After Xi Yong'an's mindless joke, my mind quickly snapped back to reality with the questions surrounding us: Who on earth was that hunchbacked demon? What was its purpose in attacking us?
A list of suspects flashed through my head. Could it be Butler Li, the mistress of the house, or perhaps an anonymous figure whose face we hadn't even seen yet?
In the midst of my deep speculation, a raspy, aged voice suddenly echoed from right behind my back:
-"The rain has stopped. When do you all plan on leaving?"
It was Butler Li.
His eerily well-timed appearance made me jump out of my skin; my heart nearly leapt from my chest. The group was caught in a tight spot, and cold sweat began to bead on our foreheads. According to the Ghost Gate's requirements, we had to decipher the mysteries of this villa to survive and return. Leaving now would be synonymous with suicide, but staying meant we had to find a logical excuse.
While we were all racking our brains for a reason to delay, the butler spoke again, his clouded eyes piercing through us:
-"Actually, it has been a very long time since we've had guests visit. My mistress also wishes to invite everyone to stay and look around for a few more days. I wonder what you all think?"
Yashu quickly flashed a polite smile, though her eyes couldn't hide her alertness:
-"Hah, that would be wonderful. We had originally planned to explore this forest for a few more days but hadn't found a place to stay yet. Please convey our sincere thanks to the mistress."
Butler Li nodded slightly, his aged face devoid of emotion:
-"I have finished preparing some light snacks; I will bring them up shortly. It is nothing fancy, just a few large buns, I hope you won't mind. As for lunch, I will go down to the kitchen to prepare it later."
With that, he turned around, his footsteps slow and heavy as he departed. Perhaps because we were huddled so closely together, combined with the dim lighting of the hallway, the old man didn't seem to notice at all that someone in our group was injured.
Watching his hunched back disappear around the corner, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine:
-"Everything... just feels so strange."
Pham Bach Kha crossed his arms, his brows furrowed in deep thought:
-"Yeah... This villa is deserted, with only him and the mistress living in the middle of this godforsaken forest. Yet, they easily let eleven strangers like us stay. Are they not afraid we have bad intentions, or... are they confident that we can't do anything to them?"
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. Right then, Yashu turned to look at me, lowering her voice:
-"Right now, the most suspicious place is the upper floor - the only area we haven't touched yet. Surely, the important clues must be there."
Xi Yong'an clicked his tongue, chiming in with a look of hesitation:
-"But that old man definitely won't let us wander upstairs as we please. After all, that's where the mistress lives."
An idea flashed through my mind. I glanced toward the two injured girls, Tu Qinghe and Wu Mengqiao:
-"How about... you two help us distract Butler Li so the group can slip upstairs?"
Tu Qinghe looked a bit stunned, her eyes widening with worry:
-"Of course we can... but if you guys go up there and run into the mistress, then what?"
-"Do you remember when Yashu asked about the mistress?" I explained slowly. "He said she has health issues and mostly stays in her room. I guess the upper floor has many rooms, so the chance of a direct encounter isn't high. Besides, it's daytime now; the danger level is definitely much lower than at night."
Tu Qinghe gave a faint smile and nodded trustingly:
-"Alright, then it's a plan."
Everyone agreed. You might be wondering why I didn't wait for Butler Li to be busy cooking in the kitchen before acting? Simply because I didn't trust his cooking skills. Remember the first day? His cooking speed was incredibly fast, yet it left behind no scent or kitchen smoke. Letting him out of our sight while he "cooked" was too risky a gamble.
Yashu spoke up, her voice sharp and calculating: "But if too many people go, it'll be easy to 'disturb the grass and startle the snake.' Butler Li is old but not senile; he'll definitely be suspicious if he sees the number of people significantly decrease. Therefore, at most, only two people should go upstairs."
As soon as the suggestion was made, the atmosphere turned thick. Everyone began to glance around, an uneasy silence falling over us. I looked around to gauge the group's attitude.
While most of the others showed clear signs of hesitation - even avoiding my gaze - only Xi Yong'an, Yashu, and Pham Bach Kha remained calm. Their eyes radiated determination; they seemed ready for this risky plan.
To me, the willingness of those three was more than enough. In a survival game, quantity isn't necessarily as important as the mettle of those standing beside you.
Before I could speak, a hand clapped familiarly onto my shoulder, accompanied by a boastful voice:
-"Let this Young Master here escort him. Everyone else can just stay here and keep an eye on old Li!"
And so, the plan was set, despite a few lingering looks of worry and reluctance.
A few minutes later, Butler Li emerged from the shadows, his thin hands carrying two large trays of steaming buns. Just as the old man was about to approach and distribute the buns to each person, the group acted immediately. The remaining nine people rushed forward as if they were starving, forming a thick human wall that completely blocked the old man's vision. After receiving their buns, a few people pretended to walk toward the bedrooms while eating, creating the impression that we had all dispersed.
