Ruan Nan Zhu seemed to have an aversion towards the newcomer from the very first day.
When Lin Qiu Shi asked if he had noticed anything in the beginning, Ruan Nan Zhu's response was: "No, I simply dislike people who start crying as soon as they come in. People like that tend to have a lot of issues." After saying this, he gave Lin Qiu Shi a satisfied glance and smiled, "I really like how you don't ask why."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..." Should he be thankful for his own lack of curiosity?
The newcomer's name was Yang Mei Shu. Her biggest mistake was probably pretending to be innocent by crying non-stop as soon as she entered, thus incurring Ruan Nan Zhu's disgust. If she had tried to get close to Ruan Nan Zhu differently - the way Xu Jin did in the previous world - perhaps she would have had a chance.
"Didn't they say each door only has one clue?" Tang Zao Zao looked puzzled after reading the slip of paper in Lin Qiu Shi's hand, "What's the story behind this one then?"
"Not necessarily. It's just very rare to have more than one," Ruan Nan Zhu explained. "I've encountered it a few times before. As for why two clue slips appear...I don't know. Maybe some special conditions were triggered. Or perhaps..." His gaze landed on the slip of paper as he murmured, "The person who brought it in was special." Of course these were all guesses without proof for now.
"How is Yang Mei Shu now?" Lin Qiu Shi asked. "Does she know you found out her identity?"
Ruan Nan Zhu smiled. "Not yet, but she'll know soon." His tone was light as he said indifferently, "Hopefully she's still alive when she finds out."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..." The malice in Ruan Nan Zhu's eyes was obvious.
...
Night fell. Yang Mei Shu lay in bed.
The handsome man had not shown up in the dining hall to eat with everyone today. Her plan seemed to have worked - serves him right for refusing to bring her along. Yang Mei Shu thought regretfully what a pity, she was quite fond of him and he could have made it out alive.
Two people had died so far, but Yang Mei Shu's ultimate goal was still far away. She was not in a hurry though, because everything was under her control. As long as she killed everyone in this world one by one, she would be invincible according to its rules. Whether it was finding the exit or obtaining the key, things would be easily resolved then.
As for the rule against killing people here - the dead who sought vengeance would at least need to know who their murderer was first. Too bad they had died wronged deaths without even understanding how they died. Let alone take revenge.
Thinking this, Yang Mei Shu smiled satisfactorily. Humming a song, she gazed at the ceiling and soon fell into deep slumber.
Drip, drop. Icy droplets of water landed on Yang Mei Shu's face, rousing her awake. Through sleepy eyes she noticed a patch of darkness had appeared on the white ceiling above. Transparent drops of water leaked from it, landing on her cheeks one by one.
Yang Mei Shu was instantly alert. She got out of bed and discovered the window, which had been shut earlier, was now wide open. Chilly wind mixed with rain blew in through the opening.
A shudder went through Yang Mei Shu from the cold. She walked to the window intending to close it, but a dark figure by the window caught her attention.
It was a woman wearing a black dress and hat, slightly lifting her head to stare at Yang Mei Shu with hollow black eyes. Her complexion seemed even paler set against the black clothing, like a waterlogged corpse.
"Ahhh!" Terrified by the sight, Yang Mei Shu retreated several steps as cold sweat broke out all over. Drip drop, the water stain on the ceiling grew increasingly obvious. As her hair dampened, Yang Mei Shu suddenly recalled something. In a few quick strides she rushed to the bedside table and grabbed her bag, frantically rummaging through its contents.
It wasn't there. The item that should have been inside was gone without a trace. Cold sweat soaked Yang Mei Shu's back as she finally broke down screaming: "Where is it? Where's my clue?"
Without the slip of paper she had nothing, her most important lead was missing! Yang Mei Shu's entire body trembled uncontrollably as she forced herself to look up at the water stain on the ceiling, which had taken on a human shape.
Petrified by the sight, Yang Mei Shu wanted to flee the room but found the doorknob locked when she tried to open the door.
"Help! Is anyone there? Help!" Yang Mei Shu started shrieking desperately. As she watched the water stain above begin to writhe, seemingly struggling to break free from the ceiling, she pounded on the door like a madwoman seeking escape from this room.
"Save me...someone please save me!" The nauseating stench of blood filled her nostrils. As Yang Mei Shu began bawling uncontrollably, she tasted hopelessness for the first time.
Glancing wildly around, she noticed the scenic painting previously hanging in her room had become a strange portrait - bearing uncanny resemblance to the castle's mistress. It was practically her self-portrait.
