Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 37

“Keep an eye on the main hall.”

Xie Nuange led Su Ye to the eunuch standing before its doors.

She took out one of her plentiful Glass Beads and offered it to him.

The eunuch’s cloudy eyes slowly turned from her face to the bead in her hand.

“May I ask you something?” Xie Nuange’s voice held precisely the right amount of respect. “Are my attendant and I free to look around Yinghua Hall?”

The eunuch reached out. His gaunt fingers pinched the bead and raised it for a brief inspection.

“Your Ladyship jests.”

He put away the bead and answered deferentially. “So long as Your Ladyship does not leave Yinghua Hall or enter the main chamber outside a worship ritual, you may go anywhere you please.”

Xie Nuange curtsied. “Thank you.”

Su Ye stayed beside her throughout the exchange, listening carefully to the main chamber.

No matter how hard she concentrated, she heard nothing from within.

It was as though no one had entered at all. There weren’t even footsteps.

Then there was the smell. This was supposed to be a worship ritual, so why did no fragrance escape?

The ceremony took place three times a day, and the main chamber had carved, openwork wooden doors. At least a trace of incense should have drifted through.

“Did you notice anything?” Xie Nuange asked after getting the answer she wanted.

She and Su Ye turned toward the crowd.

“Nothing. No smell, no sound.”

Su Ye looked back at the main chamber.

They joined the others gathered around the banyan tree at the center of the courtyard.

Zhao Ning and Ye Wan were beneath it as well, leaning close and discussing something in low voices.

Xie Nuange approached, studied the tree for a moment, then moved closer to inspect its trunk.

The bark looked no different from that of an ordinary banyan.

Rough gray-brown ridges divided it into irregular patches, exactly as one would expect from an ancient tree.

But up close, something about the pattern seemed wrong.

Xie Nuange activated Datafication.

[Target: The first tree of the Great Qian Dynasty—Banyan Tree. Struck out…]

[Regenerating target data… &*%#*??]

[Nature: Harmless…]

[Other data could not be read. No critical clues found.]

Xie Nuange froze.

This was the first time Datafication had produced such a result.

Its original identification as a banyan tree had been crossed out.

If it wasn’t a tree, what was it?

Harmless…

Where was the critical clue?

Everyone had formed a ring around the banyan, but no one stood too close.

Xie Nuange approached the base.

A circular stone ledge surrounded it. Soil filled the center, with the roots buried below.

A tablet in front of the tree displayed its rules.

[Banyan Tree Rules:]

[Rule One: This is the first tree of the Great Qian Dynasty. Approach it with a devout heart. If you believe the tree has come alive, leave immediately—because a tree is only a tree.]

[Rule Two: If the tree speaks to you, leave immediately and spit at it. The deity does not like you approaching this tree.]

[Rule Three: It is the guardian deity of Great Qian’s people. You may stand beneath its shadow, and it will protect every one of its subjects. But if it begins to rustle, leave at once.]

[Rule Four: You may offer incense to this tree, but do not pick up anything that belongs to it.]

[Rule Five: If you pick up something belonging to this tree, go to the side hall and offer incense to the deity in supplication for forgiveness.]

Xie Nuange stared at the rules.

“Leave the tree. The deity will be displeased. Guardian of the people. Protects its subjects… Offer incense to the deity…”

She murmured the fragments aloud. Beside her, Su Ye frowned deeply.

“There are false rules here.”

Xie Nuange focused on Rule Three.

If standing beneath the tree’s shade was safe, then the room rules had misled them.

Had they made the wrong choice by deliberately standing in direct sunlight?

And if the tree was a guardian deity, why did the other deity dislike anyone approaching it?

Several rules even suggested that the tree could speak.

That it was alive.

Xie Nuange stood below the ledge and compared the posted rules with the information she had extracted.

Harmless.

She trusted Datafication more than the rules.

Leaning forward, she reached toward the trunk. She wanted to touch it and see whether anything changed.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you read the rules?”

Su Ye caught her wrist, warning sharp in her voice. “Don’t touch things recklessly. Aren’t you afraid of angering the deity?”

“I want to see whether it’s truly alive.” Xie Nuange pulled free, sounding unconcerned. “It’s hardly a serious matter.”

Su Ye tried to stop her again, but Xie Nuange’s hand was already moving.

The instant her fingertips touched the trunk, her eyes widened.

That was not what bark should feel like.

The surface looked rough and cracked. She should have been able to imagine its texture without touching it.

But beneath her fingers was neither rough bark nor wood.

It was warm and fine.

Like skin.

Even the places that looked coarse felt soft beneath her touch.

Xie Nuange’s fingertips went still against the trunk. Instead of withdrawing, she pressed her entire palm flat and felt more carefully.

It was no illusion.

This truly felt like human skin.

Warm. Smooth. Beneath it, she could even detect a slow rise and fall.

The tree seemed alive.

Like a person breathing.

Incense lay on a table beside the banyan, but Su Ye did not reach for it. She remained beside Xie Nuange instead.

“What is it? Is the tree alive?” she whispered.

Many people were watching. Not one had dared touch the trunk; all of them hoped Xie Nuange would hand them the answer.

Xie Nuange withdrew her hand, the lingering warmth still clinging to her fingers.

She lowered her lashes, her face composed. “Nothing. It’s only a tree.”

Turning to Su Ye, she shrugged and added casually, “Some rules really do describe only rare events.”

The others had no intention of letting her off so easily.

“What did you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Zhao Ning asked with apparent concern while closely studying Xie Nuange’s reaction. “You don’t look well. Did you truly anger the deity?”

Xie Nuange blinked at her in confusion. “Do I? Did the deity tell you it was angry?”

Zhao Ning choked on her response.

The others continued scrutinizing Xie Nuange.

“Then what did you feel? Is it alive?” Zhao Ning persisted.

Xie Nuange glanced at her, then at her own hand.

“It’s a tree. Go touch it yourself if you want to know.”

She even dusted her hands together as though brushing dirt from her palms.

Zhao Ning searched her face and emotions for some trace of the truth.

“This stage has few rules but plenty of contradictions,” she said, breaking the tense silence.

“Who knows whether the scenario will end after this stage, once our consort ranks are bestowed?”

She looked at Xie Nuange. “Better not to do anything improper. What if it lowers your future title and reduces your reward?”

The others fell quiet.

The scenario had fewer rules now, but rules seemed to exist everywhere.

Several people had considered touching the tree. Zhao Ning’s argument changed their minds.

After all, few people had entered this scenario through recklessness alone.

They had prepared carefully and gathered information from previous survivors.

Caution was rarely wrong.

When no one followed her suggestion, Xie Nuange shrugged.

She had told them what to do. If they refused to touch it and missed the discovery, they could hardly blame her.

She had just started to turn away when the banyan leaves began rustling violently.

Everyone looked up.

The crown swayed from side to side, shaking the leaves into a roar.

Yet there was no wind.

Not even a strand of their hair moved.