Chapter 131: Guan Ya: Your Size Is Impressive

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Zhang Yuanqing carried the cat's corpse, stepped over the threshold, and to prevent this strange creature from "playing dead," he raised it and smashed it onto the doorstep.

The skinned big cat was heavily injured, and it kicked its limbs violently, seeming to faint again.

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing feel relieved and threw the big cat into the coffin, then bent down to lift the coffin lid and reseal it.

At this moment, teammates followed into the room, only to find that the skinned monster cat had disappeared, and they saw the coffin lid sealed again. Guan Ya asked in surprise, "Why did you put it back?"

"I told you it was an experiment. How do I answer you now?" Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, looking at the scattered red ropes and purple talismans on the ground, and said:

"Li Chunfeng, do you know what these are?"

Everyone looked at Li Chunfeng, the knowledgeable scholar, as he rubbed his chin, examined the coffin, and sniffed the red rope and purple talisman. He offered a guess:

"Red ropes bind grudges, purple talismans nurture malevolence. It's strange; this coffin is both a seal and a cradle for the monster."

No wonder he's a scholar. Zhang Yuanqing nodded and asked, "Can you recreate the red rope and purple talisman?"

Li Chunfeng replied, "Recreate? No, you've misunderstood. They can be tied casually without any specific pattern."

Casually tied? I thought it had to be intricate, like a spell, covering the entire coffin. One mistake could cause big problems. Zhang Yuanqing, seeing Li Chunfeng pick up the red rope, took it from him, saying, "Let me do it!"

Immediately, he tightly wrapped the red rope around the surface of the red lacquered coffin, tying knots, and then picked up the purple talisman, following Li Chunfeng's guidance, affixing it to the coffin lid.

So, what exactly is he trying to do? His teammates looked at him bewildered.

At the moment when Zhang Yuanqing affixed the purple talisman, a notification sound rang in his ears, audible only to him in the spiritual realm:

[Ding! You have triggered a hidden mission – Eternal Cat Corpse (1/3)]

[Eternal Cat Corpse: This is a cursed creature that constantly emits a curse. Do not approach it, or you will be contaminated by the curse and turn into a wild cat.]

[Note: I want to make it eternally unable to transcend!!]

[Mission Item: A piece of broken jade]

It really triggered a hidden mission. My speculation was correct. The "restrain the slaughter" the Demon Lord mentioned must refer to this. Zhang Yuanqing was delighted.

According to the Demon Lord's speculation, the items for hidden missions were left by the Yin and Yang Hermit. That legendary figure must be of a high level, and I wonder what kind of items they left behind. If it's rule-based items, that would be a jackpot. Zhang Yuanqing suppressed his excitement and anticipation, focusing back on the hidden mission itself.

"This creature was cursed by someone. According to the note, the one who cursed it harbors deep hatred and wants it to remain eternally trapped. So, we can't kill the Skinned Big Cat because that would let it transcend, contrary to the wishes of the one who cursed it. It seems that the hidden mission points to the curse caster."

"But who could the curse caster be?"

Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts and said to his companions, "My speculation has been confirmed. Now, let's analyze it further."

Fire Virtue Star Army didn't want to think too much and straightforwardly said, "You're the captain, so you should go first."

The others nodded in agreement.

After facing adversity together just now, the team's cohesion had strengthened considerably, and trust had developed among them.

Zhang Yuanqing paused for a few seconds and continued, "Let's start with the background story of Yin and Yang Town that Wang Po just told us. Everyone heard the story. Some parts of it are true, but there are also elements of fiction, like the curse from the descendant of the Yin and Yang Hermit.

"I've read several guides to Yin and Yang Town, and the early groups of spiritual realm travelers who entered the instance didn't mention anything about the curse. They had interactions with the town's residents, so such a significant matter should have been discovered by now.

"So, Wang Po's claim about the curse is false, but the cat transformation curse is indeed real. And the one who was cursed is her son."

Zhang Yuanqing looked at the red lacquered coffin.

The other teammates nodded in agreement as they listened.

"That makes sense," Guan Ya nodded and added, "I'll add that the cat transformation curse probably only triggers along Wang Po's storyline. The earlier spiritual realm travelers didn't follow this plot."

