I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 225, page 1.17, 3: A Night of Madness
Zone E—A Kingdom of Food.

The walkway is enclosed by carved railings painted bright red, and antique red lanterns with tassels sway gently in the breeze.

Unlike the buildings in other areas, the amusement facilities here, like the streets, exude elegance and ancient charm, creating a unique and beautiful atmosphere.

The guqin's melodious and graceful tune carries a rich sense of history and elegance; simply listening to it can bring a sense of inner peace and tranquility.

Several figures, shaped like paper cutouts, ran through the bamboo grove, laughing and talking.

A silver palace bell jingled softly, producing a pleasant sound.

A red rope, woven into a knot, was used to string the palace bells together, and slender, fair fingers gently twirled the bells.

Her beautiful golden-orange eyes were as magnificent as the sunset, reflecting the silver palace bells carved with spider lilies.

The touch of vermilion at the corner of her eyes made her long, narrow phoenix eyes even more captivating; a single, fleeting glance was enough to steal the heart of any other.

He leaned against the vermilion carved railing, holding a silver spider lily palace bell in one hand, looking through the carvings at the ink-wash painting of a horse on the red lantern.

With his other hand, he held a long sword and rested it on the railing, leaving only the blood jade pendant hanging in the air, swaying slightly, with the character 'Tong' carved on it faintly visible.

The light blue stand-up collar long gown is painted with clusters of white hydrangeas outlined in gold, and a golden bird hangs from the lapel as if it is about to take flight.

Her fiery red hair was braided into a long three-strand braid that hung down from her shoulders, with a golden hair clip at the end and a golden tassel hanging down, swaying slightly.

The terrifying black mask lay quietly to one side, within easy reach.

A gentle breeze swept by, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps. Ling Tong narrowed her eyes slightly, the crimson at the corner of her eye still captivating.

He retrieved the palace bell and tied it to the sash at his waist. He casually picked up a mask and covered his face. He stood up, raised his longsword, and pointed the scabbard at the approaching person.

The blood-red jade pendant hanging from the sword hilt swayed slightly, and faint traces of blood could be seen flowing on it.

The three who arrived were startled. One of them raised his hands, beads of cold sweat on his forehead, and chuckled dryly, "Misunderstanding! We're just looking for our companions."

"Companions?" Ling Tong's deep voice carried a hint of lazy magnetism as he stared intently at the three of them, his longsword still pointing at them with its hilt, showing no intention of retracting it.

"Yes, yes! Because collecting gold coins is difficult, we need to find partners to collect them together. After all, there's strength in numbers, and the chances are much better with more people." He chuckled and took a few steps forward, trying to get Ling Tong to understand them. "By the way, do you want to come along too?"

"Stop!" Ling Tong's voice suddenly turned cold.

He was so frightened by the cold, stern rebuke that he stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

"Don't come near me. I don't want any involvement with you. Just talk, don't come any closer." Ling Tong said coldly, her whole body exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay, her words keeping everyone at arm's length.

"Uh..." The three of them never expected to be rejected so thoroughly, as if they were being treated like dirty bacteria.

"I... I won't get any closer... Well then, I'll take my leave first, hahaha..." He chuckled dryly, turned around, grabbed his companion's hand, and ran, as if something terrifying was chasing him from behind.

After the three left, Ling Tong sheathed his longsword and hugged it to his chest, hilt in hand. He sighed softly, his deep, languid, magnetic voice tinged with a hint of grievance, "I've had enough... Why are there people everywhere..."

The palace bell on the sash jingled softly. The relaxed expression beneath the terrifying black mask returned to calm and indifference. He turned to look at the six 'people' slowly walking towards him, or more accurately, life-sized paper cutouts of human figures—four white and two yellow.

"Hehehe, prey, prey! I've found it~" One of the yellow paper cutouts laughed sharply, rushing towards Ling Tong impatiently.

Ling Tong slightly turned to avoid his attack, and in the instant she dodged, she drew her sword and cleaved him in two, the scraps of paper scattering on the ground.

The other five paper-cut figures also charged at him, their sharp force seemingly capable of cutting through the air.

Holding a scabbard in one hand and a longsword in the other, she thrust at one of the yellow paper-cut figures. However, she was blocked by the other white paper-cut figures. Beneath the terrifying mask, Ling Tong narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of danger flashing in them.

With a slight twist of his wrist, a sharp sword light flashed out and cleaved the four white paper-cut figures into pieces that floated in the air.

Before the white paper scraps could even hit the ground, he lightly tapped the ground and appeared in front of the last yellow paper cutout figure in the next second, cutting it into pieces using the same technique.

Paper scraps fell like snowflakes, drifting down onto the streets beside the ancient and elegant bamboo grove.

“No coins fell.” Ling Tong casually caught a piece of white paper and stared at it intently through the terrifying black mask.

"In other words..." The white paper she was lightly twirling between her fingertips suddenly moved. In an instant, Ling Tong threw away the scrap of paper and took several steps back, leaving the area.

The fingertips holding the scabbard pressed against the sword tip, and the next second, they sliced ​​across the blade, leaving a golden-red line of blood. The blade instantly turned golden-red, as if it were glowing.

He swung his sword at the swarm of paper scraps rushing towards him, and with a scorching heat, the paper scraps all burst into flames and turned to ashes.

The crisp sound of coins falling onto the red stone bricks reached my ears.

Two silver coins and four copper coins lay on the ground, each engraved with a terrifyingly smiling clown's head, giving off a chilling feeling.

Ling Tong sheathed his longsword and bent down to pick up the six coins on the ground.

The palace bell on the waist sash jingled softly.

A sharp attack flew in, smashing a large crater in the ground.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the tassel earrings hanging from Ling Tong's ears swayed slightly. The next second, he stood behind the person who attacked him and, without hesitation, raised his hand and snapped the person's neck.

Ten silver coins and three copper coins fell to the ground, and the man vanished the instant he fell.

His long, fiery red hair, braided into a plait, still hung down to his shoulders, with only a single tassel on the hair clip swaying gently. His clothes were perfectly neat and tidy.

He stood on the red-brick street, longsword in hand, his fingertips lightly brushing against the tassel earring on his left ear. Every gesture exuded an innate nobility, as if he were a member of royalty born to stand above all others.

A gentle breeze rustled the blue hem of her dress, making the clusters of white and gold-edged hydrangeas on it seem almost alive, bringing hope to the wearer.

The delicate, melodious bell with its openwork design of spider lilies attached to the waist sash rang out, seemingly foreshadowing impending danger.

Ling Tong (coldly): Don't touch me.

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(End of this chapter)