Chapter 42: Two Worlds

Lin Kuo processed Sheng Wen’s words, and after a long moment, finally asked, “Is this a confession?”

Sheng Wen looked at Lin Kuo’s face. His expression hadn’t changed much—no hint of emotion in those delicate brows and eyes.

A crack echoed in Sheng Wen’s heart, as if something had split open.

He ignored the unease rising in his chest and tried to relax his expression. “Yes, it is,” he said casually.

Upon hearing the answer, Lin Kuo’s eyelashes trembled. A blush quickly crept up his ears and across his cheeks.

Sheng Wen caught the subtle shift and immediately struck while the iron was hot. “Gege~”

Lin Kuo’s gaze met his.

Seeing that burning look—hotter than the midday sun—his heart skipped a beat or two.

He had never been confessed to before. This was the first time he’d felt himself wrapped in someone’s unabashed affection.

But Lin Kuo didn’t have Sheng Wen’s boldness.

After a long pause, he finally said, “If you’re just messing with me, I’ll…”

Sheng Wen quickly made a solemn expression, but he was curious about the rest of that sentence. After a beat, he asked, “If I’m messing with you, will gege beat me up?”

“I will,” Lin Kuo said. “And I’ll top you.”

Sheng Wen: “…”

Sheng Wen burst out laughing. “Is there such a good thing?”

Lin Kuo glared at him.

Sheng Wen stood up straighter and raised a hand dramatically as if making a vow to the heavens. “I’m being serious. How could I bear to mess with gege? So… does this mean gege has accepted?”

Lin Kuo awkwardly hummed in affirmation and quickly looked away. “Have you rested enough?”

Just then, the stream’s block time passed.

Sheng Wen stood with a radiant smile and gave a cheeky salute. “Enough. I’m full of energy now. Please give your instructions, gege.”

Lin Kuo couldn’t bear to look at him. “…Speak properly.”

Sheng Wen: “Okay, gege.”

Lin Kuo had been forced to get used to Sheng Wen’s strange way of doing things.

He rubbed his nose and said, “When I was looking for water, I noticed something—there’s no one in this stockade.”

Sheng Wen frowned. “No one?”

“Yeah.”

Because he had been looking for water for Sheng Wen, Lin Kuo had braved his discomfort and knocked on the doors of several stilt houses.

He pointed them out. “This one and that one had no one inside. The one over there, and the one next to it—those had people. But… the same kind of ‘people’ as Fang Lei.”

Fang Lei—the creature wearing a human skin, the weasel in disguise.

Sheng Wen’s reasoning ability had been dulled by the Lord God system, so he laid out his doubts for Lin Kuo to solve. “Gege, don’t you think something’s off?”

Lin Kuo glanced around the entire stockade.

He nodded.

The whole place felt wrong.

Sheng Wen clarified, “I mean Fang Lei.”

They had already discussed him last night.

So for Sheng Wen to bring him up again now… he must’ve found something new.

Lin Kuo looked at him. “Speak.”

Sheng Wen said, “Doesn’t it feel like Fang Lei was trying to tell us on purpose that he’s a weasel?”

Lin Kuo didn’t answer right away.

He thought it over carefully.

If Fang Lei hadn’t told them that weasel story, it wouldn’t have been so easy to figure out he was wearing a skin. Let alone that the twisted red line on the back of his neck was a kind of zipper—an entry point for the weasel to crawl inside.

While Lin Kuo was thinking, Sheng Wen added, “Fang Lei’s a weasel. I threw away his cubs, and he didn’t retaliate. Instead, he even wanted to make breakfast for us this morning. If we were just feed, wouldn’t that be a little too generous?”

After a pause, Sheng Wen imitated Lin Kuo’s tone. “I’m inclined to think he doesn’t want to harm us.”

Lin Kuo considered it and said, “If that’s true, then him telling us that weasel story is…”

Sheng Wen finished the thought. “A test.”

“A test?”

“Or rather, a hint.”

