Chapter 26: Rowing

Page 1/3

Wen Su’s words stirred a deep sense of guilt and shame within Li Yanshu. She lowered her head even further. Seeing Li Yanshu’s reaction exactly as she had anticipated, Wen Su felt a surge of satisfaction.

She said, “Let’s start rowing now, or we’ll fall behind them.”

“All right, okay,” Li Yanshu hurriedly grabbed the only paddle on the boat, anxious not to be looked down upon by the other two teammates for not contributing.

“Yanshu, want to help row? That’d be great! Then we can count on you,” Huan Xiao didn’t argue; in fact, she was relieved not to have to exert herself. Having someone willing to take on the hard work was a blessing.

Although Huan Xiao could propel the wooden boat with ghost energy, she preferred not to reveal her spiritual power in front of others.

Wen Su also praised Li Yanshu, “I didn’t expect you to be so enthusiastic. Don’t worry, I’m leading this round. I’ll do my best to make sure the three of us all survive to the end.”

Seeing both teammates smile kindly, Li Yanshu felt a wave of relief and a sense of pride. Being seen as useful by others was something she had always yearned for.

She willingly rowed for her teammates, as if doing so could temporarily make her someone Wen Su and the others acknowledged.

Noticing Li Yanshu’s silly grin, Wen Su subtly frowned and urged, “Row faster, Yanshu. Our goal is to catch up with those ahead. Getting separated makes us vulnerable to unnecessary dangers.”

“All right!” Li Yanshu rolled up her sleeves and rowed vigorously.

The boat left ripples behind as the scenery on both sides slipped away.

Huan Xiao glanced back at the growing distance between them and the dark mist, curious about what lay within.

“Xiao Huan, don’t look. That’s a barrier set by the game to keep players safe,” Wen Su explained nearby, then asked, “You’ve played two rounds already. Have you tried awakening as a Spirit Wielder?”

Hearing the mention of Spirit Wielders, Li Yanshu perked up her ears while rowing.

“I tried, but didn’t succeed,” Huan Xiao said. She knew her method of acquiring ghost energy was unusual and naturally wouldn’t reveal it.

Wen Su relaxed upon hearing Huan Xiao’s failure—thankfully, the newcomer failed too, or else she would have felt uneasy.

Awakening as a Spirit Wielder was the only chance players had to fight the spirits. Failure meant they could never combat the ghosts again and would be forced to become toys of the spirits until death.

Seeing Li Yanshu observing them quietly, Wen Su’s expression grew noticeably colder.

Page 2/3

It wasn’t that she hated Li Yanshu watching them, but she had little patience for such an unremarkable character.

So she asked casually, “What about you, Yanshu? Have you tried awakening?”

Called out, Li Yanshu straightened slightly and whispered, “Not yet... It’s so hard to get a vessel. I don’t have one now.”

“Is that so? Well, the outcome’s the same. Becoming a Spirit Wielder isn’t for just anyone; very few succeed. Honestly, your chances aren’t high.”

Wen Su’s tone was even harsher toward Li Yanshu. She disliked anyone who might become a Spirit Wielder.

But looking at Li Yanshu, she was sure this timid girl could never awaken successfully. What could someone so fearful possibly accomplish?

Li Yanshu didn’t react to Wen Su’s belittling, clearly used to being underestimated.

She meekly replied, “I know, but if there’s a chance, I have to try. What if... what if I succeed?”

“Yeah, you know the odds are one in a million. Good luck,” Wen Su said with a sweet smile, though her words were full of doubt.

She ignored Li Yanshu afterward and turned to Huan Xiao.

“Xiao Huan, how did you survive your previous two games? How many lived each time? I’ll analyze the difficulty for you, so maybe we can strategize together for the dangers ahead.”

Wen Su’s true intention was to find out whether Huan Xiao had simply lucked out or used her wits to survive. She didn’t want clueless teammates messing up their plans.

Huan Xiao thought for a moment and casually said, “Four people in the first, two in the second.”

If they knew she was the only survivor both times, they’d be wary. Better to tell a little white lie.

“Really? You guys were pretty lucky then.”

“Yeah, all thanks to the pros leading. I didn’t contribute much,” Huan Xiao caught Wen Su’s implication and took the chance to fully embrace her carefree, lazy persona.

“No problem, you’re lucky. I’ll lead you this time,” Wen Su said happily.

This only confirmed that these two had to listen to her. She loved giving orders and making decisions!

“Great, I’m counting on you.”

Huan Xiao felt that sounded a little cold and added warmly, “Wen Su, you’re amazing—just like the two helpful pros I met before!”

Though there were no such helpful pros, only one boy who liked to watch the fun but ended up the joke himself.

“Oh, it’s nothing special,” Wen Su replied modestly.

Page 3/3

Wen Su was pleased, pressing her index finger to her lips and making a shushing gesture toward Huan Xiao.

“All right, Xiao Huan, don’t talk to me for now. Let me think about which way we should go.”

She stroked her chin and stared thoughtfully at the fork in the river.

Once Huan Xiao’s gaze shifted away from Wen Su, she noticed Li Yanshu, completely ignored, bent over rowing with hands clenched so tightly around the paddle that her knuckles had turned white.

It seemed Li Yanshu was far from indifferent to Wen Su’s cold shoulder.

The river ahead split into two branches.

One turned into a forest, its depths hidden from view.

The other was obscured by houses, also concealing what lay beyond.

All other boats had vanished, but Huan Xiao had noticed that some had chosen each path.

It was an obvious choice, and no one knew which way Wen Su would go.

“Yanshu, row to the right,” Wen Su decided quickly.

The right branch was the one hidden by houses.

But Li Yanshu didn’t immediately follow; she hesitated and asked cautiously, “Wen Su, I just saw more people heading into the forest. Shouldn’t we follow them?”

Her tone was tentative and probing.

Wen Su, feeling questioned, visibly darkened.

She looked down at Li Yanshu with disdain.

“Do you dislike me? Why do you doubt every decision I make? Do you enjoy opposing me so much? No wonder they all reject you—you have so many problems.”

“No, I didn’t mean that!” Li Yanshu flailed her hands, trying to explain but unable to find the words.

In the end, she gave in and said, “Sorry, I won’t do it again. I’ll row right now.”

“You’d better mean that!” Wen Su snapped angrily.

She was kindly making decisions for the group, yet Li Yanshu showed no gratitude and repeatedly challenged her limits.

Such an unlikable person—no wonder she had developed such a useless disposition.