Thank you @Daz for the Kofi.
Xingawang Hotel
Chapter 335: Full of temptation, but with unclear position
The dimly lit framing shop echoed with the sound of hurried breathing.
This time, not only had they entered the shop without paying any price, but they had also used up the Black Faction and leveraged the rules of this ghostly road to significantly weaken the opposing forces. Although the process had been exceptionally dangerous, the outcome was more than worthwhile—it was an absolute gain.
No one spoke, yet the atmosphere was uncharacteristically relaxed.
Wen Jianyan raised his hand to wipe the rain off his face, preparing to get up from the ground.
Just then, a face wearing a ghastly white mask suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Against the backdrop of the dim, aged ceiling, it looked abrupt and eerie, startling Wen Jianyan. It took him a moment to realize that it was Yun Bilan standing beside him, looking down at him.
Wen Jianyan couldn’t see her expression. Through the eye holes of the mask, he could only vaguely make out her eyes flickering in the darkness.
“……”
The two stared at each other from a distance for a few seconds, neither speaking first.
Until Wen Jianyan lifted his hand. “Give me a hand?”
Yun Bilan paused briefly, then silently extended her hand, grasping his outstretched palm.
Her strength was far greater than Wen Jianyan had expected. With just one pull, she yanked him up so forcefully that he almost lost his balance.
“……”
Wen Jianyan stole a glance at Yun Bilan’s slender wrist and, after a long pause, managed to squeeze out two words:
“……Thank you.”
He lowered his head and patted the dirt off his clothes.
After running through the rain for so long, his clothes were completely soaked, clinging, wrinkled, and damp against his body. On top of that, he had just rolled on the ground a few times, causing the dust and rain to mix into the mud, making him look especially disheveled.
After a few pats, Wen Jianyan realized that he couldn’t do much to improve his appearance, so he gave up on the attempt.
When he lifted his gaze, he found Yun Bilan staring straight at him.
Her mask concealed her face, and with only her eyes visible behind it, it was difficult to gauge her true emotions.
“Oh, right.” Wen Jianyan suddenly remembered something. He lowered his head, fumbled in his pocket, then pulled out a phone and tossed it to Yun Bilan. “You forgot this.”
Yun Bilan raised her hand and caught the phone.
She lowered her head, and on the pitch-black screen, she saw the reflection of her own masked face.
“……”
Wen Jianyan vigorously shook his wet hair, looking like a drenched puppy. He grabbed the hem of his clothes with both hands and wrung them out, letting the cold rainwater drip down, quickly forming a small puddle at his feet.
He lowered his head and spoke nonchalantly:
“You’re an adult. Do you still not know that you shouldn’t carelessly lose important things? Take care of your own stuff properly—”
Before he could finish, Yun Bilan interrupted him:
“I told you not to come save me.”
Wen Jianyan paused and looked up.
Yun Bilan then asked in a flat voice, “Why didn’t you listen?”
“Hmm? I did listen.”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly. With his damp hair, he looked rather innocent. “I didn’t come this time to save you.”
He blinked and said,
“Since the Black Faction kept you alive, it must have been for their upcoming actions and plans. If I had just turned around and left, wouldn’t that have wasted a perfect opportunity?”
Judging by the outcome, Wen Jianyan’s judgment was correct.
Had he given up and gone straight back to Xingwang Hotel, even if he had successfully entered this street again in the future, he wouldn’t have been able to open the door without sacrificing anyone. This time, since someone inside helped open the door, they had entered the framing shop without breaking a single mask.
But the problem was…
Although none of them had lost their masks, the number of teammates had increased.
This meant that, in terms of numbers, they were now one mask short.
And Wen Jianyan had given his own mask to Yun Bilan.
Yun Bilan raised her hand, removed the mask from her face, and handed it back to Wen Jianyan. “Take it back. I don’t need it.”
The moment her mask came off, everyone was taken aback.
Thorn-like patterns spread from her neck to her pale cheek, appearing eerily intricate. Her once pitch-black eyes now carried a faintly sickly red hue, shimmering slightly in the darkness.
Yun Bilan’s features were delicate and non-threatening, but with the crimson-black thorns accentuating them, she looked eerily sinister. Her slightly reddened pupils, when fixed on someone, exuded a cold and almost ruthless intensity.
