Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 83: Epiphytic Flower

Five people, one NPC, and a cluster of epiphytic flowers.

The night was deep like water, and the evil spirit could arrive at any time, leaving the companions with little time to plan their tactics.

“We’ve searched the entire village and found no other main storyline items. It’s almost certain that this epiphytic flower is the love line’s prop,” Xu Wang said as he pulled out paper and pen from his backpack and handed them to his advisor. “But how to use it, we can only guess.”

Taking the paper and pen, Wu Sheng quickly listed four possibilities. “Active attack, passive defense, direct entry into the main storyline, or delayed activation—these are the four directions I can think of right now.”

“Direct entry into the main storyline would be great.” Kuang Jinxin fantasized about an easy and effortless future.

“It’s not very feasible.” Xu Wang didn’t want to discourage him, but this was based on the experience of their companions. “Li Zijin and his team still had to manually exorcize ghosts even with their yellow talismans.”

“Active attack and passive defense are fine, as long as they protect against fire. I don’t want to be burned again…” Qian Ai’s requirements were simple—just a bit of safety.

“What does delayed activation mean?” Chi Yingxue pointed to the fourth item on the paper.

“It will take effect after a delay,” Wu Sheng explained.

“……” Chi Yingxue frowned slightly, confused, not quite sure if he had heard an explanation or not.

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin sympathetically looked at their new teammate.

“We’ll use our abilities to resist the evil spirit first. The prop will activate only if we endure for a certain period,” Xu Wang interjected, explaining for his advisor.

Chi Yingxue suddenly understood. The joy in his heart dispelled the faint shadow of “Wu-style explanation”. “I like this direction.”

Direct entry into the main storyline? Too boring.

His barely concealed anticipation caused a crack in his usually warm and gentle demeanor.

Xu Wang caught a glimpse of a combative spirit in that crack.

In a competitive world, was it better or worse to have a fighter on the team? Xu Wang couldn’t be sure. But on second thought, their team seemed to have come this far not by seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages but by feeling—if it felt right, whether they suffered together or were happy together, it all seemed okay.

Not good. They seemed to be managing their team spirit as if they were in a relationship—Captain Xu frowned and fell into deep worry.

Meanwhile, Advisor Wu continued mapping out on the paper. “Based on the four possible ways the epiphytic flower could work, we’ll set up four plans: A, B, C, and D…”

Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin. “Yeah.”

Advisor Wu drew arrows and branches under each plan. “Each plan might have unexpected outcomes, so I’ve also prepared four contingency patches: E, H, G, and S…”

Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “Okay.”

After a few rounds, the paper was filled with a complete mind map by Advisor Wu, with boxes, arrows, guiding lines, and key symbols.

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin took the tactical map, studied it seriously, and memorized it in detail, occasionally asking questions like, “How exactly should we position ourselves for Plan Gamma?” or “Do these four patches need to correspond exactly to the plans?”

Chi Yingxue silently listened to the entire process: “……”

Kuang Jinxin, having grasped the tactics, realized their new teammate hadn’t participated in the learning. He looked up to find him leaning by the window, admiring the moonlight again.

Enjoying the moon wasn’t a problem, but the moon couldn’t help defeat the evil spirit.

Kuang Jinxin looked on for a while, then stood up, leaving Qian Ai still memorizing diligently, and quietly approached Chi Yingxue.

Feeling someone near, Chi Yingxue turned around. Half his face was basked in the indoor light while the other half in the moonlight, creating a strangely beautiful fusion.

Kuang Jinxin was momentarily stunned, then regained his composure and asked, “Aren’t you going to memorize the tactics?”

Chi Yingxue didn’t expect him to approach so directly, but his lips still curled into a gentle smile. “It’s too troublesome.”

Kuang Jinxin shook his head in disagreement. “If you try to save effort now, it’ll be more troublesome during the fight.”

“Don’t you think a battle where every move is calculated is boring?” Chi Yingxue’s voice was light, like a whisper or a sigh.

Kuang Jinxin looked at him quietly for a long time before saying, “This isn’t a game.”

Chi Yingxue laughed softly, countering, “Isn’t it a game if no one dies no matter how we fight?”

Kuang Jinxin fell silent.

In fact, when he approached to ask, he didn’t intend to force Chi Yingxue to study; he was just curious about his thoughts. Now, he understood.

