The roses were not placed in vases; instead, they seemed to grow directly out of the carpet, forming a sea of flowers.
But how could roses grow out of a carpet?
Just as Gu Xiang Kai hesitated about whether to enter, he saw the rose bushes tremble.
It was as if they had come to life.
In the next second, the roses, which had looked like mere decorations, began to grow frantically as if injected with hormones, reaching half the height of the wall in the blink of an eye.
Hundreds of roses shook their leaves and stems as they animated, the thorns on their branches growing to the length of a half-arm.
The people in the middle of the room were wrapped by the branches and hauled into the air. One of them seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness, only to witness such a terrifying sight.
A strangled roar escaped his throat, but in the next moment, a vine-like branch thrust deep into his gullet.
Gu Xiang Kai’s eyes widened; he seemed to know what was about to happen.
Squelch.
The sound of flesh being torn rang through the room. In an instant, the three people who had been alive were turned into flying fragments of flesh and blood.
Wet, heavy thuds followed one after another as flesh, organs, and blood hit the floor.
A thick, metallic scent of blood filled the room, and a bloody mist hung in the air, staining it with a sticky, nauseating odor.
The roses, drenched in the spray of blood, shook their bodies as if they were basking comfortably in rain and sunlight.
Gu Xiang Kai felt they had a localized, eerie sense of personification.
The oil lamp in the corner had been extinguished by the previous commotion, leaving the lighter in Gu Xiang Kai’s hand as the only light source at the door.
The roses noticed the intruder.
A rustling sound began. Gu Xiang Kai could imagine the roses slowly surrounding him in the darkness.
Black thorns flashing with a metallic luster exploded around Gu Xiang Kai, aggressively surging into the room to seize control.
The rose stems were thick, but they were not as resilient as the Steel Thorns. Gu Xiang Kai snapped two of the giant, man-sized roses.
A sharp, feminine scream pierced through Gu Xiang Kai’s mind, and a trail of blood leaked from his ear.
He remained motionless, seemingly unable to feel the mental attack in his head as he continued to manipulate the thorns to suppress the roses.
He only retracted the thorns once the roses had all retreated and returned to their initial disguised state.
He closed the door, taking one last look through the crack.
The blood on the room’s carpet seemed to have been... absorbed.
Gu Xiang Kai wiped the blood from his ear and turned to wake the teammate he had knocked out, only to find the corridor empty. There was no one there.
When did he leave?
Gu Xiang Kai was confident that a regular person could never leave without alerting him.
Had he... disappeared, just like Zhao Xiao Shu?
The doors to the rooms along this corridor were all closed. No matter how careful one was, opening and closing them would make some noise.
Furthermore, that man shouldn't have woken up yet.
Where did he go?
A look of anxiety crossed Gu Xiang Kai’s face as he regrouped with the other guard on duty. "My companion is missing!"
The Team Leader exchanged looks with two others. Gu Xiang Kai noticed fear in the eyes of one of the members.
This might be someone who hadn't been completely assimilated by the nightmare's crying yet.
He might know something.
"Understood. For the rest of the shift, stay close to your partner."
The Team Leader asked about the situation and, without saying much more, ordered Gu Xiang Kai and the man he had noticed back to their posts.
"Do you know something?"
The other man was somewhat stout but sturdy, his forehead currently drenched in sweat.
"Don't ask. Just don't ask."
The man kept darting his eyes around. The magnificent corridor now felt eerie because of his behavior.
"If you don't speak up, I won't be able to help if something happens."
The man realized the logic in that. He glanced at Gu Xiang Kai’s well-defined, muscular arms and leaned in closer.
"Among us old-timers, there's a saying about this castle."
The fat man swallowed hard. "The castle is alive."
"If you violate the rules and Butler Zhao doesn't punish you, the castle will eat you!"
Gu Xiang Kai understood. This explanation matched Zhao Xiao Shu’s disappearance; he must have been eaten by the castle for violating the rules by screaming.
But...
"But he didn't do anything just now, and he certainly didn't make a sound."
The fat man’s eyes darted around. "Where was he before he vanished?"
Gu Xiang Kai pointed to the side of the corridor. "Right there. He was tired and resting for a bit. I wasn't watching him, and when I turned back, he was gone."
The fat man nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that’s it!"
Gu Xiang Kai frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"People who break rules will definitely be eaten, but since the castle is alive, how could it resist eating people? Once someone leans against the castle’s walls or floor for a long time and ends up alone..."
"Even if he didn't break any rules, the castle won't be able to help itself from eating him."
Gu Xiang Kai raised an eyebrow; many things were starting to connect.
He remained silent for a moment before nudging the man with his elbow. "Do you know what that room is for?"
The fat man waved his hand. "I don't know. I only know it's a punishment room."
Gu Xiang Kai pressed further, "Has anyone ever come out alive?"
"No."
"No one who goes in ever comes back."
"There’s a theory." The fat man seemed to have finally found someone to gossip with and spilled everything without further prompting.
"They say Master Wen is feeding this castle."
In a flash of realization, Gu Xiang Kai suddenly understood everything.
This wasn't just gossip; it was a truth deduced through the time, blood, and tears of those trapped here for a lifetime.
Wen Chu was indeed feeding this castle. Why else would he throw dying people inside and never send anyone to clean it?
He knew all that flesh and blood would be absorbed by the roses inside.
So, were the roses and the castle in a symbiotic relationship?
Gu Xiang Kai didn't ask anything else, but one thing was certain: the castle and the roses were both extremely dangerous, as was the scream that erupted whenever the roses were harmed.
What exactly was the secret of this castle?
During breakfast, Gu Xiang Kai shared this clue with the others. Since they had acted together before, Huo Fu Yu briefly joined their discussion.
"Nan Yue, you said before that there was a photo of a woman in Wen Chu’s office."
Zhu Xi Ning spoke coldly after listening. "You suspected that woman might be the mother of Miss Wen and Wen Chu."
Nan Yue nodded. "But I’m not sure yet why Wen Chu would put their mother's photo on the wall."
"Then, could the roses and the woman in the nightmare's crying be the mother of those two siblings?"
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