Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 67: Xiao Bai

Xu Wang led his teammates at a sprinter’s pace, running through a sequence of “left-right-left-left” turns. But at the fifth left turn, he suddenly slammed on the brakes!

Wu Sheng, following closely behind, reacted swiftly and immediately stopped. However, Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin weren’t so in sync, crashing into him. Wu Sheng managed to brace himself against the maze’s wall, absorbing the impact of his two teammates without affecting their team captain, who was sneakily scouting the corner for enemies.

Gasping for breath, Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin soon heard cursing coming from around the corner, and everything clicked.

This was the final stretch of the route given by Xiao Huang. According to Yue Shuai, the next NPC usually waits at the end of the previous NPC’s directions. They were prepared to turn the corner and face the second NPC but didn’t expect another team to have gotten there first.

Soon, four heads peeked around the corner. With Captain Xu’s head at the bottom, six new eyes joined in, and upon seeing the “battlefield” at the end of the fork, they widened in shock, just like their captain.

At the end of the fork was a sea of plants.

Huge green plants almost climbed over the maze walls, each with a unique form. Some had shell-like edges with tooth-like fringes; some were shaped like stretched, green horse-hoof aloes, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom; and others were cylindrical, resembling small lanterns.

These plants, growing from the maze’s floor, intertwined into a “green hell”.

“Venus flytraps, trumpet pitchers, nepenthes…” Wu Sheng quickly accessed his mental encyclopedia, identifying the carnivorous plants.

“With your knowledge reserve…” Qian Ai’s head was above Wu Sheng’s, so he looked down when he spoke. “Apart from the Owl, is there anything in this world that can stump you?”

Wu Sheng’s head was above Xu Wang. Although he was answering Qian Ai, his gaze still remained downward. After a long pause, he sighed softly. “Yes.”

Xu Wang, just listening to the conversation overhead, felt Wu Sheng’s response was uncharacteristically modest and meaningful. However, he quickly dismissed his curiosity due to the intense battle ahead.

At the end of the fork, three members of the unfortunate team were already caught mid-air by the terrifying plants. Some were trapped between the shell-like leaves of a giant Venus flytrap, while others were stuck inside the tubes of the trumpet pitchers, struggling in vain.

Another person stood on the ground, looking disheveled, with some withered stems and leaves at his feet. He must have used stationery to block the plants’ attack, making him the only survivor.

Standing before him was a girl in a pure white princess dress, holding a white lace parasol, spotlessly clean as if she was unrelated to the battle, merely passing by and curiously watching.

“You’re just standing there! Attack—”

“If you can’t attack, help us down. We’ll do it!”

“Damn it, at least say something!”

The three trapped by the “plant mouths” couldn’t escape and vented their frustration on their teammate.

The girl in the princess dress tilted her head. She blinked her big, innocent eyes as if she didn’t understand their cursing.

Xu Wang finally understood why there were only “curses” and no “sounds of fighting”.

This wasn’t a fight; it was the girl in the princess dress playing around—summoning plants to tease the challengers through the maze.

Suddenly, a bullet appeared behind the girl. Under the moonlight, the metal bullet reflected a silver light as it headed straight for the back of the girl’s head!

The bullet was so fast that its trail appeared as a silver line to Xu Wang and his teammates.

It seemed unavoidable.

As mere spectators, they could only think of this before the bullet pierced the parasol, stirring the air and moving the girl’s hair.

But at that fatal moment, a bunch of huge vines suddenly grew from under the girl, lifting her up!

The bullet hit one of the vines, which quickly wrapped around it, rendering it immobile.

The girl, still sitting on an “air chair” made of other vines, casually threw away her burned parasol, which gently fell to the ground.

“You ruined my umbrella,” the girl said sullenly, with a frown and downturned mouth, looking aggrieved. But with her innocent, child-like face, it seemed more like a child’s tantrum.

However, what she did next was far from child-like.

She extended her hand towards the fourth person on the ground, palm facing him, and began to mutter the names of stationeries.