“Don’t worry.” Chi Yingxue gave him a reassuring look. “I won’t hold you back.”

Kuang Jinxin shook his head almost reflexively. “We are teammates. There’s no holding back or not—only good or bad performance.”

Chi Yingxue paused for a moment. A strange feeling crossed his heart, and he was unable to discern what it was or even if it was related to Kuang Jinxin’s attitude or words.

After a while, he remembered to respond. “I will perform well.”

Kuang Jinxin believed him. “You are very capable. I know.”

It seemed like the conversation should end there, but the young man in front of him didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.

Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow in curiosity, waiting for what was next.

“I’m going to say something, but don’t be upset,” Kuang Jinxin suddenly said.

Chi Yingxue’s interest peaked. “Go ahead, say it.”

“You haven’t stayed long in your previous teams, and I don’t think it’s necessarily because of Yan Wang,” Kuang Jinxin stated his judgment without any criticism.

Chi Yingxue’s smile gradually faded, but he inexplicably wanted to hear more.

“They want to escape from here, to be free,” Kuang Jinxin said. “But you want to play.”

Chi Yingxue fell silent, his eyes darkening. The air pressure around his body dropped significantly. “He even skimped on the play. At least, I want to see the scenery at the end.”

“Can you talk to Yan Wang?”

“…Huh?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Chi Yingxue’s brewing storm of low pressure halted midway.

“It’s like…” Kuang Jinxin struggled to find a suitable analogy. “Imagine closing your eyes and meditating. Can you connect with Yan Wang in your mind, like making a phone call, sending a WeChat message, or a voice or video call.”

“Sometimes… I can voice chat.” Chi Yingxue wasn’t even sure why he blurted out those last three words.

Kuang Jinxin’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting a real connection, and immediately said, “Then tell him, he can’t always be so capricious, tricking teammates, opponents, and even himself. It’s too foolish.”

“……” Chi Yingxue took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I’ll try to convey your message.”

Kuang Jinxin sincerely said, “Thank you.”

Chi Yingxue, as if compelled by a ghost, asked, “Don’t you have anything you want to ‘educate’ me about?”

Kuang Jinxin really didn’t. This new teammate had attitude, confidence, a firm entertainment orientation, and goals. Someone who knew what they were doing and enjoyed it seemed more mature than the one on the Ferris wheel. He might not agree with some of his views, but he felt it wasn’t his place to offer “education” or “advice”.

In the quiet eye contact, Chi Yingxue’s eyes slowly narrowed, not liking this reality for no reason. “Really, not even a little?”

Kuang Jinxin was troubled, not understanding why mentioning the reason for leaving the team didn’t anger him, but now he seemed unhappy.

“Light colors.” Kuang Jinxin scrambled for a suggestion, sincerely. “You look good in light colors.”

Chi Yingxue was stunned for a moment, then responded with mixed feelings. “Oh.”

Kuang Jinxin turned and went back without Chi Yingxue noticing. Lost in thought for who knows how long, when he refocused, Xu Wang’s face was in front of him.

Chi Yingxue was startled, managing not to move, but his eyes flickered noticeably.

“I’m not as cute as Xiao Kuang, but you don’t have to show such obvious terror,” Xu Wang said dryly, handing the epiphytic flower to Chi Yingxue. “Take care of this. It’s up to you now.”

“Me?” The damp bark connected to the flower’s roots felt cool against his palm.

“You want to improvise, right?” Xu Wang said, “Perfect, we also don’t know how to use this flower, so you adapt as necessary.”

“This is the most crucial prop.” Chi Yingxue didn’t like tactics, but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand the situation.

“So it should be given to the person with the strongest fighting ability,” Xu Wang stated matter-of-factly.

Chi Yingxue stared at him, trying to find calculation in his face or eyes. “Xiao Kuang said I don’t fit in.”

But he failed because Xu Wang straightforwardly nodded. “Yeah.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

“But being unsociable has its advantages,” Xu Wang said slyly. “Less politeness and face-saving, more direct communication.”

Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

Xu Wang patted his shoulder solemnly. “Your only strengths are your looks and fighting ability. Protect the former and utilize the latter. Even if you annoy others, you’ll still be considered a treasure of the team.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

“Oh right, you don’t need to worry about other tactics, but there’s one you must remember, willing or not.” Xu Wang suddenly turned serious. “Plan P.”