Meanwhile, Tu Qinghe and Wu Mengqiao proactively approached him, skillfully revealing their still-bleeding wounds:
-"Butler Li... the two of us were playing around and accidentally hit some nails on the bed. Could you please take a look at these injuries?"
Seizing the moment he was distracted, Xi Yong'an and I - unseen by god or ghost - slipped through the narrow gaps behind his back and dashed toward the stairs. We moved as fast as possible while keeping our footsteps light as a cat's, stepping on our tiptoes over the aged wooden steps, not daring to breathe heavily for a second for fear the floorboards would betray us.
Setting foot on the second floor, a brief sense of relief surged through my chest. But not letting ourselves get distracted, we moved immediately.
Before us was a long, stretching corridor, where large mirrors placed opposite each other created infinite illusions. I peeked out to observe, my gaze stopping at a door that was designed very luxuriously but exuded an atmosphere so gloomy and cold it was hair-raising. On the door was a large, threatening sign: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, DO NOT DISTURB. Above the doorframe was the name: Yu Li.
This was undoubtedly the mistress's room.
Xi Yong'an and I held our breath, pressing our backs against the cold wall, inching along to pass that room. But just as we were closest, a sudden sob drifted through the crack of the door. The woman's crying was so piteous and tragic it felt like it would tear the listener's heart apart. Both of us froze, goosebumps erupting on our arms, but the fear of Butler Li urged us both to keep moving.
Going deeper into the long, dark corridor, another room appeared that left us stunned. In stark contrast to the dark colors of the mansion, this room was decorated with playful, vibrant tones. The door stood ajar like a mysterious invitation, and strangely enough, it was the only room that wasn't locked tight.
I carefully threw a handkerchief inside first to test for traps. After confirming it was safe, we both crept inside.
What met our eyes was a strange space that seemed to have once been intended for children. However, instead of warmth, the room exuded a bone-chilling emptiness. On the wall opposite the main door, animal drawings appeared out of place against the pure white paint of the remaining walls. I squinted to look closely; the crude sketches included:
-A solitary wooden stick.
-A cat... but one leg had been violently erased.
-A duck swimming.
-A lion with a thick mane.
Aside from these eerie drawings, the room was completely empty. Xi Yong'an and I split up to search. Suddenly, under the wooden bed frame, I found two small square pieces of paper with strange shapes on them. At the same time, Yong'an gave a soft cheer as he picked up two similar pieces in the corner of the room.
There were four pieces of paper in total. When we flipped them over, we saw they were numbered from 1 to 4.
-"We definitely have to piece them together," Yong'an whispered.
I nodded, hurrying to place the four pieces on the floor and arranging them in the order 1-2-3-4. However, the result was just a chaotic, distorted shape that made no sense at all.
I frowned, looking back at the drawings on the wall. Perhaps the numbers on the back weren't the assembly order, but a deeper hint...
While I was still struggling with the mess on the floor, Xi Yong'an wandered over to that strange wall. He reached out and lightly touched a smudge on the cat drawing, clicking his tongue and whispering:
-"Really weird, I don't know who would be bored enough to erase one of its legs. Look at how pitiful the limping cat looks."
Yong'an's casual remark was like a bolt of lightning through my head. I froze, my eyes widening as I stared at the drawings on the wall, then blurted out:
-"Legs... That's it, it's the number of legs!"
Xi Yong'an turned back startled, looking blankly at me as I busily shuffled the papers once more. According to what I had just pieced together, the drawings weren't random; they were the positioning key for the numbers on the back of the papers:
-The stick: 1 leg (number 1).
-The cat ( with 1 leg erased ): 3 legs (number 3).
-The duck: 2 legs (number 2).
-The lion: 4 legs (number 4).
So, the correct order of the pieces was: 1-3-2-4.
When the final piece was placed in the correct 1-3-2-4 sequence, the disjointed lines immediately snapped together into a complete symbol.
It was a six-pointed star sitting neatly in the center, surrounded by two intricately interlocking circles. The drawing exuded an ancient, perhaps even sinister aura under the dim light of the room. I stared at it, a feeling of both excitement and unease rising within me.
Though I still couldn't understand the meaning of this symbol or which force in the villa it represented, there was one thing I was certain of: This was the core "key." Perhaps it was used to activate a secret mechanism, or it was a sign to identify a hidden room we hadn't found yet.
Xi Yong'an leaned in close to look, letting out a soft whistle:
-"Looks like a talisman, doesn't it? I wonder if it's used to seal something away?"
His words caused the atmosphere in the room to drop a few degrees.