"Don't worry, it's just a theory," Zhang Yuanqing said, trying to reassure the team. He believed Guan Ya's reasoning was flawed. The demon lord had warned them to resist both the allure of beauty and the urge to kill. They had already proven the latter to be true.
The demon lord's words had proven accurate.
Logically, when facing a widow, shouldn't it be the men who needed to resist her beauty? Why would triggering this trial depend on a female Walker?
Therefore, Zhang Yuanqing remained calm, confident that Guan Ya's theory was likely incorrect.
"Still, this is a good way to test the trigger conditions," Zhang Yuanqing said, turning to Chi Ou the Earth Fiend. "Go find the Queen and bring her back."
This was an opportunity to verify the trigger conditions. If Chi Ou disappeared while the Queen returned, it would confirm Zhang Yuanqing's hypothesis. Conversely, if Chi Ou returned alone, Guan Ya's theory would be proven correct.
The slightly plump young man nodded, highly obedient to his Captain's orders, and immediately left the alley.
Three minutes later, neither Chi Ou nor the Queen had returned.
"Damn it," Huode Star General growled. "Something's happened to them."
When searching for someone with a clear objective, speed was essential. Three minutes should have been more than enough time for a quick round trip.
They haven't returned yet. Either Chi Ou couldn't find anyone, or they both encountered an accident.
Grass on the Plain frowned. "One of them is a Level 3 Water Ghost, and the other is a Level 2 Earth Fiend. Even if they faced danger, they should have been capable of resisting. This silence is unsettling."
The group turned to Zhang Yuanqing, seeking their Captain's opinion.
"This Yin-Yang Town is full of strange phenomena," Zhang Yuanqing said. "They might not have had a chance to resist, just like how we were turned into cats before we even realized what was happening. Waiting around won't help. Let's go find them."
The group surged out of the alley and sprinted in the direction Queen and Chi Ou had gone. Within moments, they reached the riverbank.
The river snaked through the town, its banks lined with empty, silent streets paved with blue bricks.
Chi Ou and Queen were nowhere to be seen.
Two perfectly healthy people had vanished into thin air?
"Damn it! We have to find them immediately. Every second counts—it could be a matter of life and death," Li Chunfeng said, his face grim.
The situation reminded him of his own near-fatal encounter with the Great Cat. If Queen and Chi Ou had faced a similar threat, they might already be dead.
The Huode Star General paced anxiously, his eyes darting around like a headless fly as he shouted for Queen and Chi Ou.
Grass on the Plain frowned, his eyes darting left and right as he scanned the surroundings.
Guan Ya also frowned, sensing the complexity of the situation.
While she had experienced far more instances than Zhang Yuanqing, none had been higher than A-Rank. This was her first encounter with such a high-level instance, and her experience in handling them paled in comparison to Zhang Yuanqing's.
"Don't panic," Zhang Yuanqing said calmly, his voice rapid. "The more bizarre it seems, the lower the actual danger. Otherwise, the instance's difficulty would be completely unbalanced." Having endured the torment of S-Rank instances, he remained the most composed among them.
"At least we've confirmed one thing: triggering Widow Xu's storyline requires us to separate. And I believe 'separate' doesn't mean acting alone, but rather separating by gender.
"Now, we need to enter the storyline immediately, or Queen and Chi Ou will be in real danger."
His clear-headed analysis quickly restored morale among the Huode Star Generals.
Guan Ya said, "I'll stay here. You all retreat until we can no longer see each other."
Zhang Yuanqing gave her a deep look. "Be careful! Stay put and don't move. If I find we still can't trigger the storyline, I'll come back for you immediately."
With that, he silently released a wisp of yin energy, leaving Little Goofball behind.
This way, he could use Little Goofball's vision to monitor Guan Ya, like a surveillance camera.
Chi Ou and Queen had vanished without a trace. As far as Zhang Yuanqing knew, only two professions possessed such abilities: the Nightwalker's Seduction and the Illusion Master's Illusion.
Regardless of which it was, Little Goofball, as a Spectral Servant, could still play a role.
At the very least, it could serve as a "false eye." Now that Little Goofball had been upgraded, it possessed basic combat and escape capabilities. Zhang Yuanqing had some confidence in his Spectral Servant.
Guan Ya smiled radiantly. "I understand. Don't worry."
