I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

Zhao Weilai's expression remained unchanged, while Deng Ziwen, Ding Feifan, and the others' eyelids twitched.

"We need to be careful."

Zhao Weilai looked serious—because she still had the image of a pure and innocent college girl, it was hard for people to tell the truth when she lied.

Jiang Youzi smiled again when she saw that Zhao Weilai wasn't taking the bait:

"I'm just reminding you, there's not much trust between players. Anyway, I don't have any important items on me, and I don't have many points, so I won't be targeted."

She spoke casually, but her eyes kept darting around Zhao Weilai's face.

Zhao Weilai continued to nod honestly: "We are too. I'm the only professional player on the team. We just finished a dungeon, and my teammates either died or scattered. We're penniless... That's why we can't give up on this mission."

"Yeah?"

Jiang Youzi knew she wouldn't get any more information, so she stood up and said, "Then Captain Zhao, get some rest. We'll see what happens tonight."

After saying that, she led her men out of the front hall.

Zhao Weilai waited until they were far away before slowly exhaling. Su Ya also stood up, and Deng Ziwen and Ding Feifan let go of each other's hands, their palms covered in sweat.

"This is too domineering. Isn't the dungeon supposed to be a battle of skill? Why are we being forced to quit right from the start?"

Deng Ziwen muttered a curse under his breath, while Ding Feifan remained silent, only nodding in agreement.

……

……

The guest rooms are located in the back garden of Lan Garden.

Zhao Weilai and the others were assigned to a small courtyard against the wall. The three guest rooms were fairly clean, and the bedding looked freshly washed and smelled of soap.

Outside the window is a cluster of orchids, and as soon as you open the window, all sorts of fragrances drift in.

"what?"

Su Ya walked to the window, intending only to get some fresh air, when suddenly she exclaimed, "Huh?"

"Captain, come and take a look."

Above the orchid outside the window, there was a very faint layer of ink-wash text floating on top—a notification from the dungeon system.

【Dark-striped Orchid: Grows mostly in deep mountains and can be used to treat wounds that bleed uncontrollably due to evil influences.】

[Butterfly Water Orchid: Extremely difficult to cultivate; used to make elixirs against miasma. Consuming the petals can temporarily dispel hallucinations.]

【Ghost-faced moth orchid: The entire plant is highly poisonous and can be used to make poison pills.】

[Golden-edged Peony Orchid: The entire plant can be used medicinally, and can be used to refine elixirs of immortality and beauty.]

……

What a coincidence!

Suya leaned forward, her eyes widening.

It wasn't just those few orchids outside the window; from the window, most of the orchids in the entire orchid garden that she could clearly see were labeled.

In other words, these patches of orchids are actually handfuls of incredibly rich points.

"So many?!"

Deng Ziwen's voice trembled with excitement: "Master Hu is so rich?!"

Currently, the official development of the dungeon is insufficient, and herbs and resources are extremely scarce.

Lan Garden is not just an ornamental garden; it's a veritable treasure trove!

Points, points, all of these are points!

Su Ya swallowed hard, and Deng Ziwen and Ding Feifan also came over.

The three of them squeezed by the window, wishing they could just dive in and grab as much as they could.

"Don't touch it. Master Hu warned me that this was carefully cultivated by his daughter, and that I shouldn't trample on it."

Zhao Weilai resisted the temptation and closed the window:

"Now that we know there's something strange about the Hu family, then that garden of orchids is even more bizarre and must not be touched."

In A Chinese Ghost Story, wasn't the Tree Demon Granny using gold, silver, and beautiful women to lure the scholar?

"Don't be so foolish as to deliver food to the evil spirits before we've even seen them. Be careful to stay awake tonight and take turns keeping watch."

The group then snapped out of their daze and responded with a sense of unease, though they were clearly somewhat distracted.

After a while, the three new players who had gone out to scout the environment returned, their faces looking rather grim.

"Captain, the players in the neighboring yard are stealing orchids."

The new player was breathing heavily, seemingly wishing he could make the decision for Zhao Weilai:

"That Jiang Youzi, along with her people, picked all the orchids from the row against the wall."

Another player added, "We didn't dare get too close; we watched from behind the wall. Someone was keeping watch."

The group looked at Zhao Weilai with a sense of disappointment and frustration, fearing that if they were even a second too late, they would suffer the consequences.

Zhao Weilai was not surprised.

Jiang Youzi seems to have something to rely on, otherwise she wouldn't have said something like asking them to quit and then giving them points as compensation.

But if they dare to reach out to something that's obviously strange, and something really goes wrong, it might implicate them.

"Let's ignore it for now and observe how things develop."

Zhao Weilai forcefully suppressed the dissatisfaction of the three new players:

"If you want to join them, then leave the team first. Otherwise, you must follow my instructions. I am the captain, and I am responsible for everyone."

The three players exchanged glances and reluctantly agreed.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Ya suddenly raised her hand and made a "shush" gesture warily.

Deng Ziwen and Ding Feifan leaned over to the left and right, and gently opened the window a crack:

The courtyard wall opposite the window wasn't high. Two legs were dangling from the top of the wall. The person seemed to have never climbed a wall before. They kicked their feet wildly on the wall and finally fell to the ground with a "ouch".

Stealing something?

The group squinted and recognized the man climbing over the wall as Qian Zifu, the poor scholar they had seen the day before. He was carrying a cloth bag and sneaking towards them.

Zhao Weilai winked at Deng Ziwen, who understood and gently opened the door. Su Ya then tossed the vernier calipers in her hand—

Qian Zifu was crouching low, sneaking in like a mouse stealing oil, when Deng Ziwen lifted him up like a chick:

"Sneaky and shifty-eyed, you're obviously not a good person. What are you doing here? Tell me."

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! Mercy, sir! Mercy, sir!"

Qian Zifu was so frightened that he shuddered and repeatedly bowed, saying, "I...I...I'm not a bad person! Not a bad person!"

Deng Ziwen was too lazy to listen to his shouts, so he carried him into the house and threw him straight to the ground.

Qian Zifu rolled half a circle on the ground, while Zhao Weilai sat in a chair, not understanding what this guy was trying to do by climbing over the wall.

Ding Feifan blocked the doorway to prevent him from escaping, while Su Ya stood warily next to Zhao Weilai, carrying a weapon.

To everyone's surprise, when Qian Zifu looked up and saw Su Ya, his eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline.

He first stood up, straightened his clothes in a proper manner, then took two steps forward and bowed deeply to Su Ya, his body bent like a shrimp:

"Miss, Miss Hu, my name is Qian Zifu. I am honored to come here tonight at the risk of my life, all for your safety!"

……

"Miss, I dreamt of my ancestor last night. In the dream, my ancestor answered my questions, saying that the evil spirit that haunts the mansion every day is none other than a mountain demon from the mountains!"

The mountain demon is most afraid of lime and cinnabar, so I went to the temple today to get some talisman paper. As long as you put this talisman under your pillow, you will be safe and sound!

He spoke hastily, and with an air of sincerity, he pulled out several crumpled yellow talismans, holding them in both hands as he was about to hand them to Su Ya.

Su Ya didn't answer, and Zhao Weilai became even more confused: "If you're delivering a letter, why didn't you use the main entrance?"