Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
"The third floor?" The ghost raised an eyebrow, "Why do you want to go to the third floor?"
"We want to meet the owner of this manor and ask him to let us out," Yang Yue tried his best to calm down.
The ghost laughed, "Thereâs no need. If you want to leave, I am also in a position to help you," Taking a pause, he looked at Yang Yueâs hard to conceal fervour before his words took a sharp turn, "However, if you want to obtain something, you must pay in exchange. If you want your freedom, then you naturally need to pay an appropriate price."
"What price?" Yang Yue was not disappointed. He had already been acquainted with the indifferent and miserly nature of the spirits of this manor. They would never help them for free.
"Leave one person here," The ghost raised his head, pointed towards Yang Yue, and then hesitated for a second before shifting his index finger to the nervous and confused youth by Yang Yueâs side.
When the ghost had pointed towards himself, Yang Yueâs heart couldnât help but go âba-dumpâ. However, when the finger shifted, his heart felt even colder and sunk even lower. This was even more unacceptable than staying behind himself.
Yang Yue truly did not understand why Xiao Xiao was so attractive to these ghosts. One after another came to pounce on him. Could it be that the aesthetic of humans and ghosts were different?
ââAt this moment, Yang Yue most likely had forgotten that he and his childhood friend had also âpounced onâ this person. His impression of Xiao Xiao had frozen at his original, prior image of an ordinary, average and unpopular youth.
"Impossible," Yang Yueâs cold voice interrupted what the ghost was about to say, refusing his proposal in one breath, without giving him any leeway to change his mind, "We would never sacrifice others for our own sake!"
"Are you unwilling to sacrifice other people or...unwilling to sacrifice him?" The spirit flashed him a smile, seeming to see through him, voice certain, "You like him."
"So what," Yang Yue replied indifferently, not wanting to discuss this topic with the other, "We donât need you to permit us to leave. We just need you to tell us how to get to the staircase leading to the third floor. We can personally negotiate with the owner of this manor."
"Heh, this isnât the attitude one should use when asking for favours~" The spirit waved its finger, "Donât harbour any wishful thinking. I know the manorâs owner very well. My demand is the same as his. If you cannot accept this requirement, then even if you meet with the manor owner, you wonât be able to attain permission to leave here."
Yang Yueâs expression became increasingly gloomy upon hearing the ghostâs words. However, he would not give up, "...This is our business. Before we get to that, please tell us how to get to the third floorâs staircase."
"Not telling you~" The ghost smiled naughtily, before unfolding his two arms in an exaggerated manner, "Truly selfish, na...for the sake of the person you like, youâre even willing to sacrifice the lives of others? It was only because you were lucky today, and that the little girl in the washroom has always been very obedient. She only wanted to play a game involving swings with your friends. However, what about tomorrow, ne? Or the day after that, ne? Do you think that youâll be lucky forever? Your friends will die one after another, just because you chose to refuse my proposal for the sake of protecting a single person. Donât you feel guilty?"
The spiritâs ability to distort the truth was truly too outstanding. Clearly, it was them, the non-human entities that were the main offenders. But under his warped words, he had turned Yang Yue, who had just been trying his best to protect his comrades, into a criminal. Although Yang Yue did feel a moment of self-despise and self-doubt, his will did not waver.
"I will do my utmost to protect each and every person. Meanwhile, you all are murderers!" Yang Yue tightly clenched his fists, "I will not sacrifice my comrades because of a murdererâs attempt in enticing me by playing down the situation! No matter who the person to be sacrificed is!"
"Only, this is but an excuse to make yourself seem righteous...forget it," The spirit waved its hands, interest waning. It was obvious that it did not want to debate with Yang Yue over this matter.
The spirit floated off of the window sill, gracefully stepping around the room in a large circle before arriving behind Yang Yue and Xiao Xiao. In the end, he pressed his body close to Xiao Xiao and wrapped his arms around his body.
Yang Yueâs eyes followed the ghostâs every movement. Right now, he was doing his best to control himself, not letting his gaze fall on Xiao Xiao so that the others would not find out the ghostâs position. This would horrify the timid youth.
Perceiving Yang Yueâs prudent protection, a ruminating light became even more evident in the ghostâs eyes. It lowered its head, as if closely examining the youth in its arms, wondering just what about him made him so worthy of being cherished like this.
Probably because he realized that the ghost was behind him, but Xiao Xiao turned around, alarmed. He cautiously swept a look at his surroundings, but no matter how he looked, he could not see the ghost that was but a fist away from his face and who currently had its face lowered in examination of him.
Yang Yueï¼"........................"
ââDuring this sort of moment, he simply wanted to light a truck full of candles for Xiao Xiao.