Sheng Wen understood this well—just like how he had tested Lin Kuo back then, asking what he would do if things didn’t meet expectations.

He smiled at the memory. “So we’d have some time to adjust.”

Lin Kuo had a gut feeling Sheng Wen was alluding to him, but he had no proof.

Sheng Wen knew when to pull back. “Generally speaking, the more cautious someone is, the more likely they want something from you.”

After that, he took a step toward Lin Kuo. “Enough side-tracking. Let’s go, just as we planned.”

Their plan was to secretly look for Granny Chen or the village chief.

They had already circled Zhuo Zhai several times, and Lin Kuo had knocked on a few doors. Based on that, they had narrowed down the likely houses Granny Chen might be in.

It didn’t take long to find the right one.

It was the stilt house closest to the central Miao drum tower.

The air around it was thick and foul—hard to breathe.

They didn’t knock on the door. Instead, they circled the house, stepped onto the packed earth platform, and peeked inside through the wooden window.

Inside the room was a wooden bed—and lying on it was a massive weasel.

Lin Kuo estimated that it reached his waist in height, and its width was more than two Lin Kuos.

And it wasn’t alone.

The room was crawling with smaller weasels.

Just as Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen cast their gazes over, one of the weasels on the bed head stirred. Rustle…

The sound woke up the sleeping weasel-pig.

It slowly sat up—three or four of them, all moving as one.

Using its stubby forelimbs, it picked up a human skin and pulled it on like clothing.

The shriveled skin immediately filled out.

Looking closely, the human skin was that of an old woman. Even when the weasel put it on, the loose folds weren’t smoothed out—wrinkles remained everywhere.

Then came a voice from inside. “Two outsiders, come in and sit.”

Since they had already been discovered, Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen didn’t bother hiding and pushed the door open.

Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen entered cautiously…

Inside, steam still curled from the tea on the table.

Lin Kuo was still worried about Sheng Wen being thirsty.

He hesitated for a moment, picked up a bowl of tea, and prepared to test whether it was poisoned.

If it turned out to be safe, he’d let Sheng Wen drink it.

But Sheng Wen grabbed his hand and shook his head slightly.

Just as Lin Kuo was about to speak, Granny Chen—the weasel inside the old woman’s skin—moved to the wooden table across from them and sat down.

She sniffed toward the two of them, then smiled broadly. “Wonderful, no foul smell of bones.”

Although they didn’t know what this ‘smell of bones’ meant, Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen chose not to ask.

Granny Chen continued, “You two outsiders are here to find a Gu, right?”

That line matched the title of the instance.

Lin Kuo nodded hesitantly.

But Sheng Wen said, “Just looking.”

His tone was like someone browsing through a shopping mall, unbothered by the overly enthusiastic sales clerk.

Granny Chen didn’t seem to mind.

She knocked on the table twice with her cane. Instantly, the little weasels in the room sprang into action.

In no time, dozens of Gu bells of various sizes were set out before them.

Granny Chen chuckled and began introducing them.

She pointed to a bell with great pride. “This Gu is my favorite. I named it Star Coin Gu. It’s very easy to raise—just one person a month, and in ten months, it’ll be grown. Once it’s mature, it can spit out money.”

“This one here, Human Head Gu. A little picky—it only eats fresh brains. But if raised well, it’ll stand tall in the Gu battle arena.”

“And these are all Ant Gu. Small, not much damage individually, but if you raise a lot of them and let them interbreed… they’re just like ants. Tens of millions could easily kill a man.”

Seeing the calm, indifferent expressions on Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen’s faces, Granny Chen sighed. “You don’t like any of them?”

Then she knocked on the table again.

The little weasels, who had only just sat down to rest, scampered forward and brought out another Gu bell—this one much larger.

The moment it was placed on the table, a strong, fishy stench filled the air.

