Zhang Yuanqing, carrying the cat's corpse, stepped over the threshold. To prevent this monster from "playing dead," he swung it and smashed it against the threshold.
The skinned great cat suffered a heavy blow, its limbs kicking violently, seemingly passing out again.
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing feel relieved enough to toss the great cat into the coffin. He then bent down, picked up the coffin lid, and resealed it.
At this moment, the teammates followed him into the house, discovering that the skinned monster cat had vanished. Seeing the coffin lid sealed, Guan Ya asked in surprise:
"Why did you close it again?"
I told you it was an experiment; how am I supposed to answer you? 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. He pinched his chin, examined the coffin for a while, picked up the paper talismans and red ropes from the ground, smelled them, and offered a guess:
"Red ropes lock resentment, purple talismans nurture evil. Strange, this coffin is both a seal and a breeding ground for the monster."
Worthy of being a scholar, a mobile database! Zhang Yuanqing nodded: "Can you restore the red ropes and purple talismans?"
Li Chunfeng said: "Restore? No, you misunderstand. Just tie them on; there's no particular way."
Just tie them on? I thought I had to ink them like an ink marker, filling the entire coffin; missing one line would cause a big problem! Seeing Li Chunfeng pick up the red ropes, Zhang Yuanqing quickly took them:
"I'll do it!"
Immediately, he wrapped the red ropes tightly around the surface of the red lacquer coffin, tying them with dead knots. Then, he picked up the purple talismans and, at Li Chunfeng's suggestion, stuck them to the coffin opening.
So, what exactly is he trying to do? The teammates looked at him blankly.
The moment Zhang Yuanqing stuck on the purple talismans, a Spirit Realm notification sounded in his ears, audible only to him:
【Ding! You have triggered the hidden quest – The Eternal Cat Corpse (1/3)】
【The Eternal Cat Corpse: This is a cursed monster, constantly emitting the power of the curse. Do not approach it, or you will be contaminated by the curse and turn into a wild cat.】
【Note: I want it to never be freed for all eternity!!】【Quest Item: A piece of broken jade】
I really triggered the hidden quest; my prediction was correct. The Demon Lord's "restraint from killing" refers to this! Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed.
According to the Demon Lord's prediction, the hidden quest item was left by Yin Yang Sanren. That legendary figure's level isn't low. I wonder what item he left behind. If it's a rule-based item, then I'll hit the jackpot!
Zhang Yuanqing suppressed the joy and anticipation in his heart and shifted his attention back to the hidden quest itself.
"Who cursed this monster? According to the note, the person who cast the curse has a deep-seated hatred for it and wants it to never be freed.
"I understand now, so I mustn't kill the skinned great cat because killing it would actually allow it to be freed, violating the caster's wishes. In that case, the hidden quest points to the caster.
"But who could the caster be?"
Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts and said to his companions, "My guess has been verified. Next, let's recap the situation."
Huo De Xingjun was too lazy to think and said directly, "You're the captain; you go first."
The others nodded in agreement.
Having gone through thick and thin together, the team's cohesion had strengthened, and trust had grown in each other's hearts.
Zhang Yuanqing chose his words for a few seconds and said:
"Let's start with the background story of Yin Yang Town. Everyone heard the story that Granny Wang told. Part of the story is true, but there are also false elements, such as the curse of Yin Yang Sanren's descendants.
"I've read several guides to Yin Yang Town. The first few batches of The Way of the Extraordinary who entered the dungeon didn't mention anything about a curse, and they did interact with the residents of the town. Such a big thing should have been dug up long ago.
"Therefore, the curse that Granny Wang mentioned is fake, but the cat transformation curse does exist. And the person who was cursed is her son."
Zhang Yuanqing looked at the red lacquer coffin.
The other teammates listened and nodded, agreeing with Zhang Yuanqing's analysis.
"That makes sense," Guan Ya nodded and said, "And let me add that the cat transformation curse should only be triggered by following Granny Wang's storyline. The The Way of the Extraordinary from before didn't follow this plot."
She smiled at Zhang Yuanqing: "You continue."
As a scout, her observation and analytical skills were much stronger than Zhang Yuanqing's, but she certainly wouldn't steal the opportunity to establish the captain's authority, at most filling in any gaps on the side.
Zhang Yuanqing continued:
"So, how did her son's curse come about?"
Queen's eyes darted, remembering something, and she answered first, "Granny Wang said that her son couldn't control his lust and ended up in his current state."
As soon as she spoke, everyone except Huo De Xingjun looked at the scarecrow in Guan Ya's hand.
To be made into a scarecrow by Granny Wang for cursing, with such hatred, this Xu Xiuer must have done something she couldn't forgive.
