After breakfast, the four decided to take a walk around the town.

The task this time was to eat the parade cake on Halloween Eve. It seemed simple enough, but they were worried they might miss some detail. If they ate the wrong cake or something unexpected happened during the parade, it would be hard to fix.

As soon as they stepped out the door, before they even reached the yard, the sound of rustling wind at the threshold made Yu Sen shiver as the temperature plummeted compared to inside the house. The overcast clouds pressed down, casting a dark, cold tone over the town.

It didn’t feel like morning at all, more like a winter evening.

“This place transitions into winter too early. I remember most places are still in autumn during Halloween,” Yu Sen rubbed his arms.

Although his outfit was quite heavy, with layers of skirts providing some warmth, it wasn’t really designed to fend off the cold. The loose sleeves, thin lace collar, and ankle-exposing hem all provided the cold wind with ample opportunity to invade, blowing against his pale, exposed skin.

He exhaled a breath, the swirling white mist blurring his cold, delicate features.

Si Xuanyang gently flicked the cloak by his side, drawing the person into his embrace, his palm softly enclosing Yu Sen’s cold fingertips.

The chains on the demon were cold and hard, pressing against Yu Sen, who shivered slightly, curling up instinctively, yet he had grown accustomed to such close contact and didn’t really want to push away.

This time, their range of activity was larger, without any specific goal. They weren’t in a hurry and wandered around like a group of casual tourists.

Unlike previous otherworldly encounters, this time there were many more seemingly normal NPCs.

As they exited, they saw a few people dressed in strange outfits, initially thinking they were players who had checked in the night before. However, after observing on the street for a while, they gradually realized that aside from the players who had been transported here, most of these people were the “locals” of this small town.

They were all dressed in various Halloween costumes, their faces beaming with festive cheer. Some were shopping at convenience stores, others handing out homemade cookies on the street, while some just seemed to be passing by, hurrying as if they were going to work or school…

It was just like a normal Halloween neighborhood, where everyone knew each other well, greeting each other with smiles and hugs, all very natural, making these cautious outsiders seem very out of place.

If not for their similar attire, they might have been seen as anomalies.

But this was also the most Halloween-like town they had ever seen, with jack-o’-lanterns and forest figurines everywhere, resembling a elf tale world. Each person had a specific role, and their demeanor and temperament blended perfectly with their characters.

Even Yu Sen found himself becoming inexplicably dignified.

His hands hung by his sides, tugging at his dress, feeling a bit stiff as Si Xuanyang guided him along.

Suddenly, a small figure, painted blue and dressed as a little elf, ran up from the side of the lawn.

He ran towards the four of them, stopping in front of Yu Sen.

Si Xuanyang frowned slightly, shielding the person he was holding behind him, towering over the smiling child as he asked coldly, “What do you want?”

“I want to give this candied apple to the princess. The princess is so beautiful!” The child raised the item in his hand, his eyes brimming with innocence, his childlike voice sounding pure and naive.

It was a snack similar to candied hawthorn, but instead of hawthorn, it was roasted apples glazed with honey, looking bright red and very tempting.

“Tsk, Yu Ge is irresistible, even to children,” Si Nan teased.

Yu Sen looked at the attractive apple, blinking in indecision, “It looks so delicious…”

Si Xuanyang glanced at him, “I thought everyone knew not to eat things given by strangers—even kids know that.”

Yu Sen quickly responded, “Well, I’m not a kid, so I wouldn’t know.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, little one,” Yu Sen bent down slightly but didn’t touch the candied apple in the child’s hand, “You can eat this yourself; big brother doesn’t like snacks.”

Yeah, right!

The little elf was momentarily stunned when he heard Yu Sen’s voice, staring blankly at his moving lips, the smile on his face freezing, a crack forming in his dreamlike illusion.

He probably hadn’t expected that the angelic-looking princess would have such a magnetic and seductive voice, nor had he anticipated that the delicate princess would refer to herself as ‘big brother’!

It was a moment of shattered dreams, the tiny heart breaking into pieces.

The little elf’s chubby hand holding the candied apple drooped dejectedly, and his head hung low, falling silent.

Yu Sen felt a bit guilty, but what could he do? The costume’s magic didn’t include voice-changing powers, and besides, was his naturally sexy voice really that disappointing!?

This little brat!

He softly threatened, “You better not cry, or I’ll cry too.”

The little elf glanced up at him in frustration, his eyes suddenly turning somewhat eerie.

Yu Sen felt a bad premonition rising in his heart and cautiously took a step back. The little elf swung the candied apple in his hand, a few flashes of red light flickering as he suddenly lunged towards Yu Sen.

