Chapter 25
The players stood on the castle steps, facing the sea of roses, a sense of dread clinging to them.
A female player trembled slightly and whispered:
“If we don’t go, will we anger the little monster?”
A veteran player, swallowing nervously, his voice slightly strained, wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know about angering him, but I can guarantee that if we go down there, we’re dead meat!”
The other players nodded vigorously, taking a step back from the rose garden.
In the garden, Xing Nuo bent down, imitating his dad, and inspected the roses.
Bathed in the crystal light, each flower bloomed brilliantly, their petals vibrant and captivating.
Xing Nuo, his hands behind his back, nodded in satisfaction.
“Very good. Today flowers…growing well~”
Using the words his dad often used to praise him on the roses, Xing Nuo, a few curls sticking up on his forehead, smiled to himself.
The roses, as if enjoying the little master’s praise, swayed gently, even without a breeze.
A rustling sound filled the air, as if the flowers were happily responding.
Xing Nuo, having finished his inspection, turned and looked at the strangers standing frozen on the steps, puzzled.
“Big brothers…big sisters…no look flowers?”
This was the most beautiful flower garden in the castle!
The monster butler, his loving gaze on Xing Nuo replaced by a cold, sinister glare at the players, spoke.
“The little master has invited you to see the flowers. As polite gentlemen, you should thank him for his kindness.”
He then snorted.
“Instead of standing there like idiots, angering the little master!”
The players’ palms were sweating. They were caught between a rock and a hard place, frozen in fear.
There was no way they were going near those creepy roses!
But the protective butler wouldn’t tolerate them refusing the little master’s invitation.
This is impossible! they thought.
Just as they were agonizing over what to do, Xing Nuo, the thoughtful little darling, walked over.
“Big brothers, big sisters…tired?”
He rubbed his little arms, his clear eyes curving into crescents.
“Zaizai tired too. No look flowers…okay.”
The players were overjoyed.
The buzz-cut player sighed in relief, wanting to hug the sweet little one.
Seizing the opportunity, the players quickly agreed.
“Yes, yes, we’ve been walking for a long time. We’re quite tired today.”
“Haha, my legs are killing me. I can’t look at the roses. Such a shame!”
The butler, dutifully wiping the dust from the little master’s face with a soft handkerchief, his stiff face filled with displeasure, grumbled:
“You shouldn’t be so considerate, Little Master. I think they just don’t like Master’s roses!”
As if these words were taboo, the roses swayed even more violently, their rustling like waves of anger, threatening to engulf the tiny humans.
How dare they dislike them!
The players felt the oppressive aura of the rose garden, the suffocating fragrance making them unable to move.
We’re doomed! they thought.
Just then, Xing Nuo, tilting his head, spoke.
“It’s okay. I like flowers…Daddy likes too…but some people no like…Teacher say…we must wespect…everyone different.”
Xing Nuo looked at the rose garden, his eyes bright.
“Every flower…different too!”
This praise seemed to appease the roses.
The rustling subsided, and the roses swayed gently, as if examining themselves for their unique qualities.
The players, realizing they had survived, took a deep breath, their hearts pounding.
That was close!
What kind of precious little darling is this little master?!
Being near him feels so safe!
After the garden tour, Xing Nuo, sleepy, rested his head on the butler’s shoulder, his eyes drooping.
The butler gently patted his back, soothing him to sleep.
“Sleep, Little Master. I’ve prepared the softest bed for you. You’ll have sweet dreams tonight.”
A crystal lamp with a warm-colored shade cast a soft glow in the small bedroom.
Xing Nuo, lying on the soft bed the butler had prepared, slept soundly.
In the middle of the night, Xing Nuo was suddenly awakened by a loud commotion outside.
His mind foggy with sleep, he yawned, his head on the pillow, about to drift off again.
Just as he closed his eyes, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from outside.
“Help! Little Master, help!”
“Ahhh! Hurry!”