Combined with what Granny Wang said and what happened to her son
"I understand!" Huo De Xingjun belatedly reacted, excitedly saying, "This Xu Xiuer cursed her son. But who is Xu Xiuer?"
Zhang Yuanqing prompted, "Who among the only six people in the town has the surname Xu?"
"Who?" Huo De Xingjun asked back.
Zhang Yuanqing almost blurted out, "What the hell," and said, "Xu the Widow!"
Huo De Xingjun suddenly understood.
If the person who cast the curse is Xu the Widow, then the hidden quest points to her. The target is very clear! Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but recall the Demon Lord's lament: killing and beauty.
In that case, the Demon Lord, who sprinkled his seeds in different maternity wards, must have done something indescribable to Xu the Widow.
The round-faced youth Chi Ou said excitedly:
"Then our next goal is clear: this Xu the Widow. Without delay, let's set off immediately. We must reach the town center square before the evil faction, completing the side quest."
The others looked excited, but Guan Ya frowned, her eyes falling on Zhang Yuanqing.
Zhang Yuanqing said, "We definitely need to find Xu the Widow, but there's one thing I don't understand. Li Chunfeng, you know the most and have the widest experience. Do you think that just the cat corpse hanging outside can complete a powerful curse?"
The others didn't know why he asked this. Li Chunfeng was stunned for a moment, falling into thought. After ten seconds, he suddenly slapped his head and said, "That's not right, that's not right!"
"What's not right? What's wrong?" Seeing Li Chunfeng looking like he'd been struck by lightning, Huo De Xingjun asked anxiously:
"Make yourself clear."
Li Chunfeng said in a deep voice:
"The cat corpse is the medium, but not the source of the curse. It's like how a witch doctor, when cursing a target, tries to obtain their photos, birthdates, flesh and blood, hair, etc. These things are the medium, and the real source is the witch doctor's power.
"Where is the source of the power that turns us into cats? I thought it was Granny Wang, but Granny Wang is clearly an ordinary person. Otherwise, how could she be bitten to death so easily? Besides, the scarecrow is also proof."
The others immediately looked at the scarecrow in Guan Ya's hand.
"This is just an ordinary scarecrow. The cursing technique is childish and ridiculous. If Granny Wang were a witch doctor, she wouldn't have made such a clumsy scarecrow," Li Chunfeng said.
The taciturn Li Li Yuan Shang Cao said, "That is indeed a point of doubt, but what does this have to do with the quest plot?"
Zhang Yuanqing didn't respond to Li Li Yuan Shang Cao's question and said:
"Of course it's related. If we don't figure out all the doubts, it might not seem like much now, but later in the dungeon, we might miss many opportunities due to information gaps, or even lose the chance to turn things around.
"The more difficult the dungeon, the less we can be blind and deaf. We must get to the bottom of things."
As an S-level clearer, his view won everyone's respect. Li Li Yuan Shang Cao slowly nodded, agreeing with the captain's statement.
Zhang Yuanqing continued:
"Okay, let's get back to the point. Suppose, and I mean suppose, that the power of the curse is emanating from the cat in the coffin. Wouldn't that be logically reasonable?"
This also aligns with the hint in the hidden quest!
The curse is emanating from the cat. Li Chunfeng thought about it, his eyes lighting up:
"Yes. The person who set up this ritual saw this point, so they used the power of the cursed cat. Heh, I'll call it the cursed cat. So they used the power of the cursed cat to set up the ritual, so that everyone who enters the house would be cursed."
Zhang Yuanqing said, "But in that case, the question arises again. Who set up the cat corpse ritual? Granny Wang is obviously an ordinary person. Someone must have taught her."
"Is it Xu Xiuer?"
The round-faced youth Chi Ou guessed.
"No," Zhang Yuanqing flatly denied.
"Why?" Chi Ou was unconvinced, and Queen and the others also looked at Zhang Yuanqing with puzzled eyes.
Zhang Yuanqing spoke eloquently, stating his thoughts:
"The arrangement of the cat corpse ritual and the coffin that nurtures the cursed cat should have been taught by the same person. Everyone, think about it. What is the purpose of these two things?"
Queen interjected, "The coffin is to seal and nurture the cursed cat, and the cat corpse is to collect the power of the curse."
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head: "The cat corpse also has another purpose, which is to curb the curse on the cursed cat, to curb its madness and bloodthirst."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly recalled the phenomenon of the cursed cat becoming fierce, violent, and losing its mind after the cat corpse ritual was broken.
Li Chunfeng suddenly understood:
"So, the existence of the coffin and the cat corpse is to suppress the cursed cat while nurturing it. If these things were done by Granny Wang, then it can be understood. She wanted to protect her son and prevent him from becoming a complete monster.