The person on the ground didn’t move or dodge, closing his eyes in concentration. Instantly, his body ignited in flames, turning into a human fireball!

“[Invincible Hot Wheels]!” Qian Ai recognized his “old friend” at a glance.

Xu Wang finally understood where the scorched plants at the feet of that person came from.

Considering using offense stationary as defense, this team shouldn’t have been so weak. But their current situation showed they were easily defeated, indicating only one reason—the NPC was too strong.

“Your stationery is all plant-based, right?” The fourth person, gaining experience and confidence from the previous fight, challenged. “Then bring out one that can spray water, or it’s all in vain.”

The girl didn’t bother with him. After muttering the stationery name, she flipped her hand, and a new umbrella appeared. The lace was simpler than before, still pure white, with the handle in her palm. She held it lightly, reopening the umbrella, and watched calmly below.

A giant, bright red man-eating flower suddenly bloomed from the ground beneath the fourth person.

It didn’t need to first extinguish the flames and simply fought with the fourth person. The plant’s large mouth opened and swallowed both the person and the flames together.

The girl yawned, looking bored. She gave a lackluster glance at the three men suspended in mid-air. With a blink, the plants snapped shut, engulfing all three men and silencing their curses and the instigator of it all.

The vines gently lowered the girl back to the ground, and all the greenery disappeared in an instant.

Standing under the moonlight at the end of the fork, holding her parasol, the girl looked serene and beautiful.

The four friends, who had witnessed everything, felt a complex mix of emotions.

Qian Ai’s thoughts represented the team’s sentiment. “Is the girl in the black dress Yue Shuai mentioned wearing a white dress today…?”

Yue Shuai hadn’t mentioned a girl in a pure white princess dress in his advice. It could be that their paths never crossed with this girl, or perhaps she just happened to be wearing black when she encountered Team Yue.

Regardless, Captain Yue had a piece of advice that was particularly relevant now—

[If something seems off, it’s better to take a different path than to force your way through. Once you step onto an NPC’s path, there’s no turning back.]

Xu Wang was indecisive, but they couldn’t afford to waste more time. They had to either advance or retreat, and he needed to make a quick decision.

“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin was the first to speak up. “I think we can do it.”

“Forget it, I’m all in.” Qian Ai suppressed his survival instinct. “I abstain.”

Xu Wang: “Shouldn’t ‘going all in’ mean agreeing to fight?”

Qian Ai: “Casting an abstention vote has already exhausted all my courage.”

With one vote to advance and one abstention, Xu Wang finally turned to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng didn’t vote but instead asked, “Do you want to go in?”

Xu Wang looked at him for two seconds and nodded.

Wu Sheng raised his hand and deployed a [(Defense) Iron Wall], quickly erecting transparent defensive walls on all four sides of the team.

“Then go ahead and charge forward.” That was his answer.

Encased in armor, Xu Wang’s hesitation vanished. His gaze firmed up as he looked ahead. “Forward.”

At the captain’s command, the team stepped into the fork with determination, ready to face anyone or anything that stood in their way.

“Plan B.” Xu Wang locked his eyes on the girl in the princess dress, setting the tone for the battle.

They didn’t try to hide their footsteps. Soon, the girl turned her face from under the parasol and stared at them with innocence and uncomprehending in her eyes.

Having seen the “green hell”, the four friends wouldn’t be fooled by her innocent face.

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps approached from ahead.

This was a left-turn only path, and Xu Wang’s team aimed to defeat the girl and proceed left. But now, from the left-turn path, running footsteps were nearing.

Was another team running towards them?

Retreating?

The girl also heard the sound. She turned around, looking at Xu Wang’s team, and then in the direction of the footsteps. From her angle, she could clearly see the newcomers.

The sound of growing plants arose from behind.

The four friends were startled and instinctively looked back, only to see a giant wall of ivy rising from the ground, sealing their retreat.

At the same time, a similar sound came from the left-turn path ahead.

The team exchanged glances. Had the girl in the princess dress sealed the other team’s retreat too?

Was she planning to trap both teams here for a one versus eight fight?