"Ahhh..." Overwhelmed by terror, Yang Mei Shu recklessly rushed up to the painting. Grabbing a fruit knife on the table beside it, she began stabbing violently at the emotionless lady in the rain before her. One stab, two stabs, three stabs...until the unknown woman was slashed beyond recognition. Gasping heavily, Yang Mei Shu finally lowered the blade.
"I'm not afraid of you." She muttered to herself, "I'm not afraid..."
Yet in the next moment when she looked towards the window again, Yang Mei Shu froze in horror.
The woman who should have been below the window was now standing right there instead, casting a tall, cold shadow that enveloped Yang Mei Shu. In her hand she held a black picture frame - the same kind Yang Mei Shu had used to kill others.
"No...no!!" Realization struck her like lightning. Frantically looking around for the frame that had trapped her inside, Yang Mei Shu knew it was already too late.
The woman approached until she towered over Yang Mei Shu. Holding up the frame in her hand, she slammed it forcefully down onto Yang Mei Shu.
"Ahhh!" Unlike Xiao Su who had lost consciousness instantly, the frame did not seal Yang Mei Shu directly into a painting. Instead it became a weapon that tore open her flesh, spilling crimson blood.
Attempting to flee, Yang Mei Shu felt her strength rapidly fade. Collapsing onto the floor, the last sight she saw was the slashed painting before her.
Finally, darkness claimed everything. Yang Mei Shu closed her eyes, dead without ever grasping what had led to her demise.
...
That night, Lin Qiu Shi slept very well. Ruan Nan Zhu also woke up early in an apparently good mood, smiling brightly to bid Lin Qiu Shi good morning.
"Good morning." Lin Qiu Shi ruffled his messy bedhead. "You seem happy today?"
"Of course." Ruan Nan Zhu glanced at the time. "I can't wait for breakfast already."
Lin Qiu Shi didn't think much of it, assuming Ruan Nan Zhu was just hungry. Tang Zao Zao on the other hand had a thoughtful look on her face.
The three of them headed to the dining hall together. After Ruan Nan Zhu sat down, he started observing their surroundings as if searching for something.
"Who are you looking for?" Lin Qiu Shi asked while eating bread.
"People. Seems like someone's missing." Indeed there was one less person today - the newcomer Ruan Nan Zhu had called out yesterday did not appear.
Noticing this anomaly, someone asked Yang Mei Shu's companion about her whereabouts. His nonchalant reply was that she hadn't opened her door all morning, so was probably still asleep.
As they were not a well-established team to begin with, no one expected him to be so attentive of course. But his response was a bit too dismissive, causing everyone to frown.
Zhang Tao, who had previously discovered the picture frame, spoke up: "How could she still be sleeping? Something must've happened. Let's go check it out." His gaze rested meaningfully on Ruan Nan Zhu as he said this.
"Sure." Ruan Nan Zhu nodded.
Despite rarely speaking up or offering opinions, Ruan Nan Zhu's unique temperament had somehow established him as the de facto leader in their team. When making certain decisions, everyone tended to look to him for guidance - perhaps this was the legendary personal charm. Lin Qiu Shi mused.
The group arrived outside Yang Mei Shu's room. Before even entering, the heavy stench of blood hit Lin Qiu Shi's nose. Sensing something bad, his guess was proven right after they broke down the door.
Yang Mei Shu was gone, but the room's disheveled state indicated what had transpired within.
The window was wide open with rainwater flooding in, drenching the sodden carpet below. On the walls, scenic paintings were viciously slashed into fragments, broken glass scattered all over the floor.
"Where is she?" Zhang Tao asked.
No one could answer, but everyone's gazes were involuntarily drawn towards the scroll hanging on the wall by the door - as if sensing Yang Mei Shu's doomed fate, like she had become a painting.
"Let's look around." Ruan Nan Zhu said, then left the room.
The rest followed him out and started searching the castle for any paintings of Yang Mei Shu.
Judging by his behavior, Ruan Nan Zhu definitely had a hand in this incident. But Lin Qiu Shi didn't dare confront him outright, waiting until the others had gone before quietly asking: "Was it you?"
"I merely returned what belonged to her." Ruan Nan Zhu said nonchalantly. "Who knew she'd be so stupid."
"Where did you put the picture frame?" Tang Zao Zao understood what had happened and questioned further.
Ruan Nan Zhu didn't reply, but beckoned them over with his hand.
A few minutes later, they were back inside Yang Mei Shu's room. After Ruan Nan Zhu shut the door, he walked to her bedside and half-knelt on the carpeted floor.
Seeing his actions, Lin Qiu Shi guessed where he had hidden the painting - under Yang Mei Shu's bed.
