Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 42

Xie Nuange pressed her lips together as she read the Datafication result.

It still wasn’t enough. Several critical clues remained blurred.

A ghost.

Could a ghost possess warmth?

At least the result confirmed her theory: the banyan and the deity belonged to opposing factions.

Xie Nuange focused on one line.

It would never harm her.

She reached for a bundle of incense on the table.

“It isn’t time to offer incense yet.”

Su Ye frowned and caught her wrist, disapproval in her eyes.

“I know what I’m doing.”

Xie Nuange lit the incense, walked to the stone ledge around the banyan, and performed four kowtows. Then she planted the three sticks in the soil.

The earth was soft. They slid in easily.

Three thin streams of smoke curled upward in the moonlight. They wrapped around the trunk and vanished as though something had inhaled them.

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone had seen Xie Nuange offer incense to the tree.

They stared from where they stood, their expressions ranging from shock and confusion to fear.

“Hmph.”

Zhao Ning watched with contempt, as though Xie Nuange were insane.

“Foolish. Choosing a faction so soon.”

Su Ye remained at Xie Nuange’s side. Her lips moved as though she wanted to speak, but she said nothing.

Ye Wan leaned against a corridor pillar, fox-like eyes narrowed and an unreadable smile on her lips.

Xie Nuange ignored them.

The rankings appeared before her and changed continuously.

Her group with Su Ye began falling.

[Group Four: Xie Nuange, 85. Su Ye, 100. Combined Faith Points: 93.]

[Group Five: Xie Nuange, 80. Su Ye, 100. Combined Faith Points: 90.]

[Group Seven: Xie Nuange, 70. Su Ye, 100. Combined Faith Points: 85.]

When the three sticks burned out, Xie Nuange’s Faith Points had fallen to seventy-nine.

Group Seven sat precisely in the middle.

Whether the deity chose tomorrow’s worshippers from the top three or bottom three, their pair should be safe.

Everyone had watched Xie Nuange’s actions and the resulting changes.

Several people’s eyes shifted, especially those who wanted to lower their rank.

In the end, none followed her.

What if the deity saw them as disloyal and chose them to enter the hall tomorrow?

What if it became angry, as it had with Wang Yun?

Xie Nuange rose and dusted the dirt from her clothes.

She checked the rankings, then looked at the banyan.

“Aren’t you afraid…?” Su Ye’s expression was complicated. “What if you violated a rule?”

“I won’t.”

Xie Nuange shook her head. “The rules explicitly permit incense offerings.”

“But this only keeps us safe for tonight.”

She looked at Su Ye. “If I go outside tomorrow to experience dawn, sunlight, and moonlight, my Faith Points will rise again.”

“I had to take the risk to protect both of us.”

Sincerity filled Xie Nuange’s eyes as she watched Su Ye.

Su Ye’s fingers moved faintly. Xie Nuange’s reflection filled her dark pupils.

In the end, she did not say what had almost risen to her lips: *I’ll go outside in your place.*

She also needed to remain inside to study the pictures and search for clues.

She still could not trust Xie Nuange completely.

Xie Nuange did not mind the silence. She smiled and tipped her chin toward the eunuch before the main hall.

“Come on. Let’s ask a few questions.”

She had never expected Su Ye to abandon her place inside simply because of one statement—or because Xie Nuange chose the banyan.

Su Ye did not fully trust her, just as Xie Nuange did not fully trust Su Ye.

Xie Nuange chose the banyan only because Datafication identified it as harmless.

Compared with a deity capable of influencing the mind, the tree seemed safer.

It was late, but no one slept.

Xie Nuange took Su Ye to the leading eunuch.

“Sir,” she said softly. “I would like to learn the history of this tree.”

The eunuch remained silent for a long time. Only his eyes lifted toward the banyan in the center of the courtyard.

Su Ye gently tugged Xie Nuange’s sleeve. “Do we need to offer him something?”

They had no money. Only ghost items remained to trade.

“Probably not.”

The leaf had said they could question the eunuch for information.

“This tree…”

Just when they thought he would refuse to answer, the eunuch spoke. Memory entered his gaze.

“Before Great Qian was founded, demons roamed the land.”

He stared at the banyan, eyes full of the distant past.

“There were no flowers or trees in the realm that would become Great Qian. The sky was gray, the earth yellow, and the rivers black.”

“Heaven took pity and sent down a prophecy.”

Xie Nuange and Su Ye listened without breathing.

“If a tree could take root in the land and a flower could bloom, demons would no longer invade.”

“This tree came from the seed the deity found after traveling a vast, vast distance and enduring countless trials.”

Xie Nuange and Su Ye exchanged a glance.

The story matched their wall pictures perfectly.

“Later…”

The eunuch abruptly stopped.

Creak.

The main chamber doors opened.

Sandalwood-scented air flowed out. Xie Nuange immediately retreated.

“Look at the deity’s waist!” she instructed Su Ye quickly, lowering her own gaze.

Su Ye stared dazedly at the statue. At Xie Nuange’s words, she immediately focused on the jade pendant at its waist.

She felt the deity’s gaze settle upon her.

Loving. Gentle. Like a parent looking upon a child.

Every pore in her body seemed to open. Warmth and comfort flooded through her.

Xie Nuange’s experience was far less pleasant.

She felt the deity’s attention too.

But unlike the compassion she had sensed at noon, this gaze carried crushing authority.

Majesty bore down on her like a mountain.

Every hair on Xie Nuange’s body stood on end. Her face went pale, her chest tightened, and breathing became difficult.

Fortunately, someone soon emerged, and the doors slammed shut again.

Xie Nuange was drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

Su Ye broke free of the soothing sensation. When she saw Xie Nuange’s condition, she hurried over.

“What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Xie Nuange shook her head and looked at Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was covered in blood. Her pale pink palace-candidate robes had turned dark red and clung to her body.

Several wounds gaped across her flesh, some deep enough to expose bone.

Every step left another bloody footprint.

Standing atop the steps, she looked first at Zhao Ning, then Ye Wan.

Then she smiled, her expression carrying relief, realization, and the aftershock of survival.

Liu Feng turned toward Xie Nuange and Su Ye.

Her gaze passed over Xie Nuange and settled on Su Ye.

The corners of her mouth rose. Blood spilled between her lips and ran down her chin.

“How pitiful. You were actually paired with Xie Nuange.”

“Good luck with that.”

She threw back her head and laughed.