Chapter 50: The Calamity of the Seventh Night (Part Six)

Luo Hanya stepped out of the house and discovered that both Qingming and Hetu were gone! He looked around, but not a single trace of either could be found, causing his brow to furrow slightly.

After a meticulous search, Luo Hanya realized the only evidence of Qingming and Hetu was where they had been nestled together. Beyond that, there was no sign of their departure, and a heavy feeling settled in his chest.

He knew something must have happened to the two of them. Given their gaming skills, it was likely that any moment now, he’d receive notification of their deaths.

Sure enough, while he was still wondering if the two had been taken by the man in blue robes and the woman in red, the system’s voice sounded three times in quick succession:

Qingming has died.

Hetu has died.

Ye Liangchen has died.

Luo Hanya sighed. Clearly, this type of team-based scenario required cooperation to clear. Splitting up like this was a recipe for total annihilation.

But even if he wanted to cooperate, what good would it do? That Ye Liangchen—what on earth was he? Some sort of difficulty spike set by the system? Right from the start, he’d been causing trouble, forcing them to split up. Now, only he and Menghen Lige were left.

Thinking of Menghen Lige, Luo Hanya couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of familiarity toward this person, though he was certain they’d never met. Where was this odd feeling coming from?

He shook his head, pushing aside the chaotic thoughts for now. This was not the time for such distractions. What mattered most was joining forces with Menghen Lige as quickly as possible and clearing this scenario. Everything else could wait.

Luo Hanya jogged toward the main gate. Several minutes later, he arrived at the ornate archway and was greeted by the sight of a dozen or so corpses.

He glanced over them casually, but the sight made him gasp. Only now did he fully appreciate the ferocity of his remaining teammate. This was truly a rose with thorns—stunningly beautiful, yet possessed of such formidable martial skill. Who wouldn’t feel both envy and awe?

Evidently, for someone as self-assured as he, it was unusual not to boast about himself. In terms of looks and martial prowess, he was surely not much different from Menghen Lige. Perhaps they were a perfect match, a golden boy and jade girl?

Menghen Lige had cut a swath through the place, leaving only a trail of corpses and a solitary, elegant figure in her wake.

“The last one,” Menghen Lige murmured as she sliced the final zombie in half. She leaned against the wall, catching her breath for a moment, then closed her eyes, controlling her breathing until, after a while, her strength seemed to return. Only then did she notice Luo Hanya not far away.

“Hey! Are you following me?” Menghen Lige fixed Luo Hanya with a sharp gaze, her voice as emotionless as ever.

“What? I just got here myself. I saw you seemed to be resting, so I kept watch for you, to make sure you weren’t attacked,” Luo Hanya hurriedly explained.

“Oh? Is that so?” Menghen Lige’s eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. “You don’t seem like a ruthless villain. Fine, I’ll believe you this once. I’ll forgive your suspicious behavior and let it go.”

Then, her tone shifted. “Remember, you owe me a life.”

Luo Hanya suddenly felt his intelligence was lacking. He was utterly confounded by Menghen Lige’s logic, inwardly protesting, “How does standing guard for you, keeping you safe, become ‘suspicious behavior’? And how can you tell I’m not a villain? And since when did I suddenly owe you a life?”

“You’re probably thinking right now about why you owe me a life,” Menghen Lige said softly.

“It’s simple. I forgave you just now, so I decided not to kill you. That means you got back a life you were about to lose. Therefore, you owe me a life—it’s perfectly logical. Are you convinced?” she said coldly. “Or would you rather I kill you, so you can consider the debt repaid?”

Luo Hanya stared, bewildered, at this queenly figure before him, a wave of sorrow washing over him. He muttered bitterly, “Can’t you just let me live? I swear I had no other intentions.”

“No other intentions? Does that mean you had some intentions after all?” Menghen Lige smirked like a mischievous girl whose scheme had succeeded, tilting her chin and looking completely in control.

“My only thought was: ‘This girl is really beautiful. Why does she feel so familiar to me?’” Luo Hanya confessed honestly.

Menghen Lige’s expression froze for a moment. Curiously, she asked, “Have we met before? I have the same feeling. It’s as if we’ve known each other for a long time, as if we were old friends.”

Luo Hanya never expected this. They both felt the same sense of familiarity. In psychology, this phenomenon was known as “familiar strangers,” but this seemed different—very different. Usually, it was because friends hadn’t seen each other for years, and when they met again, though they didn’t recognize each other, something still felt familiar.

But they had never met. How could this be happening? Luo Hanya pondered for a long time but couldn’t find a reason.

“Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Remember, you owe me a life! Don’t think too much about it!” Menghen Lige rapped him lightly on the head, a rare smile flickering at the corner of her lips.

“What? Come on, how am I supposed to pay you back for this life I owe you?” Luo Hanya’s mouth twitched. He felt dizzy, unable to comprehend why she insisted he owed her a life.

“Enough nonsense. Are you agreeing or not?” Menghen Lige’s brief smile vanished, her face turning cold as she drew her long sword.

Under the weight of her icy gaze—more to the point, the blade at his throat—Luo Hanya comforted himself: “A true man knows when to yield. I’ll agree for now; chances are, I’ll never see her again after this.”

“All right, all right. I surrender. I owe you a life,” Luo Hanya raised his hands in resignation.

“That’s better,” Menghen Lige muttered under her breath, “What a fool.”

Luo Hanya suddenly realized something. “Wait, you can’t really hurt me, can you? Were you just tricking me?”

“So what if I was?” Menghen Lige sniffed. “Watch out!”

She shouted suddenly, as if something terrible had happened…