The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 35

Chapter 35

The sky had darkened unnoticed, and the crystal lamps illuminated the living room.

Shen Wen, his long robes billowing, hurried downstairs.

The butler, having just finished overseeing the daily cleaning, quickly approached his master.

“Master, what are your instructions?”

The butler, always attentive and loyal, maintained a respectful smile on his wrinkled face.

Shen Wen’s robes were damp, his chest and sleeves stained with water, his usually neat hair slightly dishevelled, a stark contrast to his usual elegant and aloof demeanor.

But Shen Wen, too preoccupied to care about his appearance, pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice laced with urgency:

“Butler, do you know what medicine children need when they’re sick?”

The butler, confident, opened his mouth, then realized this was beyond his area of expertise.

As a monster, his knowledge of humans was limited to the players who occasionally stumbled into the castle.

Those players would often arrive unexpectedly, listen to the castle rules, and then foolishly break them.

However, human players typically only had a few days to live after arriving at the castle, rarely experiencing illness.

Unable to answer his master’s question, the butler felt ashamed and lowered his head, offering a suggestion:

“The cook is very knowledgeable about ingredients. Perhaps she knows what food or medicine is suitable for illness.”

Shen Wen nodded, his lips pressed together, and hurried to the kitchen, where he found the cook happily humming a tune as she chopped vegetables.

The cook, seeing her master, her plump face creasing into a worried expression, wiped her hands and hurried over.

Before she could greet him, Shen Wen asked directly:

“Do you know what medicine or food children need when they have a cold and fever?”

The cook gasped dramatically, clutching her chest and taking a step back.

“Is the little master ill? Oh dear, it must be the biscuits the pastry chef made this afternoon!”

She never missed an opportunity to criticize the pastry chef.

After thinking for a while, she suddenly remembered something.

“There was a player who snuck into the kitchen one night and made ginger soup. He said his companion had a fever. I think the little master might need some too!”

Shen Wen’s knowledge of human remedies was limited, and there were no medicinal herbs in the castle, so he nodded in agreement.

“Then make some ginger soup.”

The cook quickly nodded and set about preparing the ginger soup with practiced efficiency, instructing the kitchen maids. She added a spoonful of honey to the finished product and presented it to Shen Wen on a plate.

Shen Wen took it and, without waiting for the butler, hurried upstairs.

The cook, wiping her hands, was about to follow when the butler stopped her.

“Stay in the kitchen. If the little master needs anything during the night, you’ll be needed here.”

The cook puffed out her chest, her face beaming with responsibility, and patted her chest reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t sleep tonight. I’ll stay in the kitchen! Unlike the pastry chef, who’s nowhere to be found at night!”

The butler nodded in satisfaction and followed Shen Wen upstairs with the footmen.

Nightfall came unnoticed. The sky above the castle was pitch black, without a moon.

The crystal lamps illuminated every corner of the castle.

Shen Wen, carrying the slightly warm plate, pushed open the bedroom door.

“Xing Nuo? Don’t sleep yet, have some ginger soup.”

Knowing the little one’s clingy nature, he suspected he would be even more demanding when sick and wouldn’t willingly drink the ginger soup.

He placed the bowl on the nightstand, pulled back the covers, about to coax Xing Nuo, and froze.

The bed was empty.

His hand, holding the blanket, stilled in mid-air. The slight curve of his lips straightened, and his eyes returned to their usual coldness and indifference.

He had forgotten that the little one had entered through an instance.

At night, the instance would return to its normal timeline.

Perhaps the little one had already returned to his own time, to his own dad.

That’s good, Shen Wen thought. His castle, with no medicine or anything suitable for a sick child, wasn’t a good place for the little one anyway.

The other dad must have already prepared everything for the little one.

He sat on the edge of the bed and tugged at his damp sleeve.

It had been a wasted effort, bathing that little dirty cub.

Night fell, a thick, inky darkness enveloping the castle.

The players, after drinking the small portion of soup, fell asleep.

They didn’t sleep for long, waking up groggily after about half an hour.

Their previously volatile emotions had eased considerably during that short nap.

