The people inside the door seemed startled by the screams, and the cries of the children were immediately silenced.
Crying is contagious among children, and soon the room was filled with the sound of a group of children crying loudly.
Without any telepathic ability, he already knew that there were people or ghosts inside...
Qi Yuan thought to himself that maybe he shouldn't go in.
If Little Brother is safe inside, it's because there are people who know the rules of the Ghost Market and haven't responded to the ghosts for so long.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, the door opened slightly from the inside.
"Are you a person with special abilities? Please come in immediately, sorry for the inconvenience."
A middle-aged lady in old-fashioned clothes and a serious expression looked out from the crack in the door and stopped him.
He didn't feel angry about the lady's caution.
Although it was somewhat impolite and ungrateful to him, he would prefer it if Little Brother's teacher was like this too.
He entered the room. The children inside had vented their emotions and many of them were still sobbing, wiping their tears and runny noses with their sleeves and clothes.
The middle-aged lady sternly lectured the group of children, "No crying! What if it attracts monsters?"
The middle-aged lady meant well, but her straightforward nature made it difficult for her to use gentle words. She worried that if she died, something would happen to the children, so she anxiously wanted to see them grow up.
But the little children didn't understand all that. They only knew that there were monsters outside, and they were being scolded by their teacher.
The crying that had just subsided started to rise again.
Qi Yuan sighed. The monsters were intelligent, and if these children kept crying like this, it would attract Grade C or even higher-level monsters.
"I am a member of the patrol team. Is there a problem with following my orders?"
The more the children were comforted, the more they cried, and they even started to push and shove.
The reason they were crying was to release their anxiety and fear. Their undeveloped brains couldn't control their emotions, and scolding them would only increase their emotions, making them even more uncontrollable.
Claiming to be a member of the patrol team could give them a sense of security, alleviating their anxiety and fear.
"The first order, tell me how many of you are there?"
The children, who had just started counting, stopped their cacophonous chorus and began to look at their classmates while counting.
Before long, the room was filled with a chorus of voices, competing with the deafening cries.
"35 people!"
"No, 36 people."
"It's 34 people."
Qi Yuan glanced at the middle-aged lady and signaled her to give the correct answer.
"35 people."
"The ones who answered correctly will be rewarded. Those I point to, come forward."
Qi Yuan picked out a few children from the crowd who had answered correctly and divided them into teams.
"You are temporary team leaders. If anyone in your team disobeys, make a note and tell me. Now, the second order, no more noise."
The eager-to-show-off team leaders wished they could catch someone to show their prowess. They transformed at lightning speed and stared at their teammates with wide eyes.
Once he had control over this group of little rascals, Qi Yuan finally had time to talk to the middle-aged lady.
"I'll be leaving later. Do you know the rules of the Ghost Market?"
The middle-aged lady was puzzled and hurriedly asked, "The rules of the Ghost Market?"
Qi Yuan summarized the rules of the Ghost Market for her.
"I was outside watching you without receiving any response, and I thought you knew."
The middle-aged lady smiled awkwardly, "I am somewhat superstitious. The older generation says that when a ghost calls you, you must never answer, so..."
She had initially wanted to persuade the children to let this supernatural being stay, but upon hearing his mention of the rules of the Ghost Market, the middle-aged lady dismissed the idea.
There were still many students outside, and it was more important for this supernatural being to transmit the information.
"If you have something to do, then..."
Urgent knocking on the door interrupted her, each knock coming at almost the same interval, sounding eerie.
The middle-aged lady instantly became anxious, and she looked at Qi Yuan.
In a low voice, Qi Yuan said, "Just follow the rules."
After a long time of knocking without anyone coming out, the ghosts outside grew impatient.
The wooden door shook as it was pounded, making the children huddle together.
A hoarse voice of indistinguishable gender came from outside the door, "I'm so scared outside, can I come in and rest?"
Was it too late to realize that this might be a trick?
Qi Yuan was utterly speechless; even a child wouldn't fall for it.
Indeed, the children didn't fall for it, but they were extremely cowardly.
"Tsk, who would fall for that?"
"You stupid monster, I'm not afraid of you! If you dare, come in."
Qi Yuan: !!!
To prevent the children from hearing, the middle-aged lady and Qi Yuan went to the corner, but now it was too late to cover their mouths.
The permitted monster was becoming impatient.
Clang!
A gust of cold wind blew, and the previously shaky but still standing wooden door was blown open.
The "female ghost" at the door wore a dark red wedding gown that fluttered in the chilling wind. Her long black hair swayed in the air, obscuring her face. A pair of delicate red embroidered shoes dripped blood, but strangely, these shoes did not touch the ground.
This was a C-class monster, a Ghost Bride!
The Ghost Bride spoke slowly, singing in an eerie tone.
"Who... is... my... groom?"
As soon as these words were uttered, all the males present gasped.
Qi Yuan's face turned grave, and the little boys burst into loud sobs, terrified.
Wait... had anyone ever heard of a male Ghost Bride?
This Ghost Bride had broad shoulders and a stout figure, and most crucially, he had a dense stubble on his chin...
Even though they couldn't see his face under the veil, they could still feel the Ghost Bride's gaze. Those who were caught in "her" gaze inexplicably felt a chill and a fear of facing the darkness.
It was unclear whether it originated from the Ghost Bride's sinister and terrifying presence or from a psychological shiver.
"Her" gaze finally fell on Qi Yuan, emanating a strong malice.
"I hate males who are better looking than me the most. Hurry up and marry me!!"
The anger in his heart could not surpass the instinct for survival. Qi Yuan wasn't moving an inch.
At the moment he decided to become stronger, he was no longer a protected citizen but a combatant.
He couldn't rely on the opponent's proactive assumptions every time; he had to figure out a strategy that would make the opponent assume.
Just as he was about to speak and attempt the tactic he had in mind...
The audacious little elementary schoolers began their performance again.
Many adults believed that children didn't remember things, but in fact, children were quite sensitive to the atmosphere.
Although it's hard to describe accurately, they realized that this creature was afraid of the Patrol Team uncles.
Among the thirty-plus people, there were always a few daring troublemakers leading the way.
"Uncle from the Patrol Team, get up quickly!"
"I don't want such an ugly bride."
"Beat it to death!"
Qi Yuan's carefully planned words got stuck in his throat, unable to come out or go back.
And the uncles from the Patrol Team went too far with everything. Don't let me find out who said it!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