“Listen well,” the girl said, her voice as cool as the forest spring water under the moonlight. “Xiao Bai will only guide one team. Whichever team wins, can come and challenge me.”

After speaking, a young twin-leafed sprout grew under her feet. The stem elongated, and leaves enlarged. She jumped onto a leaf, which lifted her back into the air, as she sat and watched the impending showdown.

Xu Wang realized the situation had changed. He quickly ran to the end of the path and glanced left, seeing the other team also in unexpected surprise.

“Damn it!” It was one of the ten teams that gathered at the entrance of the maze. Xu Wang recognized them from a glance. “Why are you guys wandering around aimlessly, ending up here—”

[If two or more teams simultaneously appear on an NPC’s path, the NPC will seal all teams’ retreats and require the teams to battle each other first before fighting with the NPC.]

This was a key rule emphasized by Yue Shuai, always reminding them to avoid competing with other teams for the same NPC unless they were confident in a quick victory. Otherwise, engaging in such a competition meant at least two battles, which would be time-consuming and draining, increasing the risk of being sent back home.

When Xu Wang and his team were observing the corner earlier, besides assessing the NPC’s strength, they were also reluctant to step into the fray too early. Entering prematurely would mean relieving the other team, forcing the girl in the princess dress to stop, and demanding both teams fight each other before challenging her.

Just like what was happening now.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Captain Xu, never one to show weakness, confronted the top-ranked team. “This is a detour. Why aren’t you looking for the endpoint instead of backtracking?”

The four members of the other team were bewildered. “It’s you who’s backtracking, isn’t it?”

Xu Wang suddenly realized that there was no such thing as a “backtracking” path in the maze. Every team was circling around, and it was possible for any team to end up at the same point from any path, leading to an unexpected encounter.

“Why are you wasting your breath with them?” One of the four team members, standing to the side, grew impatient and spoke to his teammate, arguing with Xu Wang. “They’re just some clueless newbies. Let’s finish them quickly and not waste time.”

Xu Wang raised an eyebrow, not wanting to waste any more words with them.

Who was the newbie and who was the weaker party would be decided in the stationery battle.

“What did you say?” Suddenly, the girl’s voice from high up in the green leaves rose sharply.

Xu Wang, about to choose his stationery for an attack, almost dropped it in fright and hurriedly turned around.

Qian Ai also turned at the sound, while the other team simply looked behind their opponents.

Only Wu Sheng kept his focus on the opposing team, ready for any surprise attack, but his ears were perked up, not missing a single intonation.

The direction of the voice was from the green leaves behind, but the girl on the leaves was staring down at Kuang Jinxin.

Kuang Jinxin was also confused. He was just thinking about picking up the broken umbrella on the ground, fearing it might affect the upcoming battle. He had explained his actions as the girl’s gaze seemed fierce.

Suddenly, the air fell silent.

Everyone was waiting.

Kuang Jinxin swallowed and repeated himself. “I said, your new umbrella looks better, so I’m putting the old one aside.”

Xiao Bai pouted. “No, that’s not it!”

“…Your new umbrella is cuter!” Kuang Jinxin finally found the right word.

Xiao Bai’s eyebrows raised, and she suddenly seemed shy. “Really cuter?”

Kuang Jinxin, unable to discern the subtle changes in her expression, spoke honestly. “Really, the previous one had too many decorations and was a bit cumbersome. This new one is just right—cute and refreshing, just like you.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai: “……”

The opposing four: “……”

Can’t you be serious? We’re all single guys fighting here, and why are you the only one who can charm an NPC girl?!

“Stop fighting,” the girl suddenly said to the seven others, smiling sweetly. “Xiao Bai is in a good mood. Let’s play a game.”

As her voice fell, the eight of them felt a flash before their eyes, and when they could see clearly again, the maze had vanished. They were in a girl’s bedroom, filled with dolls.

Dolls were piled on the floor, on shelves, on the walls, on tables, and the bed—everything was occupied by dolls.

