Chapter 128: The Ghost Amusement Park

"Come on, let's go open those treasure chests you saw on your way here," Li Zhi said with a cheerful smile. "Let me see just how unlucky you really are."

Chi Yi: "..."

What was that supposed to mean? Was she here for entertainment?

Chi Yi stormed off in the direction of the chests, determined to redeem herself this time. But when they finally reached the chests and she recalled the six ghosts from before, her courage faltered again. She turned around, giving Li Zhi a pitiful look: "Maybe you should do it instead."

Li Zhi chuckled. "It's okay, you can do it. Li Jianxi is here—if a ghost does come out, it won’t be a problem." She winked at Li Jianxi. "Right?"

From the red-clad female ghost’s reaction earlier, it was clear Li Jianxi had some kind of authority over ghosts.

Those beautiful, deep eyes seemed filled with quiet curiosity. His lashes fluttered slightly as he turned away. "Yes." He stepped closer to Chi Yi, voice firm like someone taking an oath. "You open it."

Chi Yi: "...?"

Am I part of their roleplay or something?

But since even the NPC had said so, what did she have to fear? If even NPCs were on your side, who couldn't handle a few ghosts?

Chi Yi took a deep breath and flung open the chest. This time, no strange smoke came out. A single card lay quietly at the bottom. Her face lit up as she grabbed it. "It's a clue! I got a clue! I’m not unlucky anymore!!"

Li Zhi smiled approvingly. "Nice job. You finally hit the jackpot."

The live chat exploded:

【She's so lucky!!! Chi Yi is such a spoiled brat!!!】
【Chi Chi, maybe the reason you’re lucky now is just because you're with Li Zhi?】
【If she were really unlucky, she wouldn't have met Li Zhi in the first place! Who else has better luck than our Chi Chi? First-time newbie meets a top-tier player, gets bound to her, and even ends up in a CP relationship—second only to Li Jianxi!】
【If you say that, then I disagree! Li Jianxi comes second! Chi Chi is number one!】
【First come, first served! Chi Chi met Zhizhi first! Butterfly YYDS! Li Jianxi takes the back seat!】
【Love doesn’t care about order—whoever isn’t loved is the third wheel (doge saves my life)】
【Go ahead and fight all you want, but once Zhizhi leaves the副本, she’ll still come running back to me!】
【Chi Yi! Li Zhi! Remember this—we don’t care about outside rumors! Our three are all that matters!】
【Piss on the previous two with a stream of sarcasm】

...

Li Zhi looked at the clue in Chi Yi’s hand. This time, it was text—only three words: Likes to eat people.

She pulled out her own clue card. "This one says Beast-related. With likes to eat people, we can rule out Huang Xian and Hu Xian."

She recalled the ghosts related to these clues from the Hundred Ghost Wall: "So that leaves us with Tiger Ghost and Bear Grandma."

Both were folkloric creatures. The Tiger Ghost was the spirit of a dead tiger. Legend said that those eaten by tigers would become Chang spirits—subservient to the tiger ghost and luring others into its trap. Hence the idiom *"Serve the tiger as a Chang"—*to act as a伥鬼.

Bear Grandma was actually a bear demon. It ate a grandmother and disguised itself as her to sneak into human homes and devour children.

Li Zhi couldn’t help but admire how well the [Ghost] system understood folklore—it collected even the spookiest bedtime stories into its Hundred Ghost list. Truly impressive.

"We just need one more clue and we can find the exit!" Chi Yi said happily. "Let’s hurry and open another chest!"

She was already too excited to remember the terror of being chased by six ghosts.

The trio continued navigating the maze. Soon, Chi Yi found another chest she’d seen earlier. Opening a mystery box was such a thrill—and now she had backup. Full of anticipation, she opened the chest.

White smoke poured out.

Oh no—not again! This was exactly how the last six ghosts appeared!

Chi Yi quickly stepped back, hiding behind Li Jianxi. "What ghost is it this time?"

But this time, no ghost emerged from the mist. After a pause, Chi Yi suddenly felt something strange with her body.

"Zhizhi..." Her voice trembled. Her limbs started moving on their own. "Why... why can’t I control myself anymore?!"

Before anyone could react, viewers watched in shock as Chi Yi spontaneously broke into tap dancing.

Li Zhi: "..."

Li Jianxi: "..."

Chi Yi: "Aaaaaaahhhhhh Why am I dancing?! What kind of buff is this??"

Li Zhi burst out laughing.

Chi Yi was close to tears. "How long will this last??"

Li Zhi tried hard to suppress her grin. "Based on past experience, these buffs last ten minutes. You’ve only danced for two. Don’t worry, you’re doing great. The audience will definitely vote for this amazing performance of yours."

Chi Yi: "sobbing while dancing"

Viewers were dying of laughter. As Li Zhi predicted, many actually voted for her unexpected tap dance. Chi Yi’s popularity surged by one million points in ten minutes.

When the ten-minute debuff ended, Chi Yi collapsed onto the ground, sobbing into her hands.

"I'm so embarrassed... I was supposed to be everyone's first love..."

Li Zhi: "..."

She really takes her idol image seriously.

