Chapter 20: The Bride of the King of Mysteries (20)

Several hours later.

Day had fully broken.

The other brides in the coffins were still pounding frantically on the coffin lids, desperately struggling to escape.

But Tang Mu and Xue Fen were completely different—they remained quiet.

Ever since Tang Mu had noticed the small holes on the sides of the coffin, she’d ignored all the commotion outside. She simply turned on her side and fell asleep.

It wasn’t much of a restful night, but now, with such a rare opportunity to sleep, she wasn’t about to waste it.

Until—

Xue Fen tapped Tang Mu on the shoulder. “Sister Tang Mu, it seems quiet outside now.”

Tang Mu, rubbing sleep from her eyes, asked lazily, “Hmm? What’s going on out there?”

Because it was broad daylight, thin rays of light filtered in through the tiny holes on the coffin’s walls.

In the faint glow, Xue Fen could see Tang Mu’s languid, just-awoken look. Her small face flushed several shades deeper.

She spoke timidly, “I think—we’ve probably arrived, right? Sister Tang Mu, did you sleep well last night?”

Tang Mu paused, “Why do you ask?”

Xue Fen pointed at her own lower body. “Your leg was over me the whole time. I tried to get free, but I couldn’t quite manage…”

She looked genuinely earnest about her efforts.

Now it was Tang Mu’s turn to feel embarrassed.

“Sorry,” Tang Mu withdrew her leg. “You didn’t sleep?”

“I dozed off for a bit.”

“Oh.”

A long, awkward silence settled between them.

Suddenly, the coffin rocked from side to side.

If one listened closely, there was even a faint, broken sound of water flowing. Coupled with the gentle rocking, Tang Mu immediately deduced they were on a river.

“You’re smaller and lighter—could you try to sit up and look outside through one of the holes?” Tang Mu suggested.

“I’ll try.”

Xue Fen pushed herself up with effort. Thankfully, the coffin’s interior was roomy enough. Propping up her upper body wasn’t difficult; the challenge was keeping the coffin steady and lining up her eyes with the hole.

“Wait, wait a moment.”

Perhaps Xue Fen moved too abruptly, for the coffin swayed violently. To keep their balance, Tang Mu asked her to pause.

Xue Fen stilled.

“Okay, go ahead.”

Once the coffin steadied, Tang Mu let Xue Fen try again.

This time, Xue Fen was far more cautious.

When she finally peered through the hole, she described everything she saw to Tang Mu without holding anything back.

“We really are on the river. But I can only see three coffins from here. They’re resting on small rafts underneath. The rafts aren’t big—easy to tip over. And the river’s not exactly calm, it’s quite turbulent… No wonder I didn’t dare sleep much last night—the coffin was shaking the whole time. I thought it was ghosts moving us, but it turns out…”

“Only three coffins?” Tang Mu asked.

“Mm, just three from my side. Not sure how many you could see from your side’s holes.”

“Got it.”

Tang Mu didn’t bother checking herself. She was sure some coffins must have overturned. Given how those brides had been hammering at the lids, who else but them would have tipped over?

“Sister Tang Mu,” Xue Fen spoke up again.

“Hmm?” Tang Mu looked quizzical, as if expecting a question.

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time. May I ask?”

It was dull waiting in the coffin anyway—a chat would help pass the time.

“Go ahead.”

Receiving permission, Xue Fen blurted out her question, almost as if afraid Tang Mu would change her mind.

“People play this game either for money, for a healthy body, or to extend their lives. But Sister Tang Mu, you’re so beautiful—you could easily get opportunities just by relying on your looks. Why risk such danger by playing this game?”

After all, if someone was rich enough, they could pay others to collect items for them. Many associations operated this way: the leader would use connections and resources to control members, offer them secret survival strategies (or send veterans to guide newcomers), but demand two or three E- to A-level items from every completed instance as protection fees to keep the association running.

Large associations had undeniable power.

So Tang Mu, with her looks, could easily win the favor and competition of any association leader.

But Tang Mu simply answered—

“I’m here to find my boyfriend.”

Xue Fen was stunned. “What?”

“This game isn’t as simple as you think. Even players who are ‘killed’ aren’t all the same. Ordinary people die and that’s it. But some powerful players, when they die, become NPCs in certain instances. Or they mingle among the players in unknown ways, becoming Spade Q’s helpers, harvesting ordinary lives at will.”

Tang Mu glanced at her freshly manicured nails with a languid air. There was already a chip at the edge of her thumbnail. Looks like she’d need a new set after this instance.

“They all have one thing in common: their bodies, or something they carry, will be marked with the Spade Q symbol. Sometimes it’s an eye, sometimes the forehead, sometimes a handkerchief, glasses, or even a coin or a ring in their pocket. If you look closely, you’ll always spot the clue.”

Xue Fen was speechless.

“My boyfriend is a Black Attendant. He died accidentally in one of the instances—but not completely. Instead, he became a puppet Spade Q can manipulate at will.”

“I want to find him.”

Tang Mu looked back at Xue Fen. “But now, there are many Black Attendants in the game. I can’t meet him in every instance. So, do you know any tricks or clues for finding someone?”

Xue Fen swallowed. “I’m just a player. How would I know?”

“You really don’t?”

“I really don’t.”

“Oh.” Tang Mu’s eyes flickered. Since Xue Fen didn’t know, she was of no further use to her.

“All right then. When we get out, remember—don’t touch the water. And don’t forget to guard against other ways you could die.”

It was something everyone already understood without saying.

But Tang Mu repeated it anyway, almost deliberately.

Xue Fen, with an innocent and clueless expression, seemed completely unaware of Tang Mu’s real intentions, and replied cheerfully, “Okay, thank you, Sister Tang Mu.”