Chapter 45

“Baa——”

The Little Black Goat let out a screech.

The tentacle gripped in the Priest’s hand reverted from its shadow state to its original form in an instant. It was a chaotic lake-blue, as thick as a forearm, with black spots covering one side and densely packed suckers on the other.

The Priest let out a mocking cold snort. His five fingers hooked like claws, and he crushed it outright.

Blue-purple liquid splashed everywhere. The dead chunks of flesh were tossed to the ground, where they dissolved into a puff of black mist and vanished.

Zhong Nian stared in stunned silence. “What is this?”

“A Low-level Devil’s clone. It had its eyes on you and hid in your shadow. Once it marked you, it would emerge from your shadow at night and tear you apart to devour you.”

【Tentacles, huh…】

【I kinda want to see how it eats our wife.】

【It’s not the kind where it wraps up baby and stirs tentacles inside, right?】

【Heh heh.】

The barrage devolved into all sorts of fantasies.

Over the past couple of days, more and more viewers had flooded into Zhong Nian’s Live Stream Room. Many came from other Players’ streams, turning the crowd into a motley mix. The barrage atmosphere had grown increasingly depraved, often filled with filthy remarks.

Zhong Nian’s brows furrowed, and he shut off the Live Stream Room.

The next second, the man beside him drew his attention back.

The Priest pulled out a pristine handkerchief and wiped the blood that had splashed onto Zhong Nian’s cheek.

The handkerchief was soft. The man’s fingers brushed against his skin inadvertently, ice-cold enough to make Zhong Nian shiver. He shrank back uncomfortably, dodging the somewhat intimate gesture.

The Little Lamb in his arms took over for the handkerchief. It tilted its head up and licked away the last traces of blood from his face.

Zhong Nian held it down and asked the Priest, “When did the Demon’s clone…”

Halfway through his words, he remembered stepping into the fog, and his expression shifted slightly.

“Once you enter a Devil’s domain, they get an opening.” The Priest folded the handkerchief stained with tentacle blood and methodically cleaned his soiled hands.

Zhong Nian felt genuine gratitude. “I see… Thank you, Priest.”

“No need to thank me.” The Priest tossed the soiled handkerchief to the ground, where it burst into flames and vanished in an instant.

In the fleeting firelight, Zhong Nian stared dazedly at the man’s chiseled profile. For a split second, he caught a glint of lake-blue in the other’s eyes.

But with a blink, it was gone.

Maybe just the color from the stained-glass windows…

While he zoned out, the Priest suddenly furrowed his brows. The slight downturn of his mouth betrayed a hint of displeasure. “Someone’s coming.”

Zhong Nian followed behind him, cradling the Little Lamb as they stepped outside. The fog had cleared, and Jie Jialiang and the others stood before the rusty iron gate—not entirely unexpected.

With the Low-level Demon driven off, the fog naturally dispersed. The only ones who would head straight to the church were Players.

Zhong Nian paid more attention to the Children peeking out from behind a large tree.

They spotted him and waved happily in unison, but mindful of the others, they didn’t dare run over.

Zhong Nian’s eyes curved in a smile.

“Zhong Nian, you actually beat us here.” Jie Jialiang smiled first at Zhong Nian, who stood beside the Priest, then greeted the Priest politely. “Hello, Priest. May we come in to look around? We’re Zhong Nian’s friends.”

The Priest remained impassive and turned away. “Follow me if you want to see the Confessional.”

Straight to the point—the Players had no objections, skipping the small talk.

On the way into the hall, the Players spotted the goat reliefs and goat skulls, voicing the very doubts in Zhong Nian’s mind.

“Priest-daren, if I may be so bold, which deity is worshipped here?”

“Why are there so many goats?”

“…I recall goats are sometimes seen as Incarnations of the Devil. That’s weird.”

The Priest, walking ahead, ignored them completely. He only turned to ask Zhong Nian, who was breathing a bit heavily behind him, “Heavy? Let me hold it.”

Zhong Nian was indeed struggling a little.

The Little Lamb was well-behaved but had some weight to it. His arms ached from holding it so long. Without thinking, he handed it over.

The Little Lamb was reluctant and bit at Zhong Nian’s sleeve, refusing to let go.