"In any case, the one who should feel anxious is not me, after all," After sizing up Xiao Xiao, the ghost finally cast its gaze back onto Yang Yue and spoke, seeming not in the least concerned, "If worse comes to worse, Iâll just kill you all and leave that child as the only survivor, in which case he can only belong to us."
Yang Yue could not refute its words and could only grit his teeth while glaring at the ghost who vanished into thin air after saying its piece.
The negotiation this time had expended all of Yang Yueâs energy and had pushed him to the brink of despair. He felt powerless from head to toe and couldnât help but walk to Xiao Xiao, bringing him into a tight hug.
Yang Yue shut his eyes, heart weary. He seemed as if he needed Xiao Xiaoâs help to prop himself up, as confirmation that he was indeed still by his side, alive.
ââCan he do it? Can he protect Xiao Xiao while in the hands of these callous and avaricious spectres? Can they escape?
Perhaps they would all die and Xiao Xiao would become the exclusive property of the ghosts in this manor...when he thought of how Xiao Xiao would be stuck here alone and be unable to achieve solace no matter how much he cried or screamed in fear, Yang Yue felt his chest hurt so much it became difficult to breathe.
"...Just...whatâs the matter? Was it...not successful?" The first to speak was the bespectacled youth. After a long period of silence, he finally bolstered his courage and asked.
"En, it was unsuccessful," Yang Yue stood up and gave everyone a bitter smile.
"...Then, what did it say? It wanted us to...sacrifice one of us?" The robust girl looked at Yang Yue in hesitation, "Sacrifice...who?"
"...It didnât say," Yang Yue ultimately decided to hide it.
Human nature was selfish. If the others knew that the person the ghosts wanted was Xiao Xiao, Yang Yue could not be certain that they wouldnât choose to abandon him in exchange for their own lives. After all, Xiao Xiao was antisocial and did not have good relations with the others. Even if he and Ming Hai could protect Xiao Xiao, it was very difficult to guarantee that there wouldnât be any mishaps.
Yang Yue was unwilling to gamble, so he could only lie.
"Really?" The robust girl cast a skeptical look towards Yang Yue. The quiet and gentle girl and the bespectacled youth also looked very bewildered. It was clear that Yang Yue and the ghostâs ambiguous words just now had already sowed the seed of doubt in everyoneâs hearts.
"Really," Yang Yue gazed at the others with an earnest and calm expression, hiding the iciness within his eyes, "Besides, even if it had suggested it, are we going to hand someone over? Today, one ghost will ask us to sacrifice one person. Tomorrow, another may ask us to sacrifice another. Do you guys really believe that we can survive by sacrificing our comrades? Itâs impossible! Itâs only by sticking together, supporting each other, that we can escape!"
"But..." The quiet and gentle girl cried out quietly in opposition, "Didnât it say? That ghost said that...it would let us leave...."
"Do you really believe that ghostâs words?" Yang Yue sneered.
No one responded. Naturally, they did not believe in them. However, there were some things in life where, although one may know it is a trick, one canât help but want to believe in it anyway.
The discussion did not continue. Everyone silently laid back down, full of despair, anxiety and uneasiness.
The night was endless, with daybreak a long ways away. However, it was evident that no one would be able to truly go to sleep once again.
Ming Hai and the quiet and gentle girl replaced Yang Yue and Xiao Xiao for guard duty. Yang Yue specifically took advantage of a moment where others didnât pay attention to him to silently tell Ming Hai keep an eye on Xiao Xiao. Ming Hai nodded his head slightly before sitting near the youth, silent and reliable as he has always been in the past.
Yang Yue looked at Xiao Xiao who had coiled himself into a ball because of the fear and unease he was feeling. He couldnât help but sigh and gather him up in his arms, allowing him to lean against himself.
Even though Yang Yue knew that he was too weak and was possibly unable to achieve anything, still, he wanted to do his best to give it a try. He wanted to try to protect this cowardly and weak boy. who still managed to affect his heart this much.
Unfortunately, the unromantic Sui Yuan was completely clueless on how heavy a psychological burden he had created for the protagonist shou. He was constantly thinking about how he could capture the Destroyerâs pigtail during the next murder scene.
Last time, he had been dragged into the washroom by the protagonist gong and shou (......), so he ended up missing that important scene. However, the Destroyer would most likely not disturb things just that once. If he/she moved, Sui Yuan would be able to get a chance to break through his/her disguise.
...It was just that as a man, the next murder scene truly presented a thorny problem for him. Just like the murder in the girlâs bathroom, the location of the next murder was in the bathroom while the girl was showering....
Sui Yuan: "........................"
After all, girls loved to be clean. Since it had nearly been four days since they had ran into this manor to avoid the rain, even the boys were barely able to bear with it. However, it was clearly stifling to the girl who never had to worry about basic necessities in her life.