Si Xuanyang’s face darkened, stepping in to block, but the red light passed right through his body and shot into Yu Sen’s.

Si Xuanyang immediately became furious, and black vines sprouted from both his arms, rough and menacing, as if they were alive, following his command to tightly bind the blue little elf, even wrapping one around his neck. A single thought from Si Xuanyang could tighten it and rip off the elf’s head.

He didn’t have time to be shocked by his body’s changes; his eyes, filled with murderous intent, released a tangible black mist as he harshly demanded, “What did you do to him?”

Yu Sen, also shocked by the scene in front of him, didn’t know what to say. Seeing the little elf in pain, he tugged at Si Xuanyang’s black cloak, about to ask him to calm down, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

“!!!”

Fuck! He was mute!!!

A thunderclap went off in Yu Sen’s mind, his face turning pale as he went limp, sliding down to the ground.

“Yu Ge!”

“Yu Sen!”

Si Xuanyang noticed something was wrong, quickly retracting his hand, catching Yu Sen by the waist. His stern face cracked with anxiety, “Baby, baby, where does it hurt? What’s wrong?”

Yu Sen, on the verge of tears, opened his mouth but could only produce soft whimpering sounds, unable to form a single coherent word.

Pointing to his throat, he looked tearfully at the fierce demon, whimpered twice, and helplessly buried his head in the demon’s chest, not knowing what to do.

This damn world!

“You can’t speak?” Si Xuanyang tightened his grip in shock.

Yu Sen nodded furiously, glaring angrily at the little elf, who had been trembling ever since the demon intervened.

The child was clearly terrified of the demon, quickly explaining, “It was just a little prank spell; I was just teasing the princess! I didn’t mean any harm!”

“Then you should break this spell,” Si Xuanyang stared at him, seemingly ready to strike at any moment.

The little elf trembled like a leaf, his voice quivering with a hint of tears, “This is a time-limited spell, it can’t be undone right now, but it will automatically lift in two days. I really just wanted to play a prank, I didn’t expect you to be so powerful…”

Si Nan frowned in disgust, “This kid is really annoying.”

Yu Sen was also furious. Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing a brat would do? And silencing someone to this extent is called a prank? In a place like this, if he and Si Xuanyang got separated and he encountered danger, he wouldn’t even be able to call for help. How was he supposed to survive?

“Wah…”

He felt wronged!

Si Xuanyang could tell what he meant just from the whimper, “Feeling uncomfortable?”

—”Then I’ll just kill him.”

Hearing the devil’s words that didn’t sound like a joke, the little elf’s face suddenly turned pale, and his shrill cry pierced the sky.

People around them had already been paying some attention to the sudden burst of magic from their direction, and now, with the commotion growing, even more people were looking over.

Judging by their expressions, it seemed some of them were familiar with this child, but due to fear of Si Xuanyang’s power, they hesitated to approach.

A young woman suddenly ran over from a distance, panic-stricken as she gently patted and comforted the little elf in her arms. She was dressed in a catwoman costume, and when she caught sight of Si Xuanyang’s outfit, her face became even more anxious, especially when she met his cold, murderous gaze. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

“P-Please… did my son offend you in some way?”

Wow!

Yu Sen, who was nestled in Si Xuanyang’s arms, widened his eyes in surprise: there were actually NPCs who were this respectful to players? They never got this kind of treatment before.

The cruel and heartless demon raised an eyebrow indifferently, then turned to look at the person in his arms with gentle eyes, his voice low and steady, “He made my princess lose his voice.”

“…”

The catwoman’s breath hitched as she carefully looked at the icy, jade-like person in the demon’s arms, then nodded in understanding after a pause, “There is… the scent of my son’s magic.”

The demon’s gaze turned cold as a trace of icy light flickered in his eyes, “Undo it.”

The catwoman froze, her voice trembling with fear as she explained, “This is a time-limited spell, it will lift automatically, but we can’t undo it now… However, my son’s magic won’t last more than two days! Please believe me, at most two days! At most two days and it will automatically lift!”

“Hmph…” Yu Sen whimpered again, lowering his eyes in a pitiful manner, leaning weakly on the demon’s shoulder. He gently touched the arm that had just sprouted black vines and curiously rubbed it a few times.

The clothes weren’t torn, the texture was smooth, the vines didn’t seem to leave any marks.

Si Xuanyang lowered his eyes, watching him play with his arm for a while, the coldness in his eyes softened slightly. But when he turned back to the catwoman, his gaze turned icy once more, like a devil forged in the depths of hell, with a cruel, wild air about him.

—”Then he can’t just lose his voice for nothing. You have to leave us something in return!”