught the attention of many in the live stream room. Soon, more and more viewers noticed something off.
[The first floor has tiles on the ground, this is a cement floor. Damn, where is this?]
[Did God Xin find another hidden plot?]
[God Xin is amazing!]
————————–
The moment Bai Lixin’s feet touched the ground, he already sensed that something was wrong.
Cement floor.
Floors one to five all had tiled floors. Although he hadn’t been to the second floor, it probably wasn’t an exception.
The staircase was a spiral type, making it difficult to distinguish between floors.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the place where he was standing now should be below the first floor, the underground.
As for how many underground levels there were, he wasn’t sure.
Even though he had reached the ground and felt the pursuit behind him disappear, he had no intention of looking back.
The monsters that had been lurking at the staircase entrance saw that Bai Lixin never turned around and reluctantly dispersed.
Holding a flashlight, Bai Lixin looked around while moving forward.
As he descended the stairs, he never spotted the Taoist. Now that he had arrived here, he still didn’t catch a glimpse of the Taoist’s figure.
It seemed they had become separated from each other.
He took out the phone from his pocket, intending to call the Taoist. However, upon unlocking his phone, he noticed that the signal indicator had turned into a big “X.”
There was no signal here.
The space here was extremely vast, the ground beneath his feet was paved with cement, and the walls on both sides were meticulously constructed from blocks of carved marble.
Marble was very hard in texture, and correspondingly, it was challenging to polish.
Yet, the marble on these walls was so polished it was almost reflective.
In the middle of these marble walls and at regular intervals were hollow rectangular spaces, each containing a stone figure.
Some had fierce, monstrous faces, while others appeared benevolent.
S419M: [Lord Host, this place seems very much like a place of worship.]
Bai Lixin shone the flashlight deeper into the distance, and noticed that the path was very long.
At the end of the path was a towering and huge archway made of gemstones.
S419M: [It’s likely that an ancient god is enshrined here.]
Escape System: [Although I’m a little scared, it’s so exciting. Big brother, are you afraid?]
S419M: […I’m not afraid!]
‘Who do you expect to believe that!’
With the flashlight in hand, Bai Lixin continued to move forward steadily: [We’ll only know after taking a look.]
