He had no choice but to give up and scatter the items in his hand.
The light in the room dimmed for a moment as a transparent pale yellow liquid was flung out, tracing an arc through the air.
The Duke snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve, blocking the corrosive chemicals from falling further; instead, they landed on the intricately designed silk sleeves, accompanied by a wisp of white smoke as blackened holes burned through the fabric.
Veins bulged instantly on his arm, transforming into sharp claws that lunged at Li Hua’s chest.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment; the claws moved so fast they left afterimages.
Li Hua, after all, was just an ordinary man—his reaction far slower than the Duke’s.
Before he could dodge, he was forced to face a deadly strike head-on.
The fear of death engulfed him; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and despair filled his eyes.
A smirk curled at the Duke’s lips as he sneered coldly, “Pathetic.”
He stepped forward, shook his hand, and twisted his neck with cracking sounds, preparing to end this troublesome matter once and for all.
His sharp, dark red nails reflected an eerie light in the dim room. The cold claws targeted the wounded, fragile man’s heart.
With a single strike—
“Puchi—”
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, but the claws froze mid-air.
A magnificent dagger stabbed into the Duke’s back, piercing through his body.
Thick black liquid oozed from where the heart should be.
Fu Ruxue, standing behind him, twisted the blade hard against his hardened back.
Murky black liquid bubbled out from the wound, slowly dripping down beneath his clothes.
The Duke’s neck cracked again, turning slowly to face her.
His bloodshot red eyes stared unblinkingly, emitting a grating sound like sandpaper scraping glass.
Fu Ruxue sensed something was wrong. She stomped her foot and quickly retreated several steps, dodging behind a wooden table.
In an instant, the Duke’s neck elongated, and his mouth stretched wider with it—splitting open to the base of his ears.
Blood dripped from his sharp fangs as they grew longer and longer, transforming him into a demonic spirit as he lunged at Fu Ruxue.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead. She stepped back, lifting the table beside her and smashing it toward the Duke.
His neck twisted to avoid the airborne table, deep crimson rings appearing around his stretched neck.
Two scarlet lights flashed in his abyssal red eyes as he tilted his head and charged at Fu Ruxue.
Fu Ruxue’s knife was still embedded in the Butler.
Instinctively, she touched her sleeve—the location of her only trump card, the one thing she had to save her life.
There was no time left to hesitate.
Her hand reached inside the sleeve and grasped the object.
Suddenly, the situation shifted dramatically!
Beneath the Duke, a knife stabbed into his foot. Li Hua, who should have been barely clinging to life, lay at his feet as if nothing had happened—completely unharmed.
He stabbed one foot, then the other, pulling the knife out and stabbing again repeatedly—white knives in, red knives out, red knives in, red knives out—playing gleefully.
Blood welled up from the wounds on his feet. The Butler’s face contorted in agony, emitting an eerie buzzing accompanied by screams.
His bloodshot eyes rolled in their sockets. He bit down on a human head but missed, chipping a tooth.
Seizing the gap before the next attack, Fu Ruxue grabbed the prepared saw and plunged it into the Duke’s eye from behind.
“Ah—————”
A piercing roar exploded from his throat, the sound wave sweeping through the room with a force that pierced the eardrums.
Fu Ruxue, unable to stand the bloodshed, covered her ears and hid behind the bed.
She rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue mockingly.
“How does it feel to be sawed through your own eye?”
The Duke’s head flopped in the air like a deflated balloon, shrinking back to its normal length in a few breaths.
His remaining eye rolled upward, leaving only the sclera visible.
The other eye had turned into a bloody hole, pierced through by the saw—completely destroying him.
“Hah, pathetic.”
Li Hua got up from the floor and spat a mouthful of blood.
The Duke’s defeat stemmed from his noble, unyielding pride and inexplicable confidence. I
f he had only lowered his head for a moment, he would have seen the holes all over Li Hua’s body—even the stab wound to his chest had no blood flowing out.
Li Hua pulled from his chest pocket a thick iron plate, completely pierced through, then found a somewhat damaged Little Goldfish with holes near where the lining touched his skin.
The taste of blood filled his mouth, the sting spreading like waves.
To fool the arrogant Duke, he deliberately scraped his mouth, using real blood as a trick.
He then poured a Bile Bottle straight onto the Duke’s head.
White smoke rose as the head sizzled; white brain matter gushed out from the charred blackened mass, and the dense stench of blood filled the entire room.
……
The contrast between the two battling men and the sweet couple leaning together in the Duke’s Daughter’s room was striking.
Xunian rested against the Duke’s Daughter’s chest, playing with the plush bear that had already been repaired.
Sensing something, her expression darkened slightly. She put down the toy and joked, “Can I deal with the Butler however I want? He’s a bit of a nuisance.”
“You can,” the Duke’s Daughter tightened her embrace, her voice husky, “If you want, you can even kill me.”
