But Old Wei’s expression was feverish, and there was an uncontrollable excitement in his eyes as he looked at the divine statue. He was muttering under his breath, but the distance made it impossible for the others to hear what he was saying.
He carefully pressed the condensed heart's blood onto that pitch-black object. Guangran wasn’t sure if it was her illusion, but the thing seemed to shimmer faintly, and the aura around it grew even more dangerous and chilling.
Before she could take a closer look, Old Wei had already rewrapped the statue in red cloth and put it away with a solemn expression, as if he were handling a treasure of gold.
He turned to look at Guangran and the others, a smile creeping up his lips. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunched together, and the eerie look on his aged face became more apparent.
"Of course he can be saved. His soul was just taken by the vengeful ghost, forcibly trapped here and unable to reincarnate. I can bring his soul back and send it off to reincarnate. But if it stays with the ghost, his end will be complete annihilation.”
It was Guangran’s first time hearing such an explanation. She hadn’t experienced many instances, and instinctively looked at Qi Mai.
But even Qi Mai’s face held a hint of confusion. With no other choice, she turned back to Old Wei and followed the storyline: “Then what should we do?”
They hadn’t even unlocked the full plot yet. Right now, all they could do was follow the NPC’s lead.
The NPC’s info... shouldn’t be wrong, right?
Seeing his cryptic behavior, Qi Mai frowned on the side: “Tell us the method first.”
Old Wei glanced at him: “The deity I serve can deal with Yu Banxue-type ghosts with ease. But if you want them to act, there has to be a price.”
Under everyone's gaze, he raised two fingers and squinted as he slowly spoke: “The price… is the heart’s blood of two people.”
Guangran’s expression changed instantly: “What kind of deity is that?! How could there be such a price!”
It sounded nice, calling it heart’s blood, but judging by the way Old Wei took Zhao Xu’s earlier—it basically meant taking two lives!
Old Wei snorted coldly: “Different deities, different methods. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. When the ghost shows up, it’ll just kill all of you.”
He bent one knuckle and said slowly: “Zhao Xu’s heart’s blood was obtained just in time, barely counts as one person. Now we just need one more. Bo Jingmo’s was already taken by the ghost, so this one has to come from you all.”
At those words, Qi Mai quickly pulled Guangran behind him, his gaze darkening: “We won’t agree!”
What kind of bllsht deity is this?! More like an evil spirit!
Old Wei shot him a cold look: “I don’t need one of you to die. Don’t you have a teammate who’s perfect for this?”
Qi Mai froze for a moment: “You mean… Ji Xun?”
Old Wei nodded: “Right.”
Guangran frowned at his words: “No way! How is that any different from murder? It’s still one life for another! He’s our friend too!”
Just then, Yi Xian, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke with a smile: “.......One life for another?”
She looked at Old Wei: “I think it’s fine. Let’s use Ji Xun’s heart’s blood.”
“Yi Xian!!” Guangran couldn’t hold back and shouted, her eyes filled with disbelief, “How could you agree to that?!”
She hadn’t been in the same team as Ji Xun, and they’d even had arguments, but as fellow players, they helped each other when needed.
But Yi Xian and Ji Xun had been teammates several times, and now she just agreed to the NPC’s condition and handed over her teammate’s life?!!
Guangran’s understanding of their coldness reached a new level.
Yi Xian glanced at her, curled her lips, and let out a scornful snort: “Guangran, I’m just supporting the best solution.”
She crossed her arms and stepped in front of Guangran: “You said one life for another. You mean Ji Xun’s life for Bo Jingmo’s? But don’t forget, if the ghost isn’t eliminated, the ones who’ll die won’t just be Bo Jingmo—me, you, even the whole village could die.”
“So if sacrificing Ji Xun means saving the rest of us, then it’s worth it. He’s unconscious right now, basically half-dead. Rather than wait for the ghost to kill him, better he dies with purpose.”
Hearing that, Guangran froze in place. Her pitch-black eyes were filled with shock, her mouth slightly open, her throat choked—she couldn’t say a word.
This scene felt all too familiar.
The last instance was too. Back then, they also needed a sacrifice. So they threw out the most useless person—and that person had been on her team.
But now things had changed. This time, it was someone from Yi Xian’s team that needed to be sacrificed.
Guangran clutched tightly at Qi Mai’s sleeve.
Was this fate? Or just life messing with her?
Yi Xian obviously noticed the irony too. She curled her lips and leaned in close to whisper in Guangran’s ear: “Guangran, didn’t you always blame us for selling out your teammate? Well, here’s your chance for revenge. I won’t stop you. Sacrifice Ji Xun alone—or die with him. You choose.”
She narrowed her eyes, added with a mocking laugh: “And FYI, both Ji Xun and I have already used up our skills. If you’re still clinging to that player cooperation bullsh*t, it’s pointless now.”
So? What choice would a peace team member, who always championed cooperation, make now?
Yi Xian slowly walked out the door, waving lazily: “That’s it then. I’m going back to check on Ji Xun.......”
She turned and smiled: “One last look.”
Seeing this, Old Wei knew the matter was basically settled. He silently curled his lips and signaled to the nearby villagers:
“Carry the bodies out.”
He still had things to prepare for what came next.
A few people immediately stepped up and carried the two corpses out of the house.
Guangran lowered her eyes, her voice dry: “Qi-ge, what do you think....... what should we do?”
Was there really no other way......
At that moment, Qi Mai suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. He looked toward the direction the others had gone, his voice unreadable: “Guangran, your skill hasn’t been used yet.”
Guangran slowly lifted her head: “My skill......”
Realization seemed to dawn. She suddenly turned her head sharply and looked toward the direction they’d taken the bodies.
Her skill....... was to see the final memory of the dead.