Leaving the instance, Gu Rong returned to the game’s virtual space.

The surroundings were shrouded in mist, empty except for Gu Rong.

Gu Rong sat down on the ground, munching on a lollipop, his very short legs stretched out. He was taking stock of his possessions, his Ultraman little backpack slung over his shoulder.

The little backpack bulged, stuffed full of snacks. On Gu Rong’s back, it further emphasized his tiny, dumpling-like figure.

[Total Points: 3.68 million (Task Rewards + Audience Donations – Spending) [Detailed Statement Attached]]

[Identity Cards: 013-Little Mental Patient, 089-Hanged Little Ghost, 126-Devil’s Little Follower, 075-Nicholas Rongrong, 076-Nicholas Zaizai.]

[Note: Each identity card represents one life. Death invalidates the card.]

[Props: Devil’s Key *2, Copy Card, Eye of Wisdom, Fishing Rod, Ghost Ship.]

[Non-Prop Items: Bristle Brush, Mental Hospital, Pharaoh, Soul Sword.]

The Soul Sword lay near Gu Rong’s feet like a piece of scrap iron. The Mental Hospital and the two ships had turned into palm-sized models.

The Eye of Wisdom was stuck crookedly onto Gu Rong’s little forehead, obediently serving as a sticker.

Besides the props obtained in the instances, Gu Rong also had his initial belongings.

The straw passed down from Grandpa Ming, his little backpack, and his little bundle. His other belongings had been destroyed by zombies.

Thinking of this, Gu Rong clenched his little fists, his small face puffing up with anger.

Even his big bowl for eating meals had been shattered!

006 said: [Little host, shall we rest now or enter an instance directly?]

Gu Rong looked around: [Zaizai enter instance!]

There was no one else here; he didn’t want to stay.

006 thought the same and smiled: [Then does the little host want to draw an instance yourself or have the system choose randomly?]

Gu Rong: [Zaizai draw!]

Just like last time, Gu Rong tapped his little hand on the virtual light screen, without hesitation, quickly selecting a new instance.

After the image settled, the card for this instance appeared on the screen—

“Little Jiangshi”

The card also featured a silhouette of a Jiangshi.

As soon as 006 saw the instance name, it exclaimed excitedly: [Little host, zombies and Jiangshi are basically family! This is right up your alley!]

(In reality, zombies and Jiangshi are quite different, fundamentally not the same species.)

Gu Rong, however, didn’t know this and happily shook his little head upon hearing this.

006 said: [Transporting in 3 seconds countdown, little host please prepare…]

–

[Welcome to Jiangshi Town…]

[Jiangshi: Those who harbored unreleased resentment before death, had unfinished business, or died in great anger, are prone to becoming Jiangshi.]

[Initial Identity Card 666: Little Jiangshi]

[Background: Died in great anger from missing a meal before death. Turned into a Little Jiangshi after death, possessing an abnormal obsession with food!]

006: […]

Uh, okay, it does indeed fit the little host’s disposition.

[Please strictly adhere to the “Little Jiangshi Roleplaying Rules”…]

[1. Little Jiangshi can only eat food provided within this instance.]

[2. Little Jiangshi cannot speak. Complete specified tasks to unlock opportunities to speak.]

[3. Engaging in behavior unfitting of a Jiangshi will result in point deductions. The first deduction is 2 points, the second is 4 points, increasing exponentially by 2^n. Complete specified tasks to unlock corresponding free activity time.]

[PS: Attached is the “Jiangshi Behavior Compendium”. Please read it carefully.]

[PPS: The livestream chat for this instance is enabled by default and does not require points to unlock.]

–

In the desolate wilderness at night, a line of Jiangshi hopped forward in a single file.

At the very front of the line, a middle-aged Daoist priest in yellow robes, carrying a peachwood sword, shook a handbell while chanting incantations, guiding the string of Jiangshi towards the Yi Zhuang (coffin home/mortuary).

They absolutely had to get this batch of Jiangshi to the Yi Zhuang before dawn, otherwise, there would be trouble.

The night was pitch black. Along the roadside were numerous grave mounds covered in overgrown weeds, an eerie sight.

