“Hmm?” He Xuexing immediately became interested. “How so?”
“If I’m not mistaken, that woman is the type who has a strong desire for control. Once things get out of her control, she becomes uneasy, so she will seize the initiative whenever she has a chance.”
“Before, she deliberately stirred up conflict between men and women, just to see our reactions. Firstly, it was to see how much say she could gain and if there were people who supported her.”
“No way?” He Xuexing paused his window-wiping hand. “That girl has such a deep scheme?”
“Uncle He is older than me and has been through more in society than I have. Why pretend to be confused in front of me?”
“Hehe…” He Xuexing gave a dry laugh and then asked, “What about the second reason?”
“Secondly, it was to quickly find someone she could control. Her displaying her strong side was also to see if all the women in the female camp were soft targets that she could manipulate.”
Yan Changqing’s hands didn’t stop; he had already cleaned the entire room and was now putting the mop into the bucket.
“As a result, two out of the three women opposed her, and the remaining Dan Lingting was already introverted and lacked social experience, which is why she was chosen as a roommate.”
“You mean she wants to find a little follower?”
“Rather, a scapegoat.” Yan Changqing was mopping the floor. His movements were very fast, as if he was used to doing such things. His physical strength was unusually good; he didn’t even break a sweat. “The Castle is very dangerous. What she needs is someone who can be controlled by her, or even hold back danger for her, at a critical moment.”
“If you say that, isn’t that little girl Dan Lingting very dangerous?” He Xuexing gasped. In fact, as soon as Yan Changqing mentioned it, he could think of all the twists and turns within. Human nature is inherently selfish, but once this selfishness is placed in a dangerous situation, the danger factor will multiply.
He felt a chill down his spine. The problem he had been unwilling to think about was finally brought to the table. For the first time, he realized that they not only had to face the dangers from the Castle but also the infighting among their companions.
“That’s not necessarily true.” Yan Changqing wrung out the dirty water from the mop and continued to put it into the bucket. “Sometimes, when introverted people are pushed to their limits, the power they unleash is often much greater than that of people who are consistently strong.”
“Then you’re just going to let it go?”
“Uncle He, I am just an ordinary person, and my abilities are limited.”
“What if it were Ning Xiaona?”
Yan Changqing paused slightly, stopped his work, and looked at He Xuexing with an unreadable expression.
“I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood or what you’re trying to find out. My answer is still the same: I’m just an ordinary person with limited abilities, and I adhere to the principle of helping only if I can. Are you satisfied with this answer?”
“Hehe, little brother is quite honest.” He Xuexing’s expression relaxed considerably after hearing him say this. “If you said you would prioritize our safety no matter what, I would actually feel uneasy.”
“Why? Are you worried I’m the kind of treacherous villain who talks about benevolence but uses you as shields at critical moments?”
“No, that’s not it.” He Xuexing shook his head, his voice much softer. “It’s just that in this world, saints are too far away from us.”
For the rest of the time, the two did not continue chatting. They divided the work and cleaned the room. Yan Changqing checked very carefully, not even missing any corners or crevices.
Soon after, there was a knock on the door.
“The Master’s order is for me to check if the Guests have followed his order.”
The person who came was a maid from the Castle. Her pale face had no color, and her voice carried no emotion.
She carefully checked every corner of the room, not even sparing the bathroom.
During this process, Yan Changqing’s gaze did not leave her. After all, if the referee led the cheating, there would be no game to play.
“After inspection, I have confirmed that both Guests have strictly complied with the Master’s order.”
After confirming there were no omissions, the maid bowed and prepared to leave.
“I would like to ask something.” Yan Changqing called out to the maid. “Can you tell me the origin of this Castle?”
“Yes.” The maid did not refuse. “More than 200 years ago, a noble named Moreson built this Castle. Their family lived here for generations, but as time passed, they gradually lost their family’s glory and could no longer afford to maintain this Castle, eventually selling it.”
“The new Master took over this Castle four years ago and renovated the entire Castle, which is why some parts of the interior have modern features.”
“What is the background of the new Master’s family?”
“I apologize, I am just a maid and cannot speak ill of my Master’s affairs.”
“Then let me rephrase the question: How is the relationship between their family of three?”
“This question is also not for me to discuss.”
Yan Changqing was slightly stunned. Logically, this question theoretically shouldn’t be considered the Master’s privacy, unless their relationship truly had something fishy about it.
“Do strangers like us often come to the Castle?” He decided to continue asking.
“Including the Guests, there have already been sixteen groups.”
“And those Guests? Did they leave?”
A smile actually appeared on the maid’s emotionless face, but it was somewhat stiff. She didn’t speak, just stared at the two of them.
Being stared at by her strange gaze, Yan Changqing and He Xuexing instantly recalled the scene of the butler suddenly attacking and killing, feeling a chill down their spines and goosebumps all over their bodies.
After a long time, she finally said, “They all received excellent hospitality.”
Yan Changqing did not intend to dwell on this question. He could already faintly feel the snake-shaped pendant on his chest heating up slightly.
He had already realized that the maid’s answers had a limit, and perhaps the closer they got to the core secrets of the Castle, the greater her threat to the Guests would be.
“If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave.”
“Wait.” Yan Changqing stopped the maid who was about to leave. “Answer me one more question, the last question.”
The maid stopped.
“Please speak.”
“When did you start working here?”
“The Guest’s question is truly strange.”
The electric lights suddenly flickered without warning, making crackling sounds. The maid’s face, in the flickering light, had an indescribably eerie expression.
“I have been working here ever since Mosen Castle was built.”
The maid left, and the two remaining people in the room sat on the bed as if exhausted.
“Little brother, you really aren’t afraid of death.” He Xuexing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Midway through, the more I listened, the more something felt off. I was really afraid she would suddenly kill us both like the butler.”
“Damn it, this Castle’s maid alone has such a strong aura. What kind of monsters must the Master’s family be?”
“That’s not the only trouble.” Yan Changqing also had a headache. “If my prediction is correct, the Castle’s secrets are even more complex than I anticipated.”