Xing Nuo’s sleepy eyes widened, and he sat up, dazed. The noise continued.
He rubbed his eyes, climbed out of bed, put on his slippers, and went to see what was happening.
The living room had a high ceiling, allowing a clear view from the second floor.
Xing Nuo, wearing a soft, light green robe, his hair a mess, opened the door, gripped the railing, and looked down.
The living room, brightly lit by crystal lamps and mermaid pearls, was as clear as day.
It looked exactly the same as during the day, clean and elegant.
Xing Nuo blinked his sleepy eyes, his voice barely a whisper.
“You…no sleep?”
He looked at the strangers sitting on the living room floor and yawned.
“Zaizai sleepy…you be quiet.”
His voice was soft, but in the otherwise silent castle, only punctuated by the players’ panting breaths, they could hear him clearly.
The players, exhausted from being chased by monsters, lying scattered on the floor, nodded weakly.
“Okay, we’ll go to sleep now.”
They wiped the sweat from their foreheads, relieved to have a moment to rest, and watched as Xing Nuo returned to his bedroom.
The bedroom door closed, and the crystal lights on the first floor went out.
The soft glow of the mermaid pearls wasn’t enough to illuminate the entire hall, and the room was plunged into an eerie darkness.
In the shadows, the monsters that had been chasing the players for hours lurked, their red eyes fixed on the humans.
“They woke up the little master!”
“The little master is back in the castle?!”
“Unforgivable! They disturbed the little master’s sleep!”
“Kill them! Kill them!”
The monster servants, who had appeared human during the day, now revealed their monstrous forms, attacking the humans.
The players had been fighting the monsters for hours, dodging and weaving.
One of the newbies had almost broken his arm and had a bleeding wound on his leg.
Seeing that they were about to be overwhelmed, a veteran player gritted his teeth and came up with a plan.
“Let’s yell and wake up the little master upstairs! These monsters all revolve around him. Maybe they’ll stop attacking us!”
Another veteran player disagreed, attacking a monster with his ability and dodging to the side.
“Are you crazy?! What if Xing Nuo turns into a monster at night too?!”
That was the little master of the castle!
If he turned into a monster, they wouldn’t stand a chance!
As they were arguing, another player was injured, a bloody hole appearing in his chest, his face pale.
“If we don’t wake him up, we’ll die here!”
“These monsters reveal their true forms at night! We can’t defeat them! And the strongest monster, the butler, hasn’t even appeared yet!”
The dissenting voices were drowned out, and the players started yelling, trying to wake up the little master.
It turned out to be the right decision.
After Xing Nuo woke up, the rampaging monsters, as if terrified of something, vanished from the living room before he even opened the door.
The crystal lights lit up for the little master, the traces of the fight and the bloodstains quickly cleaned up, the magnificent hall restored to its usual pristine state.
Except for the panting, exhausted players, sprawled on the floor, unable to stand, there was no sign of the previous chaos.
The players, finally having a moment to rest, lay there, catching their breath.
Upstairs.
Xing Nuo, still half-asleep, climbed back into bed, his head hitting the pillow, and instantly fell asleep.
But just ten minutes later, bloodcurdling screams echoed from downstairs again.
Xing Nuo’s heart jumped, and he opened his eyes, his sleepy gaze filled with confusion.
What’s happening downstairs?
He clutched his rapidly beating heart, took a deep breath, sat up, and frowned, slightly annoyed.
Why do they keep waking Zaizai up?
Haven’t these guests been to kindergarten? Didn’t their teachers tell them to be polite and well-behaved in other people’s homes?
Annoyed, Xing Nuo climbed out of bed, clenched his fists, put on his slippers, and went outside.
Leaning against the railing, he called out to the people downstairs:
“You go sleep!”
It’s late!
The players, hearing the little master’s soft, but firm, voice, twitched their lips, their faces a mixture of exasperation and helplessness.
“We’d love to!”
But there are monsters in your castle, and we can’t sleep!