Granny Chen said, “Ghost Gu. Taken from a woman’s womb while it’s still forming. Its resentment is deep, but it’s easy to raise. Won’t take long to become a little ghost. However…”

She paused, frowning slightly as she looked the two up and down. “You both look quite handsome. Not sure if you’re brave enough. If you can’t suppress it, you’ll suffer a backlash. And once that happens, you’ll be the Gu—and it’ll be the person.”

Lin Kuo didn’t reply.

He felt a wave of nausea from the stench.

Under the table, Sheng Wen discreetly scratched a character into Lin Kuo’s palm—go.

Lin Kuo got the message.

He let out a “yue…” sound and pretended to gag.

Before Granny Chen could respond, Lin Kuo turned and bolted from the stilt house.

Sheng Wen was prepared. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

He stood up as if to follow Lin Kuo, but his feet wouldn’t budge.

They were heavy—unnaturally so.

He looked down and saw the weasels had clung tightly to his legs at some point.

Sheng Wen looked up and locked eyes with Granny Chen.

Granny Chen gave him a sinister smile.

The lid of the Gu bell between them popped up twice, then fell with a sharp thud, rolling to a stop at Sheng Wen’s feet.

“Boyfriend.”

Sheng Wen looked at the creature inside the Gu and, suppressing his annoyance, called out calmly, “Come back. I’ve been hijacked.”

Lin Kuo: “…”

Lin Kuo returned.

He also saw what was inside the Gu bell.

It was a palm-sized fetus.

Perhaps due to its name—Ghost Gu—its head was pitch black, and its body nearly transparent.

The bell was filled with cloudy water.

The fetus floated slowly, like a drowned corpse.

Each time it surfaced, its blood-red eye sockets locked onto Sheng Wen.

Or rather… they couldn’t be called eyes at all.

Lin Kuo noticed: the fetus had no eyeballs.

He stepped forward and placed a hand over Sheng Wen’s eyes, shielding him.

His voice was cold as he looked at Granny Chen. “What’s going on?”

Granny Chen smiled even wider, her tone light and cheerful. “The Ghost Gu has taken a liking to this outsider.”

Lin Kuo kept Sheng Wen’s eyes covered.

Sheng Wen’s lashes brushed gently against his palm, ticklish.

“Don’t be afraid,” Sheng Wen whispered.

After reassuring him, Lin Kuo repeated coldly, “What do you mean?”

He understood what she was implying—but because it concerned Sheng Wen, he needed to hear it clearly.

Granny Chen seemed pleased and in a good mood, more than happy to explain.

“There are always people who want to raise a Ghost Gu. But none of them ever ask for the Gu’s consent. The result? They’re either backlashed, or eaten. No one has ever successfully raised one to bring to the Gu battle arena.”

She leaned in slightly, eyes glittering with excitement. “But now, it might be different. The Ghost Gu has chosen this outsider. If he raises it—he’ll definitely win the championship.”

Lin Kuo glanced at the fetus.

As it floated up and down, the umbilical cord wrapped around its tiny body was still visible.

He understood what Granny Chen meant.

Just like in cultivation novels or fantasy films, a spiritual sword would choose its own master. If someone tried to force a bond without being qualified, they’d suffer a backlash.

And right now, the Ghost Gu was very much like that kind of “spiritual sword.”

It had taken a liking to Sheng Wen and was willing to recognize him as its master.

Lin Kuo muttered under his breath, “Just because it wants to acknowledge a father, we have to say yes?”

Sheng Wen pfft-ed in laughter.

Granny Chen’s sinister smile faltered, as if she couldn’t comprehend why they looked like they were being forced into some injustice when such a “fortunate opportunity” had landed in their laps.

The smile slid off Granny Chen’s face entirely.

Without it, her features twisted—grotesque, momentarily rivaling the ghost fetus itself in horror.

“Since the Ghost Gu chose you…” Her sharp gaze turned to Lin Kuo. “Then this outsider’s flesh must be especially delicious. Most suitable for raising a Gu.”

Just as Lin Kuo was about to respond, Sheng Wen reached out and grabbed his hand.

