29: Chapter 29: The Mystery of the Old House (Part 3)

"We've arrived."

They were led through many twists and turns, finally arriving at the attic Uncle Bai had mentioned.

"The Ancient Mansion has some unwritten rules that you all need to know."

"Of course, you are Guests, so whether or not you follow these rules is up to you."

First rule: Do not leave your room after midnight.

Second rule: You must not skip any of the three daily meals.

Third rule: If you hear any commotion after nine o'clock at night, do not make a sound, and do not be curious, because curiosity killed the cat.

Fourth rule: Do not wear red during the day.

"Ah, no wearing red? Then what about during the wedding?" Wu Yan frowned. If she couldn't wear red then, what was the point of holding a wedding?

Wu Yan shot Desolate Wind a resentful look. Why didn't he say anything before? If she had known, she wouldn't have come.

"Oh, Baby, don't worry."

"You can rest assured, the young master's wedding will be held at night."

Hearing this, Wu Yan felt relieved. As long as it didn't interfere with her marrying in, it was fine.

Uncle Bai led them into their rooms one by one. "Ahem, please remember your rooms."

"I wish you all a wonderful night."

The room looked quite large, with only a single candle lit, casting a dim light.

Su Ye focused all its attention on the soft, large bed, its eyes sparkling.

Ah, a bed. Finally, it could get a good night's sleep.

The next second, it pounced on it. "Mmm, so soft."

It could sleep on this bed for a year!

Feeling the softness beneath it, and thinking of its own thatched cottage, it didn't want to leave!

Just wanting to seize the time to rest and catch up on sleep, Su Ye decisively blew out the annoying candlelight.

Groping in the darkness, it fell onto the bed, closed its eyes, and went to sleep.

Everything fell silent in the darkness.

The dark shadows that had been baring their fangs and brandishing their claws under the candlelight were thus sealed away in the darkness.

They hadn't expected the candlelight to be extinguished so quickly.

The players in the other rooms were not as lucky as Su Ye.

Because of fear, the candles in their rooms were all still burning. Some people wrapped themselves tightly in their quilts, while others lay there with their eyes closed, reciting Buddhist scriptures.

The only ones who might have slept peacefully were the NPCs.

Those things hidden in the darkness bared their fangs and brandished their claws, approaching them step by step.

Time slipped away bit by bit.

"Meow～"

"Meow～ Meow～"

The cat's cries grew closer with each sound, and the closer they got, the more shrill they became.

"Bang bang bang～"

"Bang～"

There was the sound of something hitting the door.

"Hiss hiss～"

"Rustle rustle～"

There was also the piercing sound of claws scratching against glass.

"Bang bang bang."

The continuous knocking on the door grew heavier each time; it felt like it would break in the next second.

"Meow～" With a shrill cat's cry, someone's room was chosen, and the bed suddenly sank.

Something jumped onto the bed.

An even shriller cat's cry, as if it were right next to their ears, made one's skin crawl. The person under the covers bit their lip tightly, terrified of making even the slightest sound.

"Langting Garden, wedding night…"

"If your heart is insincere, why seek to marry me～"

The weight on the bed disappeared. A female voice with a melodious operatic tone spoke, her tone sorrowful.

Finally, it became shrill, barely concealing a sigh, and gradually faded away.

— —

Dawn broke, and the players appeared at their doorways with dark circles under their eyes, some still looking shaken.

They discussed everything that happened last night in the hallway.

Su Ye frowned. Why was there so much chattering outside? It was disturbing its sleep.

It stretched and walked out. Opening its eyes, it thought, "Good grief, are they holding a tea party first thing in the morning?"

They were all huddled together.

They stared at Su Ye's just-woken-up state, looking surprised.

"Su Ye, didn't anything strange happen in your room last night?"

"Didn't you hear any sounds?"

"Hmm?" The confusion on Su Ye's face didn't seem fake, which made them feel a bit unbalanced.