Immediately, Zhang Yuanqing led his three teammates back the way they had come, sprinting at full speed.
They quickly returned to the alley entrance. Zhang Yuanqing slowed his pace, scanning the buildings on both sides of the street as he called out again:
"Xiuer! Xiuer! Where are you?"
Suddenly, a second-floor window of a building on the left opened, and a voice as soft and seductive as a lover's whisper replied:
"Are you looking for me, gentlemen?"
The voice drifted into the four men's ears, sending shivers down their spines, as if a lover were whispering in their ear, melting half their bones.
"Yes, yes!" Zhang Yuanqing replied involuntarily, his gaze fixed on the window.
"Yes, yes," the other three men echoed.
The voice, soft and melodious, purred, "This humble servant is upstairs. Gentlemen, please come up for a chat."
Zhang Yuanqing, Huode Star General, and Li Chunfeng instinctively moved toward the house.
The open window revealed a deep, dark interior, radiating an inexplicable chill.
The melancholy Wood Spirit Youth suddenly shuddered, recalling a detail: they had noticed the window opening immediately, yet no one had been visible beside it.
The window seemed to have opened on its own—or, perhaps, something invisible had opened it.
Grass on the Plain's already meager romantic fantasies vanished instantly. He hurriedly grabbed his companions' arms.
Zhang Yuanqing snapped awake, hissing at Li Chunfeng and Huode Star General, "Have you two never seen a woman before? Are you bewitched?"
Huode Star General and Li Chunfeng looked ashamed.
Grass on the Plain glanced at their righteous Captain and curled his lip.
Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and called out loudly, "Lady Xiu'er, would you grace us with a glimpse of your fair face?"
Hearing the Captain's brazen words, the three men felt a sense of relief, as if someone else was taking responsibility for their shameless actions.
The sun blazed fiercely, yet the darkness within the window seemed to devour the light. A seductive, bone-melting voice drifted out again:
"You gentlemen are such teases! Stop teasing me and come up already. Don't keep this humble servant waiting~"
The voice was so alluring that it made the men below's hearts pound.
Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned serious as he lowered his voice and said, "It seems she won't come down. We'll have to go inside, or the plot won't advance."
His three teammates nodded. Huode Star General hesitated, saying, "I have a bad feeling about this. This trial might be extremely difficult, even risky enough to capsize our boat in a ditch."
"Why do you say that?" Li Chunfeng frowned.
Huode Star General replied, "Because I'm a lecher."
Funny, me too, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.
Huode Star General continued in a low voice, "Guan Ya and the Queen are beautiful, right? Perfect figures, right? But I could only admire their beauty. Yet when I heard Widow Xu's voice just now, all I could think about was sleeping with her."
Funny, me too, Zhang Yuanqing thought.
Li Chunfeng's expression darkened, his feelings mirroring those of Huode Star General.
Huode and Primordial seemed unreliable, easily swayed by beauty. Grass on the Plain was the least susceptible, but his combat prowess paled in comparison to the others. Li Chunfeng needed a way to make Primordial and Huode immune to temptation. His eyes flickered as he cleared his throat twice, drawing the attention of his companions.
"Actually, resisting beauty is quite simple," Li Chunfeng began, his voice smooth and confident. "Men's lust stems from physiological reactions dominating their brains. It's like when you're hungry—you must eat. If the gut bacteria crave sweets, you'll crave sweets. In a sense, our minds are controlled by our bodies. This is why so many men struggle to control their desires."
He continued, "We can't directly control these physiological reactions. You can't stop your body from secreting hormones. But we can influence the brain through unconventional methods to suppress hormone production."
You're so knowledgeable, Zhang Yuanqing and Huode Star General thought, their minds reeling.
Huode Star General immediately asked, "How do we suppress hormone production?"
Li Chunfeng said, "It's simple. Just keep telling yourself, 'Even the most beautiful woman needs to relieve herself. If she doesn't bathe, she'll stink and pick her toes. She might even have foot odor.' Visualize these scenarios vividly. You can also imagine even more repulsive scenes, like a body bloated from decomposition."
"Stop, stop! I've already achieved enlightenment," Zhang Yuanqing said, shuddering after imagining the scene.
"Alright, let's go in. Beauty is nothing more than this," Huode Star General said, striding toward the house.
By the river, Guan Ya waited quietly, her senses alert to her surroundings.