The robust girl could no longer stand being unclean and carefully locked her door. She gathered a bit of water, planning on just wiping down her body. The result was that once she wiped herself, a problem appeared.
Then, the problem is... just how on earth would Sui Yuan be able to justify running over to watch as the girl shed her clothes and washed her body with this identity of his, ne? This was undoable, OK?!
The more important point was that the quiet and gentle girl had not died. If they were going to wash up, then the two girls would inevitably do so together, help each other out, and bolster each otherâs courage. Regardless of whether the Destroyer is amongst the two of them, the plot would undoubtedly change.
"What, canât sleep?" From his ear came Yang Yueâs nearly soundless question.
Sui Yuan raised his eyes and looked at Yang Yue: "...Youâre hiding something from me, right? Moreover, itâs something really important."
Yang Yueâs breath stopped. He had never looked at Xiao Xiaoâs eyes from so up close. In this moment, he felt that this pair of black, pure, and limpid eyes seemed to see through everything. Yang Yue subconsciously dodged the otherâs gaze, "Yes. However, I donât want to tell you."
Sui Yuanï¼"........................"
ââIs there really no problem with being so frank?! Canât you be a bit more tactful, ah!
"Although Iâm hiding it from you, I absolutely would never hurt you, I promise," Yang Yue smoothed out Sui Yuanâs hair and spoke in a placating tone, "Please trust me, Xiao Xiao."
"...Youâve been using a really strange gaze to look at me all day. There is definitely...something fishy about me, right?" Sui Yuan wanted to know about Zhao Xiheâs situation via Yang Yue so badly that it felt extremely unbearable. He knew that Yang Yue was worried about Xiao Xiaoâs cowardice, so he chose to discard his character settings for once and put out a calm, rational, and brave appearance.
Little did he realize that in Yang Yueâs eyes, Sui Yuanâs hard work made him appear like he was evidently scared to death but wanted to act calm. This made him look pitiful and adorable in Yang Yueâs eyes, so how could he bear to tell him the truth?
"Donât let your imagination run wild," Yang Yue furrowed his brows and reprimanded him. When he saw that Sui Yuan still didnât look convinced, he couldnât help but give him an âappropriateâ explanation, "I look at you like that only because...I suddenly realized that I like you, thatâs all."
Sui Yuanï¼".............................."
ââT-thatâs not right! Protagonist shou, youâve connected to the wrong channel! We are clearly discussing the matter of seeing ghosts, why the heck did you suddenly confess?!
"Whatâs your answer, ne?" Seeing that Sui Yuan did not react even after a long time, Yang Yue, who originally only wanted to shift the otherâs attention in order to prevent him from pursuing his original line of questioning, felt rather unsettled. Although his goal had been achieved, was there really no problem with so obviously ignoring his confession?!
"...What answer?" Sui Yuan looked at him, stupefied.
"I like you. What about you?" Yang Yue repeated.
Sui Yuan: "...I donâtâ"
"OK. I understand," Yang Yue interrupted him, "itâs âI donât knowâ, right?"
If it wasnât because it wasnât in compliance to his character settings, then Sui Yuan would really want to shoot this protagonist shou an expression akin to that of a dead fish. Only, even if he still constantly had his character settings in mind, Sui Yuan still wouldnât have had the energy to act panicked and helplessâhe had been completely overpowered by the protagonist shou!
"Iâm sorry, I really didnât want to tell you this. After all, this really isnât a suitable time to say it," Yang Yue seemed to completely missed Sui Yuanâs powerless appearance and summarized the situation without consulting anyone else, "So, wait until we leave here before giving me your answer, OK?"
Sui Yuan: Not OK at all! (â¯âµâ¡â²)â¯ï¸µâ»ââ»
Yang Yue has already spoken to this point. As "Xiao Xiao", Sui Yuan truly had no way to refuse him decisively. He could only shut his eyes, heart stifled, and refuse to speak.
Yang Yue smiled bitterly. He raised his eyes and met with the gaze of Ming Hai who was watching them, before slightly raising a brow.
The corner of Ming Haiâs lips raised and he turned to look away, as if protesting against his good friendâs sneaky actions. Meanwhile, although Yang Yue was ârejectedâ, his mood was not particularly downcast.
ââWhen he had confessed to Xiao Xiao, the other did not take note of Ming Haiâs reaction while in shock. This meant that Xiao Xiao actually did not care about Ming Hai as much as he had originally thought. So...this might mean that he had a chance?
It had to be said, Yang Yue was fully deserving to be the protagonist of a supernatural text, to be in the mood to rival for the affection of another in a situation where their lives were not guaranteed. His ability to withstand pressure was extremely formidable. It simply made people unable to help but admire him.