Paired with the string of Jiangshi dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes with yellow talismans stuck to their foreheads, the horror effect was maxed out.

If anyone saw this scene in the dead of night, they would surely faint from fright.

Gu Rong followed at the very end of the line, hopping along. But with his short legs and small size, he couldn’t keep up with the main group and quickly fell far behind.

He wore a miniature version of Qing Dynasty official robes, a matching hat, and had a yellow talisman stuck to his fair little forehead.

A small braid hung down the back of his head.

Exactly the Qing Dynasty hairstyle.

Gu Rong’s little arms were stretched straight out in front. Each time he hopped, the talisman on his forehead and the little braid behind his head would sway back and forth. Moreover, he could only hop a short distance of two centimeters at a time.

If he hopped too forcefully, his small body would stumble, losing balance.

006 was reading the “Jiangshi Behavior Compendium” aloud in Gu Rong’s mind, terrified that the little host would make an improper move and get points deducted.

According to Rule 3 of the “Little Jiangshi Roleplaying Rules,” the point deductions increased exponentially by 2^n. The initial deductions were small, but later deductions would become increasingly painful. 2^10 was already over a thousand, and 2^20 was over a million.

Given Gu Rong’s young age, the probability of roleplaying errors was undeniably high. It was possible that in this instance, the points earned wouldn’t even cover the deductions. Caution was absolutely necessary.

006 was reading intently when it looked up, its eyelid twitching.

Ahead, a small stone step appeared. Gu Rong’s hopping height wasn’t enough; each hop was blocked, bouncing him back. He tried again and was blocked again.

The other large Jiangshi hopped over it easily, but Gu Rong kept trying back and forth, unable to get past, stuck in place.

This small stone step was only about 4~5cm high. Seeing the large Jiangshi already hopping far ahead without waiting for him, Gu Rong panicked. He placed his hands on the ground and directly climbed over, his little bottom sticking up in the air.

After climbing over, Gu Rong dusted off his little hands, straightened his crooked hat, and then continued hopping along, trying to catch up with the main group.

006: […]

Never mind a Little Jiangshi, even adult Jiangshi can’t climb, especially not with such nimble hands and feet!

Sure enough, just as Gu Rong climbed up, the system prompt sounded.

[Warning, Warning! Little Jiangshi roleplaying error #1. Deducting 2 points.]

“?”

Gu Rong didn’t understand arithmetic, but he didn’t want points deducted either. Hearing that 2 points were deducted, he instinctively wanted to cross his little arms.

006 hurriedly stopped him: [Hold on, little host! It’s just 2 points, you can earn them back by scaring a player once. Making another mistake will cost 4 points!]

Gu Rong whined in his milky voice: [But Zaizai’s arms are tired from holding them up!]

006: […Hang in there, little host! Otherwise, more points will be deducted!]

Hearing that more points would be deducted, Gu Rong could only continue holding his arms out straight, hopping along.

Soon, the yellow-robed Daoist priest noticed the lagging Little Jiangshi.

The priest shook his bell, halting the Jiangshi line, and walked over to Gu Rong.

Looking at the Little Jiangshi cub up and down, the priest couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Hmm?”

A wild Little Jiangshi? How come he doesn’t remember having this Little Jiangshi?!

This Little Jiangshi had a round head and face, very delicate features like a porcelain doll, and exceptionally white skin.

The other Jiangshi’s faces were also white, but it was a white tinged with a deathly aura. Some Jiangshi even had skin on their faces resembling tin foil scorched by fire.

But this Little Jiangshi cub was different from all the other adult Jiangshi.

He had a healthy pinkish-white complexion, exquisitely carved like jade, and could even be described as cute.

No, extremely cute.

[Ahhh so cute, so cute! Little Jiangshi cub, just like a Little Jiangshi figure!!! [Gift points]]

[Great, the livestream is on from the start! We can watch Zaizai! No need to leech off other players’ livestreams anymore! Donate however I want! [Gift points]]

[Such a fair, tender, soft Little Jiangshi cub! Auntie wants to kiss you! Adorable! [Gift points]]

[Hahaha, couldn’t even hop over a 2cm step, actually had to climb! The cuteness is killing me!]