Suddenly, a joyful cry came from behind her:
"Guan Ya?"
The Mixed-Blood Beauty tensed, swiftly turning around while adopting a defensive stance.
A young woman in a thin shirt, capri pants, and smoky eye makeup burst from the alley behind her. Strikingly beautiful and regal, it was Queen.
Her emotions were a mix of joy, fear, and helplessness, but there was no hostility. Her steps were unsteady, showing no signs of preparation for an attack. She approached not to ambush Guan Ya. Her aura pulsed with potent "water-attribute" spiritual energy, confirming she was indeed a Water Ghost, not an illusion or disguise.
White light flickered in Guan Ya's beautiful eyes, the sharp gaze of a Scout calmly observing Queen.
Though Guan Ya had confirmed the woman was indeed the Queen, she felt no joy or relief. In her eyes, the Queen's once-rounded face had become gaunt, her eyes were dull and weary, her complexion sallow, and her demeanor listless.
In just ten minutes of separation, the Queen had become so haggard, as if something had drained her vitality.
"Guan Ya, what are you doing here? Where are the others?" The Queen's face lit up with surprise as she glanced around, searching for her companions.
"They've gone to look for you elsewhere," Guan Ya replied, her gaze fixed on her colleague's withered appearance. "What happened? Why did you suddenly disappear?"
The Queen's expression darkened. She lowered her voice and said, "After getting water, I tried to return, but I got lost. I couldn't find you no matter what I did. I called out, but you didn't respond. And then... then..."
She glanced nervously over her shoulder, her face contorted with fear. "I heard a child's laughter behind me. No matter where I ran, the laughter followed. But when I turned around, it vanished. As soon as I started running again, it would start up again. I couldn't find it anywhere."
A child's laughter?! Intense white light flared in Guan Ya's eyes, completely obscuring her pupils.
Then she saw something more. Behind the Queen, a small, dark hand reached out and rested on her shoulder.
In the next moment, a dark-skinned infant peeked out. Its face was grotesque, its skin wrinkled, and its eyes were wide open—not the innocent black buttons of a child, but eerie, white-pupiled orbs.
Guan Ya's heart sank. "It's right behind you."
Zhang Yuanqing and the others arrived at the front door of the house facing the street. The door was an antique, double-leaf wooden gate with rusty iron rings.
Huode Star General pushed open the creaking gate, revealing a dusty, long-sealed entrance.
The interior was dimly lit, and a musty, damp odor unique to old houses filled the air.
The entrance led to an outer hall, sparsely furnished with wooden tables, chairs, and cabinets—simple and unadorned.
Beyond the hall lay a small courtyard. At its center stood a sunlit platform, where bamboo racks for drying clothes were arranged.
The platform was surrounded by inner halls, rooms, and a narrow staircase leading to the second floor.
The four exchanged glances. Zhang Yuanqing turned to the dimly lit wooden staircase. "Stay close," he said, and took the lead up the stairs.
The staircase was narrow and dark, its ancient wooden steps groaning under each footstep.
Finally, they reached the second floor after climbing the short staircase.
The second floor was a boudoir, filled with feminine furnishings. Directly opposite the staircase stood a large, intricately carved wooden bed draped with red gauze curtains. A newly embroidered quilt adorned the bed, its surface adorned with gardenia blossoms.
A brass-colored incense burner sat on a wooden table by the window, its faint, lingering fragrance permeating the air.
Beside the window stood a dressing table. A nude woman sat before it, draped only in a gossamer-thin veil. Her graceful back revealed the curve of her full, moon-like hips, their roundness accentuated by the wooden stool beneath her.
The polished bronze mirror reflected a face both enchanting and alluring, its beauty beyond description.
Her figure and features were flawless, but it was her indescribable aura that truly captivated. Gazing upon her, one became utterly entranced, their mind reduced to a single word: S-Rank.
The four men's gazes, drawn like iron filings to a magnet, remained fixed on the woman's exquisite form, impossible to tear away.
Huode Star General, Grass on the Plain, and Li Chunfeng wore expressions of rapturous fascination, their earlier caution and vigilance vanishing without a trace.
Thump-thump, thump-thump
Zhang Yuanqing heard his own heart pounding wildly. A surge of desire flared in his lower abdomen, rushing toward a certain area, causing it to swell with blood.