P?

Perhaps still dwelling on Kuang Jinxin’s comment about “you want to play”, Chi Yingxue’s first thought was, “P-L-A-Y? Play?”

Xu Wang was somewhat disappointed in their lack of understanding. “P-A-O*, run.”

*This is the pinyin for (跑) which means to run away/escape.

Chi Yingxue: “……”

For a while after seeing his new captain leave, Chi Yingxue thought of nothing and just stared blankly at the wall.

By chance, he was the first to notice a shadow moving across the corner of the wall.

“It’s here,” he warned immediately.

All companions sprang to action, on high alert.

The shadow disappeared into the kitchen.

The five, protecting Cornina, entered the kitchen together.

Against the wall where the shelf was placed, it was as red as burning coal.

The wooden shelf started to emit a charred smell, its edges blackening.

Xu Wang turned to signal Chi Yingxue but found him already holding up the epiphytic flower towards the shelf.

Chi Yingxue was quicker than he expected.

Unfortunately, nothing was triggered.

The burning red on the wall slowly formed a ghostly figure, and from a distant, unknown place, a hellish wail sounded—

“The witch… must… be burned…”

The ghostly figure separated from the wall, flew to the ceiling, then dived down, heading straight for Cornina, who was protected by the five!

The epiphytic flower still showed no reaction, clearly indicating the fourth scenario, delayed activation of the prop, automatically initiating “Plan Delta”.

Without needing Wu Sheng’s shout, Kuang Jinxin was already on it—[(Offense) Ferocious Spirit*]!

*(凶神恶煞) Idiom referring to a ferocious god/demon/evil spirit but now later used to describe a very ferocious person.

Just as Amy’s ghost swooped down, a blue-faced, fanged ghost appeared above the five, confronting Amy’s ghost!

One fiery red, one dark blue—the two fierce spirits instantly entangled in an East-West showdown, ghost against ghost.

As they fought, Amy’s ghost figure grew fiercer, and the temperature in the kitchen soared, scorching hot!

Chi Yingxue held the epiphytic flower like a model, not knowing when it would react. He was already bored, and now he couldn’t even calm down to keep his cool.

Suddenly, a cold breeze began to blow.

Chi Yingxue froze, hearing the notification in his ear—

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Ice Age] on you~~]

The walls, which were baked red, were slowly covered with a layer of frost, which quickly melted under the heat, only to be replaced by new frost.

Chi Yingxue looked at his new teammates.

Kuang Jinxin was concentrating on controlling the blue-faced ghost in the air.

Xu Wang was focusing on the wall, sweat already forming on his forehead.

The [Ice Age] slowed down the heating of the kitchen but couldn’t cool it down.

The [Ferocious Spirit] was visibly losing ground.

The power of their stationery was significantly weakened in the mission line.

Chi Yingxue looked at the flower in his hand, intuitively feeling it would be key in the end, but how? Who knows.

The petals had already wilted in the heat.

Chi Yingxue sighed, relieving his sore arm and switching the flower to the other hand, continuing to elegantly hold it, waiting for the mission line’s call.

“Patch S!” Wu Sheng shouted, bringing Chi Yingxue back from his reverie.

The blue-faced ghost had vanished, and Amy’s ghost was now more fiercely ablaze, with flames starting in the corner of the wall causing the [Ice Age] to rapidly fade.

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Strong Wind Blows] on you~~]

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Shelter From the Storm] on you~~]

The first notification was for the evil spirit.

The second was for the five companions.

Chi Yingxue couldn’t hear the first one but felt a sudden gust of wind, nearly getting lifted off the ground, but it stopped almost instantly around the five of them.

The real windstorm was for the evil spirit.

The wind acted like a barrier, preventing the evil spirit from getting close.

Chi Yingxue, standing next to Qian Ai, clearly saw him activate another stationery: [(Offense) Mass’s Gospel]!

A glowing bible suddenly appeared in mid-air, floating in front of the evil spirit, which was surrounded by the fierce wind, rendering it unable to escape, almost as if it was being forced to listen!

The next moment, the whispers of the gospel filled the kitchen.

The evil spirit howled in pain amidst the gospel’s sound, its fiery form twisting and contorting!

