She Was Sentenced to Life Imprisonment [Unlimited] - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Beauty Porcelain (1)

What Charm Can a Person Who Can’t Protect Themselves Exude?

【Player detected to have successfully entered the instance】

【This instance is named: Beauty Porcelain】

The system’s voice paused for a moment, then described the background of the instance in a completely emotionless tone.

【This is a small city in the south, with a beautiful artistic feel of Chinese ink painting. You are in a town famous for its porcelain. Every year, the most famous potter would present a Beauty Porcelain to the royal family. However, the potter is now old. As the potter’s apprentice, you must create a Beauty Porcelain that satisfies her.】

【Please proceed to the courtyard of the potter, “Mother Ci.”】

As the system’s voice faded, the girl on the bridge slowly opened her eyes. Her clear, glass-like eyes swept across her surroundings, discreetly taking in the scene.

A bustling crowd passed by her, their liveliness making her feel a moment of disorientation.

Below the bridge, clear water gurgled. The glistening surface was rippled by the falling rain. Across the bridge, an ancient town with green tiles and gray bricks looked like an elegant ink painting in the continuous drizzle.

The beauty of everything in front of her made people forget that this was a lethal game.

Jiang Nan held out her hand, letting the rain wet her palm. The cool touch felt unreal.

She looked at the rainwater on her hand and then looked down.

Her original clothes had been replaced, but the fabric was soft and comfortable. Her light blue jacket and dark blue skirt gave her melancholic eyes a hint of a scholarly aura, like a student from the Republic of China era, which suited the ancient town.

Jiang Nan didn’t think too much about where her clothes came from. She walked toward the ancient town on the other side of the bridge, looking for a place to shelter from the rain.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, and a fresh fragrance filled her nose. A familiar presence came to her side, and she heard a voice with a smile.

“Little Jiang Nan, you’ll catch a cold if you get wet.”

The teasing voice by her ear carried no malice, as if the person was genuinely concerned about her.

Hearing the voice, Jiang Nan froze for a moment. She turned her head and met those deep purple, bewitching eyes. The slightly upturned corners of the eyes made the person look like a fox toying with people’s hearts. But there was also a hint of gentleness that made it hard not to fall into them when looking into her eyes.

“Why are you here?”

Jiang Nan suddenly came back to her senses, frowned, and took a step back to get away from her. But the rain suddenly grew heavier, wetting her sleeves and the hem of her clothes.

Luo Ning looked at the person in front of her who wanted to leave but was in a difficult situation. A smile was on her lips as she said.

“To clear the instance, of course.”

What else could a person entering an instance be here for besides clearing it?

Hearing her words, Jiang Nan couldn’t go anywhere for the time being, so she carefully sized up the person in front of her.

The other person was not wearing the same clothes as in the beginner’s instance. As if to match this instance, she was wearing a tall, crimson agate-like silk qipao. Her hair was lightly pulled back into a bun, decorated with a simple hairpin. A paper umbrella was in her long hand, giving her a classic, elegant look.

She was so lazy and calm that she didn’t look like she was here to clear a game; she looked more like she had casually chosen a place to play.

“You heard the system, didn’t you? We need to find Mother Ci.”

Jiang Nan’s eyes drooped slightly, and she gave an absent-minded “mm.”

The system said to find Mother Ci, but the whole town was famous for making porcelain. There was no one to guide them. The system wanted them to blindly find the quest target.

They walked into the ancient town, holding the paper umbrella.

The stalls in front of every house were filled with all kinds of porcelain, exquisitely beautiful and dazzling. This perfectly fit the setting of a town that made a living from porcelain.

They tried asking the locals about the whereabouts of Mother Ci. But without exception, everyone who heard the name shook their heads in horror and said that there was no such person.

If they were so afraid, then why did they say there was no such person?

Jiang Nan wondered, but the people she had asked all avoided her gaze, and it seemed they didn’t want to answer anymore.