Big dolls, small dolls, male dolls, female dolls, dolls of exotic styles, dolls dressed for masquerades… Hundreds of them, each exquisitely cute and charming. But when put together like this, it felt slightly eerie and unsettling.

Anyone with a fear of dense patterns would instantly crumble.

“Welcome to Xiao Bai’s room.” The girl’s cheerful voice came from somewhere. “Do you like Xiao Bai’s dolls?”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai: “……”

The opposing four: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “Are all these dolls yours?”

Confirmed by their gaze, you two are kindred spirits!

“Yes!” Xiao Bai proudly affirmed. “So you need to look carefully, okay—”

Her voice trailed off, and the doll bedroom fell silent.

The eight were confused.

But since the NPC said to look carefully, they would.

One minute later.

Xu Wang: “Wu Sheng, this doll’s striped clothes are similar to what you wore on your Owl entry day!”

Wu Sheng: “There’s one wearing only shorts, probably based on you.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Two minutes later.

Kuang Jinxin: “Ah, Captain, Sheng Ge, come over here. Does this one look like Chi Yingxue?”

Qian Ai: “He’s not that handsome…”

Three minutes later.

Qian Ai: “Hey, come over here. I found Yue Shuai. Haha—”

The opposing four: “……Are you guys really this happy?!”

“Snap—”

The lights in the doll bedroom suddenly went out, interrupting Xu Wang’s team’s enthusiastic “find the familiar face” game, and also salvaging the opposing team’s crumbling morale.

The darkness lasted for about ten seconds.

Then the lights came back on.

It was still the doll bedroom, unchanged in every way, even the doll that Qian Ai had forcibly matched to Captain Yue was still in his hand.

“Did you look carefully?” Xiao Bai’s cheerful voice floated back. “If you did, listen to me—”

“After the lights went out, I secretly added a new doll to the room. Whoever finds it first, their team will win this game!”

The opposing team exchanged glances, then stared at the dense, dizzying array of dolls in the room. This seemed like an impossible task. “This is like finding a needle in a haystack!”

No.

Xu Wang, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin looked towards Wu Sheng. Finding a needle in a haystack was a task for mere mortals. Their own Wu “The Strongest Brain and Advisor” Sheng could compare the before and after scenes of the bedroom down to the smallest detail in minutes…

Wu Sheng: “Second row, fourth doll on the red shelf.”

His brain was in action!

Led by Xu Wang, the teammates rushed to the red shelf, clumsily retrieving the white princess dress doll hidden behind two masquerade dolls with only a bit of its skirt showing. They looked expectantly at their advisor. “This one?”

Wu Sheng nodded. “Yes.”

Xiao Bai: “Bingo! Correct!”

The opposing team, with faces full of confusion and eyes filled with “Who are you? Wait a minute. What are you doing…”

“It’s not. Are you guys in cahoots? This is too fake. Ahhhhh——”

The four of them, carrying their doubts about the world, slowly disappeared along with their screams, flying back to the distant maze entrance. Losing to the NPC meant either dying in battle and returning home or admitting defeat and starting over from the beginning of the maze.

The doll bedroom vanished in an instant.

Xu Wang and his team were back at the corner of the maze, or perhaps they had been there the entire time, experiencing only an illusion crafted by the NPC.

Xiao Bai was still the girl in the princess dress with the new umbrella, but no longer obstructed them. Instead, she efficiently removed the ivy wall, clearing a path for them, waving cheerfully. “Left—right—right—left—right—remember to come back and play with Xiao Bai.”

Xu Wang was stunned. “You’re not going to fight us?”

The girl tilted her head, her eyes full of innocent charm. “You played a game with Xiao Bai, so you’re Xiao Bai’s friends now. Why would we still fight?”

Wu Sheng: “Since we’re friends, please accept this small gift.”

Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Xu Wang: “How many of these did you print?!”

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The author has something to say:

Advisor Wu’s Little Classroom is now beginning to distribute review outlinesヽ(≧?≦)?

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Kinky Thoughts:

Xiao Bai’s name translated is Little White. I’m assuming that all the NPCs in this maze are named after a color.

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