I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 3

Judging from Hong Jie’s tone, there was definitely something wrong with that foggy area earlier. However, Qi Yan had gambled correctly, all six people in their vehicle were newcomers, and this scenario was a beginner-level one, so the difficulty wouldn’t be too high. In the early stages, following the rules and sticking with the guide NPC would provide some assurance of survival.

In any case, everyone had made it to Baishui Town without major incident. After passing through the fog, Qi Yan found herself standing in what looked like a small square, facing a boundary stele inscribed with the words “Baishui Town.”

“Alright, since all our guests have arrived, let’s get going. The homestay we booked is already waiting for us,” Hong Jie said lazily, waving a small red flag in her hand. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked into the town.

She clearly couldn’t care less about the so-called tourists. As a guide, she had absolutely no sense of responsibility she didn’t even bother pretending. The players were furious but didn’t dare speak up, especially after remembering the minibus driver’s demeanor.

Qi Yan could tell that Hong Jie didn’t take the six of them seriously, she probably assumed they’d be wiped out soon. The road ahead was fraught with danger, and Qi Yan knew nothing about this world. She hadn’t even grasped the basic rules yet, having been pushed along ever since waking up on that minibus.

The moment she stepped past the boundary of Baishui Town, a sharp system voice suddenly rang in Qi Yan’s mind.

[Beep! Guide connection complete.]

[Congratulations, Player! You have successfully passed the beginner prologue and officially entered the beginner scenario: The Zhongshan Festival. In this scenario, you will experience the story of Baishui Town in Zhongshan as a tourist.]

Qi Yan glanced at the others while listening. Some looked panicked, glancing around nervously, while others bit their lips in tension. Clearly, they had all heard the “guide” voice too.

[According to the rules of Supernatural Scenarios, after each successful completion of a scenario, you will be granted a reward period. Newcomers entering a scenario will receive a beginner pool reward one chance per person to draw a beginner fortune slip, which will unlock after checking into Baishui Town.]

[Finally, we wish you all an enjoyable experience.]

Beep!

After a burst of static, the “guide” voice disappeared.

A beginner pool reward, huh…

This mechanic was somewhat similar to gacha mechanics in online games, a kind of beginner protection system designed to give newcomers some early-game assistance.

But would this eerie “Supernatural Scenario” really be so generous as to hand out powerful gear to newcomers? Qi Yan was deeply skeptical. She had a feeling the beginner pool would probably be another trap. Still, she had no other options. Aside from the clothes on her back, she had nothing. If she wanted to survive and escape, she needed something to rely on.

Qi Yan looked around. Baishui Town seemed quite large. Hong Jie had led them onto a shuttle bus midway, suggesting that walking the entire distance would have been too far. Qi Yan had only seen such shuttle buses in tourist areas even her rural hometown didn’t have them. From this perspective, Baishui Town seemed more like a heavily developed tourist destination.

This wasn’t entirely uncommon. Many villages and towns nestled in scenic locations developed into tourist spots due to their unique geography. Once they reached a certain scale, they attracted more visitors, boosting the previously stagnant local economy.

However… Qi Yan frowned slightly. This Bai Shui Town before her seemed different from the well-developed tourist villages she remembered. There were hardly any signs of visitors. She wanted to glance up at the sky, but a faint layer of white mist shrouded the entire town, making it impossible to discern anything beyond the fact that it was daytime. The exact time remained unclear.

The streets were sparsely populated, and combined with the ambient temperature and humidity, Qi Yan guessed it might still be early morning.

The shuttle bus soon stopped in front of a three-story residential building. The courtyard gate was already open, with a large black dog lazily sprawled by the entrance, tied to a post.

Sister Hong hopped off the bus and walked straight past the dog into the yard, ignoring it completely. “Cuilan, we’ve got visitors.”

The six of them Qi Yan and the others followed Sister Hong inside. Their footsteps startled the black dog, which opened its eyes, bared its teeth, and glared at them.

The bald man, unnerved by the dog’s stare, quickened his pace into the courtyard, muttering, “What’s up with that dog? It didn’t even blink when Sister Hong walked past, is it singling us out or something?”

Qi Yan lowered her gaze without responding, her heart pounding. The dog’s lack of reaction to Sister Hong could simply mean they were familiar perhaps she often brought tourists to this guesthouse. But another possibility crossed her mind: maybe the dog hadn’t heard Sister Hong’s footsteps at all.

She had noticed that it was the bald man’s shuffling steps that had roused the dog. When Sister Hong had entered earlier, the dog hadn’t reacted in the slightest as if she had walked without making a sound.

Her attention had been so focused on their surroundings that she hadn’t paid close enough attention to Sister Hong’s movements. Now she couldn’t recall how the woman had walked.

Once inside the courtyard, a middle-aged woman emerged from the house. Her complexion was pale, with heavy dark circles under her eyes and nearly bloodless lips. She looked utterly exhausted.

Sister Hong introduced her casually, “This is Cuilan, the owner of this guesthouse. You’ll be staying here for the next few days.”

Qi Yan discreetly studied the woman called Cuilan. This world was bizarre and perilous was this guesthouse, arranged by their NPC guide, some kind of safe haven?