"But from the perspective of an enemy, the more painful and crazy the other party is, the more relieved she will be."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded: "So, the curse and the arrangement of the cat corpse ritual were done by different people. The person who cast the curse is Wang Xiuer, so who guided Granny Wang in arranging the cat corpse and the coffin? What is his (or her) relationship with Granny Wang and her son, and what role did they play in it?"
A figure flashed through everyone's minds. Huo De Xingjun followed the train of thought with unusual speed and said:
"It should be one of the five people still alive. Who among them would have this ability? Could it be the mage that Master Zhao hired?"
Guan Ya nodded approvingly and smiled, "This dungeon is getting more and more interesting. What kind of relationships exist between the six people left in the town? And what role did they play in the events of the town's population loss?"
Having recapped to this point, Zhang Yuanqing had said everything he needed to say and said, "Without delay, let's go find Xu the Widow."
The teammates had no objections. Queen touched the ring on her left ear and smiled charmingly:
"Although the situation was perilous just now, and we almost got wiped out, I have a lot of confidence in the upcoming task. We've analyzed this high-difficulty dungeon very thoroughly and clearly, without too much confusion or misunderstanding.
"As long as we're not confused, no matter how difficult the path is, I'm confident."
Huo De Xingjun expressed his agreement. He was surprised that the teammates were able to analyze such a complex dungeon so clearly. They were all very smart people, especially this Yuanshi Tianzun.
Although he didn't show too many impressive combat skills in the battle just now, in the subsequent recap, this official genius who had cleared two S-level dungeons in a row had already shown the quick wit and intelligence that Huo De Xingjun recognized.
Chi Ou, Li Chunfeng, and Li Li Yuan Shang Cao didn't say anything, but subconsciously executed the instructions issued by the captain and turned to walk out of the room.
The group walked towards the courtyard house. Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing lagged behind. The experienced old driver smiled and said:
"Not bad!"
Zhang Yuanqing was about to respond when he saw the old driver's gaze move down, her lips curling up: "Very not bad."
Zhang Yuanqing's cheeks burned, and he rarely showed an embarrassed look. After all, he was just a college student who had never had a girlfriend, the kind who would never admit defeat verbally, but would be intimidated when things got real.
Usually, playing around with words and driving with the old driver was the limit, but the exposure just now had exceeded the college student's psychological bottom line.
Being judged at this moment made him feel a little overwhelmed.
Seeing his awkward embarrassment, Guan Ya smiled triumphantly, feeling that her skills were still superior.
What are you smiling at? Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuanqing forced himself to say, "Then are you satisfied? Were you scared? I clearly saw shock and surprise in your eyes."
Guan Ya chuckled and said, "I certainly won't reveal your size, but Queen might. Women are gossipy. She glanced at you several times just now."
"" Zhang Yuanqing almost caught up with Queen to discuss the issue of hush money.
He didn't want to find out that the The Way of the Extraordinary on the official forum were discussing Yuanshi Tianzun's size after he got out.
This was a burden that a twenty-one-year-old young man couldn't bear.
The blacksmith shop.
Li Xianzong sat on the ground with his knees drawn up, gasping for breath.
He was covered in blood, his left arm twisted, and he had multiple stab wounds and blunt force injuries on his body.
His other five companions were also scarred, either lying on the ground or sitting against the wall, greedily breathing the air.
《Reincarnation Paradise》
Around them were overturned forging tables, a cracked furnace, scattered charcoal, broken ironware, and Wang the Blacksmith, whose head had been chopped off.
He fell on a pile of red-hot coals, his blood merging with the charcoal. A few meters away was his head, which Li Xianzong had personally chopped off.
Besides Wang the Blacksmith, there was another corpse: the bald strongman.
The skinny middle-aged man propped himself up on his knees and kicked the bald strongman's corpse, cursing:
"He's dead already? I don't even know his name."
Li Xianzong gasped, grinning as he said, "Why do you need to know his name? People like us, licking blood off the blade, will naturally die when it's time. A worthy death."
"That's right. Knowing a name means they're a friend. What's the point?"
"Hehe, it's good to die. The sooner you die, the sooner you're freed, far away from this screwed-up world." The other companions echoed with hehes.
They never cared about life and death, the enemy's, strangers', or even their own. People who were immersed in killing were numb to death in a way that ordinary people weren't.
Li Xianzong waved to the skinny middle-aged man and said, "Go look in the shop. There should be clues inside."
The skinny middle-aged man immediately went into the depths of the shop and returned a few minutes later, stunned, "Boss, this shop is a little strange."
ps: I'll update first and fix the typos later.