Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 35

“Enter the hall!”

The eunuch’s voice broke through Xie Nuange’s comfort.

She and the other twelve people outside turned toward the first unfortunate pair.

One was a round-faced palace maid. The other had once been Rank Two among the palace candidates.

“That pair isn’t weak. We just don’t know what awaits them inside,” Zhao Ning said as she joined Xie Nuange and Ye Wan in a quiet discussion.

Xie Nuange glanced at them, then at the others standing in the shadows or crowding into the strip of sunlight.

Creak…

The doors of Yinghua Hall’s main chamber slowly opened.

The carved wooden doors stood more than three meters high. As they swung apart with a deep groan, they resembled the jaws of an enormous beast opening to receive its prey.

A cool wind smelling of sandalwood flowed through the widening gap and brushed across their faces.

Everyone who had come outside to experience the blazing sun crowded near the entrance, trying to glimpse the chamber beyond.

Xie Nuange looked inside with them.

The main chamber was far taller than she had expected. From outside, the building appeared to have two floors. Once the doors opened, she realized the interior was a single immense space.

She saw the statue directly opposite the entrance, though only up to its waist.

The sight caught her breath.

Her gaze started at the statue’s feet and traveled slowly upward.

Layer after layer of robes draped from its body. They seemed soft as silk—almost warm.

Nothing about them possessed the rigid quality of carved stone.

Even though Xie Nuange could see only part of the statue, divinity washed over her.

It was the kind of presence that conveyed compassion for all living things through the smallest glimpse.

The deity’s gaze swept across Xie Nuange for the briefest instant.

She felt as though it regarded her with the loving eyes of a parent looking upon a child.

Xie Nuange’s attention settled on a jade pendant at the statue’s waist.

Without thinking, she stepped forward, wanting a clearer view.

Then one thought cut through her mind.

A deity.

This was a true deity.

Not an anomaly from the scenario. Not a ghost created from a dead participant.

Xie Nuange clenched both hands and forced herself not to move closer.

Su Ye remained inside the room, monitoring Xie Nuange through the doorway.

The moment the main chamber opened, she noticed the Faith Points Rankings change.

The change affected everyone except their pair.

[Group One: Zhang Yu, 100. Li Si, 100. Combined Faith Points: 100.]

[Group Two: Ye Wan, 100. Zhang San, 64. Combined Faith Points: 82.]

[Group Three: Zhao Ning, 100…]

[Group Fourteen: Xie Nuange, 100. Su Ye, 0. Combined Faith Points: 50.]

Something was wrong.

Su Ye looked at the people outside, then at the first pair already inside the hall.

What had they seen?

Why had so many Faith Point scores jumped to one hundred?

Surely they hadn’t actually seen a deity.

And even if a deity existed, why would it appear inside a ghost-filled scenario?

The doors closed again before Xie Nuange and the others recovered.

Everyone took a simultaneous step backward, now regarding the main chamber with caution.

Something wasn’t right.

“Did you see it?” Ye Wan asked meaningfully. “Was that a deity?”

Xie Nuange’s hand paused. She retreated several steps to rejoin them and lowered her head.

“Mm,” she murmured. “I think so.”

A deity—or mental influence?

“Do you think this is the final stage?” Ye Wan asked as she stared at the closed doors, letting her thoughts wander.

Xie Nuange glanced at her. “Perhaps the scenario ends once our consort ranks are bestowed.”

She looked toward the main chamber. “Before entering, I only read a few things on the forums. I don’t know much either.”

“What a coincidence. I also saw the post from Beilin, the last person to clear this scenario,” Ye Wan said quietly.

“She said it was a historical scenario. She lived the life of a noble family’s daughter in an arranged marriage, eventually took control of the household, and cleared it.”

Ye Wan gave a soft laugh. “According to her, anyone who has read a few palace-intrigue novels can pass by watching their words, controlling their behavior, and following the rules.”

Xie Nuange said nothing. She had read similar accounts.

But if the scenario was truly that simple, why was its death rate so high?

Why had her brother never returned?

“Where do you think the male players went?” Ye Wan mused. “Surely they weren’t all turned into eunuchs?”

Ye Wan looked more relaxed now. Xie Nuange guessed her stage reward had been generous.

She glanced at the eunuch guarding the main chamber. “Another group began as palace maids. I wouldn’t rule out eunuchs.”

Could her brother have been assigned that role?

Ye Wan shook her head, then glanced toward Zhao Ning and quietly warned, “Be careful around her. Zhao Ning is no innocent.”

Xie Nuange murmured her acknowledgment.

Neither spoke after that.

They were not close. They had exchanged only information anyone could obtain.

Xie Nuange lowered her gaze to the palace candidate rules in her hand.

[Palace Candidate Rules:]

[Rule One: You are a lady of the palace. You have the authority to command palace servants, and your attendant must obey.]

[Rule Two: You may choose to trust your attendant. She grew up at your side and entered the palace with you. She is your most loyal personal maid.]

[Rule Three: You may choose not to trust your attendant. She was assigned to you by the palace, and within these walls, anyone may stab you in the back.]

[Rule Four: You are a lady of the palace. You may tell your attendant your plans. She will not betray you.]

[Rule Five: You are a lady of the palace. You must not tell your attendant your plans. She will betray you.]

The corner of Xie Nuange’s mouth stiffened.

Only the first of the five rules offered clear direction: a palace candidate could issue orders to her maid, who could not refuse.

The remaining four contradicted one another in pairs.

“How long do we have to stand here?” Ye Wan asked lazily, like a cat basking in the sun.

Xie Nuange had no doubt that if someone brought her a reclining chair, Ye Wan could lie down and fall asleep immediately.

“I don’t know. It only says to experience the blazing sun…”

Xie Nuange looked away from Ye Wan and surveyed the others.

Everyone had crowded into the sunlit strip. Sweat had begun to bead beneath some noses.

Although people were tired of standing and had started looking around, no one left the light.

Fortunately, the rule required only that they experience the sun. It imposed no restrictions on posture.

Xie Nuange glanced toward the great tree before the main hall.

A small stone tablet stood beneath it.

When the time came, she needed to inspect it.

There were also the side halls of Yinghua Hall. What might be hidden inside them?

She looked down at the small patch of shadow beneath her feet.

They had been standing there for at least ten minutes.

No sound came from the main chamber.

The band of sunlight on the ground had not shifted. The eunuch remained before the doors like a statue.

“Why is it so quiet?” Zhao Ning frowned at the hall.

Since the first pair entered and the doors closed, not a single sound had escaped.

Even the sandalwood fragrance seemed to have vanished from the air.

“Are we supposed to stand here until their worship ends?”