Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 34

Yan Wenxue neither agreed nor disagreed, but the instructor was so frightened that they immediately concurred, saying they should halt today’s inspection activities and head back first.

On the way back, Tong Lexi grabbed Zhu Ci’s arm, leaning into her ear to whisper: “She’s about to lead us the wrong way, and then we’ll accidentally enter that place. What should we do? Should we warn them?”

After a moment of thought, Zhu Ci shook her head: “Follow the plot.”

Sure enough, after walking only a few steps, the instructor lost her way.

She ruffled her hair and stared blankly at the compass in her hand, looking utterly bewildered: “That’s not right… downhill should be in this direction.”

Jing Miaozhen also took out a directional tool, then glanced up at the position of the sun. “It’s all scrambled,” she noted.

Due to magnetic interference, the paths here were no longer the ones they had originally taken.

The instructor was getting nervous, but she forced herself to stay calm: “Let’s just keep walking for a bit. Perhaps we’ll run into someone.”

“The wolf pack is following us,” Qian Kai added coldly.

“As long as everyone stays together, it’ll be fine. Let’s head toward the woods first.” True to her background as a geologist, Jing Miaozhen quickly identified a path and led the players forward.

However, some people knew deep down that this was the consciousness within the dungeon controlling and enticing them, leaking out a path of no return.

“It’s okay, Zhu Ci, don’t be afraid. Nothing happens at the very beginning,” Tong Lexi said. She appeared to be comforting Zhu Ci, but in reality, she was comforting herself.

The players walked and stopped intermittently. Whenever they passed a water source, they would gather some to drink and follow the downstream flow.

If they were truly lost travelers, this method would eventually lead to an exit.

But…

“Ah, Yang-yang, look over there!” Xue Yaru shouted somewhat dramatically, pointing ahead.

Everyone followed her gaze.

A wisp of cooking smoke was slowly rising in the distance.

“Great, someone lives there.” Ruan Liangyan breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought this dungeon would require a very long trek.

Lu Jun’s stamina could no longer keep up. He slumped onto the ground, propping his hands on his knees and panting heavily.

The instructor also relaxed and signaled for everyone to keep up and not fall behind. She walked at the front, heading toward the smoke.

Zhu Ci carried a small backpack; she gave it a tug to adjust it and followed at the end of the line.

Jing Miaozhen couldn’t stay quiet and sought her out for a chat again: “How old are you? How many dungeons have you cleared? I feel like the people this time aren’t very talkative.”

“How many have you entered?” Zhu Ci countered.

“I’ve entered five times already. I saw this ‘Difficult’ dungeon had a theme suited to my profession, so I wanted to come and try my luck.” Hearing Zhu Ci respond, Jing Miaozhen couldn’t stop talking once the floodgates opened. “You’re a bit like my daughter. She’s a little younger than you. I want to find her. If you ever run into her, remember to let me know. Her name is Liu An.”

Once they left the dungeon, they wouldn’t even recognize each other how could she let her know?

Zhu Ci didn’t say it out loud; she only gave her a look.

Seeing Zhu Ci look over, Jing Miaozhen even grinned and spoke incessantly about her daughter: “My daughter is a high school student. Ever since she was little, she’s been like me she loves geography. She even said she wants to grow up to be just like me. She’s so lovely. I came to this dungeon holding onto a bit of hope, hoping I might run into her here.”

Tong Lexi, who never knew how to read the room, chimed in: “Well, what if your daughter already died in a dungeon?”

Zhu Ci reached out and covered her mouth.

Jing Miaozhen froze for a moment, then smiled faintly: “She won’t. She’s so smart, she’ll definitely be fine.”

As they drew closer, the cooking smoke seemed to be hidden in the middle of another mountain.

The players trekked on, and by the time they crossed over the ridge, the sun was already sinking in the west.

Clusters of farmhouse villages appeared before their eyes. Previously hidden by the continuous mountain ranges, they were now fully revealed.

Everyone picked up their pace and finally reached the village before the sun went down.

The instructor stopped a passerby and asked, “Hello, do you know the way down the mountain?”

The passerby was carrying a large bamboo basket on her head, filled with unfamiliar wild vegetables and herbs. She wore a blue-purple long dress with layered wraps, and the silver ornaments at her waist swayed gently in the wind.

“Are you… lost?” she asked, seeing through them immediately.

Jing Miaozhen stepped forward and nodded politely: “Yes, we are a geological research team. We took a wrong turn. Do you think you could point us toward the way down? We would be very grateful.”

The passerby shook her head, the basket on her head swaying with her movement. She said, “No. It’s going to rain. Leave after the rain stops.”

With that, she turned around and walked toward the village.

“Tch, what kind of attitude is that!” Lu Jun said disdainfully, spitting on the ground.

The instructor was also conflicted. She bit her lower lip lightly: “It’s getting dark. Let’s follow them into the village. Otherwise, we’ll have to spend the night outside.”

Yan Wenxue bypassed them and walked into the village.

The remaining few didn’t ask further questions and followed along.

Xue Yaru stayed at the back and suddenly pulled Ye Yang: “Wait, I have something to say to you.”

Her gaze flickered toward Tong Lexi, seemingly implying something.