Ghost against ghost, ice against fire, gospel purifying the evil spirit… Chi Yingxue didn’t like formulaic battles, but objectively speaking, Wu Sheng’s highly targeted deployment greatly enhanced the use of their stationery and their collective fighting power.

Chi Yingxue had been part of teams that freely improvised, usually lacking in strength and overconfident. Sometimes, he even wanted to send them home on behalf of the NPCs.

The light of the bible, at some point, dimmed.

Chi Yingxue looked up, frowning slightly in the glaring firelight.

Not good.

Stationery could harm the evil spirit, but only to a limited extent. No matter how long the stalemate lasted, the evil spirit always gained the upper hand.

Plan D was about delaying until the key prop activated.

So the stalemate itself was the purpose of this battle.

But when would the prop activate?

The four fighting companions didn’t rush him, not even casting an anxious glance, but Chi Yingxue was growing impatient himself.

He regretted taking on this task.

Without the flower, he could do whatever he wanted, but now he was completely stuck.

“Xiao Kuang—!” Qian Ai suddenly shouted.

Chi Yingxue stumbled backward after being bumped, and when he looked up, the formation had already broken. Kuang Jinxin was tackled by the evil spirit, protecting Cornina beneath him, while the evil spirit burned his back!

Qian Ai used some stationery, producing a chalice in his hand, and swung it at the evil spirit!

The evil spirit momentarily left, and the chalice whizzed over Kuang Jinxin’s back, missing its target!

But it did rescue Kuang Jinxin from the burning.

The four were out of formation, using their stationery to the fullest in a struggle against the evil spirit!

Chi Yingxue was the most relaxed.

He didn’t know if it was because he was holding the epiphytic flower, but the evil spirit never came for him.

Wait? If the evil spirit was afraid of the epiphytic flower itself, why not give it directly to Cornina and let it protect its actual target?

Chi Yingxue glanced at Xu Wang, fighting fiercely, unable to believe he would make such a basic mistake.

Approaching the corner, the girl was shivering in fear.

Chi Yingxue offered her the pale blue flower, commanding, “Hold this.”

Cornina’s already scared face turned more terrified as she almost shook her head off. “No—take it away—”

Chi Yingxue was stunned by this reaction.

Xu Wang, noticing his new teammate’s actions, said in frustration, “We would have given it earlier if we could. She’s afraid of everything related to magic!”

A cluster of flowers beloved by humans—does that count as related to magic?

Chi Yingxue didn’t know.

All he knew was that this was the first piece of communication he had received since the battle began.

[“You wanted to improvise, right? Well, we don’t know how to use this flower either, so just adapt as you see fit…”]

[“That’s why we need to hand it over to the person with the strongest combat ability…”]

It sounded good in theory.

But what about in practice? Now, the epiphytic flower was completely inert, just sitting there with him, like a piece of decoration.

Chi Yingxue sneered internally, but as he watched the four people in front of him retreating step by step and the epiphytic flower in his hand remaining silent, he felt increasingly frustrated.

He could tolerate a boring fight, but if this went on, those four would just be sent home!

His eyes, reflecting the light of the fire, gradually darkened, becoming as black as the night.

Chi Yingxue slowly turned around, positioning himself in front of Cornina, and softly called out, “Hey, Amy.”

In the roaring heatwave, his voice was very soft.

The evil spirit, chasing after Qian Ai, seemed to hear him, pausing ever so slightly.

[Owl: Someone has used [(Defense) Treading the Clouds*] on you~~]

*(腾云驾雾) Idiom referring to riding on the clouds and fog, like how immortals do. It also describes the behavior of a person who’s in an abnormal physical or mental state or describes supernatural abilities or skills.

Chi Yingxue listened quietly to his defense stationery taking effect, holding his breath and concentrating as a swirling white mist slowly gathered at his feet.

Suddenly, without warning, he soared into the air like an arrow released from its bow, charging straight towards the evil spirit!

The evil spirit sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but its speed suddenly slowed, as if surrounded by a faint silhouette of silk threads!

Chi Yingxue didn’t know which teammate’s stationery produced these threads, but he was very satisfied with the effect.

In an instant, he reached the evil spirit, and without hesitation, he slammed the epiphyte flower, which he had been holding in his palm for a long time, right into the face of the evil spirit!