Wen Jianyan’s heart sank.
He realized that the negative effects of overusing her “talent” had begun to manifest.
The deeper the talent development, the greater the toll on the anchor. Just now, in an extreme burst of negative emotion, Yun Bilan had forced her talent to evolve into a stronger form, and as a result, the degree of her mutation had deepened—
Just like the top ten anchors, her body was beginning to show certain “traits.”
Not far away, Bai Xue raised her eerily black eyes, her gaze landing on Yun Bilan with a thoughtful expression.
Wen Jianyan glanced at the mask in Yun Bilan’s hand but didn’t take it.
He shrugged lightly and said,
“Don’t worry, I have another way.”
“……”
Yun Bilan narrowed her slightly reddened eyes, staring at the young man in front of her without speaking for a long time.
Suddenly, she said, “I understand now.”
Wen Jianyan: “?”
Understand what?
“I understand why Su Cheng wanted to hit you.” Yun Bilan said unhurriedly.
Wen Jianyan: “……”
He couldn’t hold back and asked, “No way, how many people has he told about wanting to hit me?”
Behind him, Blond glanced around, then cautiously raised his hand.
Wen Jianyan: “……”
Beside him, Chen Mo spoke to comfort him:
“Don’t worry, he didn’t say it that many times.”
Wen Jianyan: “…………”
He could understand hearing it from Blond, who had been in instances with him multiple times, but why did even Chen Mo—who stayed in the guild handling affairs and rarely socialized with others—know about it? Just how much resentment had Su Cheng built up against him behind his back?!
“Alright, I believe you have a way.”
Yun Bilan withdrew her hand, but her reddened eyes remained fixed on Wen Jianyan. “However, if you are lying, I will take action.” She calmly added,
“And I will make up for the prophet’s share as well.”
Wen Jianyan: ???
He stared at her seemingly slender yet powerful figure, a chill running down his spine.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination… But compared to Su Cheng, who always seemed to be gritting his teeth and venting his frustrations, Yun Bilan’s threat felt much more serious.
And she really wouldn’t hold back.
“Haha, what are you saying?”
Wen Jianyan let out a dry laugh, his voice unusually lacking confidence: “When have I ever lied to you guys—”
At that moment, both Blond and Chen Mo turned their heads, their gazes full of reproach landing squarely on Wen Jianyan.
Wen Jianyan: “……”
Alright.
Amidst the rare light-hearted moment in the instance, Yun Bilan put her mask back on, hiding her face behind it without saying another word.
Her gaze fell on Wen Jianyan.
As the item activated, his hair turned into a hypnotic silver-white, wet strands sticking to his cheeks. His expression seemed a bit embarrassed, looking completely natural with no sign of acting. But no one could be sure if this was yet another one of his lies, a trick to dodge the topic and lighten the mood.
It seemed that no one could see through his ever-changing masks and uncover the true self that Wen Jianyan hid beneath them all.
…Perhaps even Wen Jianyan himself had forgotten.
He was always laughing, cursing, rational and calm—exceptionally skilled at making any cruel decision, as if he was born to thrive in darkness, chaos, and danger.
Or maybe… he was simply very good at putting a cruel mask on every choice he made.
“By the way, one more thing.”
Yun Bilan spoke again.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Wen Jianyan: “Hm? What is it?”
“There’s something else on my face, isn’t there?” Yun Bilan said with certainty.
When she had removed her mask earlier, everyone except Wen Jianyan—who was best at hiding his emotions—had shown some kind of reaction.
The group was momentarily stunned and instinctively exchanged glances.
Wen Jianyan nodded. “Yes.”
He briefly described Yun Bilan’s change.
“Um…” Blond raised his hand weakly and said, “Sister Bilan, don’t worry. Actually, it looks pretty cool…”
He was telling the truth.
At least, it fit his sense of fashion.
Yun Bilan ignored Blond’s “comfort.”
She didn’t seem surprised, only nodding slightly. “…I see.”
During her emotional outburst, when her talent had surged uncontrollably, Yun Bilan had remained completely aware.
