Eden Garden (32)

Xu Kang looked decent enough, but he always had his brows furrowed, leaving a deep wrinkle on his forehead.

"I've been watching you; you're all capable people, and I want to cooperate. It's already the fourth day of the mission, and things will only get more dangerous."

Nan Yue spoke the truth. "Our plan for clearing the mission might not be suitable for you. There will be a certain level of risk."

Xu Kang nodded. "I understand. You high-level players always want to explore more to earn more points."

Nan Yue saw that he had misunderstood her meaning, but she didn't bother to correct him. The general idea was the same anyway.

"I don't have the ability to steal the key. I noticed you have a good relationship with Miss Wen. It shouldn't be too hard for you to get it, right?"

Nan Yue looked at him coldly and didn't respond.

Xu Kang rubbed his nose and looked away, feeling a bit guilty. "What I mean is, even if you want to explore, you must have the confidence to clear the mission. If you need me for anything, just say the word."

"When you leave, take me with you."

Nan Yue nodded slightly as a sign of agreement, and only then did Xu Kang leave.

After finishing her meal, Nan Yue went to see Wen Xiang Yuan. The girl was in a good mood today. When Nan Yue entered, she was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, braiding her own hair.

"You do it."

Nan Yue took over Wen Xiang Yuan's task. Wen Xiang Yuan was quite skillful; the butterfly braid she had started at the top of her head had a very beautiful pattern.

But Nan Yue had never braided hair before, so she could only weave a simple three-strand braid. At least she managed to finish it.

However, the top and bottom of the hairstyle looked like they belonged to two completely different styles.

Wen Xiang Yuan turned her head to look. "Why did you braid it so uglily?"

In the end, she didn't undo it and even pinned a crystal butterfly hair clip onto it.

"Miss, have you ever thought about leaving this place?"

Wen Xiang Yuan's hand paused. She looked up at the maid before her, who always wore a cold expression, find it hard to believe she had just said something so shocking.

"Leaving?"

"You have the ledger, but it's only useful if you leave Eden Garden. If you stay here, it's only a matter of time before it's found."

Wen Xiang Yuan lowered her eyes and said nothing.

"Only by leaving will you have a chance to turn the tables. You can't just keep it hidden forever."

Wen Xiang Yuan said softly, "I can't leave."

Nan Yue thought of her mother's soul merged into the roses.

A nameless fire surged in her heart. "How do you know it's impossible?"

Wen Xiang Yuan looked up in surprise. The woman before her had eyes that seemed to burn with fire.

"You haven't even tried yet, so how do you know it won't work?"

"I will help you."

Nan Yue made a serious promise. "As long as I'm alive, I will do everything in my power to get you out of here."

Wen Xiang Yuan originally wanted to give a disdainful laugh, but Nan Yue's eyes seemed to have a magical quality, drawing her in so deeply she couldn't look away.

As if possessed, she actually believed this woman she had only known for a few short days.

It was so strange, as if she had known her for a long time. Even trusting her felt like a subconscious physiological response.

"We'll leave at noon."

Nan Yue didn't choose the dead of night because that was when the Wen family's mother was active.

But to her surprise, Wen Xiang Yuan refused. "We leave at night."

"Everyone is asleep at night."

Nan Yue hesitated. "But inside the castle..."

Wen Xiang Yuan lowered her head. Nan Yue couldn't see her expression—whether it was sadness or resentment.

"I have a way."

"Fine."

Since she said so, Nan Yue would trust her.

"Put on a maid's uniform tonight, and I'll take you out."

Wen Xiang Yuan spent the entire day looking out the window. Nan Yue didn't know what she was thinking. Perhaps she was imagining what true freedom felt like.

Or perhaps she was simply nervous.

If one didn't account for the castle and the roses coming to life to hunt, moving at night was the most suitable option, as everyone would be trapped in nightmares and wouldn't easily wake up.

The others had no objections. Su Hong and Xu Kang, in particular, were visibly excited upon learning they could leave today.

This mission wasn't terrifying in a traditional sense, but the air itself felt eerie.

It was like a game of Animal Chess where the rules and opponents were hidden; you never knew when you would be swallowed whole by a higher-ranking predator.

Only after the two who were unaware of the full situation left did Huo Fuyu speak up.

"But isn't night the time when their mother is most active? You're not planning to gamble on whether she's willing to let her daughter go, are you?"

Nan Yue analyzed the situation calmly. "There are too many people during the day. With so many eyes and ears, there's a high chance Wen Chu would find out. If things get loud, the castle will react just the same."

"In any case, we're likely to face the boss. It's better to clear out the minor minions first."

Huo Fuyu fell silent. After all, with fewer minions, there would be less need for him to act.

Nan Yue glanced at him. "Enough, who are you putting on that act for? Are you going to tell me the points you got from the Antswamp Village mission weren't high?"

Huo Fuyu wasn't a fool. He knew very well that following Nan Yue came with great risks, yet he still joined her. Aside from genuinely having a good impression of her, the most direct reason was profit.

After making it out of that mission that should have been a certain death sentence, the rewards Huo Fuyu received were very generous. That was why he was so tolerant of Nan Yue's decisions during missions.

Huo Fuyu's ability was support-type. By staying near Nan Yue, he could be protected and still rake in points. Only a fool wouldn't want that.

He wasn't one of those average scavengers who only wanted to crawl through. He knew, and was willing, to pay a price for his own ambition.

Huo Fuyu felt a bit embarrassed. Nan Yue always exposed his thoughts so easily, leaving him no face at all.

"Yueyue, couldn't you have said that in private?"

Huo Fuyu returned to his persistent, clingy persona from a few days ago, as if his cold face from the past two days had been the real mask.

Jiang Siyan had just finished clearing Nan Yue's meal tray and happened to hear this as he returned. He said with a smile.

"The situation is too urgent right now. The pressure on Nan Yue's shoulders is very heavy; she doesn't have time to talk to you in private."

"If you have something on your mind, you can talk to me."

Nan Yue gave a confirming hum. "He's a licensed psychologist."

Huo Fuyu was speechless. Who would want to talk to him!

With things on their minds, the afternoon passed quickly. Wen Chu came to Wen Xiang Yuan's room once in the afternoon with Butler Zhao and several other butlers.

They claimed to be checking for any damage, but it was actually a disguised search.

Jiang Siyan was among them.

Wen Xiang Yuan's expression was very calm, showing neither panic nor worry. Nan Yue didn't know where the ledger was either.

Wen Chu stayed by the side the entire time with a half-smile on his face. Wen Xiang Yuan remained silent throughout, offering no eye contact at all.

The thorough search didn't turn up the ledger. Wen Chu's gaze shifted to the maids behind him.

"Check if the clothes on Miss Wen still fit her properly."

This was already a blatant humiliation, but Wen Xiang Yuan's expression remained composed.

Nan Yue took a step forward, but Wen Chu pointed at Wen Shen. "You do it."

Wen Shen, with a wooden expression, conducted what was essentially a full body search in front of the dozen or so people in the room.