"You can do that?" Tang Zao Zao's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"I wanted to see if it would work. Didn't expect it to actually be effective." What Ruan Nan Zhu slid under the bedframe was a picture frame, but what he took out had become a painting.
Only the painting's content was an unrecognizable mess. Impossible to decipher what had been depicted from the chaotic colors alone, though there appeared to be blood.
"Can't even tell it's Yang Mei Shu." Tang Zao Zao stared at the gruesome image. "At least you could still identify the person in previous paintings... What did she do to end up like this?"
"Her transformation into a painting here means she never left this room." Ruan Nan Zhu analyzed. "And since she didn't exit this room, she must have triggered another death condition." His gaze shifted towards the slashed landscape painting on the wall. "She took action against the lady in the rain."
"I see." Lin Qiu Shi agreed with Ruan Nan Zhu's deduction. "The room's paintings do change into something else when one gets framed."
Ruan Nan Zhu's final statement was: "To contend with others leads to infinite joy."
In contrast, Tang Zao Zao and Lin Qiu Shi could only force a smile. Neither shared Ruan Nan Zhu's attitude - facing monsters and teammates who could betray you anytime was not exactly a pleasant experience.
Although they had located Yang Mei Shu's painting, no one could recognize the once passably pretty girl in this grotesque mess.
Three were dead so far: Xiao Su, Jiang Jie, and now Yang Mei Shu. Yet they seemed no closer to finding the key that would set them free.
Oblivious to the turmoil, the painter mistress continued working on her banquet scene, adding two more faces to the portrait.
"You stand upon the bridge watching the scenery, while others watch you from windows above. The bright moon adorns your window as you adorn the dreams of others." Ruan Nan Zhu held Yang Mei Shu's clue poem, which should have belonged to her. "We are the scenery, and the one watching us is the mistress...why does Yang Mei Shu have so much more detail than our clue did...?" He seemed rather puzzled by this.
"No idea." Tang Zao Zao said. "Maybe the door she entered was higher quality?"
Her words seemed to spark an epiphany in Ruan Nan Zhu. He pondered silently before murmuring: "Or perhaps...her method of exiting was special."
"What do you mean?" Tang Zao Zao asked in confusion. "There are other ways to exit doors?"
"Who knows." Ruan Nan Zhu replied.
Logically, now that the trigger behind Yang Mei Shu's death was uncovered, risks could be avoided until the key was found. But things were not as simple as they had imagined - merely three days after her demise, Lin Qiu Shi suffered another accident.
He had just finished dinner and gone to the washroom at the hallway's end. But upon exiting, Lin Qiu Shi sensed something amiss.
The once familiar corridor felt oddly foreign.
Hard to describe, the scenery itself was identical yet he strangely perceived this space as unfamiliar.
Hesitant whether to proceed, Lin Qiu Shi's footsteps faltered. The long hallway's dim oil lamps illuminated rows of indistinguishable frames hanging on both sides. He could hear the patter of rain coming from the washroom behind him - the steady drips setting his nerves on edge.
Mustering his courage, Lin Qiu Shi walked forward several steps until he reached the hallway's center.
The carpet below was soft, walls icy cold, picture frames damp...
Wait. Damp picture frames? Lin Qiu Shi froze abruptly. Turning towards the rows of paintings, he saw water streaming down each one, trickling onto the soft carpet.
At some point, a silhouette had appeared at the end of the hallway. Even from behind Lin Qiu Shi instantly recognized the castle mistress, the lady in the rain.
"Lin Lin Yu." Ruan Nan Zhu's voice suddenly rang out.
Seeking its source, Lin Qiu Shi saw the painting on his right had transformed into Xiao Su's visage. As beautiful as ever, she smiled brightly at Lin Qiu Shi and waved. "Lin Qiu Shi..."
A sudden chill went through Lin Qiu Shi.
"Come keep me company, Lin Lin Yu." Painting Xiao Su beckoned. "I'm so bored in here by myself."
As she spoke, a hand actually emerged from the painting reaching for Lin Qiu Shi!
Stunned by this sight, Lin Qiu Shi reflexively retreated several steps. But Xiao Su's arm appeared to elongate like a snake, determinedly stretching toward him.
Sensing lethal danger, Lin Qiu Shi turned to flee only for countless spindly hands to emerge from surrounding paintings - grabbing at his body and feet.
"Ruan Nan Zhu!" Lin Qiu Shi called out while struggling to break free of their grasp. But the narrow hallway constrained his movements. With legs ensnared by the painted limbs he felt himself being forcibly dragged away from the washroom.
The mistress in her towering black silhouette now stood before Lin Qiu Shi, staring icily down at him.
Forced to crane his neck back, Lin Qiu Shi met her dark gaze. As the distance between them shrank he could even smell the odd paint fumes emitting from her body.
