Chapter 19: [World 1] Castle Stories 19 : Hunting

The crimson lips curled into a perfectly measured smile—beautiful, yet intimidating enough to avoid eye contact.

Very good.

The handcuffs are finally going to be put to use.

She had been too lenient with Xunian.

She should have been locked by her side for all eternity, not given an inch of freedom.

A naughty little kitten—misbehave and you’ll get caught.

……

“He shouldn’t pose much of a threat.”

The Gardener was so timid he was practically lifeless, and without hands, there was no way he could overpower the two of them.

Just in case, Xunian found a rope nearby and tied him up, also gagging him.

“Wuwu… wuwuwu…” The Gardener struggled on the ground, a cloth stuffed in his mouth muffling his cries.

Bound tightly with the hemp rope, his frantic thrashing was futile.

He could only glare at Xunian with eyes full of hatred.

Xunian ignored the look and handed Fu Ruxue a pair of gloves.

Fu Ruxue took them. “What’s this for?”

“Body search.”

“Huh?”

“Cheng Li said there are only corpses here, right? Let’s start searching.”

“Oh.”

Fu Ruxue obediently put on the gloves, still wondering what Xunian had been doing in the Basement to have two pairs of gloves on her.

The Garden was covered in a sea of blooming Other Shore Flowers, their bright red petals shining vividly under the moonlight.

The two split up, pushing aside bunches of flowers and scanning for the bodies.

The Garden was huge—Xunian wondered how Cheng Li had managed to find the corpse.

After a long search, they finally spotted a patch of earth that had been dug up.

The corpse Cheng Li mentioned lay there, its face a mangled mess of blood and flesh, the body covered in livor mortis spots, clearly dead for a long time.

Crows circled overhead, but seemed strangely hindered, reluctant to descend and feast.

The surrounding Other Shore Flowers were stained with blood, becoming unnaturally alluring.

A stench of decay wafted through the air, striking their senses.

Fu Ruxue immediately held her breath, casting Xunian an impressed glance.

Good thing she had prepared gloves; otherwise, how could they collect evidence?

Xunian reached into her pocket and pulled out something.

She flipped it open—it was a round, worn pocket watch, covered in dust on the outside, but inside was spotless, as if it had never been opened before.

Inside the watch was a photo of a mother and daughter; the mother was gentle and elegant, the daughter cute and lively.

Both wore bright smiles.

She handed the watch to Fu Ruxue, who didn’t make much of it.

“Is this the person’s wife and daughter?” Fu Ruxue guessed.

“Don’t know, maybe.”

Fu Ruxue then dug through the man’s coat, finding a piece of paper in an inner pocket.

Opening it, she saw it was a prescription.

The handwriting looked somewhat familiar.

“Isn’t this the Butler’s handwriting?” Fu Ruxue recognized, puzzled.

“Why is he wearing the Butler’s clothes?”

The gem on the man’s chest had been gouged out—obviously done by Cheng Li.

Xunian suddenly said, “Is it possible… he is the Butler?”

“Ha, no way…” Fu Ruxue laughed but then froze.

Suddenly, a mental thread snapped into place.

This man wore the Butler’s uniform, his underclothes bore the Butler’s handwriting, he had a wife and daughter but hardly cared about them, and he had barely opened the watch containing their photo.

Everything pointed to him being the Butler.

If he is the Butler, then who is the Butler now…

Not good.

Somewhere along the way, the wind had died down, the crows had vanished, and the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

In the quiet forest, it seemed the only sound was their own breathing.

Fu Ruxue’s pupils dilated with a nameless fear, anxiously staring at the smiling man behind Xunian.

His head twisted at an unnatural angle, cracking with a “crack” sound as if broken.

Xunian glanced back and met those once handsome, now blood-red eyes glowing with a sinister light.

“Hehehehehe…”

The man’s mouth stretched grotesquely to his ears, revealing gleaming bloodstained fangs.

“I see you.”

Xunian and Fu Ruxue exchanged a glance, then instinctively ran off in opposite directions.

The man glanced left and right, crawling on all fours like a freakish creature, his head rotating 180°, then without hesitation pursued one target.

That target was Fu Ruxue.

Fu Ruxue panicked and ran toward the Castle, her legs moving like a blur.

Fearful the man would catch her, her fragile heart crumbled to dust.

Following Xunian was far too dangerous!

She regretted it!

Xunian ran halfway, glanced back, and saw no one.

The wind still whispered, so she ran all the way to the massive Castle gate.

The massive iron gate was covered in rust, seeming unused for a long time.

Iron patterns blossomed across its surface, and a long bar-shaped lock of the same material hung on it.

Could this be the exit?

She reached out for the lock but felt a barrier just two centimeters from the door.

An invisible Barrier blocked her from the gate; she couldn’t even touch the door itself.

Scratching it only sent ripples across the barrier.