After getting âXiao Xiaoâs comfortâ, Yang Yueâs sleep for the latter half of the night was unexpectedly not bad. He appeared evidently bursting with vitality amongst this group of fellows that had trouble sleeping all night and ended up pulling aggro.
During breakfast, everyoneâs mood was low. The appearance of the âbutlerâ last night made them completely lose their objective for the day. After all, the other had already refused to tell them the location of the third floorâs staircase. Even if they found him once again, would that change? The crucial point was the condition for exchange the other had proposedâor rather, who they needed to sacrifice.
The hearts of people were unstable. The trust between them had already begun to break and was on the verge of collapse. Yang Yue was powerless against this. It was he who hadnât handled this matter well. He was the chief offender that had caused this ending.
"Everyone has been tired these past few days. Today...letâs try to rest properly, ba," Yang Yue said quietly after finishing breakfast.
No one raised any objections. After all, there was already no plan of action.
Only, although they were resting, the fear of the manor was enough to cause everyone to stay together. The bespectacled youth was very interested in the study. He thought that the books would be a very important source of information, or perhaps they would be able to find a clue that would help them leave the manor. Towards his thoughts, Yang Yue and Ming Hai agreed. Meanwhile, the two girls expressed that they wanted to wash clean their bodies.
"I noticed before that thereâs a lounge beside the study. While weâre searching through the materials, you girls can wash up there. I suggest that you guys donât use the bathrooms. After all..." The bespectacled youth pushed his glasses up.
Although the two girls felt rather embarrassed, they did not insist. After all, their safety was the most important. After coming to a unanimous agreement, everyone first got some water from their bedrooms and soon after moved to the study. The males searched for clues in the study while the girls went to the nearby lounge to wipe their bodies.
The study and lounge were connected by a side door. If anything happened, one would only have to shout to get help. Everybody was pleased with this. It was only Sui Yuan who was conflicted.
A messâthe plot had already been turned into a complete mess.
The timing and venue of the girlsâ wash time had been changed. Furthermore, the very last death scene that was to be the bespectacled youthâs in the study, was moved forwards. Because of this butterfly effect, even with the plot in hand, Sui Yuan would be unable to find out what the Destroyer had changed.
Standing before the bookshelves in the study while feeling crushed, Sui Yuanâs gaze flitted across the rows of books while constantly monitoring the bespectacled youthâs every move. The two girls had already gone next door to wash up. The soundproofing of the study was not bad. He couldnât hear anything from next door clearly.
The bespectacled youth flipped through the books. He seemed rather deep in concentration and occasionally, his brows would crease in deep thought , as if he was seriously looking for clues. Sui Yuan placed a book within the bespectacled youthâs reach while no one else was paying attention and then picked up another book, pretending to read it. After flipping to the first page, he saw Yang Yue suddenly stand up.
"Whatâs wrong?" Sui Yuan and the bespectacled youth were startled and asked in unison.
Yang Yue waved his hands, urgently eyeing the main door leading to the corridor, "I seemed to have seen a silhouette just now. Iâm going to go take a look. You guys wait here!"
After saying that, Yang Yue didnât wait for the others to react before running out of the study. If he didnât know that the other was a protagonist that typically would not die, Sui Yuan seriously would want to sigh a âthis is simply courting deathâ with sorrow.
"Iâm rather worried. Iâm going to follow along and take a look," Ming Hai also stood up. He glanced at the direction of the room next door where the girls were in hesitation, before warning, "You guys wait here. Donât run off!"
Sui Yuan and the bespectacled youth watched as Ming Hai and Yang Yue left the room through the main door. Afterwards, they met each otherâs gaze.
"...Relax a bit. Yang Yue has always been reliable. In addition, thereâs Ming Hai with his impressive strength. Nothing will happen," The bespectacled youth forced a smile as he consoled Sui Yuan.
Sui Yuan nodded softly, worried. He looked on wordlessly as the bespectacled youthâs hand shifted over to the book Sui Yuan had just placed down, and picked it up.
Because the plot was very detailed with the descriptions of each murder, as soon as Sui Yuan entered the study, he immediately recognized that this book was the cause of the bespectacled youthâs death. If he opened it....
The bespectacled youth placed his hand on the cover of the book, looking like he was about to flip it open. It was just that before he could do it, the sound of a water basin overturning sounded from the other room, followed by a frightened shriek: "Ahâ!!"
The bespectacled youthâs hand quivered and he dropped the book in his hand to the ground. Meanwhile, Sui Yuanâs mind shook. The murder ordained by the plot had arrived!
Wuxian: Iâm itching to know who the Destroyer is.