If that hollow space could be considered a face!

The four teammates below held their breath.

The moment the evil spirit was hit by the epiphyte flower, it suddenly turned into a physical form—the burnt Amy!

The evil spirit, with its arm already charred and shrunken, crashed into the wall with a “bang” under Chi Yingxue’s palm!

The golden threads around it faintly glowed, restraining her resistance!

Chi Yingxue withdrew his hand, causing the epiphyte flower to fall softly to the ground, its buds and petals completely smashed.

The teammates, including Chi Yingxue, were stunned, but he quickly recovered, clicked on his arm, and the next second, he held a cross gleaming with a cold light!

Before the four below could react, the sharp end of the cross was already plunged into the heart of the charred corpse by Chi Yingxue!

Amy struggled fiercely, but Chi Yingxue’s wrist, gripping the cross, was immovable, almost nailing her to the wall!

No one paid attention to the epiphyte flower on the ground anymore.

But at this moment, it emitted a faint blue light and then slowly floated up, regaining its previous appearance. The opened buds emitted a faint fragrance, and the buds yet to bloom were slowly unfolding!

Amy stopped struggling. Her empty eye sockets were fixated on the floating epiphyte flower, and in her eerie, hoarse voice, filled with unwilling resentment and curses, she said—

“You can protect her for a moment… but not for eternity… Next time, I will find her first…”

The evil spirit slowly vanished in the increasingly strong pale blue light. It wasn’t destroyed, but merely lying dormant, waiting for the day to return.

Chi Yingxue realized his body was becoming transparent.

He instinctively looked down, and the four new teammates below were also becoming transparent.

Were they leaving the oil painting?

Chi Yingxue couldn’t be sure, but he knew the four below were all looking up at him, their eyes filled with various “explicit emotions”, which made him uncomfortable.

Qian Ai, the conflicted type—I acknowledge your strength, but I still don’t think highly of you.

Kuang Jinxin, the enthusiastic type—You’re even more impressive than I imagined.

Wu Sheng, the pleasant surprise type—This classmate, I think you can play a smart strategy.

Xu Wang, the old and comforting type—I knew I was right about you.

This was a team overflowing with emotions, incredibly so.

In the silent exchange of glances, Captain Xu turned his back, quietly exited his [Stationery Box], as if he never used a stationery called [(Defense) Awe-Inspiring* Golden Silk], hiding his contribution.

*(浩然正气) Idiom referring to upright and awe-inspiring.

……

Two hours earlier, on the way back to Cornina’s cabin.

Wu Sheng: “You’re giving the epiphyte flower to Chi Yingxue?”

Xu Wang: “We don’t know how to use it anyway.”

Wu Sheng: “It’d be fine if it activates on its own, but what if it requires the user to figure out a way?”

Xu Wang: “That would be ideal.”

Wu Sheng: “You have that much confidence in him?”

Xu Wang: “Not at all.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Xu Wang: “He’s even more aloof than the Chi Yingxue from the amusement park. Such a person finds it hard to truly see others as teammates.”

Wu Sheng: “Then why agree to add him to the team?”

Xu Wang: “I can’t give up on his combat ability… and his face.”

Wu Sheng: “Could you repeat the part, but louder?”

Xu Wang: “So I still want to try and see if I can inspire some camaraderie in him.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Xu Wang: “Someone has to trust first. When the team is fully assembled, if I can do this, maybe he won’t leave.”

Wu Sheng: “Impossible. He’s obsessed with Li Zijin.”

Xu Wang: “……”

“If it fails,” Xu Wang looked at his advisor with a suddenly pitiful expression, “You can’t blame me.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Where does this “you” come from? It’s only him being emotionally manipulated here!

Not wanting to see another pitiful face, Wu Sheng led his team captain to imagine a bright future. “What if it works?”

“If it works…” Xu Wang looked up at the starry sky, suddenly afraid to think further.

If Chi Yingxue really had enough combat power to decisively defeat Li Zijin’s entire team and truly considered his teammates as partners, then maybe, they would be invincible.

Combat power needs to be supported by belief.

No matter how much fun they have, it can’t compare to the desire to march forward alongside your companions.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Speaking of ferocious spirit (凶神恶煞), you can check out another project by my favorite author called Evil As Humans, which is named after the idiom. I highly recommend it.

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