The passerby walked very quickly, but she occasionally looked back to make sure they were all following before continuing.

She eventually stopped in front of a flat-roofed house.

She tossed the items from her head onto the ground, kicked them to the side, and then shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Amma, Auntie, guests are here!”

A sense of foreboding washed over them.

Not just that one house the doors of every house opened, and people from the street swarmed over, surrounding the group.

With a quick glance, they saw that almost everyone was a woman.

An elderly woman leaning on a cane, supported by two others, walked out of the crowd with trembling steps.

“Are they friends?” the woman asked.

Jing Miaozhen employed her best social etiquette: “We are just passing travelers who entered by accident. Please do not take offense.”

“Are they friends?”

She asked again, as if she hadn’t heard a word.

“Yes, we are your friends. Can friends stay here for a night and have you lead us down the mountain tomorrow?” Xue Yaru said. She was already impatient with this conversation and wanted it to end quickly.

The woman grinned, her smile widening further and further as she opened her mouth soundlessly. Then she said, “Friends, of course! But it is going to rain, friends. Stay for a few days before you leave. I am the village chief, Wulan. Tatalina will prepare rooms for you to stay in. You don’t have to worry about anything. Stay at ease; there is plenty of food here.”

The woman who was the initial passerby stepped forward and bowed to them, holding her skirt: “I am Tatalina. Everyone can follow me.”

The group was still a bit guarded and didn’t dare to agree immediately, until the villagers stared at them…staring so intently it made their skin crawl. Every villager’s face was fixed with a “benevolent” smile.

Zhu Ci broke the silence: “Then please lead the way.”

Since someone had taken the lead, the others finally relaxed. Just as Xue Yaru was about to follow, Wulan blocked her with her cane: “Friend, you can stay with me.”

“But…” She hesitated, not wanting to be separated from her boyfriend.

“Haha,” Wulan laughed heartily, pointing at Ye Yang. “Your friend can come too. Your friend is my friend. My house is the largest in the village; I guarantee you will live comfortably.”

Xue Yaru finally felt relieved. She took Ye Yang’s arm and followed the village chief, even turning back to give Yan Wenxue a provocative look.

Yan Wenxue let out another cold snort: “Boring.”

Tatalina walked ahead of them. This time she walked very slowly. Zhu Ci observed the surroundings warily. Seeing her like this, Tong Lexi said, “Nothing goes wrong at the start.”

“Really?”

Zhu Ci didn’t believe it. She felt that something was fundamentally wrong.

Tatalina took them from house to house, asking them where they wanted to stay. Everyone chose to stay in pairs. Jing Miaozhen invited Yan Wenxue to stay with her, and Yan Wenxue did not object.

Only Qian Kai insisted on staying alone.

Tatalina was incredibly respectful toward them, stating that dinner would be delivered shortly before turning to leave.

Zhu Ci called out to her, asking, “Who lives in that house over there?”

While she and Tong Lexi were choosing a house, she had noticed a remote dwelling on a different hillside. It had two floors and a completely different architectural style, built entirely of bamboo.

A look of difficulty appeared on Tatalina’s face. She didn’t want to speak, but since Zhu Ci had asked, she found it hard to refuse.

She hesitated for a moment but finally said: “That is… that is the residence of the High Priest.”

“High Priest?”

Tong Lexi suggested it might be the same High Priest from before.

Tatalina was afraid she would be asked more questions, so while the two were discussing amongst themselves, she lowered her head and hurried away.

Zhu Ci said to Tong Lexi: “It’s very strange. Speak less; I’m afraid there might be a problem.”

“I’m barely talking as it is,” she pouted in dissatisfaction.

Dinner wasn’t delivered by Tatalina, but by a very young girl who looked to be only thirteen. She carried a heavy tray that turned her hands red from the weight and placed it on the wooden table in the room.

“Please enjoy your meal, friends,” she said softly.

“We aren’t your friends, just tourists,” Zhu Ci said ruthlessly.

The young girl nodded timidly and went back out to deliver the next meal.

“You didn’t have to be so harsh; you scared her,” Tong Lexi criticized her behavior. She sat down and stuffed food into her mouth.

“Mmm! The food here is really unique. Zhu Ci, come and try it.”

“Aren’t you afraid it’s poisoned?”

“Probably not,” Tong Lexi said with her mouth full, chewing. “Isn’t poison supposed to taste terrible?”

Regarding the scenario of mutual slaughter she had mentioned earlier, Zhu Ci was a bit apprehensive. She bought a poison-testing needle from the mall and cautiously tested the food.

There was no poison.

If the slaughter starts in the end, it wasn’t because poison caused mental derangement?

After they finished dinner, the young girl returned to clear the plates. During the process, she kept stealing glances at the two of them.

Tong Lexi walked over, resting her hands on her knees and leaning down to ask: “What is it? Do you have something you want to say?”

The girl nodded.

“Oh, how well-behaved,” Tong Lexi patted her head. “What is your name, and what did you want to say?”

“Nuobu. My name is Nuobu,” she looked up, grinning innocently. “The village chief said that tomorrow the High Priest will come to the village to hold the Red Witch Assembly to celebrate the arrival of the rain. Would you sisters like to come along?”

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