Throughout the process, she had vaguely sensed something…
The so-called “talents” of anchors—these additional gifts from Nifgrmare—were not so much tied to the “soul’s quality” of the anchor but rather… connected to their negative emotions, or more precisely, the most obsessive parts of their personality.
Yun Bilan subconsciously clenched her fist. The pain from the thorns still lingered.
Her talent had once manifested as “Thorn Whip,” but after this latest emotional outburst, it had evolved into “Thorn Cage.”
It was as if… her greatest nightmare had come true.
Struggling to breathe amidst the entanglement and restraints of thorns, desperately gasping for air—only to be gradually swallowed, confined, and eventually erased.
Yun Bilan took a deep breath and looked at Wen Jianyan, briefly describing her experience.
“……”
The smile on Wen Jianyan’s face slightly faded, and in a quiet voice, he said,
“…It comes from obsession?”
He lifted his eyes, nodded, then smiled again, his expression as lighthearted as ever. “I understand. Thank you.”
Yun Bilan gazed at Wen Jianyan from a short distance away, momentarily lost in thought.
Then, Captain…
What about your talent?
Where do your obsessions and negative emotions come from?
Why do you always weave one lie after another, pushing everyone far away, refusing to let anyone be part of your plans, and rejecting any attempt to reach your true self?
Yun Bilan withdrew her gaze.
It didn’t matter.
No matter what the answer was, it wouldn’t affect her decision.
Because Yun Bilan had already made up her mind.
Her goal was already crystal clear, like a lake so transparent that one could see straight to the bottom. At this moment, her heart was just as firm as a rock.
Almost instinctively, Yun Bilan once again looked in Wen Jianyan’s direction.
The side profile of the young man emerged in the darkness. He seemed to be carefully observing everything around him, unaware that he had also become the subject of someone else’s gaze.
Clearly fragile, timid, full of flaws, and never honest—yet also wise, rational, brave, and gentle. In the pitch-black nightmare, he appeared exceptionally dazzling, like a spark symbolizing freedom and defiance.
He had made her realize the immense cage that had once confused and even numbed her, allowing her to reclaim her courage and resolve to take back the unshackled future that had once belonged to her.
Wen Jianyan examined the framing shop in front of him.
The room was pitch-dark, the dampness of the rainy air permeating the space, mixed with a faint, indistinct stench of decay.
It was unexpectedly large—far beyond what one might have imagined from the outside.
With only the flashlight in his hand, he could barely illuminate a small area in front of him, while much of the surroundings remained hidden in the shadows, out of sight.
Wen Jianyan took a few steps to the side, turning his phone to cast light onto the nearby wall.
On the wall, portraits hung at varying heights—large and small, densely packed, extending into the distant shadows.
Unlike the ones outside, whose facial features were blurry and ghostly pale, the people in these portraits all had faces.
There were men and women, old and young. A variety of different expressions stared back from the depths of the darkness, vivid and lifelike. Suddenly encountering them in such an environment was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
However, Wen Jianyan noticed that the frames of these paintings seemed to be different.
Some had glaringly red frames, while others were a very dark, reddish-brown color. Under the faint, wavering flashlight beam, they appeared dull and dusty, as if weathered by time and exposure, resembling the frames used for guest portraits in small inns or the Xingwang Hotel.
As for those scarlet frames…
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly, and a scene from before flashed through his mind—the portraits hanging inside the store on the third floor of the Changsheng Building in a previous instance.
The frames of those oil paintings had all been the same striking crimson. However, compared to the ones before him now, the frames in Changsheng Tower were noticeably older, with some of the paint slightly peeling away, as if they had been in use for a long time.
Could it be that all the “paintings” in these two instances had come from this very framing shop?
As he pondered, the heat from the mark on his lower abdomen became increasingly impossible to ignore. Wen Jianyan furrowed his brows slightly and subtly tugged at the hem of his shirt.
Ever since he had rushed into the framing shop, the mark had begun to heat up. At first, he could pretend he hadn’t noticed it, but as time went on, it became harder and harder to ignore.
However, no matter how hot the brand became, Wen Jianyan couldn’t react to it.
If this place was like the previous instance’s courtyard, it would be another matter, but right now, even though they had entered a similar Ghost Wall setting, the nightmare had not been severed. The broadcast connection remained stable, meaning this was still an area under the nightmare’s surveillance.
