Sleeping on the bed was impossible, not in this lifetime, the floor was hard and straight, she really liked lying on it - Tang Zao Zao comforted herself as she lay on the mattress on the floor.
Under Ruan Nan Zhu's merciless rejection, she had ended up squeezing two big men into one bed while the weak, pitiful and helpless Tang Zao Zao was relegated to the floor. Of course, as she lay on the floor mat she didn't forget to curse silently in her heart, hoping Lin Qiu Shi would come to his senses sooner and torment Ruan Nan Zhu to death.
After their afternoon nap, it started raining outside again.
Thick clouds gathered in the sky, drizzling rain pattered onto the ground, making crisp tapping sounds. After waking up from his nap, Lin Qiu Shi stood by the window for a while.
Through the window, he saw the dense bushes outside the castle. These bushes were probably some kind of rose family flower, but because it wasn't flowering season yet, and the branches were unkempt, it looked extremely messy.
The rain made the air damp, and the strange fishy smell began to permeate the surroundings again, only the scent wasn't as strong as last night, just faintly discernible.
"What are they doing going outside?" Tang Zao Zao also popped her head over, seeing three people walking around outside with umbrellas.
These were all people from their team, it looked like they were searching for something.
"Looking for clues probably," Lin Qiu Shi said. "Did they discover something?"
Tang Zao Zao asked, "Should we go take a look too?"
Lin Qiu Shi glanced back at Ruan Nan Zhu still sprawled lazily on the bed.
Ruan Nan Zhu met his gaze and languidly said, "No." His expression was frosty. "I hate rain."
Lin Qiu Shi said, "Then let's not go."
The people outside entered deep into the bushes, disappearing from Lin Qiu Shi's line of sight.
"Wet stickiness really makes one uncomfortable," Ruan Nan Zhu casually threw on a jacket and started putting on shoes. "We haven't fully explored this castle yet, let's go."
The castle was massive, and it was difficult to thoroughly investigate it in just a morning.
Because of what happened to their female teammate Xiaosu earlier, the atmosphere within the team, if it could be described as tense before, could now only be said to be utterly bleak. Most of the people sat in the cafeteria without going anywhere.
And so the day passed, after dinner, the team members returned to their rooms to rest.
Ruan Nan Zhu asked Lin Qiu Shi if he was afraid to sleep alone.
Lin Qiu Shi said, "It's fine, but if something happens I'll come find you."
Ruan Nan Zhu nodded, only after seeing Lin Qiu Shi enter his room did he turn around and push open the door to his own bedroom.
Because of the rain, even though it was only around six o'clock, the sky outside had already darkened. Before washing up, Lin Qiu Shi stood by the window for a bit again. In the faint light within the room, the dense bushes outside were like grasping claws creeping up the walls.
The spot where he saw the figure last night was still empty, and no strange things had appeared.
Lin Qiu Shi watched for a while before turning around to take a shower.
After his shower, he walked to the bedside towel drying his hair, but his footsteps suddenly halted...because he saw a black figure outside the window.
A black figure with his back facing Lin Qiu Shi, wearing black clothes and a wide brimmed hat, standing silently in the rain just like that.
A chill crept up Lin Qiu Shi's back. He licked his dry lips, trying to calm himself down.
Although blurry, this figure was probably the female owner of the castle. What he saw last night wasn't an illusion after all.
But why would the female owner be in the bushes so late into the night?
This question didn't seem to have an answer for now.
The figure in the rain had turned into an unmoving statue, rigidly standing there without moving an inch. Lin Qiu Shi watched for over ten minutes but the figure didn't budge at all. In the end, it was him who felt tired first. He checked the time then retreated to the bedside and lay on the soft big bed.
But Lin Qiu Shi, who had just gotten into bed, noticed something frightening - on the wall in front of him that should have been empty, there now hung a picture frame.
Inside the frame was an expressionless woman wearing black, with rainwater slowly flowing down along the brim of her hat. Her eyes seemed half-closed, her complexion ghastly pale like paper - it was precisely that painting of the woman in the rain.
Lin Qiu Shi's whole body froze. He slowly got up from the bed, wanting to get away from this place.
When he reached the door, his nostrils once again filled with that fishy odor unique to rainwater. The smell was so strong he felt as if he were breathing underwater. Lin Qiu Shi clearly noticed the wall behind the painting start to seep black stains.
The stains were like accumulated moisture, revealing bizarre patterns on the wall, like a face, or a person.
Lin Qiu Shi twisted the door handle and hurriedly exited his room, knocking urgently on Ruan Nan Zhu's door.
A while later, the door opened, and it was Tang Zao Zao who opened it for Lin Qiu Shi. Seeing his poor complexion, she immediately realized something had happened. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Mm," Lin Qiu Shi said. "There's something off about my room."