He wrapped his fingers around Lin Kuo’s and calmly said, “You want me to raise this ghost thing? Fine. As long as you—and it—aren’t afraid of being raised to death by me.”

He looked at Lin Kuo and subtly shook his head, signaling: Don’t pick a fight here. Not directly.

Granny Chen wasn’t shaken by the threat. “Each outsider only has one chance to raise a Gu. Unless you’d rather stay here forever.”

She was confident that Sheng Wen wouldn’t refuse again.

Pushing the Gu bell containing the fetus forward, she added lazily, “I haven’t had enough sleep yet. Take your Gu and go find the village chief. He’ll arrange your lodging and teach you how to raise it. Heh. I look forward to your performance in the Gu battle arena at the end of the month.”

At the mention of that, Sheng Wen raised a brow. “Gu battle arena?”

Granny Chen nodded. “There’s one every three months. All matured Gu must participate. If you outsiders win, you can leave freely. Your Gu will stay behind in your place and defend the arena.”

Then she seemed to remember something.

She glanced at Lin Kuo and pointed to the other Gu bells. “What about you? Which Gu do you want to choose?”

Sheng Wen answered first. “He’s not in a hurry yet.”

Granny Chen let out a cold laugh and narrowed her eyes at Lin Kuo. “Don’t think I can’t see it. I’ve seen plenty like you. At first, they resist. But in the end? They always come crawling back, begging for a Gu. It’s what the bone people call ‘refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit,’ right? How boring. If you want to take the long route, suit yourself. I won’t force you. You’ll come back on your knees eventually.”

With that, she stood and shuffled into the bedroom.

The little weasels resumed their tasks, each knowing their role.

Some cleared away the other Gu bells, leaving only the Ghost Gu on the table.

Their drool dripped onto the surface as they chirped kaka kaka at Lin Kuo and Sheng Wen.

Lin Kuo didn’t understand the sound, but he got the meaning.

They were shooing them out—on Granny Chen’s behalf.

He didn’t want to stay anyway.

The stench in this place was overwhelming.

As they turned to leave, Lin Kuo hesitated, glancing at the Ghost Gu on the table.

From Granny Chen’s words, he had learned that a person only had one chance to raise a Gu.

And now, the Ghost Gu had chosen Sheng Wen.

He wasn’t sure if he should be the one to carry it for him.

The bell’s lid had already been pushed open. The ghost fetus bobbed within, stirring the murky water until it sloshed over the rim.

Viscous liquid dripped from the bell’s edge, trailing long, fishy-smelling strings.

It was disgusting to look at, let alone touch.

Still, Lin Kuo naturally reached for it.

After all, even though Sheng Wen was no longer just a “little kid” in his eyes… the image of a delicate wife still lingered.

This kind of work—he couldn’t let Sheng Wen do it.

But Granny Chen’s warning still echoed in his mind: The Ghost Gu will backlash its raiser.

As he hesitated, Sheng Wen suddenly raised his foot and kicked the Gu bell across the room.

Lin Kuo: “!”

The bell tumbled off the table and shattered with a crack.

Fortunately, the viscous fluid inside was thick—it didn’t splatter, only oozed like mucus across the wooden floor.

The ghost fetus sat upright in the puddle, stunned.

It blinked slowly at Sheng Wen, as if it couldn’t comprehend being treated like this right after choosing its master.

Sheng Wen slung an arm around Lin Kuo. “Let’s go.”

Lin Kuo hesitated, still wanting to look back.

Sheng Wen didn’t stop him.

After glancing over his shoulder, Lin Kuo let out a low chuckle. “I’m really touched. Gege is so worried about me.”

Lin Kuo choked, embarrassed.

He really had been worried—worried that Sheng Wen had broken his only chance at raising a Gu… or worse, provoked the ghost fetus into retaliating.

But Sheng Wen remained calm.

Behind them, a rustling sound echoed faintly.

He didn’t look back.