Every muscle in Lin Qiu Shi's body tensed up stiffly like a hypnotized frog beneath a snake's stare.
Reaching out one hand the mistress grabbed Lin Qiu Shi's wrist, effortlessly hoisting up his 180cm frame as if lifting a chicken. Suspended by one arm Lin Qiu Shi was utterly helpless against her formidable strength.
Carrying Lin Qiu Shi, the mistress started ascending the staircase towards the rooftop.
Struggling violently to no avail, Lin Qiu Shi truly felt like a six-year-old child before her terrifying power. Dragged along despite his futile resistance, he knew they were getting closer to death's door. One step at a time.
Sensing his impending doom, Lin Qiu Shi's mind filled with despair.
Yet just as he was about to give up, the sound of shattering glass rang out. His surroundings began fracturing and distorting. The mistress' figure also grew blurred...
"Lin Qiu Shi!" Tang Zao Zao's anguished cry. "Come back to us!"
"Lin Qiu Shi!" Ruan Nan Zhu shouted his name as well.
With great difficulty Lin Qiu Shi struggled to open his eyes, but his efforts were in vain.
Finally the splintering sounds became clearer. Light pierced his eyes painfully and he squinted to see Tang Zao Zao's panic-stricken face, alongside Ruan Nan Zhu's deeply furrowed brows.
"What happened to me?" Lin Qiu Shi asked.
"You almost died-" Tang Zao Zao voice was horrified, "If it wasn't for Ruan Nan Zhu's quick discovery ..."
Lin Qiu Shi looked down and realized that he was actually lying in the toilet, next to a broken mirror.
"It seems like I was caught by her in the world inside the painting." Lin Qiu Shi was a bit confused, "But isn't there no more picture frame?" When Yang Meishu died, there should be no more picture frames, so why would he still ...
"How could a painter who paints not have a frame? Yang Meishu's picture frame, wasn't it her who provided it." Ruan Nan Zhu was helpless, "I thought this was common sense ..."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..." This is actually common sense, I'm sorry, it's really difficult for his IQ to live inside the door.
Tang Zao Zao cried in a small voice beside him.
"But you're not to blame for this." Ruan Nan Zhu said, "Who knew that thing was so smart." He pointed at the broken mirror in front of him, "Look at it."
Lin Qiu Shi looked up and realized that behind the shattered mirror was actually a black picture frame, and the mirror was surprisingly a double-sided mirror, which meant that everyone who had looked in the mirror was framed by the picture frame.
Lin Qiu Shi's expression twisted: "Is it this side or all of the mirror ..."
Ruan Nan Zhu shrugged his shoulders, "It's her ancient castle, don't you think?"
Lin Qiu Shi: "So Yang Meishu is actually being redundant-"
Ruan Nan Zhu: "Not only Yang Meishu, even I am superfluous." He said, "What did you just do inside? How did you get inside the painting?"
Lin Qiushi: "I just took a few steps down the corridor ..."
Ruan Nanzhu: "Next time you encounter something like this stand still."
Lin Qiushi covered his head and sighed, when he really felt that these things were indefensible, he suddenly remembered something again, "How did you know where I was? I can still be rescued after entering the picture frame?"
Ruan Nan Zhu didn't say anything when he heard this, he just reached out and gently pinched Lin Qiushi's earlobe, "Fate."
Lin Qiu Shi suddenly realized that it was Ruan Nan Candle who gave him the earrings that worked.
"What now." Tang Zao Zao was bewildered, "If it's a mirror with a picture frame behind it all, then aren't we all objects that she can kill whenever she wants?"
Ruan Nan Zhu shook his head, "Impossible, this isn't an advanced door, the conditions for killing are actually all very harsh, there won't be an easy reunion." He did some math, "Didn't you notice that every time she pulls a person into the painting she can only pull a second one after a period of time?"
Tang Zao Zao: "So ...?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "So should we go and try to see if we can get the key out."
Tang Zao Zao looked at Ruan Nan Zhu suspiciously, "What do you mean get the key out?"
Ruan Nan Candle: "You said that if I take advantage of the fact that she can't kill anyone to give her paintings a fire ..."
Hearing Ruan Nan Zhu's words, both Tang Zao Zao and Lin Qiu Shi's expressions twisted for a moment.
Tang Zao Zao was horrified and said, "Ruan Nan Candle, don't test the edge of death, will you!"
Ruan Nan Zhu: "Oh, I was just joking."
Lin Qiu Shi and Tang Zao Zao both revealed disbelieving expressions, Ruan Nan Zhu's tone of voice, it didn't seem like he was joking at all.