The new female player clutched her chest, feeling her heartbeat steady and strong, and let out a soft “Whoa!”

“I…feel much better!”

Earlier, when her emotions were unstable, she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that one wrong step would lead to her demise, yet unable to stop herself from taking that step.

Now, even without any props, she felt significantly better!

At least she wasn’t constantly fighting the urge to harm herself or lash out!

Just as the players were discussing this change, a system notification echoed in their minds:

[Ding! Congratulations to the players for following all the castle rules today. You have received a hint: First-floor corridor.]

The players’ eyes widened, and they exchanged excited glances, their faces flushed.

So, following the rules in this castle exploration type instance would grant them hints!

No wonder they hadn’t made any progress in the past two days; they hadn’t even figured out the basic rules!

The buzz-cut player breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her teammates’ improved state, she no longer had to worry about being attacked.

“We need to make a plan. We’ll explore the corridor tonight. This is our only chance!”

They didn’t know how long the soup’s effect would last. Once daylight came, their emotions might become unstable again.

And they couldn’t keep relying on the little master’s kindness, shamelessly begging for soup, could they?

The other players nodded in agreement, and they began discussing their plan for the night.

Mid-discussion, another system notification echoed:

[Ding! Player Wen Xingxue deceased!]

The players’ hearts sank. But before despair could set in, another notification followed:

[Congratulations to player Wen Xingxue for using an S-level prop to clear this instance!]

Players: ???

Was he dead or not?

They couldn’t comprehend the actions of a high-level player like that, but they instinctively felt Wen Xingxue was still alive!

A legendary top-ranked player wouldn’t die so easily, would he?

The buzz-cut player repeated the two system messages, then sighed.

“It seems we’re on our own tonight.”

If Wen Xingxue was truly dead, they couldn’t rely on him for protection; if he was alive and had cleared the instance, he would have been teleported out, and they still couldn’t rely on him.

“Tonight’s mission must succeed!”

A few minutes after nightfall.

Xing Nuo’s face was flushed, his small chest rising and falling with each shallow breath, coughing occasionally.

He was always frail, prone to fevers and illnesses.

Lying in bed, hearing his dad’s footsteps retreating, he croaked, trying to call him back:

“Dad…”

But there was no response.

Xing Nuo thought his dad must have gone downstairs to make him some medicinal soup.

Lately, whenever he was sick, Dad didn’t let him soak in the pool anymore, only giving him bitter medicine.

Xing Nuo didn’t like the bitter medicine. He coughed, threw off the covers, and, his legs unsteady, walked out of the room.

The second-floor corridor was brightly lit by crystal lamps. Standing there, Xing Nuo could clearly see the spiral staircase and the first-floor hall.

Gripping the banister, his feet sinking into the soft carpet, he slowly shuffled towards the stairs.

He wanted to go downstairs and tell Dad that he wasn’t feeling that unwell and didn’t need medicine.

But after only a few steps, his weak legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the carpet, unable to get up.

He flailed his small arms, struggling to stand, his eyelids growing heavy.

He coughed, the flush on his face deepening, his eyes about to close.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted by the back of his neck, his small hands and feet dangling limply.

He struggled to lift his head and look back.

Wen Xingxue, having violated Shen Wen’s “no going upstairs” rule, had been chased by the castle monsters all day.

Even the strongest would tire when facing endless waves of monsters.

Wen Xingxue had decided to return to the second floor to hide.

And he had seen the small cub lying on the carpet.

“Sleeping on the carpet?”

What a strange habit.

Xing Nuo’s head was spinning, his feet not touching the ground, as if he were floating.

He coughed and, looking at the unfamiliar older brother, replied softly:

“Zaizai…not sleeping…”

He was just trying to…go…where was he going again?

Xing Nuo’s mind was blank, unable to remember.

Wen Xingxue, his face cold and menacing, held the cub like a small figurine, dangling him slightly.

He lowered his head, his cold, pale face close to Xing Nuo’s.

He gently pried open Xing Nuo’s sleepy, half-closed eyes with his finger.

“Your eyes…look like mine.”

Wen Xingxue finally realized where the familiar feeling came from.