He only asked, “Is it following us?”

Lin Kuo: “Mm.”

The ghost fetus was following them.

Its umbilical cord was still attached to a shard of the broken Gu bell.

As it dragged itself forward, the shard scraped across the ground—scratch… scratch…—a piercing sound trailing behind them.

Sheng Wen said, “Then there’s even less to worry about.”
He explained to Lin Kuo, “A show of strength.”

Lin Kuo didn’t say anything.

Generally speaking, a Gu bell was like a womb, nurturing the Gu seed.
A Gu seed that could survive after leaving the Gu bell was obviously very powerful.

Granny Chen had already made a prediction: once this ghost fetus matured, Sheng Wen would definitely be able to rely on it to become the champion of the Gu battle arena.

Sheng Wen’s kick had many reasons.
The main one was the instance rule: a participant had to win in the Gu battle arena to leave the instance.
And from Granny Chen’s words, there was only one chance to win.
So Lin Kuo would have to raise a Gu sooner or later.

Sheng Wen simply curbed the ghost fetus’s normal development, extending its growth period to avoid ending up on the Gu battle arena at the same time as Lin Kuo.

The second reason was the one he had stated—a show of strength.
Only someone who could suppress the ghost fetus could bring the Ghost Gu into the arena.
Sheng Wen’s kick was meant to let the ghost fetus know who the boss was.

Lin Kuo understood Sheng Wen’s actions.
He stopped walking and looked at Sheng Wen. “…I’m not at ease leaving you here alone.”

Avoiding the same Gu battle arena meant Sheng Wen would be staying in this instance for another three months.
Sheng Wen was so weak and timid.
How could he leave him here?

Sheng Wen replied, “There isn’t a better way, is there?”

Lin Kuo lowered his eyes.

Sheng Wen saw the self-blame in Lin Kuo’s eyes and quickly said, “Does gege have so little faith in me?”

Lin Kuo shook his head.
That wasn’t it.
After all, the person in front of him was strong enough to represent the S District—a place he hadn’t even heard of before.

But he was curious.
How had someone as delicate as Sheng Wen survived instances?

He wasn’t someone who liked to keep his thoughts buried.
So he asked directly, “You can’t even break a soapberry. I don’t think it would be easy for you to get through instances.”

Sheng Wen couldn’t help but laugh. “Does gege think I’m weak?”

Lin Kuo looked at him, face clearly saying aren’t you?

Sheng Wen: “Ha.”

After laughing enough, he leaned close to Lin Kuo’s ear. “Gege, one day you’ll regret underestimating my strength.”

After showing off in front of his boyfriend, Sheng Wen finally looked back at the ghost fetus.
At some point, it had climbed onto his back and was now sitting on his shoulder.

When he turned his head, his face nearly touched the ghost fetus. “Holy shit, you scared me to death.”

“….” Lin Kuo helplessly picked up the ghost fetus.
He felt Sheng Wen was being too stubborn, but he was willing to give him this face. “I look forward to that day.”

Sheng Wen’s face was pale.
He didn’t have the strength to prove himself with words for now.

Lin Kuo waited for Sheng Wen to recover a while, then asked, “Are we still looking for the village chief?”

He’d said still.
This morning, Fang Lei had suggested they find two people: Granny Chen and the village chief.
But they hadn’t gotten anything useful from Granny Chen, so it was natural to suspect a trap might be waiting for them at the village chief’s place.

Sheng Wen shook his head.
He suggested, “Let’s go take a look at the stone slab.”

Lin Kuo nodded.

The stone slab Sheng Wen mentioned was the huge rock they had used as a springboard to vault into the stockade last night.

The two of them walked for a while and arrived there.
Zhuo Zhai during the day no longer had the thick black fog of night, so the weasel footprints on the ground were more visible.

They both already knew what the footprints implied.
Now, their attention was on the huge rock.

Sheng Wen had said the rock seemed to be placed there to help the weasels jump into the stockade.

