When he opened his eyes again and saw the scene in front of him, Xu Xi couldn’t help but freeze.
The four of them were standing in front of the funeral shop, gathered together and clearly discussing the information the old man had just mentioned.
What’s going on? This instance hadn’t reset back to the very beginning!
“Should we buy that old man’s paper money?”
Noticing Li Kang looking at him as if asking for his opinion, Xu Xi blurted out, “Buy it!”
That decisive tone made the other three and the live stream comments all pause.
Tan Xingyun quickly reacted, probing, “Brother Xu, did you discover something?”
Xu Xiuman looked at Xu Xi with curiosity and offered her own view, “I also think we can buy some, but we don’t need too much. After all, we can’t guarantee the true purpose of that paper money. What if the old man was deliberately deceiving us?”
Li Kang was more straightforward. He already had a special impression of Xu Xi. If Xu Xi said to buy, he would buy.
[Oh wow, 2 minutes 48 seconds finally spoke]
[I’m curious, isn’t it tiring to type that long of a nickname every time?]
[To be honest, it’s a little tiring. I’ll stop typing it later]
[So what did he figure out? He seems very confident]
[No idea]
Xu Xi suppressed his various conjectures about his own abilities for the time being. Facing the others who were waiting for his answer, he found it awkward to explain on the spot.
He couldn’t very well tell them they had already died once and were now experiencing a second rebirth.
In the end, Xu Xi vaguely said, “The more of that paper money the better. We’ll need it later.”
The three were left puzzled.
Tan Xingyun asked again, “Did you find some clue but it’s not convenient to tell us?”
That was a good reason.
In fact, saying that wasn’t wrong.
With an easy out, Xu Xi simply nodded.
Even Xu Xi didn’t notice how calm he appeared.
Compared to dying eight times in the first instance, he no longer considered dying once or twice a big deal.
And that composure, instead of making him seem unremarkable, drew the attention of the other three and the viewers online.
Tan Xingyun sized up the young man named Xu Xi once more.
After the introductions, this man had hardly spoken, his presence the weakest in the group, so Tan had naturally overlooked him.
Now, looking again, he suddenly realized what he had missed.
This man was too calm.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
He and the denim skirt woman were calm too, because they both knew that the first requirement for clearing these instances was to keep a cool head, yet they could not avoid worry and fear.
But this young man was different. Rather than calm, he seemed composed to the point of being unshakeable.
It was as if he was certain this instance could not harm him.
Xu Xiuman had a similar impression.
Li Kang felt his earlier suspicions were being confirmed.
This youth, who looked about his age, must be extraordinary.
[What’s going on? Why does the atmosphere among these people suddenly feel weird?]
[Probably because the three are annoyed that Xu Xi discovered something and won’t tell them]
[I don’t think it’s annoyance. It feels stranger than that]
[So maybe Xu Xi discovered a clue and can’t say?]
[Don’t be ridiculous, obviously the newcomer knows something but is too lazy to explain]
[I think the beer-bellied uncle also noticed that, which is why he offered both sides a way out]
[Good psychoanalysis up there]
[No, I just did a little psychology study]
[Also, did you notice—even the relatively calm uncle and denim skirt lady showed fear in their eyes when the funeral shop owner came out? They even instinctively stepped back defensively. Xu Xi, however, stayed put. Except for a grave expression on his face, there wasn’t a hint of fear]
[Whoa, we’ve got a detail analyst among us!]
[Looks like his first instance win wasn’t pure luck. Earlier people threatened him but he stayed silent; I think he was intentionally low-key, quietly controlling the situation. See how he took command at a critical moment?]
[After all this, what exactly did Xu Xi notice? Anyone explain? Last instance was foggy, and this one’s confusing too]
[He beat the single-player instance fast; that’s skill]
Xu Xi had no idea that, by coincidence, he had managed to read everyone so well and had successfully upgraded from a quiet nonentity to a quietly powerful presence.
In the end, the three decided to follow Xu Xi’s suggestion and buy more paper money.
When the old man learned they wanted to buy a large amount of paper money, he grinned until his eyes turned to slits. “The highway’s long, you won’t regret buying it.”
Hearing the familiar first half of that sentence, Xu Xi’s heart stirred. He glanced at the old man who was ringing up their purchases.
Different second halves of that sentence represented different trajectories.
This time they should be able to get through those burial mounds smoothly.
His gaze scanned the shop counter and lingered on an object. The next second he said, “Wrap a bundle of the offering incense for us too.”
The old man looked surprised at the young customer, but he quickly laughed again. “Sure. This customer is thoughtful. Some things are hard to deal with; those require a pricier incense.”
Xu Xi had not thought much about it. He was simply willing to spend the money for an extra pack of incense just in case. He hadn’t expected to hear such a remark from the old man.
What the old man said was practically an explicit hint.
The expressions on the faces of Tan Xingyun and the others changed immediately.
Now they could be certain the road ahead would not be peaceful; at least they would encounter things that needed incense to drive them off.
If Xu Xi hadn’t proposed buying an extra pack of incense, and they met those things later...
Thinking this, the group’s looks toward Xu Xi changed once more.
[That old man isn’t even acting anymore]
[A funeral shop out in the middle of nowhere, how normal do you think that is?]
[So those rumors the old man mentioned earlier are actually true. He said he wasn’t sure, what a liar]
[He’s just an NPC selling items. It’s already good if he gives you clues and props. Don’t expect him to tell you how dangerous the instance is]
[Paper money is just the old man’s routine reminder, but Xu Xi evoked a deeper hint]
[How did he figure it out? I want half his brain]
[These teammates don’t even ask. Maybe Xu Xi would explain if he was in the mood]