Chapter 110: The Human Skin Drum (14)

"Tsk, I wonder who saved us. If they had been a second slower, we’d probably be dead."

"Exactly. Who would have guessed that these seemingly normal villagers were actually trying to lure us into the flower patch to be killed? I thought they were just in real trouble and needed our help, and that they’d honestly pay us in Ghost Coins."

"There’s truly no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"

These grumbling voices naturally reached Tang Mu’s ears, but she paid them no mind. She was busy looting corpses. Many of the bodies in the mass grave had scattered Ghost Coins in their pockets, so she collected them all and tucked them away.

Afterward, she returned to the Black Bamboo Forest and dragged Xing Wen, who was fast asleep, out of bed.

The moment Xing Wen opened his eyes, they were filled with drowsiness and confusion. But as soon as he saw Tang Mu, he jolted upright. How had this woman managed to bypass the layers of traps and defenses to break into his room?

"I have a condition that is quite inconvenient to explain to outsiders," Tang Mu said.

Xing Wen stared blankly. "???"

"When things spiral out of control, I fall into an emotional black hole. Only by dwelling in the profound, endless agony of tormenting others and myself can I achieve a fleeting moment of deep, inner peace."

Xing Wen: "???"

"And I have a mild craving for blood."

"Only by alternating between extreme possession and being possessed can one truly enjoy the existence of a lover and the supreme pleasure that comes with it."

Xing Wen: "..." Is this woman... a psychopath?

"You... you want to force yourself on me?" Xing Wen was incensed. "Even if you’re good-looking, you can't just act like a hooligan! I’ll have you know that I am a man of self-respect and self-love; I absolutely cannot accept a one-night stand without any emotional connection..."

Without waiting for him to ramble on, Tang Mu ruthlessly tore open the collar of his shirt, exposing his slender, vulnerable shoulder, and bit down hard.

She drew blood.

She knew Yan Xing Wen’s sensitive spots well. She understood that even with such force, the pain would be laced with an indescribable, intoxicating thrill for him.

Indeed, the man’s indignant shouting faded and then vanished entirely.

Then, Tang Mu abruptly pulled away, stood up, and licked her lips. Under the dim light, she exuded a mysterious, alluring, and enchanting aura.

"My mild craving for blood has been satisfied. So, goodbye."

Tang Mu walked away with carefree ease, leaving Xing Wen behind to lose his mind in frustration.

"You—!" He didn't dare utter the insult, but that didn't stop him from stomping his feet in a rage. Whether he was fuming because his desires had been stirred but left unsatisfied, or because of Tang Mu’s teasing, remained unknown.

"Tang Mu! You mark my words, I will get you back for this one day!"

With his memories sealed, Xing Wen was like a mere novice. To this blank-slate version of Yan Xing Wen, Tang Mu only felt a desire to tease; it was difficult to summon the fervent, obsessive urge she once felt—the desire to drag him with her to the ends of the earth, burning together in the flames.

If it were the Yan Xing Wen whose memories remained intact... he would have surely dragged her back into that sea of desire, like a small boat tossed upon giant waves, rising and falling until they both sank into oblivion. They would have been like two mad dogs, obsessed only with inflicting the most profound pain and pleasure upon each other.

"I really didn't expect you to be this crazy even inside the game." Qiao Yuan had been waiting for Tang Mu outside the Black Bamboo Forest since dawn. Unlike others, Qiao Yuan never tried to win a woman over with flattery. In the eyes of someone in his position, women were already falling at his feet without any need for such things.

"Oh," Tang Mu replied, remaining cold toward the brothers Qiao Yuan and Qiao Se.

"How is the game progressing?" Despite her cold demeanor, they were collaborators, so she had to show some concern for the game's progress—though she knew full well her show of interest was entirely fake.

"Logically speaking, since you've dealt with several key monsters, items should have dropped, and there should have been a prompt to move to the next level. But the village remains silent and still. Presumably, we still haven't triggered the crux of the plot."

"Then let's go back to sleep," Tang Mu said, stretching. "We've been fighting all night. Even a god would be tired."

Qiao Yuan was always dissatisfied with Tang Mu’s cynical and devil-may-care attitude. "What if the monsters attack again in the second half of the night?"

"Then we get up and fight them again," Tang Mu replied, feeling physically and mentally satisfied, so she responded to Qiao Yuan’s criticism with a good mood. "See you later."

Back in her room, she slept soundly through the night.

At the break of dawn, Boss Wang and the receptionist girl began calling the travelers down to collect their steamed buns, millet porridge, and the cameras used for their "photography."

There were clearly a dozen fewer people dining today. Everyone, by tacit agreement, avoided mentioning those who had vanished, choosing instead to hide in their own corners and focus on their meals.

Tang Mu was the last to go down.

By the time she arrived, the receptionist was already clearing away the buns and porridge. However, when Tang Mu appeared and asked for her share, the receptionist, stripped of her usual arrogance, obediently washed a fresh set of bowls and utensils and handed them to her. She even respectfully filled a bowl with porridge and added two large steamed buns.

After the meal, it was time to go out to take photos.

Watching the people about to head out, the receptionist couldn't help but say, "You’d better use your own cameras. It’s best not to use anyone else's."

Faced with this cryptic warning, Tang Mu didn't beat around the bush. "Oh? And what if I don't want to use my own, and insist on using someone else's?"

The receptionist fell silent for a long moment before whispering, "Then you can choose not to take photos. But if you look at the village during the day through those cameras, you will see many different things."

Another lead worth eight Ghost Coins, given away for free without collecting a cent. The girl felt truly wronged, but Tang Mu was delighted. After all, who wouldn't be pleased to gain insider information without having to lift a finger?

The group’s photography route today differed from yesterday's. Instead of the Luo River and the female stone statue, they followed the river upstream to visit the local landmarks: the giant stone mill array and the rice paddies.

The village’s daytime scenery was also vastly different from its nocturnal state. For instance, at night, the village clearly featured a mass grave and clusters of spider lilies, but in the daylight, there was no sign of anything ghostly, such as graves or spirit money.