"Come on in then," Tang Zao Zao opened the door a crack for Lin Qiu Shi.
Lin Qiu Shi was just about to enter when he noticed something amiss...the door Tang Zao Zao had opened was hinged to the left.
Yet all the doors in this castle opened to the right.
Lin Qiu Shi's expression froze for a moment. He didn't step forward but slowly retreated a step instead.
"What's wrong?" Tang Zao Zao looked at him puzzledly. Her expression was very normal, seemingly the same Tang Zao Zao who was with them this morning.
"What's your name?" Lin Qiu Shi asked. "What was your name again, I forgot."
"I'm Xu Xiao Cheng!" Tang Zao Zao looked at Lin Qiu Shi strangely, as if looking at some kind of monster. "Do you have brain problems? Scared silly?"
Lin Qiu Shi really couldn't laugh. When it was just them, they had always called Tang Zao Zao by her real name. He didn't say anything more to "Tang Zao Zao" and simply turned around to run back into his room instead.
It seemed he had given her a huge fright with his actions. She didn't react until Lin Qiu Shi shut his door. Then she walked over to knock heavily on his door several times, asking: "Linlin, are you okay? Linlin? What evil spirit possessed you?"
Lin Qiu Shi stood by the door without making a sound.
"Linlin, Linlin--" Tang Zao Zao's voice started becoming strange, increasingly shrill and distorted. She pounded heavily on the door as if wanting to break down the obstruction in front of her. "Linlin, come out! Didn't you say something happened in your room? Linlin--!"
Lin Qiu Shi didn't respond. He silently looked down at the carpet near the door.
The edges of the carpet had started slowly changing color - this was a change Lin Qiu Shi was very familiar with, the kind that happened when something was stained by water. Besides the familiar voice, he had no way of confirming just what was standing outside his door right now. He certainly didn't have the guts to peek through the gap beneath the door. Heaven knows how terrifying it would be to see a pair of eyes there instead.
As he listened to the knocking outside, Lin Qiu Shi suddenly regretted not accepting that cigarette from Ruan Nan Zhu earlier. He really had nothing else to do now aside from smoking to calm his nerves.
The potent fishy smell stung his nasal passages. Lin Qiu Shi stood quietly by the door, listening as Tang Zao Zao's voice gradually distorted beyond recognition.
In the end, she started wailing, a midnight owl's weeping that made one's scalp tingle with horror.
"Come out...come out..." the thing outside that was no longer Tang Zao Zao keened mournfully, a pale hand starting to grope at the crack beneath the door.
Lin Qiu Shi retreated several steps, watching the bloodless fingernail tips emerge from the gap.
The window that he had shut earlier was somehow blown open again by the wind, slamming noisily against the frame while the curtains fluttered upwards like a pair of gigantic hands reaching for him. Although far away, Lin Qiu Shi could still clearly see that the figure standing in the bushes outside had turned around at some point. Just as he guessed, it was the female owner of the castle.
Rainwater covered the woman's ghastly face. Her dark hollow eyes stared fixedly at his room's location.
Not daring to look any further, Lin Qiu Shi averted his gaze and prayed in his heart for daylight to quickly arrive.
He didn't know how much time had passed. In his muddled state, Lin Qiu Shi seemed to hear urgent knocking.
He rubbed his eyes and got up from the floor where he had dozed off leaning against the wall. The familiar voice came from outside - it was the real Tang Zao Zao calling for him. "Linlin! Are you okay? Open the door!"
Hearing these words, Lin Qiu Shi reflexively looked outside. The rain had already stopped. At the edge of the clouds was a hint of sunlight, faint but enough to reassure one's heart.
"What's your name?" Lin Qiu Shi asked.
"What's wrong with you? Did you break your brain sleeping?" Tang Zao Zao was baffled.
Lin Qiu Shi was silent for a moment before turning the door handle open.
The real Tang Zao Zao was indeed standing outside. She scratched her head, "You look awful, what happened last night?"
Lin Qiu Shi didn't answer but asked instead, "Where is he?"
Tang Zao Zao knew Lin Qiu Shi was asking about Ruan Nan Zhu. She replied, "Still washing up."
Lin Qiu Shi said, "I see..."
Tang Zao Zao asked again, "What's going on?"
Lin Qiu Shi said, "I almost died last night it seems."
Tang Zao Zao: "..." How can you say something so horrifying so calmly!
A few minutes later, Lin Qiu Shi briefly recounted to Tang Zao Zao and Ruan Nan Zhu everything that happened to him last night. Although he spoke very simply and his tone was calm, Tang Zao Zao still felt goosebumps rising on her back. She swallowed and said softly, "So you didn't sleep the entire night?"
"No," Lin Qiu Shi said. "I just dozed off a little towards daybreak."
Ruan Nan Zhu listened without speaking, seemingly pondering over something.
