The other survivors had gathered at Fang Zhi's door.
Wen Chao's eyes reddened slightly. He stood there motionless for a long time before finally letting out a deep sigh.
"Ah, what a pity."
He rubbed his face and then turned to leave.
Compared to mourning the students, he had more pressing matters to attend to. If the ghosts and evil spirits in the Blessed Land were real, then things impossible in the outside world could very well happen here.
Maybe… there was still a chance to see him again.
…
The mood among the others was far from good.
Yesterday was their first day entering the Blessed Land. Although Lu Yuzhu's death dealt them a heavy blow, she was still a stranger to them. They regarded her as just part of the Blessed Land's background and secretly held onto a flicker of hope.
But today, it was Fang Zhi—who had been moving alongside them just yesterday—who was dead.
His shattered skull burned into their eyes, making the harsh reality of the Blessed Land finally sink in. The next person to die like that could very well be any one of them.
Fear wrapped around their hearts like deep underwater weeds.
Especially Yue Mei.
She was so frightened that her legs went weak. Leaning against the wall for support, her pale face was drenched in sweat. She was nearly fainting from fear. Slowly, she moved over to stand beside Wu Xian, who was watching Le Zi, her lips trembling as she asked,
"I… I'm scared. Can I stay with you tonight?"
If this were the outside world, and a pretty girl asked to share a room, Wu Xian might have agreed. But here in the Blessed Land, he shook his head.
"Sorry, I can't take that risk. I hope you understand."
Hearing Wu Xian's refusal, Yue Mei's eyes dimmed. She was the last person to ask—no one else had agreed to let her stay.
That morning, just as she was about to leave, she had found a letter slipped under her door.
The letter read:
"Your room has been marked. I wiped off the fingerprints for you, but I don't know if it will help. You'd better find another place to stay tonight. If no one will take you in, try seeking help from the native survivors. Since they've managed to survive here so far, they must know how to avoid the evil spirits."
At first, Yue Mei didn't believe the letter.
But when she stepped outside, she noticed the marks on her door had indeed been wiped clean compared to yesterday.
Then she remembered the small noise she accidentally made when Yu Yinghua knocked on her door last night, brushing against the corner of the table. The sound was faint—yet what if Yu Yinghua had heard it?
Her heart suddenly raced. She realized the letter was telling the truth!
So she asked for help.
But with the Blessed Land's dangers unknown and everyone's life under threat, who would dare take her in?
Now, she had nowhere else to turn.
She lingered in place for a long time, silently encouraging herself, until finally she steeled her resolve. Taking some supplies, she set out to find other survivors inside the Blessed Land.
…
"Heh, she's finally gone."
Seeing Yue Mei leave, Wu Xian let out a breath of relief.
Of course, he was the one who had slipped the letter under her door.
He disliked Qi Zhiyong, but had no ill will toward Yue Mei.
If the great evil spirit was killing people regardless of the fingerprints, then wiping away those marks on her door would have only put her in greater danger—making her unable to prepare for the threat ahead.
That was why he wrote the letter—to give her a possible way to survive, as a form of compensation for putting her at risk.
Inside Fang Zhi's room, Wu Xian had obtained incense made from aged cypress. He planned to first go to the spot where Mr. Wang was killed yesterday to pay respects to the gods, then try to find the statue.
Wu Xian still had two uses left of the True Fire Spell, and his copper coin sword could stab eight times. Facing common roaming spirits head-on, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
But the true dangers of the Blessed Land didn't come from direct attacks by wandering spirits.
The ghosts' methods were unpredictable. When danger struck, there might be no chance to use the True Fire Spell or the copper coin sword. A trap, a broken vase, or a rope could suddenly end a person's life.
Not to mention the mysterious great evil spirit, whose background was unknown and who had yet to appear in person.
Just as he was descending the stairs, Shi Ji came up to him.
"Brother, why are you only coming down now? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Wu Xian asked, puzzled, "Did you need me for something?"
Shi Ji patted his shoulder. "You've been bullied too badly by that Qi guy. It reminds me of my old self. So today, I'm taking you to find something good."
Wu Xian grew cautious. "Not cooking today?"
"We're having pig intestines. I washed them yesterday. Yesterday was braised style, today it's scallion-flavored!"
Shi Ji waved his hand with a serious expression.
"And if you want to survive in the Blessed Land, how can you waste time cooking and rely on others to protect you? That Qi guy — do you really think he's dependable?"
"So, what's this 'good thing' you're talking about…"
Shi Ji glanced around cautiously, then leaned close to Wu Xian's ear and whispered, "Since you came into the Blessed Land, have you ever seen a divine statue?"
Wu Xian's heart skipped a beat. Could this guy see through my disguise?
Before Wu Xian could reply, Shi Ji spoke mysteriously.
"I have. I've seen several of them!"
"From the start, I didn't trust Qi Zhiyong. So during cooking breaks, I've been secretly watching him."
"All those weapons of his? He found them in a hidden room inside the inn. Those things were clearly stained with blood. And he even found a divine statue there!"
"After he worshipped the statue, he suddenly had a cold, gleaming short sword in his hand!"
"That bastard even told us to stay away from the statues. Turns out only by worshipping the gods can you survive here."
Wu Xian narrowed his eyes.
A secret room in the inn, stocked with weapons — this place really wasn't normal. It was probably a cursed site even before the evil spirit disaster broke out.
And Shi Ji had only just discovered the power of the statues. That meant someone like Wu Xian—able to worship the gods from the start—really was special.
Since Shi Ji had a lead on the statues, it made sense to cooperate with him for now.
Wu Xian put on a mock angry expression.
"That Qi Zhiyong really isn't human. I hope he has a hundred mischievous kids. Just yesterday, it was clearly me who—"
As Wu Xian cursed, Shi Ji nodded along enthusiastically.
"Exactly! Don't expect him to protect us. If he doesn't stab us in the back, that's good enough."
Then Wu Xian looked at him suspiciously.
"If you already know the truth, why don't you go find the statues yourself? Why come to tell me?"
Shi Ji patted his chest.
"I just sympathize with your situation and want to help."
"Really? I don't believe you."
Shi Ji smiled sheepishly.
"Alright, here's the deal…"
"I know a place with two divine statues, but I can't handle it alone. Help me out, and we split the statues evenly after it's done. How about that?"
"Deal!"