“What did you say?”
“What first step?”
Chen Jian recalled the scene of Zhou Qi’an being chased earlier, his expression shifting through a spectrum of emotions.
No doubt, this man had already severely offended an NPC.
And considering the long distance from the forest to the villa, if he had triggered a guaranteed death rule, he wouldn’t have had so much time to run. That meant he was currently walking a tightrope between life and death.
“I don’t quite understand.” Chen Jian frowned. “Based on your encounter, the game’s design likely intended for the player to retrieve the diary, experience a chase sequence, and return safely—completing this phase.”
At most, it should have raised some monster aggression.
But from the glimpse he caught earlier, the NPC’s fury seemed to have exploded beyond reason.
Zhou Qi’an let out an awkward chuckle. Of course, it was because he had also swallowed a peculiar, mysterious energy cluster.
His smile faded quickly as he tapped his fingers against the diary beside him. Xun Er would definitely come after him again—he just needed to create the right opportunity.
After all, the [Five-Star Fish Eye] was in a state that couldn’t be absorbed. And Xun Er, someone who knew how to gut fish, wouldn’t be able to resist slicing him open to retrieve it.
Zhou Qi’an’s expression was unreadable, but at this moment, Chen Jian was more impressed by his ability to run.
A veteran player could rely on items to stay alive. But as a newcomer, Zhou Qi’an had made it back purely by speed.
“You really are fast.”
Zhou Qi’an had heard that compliment more than once and had no interest in discussing it further.
He changed the subject. “Do you have anything that can shoot fire? Lend it to me, and we’ll read the diary together.”
Chen Jian sneered. “Not a chance.”
There was no guarantee that Xun Er’s diary even contained information about Xun the Wealthy—it might just be a personal side quest.
Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “What do you need it for?”
Zhou Qi’an shrugged. “The villa only serves raw food. Earlier, I casually mentioned wanting fish soup, and Xun Er’s face immediately darkened. Also, when I did the incense-offering task, the two candles beside the statue were unlit during the day, and there was no way to find a fire source nearby. Even the incense self-ignited once placed.”
Fire was probably a scarce resource in this instance.
Which meant that NPCs feared it.
Chen Jian suddenly remembered something. “Han Li mentioned that Xun the Wealthy had her guard the candles. They only burn at night, and he completely avoids going near them.”
That was another clue.
Zhou Qi’an smirked. “So, are we reading the diary together or not?”
Chen Jian didn’t answer right away.
Trading an item for a diary wasn’t exactly a fair deal. But fairness only mattered when survival was guaranteed.
The unspoken rule of instances was that the longer the timeline stretched, the stronger and more numerous the ghosts would become. Near the final days, survival became nearly impossible.
That was why Han Li had tried working with Zhou Qi’an to eliminate the female ghost early on.
If Zhou Qi’an could seriously injure Xun Er, it would increase their chances of clearing the instance.
Seeing Chen Jian hesitate, Zhou Qi’an added, “Han Li holds the title of direct heir. With her around, Han Tiansheng will always get first-hand information. Unless you kill her, you’ll always be one step behind.”
Chen Jian made his decision.
A charger materialized on the table out of thin air.
“What is this…” As soon as Zhou Qi’an touched it, a dialogue box popped up—
- 【A Powerful Charger: Sparks and lightning all the way. Whoever uses it explodes.
- Usage Guide: Align with any part of the body and stab firmly. (Recommended insertion points: chest, front hole, back hole—soft tissue. Not recommended: back of the head, spine—too hard.)
- Quality: Three and a half stars.
- Note: This charger only works on ghosts.】
Zhou Qi’an: “…What’s with the ‘hole’ part?”
Also, why didn’t his white silk have a quality rating?
“Do all items have a ranking?”
“Except for healing items and potential-growth items,” Chen Jian replied with some reluctance. “Five stars is god-tier. A three-and-a-half-star item is already a big win for you.”
Actually, this item’s quality was infinitely close to four stars, but its attributes were very mediocre. It was a one-time-use item that had to be used at close range. It wasn’t very effective against vengeful spirits, and using it on lesser ghosts would be overkill.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been willing to take it out.
“Deal.”
Zhou Qi’an smiled and put it away, then took out a diary.
After being stored in the coffin for so long, the paper was damp and carried a faint smell of mildew.
The handwriting on the first page was childish—whoever wrote it had clearly been very young at the time.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
I don’t like writing diaries.
To commemorate the sun rising from the west, I decided to write today.
Lately, Dad had been losing his temper a lot. One time, he smashed an ashtray right into the corner of my eye. He was extremely anxious, saying that if he could secure his promotion, he’d be willing to lose ten years of his life.
Fortunately, Dad finally succeeded. He managed to bring in a huge investment for the private hospital where he worked and became the head of his department. Tonight, he said we’d have a feast to celebrate.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day; Clear]
I don’t like writing diaries.
But today, the uncle who invested in the hospital came over, so I decided to write.
His surname was Xun, and he had asthenospermia. Fortunately, my family had an ancestral secret medicine, and not long ago, my father cured his condition.
Uncle Xun came with his pregnant wife to express his gratitude. When he went to the bathroom, he took the wrong path and accidentally ended up at our household shrine. He was surprised and said, “You too…”
Dad was furious, immediately cutting him off—he almost lost his temper. He sternly declared that outsiders weren’t allowed there.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day; Clear]
I don’t like writing diaries.
But Uncle Xun went bankrupt, so I decided to write today.
There’s always a way out. The hospital project Uncle Xun invested in had made a breakthrough. Mom said it was a project that could extend human lifespan.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
I don’t like writing diaries.
To commemorate the sun rising from the west again, I decided to write today.