[What 2cm, it was clearly 5cm]

[4cm, no more than that.]

[Such a cute Little Jiangshi cub, I really want to raise one 0v0]

–

The yellow-robed priest reached out and touched the Little Jiangshi’s small face, finding it still warm. The touch was soft and yielding, like tender tofu.

Just then, the Little Jiangshi suddenly turned its head, its big eyes blinking rapidly. It tilted its little head to look at the priest, its small face looking utterly daimeng (innocently cute / blankly adorable).

The priest: “?”

This Little Jiangshi is very… flexible! Its eyes are even open, and it can blink! Could it be a Living Jiangshi?

006 was startled when Gu Rong turned his little head again, but seeing no error prompt, it breathed a sigh of relief.

It happened to see Rule 183 in the “Jiangshi Behavior Compendium”: Roleplaying Error Assessment Standard – an error is only judged if the behavior persists for more than 10 seconds.

Gu Rong’s climbing, plus dusting his hands and adjusting his hat, took exactly 11 seconds, thus judged as a roleplaying error.

However, merely turning his little head only took 1 second, so it didn’t count as an error.

006 felt slightly reassured.

This made sense; otherwise, judging a mere turn of the head as an error would be too harsh.

The yellow-robed Daoist priest was named Huang Daoren, an NPC. Although in his forties, his skin looked firm, and he appeared full of vitality. He sported a small goatee, giving him a comical look.

Huang Daoren shook his bell, guiding the lagging Little Jiangshi cub to rejoin the main group.

Doesn’t matter where this little wild Jiangshi popped up from, hehehe, it’s his now.

–

Gu Rong couldn’t hop fast. When encountering obstacles, he couldn’t hop over them, and he couldn’t even turn corners properly, getting blocked.

Huang Daoren had to stop the Jiangshi line several times, wait for the Little Jiangshi to catch up, and then continue forward.

There were originally 20 Jiangshi; now, including Gu Rong, there were 21.

The adult Jiangshi all had yellow talismans on their foreheads, their eyes closed. Like string puppets, they relied entirely on Huang Daoren’s bell ringing to guide their way.

Several times, Huang Daoren considered abandoning this Little Jiangshi cub. At this speed, forget reaching the Yi Zhuang before dawn; they’d be lucky to arrive before next evening.

But it was his first time seeing a Little Jiangshi. Not just in the entire Yi Zhuang, but in the whole of Jiangshi Town, a Little Jiangshi had never appeared before.

Especially such a young Jiangshi cub, looking to be only one or two years old.

This was truly rare. Huang Daoren was extremely anxious, but he couldn’t bear to abandon him.

Having stumbled upon such a treasure, how could he easily give it up?

Huang Daoren thought for a moment, went to the roadside, twisted two lengths of grass rope, and carried the Little Jiangshi on his back, like carrying a small stone statue.

Afraid the peachwood sword on his back might hurt the Little Jiangshi, Huang Daoren moved it to hang on his chest instead.

Gu Rong faced Huang Daoren’s back. Even while being carried, his arms and legs remained straight, his two little arms still stretched forward, not lowered.

Gu Rong whined in his little milky voice: [Tired!]

Holding his arms up constantly was definitely not easy.

006 said: [Hang in there, little host!]

Gu Rong touched his little braid: [How did Zaizai’s hair get long?]

He tugged it with his small hand, realizing it wasn’t a wig; it was growing from his scalp. He tugged again and whined: [Owie!]

006: […]

Huang Daoren looked back, bent the Little Jiangshi’s arms, and placed them down by its sides.

This Little Jiangshi isn’t just soft-faced; its little body is soft too. Looks like it’s a Living Jiangshi, no doubt.

“Just endure it for one night. When we reach the Yi Zhuang, I’ll have someone custom-make a bamboo basket. Carrying you in that won’t be so uncomfortable.”

Huang Daoren carried Gu Rong, shook his bell, chanted his incantations, and continued leading the Jiangshi forward through the darkness.

Gu Rong let himself be carried obediently. Finally free from hopping, his little arms also lowered. Soon, he closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamland.

006: […?]

Livestream Chat: […!!]

This mentality… still rock solid!