Chapter 59: Are you two putting on an act together?

Although the man did not know Duoduo's true identity, he understood that the child named April was far from simple.

Deliberately revealing that the little brat had food on her was clearly an attempt to use him to get rid of the other party.

He didn't care about the feud between two children.

However, if she wanted to use him as a tool, she had to offer some benefits in return.

Trying to manipulate him merely for the sake of uncertain food—that child was far too naive!

The man turned around and walked back without hesitation.

Unlike him, the muscular man had already set his sights on Duoduo in the dark.

The woman looked at the backs of Xu Hetang and Xie Fangyun and whispered a reminder.

"Brother, that old man following the child is an eerie entity. Shouldn't we just drop this?"

"Even if he is an eerie entity, he's just an old man with no real skills. What is there to fear?"

The man stared at Duoduo's small figure, his eyes overflowing with a determination to win.

"Didn't you hear what that child said? There is food on this kid. If we can get that food, we won't have to starve anymore!"

"But she won't give it to us!"

"Then we'll kill for the food!" The man's gaze grew cold, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Sensing the killing intent behind him, Xu Hetang suddenly paused his steps.

Xie Fangyun felt it too and lowered her voice to warn, "Don't look back. Be careful not to alert the enemy!"

"Understood!"

Xu Hetang nodded slightly, holding Duoduo's hand, and continued walking forward.

Chouchou rolled its pitch-black eyes and a slight smirk curved the corner of its mouth.

Who would have thought that these two old fellows, despite merely being Grade-A ghosts, would possess such high alertness!

Trapped inside this fragile vessel, its movements were restricted.

Now that they were here, it could rightfully lie back and enjoy the ride!

The cruise ship's theater was located in the lower deck.

Feigning ignorance of being followed, Xu Hetang and Xie Fangyun led Duoduo into the theater.

Duoduo found a seat in the middle of the front row and scrambled up with effort.

"Grandpa, Grandma, you should sit too!"

"Alright!" Xie Fangyun nodded, her eyes brimming with doting affection.

Xie Fangyun and Xu Hetang took their seats on either side of Duoduo.

The moment they sat down, the velvet curtain slowly began to rise.

Before long, the curtain vanished completely.

Several actors stepped onto the stage and began their performance.

Unlike actors in the real world, the performers here had wooden expressions, merely going through the motions of acting.

It was Duoduo's first time watching a play, and she was full of enthusiasm at first.

Before long, however, boredom set in.

She let out a yawn and turned to look at Xu Hetang and Xie Fangyun.

Seeing how engrossed they were, she couldn't bear to ruin their fun.

She tried hard to keep her heavy eyelids open, but her struggle failed in less than three minutes.

Her little head tilted, and she fell asleep leaning against Xie Fangyun's arm.

Xie Fangyun turned to glance at her, feeling a pang of sympathy.

Clearly disliking the play, the child had forced herself to stay awake just so she wouldn't affect their enjoyment.

"Sleep now. Dreams are better than reality!"

The man waited outside the theater for a long time, but the people inside did not come out.

Losing his patience, he clenched his fists and rushed in.

The woman tried to pull him back, but she was a step too slow.

As the theater doors swung open, she caught sight of the actors on stage. Each one was pale-faced with bizarre expressions, looking nothing like the living.

Overwhelmed by a sense of danger, the woman swallowed hard with fright, turned around, and fled at top speed.

She had already warned him, but he had refused to listen.

If he died, she would shed a token tear or two for him, considering they were strangers who had known each other for half a day.

Unaware that the woman had left, the man stepped forward slowly and sneered.

"We're stuck down in the hold with nothing to eat or drink, and you're actually in here watching a play. What a luxurious life!"

Seeing that the person they were waiting for had finally lost his patience, the corners of Xie Fangyun's lips curved upward slightly.

She exchanged a glance with Xu Hetang, and with perfect tacit understanding, they withdrew their gazes and continued watching the play.

Realizing they were deliberately ignoring him, the man stormed right up to them in a fury.

"Hand over the food and water right now, or I'll kill you!"

With that, the man pulled out a knife and began twirling it in his hand.

He had purchased this weapon from the player marketplace using points, and the blade had been pre-soaked in black dog blood.

With a single slash, these two old things would have their souls scattered to the winds.

It was precisely because he possessed such a treasure that he dared to challenge eerie entities!

"Old man, he's got a knife!" Xie Fangyun gazed at the blade in the man's hand, feigning a look of terror.

Xu Hetang followed her gaze, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

"And it's a blade soaked in black dog blood, no less." Xu Hetang turned to Xie Fangyun. "Old woman, he wants to kill us. Shouldn't we avoid sitting ducks?"

"Naturally. But my constitution is weak, so I'll leave him for you to handle!"

"Old woman, you're trying to shirk your duties again!"

Hearing the two of them bantering back and forth, the man frowned, instantly losing his last shred of patience.

"Are you two putting on a crosstalk act here? Hand over the food immediately, or I won't be polite!"

The man stared coldly at the two eerie entities, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Hearing the commotion, Duoduo shifted slightly in her sleep.

Fearing she would wake up, Xie Fangyun quickly and anxiously covered the child's ears.

She looked up at the man, displeasure evident on her face.

"My granddaughter is sleeping. If you make such a racket, you'll wake her up!"

"You old fogies really refuse to cry until you see the coffin!"

Completely losing his patience, the man raised the knife and thrust it directly toward Xie Fangyun's chest.

Once he killed the child and the two eerie entities, he could easily take the food and water they carried.

Yet, the moment he thrust his blade forward, Xu Hetang firmly caught it in his bare hand.

Seeing that Xu Hetang was neither injured nor vanishing, the man froze in shock.

Before he could recover his wits, Xu Hetang snatched the knife away and drove it straight into his own chest.

The man's eyes widened in sheer terror, his mind blown.

Had this old bastard lost his mind? He was actually committing suicide!

"What black dog blood? Isn't this just an ordinary knife?"

Xu Hetang shook his head, pulled the blade out, tossed it onto the floor, and wore an expression of utter disappointment.

Xie Fangyun felt no surprise whatsoever. "I told you that fellow was a shady merchant, actually selling fake goods in the marketplace. And fools actually fall for it!"

The conversation between the two eerie entities drifted into the man's ears.

A tremor ran down the man's legs, terrifying him to the core.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the player marketplace would sell counterfeit goods!

He was going to be killed by the marketplace!

Gone was his previous arrogance; the man spun around and bolted for the exit.

Yet the moment he reached the theater doors, they slammed shut with a resounding bang!

The man reached out to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

Felt the sensation of eyes watching him, he swallowed hard against his nervousness and slowly turned his head around.