She smiled at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Please continue."

As a scout, her observational and analytical abilities were much stronger than Zhang Yuanqing's, but she wouldn't seize the opportunity to establish her leadership. At most, she would assist in filling in the gaps.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "So, how did her son get cursed?"

Queen's eyes suddenly lit up as she recalled something and quickly responded, "Wang Po mentioned that her son couldn't control his desires, leading to his current fate."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone, except Fire Virtue Star Army, looked at the straw man in Guan Ya's hand.

To be cursed into a straw man by Wang Po, she must have done something unforgivable to provoke such intense hatred.

Taking into account what Wang Po said, her son's fate, and...

"I understand!" Fire Virtue Star Army finally caught on, excitement in his voice. "It's this Xu Xiu'er who cursed her son. But who is Xu Xiu'er?"

Zhang Yuanqing suggested, "There are only six people in the town. Who has the surname Xu?"

"Who?" Fire Virtue Star Army asked.

Zhang Yuanqing almost blurted out, "Are you kidding me?" but instead said, "Widow Xu!"

Fire Virtue Star Army suddenly realized.

If Widow Xu is the one who cursed, then the hidden mission points to her, and the goal is clear. Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but recall the Demon Lord's remarks about "slaughter and beauty."

It seemed that the Demon Lord had done something unspeakable to Widow Xu, the one who cursed her son.

The round-faced youth, nearly jumping with excitement, said, "Our next target is clear—Widow Xu. We shouldn't delay; we need to depart immediately. We must finish the side storyline and reach the town's central square before the evil faction does."

The others were excited, except for Guan Ya, who furrowed her brows and fixed her gaze on Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "But there's one thing I haven't figured out. Li Chunfeng, you have the most knowledge and broadest experience. Do you think that just having a cat corpse hanging outside can complete a powerful curse?"

The others didn't understand why he asked this, and Li Chunfeng hesitated for a moment.

After a dozen seconds, he slapped his forehead and said, "This isn't right, this isn't right."

"What's not right? What do you mean?" Fire Virtue Star Army asked impatiently. "Explain yourself."

Li Chunfeng said in a serious tone, "The cat corpse is a medium, but not the source of the curse. It's like how witch doctors, when cursing a target, try to obtain their picture, birthdate, and personal belongings. These items are mediums, while the true source is the power of the witch doctor."

"Our transformation into cats is sourced from where? I initially thought it was Wang Po, but Wang Po is clearly an ordinary person. Otherwise, how could she have been bitten so easily? Another piece of evidence is the straw man."

The silent "Leaves Upon the Grass" asked, "That's indeed a point of suspicion, but what does it have to do with the mission storyline?"

Zhang Yuanqing didn't respond to Leaves Upon the Grass's question and said, "Of course, it's related. If we don't clarify all these doubts now, they may not seem significant at the moment, but in the later stages of the instance, due to lack of information, we might miss many opportunities or even lose the chance to turn the tide."

"As the S-rank clearance holder, his perspective gained the respect of everyone.

Leaves Upon the Grass nodded slowly, agreeing with the captain's statement.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Alright, back to the main point. Suppose, and I emphasize 'suppose,' the cat emitting the curse is inside the coffin. Does this logic hold?"

This also aligns with the hint in the hidden mission!

The one emitting the curse is the cat. Li Chunfeng thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up. "Yes. The person who set up this ritual must have recognized this point. So, they used the cursed cat's power to set up the ritual, and through it, everyone entering the house gets cursed."

Zhang Yuanqing added, "But in that case, we face another problem: who set up the cat corpse ritual? Wang Po is obviously an ordinary person, so someone must have taught her."

"Is it Xu Xiu'er?" the round-faced youth guessed.

"No," Zhang Yuanqing quickly denied.

"Why not?" The round-faced youth was unconvinced, and the queen and others also looked at Zhang Yuanqing with puzzled expressions.

Zhang Yuanqing confidently explained his thoughts, "The existence of the coffin and the cat corpse is both to suppress and nurture the cursed cat. If these things were done by Wang Po, it would make sense. She wanted to protect her son and prevent him from becoming a complete monster."