The boulder was large, but its surface wasn’t rough—likely worn smooth by the weasels’ frequent passage.

Lin Kuo reached out and touched it.
As expected, it felt smooth.

He thought for a moment, then turned to ask Sheng Wen, “Do you want to follow the footprints and see?”

Sheng Wen stood two meters away, silently staring at Lin Kuo.

Lin Kuo jumped down from the rock and walked closer to him, repeating the question.

Sheng Wen said, “Gege, let me tell you something. Don’t be scared.”

Lin Kuo’s heart tensed. “What?”

Sheng Wen stretched his hand forward, stopping about twenty centimeters from his chest. “There’s a barrier here. I… I can’t get out.”

Lin Kuo was stunned.

Only then did he remember the invisible ‘barrier’ that had blocked him from leaving Zhuo Zhai’s entrance that morning.

He reached out to test it—but his hand passed through without resistance.

Sheng Wen tugged at the corner of Lin Kuo’s clothes. “Try to see if you can take me out.”

Lin Kuo: “Okay.”

He grabbed Sheng Wen’s hand and walked forward.
He stepped onto the large rock outside Zhuo Zhai and turned his head—only to find his hand empty.

Sheng Wen was still standing at the edge of what he called the barrier.

The ghost fetus hugged Sheng Wen’s leg and gave Lin Kuo a strange smile.

Lin Kuo jumped off the huge rock again and came to Sheng Wen’s side.
“Let’s go to the entrance of Zhuo Zhai and see.”

The two of them headed to the entrance of Zhuo Zhai.
This time, Lin Kuo discovered the barrier.
With the barrier in the way, neither of them could take another step forward.
So they returned to the huge rock to test it again.

The result was the same as before.
Lin Kuo could get out, but Sheng Wen could not.

Sheng Wen kicked the ghost fetus and said, “It must be this thing that’s causing trouble.”
The ghost fetus rolled across the yellow earth from the kick, then glared at Sheng Wen angrily.

But Sheng Wen had already looked at the ghost fetus for so long that he wasn’t scared anymore.
“What are you looking at? Look again and I’ll kill you.”

Ghost Fetus: “…”

As if it knew Sheng Wen was serious, the ghost fetus let out a ying ying ying sound.

But its ying ying ying wasn’t the cute cooing of a little pet.
It was ethereal and skin-crawling, sharp enough to make one’s eardrums ache.

Annoyed, Sheng Wen kicked the ghost fetus again.
A trace of gloom appeared on his face.
“Shut up.”

The ghost fetus was so frightened it didn’t dare make another sound.

Sheng Wen lowered his head. After composing his expression, he cast a glance at Lin Kuo.
“Gege, what do you think?”

Lin Kuo said, “Just say it directly.”

Only then did Sheng Wen speak. “How about we split up and cooperate for now? You follow the footprints and look for clues, and I’ll go to the village chief’s place and check things out.”

Lin Kuo thought for a while before nodding lightly.

Sheng Wen reached out and rubbed Lin Kuo’s head.
“Let’s both be careful and not make each other worry, okay?”

Lin Kuo: “Okay.”

Sheng Wen: “Go on.”

Lin Kuo thought for a moment, then said, “You go first. I’ll head out after you leave.”

“Alright.”
Sheng Wen clearly enjoyed Lin Kuo’s favoritism. He waved a playful ‘bye-bye’ gesture before turning around.

Lin Kuo watched Sheng Wen’s figure disappear from sight.
He retracted his gaze, climbed back onto the huge rock, and began following the weasel’s footprints up the mountain behind Zhuo Zhai.

After walking for about ten minutes, Lin Kuo came across a man dressed in Miao clothing.
He was holding a few wild rabbits and a hunting trap.
It looked like he’d come up the mountain to hunt.

The moment the hunter saw Lin Kuo, his gaze locked onto him.
Lin Kuo felt that gaze was oddly familiar.

