Chapter 121: Ghost Amusement Park
When night fell, Li Zhi and Qi Yongyi discovered splattered blood stains in the corner of a remote, cluttered courtyard.
The obvious traces had already been cleaned up, but this particular corner had been hidden behind a broken wooden rack, likely overlooked by the killer. After the two of them worked together to move the rack aside, they saw the blood, now dried and blackened in the cracks of the wall.
The room was filled with discarded junk, layers of dust covering everything—except for a small bed by the window, which was conspicuously clean, as if someone had lain there not too long ago.
A cramped, filthy, secluded storeroom—the perfect place to punish a disobedient daughter.
"The murder weapon must’ve been disposed of already. The only one left is the piece still stuck inside Pan Qiping’s body." Qi Yongyi stood up after searching around, patting the dust off his hands. "There’s plenty of sharp stuff in here, and the mess makes it way too easy for an ‘accident’ to happen."
Although they didn’t find direct evidence, based on the clues they’d gathered so far, it was enough to confirm Li Zhi’s speculation about the truth.
Li Zhi glanced at the darkening sky. "Let’s go back to Qing Garden."
It was time to leave this hidden layer of the game.
They returned to the front hall and instructed the household staff to prepare a carriage. Once again, they headed back to Qing Garden.
By now, all the red lanterns with the double happiness symbol hanging around the garden were glowing softly, casting the entire Qing Garden in a hazy red light—beautiful yet eerily sinister.
The wedding banquet was over, the guests satisfied and gradually leaving, congratulating as they went. Drunk and slumped against a pillar, Ou Wendong was sobbing and making a scene. The servant girls and young lads around him kept calling him “young master,” but he stubbornly refused to let go, acting like a complete drunkard.
Just as the servants were at a loss, the old matron walked over, face stern, coldly ordering one of the maids, "Go bring a basin of cold water. Splash him awake."
Ou Wendong: "…………"
Poisonous old witch!!!
Fortunately, Li Zhi appeared and stopped her. "If he’s soaked, it’ll delay the bridal chamber. Don’t keep Qingqing waiting."
Delay! The! Bridal! Chamber!
Seriously, did that sound like anything a human being would say?!
Ou Wendong couldn’t help but turn to Li Zhi, glaring at her with teary, betrayed eyes.
Li Zhi, as if she hadn’t seen it, simply instructed the old matron, "You go prepare things. The funeral’s tomorrow, all these red decorations should be replaced with white banners. Do it under the cover of night."
The old matron agreed and left with her people.
Only three remained under the corridor. Seeing this, Ou Wendong finally stopped pretending to be drunk, pulling a miserable face. "Boss, you can’t do this to me! I really can’t consummate this marriage! I’m still a virgin!!!"
Qi Yongyi couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and the live chat was filled with laughter too.
Li Zhi smiled faintly. "Relax. No one’s forcing you to consummate anything."
Hearing that promise, Ou Wendong immediately sprang up. "Really?? That bastard Han Wenlin was even encouraging me to do it this afternoon! I knew he was just messing with me!"
Li Zhi asked, "Where is he?"
"Looking for an exit, but they should be back soon—we agreed to regroup before the guests fully leave."
Sure enough, after a short wait, the other three returned from the other side. Upon seeing Li Zhi and Qi Yongyi, Chi Yi jogged over, eyes hopeful. "Did you guys find out how Pan Qiping actually died? We searched Qing Garden again and still couldn’t find an exit."
Li Zhi glanced around. "Let’s walk and talk."
They all followed her, heading down a familiar path—toward the bridal chamber. Ou Wendong instantly panicked. "Boss, didn’t you say I didn’t have to?!"
What if they were trying to trick him into it?!
Once they left the front hall and were out of sight, Li Zhi gathered them together and quietly explained what she and Qi Yongyi had uncovered.
When she finished, everyone looked shocked. You Jingmeng murmured, "So her own brother killed her? Doesn’t that make you two the ones she’d hate the most?"
Chi Yi whimpered, "And me too. I’m the traitor."
Han Wenlin raised his hand guiltily. "I... might’ve been involved as well." Seeing their gazes, he confessed, "They said it was me who found her hiding under the night-soil cart that night she tried to escape. I dragged her out to curry favor with the eldest young master."
Pan Qiping had almost escaped, hiding beneath the foul-smelling night cart, even willing to endure the stench and filth, determined to leave. But fate played a cruel joke—Han Wenlin’s character stumbled, saw the hem of her skirt, and exposed her.
A pampered young lady, hiding in sewage for a chance to live—only to be betrayed by bad luck.
You Jingmeng spoke weakly, "Then I’m not much better either, acting as the ghost matchmaker to help her marry, just to stop her from becoming a vengeful spirit."
Chi Yi drew a sharp breath, pointing to herself and the others. "So... we’re all villains?"
"I’m innocent!" Ou Wendong immediately raised his hand in surrender. "I only came here for the money!"
