Chapter 4:Castle Past 4 Brain Flower

Fu Ruxue, thinking Xu Nian’s frown was due to her offer, apologized hurriedly, “Sorry, I…”

“Why are you so slow? Hurry up and sit.”

The burly man, sporting dark circles, was already at the table, looking drained.

Hungry from skipping dinner, the scream last night had left him irritable, exuding a heavy air of frustration.

Interrupted, Fu Ruxue fell silent, noticing Xu Nian wasn’t interested in her apology, her gaze fixed on the wall where the blood-red rules had appeared, deep in thought.

The wall was pristine now, the rules gone.

Fu Ruxue took her seat from last night.

The plates held revolting contents again: a fresh brain, sliced into five equal parts, still glistening with sticky blood, drizzled with black sauce, each piece marked with a skull flag.

Compared to yesterday’s writhing maggots and twitching meat, the faint bloody smell was less nauseating.

Xu Nian looked away, pulled out a wooden chair, and sat beside Fu Ruxue.

Only five plates?

She exchanged a glance with Fu Ruxue, both seeing the complexity in each other’s eyes.

Had something happened to someone?

“By the way, who was screaming last night?” The burly man leaned back, legs crossed, feigning nonchalance. “Girls, always making a fuss.”

A low, raspy voice echoed in his ear, “Morning~”

The burly man jolted, body stiffening. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and stammered, “M-morning…”

The butler, seeing his fear, tilted his chiseled jaw, red eyes glancing at him like he was filth.

Soon, the two remaining men from the first and second floors hurried in, leaving only one person missing.

The timid girl.

“So unpunctual…” the burly man muttered.

Click.

The ancient clock struck eight.

The butler’s lips curled, his bloodshot eyes glinting, tongue grazing his upper lip as if eyeing prey. His gaze counted each person, “One, two, three, four, five.”

“Everyone’s here.”

His voice held a hint of regret, sending chills through them.

Reverting to his normal demeanor, the butler stepped back to the door, casually remarking, “If no one eats this delicious food, I’ll have to feed it to the Duke’s pets.”

With that, he exited, the wooden door creaking shut.

Pets?

Hiss, hiss…

A faint, rapid sound came from under the table, unsettling, spreading a cold dread through their spines, triggering primal fear.

At the sound, the first-floor man’s face paled. “It’s… it’s snakes!”

He nearly collapsed, curling up on his chair, eyes wide with terror, staring at the floor.

Black creatures, snake-like, slithered from under the table, their scales glinting with iridescent black light, red slit pupils fixed on the man.

In a flash, one “snake” lashed out, coiling tightly around his neck.

“Gah… help…”

His face turned red, eyes bulging, hands clawing at the creature, which only tightened its grip.

A pale, delicate hand intervened, knife flashing, cleanly slicing the “snake” in half.

The soft hand caught the rope-like remains.

Xu Nian examined the “snake” curiously. No real snake had black scales and red pupils. Closer inspection revealed a protruding bump on its head, like an unformed horn.

What was this?

A unicorn snake?

“Thanks.”

The man thanked her, shame in his eyes.

He’d pushed for Xu Nian to take the dangerous room, yet she saved him without holding a grudge. Gratitude filled him.

More black unicorn snakes emerged, and the others fled the table, leaving Xu Nian alone.

She pursed her lips, frowning slightly.

She’d thought there was only one, helping the man on impulse. Had she known there were more, she wouldn’t have bothered.

She didn’t care about a stranger’s life, only wanting one to check for key-related clues.

The writhing black creatures swarmed the five brain pieces, devouring them instantly.

Unsated, their scaly heads turned toward the nearest heat source, red eyes locking onto the calm girl.

In an instant, the snakes lunged, attacking with strangling coils, venom, and ravenous intent.

In the shadows, a slender hand gripped a teacup, knuckles white, trembling, nearly crushing the jade.

Xu Nian whipped the tablecloth off, ensnaring most of the snakes. A few stragglers were sliced in half with her knife. She leaped back, toes grazing the floor.

Recalling a rule, she glanced at the kitchen.

[Rule Four]: No one will disturb the Chef.

Xu Nian darted along the wall toward the kitchen. The others hid in their rooms, peeking through cracks, marveling at her courage.

She rushed into the kitchen, the snakes in pursuit.

The kitchen seemed long abandoned, cobwebs thick in corners, a dusty cutting board holding two rotting, fingerless hands.

Xu Nian scanned every inch, mulling over the rule.

No Chef?

The snakes closed in, their cold eyes fixed on her heat, driven by instinct to consume.

Thoughts racing, sweat beaded on her forehead, yet she felt oddly calm amidst the life-or-death tension.

As the lead snake entered, she grabbed a rusty kitchen knife and struck the rotting hand on the board.

Thud—

The blade pierced flesh, and instantly, the hissing stopped.

The snakes turned, abandoning their target.

Xu Nian exhaled, her racing heart and boiling blood oddly exhilarating.

Her survival instinct had kicked in, making her feel alive.

In an unseen place, the shadowed hand held a shattered teacup, jade fragments piercing skin, unheeded, tossed into a trash bucket.

Only when the snakes retreated did the players dare widen their door cracks, peering out.

Fu Ruxue was now certain: Xu Nian wasn’t new to the Rule-Based Strange World, likely more experienced than her.

Adjusting her expression, she stepped out, lips pursed, eyes half-worried, half-sad, watching Xu Nian wipe her hands with a handkerchief, unharmed.

“Xu Nian, are you okay?”

“Not dead,” Xu Nian replied, focused on cleaning her hands. “Let’s check the missing girl’s room.”

“…Okay.”

Fu Ruxue, hoping to console Xu Nian for rapport, swallowed her words, seeing her unfazed.

Terrifying. This seemingly harmless, beautiful girl had faced death and remained calm—inhumanly so.

With a complex expression, Fu Ruxue watched Xu Nian head to the timid girl’s room, unsure if approaching her was wise.

Knock, knock, knock.

Xu Nian rapped on the door.

“No one?” Fu Ruxue approached.

The burly man and others gathered, curious about the timid girl’s absence.

Xu Nian knocked again. No answer.

Click.

The lock opened without warning.

The burly man pushed the door, and a spherical object rolled to his feet. He kicked it instinctively, his foot stained with sticky blood.

He looked down and froze.

His trembling eyes reflected a blood-soaked head, mouth agape, blood tears streaming, face twisted in fear and despair, pupils unfocused, hair tangled around it.

His legs gave out, collapsing backward, caught by the man behind him.

Even the calm man was shaken, his hands trembling as he supported the burly man.

The other man, face ashen, recalled the snakes devouring the brains and retched against the wall. “Ugh—”

Fu Ruxue’s face was grim. She hadn’t expected a death on the first night.

Xu Nian frowned, unsurprised. “Remember the rules? The Young Lady dislikes noise.”

A chill ran through them.

Had the girl’s scream angered the Young Lady?

The body lay on the bed, the severed neck staining it red, a gruesome sight.

Xu Nian added, “This was probably the maid’s room.”

“What do you mean?”

“The room’s spotless, with a full set of cleaning tools.”

Following her gesture, they saw the tools.

In wealthy homes, only maids’ rooms or storage held cleaning supplies.

“And that photo frame.”

The photo showed a freckled, smiling girl in a maid’s uniform, identical to the headless maid’s.

Both the dead girl and the maid lost their heads—perhaps no coincidence.

“Could it be, like she died the same way as the maid, we might die like our rooms’ original owners?”

“I’m checking my room…” The burly man stumbled up from his support, rushing to inspect his own.