Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 45

Did a lower rank truly mean greater danger?

Xie Nuange did not know, but her instincts told her to trust the Banyan Tree.

At the very least, it had protected her last night.

She thought of the leaf that had fallen beside Wang Yun as the woman crawled toward the moonlight.

If Wang Yun had picked it up, would she have survived?

“Do you think the first stage and the second work the same way?” Ye Wan asked hesitantly.

Her group’s Faith Points now resembled Xie Nuange’s situation: one partner pulling the score up, the other dragging it down.

“Your Faith Points filled up the moment you entered. Was that because you believed in the deity?”

“Then why are you trying to lower them now?”

Xie Nuange came back to herself and looked at Ye Wan. “Are you offering to trade clues?”

For once, the roommate who always seemed calm and unruffled glared at her through gritted teeth.

“You have the nerve to say that? The clue you gave me yesterday was nothing but a trick.”

“How could that be?” Xie Nuange looked perfectly innocent. “When have I ever tricked you?”

Before she could react, Ye Wan reached over and lightly pinched her cheek.

“Yesterday, you told me the Banyan Tree and the deity were enemies. Anyone could work that out after finding a few more clues.”

“You liar.”

Xie Nuange chuckled. “What did you feel while you were sleeping last night?”

Ye Wan considered the question. “Warmth. Comfort. Zhang San felt the same.”

Zhang San was Ye Wan’s partner.

Xie Nuange nodded.

So the deity had targeted her alone.

“Xie Nuange, you still haven’t answered me.”

“Answered what?”

“The Faith Points,” Ye Wan murmured. “Yesterday, Zhao Ning said the deity protects its believers. She wants me to go to the side hall and offer incense with her today.”

“I don’t know what will happen when we do, so I can only ask you.”

Standing in the dawn light, Xie Nuange tilted her face slightly upward.

Sunlight slanted over the eastern palace wall and through the canopy.

“Ye Wan, have your partner touch the Banyan Tree.”

She turned to look at her. “She can offer incense too. If the Banyan Tree drops a leaf, pick it up. Then we can trade clues.”

Ye Wan studied her, then nodded. “Thank you.”

“If I manage to clear this scenario, I’ll leave behind as many clues for you as I can.”

Xie Nuange smiled without replying and looked up at the sky again.

There was no sun or moon here. At least, she had never seen either.

The dawn light fell in exactly the same place as yesterday’s blazing sun and moonlight, without shifting so much as an inch.

In this scenario, the light seemed destined to fall forever between the main chamber and the Banyan Tree.

Su Ye and the others emerging from their rooms signaled that the dawn-light exposure period had ended.

Xie Nuange stepped out of the dawn, stretched, and headed toward the tree to lower her Faith Points.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

Su Ye caught her by the wrist. “We don’t know the rule. What if the people with low Faith Points are the ones chosen?”

Xie Nuange looked at her. “Even if we are sent inside, aren’t you confident you can kill me and come out alive?”

Her gaze drifted toward Ye Wan and Zhang San. She did not know what Ye Wan was saying, but Zhang San glanced over at them.

Su Ye clearly noticed.

“Are you working with them now?”

“Mm-hm.”

Xie Nuange gave her an aggrieved look. “You won’t give me any clues, so I have to find someone else who will.”

“I never said I wouldn’t tell you. I’m only worried the clue will mislead you in the end.”

Su Ye shot her an exasperated look. When Xie Nuange continued staring at her pitifully, she hesitated—but still refused.

“Before our group is chosen, I promise I’ll tell you what I know.”

“I truly can’t tell you yet. The moment I do, it will change your mind.”

Xie Nuange nodded thoughtfully.

The question was whether the projected fragments were controlled by the deity…

Or by the tree.

Su Ye accompanied Xie Nuange into the Banyan Tree’s shade. Nearby, Zhang San had already collected incense and was preparing to offer it.

Xie Nuange took a bundle as well and offered incense alongside her.

Some participants watched the two of them as though they were fools.

Even after the incense was offered, Xie Nuange’s Faith Points only fell from one hundred to ninety.

[Faith Points Rankings (Twelve Groups Total)]

[Group One: Yao Lin, 100… Combined Faith Points: 100.]

[Group Two: Zhao Ning, 100. Li Li, 100. Combined Faith Points: 100.]

[Group Three: Xie Nuange, 90. Su Ye, 100. Combined Faith Points: 95.]

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

They would not drop any further.

Xie Nuange frowned. She had a growing instinct that if her Faith Points remained too high, she would certainly be chosen.

Ye Wan and Zhang San’s group hovered between seventh and eighth place.

Anxiety crept into Xie Nuange’s chest.

The deity had ignored everyone else last night and come specifically for her.

That meant it had already noticed her.

Xie Nuange rose and walked back to the stone tablet bearing the banyan’s rules.

“Why hasn’t Yao Lin come out yet?”

“Did something happen?”

“Her name is still lit on the rankings… She should be fine, right?”

Unease spread through the courtyard. Everyone searched for clues with renewed urgency.

But the doors to the main chamber remained closed.

As time passed, an invisible, intangible pressure settled over every heart.

Who would be selected next?

No one knew, and time was running out.

Some people could no longer sit still. Even Su Ye grew anxious and approached Ye Wan, hoping they could offer incense in the side hall together.

“I’m not waiting any longer. I’ll go to the side hall and raise my Faith Points first.”

“I’m coming too.”

“Wait for me.”

People began heading toward the side hall in groups of two and three.

Some kept glancing back at the main chamber doors as they walked, waiting for the final result.

Others murmured plans to their partners.

A portion remained where they were, intending to see what changed after the first group returned from offering incense.

Xie Nuange stood still and watched the crowd surge toward the side hall.

Zhang San rose and came over to her.

“Ye Wan told me to touch the tree with you.”

Xie Nuange arched a brow.

She reached out and placed a hand against the trunk. “Want to try? I touched it and nothing happened. Although…”

Zhang San’s outstretched hand froze. She turned to Xie Nuange. “Although what?”

“Ye Wan told you, didn’t she?”

Xie Nuange looked back at the trunk. “I want the clue from your leaf.”

Zhang San nodded and continued reaching forward.

The moment her fingertips touched something soft, her pupils widened.

In disbelief, she carefully ran her fingers over it. She even traced one of the bark-like ridges and scratched lightly at the surface.

It was real.

Fine. Smooth.

And warm.

Xie Nuange’s own mood was far less pleasant.

Her unchanging Faith Points were giving her a headache.

Yesterday they had fallen quickly.

Today, they barely moved at all…