The rain gradually became lighter, leaving only a fine drizzle. Luo Ning put away her paper umbrella, smiled at the people who were avoiding her gaze, and leaned over to whisper in Jiang Nan’s ear.

“Should I help you catch one and interrogate them?”

She said it casually, but even with a smile, her gaze made people shudder.

Jiang Nan glanced at her, not answering her question. Instead, she stepped forward and changed her method of questioning the locals.

“Is there anyone who lives in a very large house here?”

The most skilled potter had once presented the Beauty Porcelain to the royal palace every year, so she must have a certain status in this town. Although she didn’t know why the residents were so afraid, based on this point, all she had to do was find the largest house.

With this question, the person finally stopped being afraid and answered enthusiastically.

“From here, go forward two hundred meters, then turn left. There’s the biggest house in our town.”

The person’s voice paused, and then she said with a hint of regret in her eyes.

“It’s just a shame…”

He shook his head and said no more.

Jiang Nan didn’t mind. She followed the direction the person pointed. Luo Ning, who was still pretending to be choosing porcelain from the stalls, immediately chased after her when she saw Jiang Nan leave. She said.

“Little Jiang Nan, why didn’t you wait for me?”

Following the person’s directions, they found a house. The words “Lin Manor” were hanging halfway off, having endured who knows how many seasons of wind and rain.

However, a white banner was hanging in front of the door, and the place was deathly silent. It didn’t look like a place where a living person would live.

Jiang Nan looked at the white banner fluttering on the door, lowered her eyes in thought, and then considered that since it was a horror instance, it was not impossible for a ghost to be their master.

She glanced at Luo Ning, who had just arrived with a leisurely stride. Every move she made was elegant and mysterious. She really didn’t seem like a player who would be worried about her life in an instance.

When she reached the door, the old, faded crimson gate was pushed open. A chilling wind with withered branches, fallen leaves, and dust swept toward her, forcing her to raise her hand to block it.

As she frowned, a person suddenly appeared behind her and pulled her behind them. The plain paper umbrella was opened, blocking the evil wind.

Jiang Nan’s body stiffened. She turned her head to look at her and only saw her beautiful side profile. There was a smile in her eyes and a reckless flamboyance, like a sudden burst of light breaking into her eyes, just like the person herself.

She didn’t know if she was hallucinating, but she felt as if she heard a sentence.

“Don’t be afraid.”

But when she looked closely, the other person hadn’t spoken.

After the wind subsided, the broken paper umbrella was discarded, and they could finally see the scene inside the house.

The house was dilapidated. Wild vines grew among the untended weeds, climbing up the half-collapsed walls and taking root in the decay.

In the courtyard, a dozen black coffins were scattered about. Yellowed white banners fluttered around them, like invisible ghosts wandering.

Luo Ning raised her hand to fan the dust that hadn’t dispersed from her nose. She stared at the black coffins, her eyes full of unknown meaning. She smiled and said to Jiang Nan.

“Nowadays, even dead people can make porcelain.”

Jiang Nan’s gaze swept over her surroundings, but she didn’t answer Luo Ning.

As they approached, they disturbed the originally silent courtyard. Rats, ants, and flies crawled out of the unsealed coffins and dusty porcelain jars, flying around chaotically.

But if they had found the right place, why didn’t the system give a prompt? And why didn’t “Mother Ci” appear?

All these doubts pointed to the fact that they had found the wrong place.

Luo Ning walked up to a coffin and looked at the contents through the lid that wasn’t sealed tightly. She then “tsk”ed and said.

“A corpse.”

It was so dry that even a ghost holding this body would shed bits with every step.

Jiang Nan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she said flatly.

“This is not the place.”

Without a system prompt, this wasn’t the place. Then where else could it be?

Before she could find the answer, the door of the main house in the courtyard was pushed open. Jiang Nan’s eyes filled with wariness as she looked at the few people who came out from inside.

A few men were shoving each other, complaining.

“I told you it wasn’t here, so why did you argue?”

The one who spoke was a very young man, but he was muscular, wearing a sleeveless vest that showed off his strong muscles. Seeing that there were two girls outside, he immediately and subtly flexed his bicep. He looked like a narcissistic fitness trainer.

But Jiang Nan and Luo Ning didn’t even glance at him, which made Shi Hui a bit disappointed. He then sized them up, looking them up and down. He “tsk tsk”ed at Luo Ning’s outfit.

Luo Ning gave him an imperceptible glance, her smile unchanged, but a hint of playful malevolence flashed in her bewitching purple eyes.

Greedy humans…

“Who knew this crappy place would have nothing? Just a bunch of broken jars, not even a single coin.”

The person’s voice was nonchalant. His hands were in his pockets, and his thin body swayed as he walked. He kicked a dusty porcelain piece, then spat, as if he despised this place.

But Li Feng’s eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Nan and Luo Ning. He rubbed his chin and whistled vulgarly, throwing what he thought were charming winks with his beady eyes.

“Two beauties came here, too.”

Jiang Nan ignored him. Luo Ning’s smile didn’t change, but that person seemed to be used to tricking girls. His gaze lingered on Jiang Nan for a long time.

But the next moment, when the sly-looking old man tried to get closer, he was blocked by something. Thinking it was the person next to him, he tried to break free, but when he looked down, he saw a dry hand covered in wrinkled human skin gripping his hand.

When the man saw it, he immediately forgot about the beauties and started screaming, shaking his hand and yelling for help, but the withered hand held him firmly.

Shi Hui couldn’t stand it. He pushed him away and threw him aside, saying impatiently.

“Uncle, how can something like this scare you?”

Li Feng immediately retorted, but his momentum was much weaker.

“Who are you calling ‘uncle’ at thirty?”

Seeing this, Jiang Nan’s side-eye fell on Luo Ning. Subconsciously, she felt that only Luo Ning had the ability and the leisure to play such a prank.

There was also a boy next to the two men. He smiled shyly. His large, black-rimmed glasses made him look like a well-behaved student. He spoke politely.

“I’m Yi Fei. Are you also players who came here, sisters?”

Since the system didn’t say how many players had entered, they weren’t sure how many there were.

It was easy to guess even without Jiang Nan and Luo Ning answering. After all, who would come here for no reason just to look at these coffins?

After Shi Hui finished scolding the thin, monkey-like vulgar man, he smiled at them and took the initiative to say hello.

“My name is Shi Hui.” He looked at Jiang Nan and Luo Ning’s clothes and sighed.

“You guys still have the mind to dress up.”

His words were ambiguous and contained a hint of imperceptible sarcasm, but it was all covered up by his smile.

Players could spend points to choose their outfits after entering the game. Jiang Nan’s outfit was fine, but Luo Ning’s outfit looked very expensive. The other people were wearing the sleeveless vests randomly given by the system. Their clothes formed a stark contrast with theirs.

But Jiang Nan didn’t know this, and her system wouldn’t proactively mention it.

So Jiang Nan didn’t catch the meaning of his words, but she saw the sarcasm in his eyes, as if he was mocking a vase.

The disdain in the eyes of the thin, monkey-like man was even more obvious. Perhaps because the two girls ignored him, he spoke with extreme bitterness.

“They’re just trying to hook up with a man who can protect them.”

Jiang Nan looked over, her eyes emotionless. She spoke slowly, but her words left them speechless.

“It seems you guys really want to hook up with a man to protect yourselves.”

Luo Ning let out a laugh. The tassel dangling from the hairpin in her hair jingled. With her high heels, she was already tall, and now she was even a bit taller than a normal man. Her condescending look was like she was looking at trash. She said.

“What charm can a bunch of men who can’t even protect themselves exude? They’re not even as cute as my Little Jiang Nan.” The last sentence was spoken to Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan frowned and moved her lips, wanting to say that she didn’t belong to her.

The young boy looked between the two sides and said nothing.

The men were so angry that their faces turned red. They wanted to retort, but at that moment, a charming and seductive laugh came from the door.

“I knew you guys had found the wrong place.”