He thought back to when he first entered the instance.
The people passing by had all looked at him with that same curious and intense gaze.
But since he had been with Sheng Wen yesterday, he hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Now, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

The hunter replied in broken Mandarin, “An outsider without a Gu!”

Lin Kuo’s expression tensed.
He didn’t have a Gu… but how did this person know?

The hunter smiled happily. “You probably haven’t seen Granny Chen yet, right? I’ll take you to find Granny Chen.”

As he spoke, he even reached out to pull Lin Kuo.

Lin Kuo dodged to the side, eyeing the man warily.

The hunter said awkwardly, “I… I’m a good person. I just want to take you to Granny Chen’s place to get a Gu. Everyone has one. If you don’t, the weasels will take you away.”

Lin Kuo understood each word, but when strung together like that, it made no sense.

“I… I won’t touch you,” the hunter continued excitedly. “You just have to follow me.”
He pointed to the distant Zhuo Zhai gate. “Go in from there, and you’ll find Granny Chen.”

Lin Kuo thought for a moment, then pointed to a different place—the huge rock.
“You can also enter the stockade from there. Why take such a long detour?”

Unexpectedly, when the hunter followed his finger and looked toward the rock, his expression changed.

He waved his hands in panic. “No, no, no—you can’t. You can’t enter Zhuo Zhai from there.”

Lin Kuo stared intently at the hunter.
After a long pause, he said, “Then you lead the way.”

“Okay, okay! No problem!”
The hunter immediately assumed the role of guide and led Lin Kuo toward the main gate of Zhuo Zhai.

Along the way, he began telling Lin Kuo about the origins of the stockade.

“‘Zhuo’ means tiger in the Miao language,” the hunter said with an honest smile. “The tiger is king of the jungle—it means everyone in our stockade is strong. The strong among us fight in the Gu battle arena.”

Once again, he mentioned the Gu battle arena.

Lin Kuo hadn’t said anything until now, but he finally asked, “Do you have a wife?”

The hunter answered proudly, “Of course. My wife is the most beautiful girl in the stockade.”

“Does she also raise a Gu?”

“Everyone does.”

Lin Kuo’s tone turned cold. “Aren’t you afraid of losing to her in the Gu battle arena?”

The hunter looked confused. “Why would I lose to my wife? She and I wouldn’t appear in the Gu battle arena at the same time.”

Lin Kuo breathed a silent sigh of relief.
It seemed Sheng Wen’s method of ‘missing the Gu battle arena’ might actually work.

But then the hunter added, “Not just my wife and I—no one in the stockade will appear in the Gu battle arena at the same time. That includes outsiders. You outsiders come here to get a Gu, so it’s all Zhuo Zhai’s Gu. Why would you fight in the Gu battle arena?”

Lin Kuo processed the hunter’s words carefully.
They seemed to contradict what Granny Chen had said.

He thought for a moment, then asked, “Does Granny Chen lie?”

The hunter immediately grew indignant.
“How could she! Granny Chen is the holy maiden of the Miao region! Even weasels have to hide when they see her. How could she do something as degrading to the soul as lying!”

Lin Kuo’s face was not looking good.

The hunter didn’t notice his abnormality and had already brought him to the entrance of Zhuo Zhai.

The old woman sitting at the gate saw Lin Kuo for the third time.
“Young outsider, congratulations. You’re still alive.”

Lin Kuo said nothing.

The hunter exchanged a few words with the old woman in Miao, then looked back at Lin Kuo.
“Wang Po said three more outsiders arrived this morning. They’ve already gone to find Granny Chen. If you want to find a Gu, now’s a good time.”

Lin Kuo looked up toward the stockade.

People bustled within.

Bone wind chimes hung from the stilt houses.
When the wind blew, the entire Zhuo Zhai jingled.

The hunter said, “I’ll take you to Granny Chen.”

Lin Kuo thought for a moment, then followed him.

He took only a few steps into Zhuo Zhai before abruptly turning around and walking back out.
To his surprise, the barrier that had once blocked the entrance was gone.

