Chapter Thirty-Four: My Little Sister’s NPC Identity and Intelligence

Everyone fell into a heavy silence, desperately trying to come up with a solution.

A few seconds later, Bai Wan suddenly said, "Something is wrong. The letter stated that the painting 'Fantasy Township' was already half-finished, but we’ve turned this cabin upside down and haven't found any paintings or sketches."

Once Bai Wan brought it up, everyone realized something was amiss. Indeed, where was the painting? Come to think of it, weren't they supposed to be playing the role of robbers? So, where had everything from Lin Yuan’s house gone?

As they pondered this, a new memory surfaced in their minds out of nowhere. They were actually in Mingkou Village for a trip, but running low on funds and seeing how desolate the village was, they had hatched a plan to rob the place. Because their car had broken down and transportation in Mingkou Village was scarce, they couldn't leave immediately. Fearing their loot might be stolen, they had buried the items from Lin Yuan's house in a place called West Forest, intending to retrieve them later. There was a large stone tablet in West Forest, and they had buried everything beneath it.

"It seems the main plot has progressed. Our next task is to go to West Forest and dig up the items, including the half-finished 'Fantasy Township'," Sun Qian concluded. Only by finding that painting could they respond to the female ghost's letter.

"But where is West Forest?" Wang Jian asked. The memory that just appeared did not include the location. They only knew that, as robbers, they had buried the goods there.

"It sounds like 'West Forest' means the forest to the west of the village, but there is a long stretch of wasteland to the west. It doesn't look like there’s a forest there," Xu Bing noted.

"Regardless, we have to go into the village and ask. Let's split up; time is running out," Sun Qian proposed. Previously, they had stayed together out of caution, but it was inefficient. Now that the situation was urgent, they had to recover the items today, or they wouldn't be able to reply to the letter. Having cracked the killing rules of the ghost 'Lin Yuan,' it was relatively safe to investigate the village individually.

"Agreed, let's split up," Su Yuexi nodded, supporting the decision. Thus, they dispersed to explore the village.

...

Bai Wan walked through Mingkou Village, looking around with curiosity. They had already visited many of the houses, so he chose a path he hadn't taken before. Though the village was sparsely populated, it was quite large; the houses were so scattered that he could walk for a while before encountering another one. As he walked, Bai Wan reflected on everything he had encountered in the dungeon, specifically looking for anomalies, as these were often the keys to clearing the level.

He currently had two main questions. First, according to the letter, Lin Yuan was a poor artist who stayed home painting all day but couldn't find fame, leading to his girlfriend’s family's disapproval. Was such a poor household really worth robbing? Was it worth killing someone over it?

The second doubt was that the ghost of Lin Yuan was always shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to see his true face. Of course, this could be related to the ghost's abilities, but could it be that Lin Yuan was so ugly that he couldn't kill if his face were revealed?

Lost in thought, Bai Wan paid attention to the houses as he walked. He and his younger sister, Bai Xi, had agreed to leave special marks on houses or elsewhere so they could find each other, though he hadn't seen any yet. After walking for a while, he stopped in front of a wooden cabin and his mouth twitched. He had found it.

On the door, written in crooked chalk, were the words: [Useless brother who relies on his sister for support].

"I only spent her pocket money that one time when we were kids! Seriously!" Bai Wan walked over and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened, and a sneaky little head poked out. Seeing Bai Wan, she looked pleasantly surprised and pulled him inside.

"Who is it?" an old man’s voice called from inside.

Bai Xi replied, "It’s nothing, Grandpa. Just a useless beggar passing by. I’ve already chased him away."

Bai Wan: "..."

*A beggar is a beggar, why add 'useless'?*

He felt his sister was implying something. Following Bai Xi, Bai Wan entered a small room that seemed to be her living quarters. Bai Xi carefully closed the door and said, looking depressed, "Brother, my role in this dungeon is too peripheral. I’m just an ordinary villager, and Grandpa is so strict, he won't let me leave the room."

She had wanted to explore the plot thoroughly, but she had been stuck inside. She was too afraid to go out at night; after all, this was a horror game, and there were ghosts.

"That's normal; your character skill level is still low," Bai Wan said. He felt it was standard. His own skill, 'Mario’s Sewer,' hadn't even had coins at the start, but now it was almost ready to unlock hidden spaces. He was looking forward to the 'Starlight Room,' which supposedly had many items. The first reward seemed to be a blue hammer, likely a weapon. Character skills always strengthened as levels increased.

"It will get better. As you progress, you'll have more choices. Who knows, maybe later you can play the main characters. For example, this time you could have played the female ghost and replied to me: 'Hello brother, I am your ghost sister, the way to survive this dungeon is this, and the killing rule is that.' Wouldn't we have cleared it instantly?" Bai Wan said excitedly.

"Ah? Can it really work like that?" Bai Xi was stunned.

"Of course! That way we can quickly earn ghost coins!" Bai Wan was thrilled.

"Yay!" The siblings high-fived, imagining a future of gaming the system for coins.

"But time is tight. Tell me, have you gathered any intel? Do you know of a place called West Forest? And how much do you know about the painter Lin Yuan?" Bai Wan interrupted their fantasies.

"Don't be impatient. I'll tell you. Although Grandpa wouldn't let me out, I spent every day acting spoiled and nagging him, so I did get some information." Bai Xi giggled and added triumphantly, "First, about Lin Yuan: he was a painter in the village. He had a wife who sadly drowned at sea three years ago. It’s said they were very close."