"But from the enemy's perspective, the more suffering and madness, the more they will be relieved of their hatred," Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "So, the curse and the cat corpse ritual came from different hands. The one cursing is Xu Xiu'er, but who guided Wang Po in setting up the cat corpse and coffin? Who is he (or she), and what role do they play in the relationship between Wang Po and her son among the six remaining people in the town? What role did they play in the events of population loss in the town?"

Everyone had a flash of a certain character in their minds. Fire Virtue Star Army, who rarely kept up with the thinking, suggested, "It should be one of the five remaining individuals, and could it be the magician hired by Zhao Yuanwai?"

Guan Ya nodded in approval and smiled, "This instance is becoming more and more interesting. Among the six people remaining in the town, what kind of relationship do they really have? What roles did they play in the events of population loss?"

With the recap complete, Zhang Yuanqing had said everything he needed to say. He said, "Time is of the essence; let's go find Widow Xu."

The teammates had no objections. The queen touched her circular earring on her left ear and said with a smile, "Although we faced a grave crisis just now, almost wiped out, I have great confidence in the upcoming mission. In such a high-difficulty instance, our analysis has been thorough and clear. There's no confusion or uncertainty. As long as we're not confused, even if the path is difficult, I have confidence."

Fire Virtue Star Army agreed, surprised at how well his teammates could analyze this complex instance. They were all very intelligent individuals, especially this "Elementary Heavenly Sovereign," who had cleared two S-rank instances in succession. He had demonstrated a keen mind and wisdom that Fire Virtue Star Army acknowledged.

Eating Lotus Roots, Li Chunfeng, and Leaves Upon the Grass remained silent but instinctively followed the captain's orders and left the room.

As the team walked towards the courtyard room, Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya were left behind. The Old Sijie smiled and said, "Not bad!"

Zhang Yuanqing was about to respond when he noticed the Old Sijie's gaze lower, and her lips curved into a smile. "Very nice."

Zhang Yuanqing's face turned red, an unusual sign of embarrassment. After all, he was a twenty-one-year-old who had never had a girlfriend and belonged to the category of people who always talked big but were timid when it came to real challenges.

Usually, he could banter and make jokes with the Old Sijie, but the revelation just now had crossed a certain line, surpassing the psychological threshold of a typical college student.

He didn't want to find out later that the official forum's adventurers were discussing the dimensions of Elementary Heavenly Sovereign.

It was something he couldn't bear.

In this situation, the blacksmith's shop:

Li Xianzong Ji sat on the ground, gasping for breath. He was covered in blood, his left arm twisted unnaturally, and he had multiple knife wounds and blunt force injuries on his body.

His five companions were similarly battered, either lying on the ground or sitting against the wall, greedily sucking in the air.

Around them were overturned forging tables, a cracked furnace, scattered charcoal, broken iron tools, and the decapitated head of Master Wang, who had fallen onto a pile of glowing embers.

In addition to Master Wang, there was one more corpse—the burly bald man.

The middle-aged man with a lean build raised his knee and got up, kicking the corpse of the bald man. He cursed, "He's dead just like that? I didn't even know his name."

Li Xianzong Ji, still catching his breath, grinned, "Why bother knowing names? People like us, who live by the sword, will die when it's our time to die. Dying when it's our time is the right way."

"Yeah, why bother knowing names? If you know their names, then they become friends. What's the point?" another companion chimed in.

"Hehe, dying is fine. The sooner we die, the sooner we'll be free from this crappy world."

The other companions agreed with similar sentiments.

They never cared about life or death, whether it was the enemy's, unrelated people's, or even their own.

People who immersed themselves in killing developed a numbness towards death that ordinary people didn't have.

Li Xianzong Ji waved to the middle-aged man, saying, "Go check the shop; there should be some clues."

The middle-aged man immediately entered the shop's depths. A few minutes later, he returned, looking bewildered. "Boss, there's something strange about this shop."

(End of this chapter)

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PS. Shoutout to the most popular Kpop Boy group of all time! 

EXO 

BTS

My bias in EXO (Xiumin & Tao) while in BTS (Jungkook)  ✨