Eden Garden (29)

But if the target were Wen Xiang Yuan, then Nan Yue probably wouldn't consider such a method.

Sure enough, Nan Yue remained silent; she hadn't made up her mind yet.

She had just told the Wen Xiang Yuan of this timeline to resist and fight for her rights; if she abandoned her now, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Whether emotionally or rationally, this mission had not been fully explored yet, and she felt that obtaining the key was not the end of everything.

Wen Xiang Yuan's secrets, and perhaps even the secrets of the pollution, might have answers within this mission, and she had to find them.

And she had a premonition that she would.

"Wait a bit longer."

Nan Yue made her decision. "I want to take her with me."

Who said leaving required a key? If she just took the young lady with her, would that count as a violation?

Certainly not.

Jiang Siyan pursed his lips. "The difficulty is too high."

Even if Nan Yue could raise Wen Xiang Yuan's favorability in a short time, Wen Chu was still there; to let Wen Xiang Yuan leave, they would first have to deal with Wen Chu.

But so far, they still didn't know where the eeriness in this castle originated.

Zhu Xi Ning had said that only when these two were together would that tangled, twisting black mist appear on them.

In other words, the true danger only occurred when they were both present.

Nan Yue and the others had more or less faced the eeriness directly, some originating from ghosts and others from people in Eden Garden who had long since ceased to be normal.

But they were still missing a clue to link them all together.

From the current state of the main storyline, Wen Xiang Yuan was just an imprisoned and exploited noble lady, clearly possessing supreme status and bloodline, yet exploited to this extent by her own brother.

It was sad and infuriating.

But what did this have to do with the eeriness in the castle?

"Do you think those things in the castle might be used by Wen Chu to control and imprison Wen Xiang Yuan?"

Nan Yue pondered for a moment. "It's very likely, but there's a problem. When it first attacked Zhao Xiao Shu, Wen Chu wasn't in the castle, and it's still unclear why Zhao Xiao Shu was attacked in the first place."

Zhao Xiao Shu first saw the castle "come to life," then screamed, and finally left the team when they were departing; which of these points was the reason for his death?

"Setting aside the fact that we don't know the death rules, these three points don't seem related to Wen Chu's motives."

If he discovered the castle's secrets, it could be a matter of silencing him.

But if it was because his scream woke Wen Xiang Yuan up, Wen Chu didn't seem like a brother who doted on his sister that much.

"Maybe their relationship is twisted."

Jiang Siyan said seriously, "Violating the rules by screaming—I lean more toward that. After all, Gu Xiang Kai said that during their patrol, the Team Leader specifically mentioned that no matter what happened, they must not make any loud noises."

Nan Yue shrugged. "I know screaming is the most likely cause, but why would Wen Chu kill someone just for waking his sister?"

Jiang Siyan turned his head to look at the castle with an unreadable expression. "There are too many secrets in there: the man's plea for help on the second floor, the corpse in the entertainment room, and Wen Chu's actions."

"Those people are clearly about to die, so why doesn't he just finish them off? Where on earth is he throwing them?"

Nan Yue fell silent for a moment. "Old Gu will find a way to go in and take a look tonight."

Nan Yue accompanied Jiang Siyan to the western-style building. Jiang Siyan turned and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

Nan Yue was amused. "Did you forget I have to stay with Wen Xiang Yuan?"

Since becoming Wen Xiang Yuan's personal maid, Nan Yue's room was no longer in the western-style building.

Jiang Siyan was slightly stunned, then gave a forced, apologetic smile. "Then I'll walk you back."

Nan Yue was puzzled. "We're just walking back and forth; there's no danger, and we've finished our discussion."

Jiang Siyan smiled. "I remembered I need to go to the castle to find Butler Zhao."

Nan Yue didn't suspect anything. The two separated on the first floor after returning to the castle.

Nan Yue, who had gone up to the fourth floor of the West Castle, didn't notice that Jiang Siyan turned around and went back immediately, not looking for the so-called Butler Zhao at all.

"You should rest well in your room tonight."

Nan Yue was on guard in Wen Xiang Yuan's room. Wen Xiang Yuan had clearly not yet recovered from the evening's dramatic events.

It wasn't until Wen Shen carried her to bed that she reacted, dismissed the others, and spoke these words to Nan Yue alone.

"Will something... happen tonight?"

Wen Xiang Yuan rolled over. "Wen Chu won't let things rest until he finds what was lost. In short, just don't go out."

Nan Yue asked tentatively, "I have a few close friends, one of whom is in the security group. Will he be in danger?"

Wen Xiang Yuan remained silent for a long time. Just as Nan Yue thought she wouldn't answer, she suddenly spoke.

"If he doesn't go where he shouldn't, he might just keep his life."

Nan Yue didn't ask more. She tucked in the corners of Wen Xiang Yuan's blanket and went out.

Wen Xiang Yuan's words proved that she was aware of the oddities in the castle and knew exactly what her brother, Wen Chu, was doing.

It was even very likely... that she knew about the eeriness within the castle.

But for now, she wasn't going to talk.

Nan Yue went back to rest. Although Wen Xiang Yuan said there would be danger in the castle at night, Nan Yue trusted Gu Xiang Kai.

This was the most basic trust they had as teammates.

At one o'clock in the morning, Gu Xiang Kai and his newly assigned teammate were patrolling the third floor of the East Castle.

Gu Xiang Kai had paid special attention during the interrogation that evening; Wen Chu had people throw the half-dead servants into rooms in the corner.

These rooms were not entertainment rooms; they were kept locked year-round, and no one knew what was inside.

And on the third floor of the East Castle, there just happened to be such a room.

He and another person were responsible for standing guard at the end of the corridor. The other person was clearly unsettled by the evening's interrogation and stayed glued to Gu Xiang Kai's side.

Gu Xiang Kai had no choice but to strike the back of his neck when he wasn't looking.

Gu Xiang Kai's force was perfectly measured; the man would wake up with a stiff neck at most, but no marks would be left.

After laying the man down along the corridor, Gu Xiang Kai twisted open the door at the end.

He suddenly thought of a story Wen Xiang Yuan had told him before, the story of King Bluebeard.

In the story, the queen could enter any room in the castle, but she was forbidden from entering one particular locked room.

And once the queen entered, Bluebeard would find out and kill her.

Gu Xiang Kai felt as if he were entering that forbidden room.

He clicked his lighter and observed the situation inside.

Two or three heavily injured people were piled on the floor; they could no longer even groan, and only the slight twitching of their limbs proved they were still alive.

The room was somewhat dim, with an oil lamp in the corner, and the perimeter of the room was filled with blood roses.

Gu Xiang Kai's gaze shifted to those unlucky souls, but then he suddenly noticed something was wrong and looked back at the roses.

There was something wrong with these roses.