The distorted face finished speaking and dramatically stretched its mouth wide open, large enough for a person to easily pass through.
Qi Xu hesitated after all—this "gate" clearly hadn’t brushed its teeth in ages...
But compared to treasure, it was nothing!
Holding his breath, Qi Xu calmly stepped inside.
The other three quickly followed, but just as they tried to enter, the distorted face snapped its mouth shut.
It even let out a "pfft," using its tongue to shove Xie Shaoning back out. "You three got no manners? Where’s my joke?"
The trio was furious. A joke? This was just a roundabout way of demanding money!
"We already paid the entrance fee. We have the right to go in," Jinwen Xingmangyue argued, though she was broke. Even if she didn’t want to provoke the gate, she had to stand her ground.
"Then let’s stall. I’ve got all the time in the world—waited this long, a few more days won’t kill me."
The distorted face on the gate wasn’t bothered. After being punished by being turned into a lousy door, what did it care about being reported? It had already lost its body—what was shame to a disembodied face?
Once inside, Qi Xu immediately surveyed his surroundings. The damp, earthy scent of decaying foliage mixed with the crisp fragrance of pine needles filled the air. Layers of dense tree canopies loomed overhead, while fern tendrils swayed gently in the breeze.
Clearly, he was in a primeval forest. But... Qi Xu recalled the treasure map’s description: The Star Raft’s Lost Manuscript.
"Star Raft" referred to a wooden vessel from the celestial river...
No matter how he looked at it, this environment was a far cry from that. This forest was likely just a transitional zone.
Qi Xu considered going solo—after all, traveling with three shady teammates was worse than being alone. But the treasure map’s hidden realm had a special party mechanic: progress was impossible without a full team.
Just as Qi Xu was about to head back to see why the other three were taking so long, he spotted clusters of glowing plants at the base of nearby trees.
Their leaves were translucent like glass, veins pulsing with silvery luminescence, crowned by delicate tri-petaled lavender flowers. When touched, they released a crisp, minty fragrance.
Qi Xu instantly remembered the contract he’d signed:
"All four members must equally split any gains obtained within the treasure map’s hidden realm."
But since he was the only one here now, "equal splits" didn’t apply.
His spirits lifted, Qi Xu swiftly scanned them with his light screen.
〖Truthgrass: Crush and apply to the palm to discern the veracity of spoken words. If the speaker lies, the palm will burn with heat.〗
Given the hidden realm’s party mechanic, the appearance of Truthgrass made perfect sense!
Without hesitation, Qi Xu harvested all 36 plants and stashed them in his backpack.
He even tidied up the area, erasing all traces, before thoroughly scouting for other accessible spots.
Finding nothing else, he finally trudged back, grumbling loudly.
"Can you three hurry up? How long am I supposed to wait? What’s the answer? I already told you—just copy it, how hard is that?"
The distorted face obliged Qi Xu, reopening its mouth to let him out and even nodding in agreement.
Jinwen Xingmangyue and Zhishi Naigai Bafentang were merely flushed with anger, but Xie Shaoning now sported a bleeding bite mark on his face.
Qi Xu clicked his tongue, feigning ignorance. "What happened to your face?"
"The door bit me," Xie Shaoning muttered, too embarrassed to explain. Jinwen Xingmangyue answered for him—Xie Shaoning had tried forcing his way in and got chomped.
The worst part? The damn door had the audacity to spit afterward.
"We even coughed up another 800 Survival Coins, and it still wouldn’t let us in."
Qi Xu didn’t soften his tone. He turned back to the distorted face. "That’s not cool. Just name your price—no need to drag it out."
"1,000 per person."
"You heard him. Pay up."
"We’re broke. Seriously," Jinwen Xingmangyue groaned. Why did everything cost money lately? They’d barely scraped together the entrance fee by risking their lives in dungeons.
"Fine, I’ll cover it."
Qi Xu acted magnanimous—until he added, "But when we get out, I get to pick one item from each of your hauls. Don’t worry, I won’t be unreasonable. You can each protect one item from my selection."
Zhishi Naigai Bafentang sighed and handed over her last 1,000 Survival Coins to the door. "I’ll pass. This is all I’ve got left."
She’d spared Xie Shaoning the humiliation of begging and avoided owing Qi Xu. Between 1,000 coins and the unknown treasures ahead, the choice was obvious. Besides, with the entrance fee already paid, there was no turning back.
Jinwen Xingmangyue and Xie Shaoning had no choice—they were truly penniless. Reluctantly, they signed Qi Xu’s lopsided contract.
The moment all four stepped inside, Qi Xu received a 500-coin kickback from the door.
Nice. This guy knew how to play the game.
"Ah, forget it. Among friends, taking your money feels wrong. How about we exchange contacts instead?"
The distorted face was stunned. Technically, it could... but was this normal?
Normal or not, the group chat One Big Happy Family welcomed a new member—albeit a peculiar one.
Snakey the Social: "Hey there, new buddy!"
The Lonely Door: "Hi, everyone! Can I join your chats? I’m so bored. [Red packet]"
Qi Xu snatched one lightning-fast.
Invincible Black Tornado: "Haha! I got the luckiest grab!"
Taotao: "Qi Qi will always have the best fortune!"
Worker Monkey: "Sweet! I’m bored too. Thinking of quitting—my boss is a nightmare. I do all the work, he takes all the credit, calls meetings at clock-out, and won’t pay overtime. The worst!"
Qi Xu instantly transferred 200 Survival Coins to Worker Monkey. "Don’t put up with that. Quit if you want. That Monkey Boss of yours never struck me as sharp."
Worker Monkey: "T_T You’re too kind. Actually, our old Monkey Boss got fired. New boss now... Honestly, the old one wasn’t so bad to us."
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. Fired? If he could get in touch, that was another monster connection secured.
"Slide me your old boss’s contact!"
Worker Monkey: "Sure, lemme ask first."
After wrapping up the chat, Qi Xu finally stepped fully into the hidden realm. A broadcast promptly echoed in his ears.
..........