And as far as the nightmare was concerned, he should have already killed Wu Zhu.
Not secretly keeping this “bug” caged within the Ouroboros Ring, scheming for the day he could deliver a fatal blow to the nightmare.
So, even though he was certain that Wu Zhu’s fragment was somewhere in the depths of the framing shop, Wen Jianyan couldn’t act recklessly.
He turned his head toward Yun Bilan and asked, “Did the Black Faction do anything here just now?”
After all, Yun Bilan had been moving with the Black Faction the entire time. To them, she was already as good as dead, meaning they likely hadn’t guarded against her. After all, the dead don’t leak secrets.
Yun Bilan shook her head, her voice muffled slightly by the mask:
“Unfortunately, while we were together, they remained extremely cautious, never discussing any clues in front of me or carrying out any key operations.”
The Black Faction members were, after all, seasoned anchors. Even though they believed that Yun Bilan, as a mere tool, was doomed beyond doubt, they still wouldn’t expose their true intentions in front of her—not even if there was only a slight possibility of risk.
Wen Jianyan felt somewhat disappointed.
However, before he could say anything, Yun Bilan continued, “But…”
“Hmm?”
Wen Jianyan’s spirits lifted, and he turned his head to look at her.
For him, even the smallest clue could lead to unexpected help.
He heard Yun Bilan go on, “But after entering the Framing Shop, the Black Faction wasn’t as cautious around me. Although I still didn’t see much, I remember that the Gentleman always held an old piece of parchment in his hands…”
Wait a minute. Parchment?
Wen Jianyan froze for a moment.
Almost instantly, he thought of the legendary-grade item he had obtained in the Ping An Asylum instance. It was a very old yet all-knowing parchment—one that could answer any question.
As long as you were willing to pay the price of your soul, you could ask it three questions—any question at all. Even those related to the Nightmare itself, those buried deeper, more essential and core truths—it could provide answers.
Could it be…
The reason why the Black Faction was able to obtain so much obscure information in the Xingwang Hotel instance and stay several steps ahead of them was because the Gentleman had a similar item?
If the answer was yes, then as the Vice President of Oracle, the Gentleman held a terrifying advantage with this item…
After all, he had the authority to access the so-called “soul artifacts” made from prophecy-type anchors within the Oracle Guild.
With this in mind, Wen Jianyan opened his backpack and took out the legendary-grade item.
The next second, a crumpled and ancient-looking piece of parchment appeared in his hand.
Wen Jianyan asked, “Is this it?”
“…!”
Yun Bilan’s gaze landed on Wen Jianyan’s hand, and she was momentarily stunned.
She nodded firmly. “Yes.”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly.
This meant that, apart from the Nightmare’s own “backdoor access,” Oracle had other channels for obtaining information.
That might explain why Oracle held such a transcendent status within the Nightmare—even before Wen Jianyan entered the instance, the Gentleman had already anticipated that something he desired would be in the upcoming instance. That was why he proactively extended an olive branch, hoping to cooperate with him—though Wen Jianyan had rejected him.
Nevertheless, after employing various means, the Gentleman had still managed to join the Black Faction and enter the Xingwang Hotel instance alongside him. Using his advanced information, he was the first to reach this haunted street and locate the Framing Shop.
Wen Jianyan recalled that when he and the opposing team encountered each other at the shop’s entrance, Anise and the Gentleman had both looked unusually pale, as if they had suffered some kind of “consumption.”
During the ensuing chase, neither of them used their abilities either. Otherwise, the final outcome might not have been so favorable.
Perhaps… it was because they had done something here?
Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes.
Figuring out the Gentleman’s and Oracle’s true objectives had now become a top priority.
Yun Bilan asked in confusion, “How did you get it?”
“A legendary-grade item from a high-level instance.”
An artifact full of temptation, yet its true allegiance was unknown.
Suspected to be a gift from an alien god, one that even knew the secrets of divinity—manipulating humans in unseen ways and even contributing to the formation of an instance.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and looked down at the crumpled parchment in his hand.
It was blank—without a single word.
One soul, in exchange for three questions.
He had already used one question. Which meant Wen Jianyan had only two chances left.
…He had to choose carefully.