Seeing Ruan Nan Zhu made Lin Qiu Shi feel reassured. He didn't rush the other man, giving him space to think.
But Ruan Nan Zhu simply waved a hand, "Let's go eat breakfast first, can't think properly on an empty stomach."
Lin Qiu Shi: "Okay then."
The three of them went upstairs to the cafeteria and saw the rest of the team members had arrived too. After counting, it seemed no one else encountered misfortune last night.
The female owner was still sitting in the innermost spot, but her mood didn't seem as good as yesterday. Her face was pale and her expression gloomy, making people even more reluctant to approach her.
After last night's events, Lin Qiu Shi kept feeling as if the woman had glared at him when he entered the cafeteria.
The breakfast tasted pretty good though, especially the freshly baked bread that was soft and fragrant. Lin Qiu Shi ate several pieces spread with fruit jam.
Seeing his good appetite, Tang Zao Zao politely expressed her admiration, saying if it had been her who experienced those things last night, she probably wouldn't have been able to eat a single bite today.
"It could be my last meal after all," Lin Qiu Shi repeated what Ruan Nan Zhu said yesterday. "Might as well leave this world full."
Tang Zao Zao: "..." You're starting to talk like him too.
Ruan Nan Zhu didn't speak much as he ate, seemingly lost in thought the entire time. It was only after the meal that he found a spot to voice out what he had deduced.
"She was trying to kill you last night," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "But because you didn't trigger the death condition, she didn't succeed."
Lin Qiu Shi said, "She wanted to trick me into the room. If I had gone inside, I'd definitely be done for...thank goodness..."
Ruan Nan Zhu said, "That should be the painted world, it's the only way to explain why the door opened differently." He glanced at the paintings on the walls. "Did you move the paintings in your room?"
"Yes," Lin Qiu Shi said. "When I first came, I felt uncomfortable with the paintings on the walls so I took them down and put them away in the drawer."
"That could be a condition," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "But definitely not the death condition." The ghosts wouldn't show mercy. As long as the condition was triggered, one would definitely not live past that night. If Lin Qiu Shi hadn't managed to recognize the fake Tang Zao Zao last night, they probably wouldn't get to see him again today.
Ruan Nan Zhu said, "I want to take another look at that painting from yesterday." He was referring to the embedded portrait of the girl Xiaosu. Currently, that was their only clue.
And so they went upstairs again to carefully examine the picture frame, but were still unable to find any special common ground.
"Let's wait and see," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "More clues will definitely appear."
The ghosts wouldn't stop their actions. There would still be more clues provided to them.
Next, they went to find the group of people who had searched the bushes yesterday, asking if they discovered anything special.
The leader of that group was a 30-something man called Zhang Tao. He had brought along a new female member and another youth. Faced with Ruan Nan Zhu's inquiry, he displayed immense resistance.
"We can exchange clues," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "We know of a condition that triggers death."
Zhang Tao asked suspiciously, "Really?"
"Naturally," Ruan Nan Zhu replied. "One of our teammates nearly died."
But Zhang Tao said, "You tell me first."
Ruan Nan Zhu raised his brows, "You haven't said what clues you found in the bushes, yet you want us to go first? Who knows if your information is even useful."
Zhang Tao said, "Then what do we do?"
Ruan Nan Zhu suggested, "How about this - we'll both write it on paper slips to exchange."
After some hesitation, Zhang Tao nodded.
Although they were all supposed to be part of the same team after entering this door, everyone still had reservations because of the paper slips. Who didn't wish to be the first to leave this place and obtain clues about the next door? Moreover, some in this group didn't have an organization backing them and hadn't even figured out the door's system and rules. Veterans would naturally hesitate to share information with such newcomers.
After exchanging paper slips with Zhang Tao, Ruan Nan Zhu brought Lin Qiu Shi and Tang Zao Zao away.
Tang Zao Zao quietly asked Ruan Nan Zhu what information he had given Zhang Tao - the content was definitely fake since they still didn't know the death triggering condition themselves.
"Just wrote down some random guesses," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "My speculations anyway, might as well let them try it out."
Tang Zao Zao asked, "Try how?"
Ruan Nan Zhu said, "If someone from their group dies, then that condition is incorrect."
Tang Zao Zao: "..." Impressive.
But Ruan Nan Zhu's lack of sincerity wasn't exactly unjustified either. The paper slip Zhang Tao gave them was also quite perfunctory, simply stating there was a black picture frame in the bushes.
"Black picture frame..." This reminded Lin Qiu Shi of the figure he saw last night. "Could the person I saw yesterday be related?"
Ruan Nan Zhu said, "We'll know once we take a look."
Seizing the opportunity while it still wasn't raining, they hurried into the bushes Zhang Tao's group had gone yesterday. Indeed, in a corner near the edge, they discovered a black picture frame inserted slantingly into the ground with water droplets still clinging onto its surface.
