Chang Sheng didn't actually harbor any hope of leaving the dungeon; he had just asked casually.
“I see...”
Standing behind him, Liu Da checked the time.
There were still six or seven minutes left until six o'clock. They needed to stall a bit longer.
“Ah, speaking of which, we don't seem to have introduced ourselves yet.”
“I'm Liu Da, and this guy here is my friend, Chang Sheng.”
Zuo Lin'an turned to look at him.
“Yao Wenli.”
A warm smile appeared on Liu Da's face.
“So it's Mr. Yao. What a fine name. One can tell you're a cultured man just by hearing it.”
The corner of Zuo Lin'an's mouth twitched up.
“I wouldn't call myself cultured. I've just read a few more books than most.”
He had graduated from college in his previous life.
In this life, he had made it to his senior year of high school, dropping out right before the college entrance exam to throw himself into the embrace of the supernatural dungeons.
However, in this supernatural world, becoming a dungeon boss could be considered a successful leap in social class.
Chang Sheng suddenly asked, “By the way, we had a brief look around this old residence earlier. Many areas seem uncleaned, and some courtyards look completely desolate.”
“Mr. Yao, you look like a highly capable professional. Why would you come to a place like this?”
Zuo Lin'an sighed.
“To be honest, I haven't been back here in many years. But it is my old home, after all. I came back this time planning to renovate the house.”
“In the future, if I ever feel tired, I can come back to stay for a few days and unwind.”
Unwind?
As the sky gradually brightened, standing at the top of the mountain, they could get a rough view of their surroundings.
Unwind in a place like this?
Was there anything here besides some withered, yellowish-green weeds?
Chang Sheng looked around, but he didn't press further about the environment.
After all, this was a supernatural dungeon; it was only natural for the environment to be a bit gloomy.
He wanted to say something more, but Zuo Lin'an beat him to it.
“Apologies, but I would like to walk around by myself.”
“You two should head back to the guest rooms to rest. Once the time is right, please leave as soon as possible.”
Chang Sheng raised an eyebrow. The NPC was kicking them out.
But on second thought, it made sense.
To this NPC, they were uninvited strangers, so it was only natural that he wanted them to leave quickly.
“Alright, we'll go rest first.”
Just then, the time passed six o'clock.
The hour had passed, and the specter would not attack them again for now. It was the perfect opportunity to pretend to rest while actually searching the old residence for clues.
If they were lucky, they might find some useful clues, or even specter items.
Of course, it would be even better if they could locate the path of survival ahead of time.
As the two of them walked back toward the main gate of the old residence, they watched Zuo Lin'an slowly walk toward the steps nearby and head down the mountain.
Liu Da recalled the pavilion he had seen halfway up the mountain. Was this NPC heading there?
Chang Sheng casually sent a puppet to follow him, then turned to Liu Da.
“Let's go. Now is a good opportunity. We'll split up to search in a bit.”
Liu Da thought about it and didn't object.
They had nearly an hour of safe time ahead, so there was no need for the two of them to stick together.
Meanwhile, on the steps, Zuo Lin'an took out his phone and sent a message to Feng Xingyun.
【Zuo Lin'an: Go to my brother's room now. Hide anything that can prove our relationship as brothers a bit better. Don't destroy them, though. You don't need to worry about that vase.】
Then, Zuo Lin'an informed him about Liu Da's talent.
【Zuo Lin'an: Keep an eye out. If you get the chance while he's searching the residence, catch him red-handed. Accuse him of stealing, and then attack him.】
【Zuo Lin'an: Injure him, but remember not to kill him. This will effectively shorten the time before his injuries erupt.】
【Feng Xingyun: Understood. What about Chang Sheng?】
Using his sharp perception, he had also noticed some subtle movements in certain corners of the old residence earlier, but he had simply pretended not to notice.
【Zuo Lin'an: Don't worry about Chang Sheng. I'll keep an eye on him.】
【Feng Xingyun: Got it.】
At this moment, Chang Sheng and Liu Da returned inside the old residence.
Chang Sheng had many puppets, so he didn't need to go out and search in person.
He stayed in the small courtyard where the guest rooms were located, having his puppets prepare some wood in advance so he could continue crafting more.
As for that room?
Although the corpse had vanished and the room was completely clean, he still felt repulsed by it and didn't step inside.
As for Liu Da...
He didn't possess Chang Sheng's craftsmanship, so he could only go out to search for clues himself.
Whether it was searching for other useful information, finding specter items, or locating the path of survival, he couldn't pin all his hopes on Chang Sheng.
If the other guy found clues, he might hide half of them and only share the rest.
And if he found a specter item?
He would definitely keep it for himself and hide the truth.
What if Chang Sheng found the crucial path of survival?
Liu Da couldn't be sure if the man would even tell him.
Zuo Lin'an had anticipated these concerns as well.
Thus, he concluded that Liu Da would never sit around waiting for Chang Sheng's puppets to gather information. For the sake of his own life, he would definitely take action himself.
After cleaning up the dining room, Feng Xingyun headed to the brother's courtyard.
He pushed open the door and entered the room. First, he gathered the photos inside and stacked them neatly in the cabinet, then tidied up the rest of the cluttered items.
As for the vase on the table, he didn't touch it, nor did he even glance at it.
He just cleaned at a leisurely pace.
He either wiped down the table, made the bed, or cleaned the windows.
Once the room was tidy, he opened the doors and windows to let it air out.
Then, he grabbed a broom and leisurely swept the courtyard.
At that moment, Chang Sheng was controlling a puppet in the corner of the courtyard.
His field of vision swept across the entire courtyard, looking into the room through the open doors and windows.
Everything inside was orderly, and the room had been cleaned thoroughly.
He glanced a few times but didn't find anything out of the ordinary, assuming the NPC was just tidying up the somewhat dirty courtyard.
After all, Zuo Lin'an had mentioned earlier that he came back to his hometown to renovate the house.
Although a passing glance made him feel like something was slightly off, the sensation vanished as quickly as it came.
Finding no anomalies, he withdrew his consciousness from the puppet.
The spiritual glow in the puppet's eyes instantly dissipated for the most part, and it lay there silently.
This was essentially its standby state.
But at that very moment, Feng Xingyun happened to sweep his way over to this spot.
“What's this?”
He parted the weeds and saw the mini puppet lying inside, reaching down to pick it up.
Meanwhile, Chang Sheng, who was currently controlling other puppets, was slightly startled.
“Oh no!”
His puppet had been discovered!
What happened?
His puppet had clearly been well-hidden, and Feng Xingyun hadn't been in this area just now.
How could...
Forget it, now was not the time for regrets.
Chang Sheng forced himself to calm down. He absolutely could not control the puppet right now. If the puppet moved, things might spiral out of control.
Feng Xingyun turned the object over and over in his hand, examining it.
It looked like a small wooden figurine, very crudely made and quite dirty.
With a casual squeeze of his fingers...
The puppet in his hand actually fell apart instantly, and even the wooden parts were crushed to pieces.
Feng Xingyun shook his head dismissively and tossed the remains into the trash bin.
“Where did this piece of trash come from...”
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