In that moment, Ning Qiushui as if every cell in his body had frozen solid.
Scrape—
Scrape—
A cold, metallic friction sounded from behind him, making his scalp feel like it was about to explode.
That was…the sound of a knife and fork scraping against each other!
Right behind him.
And… it was getting closer!
At the same time, the vent in front of him suddenly burst open from the wind!
Cold air, thick with the smell of blood, kept flooding into Ning Qiushui's nose and lungs.
Fear… spread through his entire body.
Was he…about to die?
In that instant, an indescribable terror washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.
He raised his hand, instinctively wanting to turn on the light!
Light…He needed light!
Only light could dispel this suffocating darkness!
But just as his fingers were about to touch the light switch, he suddenly stopped.
In his mind, part of the mysterious letter he had received flashed vividly:
[…]
[ The wind lights no lamp, the rain burns no candle ]
[ Do not go upstairs by day, do not close your eyes by night ]
—The wind lights no lamp.
Ning Qiushui gritted his teeth, suppressing the overwhelming terror in his chest, and did not turn on the light.
He pulled his hand back and forced himself, step by step, against the cold, blood-scented wind toward the front of the hallway.
The terrifying metallic scraping felt like it was right beside his ear, stabbing directly into his nerves.
It felt as if whatever was behind him could plunge those sharp utensils into his back and tear him apart at any moment!
Ning Qiushui took a deep breath, gathered every bit of courage he had, clenched his fists, and ignored the horrifying sound behind him, moving forward step by step.
He was gambling.
Gambling that since he hadn't triggered the "death condition," whatever was behind him…could not touch him!
One step…
Two steps…
At this moment, Ning Qiushui felt his adrenaline spike to the limit.
Every step he took was a brutal challenge to his sanity.
But he didn't dare run—couldn't run.
The wind was icy cold, as if penetrating his skin, burrowing into his muscles, his bones… his whole body stiffened.
Fortunately…he gambled correctly.
The terrifying thing behind him seemed to be stopped by some invisible force and could not harm him.
When he finally reached his room door and grabbed the handle, the shrill metal scraping behind him suddenly disappeared…
The bloody wind in the hallway faded away, and under the faint moonlight, Ning Qiushui saw that the shutters at the far end of the hall… had closed at some point.
"Was it… just an illusion?"
Panting, Ning Qiushui narrowed his eyes slightly.
The bone-chilling cold at his back slowly faded, as if whatever had been following him all this time… had finally left.
Ning Qiushui felt his mind go blank.
When he walked inside, he realized his clothes were soaked in sweat.
In the darkness, Liu Renfeng's low voice sounded—carrying a touch of fear.
"Xiao Ge… you're not hurt, right?"
Clearly, he had also heard the horrifying scraping in the hallway.
Ning Qiushui shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Liu Renfeng stepped closer, fumbling for Ning Qiushui's hand in the darkness, confirming that it was warm—alive.
He let out a long sigh of relief and said admiringly:
"Xiao Ge… you're incredible!"
"I thought you weren't coming back!"
"Just now, out in the hall… was there really… was there something?"
Ning Qiushui nodded.
"It appeared."
Liu Renfeng's eyes widened incredulously.
"It… it didn't kill you?"
Ning Qiushui was silent for a moment, then said:
"It can't kill us whenever it wants."
"Only when we trigger a 'death condition' can it lay a hand on us."
Liu Renfeng recalled everything that had happened before, emotions swirling in his chest.
"Then… little brother, you know what the death conditions are?"
Ning Qiushui spoke softly:
"I know some of them."
"I already told you."
"But those aren't all. How many there are… only it knows."
"What we need to do now… is uncover the truth as quickly as possible."
Liu Renfeng's breathing quickened.
"But even if we find the truth, it won't really help us survive, right?"
Ning Qiushui was silent again.
"The truth should come with a way to deal with it."
"Remember what the man in the suit told us earlier?"
"There's more than one path to survival in the world beyond the Blood Gate. It seems dangerous—but it isn't hopeless."
"And the woman in the red dress warned us not to go to the third floor of the villa. That place must be extremely important."
Liu Renfeng's eyes flickered.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Alright!"
"Xiao Ge, whenever you want to move, I'll go with you!"
"If we die, we die together—at least I'll have company!"
Ning Qiushui:
"Wait."
The two of them stayed quietly in the room for a long time.
Until midnight—the terrifying metal scraping echoed again outside their door!
Both of them knew it instantly:It was the sound of knives and forks scraping.
The thing from the third floor… had come down to hunt again!
This time…who would it be?
Scrape—
Scrape—
Scrape—
The sound drew closer and closer.
Liu Renfeng's heartbeat sped up with every second.
He glanced at Ning Qiushui beside him—and saw him drinking tea.
Liu Renfeng froze.
Then his admiration grew stronger.
"Little brother… in a situation like this, and you can still sip tea… you're the first person I've ever seen!"
He lowered his voice to barely a whisper.
Ning Qiushui set his cup down.
"I'm very nervous too."
"But everyone has their own way of dealing with fear."
"When I'm nervous, I… tend to eat or drink something."
Even so, his voice was steady, barely betraying a hint of fear.
Outside the door—
The horrifying sound stopped right in front of their room.
The knives and forks clashed repeatedly, as if a starving ghost was standing there, staring hungrily at them through the door…
Liu Renfeng felt useless, but his palms were drenched in sweat.
He was terrified.
Terrified that the thing outside would break in…
But fortunately—what he imagined did not happen.
The ghost lingered outside their door for a moment, then seemed to realize it couldn't do anything to them—and moved toward another room.
This time…
Just like last night.
The sound… stopped in front of the room next door.
About five minutes later, Ning Qiushui pressed his ear to the door.
Hearing nothing, he slowly cracked it open.
After observing for a moment, he pushed it wider and poked his head out, scanning the silent, dark hallway.
Besides the open vent at the end of the corridor and the cold wind blowing through, nothing else moved.
"This is our chance. Go!"
Ning Qiushui waved to Liu Renfeng.
The two of them slipped out quietly, moving carefully through the darkness toward the staircase…