Upon seeing the picture frame, Ruan Nan Zhu crouched down as if looking for something. Shortly after, he clicked his tongue heavily and beckoned Lin Qiu Shi over, "Come take a look."
"Hmm?" Lin Qiu Shi walked over to Ruan Nan Zhu's position and also crouched down.
It took him a while before realizing what Ruan Nan Zhu wanted to show him. From this angle, his room window happened to be framed inside the picture frame. The picture frame's placement was extremely tricky. If viewed from other directions, one could only see the dense bushes. Only his window was exposed within the black picture frame.
"This is likely the reason," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "This picture frame has probably been moved by someone."
Lin Qiu Shi asked, "Because there's also soil on it?"
"Yes," Ruan Nan Zhu replied. "It was turned...or perhaps not by a person."
Lin Qiu Shi said, "Then let's take this thing down first." Upon careful thought, the figure he saw standing outside last night seemed to be around the same spot as the picture frame. Could it be that the frame's owner regarded him as part of the painting...and that was why those things happened to him?
Ruan Nan Zhu nodded.
Unsure if the picture frame had any other uses, Lin Qiu Shi didn't dare bring it back. He found a recognizable location and dug a hole to bury the frame.
After burying it, they returned to the castle.
Not long after getting back, it started raining again. Ever since arriving here, the rain seemed to never stop - falling for seven to eight hours a day. At most there would be a short respite in the mornings before the drizzle resumed in the afternoon and evenings, putting one in a bad mood.
Lin Qiu Shi especially disliked that fishy smell of rainwater now. Its scent alone made him think of the things that happened at night.
Because of this, he was somewhat distracted during lunch, his attention almost completely on the window outside.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Nan Zhu asked him.
"Will I run into those things again tonight?" Lin Qiu Shi said. "Ah, so annoying."
Ruan Nan Zhu casually suggested, "Come sleep with me?"
Lin Qiu Shi: "Let me think about it."
Ruan Nan Zhu: "Go ahead." He seemed somewhat unhappy with Lin Qiu Shi's hesitation, putting down his cutlery and ceasing his meal.
Tang Zao Zao secretly rejoiced at the side. She thought, so even the mighty Ruan Nan Zhu has a today.
But as if sensing what Tang Zao Zao was thinking, Ruan Nan Zhu glanced at her indifferently and coldly said, "What, you think you'll be fine?"
Tang Zao Zao: "No no no, Boss, Boss, I need you! Linlin, why are you still hesitating, it's so much safer with the three of us together! Extremely reassuring!"
Ruan Nan Zhu: "Hmph."
Tang Zao Zao felt pained over her bootlicking.
After thinking it over, Lin Qiu Shi decided it did make some sense and nodded, "Alright then, let's stick together."
Ruan Nan Zhu gave an affirmative "Mm".
Tang Zao Zao heaved a long sigh.
Lin Qiu Shi was puzzled, not understanding the meaning behind Tang Zao Zao's sigh.
During lunch, everyone gathered together again to share the clues they had found, though most still kept things back.
Lin Qiu Shi talked about what he encountered in his room last night. After listening, the others reacted with frightened admiration, some even patting Lin Qiu Shi's shoulder and praising his luck for still being alive.
Lin Qiu Shi could only force a smile. Calling it luck, it felt difficult to say. Lucky that he survived, but unlucky to have become the target of attacks. This matter of luck was truly hard to evaluate.
Ruan Nan Zhu asked if anyone had gone to the painting studio on the top floor or the unfinished works exhibition area, places the butler had prohibited them from entering.
Everyone shook their heads, and someone said, "The butler already said we can't go to those places, right? Why would we go there? To die?"
Ruan Nan Zhu indifferently replied, "So you won't die if you don't go?"
That person: "..."
"Let's go, there's no useful clues here," Ruan Nan Zhu brought Lin Qiu Shi and Tang Zao Zao out of the room. He said, "The quality of people inside this door is very poor. It seems we can't rely on them."
"Poor quality?" Tang Zao Zao asked curiously, blinking her eyes. "How can you tell?"
Ruan Nan Zhu answered, "Would you listen to an NPC's words hundred percent?"
Tang Zao Zao said, "No way."
Ruan Nan Zhu pointed back at the people, "But they would."
Tang Zao Zao thought about it and realized Ruan Nan Zhu's words made a lot of sense. The newcomers this time did seem more timid. After what happened to that girl Xiaosu on the first day, most of them were probably scared out of their wits. Only two to three people were still continuing their search while the rest either hid in their rooms or loitered in the cafeteria waiting for something, though who knew what they were waiting for.
"I plan to go take a look at the painting studio," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "It's more dangerous but a place we must check out." He carefully rolled up his sleeves, revealing his graceful wrists. "After all, every one of these NPCs hopes we die inside the doors."