"You aren't lying to us, are you? You just want to look impressive!" the other players didn't believe it.

They had all gone through it; why was it only Su Ye who was lucky?

So what were they talking about?

"Why are you all making so much noise so early in the morning?" It was Wu Yan's voice; she had been woken up by the commotion.

The other NPCs came out as well.

"By the way, where is Desolate Wind?"

Last night, Wu Yan had originally wanted to sleep in the same room as her boyfriend, but Uncle Bai had taken Desolate Wind away, claiming it wasn't appropriate for them to stay together before the wedding.

"Angelica, does my boyfriend need you to ask about him?"

"You…"

"I was just asking out of politeness."

"Hmph, as if it's your place."

"Don't think I don't know about your little tricks." Wu Yan looked disgusted.

The players looked at each other, not knowing what was going on with these NPCs.

"Are you going down to take a look?"

"Look at what? I was woken up early in the morning, and I haven't even caught up on my sleep yet." Wu Yan rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.

"Let's go down and take a look first. While it's daytime, let's look for clues." The players united.

Leaving the attic, the group dispersed.

The NPCs had nothing to do; they were also part of the game and would only follow their pre-set paths of action.

The players were different. Knowing they were in a game, the only way they could leave was to find more clues; the only way to survive was to clear the game.

On Su Ye's side, it was the only one holding the hong ling umbrella, walking with elegant steps as it strolled around the attic in front of it.

When it appeared again, it was holding a vintage flower pot in its arms, which looked quite aged.

Inside was fresh soil.

Su Ye placed the flower pot on the ground and lowered its head to fiddle with the soil inside. "Ah, this flower pot was easy to find. Now I can plant flowers."

It dug and dug and dug in the flower pot, digging a hole to plant a seed.

"Hee hee hee, don't be anxious. I'll find you fertilizer tonight."

"As for now, it should be breakfast time."

It didn't see anyone along the way. As Su Ye walked out, it finally saw a few people one after another.

Holding the attitude of friendly exchange and humble learning, Su Ye carried the hong ling umbrella and conducted a cordial inquiry with them.

After Su Ye left, a pile of people lay on the ground in the corner, all clutching their abdomens and wailing incessantly.

Arriving at the dining hall, it didn't look like anything special from the outside.

Inside, the floor was scrubbed very clean. There were several round tables surrounded by chairs. Among the players, only Su Ye was there; the people sitting at the round tables were all NPCs.

Everyone looked dull-eyed, their gazes unfocused.

Seeing Su Ye's figure enter, they all instantly became excited, their eyes staring fixedly at it.

The way they looked at it was like staring at a big piece of meat, their eyes full of greed.

Su Ye met their gazes, carrying the hong ling umbrella in its hand, walking with a light, brisk pace, humming a tune, "La la la, time to eat, time to eat～"

"Only by eating your fill can you get work done."

"Hee hee hee, hello there～"

Su Ye sat down beside an NPC without ceremony.

The NPCs at the whole table had glowing eyes, staring at Su Ye without blinking.

Su Ye's eyes curved into crescents, acting like best buddies, grabbing an NPC, smiling with excessive sweetness, "This brother, one look and I can tell our fate is not shallow."

"Let's have a good chat."

The NPC bared its teeth, its eyes gleaming with a strange light, "What do you want to chat about?"

"After we chat, will you allow me to do something?"

"Hee hee hee, you talk too much." Su Ye grinned, and the next second, it swung the hong ling umbrella, the tip stabbing straight forward.

"Bang" with a sound, the person fell to the ground, blood continuously flowing from their head.

Instantly, the gazes fixed on it were withdrawn, and the NPCs returned to their dull-eyed state.

"Mmm, looking for the next lucky person."

Su Ye placed its hand on the shoulder of an NPC on the other side, "May I ask…"

"Yes, yes." It nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Terrified that it might end up like the person on the ground.

Su Ye nodded in satisfaction.