The hunter saw this and called out anxiously, “Outsider?”

Lin Kuo turned back around and followed him.

The hunter led him straight to Granny Chen’s residence.

It was the same stilt house he had visited before.
Just two hours ago, he and Sheng Wen had been standing in hiding, watching this very house.

Now, the stilt house was surrounded by a crowd.

Lin Kuo spotted the other three ‘outsiders’ within it.

Their attire matched his.
They looked like fellow instance participants.

Two men and one woman.

One of the boys was surprised to see him.
“Damn, the streamer!”

Lin Kuo: “…”

The man, apparently a former viewer of Lin Kuo’s stream, grinned.
“Just call me A-Qi. I’m from Lower City A. I got this instance from ‘Shake a Shake.’ Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Lin Kuo didn’t bother replying with a fake “what a coincidence.”

A-Qi laughed. “We’re stable now, we’re stable. By the way, is God S still in your stream?”

Lin Kuo stared at him blankly.

A-Qi didn’t get the hint. “Then God S must be able to see me too!”

He raised his hands toward the sky.
“God S above, bless me to pass every instance!”

Lin Kuo’s heart grew cold.

Sheng Wen had warned him—if his identity was exposed, he would die.

Should he take preventive measures and kill A-Qi now?

Just as he was thinking this, a Miao man stepped out of the house and spoke to him.
“Outsider, come with me. Granny Chen wants to see you.”

Lin Kuo followed him into the stilt house once more.

But the interior was different.

The weasels that had once filled the space were gone, and the fishy smell had been replaced by a light, fresh fragrance.

The furnishings remained the same.

Granny Chen sat at the table.

As Lin Kuo entered, her gaze shifted to him.

When he stood before her, she finally looked away.
“A-Yun, you may leave.”

The Miao man who had brought Lin Kuo in silently obeyed, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

Granny Chen said, “You have the smell of weasels on you.”

Lin Kuo hadn’t expected her to bring that up so directly.

Thinking about how she had scammed Sheng Wen, he snapped back, “Mind your own business.”

At that, Granny Chen turned her back to him and lowered her head slightly.
“Do you see? There is no human skin seam on my back.”

Lin Kuo looked.

Just as she said—though her neck was wrinkled, there was no twisted red seam.

He frowned.

Granny Chen turned back around.
“We usually feed people who carry the weasels’ scent to the Gu. But the Fetal Gu chose you, so I can protect you.”

She pulled out a Gu bell from under the table and lifted the lid.

Like the Ghost Gu, there was a fetus inside.

But unlike that grotesque thing, this one wasn’t so terrifying.
Its flesh was translucent and pink, almost like a real fetus.

It looked at Lin Kuo.

When their gazes met, it gave a delighted smile.

Its not-yet-formed hands reached out, as if asking Lin Kuo to pick it up.

Lin Kuo didn’t move. His expression darkened.

A terrible suspicion crept into his mind.

Granny Chen confirmed it.
“Zhuo Zhai has two worlds. If you enter through the Zhuo Zhai gate, you come into our world. But if you enter through the Great Immortal Stone… that’s the weasels’ world. Only on the day of the Gu battle arena do the two worlds overlap. Our goal is to win the arena. If we win, the other world is suppressed. If we lose… our world will be.”

Before he could speak, Granny Chen continued.

“The weasels will wear human skin to trick outsiders into entering their world. I believe you’ve already been there. Congratulations on surviving.”

Lin Kuo’s face turned pale.

Granny Chen pushed the bell toward him.
“The Fetal Gu is the most powerful Gu. If you raise it with care, it’ll make you the champion of the Gu battle arena. The competition is held once every three months. All grown Gu must participate. As an outsider, as long as you win, you’re free to leave. Your Gu will remain behind to defend the arena—and our world.”

Seeing Lin Kuo stay silent, Granny Chen added, “Of course, you can refuse. But since the Fetal Gu chose you, feeding you to it would be just as useful.”