The hostess appeared to be nothing more than a weary, overworked middle-aged woman. Outwardly, she seemed completely ordinary if anything, even more fragile than the average person.

But after witnessing the bus driver’s horrifying transformation, they were all like startled birds, seeing ghosts in every shadow.

Among the six, Qi Yan, a shut-in with relatively higher adaptability was the only one who could somewhat process the situation. The other five were utterly lost, driven here purely by terror.

First, they had inexplicably woken up on that eerie minibus, already disoriented. Then, seeing the driver’s true nature had scared them out of their wits. In such a state, their only instinct was to follow the others and run. But now that they had fled, what next? They still had no idea what was happening. No matter how much the so-called “introductory guide” in their minds explained, they were too shaken to think clearly.

In this dangerous environment, Qi Yan had her hands full just keeping herself together. She couldn’t afford to worry about the mental states of the other five strangers. For now, all she wanted was to settle in and find time to draw from the “newbie pool” the guide had mentioned.

Fortunately, as the NPC guide, Sister Hong didn’t waste any time. She paid the deposit for the group to Cuilan and then had Cuilan assign rooms to the six of them.

Qi Yan watched as Cuilan accepted the deposit from Sister Hong, a strange feeling flickering through her heart. She didn’t have time to dwell on it now, so she tucked the thought away for later.

Cuilan glanced at Sister Hong. “Are you staying too?”

Sister Hong nodded. “Of course. Same as always just lend me that little corner room on the first floor.”

Cuilan hummed in acknowledgment. “It’s always kept for you. No one else has stayed there.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Sister Cuilan.”

The two exchanged a few more casual words, clearly familiar with each other. It seemed all the tourists Sister Hong brought ended up staying at Cuilan’s place.

Sister Hong checked her watch and addressed the group. “Rest up this morning. Lunch is at twelve Cuilan will prepare it and call you when it’s ready.”

“Remember, we’ve got sightseeing plans this afternoon, so make sure to rest well this morning. Wouldn’t want anyone lagging behind later.” The way she emphasized those last few words was particularly unsettling like a warning, or perhaps a gleeful anticipation of some spectacle.

After her not-so-subtle teasing, Sister Hong turned and headed into the house first, leaving them all with Cuilan.

Cuilan didn’t say a word to them, only gesturing with her eyes for them to follow as she led them upstairs to their rooms.

The guesthouse wasn’t small. The second floor had five rooms just enough for them, with the young couple sharing one.

Once Cuilan had assigned the rooms, she left without a word, her footsteps nearly silent, her presence fading almost immediately.

With both Sister Hong and Cuilan gone, the bald man couldn’t help but grumble again. “What kind of crap is this? Not even a single word!”

The others silently distanced themselves from him. Some even retreated into their rooms and shut the door, as if they wanted nothing to do with him or perhaps they simply had too much to process and no energy to spare for his nonsense.

Once Qi Yan closed her door, she wasted no time following the “Guide’s” instructions to draw from the beginner’s pool.

Truthfully, Qi Yan didn’t understand the mechanics of it. It was something intangible, as if a program had been implanted in her mind. She could visualize a virtual screen in her head, resembling a game interface.

This world was called Tales of the Supernatural, a name that felt oddly classical, clashing with the modern digital display in her mind.

Here, the system wasn’t called a system, it was the “Guide.” Paired with this high-tech screen in her head, the whole thing felt like some bizarre chimera.

Qi Yan couldn’t quite put her finger on the feeling, nor did she understand the reason behind it. There were too many things demanding her attention, too many questions swirling in her mind.

If she couldn’t make sense of any of it, then she might as well not dwell on it for now. First things first, draw from the beginner’s pool.

Without hesitation, she tapped on the beginner’s draw displayed on the screen.

The draw activated, bursting with dazzling light in Qi Yan’s mind.

She prayed fervently for a powerful weapon, some life-saving spell, or at the very least, a miracle elixir to keep her alive.

Clasping her hands together, she muttered under her breath, begging the heavens to spare her miserable life and send divine aid to keep her from dying.

The light from the draw grew brighter and brighter, as if gathering an immense force ready to break free from its confines.

Qi Yan’s heart pounded wildly in her chest. Her eyes widened as she stared at the divination slip that had leaped from the pages of the story into reality, its surface radiating an intense golden light so bright it made her squint.

Her heartbeat accelerated with excitement, and Qi Yan felt she might have hit the jackpot perhaps the heavens had heard her prayers and granted her the most powerful card of all!

The dim little room was bathed in the golden glow. Qi Yan barely registered the glare as she watched, stunned, the magnificent light reaches its peak brilliance before gradually fading.

The golden radiance slowly softened into a gentle white, then all of it condensed toward the bed placed in the room…

Rubbing her eyes, Qi Yan strained to see what she had summoned. But when she finally made out the “thing” lying on the bed, her pupils shrank violently. Her legs gave way in fright, and she stumbled back against the door behind her.

Lying lazily on the bed was a breathtakingly beautiful woman dressed entirely in white. Her skin was as pale as winter snow, her face as flawless as the moon in the night sky. Propping her head up with one hand, she covered a delicate yawn with the other, then lazily sized Qi Yan up, a faint, enigmatic smile curling at the corners of her lips.

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