The cool golden strands of her hair brushed against Xunian’s pale collarbone like feathers sliding down her heart, tickling her. She laughed softly, her voice as sweet as honey.
“Alright then.”
She raised her pale arm and slowly placed her delicate fingers around the Duke’s Daughter’s neck, tightening gradually.
The Duke’s Daughter didn’t flinch. She simply lowered her head and looked at her with eyes full of gentle smiles.
Boring.
Not even a threat.
Xunian loosened her grip and resumed chatting idly.
“What happens after seven days?”
“You’ll stay here forever, with me.”
“……”
So dull.
Xunian’s expression grew cold. “In your dreams.”
“I feel like I’m dreaming right now.”
The Duke’s Daughter said this oddly.
What did that mean?
Xunian didn’t understand any more than she could fathom why the Duke’s Daughter was so obsessed with her.
After a moment, she made up her mind.
“I can stay here,” she stood up from the cold embrace, focusing on those mesmerizing red eyes, “but I want to say goodbye to my friends first. Is that alright?”
The Duke’s Daughter frowned, looking reluctant.
Looks like it was time to turn up the heat.
Warm fingers gently lifted the Duke’s Daughter’s chin, testing a kiss. Soft lips carried the unique gentle fragrance of Xunian’s skin, prying open the equally soft lips, melting between them in a shy exploration that stirred an unexplainable emotion, causing the Duke’s Daughter to shiver.
The Duke’s Daughter closed her eyes in comfort, letting out a contented sigh.
After the kiss, Xunian blushed and let go, asking again, “Is that okay?”
The Duke’s Daughter seemed reluctant to part, a faint blush still on her cheeks, her thoughts drifting, “One more time?”
Xunian’s dark eyes dimmed slightly. “Looks like you don’t want me to stay here.”
“Fine!”
The Duke’s Daughter immediately agreed and clung to her without giving her a chance, “I want more.”
“Finish what we need to do first.”
“Okay.”
The Duke’s Daughter answered disappointedly, reaching for her waist and pulling out a Key.
“Key?”
Xunian’s gaze was drawn to the Key as she watched her unlock the chains on her hands.
There was a trace of faint regret in Xunian’s calm eyes.
What a pity.
If she had the ‘Key’ to clear this level, she could do it now.
But at this point, she didn’t really care about passing or not—her mindset was settled.
After all, this was the Duke’s Daughter’s home turf, and as someone constantly watched by the Duke’s Daughter, without scheming, there was almost no chance of escape.
She just didn’t want to stay here forever.
She was still struggling because she didn’t want to live that long.
She still wanted to go underground to see the people she missed.
A dull ache grew in Xunian’s heart. The despair in the real world was suffocating. Every time she went to that place filled with the smell of disinfectant, she felt crushed.
Perhaps staying here was the best choice.
After all, the Duke’s Daughter was very much like—
Just three parts resemblance was enough to unsettle her.
She was originally a dark, wicked person, a stain that tried to tarnish the light.
If she spent her life with someone who lived in the shadows like the Duke’s Daughter, maybe they were just two foul spirits drawn to each other.
The Duke’s Daughter noticed her change in mood. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Xunian regained her composure.
“You can go say goodbye to your friends now.”
……
Fu Ruxue wrapped the severed hand in cloth and carried it to the Kitchen.
“Does it have to be cut on the board?”
Li Hua observed the hand curiously and asked.
After their cooperation, their communication had increased.
“I cut the chess pieces here last time—there are only ten fingers in total. Just to be safe, it’s better to cut them in the same spot.”
Holding her breath, Fu Ruxue carefully aligned the blade at the joint and chopped down.
The Duke’s fingers fell, twitching as they transformed into Chess Pieces.
The broken joints writhed like blood-red maggots, healing into red blood clots.
Even calm Li Hua couldn’t stomach the disgusting transformation. He frowned and stepped back from the board.
“By the way, it seems we can’t stay in the Kitchen too long. Let’s hurry.”
Remembering that day’s ordeal sent a chill down Fu Ruxue’s spine.
She glanced at the closed Cupboard, bundled the finger Chess Pieces, and headed out.
“Mm.”
Li Hua, clueless, followed her.
He had rarely stayed in the Kitchen and didn’t know the details. Following Fu Ruxue was safer.
As they stepped out of the Kitchen, they encountered a Housekeeper.
“Y-You… Hello.” The girl hugged a mop nervously and greeted them shyly.
Since sewing on her Head, the Housekeeper hadn’t acted abnormally for a long time.
She had returned to her former self—an introverted, bashful girl.
“Hello.”
They responded in unison.
“Are you going to use the Kitchen?”
Li Hua made way for her.
“T-Thanks… no need…”
The Housekeeper looked nervous, clutching the mop stiffly as she turned to leave.
A hand stopped her and patted her shoulder.
“You’re here too. I wanted to ask you a few questions about… the Duchess.”
The Housekeeper’s face turned pale with shock.
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