The man pinched the scruff of its neck to make it release.

Zhong Nian saw the Little Lamb gazing at him pitifully and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Players behind them watched the interaction between the man, Zhong Nian, and the lamb, each harboring their own thoughts.

The Priest said, “We’re here.”

The Confessional was in the Back Hall. It was too cramped for two people, shaped like an upright coffin with a tall stool inside.

Even from outside, it looked confined and dim. The decayed wood inside was stained black—who knew with what—and exuded an ominous aura.

“Feels like this couldn’t hold anyone in…” the Bald Man muttered lowly.

No one responded.

Jie Jialiang seemed thoughtful. He stepped forward into it and sat on the tall stool.

His movements were utterly natural, without a hint of hesitation. The other Players were dumbfounded, shocked by his boldness.

“Doesn’t seem like anything special.” He smiled, looking perfectly relaxed as he stepped back out. “Is it because it’s daytime?”

“Maybe it changes at midnight?” The Bald Man glanced at the Priest’s expression, trying to read something.

Unfortunately, the man’s face remained cold, his dark eyes like stagnant water, betraying no ripples and impossible to fathom.

Afterward, Jie Jialiang tried some verbal tricks to pry clues, but the Priest remained unmoved and tight-lipped.

Seeing they couldn’t get anything out of the Priest, the Players treated him as just an ordinary NPC guiding them to the key info point of the “Confessional” and left without lingering.

Only Zhong Nian lagged a step behind the others to bid the Priest farewell.

“Goodbye, Mr. Priest.” Zhong Nian looked down at the Little Lamb in his arms. “Goodbye, Little Sheep.”

“If you wish, you can come back anytime.” The Priest’s voice softened a touch, carrying a hint of warmth. “It likes you, after all.”

…

The Bald Man clicked his tongue. “Tch, wasted a whole day. Damn it, got nothing out of it.”

The Skinny Man, soaked through with filthy water and hugging his arms, said, “So cold… Let’s hurry back.”

The boyfriend in the couple suggested, “We should head back to cook, eat, and take a nap?”

The Bald Man grinned at him. “What do you think, Big Bro Jie?”

Jie Jialiang nodded. “I’m fine either way.”

“Anyway, with you here, we can take this task slow!”

Jie Jialiang smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying it.

【Hugging a thick thigh feels great.】

【No tension at all—like they’re on a field trip.】

【Boring.】

【Better to squat in the little beauty’s stream next door. Way easier on the eyes.】

【Licked and charged up.】

【You think I wanna stay here? It’s just that wife turned off her stream.】

【What did he put in his stream? Got me all hot and bothered. An honest country bumpkin like me can’t handle that temptation.】

【Can’t Jie Jialiang take the hint? Get closer to my wife so I can see better.】

【Jie-dog, I’ll tip you—now go beg my wife to open her stream.】

【Bunch of spineless lickdogs, switching sides fast. Weren’t you all praising my Jie God earlier? So when are you speaking up, Jie-dog?】

Jie Jialiang subtly slowed his pace to match Zhong Nian’s.

Meeting the youth’s puzzled and wary gaze, he chuckled lightly. “The viewers in my stream all really like you.”

Zhong Nian didn’t understand this guy’s sudden approach or his intentions, so he stayed silent.

“Want to turn your stream back on?” Jie Jialiang shrugged. “No choice—they’re making a fuss over here.”

“…Yeah, we’ll see.” Zhong Nian brushed it off.

Jie Jialiang’s shoulder brushed against Zhong Nian’s intentionally or not. In a soft voice, he said, “They even told me to get on good terms with you, stay close—so they can see more of you.”

“Is that so?” Zhong Nian replied coolly.

“You seem to have a natural knack for winning people over. Not just the viewers—the Priest treated you differently too. When you got here early, did you two talk about anything?”

Zhong Nian frowned, about to put some distance between them, when he spotted a familiar figure not far off. His eyes lit up, and he jogged over.

Jie Jialiang paused. His eyes narrowed behind the Silver-Framed Glasses as he watched the youth run to the most out-of-place man in that group—the Masked Man—a dark glint flashing in his gaze.