Chen Lin didn't know why she was apologizing either.
Perhaps when facing a powerhouse, it was human instinct to humble oneself first.
Wang Tao also finally broke free from the rose vines wrapped around his ankles. Stumbling over to Chen Lin's side, he helped her up and hurriedly thanked Cen Yao.
“Thank you for saving her!”
“Thank you!”
Cen Yao swept her gaze over them.
A man and a woman.
They were unfamiliar faces.
They weren't from Senel's group yesterday.
They were probably other rookie players.
Moreover, their eyes were relatively clear, and they hadn't pushed each other to take the blow when they were in danger just now.
Cen Yao rarely found people tolerable, but these two seemed decent enough.
“After the bell tolls, it's feeding time.”
“The rule about closing your eyes when you hear a baby crying is not a foolproof life-saving rule.”
“Before the bell tolls, closing your eyes can help you avoid the Little Princess's patrol.”
“But after the bell tolls, closing your eyes will only turn you into food that doesn't run away.”
Chen Lin and Wang Tao froze.
The color drained from their faces bit by bit.
Clearly, they had also closed their eyes according to the rules, only to almost die in the Little Princess's mouth.
Wang Tao's throat bobbed.
“Then... then the rule was fake?”
“No.”
Cen Yao said flatly, “It's real.”
“But you need to discern. The dungeon rules will only give you a single way out. Whether you can find that path depends on yourselves.”
Both of them stiffened at the same time.
Cen Yao did not explain further.
Saying this much was already because she saw they hadn't tried to sabotage each other earlier.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the Little Princess, who was crawling back up from the flower bushes.
The Little Princess was somewhat dazed from the blow. Her pale, bluish face slowly turned around, mottled golden hair draping over her cheeks as she let out a shrill whimper.
Cen Yao raised her hand.
Instantly, the vines on both sides of the floral corridor came to life.
One, two, dozens of vines burst from the ground, wrapping around the Little Princess's limbs, torso, and neck like green snakes.
The Little Princess screamed and struggled.
However, a faint silver light glowed on the vines, temporarily suppressing the surging aura of pollution on her.
Soon, she was bound into a screaming, pale blue bundle.
Chen Lin and Wang Tao watched her actions like two dazed, foolish roe deer.
Was... was that something a real human could do?
Could she be an NPC?
But would an NPC explain the rules to them?
Yet, could a player bind a ghost baby into a neat bundle?
The minds of the two were in a complete jumble.
If Cen Yao could hear their inner thoughts, she would definitely roll her eyes. If a real person couldn't do it, could a fake one?
What did NPCs ever do to you?
Controlling the vines, she lifted the bound Little Princess and prepared to head toward the old western garden of the palace.
Seeing Cen Yao walking further and further away, Wang Tao finally grit his teeth and whispered, “Should we... follow her?”
Chen Lin's face was pale, but her eyes were firm.
“Follow.”
Regardless of whether she was a player or an NPC.
At least she had just saved them and was even willing to warn them about the rules.
Besides, it would be foolish not to cling to such a thick thigh when given the chance.
The two of them cautiously followed behind.
Cen Yao naturally noticed.
She didn't chase them away.
She simply cast a Shielding Spell over them in secret as well.
As long as they didn't get in her way or think about backstabbing her, she didn't care.
She could actually understand their mindset very well.
Because before binding the orb, Cen Yao had also wondered: if she were ever dragged into a dungeon, could she meet a reliable powerhouse and cling to their thigh to get out alive?
Now, she had become the powerhouse in other people's eyes.
It felt quite subtle.
The palace was massive.
However, Cen Yao had already gotten a rough layout of the terrain last night.
Coupled with the Shielding Spell, the guards couldn't notice them at all.
Half an hour later, the three of them smoothly arrived at the old western garden of the palace.
The high walls were still gloomy.
Black vines crawled all over the walls, and the withered flower trellises resembled bent skeletons in the gray morning light.
Chen Lin and Wang Tao shuddered the moment they entered.
This place was completely different from the rest of the palace.
There were no fresh flowers, no colorful flags, and none of the sweet decorations of the Full Moon Feast.
There was only rot, coldness, and an indescribable oppressiveness.
Cen Yao dragged the Little Princess to the headless angel statue. Following the steps she had observed last night, she brushed aside the dead leaves and pressed the hidden latch.
Click.
The ground split open.
The secret passage leading underground was revealed once more.
Chen Lin gasped.
Wang Tao asked in a low voice, “B-Boss, do we have to go down too?”
Cen Yao glanced at them.
“You can stay up here.”
The two of them simultaneously looked at the eerie old garden around them.
The black vines writhed.
The dead leaves rustled without any wind.
In the distance, something seemed to let out a low chuckle behind a flower trellis.
Chen Lin and Wang Tao immediately spoke in unison: “We're going down!”
Cen Yao: “...”
Fair enough.
Dragging the Little Princess bound by the vines, she took the lead and entered the secret passage.
Chen Lin and Wang Tao hurriedly followed.
The bloody stench in the passage was slightly fainter than last night, but it was still unpleasant.
Cen Yao had preemptively cast an Isolate spell on herself and the two players behind her to block the smell.
Chen Lin and Wang Tao had originally prepared themselves to be nauseated by the stench. When they realized they couldn't smell anything at all, the way they looked at Cen Yao became even more filled with awe.
A powerhouse.
A true powerhouse.
She even provided after-sales service.
The door to the secret chamber was still there.
Cen Yao raised her hand and pushed it open.
The King was not inside.
It seemed that after he woke up last night, he had been hurriedly taken away.
A mess still remained in the secret chamber.
The bloodstains on the floor hadn't been cleaned up properly, and several peach wood swords lay askew at the edge of the array.
A few paper talismans on the wall were torn, and the remaining ones clung there, all wrinkled, looking like a bunch of unlucky worker talismans who suddenly discovered their boss had run away halfway through their shift.
The moment Chen Lin stepped inside, her face turned pale.
Wang Tao also froze at the entrance, his eyes uncontrollably scanning the dark red bloodstains in the corner and the dried scratch marks on the floor.
Although Cen Yao had cast the Isolate spell on them to block the smell, the visual impact was still there.
This place looked too much like a slaughterhouse.
No.
It was even more sickening than a slaughterhouse.
A slaughterhouse killed livestock.
But this place clearly did not.
Chen Lin's throat bobbed as she forced down the urge to vomit.
Wang Tao's voice was extremely low: “Just what... is this place?”
Rate on N.U.