Looks like this isn’t the real exit.

No way forward.

Xunian guessed the entire Castle Manor was surrounded by this invisible Barrier.

Apparently, the only way out was to find the Key Fu Ruxue had mentioned.

A surge of anger flared within her.

She hated feeling controlled.

Forget it—first, she needed to save Fu Ruxue.

She owed her for rescuing her from the Basement.

……

“Found it.”

The Duke’s Daughter felt the Barrier ripple, narrowing her eyes as black mist swept in.

Her figure vanished into thin air.

……

The Blood Moon hung in the sky.

“Ah—ah—ah—”

Crows circled overhead, endlessly wailing.

Vine-like tendrils wrapped around Xunian’s feet.

She squatted and slashed them quickly with a blade.

The vines shattered into several pieces and fell to the ground.

A burning, impossible-to-ignore gaze landed on her.

“Who’s there?”

Xunian spun around but saw no one.

The overwhelming sensation of being watched remained.

She felt eyes on her back but saw nothing when she looked again.

She hastened her steps, unaware that the footsteps matching hers had appeared.

When she stopped, the footsteps stopped.

When she moved, they moved.

The Castle gate was somehow closed.

Xunian struggled to push it open.

At the moment the door swung open, she collided with a figure.

A massive impact hit her—Fu Ruxue’s body crashed against hers like a cannonball.

Had she not grabbed the door handle, she might have been knocked to the ground.

Fu Ruxue hurriedly dodged away, her pale face showing a hint of apology. “Sorry.”

The “Butler” tilted his head with a smile a few steps away.

Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth as he licked his lips.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the drops whole.

“Don’t run.”

He stepped closer, his face growing more grotesque.

Xunian roughly judged the Butler was at his peak strength—things didn’t look good.

Even if they died, she had to find out who this “Butler” really was.

The Butler extended his sharp claws and bared his fangs, grinding them.

Xunian steadied Fu Ruxue and stared the mutated man down, asking sharply,

“What’s 1238457837 plus 2184787437?”

The Butler halted, sluggishly answering after a few seconds, “3423245274.”

“What comes after sulfur, chlorine, argon, potassium, calcium?”

This time the Butler froze for two full seconds, his grotesque face blank.

“Scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese.”

The Butler advanced, but Fu Ruxue had already pulled Xunian back to some distance.

Xunian continued,

“Which came first, the egg or the chicken?”

“Do you prefer men or women?”

“How many steps does it take to put an elephant into a refrigerator?”

“If the curve y = e^(x²) + x has a tangent at point (0, 1) that is also the tangent to the curve y = ln(x+1) + a, then a = _”

Each question caused the Butler to pause briefly, buying them time to retreat step by step.

They drew closer and closer to the Kitchen.

Xunian’s heart half-relieved, she risked one last question,

“Where’s the Key?”

[Rule One]: You may ask the Duke anything, and he will answer.

“It’s in…”

The Butler—or rather, now Duke Caesar’s—voice vanished.

A cold hand covered her ear.

Her dark pupils reflected the flawless angelic face mere inches away, golden curls cascading over her shoulder.

Crimson lips parted and closed in front of her, a seductive voice whispering in her ear,

“You’re not very obedient.”

Just a little further…

Fu Ruxue had already entered the Kitchen.

Xunian’s expression darkened.

She raised her hand, stabbing toward Fu Ruxue’s neck.

A shadow flashed through the air, without a hint of hesitation.

The Duke’s Daughter raised her elbow, the hand covering Xunian’s ear never lowering.

Her gaze locked unblinkingly on Xunian’s eyes.

“Clang—”

The sound of the blade hitting the floor rang sharply.

Xunian lost her weapon.

The Duke’s Daughter released her ear and slid a hand down Xunian’s side to her arm.

With a flip of her hand,

“Click.”

The pre-prepared handcuffs locked onto Xunian’s wrist, making her arm look even paler.

The punishment was only just beginning.

At that moment, a figure stepped out from the shadows, wearing a confident smile.

Cheng Li watched the scene nearby, his expression filled with schadenfreude.

He toyed with Xunian, a mocking grin stretching across his face.

“You’re smart, but unfortunately, your cleverness is misplaced.”

“The one who told me you escaped.” The Duke’s Daughter complained to her.

“Cheng Li, come here. I’ll give you a clue.”

Suppressing the annoyance bubbling inside, Xunian curled her lips at him.

The Duke’s Daughter tugged at the silver ring restraining Xunian, expressing her displeasure.

How could Xunian smile at anyone else???

Only her!

Xunian withdrew her smile and changed her tone for Cheng Li’s sake.

“I’ll give you a clue, but in exchange, protect Fu Ruxue.”

“Of course.” Cheng Li didn’t hesitate to agree immediately.

Anyway, Xunian was about to be captured.

After getting the clue, he would ditch Fu Ruxue, and Xunian would never find out.