Miss Wen fell silent. Her thoughtful expression bore a resemblance to Wen Xiang Yuan, which made Nan Yue feel a bit more patient and tolerant toward her.
"Keep that ledger once you've finished reading it. However, Master Wen will definitely search the castle, and your room will likely be the first place he looks."
Miss Wen gave Nan Yue a strange look, as if wondering why this person was being so considerate toward her.
She knew herself well; she was by no means an easy person to get along with or someone others would easily open up to.
Though she possessed a magnificent appearance, anyone who knew even a little about her would usually avoid her like the plague.
Nan Yue pretended not to notice her confusion and asked directly, "Do you know when Master Wen will be back?"
Miss Wen remained silent for a moment before speaking up somewhat awkwardly.
"He'll be back tonight because a relative of the President's family is coming over."
Miss Wen's expression was flat as she said this, but Nan Yue had already guessed the reason for this relative's visit.
It seemed that despite the fire still burning within her regarding her past experiences, she had largely become numb to them.
"Then he probably won't be able to stay for long tonight."
Nan Yue spoke calmly, her gaze carrying a faint hint of suggestion as she looked at Miss Wen. "Master Wen should be quite busy tonight."
While Nan Yue and Miss Wen were deliberating in the castle, the gardeners who had been busy in the flower beds were called to an open space in the middle of the garden by their Group Leader.
Zhu Xi Ning blended into the crowd. Not far behind her were two other scavengers; the three of them had been working diligently and hadn't encountered anything strange yet.
Consequently, all three were feeling quite tense.
"You all heard what Miss said today."
The Group Leader's voice was incredibly raspy as he spoke. Bloodshot streaks had appeared in his eyes, and he looked significantly more exhausted than before.
Zhu Xi Ning frowned as she looked at him. It had only been a few hours since they last met; how had he ended up like this?
Was it all because of a single sentence from Miss Wen?
"The sun has been strong this year, and the color of the roses is indeed not as good as in previous years."
Zhu Xi Ning shifted her gaze to the rose in her hand. What nonsense was this man talking about? Was this not red enough?
"Therefore, we need to tend to these flowers with even greater care."
The Group Leader's gloomy gaze swept over the gardeners in front of him.
"Each group of five must prepare their share of the finest colored roses before the end of the shift. They need to be a grade redder than they are now."
The surrounding silence was eerie. The whispering Zhu Xi Ning expected never happened; instead, everyone's expressions were numb.
Did they all know what to do?
There was only about half an hour left before the end of the shift. How could they possibly make the roses a grade redder in such a short time?
"Go on then."
After they were dismissed, Zhu Xi Ning followed her group back to their small flower bed.
Their group needed to provide two hundred roses. Every group had the same quota. Originally, this wouldn't have been a difficult task, as their small flower bed alone produced nearly two thousand roses.
Selecting the best tenth of them shouldn't have been hard.
However, after returning to the flower bed, their Team Leader's expression was quite unpleasant.
"Redder... redder..."
Zhu Xi Ning felt he was acting a bit neurotic. He had been muttering something to himself ever since they were dismissed.
"Everyone who enters Eden Garden has their own level of resolve. What we must do is complete the tasks assigned by our superiors."
The Team Leader seemed to have made a decision as he turned to look at the other four.
"The roses aren't red enough, and we're running out of time, so..."
His gaze didn't linger on Zhu Xi Ning, but in that moment, her intuition screamed with a sharp warning. Before she even knew what was happening, she turned to run.
Unfortunately, she was still a second too late.
The other three, who had been standing around loosely, suddenly lunged at her as if they had pre-arranged it.
Their positioning was calculated, perfectly trapping Zhu Xi Ning in the center. It was clear they had been preparing for this from the moment they were dismissed.
Zhu Xi Ning was seized by two people on either side while another grabbed her head and yanked it back, exposing her smooth, vulnerable neck.
The Team Leader held a shovel high in his hands, a terrifying madness glinting in his eyes.
"The roses must be redder, so please... just sacrifice yourself..."
Zhu Xi Ning understood. The way to make the roses redder was to dye them with human blood.
As the shovel swung down with force, a loud clang of metal striking metal echoed through the small flower bed.
The Team Leader's eyes widened in shock at the sight. The shovel he had swung with all his might was easily blocked by a gleaming dagger in Zhu Xi Ning's hand.
Zhu Xi Ning was down on one knee, one hand holding the dagger above her head to block the shovel, while her other hand held the Ant God mask.
Black human-faced ants were streaming out from her body. The human-faced ants obtained from Antswamp Village were highly poisonous. While it took a large amount to kill someone, a single bite was enough to cause paralysis.
The three people who had touched Zhu Xi Ning were now collapsed on the ground, unable to move. They were conscious of their surroundings but could not control their bodies.
"So that was it. You were planning to use my blood."
Zhu Xi Ning's straight black hair hung down, obscuring her eyes. As the Team Leader looked at her, it felt as if she had become a different person. Her voice was still as sweet as before, but her words sent a chill down his spine.
"You... you were the last one to arrive! Of course we're sacrificing you!"
The Team Leader stammered, though it was unclear if he was trying to convince Zhu Xi Ning or himself.
"Please, I beg you! If the roses aren't dyed with blood, the Group Leader will kill us all!"
With a sharp sound, Zhu Xi Ning shoved the shovel aside. The Team Leader felt a massive force transfer through the tool, and the shovel flew right out of his hands.
The woman stood up with the knife and slowly approached him.
"Does it have to be human blood?"
The Team Leader nodded frantically like a chicken pecking grain.
"This is the secret behind why the roses in Eden Garden are the best in the Federation."
Zhu Xi Ning tilted her head. "I see."
The Team Leader wanted to say more, but a cold light flashed before his eyes. It was so fast he saw nothing, but he felt a sudden chill on his neck.
He reached up to touch it, and his hand came away covered in blood as red as paint.
He opened his mouth but no sound came out. His body went limp and he collapsed into the flower bed.
Blood geysered from his carotid artery, spraying over the small patch of roses and nourishing the already crimson flowers into an even more vibrant hue.
"It really does work."
Zhu Xi Ning tilted her head. A single Team Leader was enough to make this small circle of roses much more vivid.
Her gaze turned toward the other three lying on the ground. It was obvious this wasn't the first time they had done such a thing; their coordination had been perfect. More than one or two people had likely died by their hands.
Rate on N.U.