The hospital was shut down for conducting illegal experiments. Dad had a sudden stroke and passed away, and Mom was arrested.
On the same day, Uncle Xun’s business started to recover. He said he would adopt me.
At this point, Chen Jian instinctively glanced at the sun outside. His head turned slowly, as if he was afraid of seeing something terrifying.
He let out a breath—so far, the sun’s position was normal.
How could the sun possibly rise from the west?
Deep down, he knew that in this instance, nothing was impossible.
Zhou Qi’an stared at the diary in silence.
In his very first mission, there had been a line that read:
“Where will tomorrow’s sun rise from? Stay alive and see it for yourself.”
So it wasn’t just the game’s twisted sense of humor.
Zhou Qi’an said, “Every time the sun rises from the west, something major happens. The doctor secured his promotion, the wealthy businessman’s fortune rebounded—in other words, wishes were granted.”
He wondered why the sun hadn’t risen from the west when his wish had come true. Then he remembered—just as the deity’s statue was about to grab him, his mother had interrupted.
Chen Jian was fixated on something else: “When Uncle Xun saw the doctor’s shrine, he said, ‘You too…’ Does that mean they were both worshiping the same deity?”
Zhou Qi’an didn’t find it surprising. “Why wouldn’t they have a branch shrine?”
“…”
“Do gods only stay in one place? Most regions worship similar deities.”
Chen Jian’s eyelid twitched. Well… that made sense.
Xun Er really didn’t like writing diaries. There were only two entries left.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day; Clear]
I found out why I was adopted.
Uncle Xun’s son had been raised as a ghost servant for wealth, and he ended up dying. Now, Uncle Xun was going to raise me the same way.
Since Uncle Xun had a huge fortune, I decided to stay—just for the sake of inheritance, of course.
So, I also knelt at the shrine.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day; Clear]
Good news: Uncle Xun started becoming forgetful. Sometimes, he forgot what he was doing or even that his wife and child had died.
Bad news: I was starting to become like him, growing disgusted by anything warm.
Piecing it together with what the female ghost had said, Zhou Qi’an summarized:
“Uncle Xun prayed to the deity, offering his wealth in exchange for a child. He was then guided to meet the doctor, who was also praying. In exchange for a donation, he got the ancestral remedy… What does that tell us?”
Chen Jian thought he had discovered something shocking. “What?”
“That middlemen always make the most money.”
The evil god had merely acted as a matchmaker.
“…” Chen Jian cut straight to the point. “The Xun Er we met and the one in the diary are the same person—he has a scar at the corner of his eye. But the age doesn’t match.”
On their first day, Uncle Xun mistook Wang Mu for his son. That meant, in his subconscious, his son should be around Wang Mu’s age. But when Uncle Xun’s son was born, Xun Er was already old enough to write in his diary. He should be older than Wang Mu.
Zhou Qi’an said, “Fortunately, the tombstone matches.”
Now, they could explain that grave’s existence—Xun Er had died once.
He continued, “The dead Xun Er crawled out of his coffin, frozen at the age of his death. Meanwhile, Uncle Xun was forgetful.”
He had forgotten even the death of his wife and child, so forgetting Xun Er’s death was hardly surprising.
With that, Zhou Qi’an clapped his hands. “Everything makes sense now!”
Chen Jian was almost blinded by his optimism.
Shouldn’t the fact that a dead person had come back to life be horrifying?
Knock.
The knocking interrupted their conversation.
Knock, knock, knock. The sound echoed like it was striking their eardrums.
As the knocking grew louder, the diary swelled as if soaking up water. Just as Zhou Qi’an tried to close it, the pages started thinning instead, rotting and giving off a foul stench.
【Congratulations, player! You have found a diary filled with resentment, triggering a special side quest.】
【Special Side Quest 1.0: Exposure.
Find supporting evidence and expose the truth to Uncle Xun—that Xun Er is dead.
Reward: 1 related clue. If successful, gain +30 favorability from Uncle Xun.】【Special Side Quest 2.0: The Root of Evil.
Destroy the root of all evil—the deity’s statue.
“You will receive a clue regarding [that thing]. Once you find [that thing], you will become the most benefited among all the inheritors.】【Please note: Special Mission 1.0 and 2.0 cannot be completed together. Choose one.】
Chen Jian also received the mission notification and frowned. “What is ‘that thing’?”
Zhou Qi’an shared his wisdom: “Anything that doesn’t have a name—just treat it like Voldemort.”
“…”
The knocking continued.
Even the college student downstairs had been disturbed and were coming out to check. Zhou Qi’an quickly put away the diary, got up, and peeked through the peephole—only to meet a strange, unblinking eye staring right at him.
The person outside then revealed their full appearance.
“It’s me,” Xun Er’s hoarse voice came through. “I forgot my key.”
Zhou Qi’an: “Oh, then climb in through the window.”
That’s how my mom got in yesterday too.
The knocking stopped.
Zhou Qi’an turned to Chen Jian and said, “By the way, remember how you asked why the monster chasing us earlier didn’t jump in through the kitchen window? I just remembered—it wasn’t closed.”
He paused for a beat, then let out a half-hearted laugh. “Hahaha, what an idiot.”
Chen Jian’s eyelid twitched violently.
For the last time—the soundproofing on this door wasn’t that good!
Author’s Note:
Zhou Qi’an: “Don’t you think he looks more like a thief than I do?”
Chen Jian: “…How?”
Zhou Qi’an: “His face. …Like Dou Erdun, the blue-faced thief who stole the imperial horse!”
Chen Jian: “…”
That’s it. He had met a real lunatic.
Super fun—I can’t wait to find out how he’s getting out of this! Thanks for the great translation <3