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The situation seemed to have returned to square one, falling into a deadlock.
Just when everyone was at their wit's end, Zhao Baige spoke up softly from behind.
"Um... the key... I think I have one."
Everyone turned around and saw Zhao Baige, who had been hiding at the back and hadn't been of much use, holding out a key.
"Where did you get this key?" Su Wanling asked hurriedly.
Zhao Baige blushed and said timidly, "When we were rescuing the prisoners on the first floor, I found an extra key. It couldn't open any of the rooms, so I thought it might be for the second floor. But it didn't work on any of the cells there either. It seems like... an extra key."
Hearing Zhao Baige's explanation, the other girls showed expressions of surprise and delight.
"This must be the key for Room One!" Ren Lan exclaimed, rushing over, grabbing the key, and giving Zhao Baige a flying kiss.
"You've really helped us out, Little Baige!" Ren Lan praised.
"Yeah, I think this is definitely the key."
"Baige, you're amazing. We couldn't have done it without you."
"Absolutely, absolutely."
Faced with everyone's praise, Zhao Baige, who was already shy and a bit socially anxious, didn't know what to do. Her face turned as red as a tomato.
But she was secretly delighted, as she finally felt she wasn't just coasting along for experience.
She finally had a small role to play.
"Now that we have the key, who will go to open it? That position will definitely alert the three bosses. If someone gets surrounded by them, there won't be time to open the cell," Shi Xiyue said.
"It's okay, I'll take the first wave of damage and let Little Lin open the cell. He's fast," Ren Lan volunteered.
Everyone agreed; it seemed like the best plan.
However, Lin Jichen shook his head and vetoed it. "No, even though you're a body cultivator, you're only at the early-Golden Elixir stage. If you try to tank three Gathering Spirit Realm bosses, you'll be dead in seconds."
"I have Sister Qiuxue to heal me. What am I afraid of?" Ren Lan said confidently.
Lin Jichen rolled his eyes and said, "Do you really think my sister is a god? The damage from three bosses, my sister is only at the later stage of Foundation Establishment. Not only can't she heal you, but if one of the bosses targets her while she's behind you, she'll be dead in a second."
"Then... then just sacrifice me! Sister Qiuxue doesn't need to heal me. It's fine, if I die, I die, as long as we can clear the level," Ren Lan suggested another idea.
It was actually a good idea, but Lin Jichen still rejected it.
"Don't worry, I have a way to open the cell," Lin Jichen said confidently with a smile.
Lin Jichen didn't say anything. Instead, he made a hand seal with one hand, and soon, a red-clad phantom appeared in the void.
"Master, does Little Wan have something to do?"
A clear and quiet voice came, and the air around them grew cooler.
It was Zhao Baige's first time seeing such a scene. She screamed in fright and hid behind Lin Jichen, trembling.
The other girls were a bit startled but quickly got used to it.
After all, ghosts were common in the Tale of Immortal. In the Nightmare Secret Realm and Night Cave Ghost Ridge, there were ghosts everywhere.
Many leveling spots also had a lot of ghosts.
As long as the ghosts weren't too terrifying or eerie, everyone could somewhat accept them.
Moreover, this ghost wasn't scary at all. On the contrary, she was very beautiful!
Not only was she pretty and elegant, but she was also dressed in a festive red wedding dress, with exquisite bridal makeup, making her look stunning and captivating.
"Don't be afraid, even though she's a ghost, she's one of us," Lin Jichen explained with a smile.
"Wow, Little Lin, you could summon spirits before, and now you can summon ghosts. Are you really a Ghost Rider?" Ren Lan said boldly.
Liu Xiazi and Zhou Tiantian, who understood the joke, blushed and spat. The other girls were confused. What was a Ghost Rider? Wasn't it supposed to be a necromancer?
Jiang Luoyu asked curiously, "What's a Ghost Rider?"
Ren Lan casually replied, "It's Ning Caichen. Haven't you seen an old movie, A Chinese Ghost Story, where Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian are in the graveyard..."
Before she could finish, everyone understood, and there was a chorus of spitting.
Lin Jichen's forehead was covered in black lines. He wished he could glue this crazy woman's mouth shut with 502 glue!
"Don't talk nonsense. Ghosts are very common in this game, and many of them are very powerful," Lin Jichen quickly explained.
"Are you saying this female ghost is very strong? Did you summon her?" Su Wanling asked curiously.
"Not summoned. She's my ghost servant, basically my servant," Lin Jichen replied.
As soon as he said this, the girls' expressions turned a bit strange. Servant? Maid?
"Idol... you kind of thing?" Liu Xiazi said in shock.
Lin Jichen was stunned and speechless.
Jiang Luoyu and Gu Qiuxue couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
Lin Jichen felt bitter inside. It was a misunderstanding he couldn’t clear up, like a stain falling into his pants—whether mud or not, it looked like shit.
He had to continue explaining, "You can think of ghost servants as a type of pet, just rarer. It's very rare to be able to sign a master-servant contract with a ghost."
Before Lin Jichen could finish, Ren Lan interrupted, "A pet? Then the question is, how did you conquer this beautiful pet?"
The girls' thoughts went astray again, their faces turning redder and redder.
Lin Jichen felt hopeless. He knew he would be misunderstood, which was why he hadn't released Little Wan before. He was afraid everyone would overthink it.
Unexpectedly, it still happened. He felt like everyone now saw him as the second coming of Ning Caichen.
As the saying goes, "I'd rather die than lose my reputation!"
He couldn't accept the Ghost Rider persona!
"Think whatever you want. I don't care."
Lin Jichen was angry! The kind that couldn't be coaxed!
Seeing this, Ren Lan quickly admitted her mistake, "Don't be mad, Little Lin. I was just joking."
Fortunately, Gu Qiuxue stepped in and said, "Alright, Little Lan, stop teasing. I've heard from my master that ghost servants really do exist in this world. Powerful ghost servants are no weaker than any high-level pet."
Jiang Luoyu also nodded, "I've also heard my master mention it during lessons. Powerful ghost servants can significantly boost a player's combat power and can explore dangerous areas for their master."
Ren Lan smiled wryly, "I guess I'm just ignorant."
She then tugged at Lin Jichen's sleeve and said, "Little Lin, don't be mad, okay~"
Lin Jichen wasn't really angry. He was just pretending. If he didn't put on a show, they would really be led astray by Ren Lan, and his reputation would be ruined!
"Alright, I'm not mad anymore. But what will you do if you make this kind of joke again?" Lin Jichen said, taking the opportunity to step down and return to his normal expression.
"Then you can beat me up. I promise I won't fight back!" Ren Lan swore.
Lin Jichen secretly made up his mind that if this crazy woman dared to tease him again, he would definitely "whip" her hard!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas