The room was utterly shabby.

It resembled a thatched woodshed, only more dilapidated and desolate. It was so empty that a thief would probably have to leave a hundred yuan out of pity and beg the owner to survive.

Two holes in the ceiling let in a chilling, bone-piercing wind.

The room’s contents were pitiful. A bed that was just a wooden plank. A chair missing half a leg. A dirty, broken bowl with a pair of chopsticks. The only other thing in the entire woodshed was half of a sticky, water-logged steamed bun.

“This can’t be my home, can it? Am I an orphan or some kind of idiot?”

Wu Wang frowned, bewildered.

According to the Instance introduction, the village was isolated but shouldn’t have been lacking for food or water.

So how had his situation become so pathetic? Even an orphan shouldn’t have to live this miserably.

Knock, knock, knock.

A series of hurried knocks rattled the door.

Wu Wang glanced over. The door looked like it could collapse at any moment. In reality, it was just a wooden plank tied upright with rusty iron wire.

“Zhang Er Wa! Come out and eat!”

The gruff voice of a middle-aged woman called from outside.

Then, without waiting for a response, she grabbed the wooden plank and shoved it open.

Seeing the thin young man on the broken chair, about to gnaw on the soggy bun, the woman frowned.

“I’ve told you so many times not to eat dirty things! Can’t you understand me?” she scolded.

As she spoke, she strode forward and slapped the bun from Wu Wang’s hand.

She then took two loaves of bread from her bag. She carefully tore the packaging off for him before handing them over, as if afraid he might eat the wrapper and the desiccant pack inside.

Wu Wang almost laughed in anger.

Damn it, does she really think I’m a retard?

“Poor child,” the woman said, her expression pained. “You’re so young, your parents are gone, and you’ve lost your mind. You can’t even take care of yourself. It’s a pitiful sight.”

Wu Wang was stunned.

Hold on, am I really a madman?

No wonder the room was so dilapidated it didn’t even have furniture. It was the home of an actual madman.

An orphan, a madman, and a backward village, Wu Wang thought wryly. I’ve got a full stack of debuffs.

“Auntie, what’s my name?” he asked, quickly adapting to her accent.

At his words, the woman looked even more helpless.

She hadn’t expected him to forget his own name. His madness seemed to be getting worse. It was all his dead parents’ fault. Of all the names they could have picked, why did they have to give their child that one?

“Your name is Zhang Sanfeng, and your nickname is Er Wa.” The woman’s eyes scanned the room. “Hmm… where did you get that mushroom?”

Her chatter trailed off as she spotted something on his bed. A single mushroom lay on the wooden plank, neatly tucked in under a blanket, as if someone was afraid it might catch a cold.

With that, she reached for the mushroom.

But Wu Wang leaped in front of the bed, blocking her path. He glared at her fiercely, eyes bloodshot and drool trickling from the corner of his mouth as he waved his hands menacingly.

“I picked this up! Figured nobody wanted it!”

“Don’t touch my stuff!”

“Or don’t blame me, Zhang Sanfeng, for turning on my own kin!”

His outburst startled the woman.

But she was used to his bizarre behavior. He was a madman, after all. She knew you had to humor them and avoid conflict. Otherwise, they could really turn violent.

She glanced at the mushroom, saw it wasn’t poisonous, and sighed in relief.

“Alright, alright, I won’t touch it,” she said placatingly. “I have to go now. I’ll be back tonight to unlock the door and take you to the feast in the plaza.”

With that, she stood and left the hut.

The wooden plank clanged shut. Wu Wang then heard the grating sound of a chain sliding into place outside.

He instantly understood. His character had been locked inside this woodshed the entire time.

No wonder it was empty. They were probably afraid Zhang Sanfeng would hurt himself.

Then he heard voices from outside. The woman was talking to someone.

“Honestly, that damn madman won’t survive past the grand ritual anyway. Why do you still care so much about him?” a man’s impatient voice said.

“His parents were good to our family when they were alive,” the woman replied. “Now that he’s the only one left… he only has three days. We can’t let him become a starving ghost.”

What the hell?

The first thing you say is that I’ll be dead in three days.

You two aren’t villagers! You’re a regular Grim Reaper duo, aren’t you?

“You have the nerve to criticize me?” the woman said helplessly. “I wonder who ‘forgot’ to lock the door properly yesterday, hoping he’d run off? In the end, the poor kid has never been outside the village. He just ran to the mountains, picked a mushroom, and came right back.”

“Hmph! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The man’s grumbling voice faded into the distance.

The woman left as well, and silence fell outside the hut.

Wu Wang turned to look at the young woman lying on the bed. The bizarre hat on her head looked exceptionally comical.

【Mushroom Hat】

【Equipment Effect: Wear this hat and remain motionless to quickly erase your presence, making others think you are just a harmless mushroom.】

【Remark: I’m a mushroom, what are you?】

This was a spoil of war Wu Wang had looted from Tuxing Sun. Or, as he put it, “I picked this up!”

At first, the Mushroom Hat had displayed a “Contaminated” status. But when Wu Wang took it in his hand, the Abyss God had acted. After the blood-red pupil stared at the hat for a few seconds, the “Contaminated” status vanished.

Clearly, the Abyss God’s Mark had devoured the so-called contamination.

It was a good thing he had acted quickly. Otherwise, if the woman had discovered the girl, she would have undoubtedly dragged her off to be some blasted Saintess.

“Hiss… ouch, ouch…”

The young woman rubbed her head and groggily opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a grimy-looking little beggar. His face was so dirty his features were barely visible, except for his exceptionally bright eyes.

And his teeth. He was grinning happily at her.

Under normal circumstances, anyone waking from a faint to see such a person sitting beside them would probably panic.

And yet, she did not.

She simply asked in confusion, “Who are you?”

“Hmph hmph hmph! To protect the world from devastation!” he began grandly, launching into an iconic monologue. “I am…”

“James?” the young woman interjected.

“Er…”

Her interruption completely broke the mood Wu Wang had been trying to build. Surprise flickered in his heart.

Wait a minute! How does she know the name of an anime character from my world?

Wu Wang was, after all, a man who had seen the world. He recovered quickly.

“No! This humble Taoist is named Zhang Sanfeng!” he declared. “And what might the young lady’s name be? What can I do for you?”

Even though this Instance was full of strange things, his approach remained the same.

This is the confidence the Abyss God gives me!

“My name… I… I can’t remember,” she said, her voice faint. “My head is a little dizzy.”

She rubbed the back of her head, where Wu Wang saw a gruesome-looking wound.

Obviously, before he had found her, she must have fallen and hit her head, knocking herself out.

But as Wu Wang saw the wound, which was freshly scabbed with traces of blood, his expression shifted.

He remembered with perfect clarity.

Wu Xiaoyou also had a scar on the back of her head.

The only difference was that this wound was fresh, while his Second Sister’s was an old injury from five years ago.

Speaking of which…

Although this young woman looked exactly the same as Wu Xiaoyou, she seemed younger in her features.

“Damn it! This Instance couldn’t be…”