Li Zhi glanced at him with a smile. "That’s why, while your role seems the most dangerous, it’s actually the safest. You’re not the unlucky one—we are."
Ou Wendong’s expression turned from misery to elation.
The audience suddenly realized:
【Wait, she’s right!!! The bride’s mother and brother seemed safe, but they’re actually in the most danger! If Pan Qiping breaks free, they’ll be the first to go!】
【Plot twist!!!】
【Can I transfer my sympathy votes from Ou Wendong to Li Zhi and Qi Yongyi???】
【Actually, isn’t Chi Yi the most tragic? Her experience is horrific, and she’s got plenty of hate points too.】
【Ou Wendong isn’t unlucky! He’s the chosen one!!!】
【What a twist! Turns out the guy marrying the ghost bride is the safest!】
【But where’s the exit??? SAY IT ALREADY!!!】
……
While the viewers were anxious, the players inside the instance were equally tense. "How do we get out? According to the plot, Pan Qiping will be buried tomorrow—if she’s going to lose control, it’s gotta be tonight, right?"
Back in Qing Garden, the old matron was leading servants in stripping away the festive red for somber white mourning banners. The only part of the compound still glowing red was the new bridal chamber, standing out like a cursed ember amid the pallor of death.
Li Zhi said softly, "Pull out the steel rod inside her body. The exit will appear."
"What??"
"Huh??"
Han Wenlin blurted out, "Isn’t that basically asking to die?!"
Li Zhi smiled. "Isn’t that always the case with the system? The path it gives us always lies through death."
"This instance is called The Red Bridal Dress, and its protagonist is Pan Qiping. The ‘exit’ we’re seeking isn’t ours—it’s hers."
But Pan Qiping was trapped.
In life, in death—she had been imprisoned in a cage she could never escape.
"I was wrong before. If we don’t actively pull out the steel rod, she’ll stay bound. After tonight, she’ll be buried, the exit will never appear, and we’ll be trapped in this haunted house forever, until we break, go mad, commit suicide, or die."
Seeing her teammates’ pale faces, Li Zhi continued calmly, "Only by pulling that rod, freeing her, will the exit appear. It’s the only chance we have."
Pull it, we might die. Don’t pull it—we definitely will.
The system was cruel like that—always designing traps that punished caution.
Earlier that day, Chi Yi had almost been tricked into pulling the rod, lured by Pan Qiping’s whispers, but Li Zhi stopped her in time. That led them to deduce that the rod was the seal. But now... players would usually avoid it, thinking they’d sidestepped a trap, not realizing they’d fallen into another.
Wait long enough, and all that awaited them was morning, a funeral burying not just the dead but also every truth and resentment, leaving them eternally trapped, spiraling into insanity.
Realizing the stakes, everyone inhaled sharply.
Ou Wendong wanted to cry but couldn’t: "I knew clinging to Boss’s thigh was the only way to live!"
No way in hell could he have figured this out on his own!
Li Zhi pressed on, "The question now is, how do we survive after we unseal her?"
Chi Yi fretted, "If only we had a stun item or something—even ten seconds would be enough for us to escape."
But the five of them had already disclosed all their items to each other earlier to prevent confusion in emergencies. None of them had stun-related gear. Were they really going to have to fight their way out?
At that moment, Han Wenlin’s face lit up with excitement. "I have one!" Proudly, he pulled out a talisman from his inventory. "Not just ten seconds—thirty full seconds of immobilization! Good thing I teamed up with you guys—I’m the MVP now. When we get out, you’re all treating me to dinner!"
Ou Wendong had just started smiling, but that last line made his expression freeze, the happiness on his face faltering.
Chi Yi and You Jingmeng both pressed their lips together, burying the rising feelings of guilt and helplessness.
Han Wenlin noticed the strange atmosphere. "What’s with you guys?"
"Your last move is going to steal all their popularity points," Li Zhi teased lightly, her expression composed as she took the talisman. "You’re the hero of this run. We’ll definitely treat you to dinner afterward."
Pleased by the praise, Han Wenlin’s doubts vanished, and he beamed, "Deal!"
Li Zhi looked at Ou Wendong. "Only you can pull that rod."
Ou Wendong didn’t even have time to feel sorry for Han Wenlin. He panicked. "Me??? I can’t!"
"It has to be you." Li Zhi’s voice was calm, her tone gentle, but as those eyes focused on him, Ou Wendong’s frantic breathing gradually settled. He heard her say, "Of the six of us, only you bear no grudge against Pan Qiping. In that instant of unsealing, only you have a chance to act before she does."
If it were any of the rest of them, Pan Qiping’s rage would hit maximum instantly. As her strength returned, she’d slaughter whoever stood before her first.
A ghost bride seething with hatred, her fury more terrifying than any malevolent spirit. Among the six, only Li Zhi and Qi Yongyi had decent combat ability—but tragically, they were also the ones Pan Qiping hated most. If they showed up, they’d just be adding buffs to the enemy.
Ou Wendong was their only chance.