After that humiliating experience, Chi Yi refused to open any more chests. "I accept my fate! I’m just unlucky! You guys go ahead!"

Since entering the maze, Li Zhi had opened two chests—one made her shrink, the other gave her Li Jianxi. Now curious, she said, "Then I'll try."

If she could get a ghost ability like a stretchable head flying through the sky, she'd give it a shot.

Li Jianxi pursed his lips but didn’t stop her, staying close in case of danger.

Li Zhi rubbed her hands together in excitement. Back in the day, when Li Shuang used to play games with her, she always rubbed Li Zhi’s hands and blew on them, saying it brought good luck—even though nothing ever worked. Still, Li Zhi bent down, blew gently, then reached out and opened the chest.

As the lid popped open, a blinding, pungent gas burst out.

She instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, everything was pitch black. She blinked, but the darkness remained unchanged.

Li Zhi: "..."

That breath was wasted.

Li Jianxi smelled nothing unusual—the chest was empty. Just as he was puzzled, he noticed Li Zhi’s odd behavior. "What's wrong?"

Li Zhi sighed. "I can't see. This must be a blindness debuff."

Those usually smiling eyes lost focus, looking dazed when she turned toward him. Li Jianxi tightened his lips, expression darkening. He reached out to steady her, voice tinged with regret: "I should’ve opened it."

Li Zhi smiled faintly. "Same thing. Don’t worry, it’s only ten minutes."

Chi Yi rushed over to support her. "This debuff is cruel! If you were alone and opened it, you wouldn't be able to escape if a ghost showed up in the maze!"

Ghosts summoned by players wouldn’t return to the chest. They might appear at any corner.

Li Jianxi asked softly, "Can you walk? Or should we wait here?"

Li Zhi shook her head. "Let’s keep going. These maze buffs are unpredictable. I’m worried Dream and Ou Wendong might trigger one. We should gather all clues and leave as soon as possible."

This round of the maze seemed fun and harmless, but once a debuff hit, it could easily become a death sentence. Players lulled by its playful surface often fell into traps.

Li Jianxi held her arm. Through the thin fabric of her jacket, he could feel her warmth. He shifted his fingers slightly but didn’t let go. "Alright. I’ll guide you."

They continued forward. The maze was full of twists and turns, easy to get lost in—but judging from the chests they passed, Li Jianxi hadn’t led them in circles.

After opening two more ghosts (which Li Jianxi simply scared back), Chi Yi suddenly paused near a plant wall.

Li Zhi sensed her hesitation. "What is it?"

Chi Yi stared at the trembling green leaves swaying in the breeze. "Something feels off..." She released Li Zhi and walked over, reaching out to touch the wall.

Earlier, she had hidden inside when fleeing from ghosts. When she struggled out, she remembered noticing the exposed leaves had grown greener, fresher—as if newly sprouted after absorbing her energy.

Now, this section of the wall also had unnaturally fresh leaves. Chi Yi stiffened, realization dawning. Her face changed. She pressed her ear against the wall.

Rustling sounds echoed from within—slow, twisting vines, as if crushing something.

"There's someone inside!" she shouted. "Could be Dream or Ou Wendong!"

The concealment lasted only ten seconds. She had already spent longer examining the wall. Whoever was trapped inside must’ve already lost consciousness!

"What do we do?!" Chi Yi wanted to tear at the vines but remembered the staff warning: Do not damage the plants! "How do we save them?!"

Li Zhi moved forward, but the hand holding her arm gave a gentle squeeze. Li Jianxi said softly, "Let me."

He let go of Li Zhi and strode forward. In a flash, twin short blades appeared in his hands. Expressionless, he gripped them backward and slashed fiercely. The blade cut through the dense vines like lightning, revealing a figure wrapped tightly inside—like a cocoon.

One more strike severed the killing vines. The person collapsed forward. Li Jianxi caught her just in time. Behind, the vines twitched like tentacles, trying to chase—but recoiled under his cold gaze.

Chi Yi gasped. "Dream!"

She grabbed You Jingmeng from Li Jianxi’s arms and began pulling the vines from her nose and mouth. Once detached, the vines snapped easily.

You Jingmeng was barely breathing. Li Jianxi crouched beside her, pulling out a pill and feeding it to her.

After a long moment, she slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing Chi Yi and Li Zhi beside her, she burst into tears. "I almost died again!"

Chi Yi thought of the rollercoaster challenge when You Jingmeng nearly died falling from the air. She laughed and cried at the same time. "It’s okay, you’re lucky! See? You survived again!"

Still blind, Li Zhi crouched slowly, supported by Li Jianxi. "What happened?"

Sniffling, You Jingmeng replied, "I don’t know! I was opening chests fine—I even got a clue. Then I turned a corner and suddenly six ghosts charged at me! I ran and they chased me until I was backed into this dead end."

Chi Yi: "..."

You Jingmeng continued, "I had no choice. I remembered the staff’s hint and decided to try. Then I was sucked into the plant wall. But the six ghosts kept circling outside. I was too scared to come out. Then the vines started crawling into my body... and I passed out... waaahhh! How could there be six ghosts wandering around the maze??"

Chi Yi: "..."

Guilty conscience. Pure guilty conscience.