*Drowned?* Bai Wan had known his wife died, but not how. This was a breakthrough.

Bai Xi continued, "And about West Forest: it’s not to the west, but to the east. After crossing a small stream, you can see the forest. So 'West Forest' is actually 'Stream Forest'."

Bai Wan breathed a sigh of relief and praised her, "As expected of my good sister."

Now that he had the location, the only thing left was to retrieve the painting they had buried. However, Bai Xi’s expression turned serious. "Brother... if it’s not necessary, don't go to West Forest... that place is very eerie."

"Hmm?" Bai Wan wasn't surprised; since it was a key location for the main plot, it was bound to be dangerous. But what she said next made him even more alert.

"I managed to sneak out once, but Grandpa specifically warned me: I could go anywhere else, but never to West Forest. It’s a terrifying taboo in Mingkou Village. There’s no return from that place, and there are so many ghost stories about it..." Bai Xi still remembered the look of pure terror on her grandfather's face when he mentioned the forest.

"However, I did get some clues from him," she added, blinking as if to say, *Am I awesome or what?*

"Don't keep me in suspense, tell me. My sister is the best," Bai Wan said perfunctorily.

Bai Xi rolled her eyes and continued, "The scariest legend is the 'Ghost Burial Mound.' Grandpa said a hunter from the village went into the forest to hunt, got lost in the fog, and ended up in a place full of tombstones. There was no sign of life; it was the domain of the dead. He saw a terrifying blood-colored skeleton deep among the graves. He barely escaped, but he went mad the next day. Since then, the village has dwindled—some died, some moved away—leaving only the stubborn elders who aren't afraid of death."

Bai Wan’s eyes lit up. *A blood-colored skeleton? Isn't that the shop I’m looking for?* It was hidden in West Forest. He had to get his hands on his special class and the rare menu.

"Be careful. West Forest is definitely the most dangerous place in this dungeon... those graves are not to be trifled with," Bai Xi warned.

Bai Wan nodded. The hiding place of the Dark Blood Shop would naturally not be simple, but he wanted to take the risk. He had enough trump cards to try, and he might not get another chance to qualify for such a high-level dungeon.

"Thanks for this," Bai Wan said, looking at his sister.

Bai Xi gave a cute, innocent smile, shook her head, and whispered, "Helping you makes me happy, brother. You are the most important family I have..." She reached out and gently held his hand. "Let's survive together and clear this game. Brother, I'll always be behind you."

Bai Wan smiled. "Understood. I'll share the ghost coins with you after the dungeon, okay?"

Bai Xi burst into a bright, adorable smile. "Oh, you're being too formal! What ghost coins? We're family! You always misunderstand me, brother. I'm not that materialistic."

Bai Wan rolled his eyes, unwilling to engage with this drama queen. "I'm leaving. Time is limited."

With the information gathered, he only needed to head to West Forest. Bai Xi reached into her pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and handed them to him. "These are the keys to Grandpa’s truck. I stole them. It's parked outside; you can drive to save time."

Bai Wan took the keys and glanced at the bulging bag behind her. "Stop stealing so much stuff. The old man has it hard enough." He looked inside and was left speechless. "Why are you taking his broken kettle? And where did these ragged slippers come from? Good grief... they stink! You stole your grandfather's slippers!?"

She had practically emptied the house and even took the car keys.

"Oh, these are dungeon items! They have collection value! Maybe they’ll sell for a few ghost coins. What's wrong with old slippers? They might be ghost props! And it’s not stealing; I’m the designated granddaughter, so this is all my property," Bai Xi said, her eyes sparkling as she hugged her bag of trash.

Bai Wan twitched. *Ghost props? Are you going to suffocate the ghosts with the smell?* He couldn't control his greedy, kleptomaniac sister. Ignoring her, he walked out and drove the truck away, feeling a bit guilty, and headed to the meeting point.

The others were already there. They were shocked to see Bai Wan pull up in a truck. *As expected of an expert, he can even get a vehicle.*

After getting out, Bai Wan shared the information, keeping the details about his sister and the blood-colored shop to himself. Sun Qian also had news. "I heard from an old widow that West Forest is just the woods behind the creek. Her husband went in to cut firewood a year ago and never returned. In short... it’s haunted."

The group felt a headache coming on. According to both Bai Wan and Sun Qian, West Forest was undoubtedly a dangerous taboo. But they had no choice; they had to retrieve the painting to reply to the female ghost.

"Brothers, we have to move out. We have to reach West Forest... and be back in the cabin to sleep before ten tonight." They had spent too much time gathering intel. Fortunately, the truck would save them a significant amount of time.

Sun Qian drove, and the others sat in the cargo bed. Su Yuexi kept a wary eye on Bai Wan the whole time, seemingly warning him not to break the wheels again. Bai Wan shrugged innocently. It wasn't his fault his luck was bad.

The journey went smoothly, and they reached the creek. They had to get out, as the bridge ahead was too narrow for the vehicle. Standing by the river, they felt a sense of dread. There were many legends about this river—that it had drowned many people, and that vengeful spirits at the bottom were waiting to drag living people into the water.

"Let's go. We have to cross on foot. Once we're across, we'll be at our destination: West Forest," Sun Qian said, looking at the bridge in the distance.