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

Chapter 35

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

Shen Wen, his robe billowing, hurried downstairs.

The butler, directing the monsters in their daily cleaning, saw his master and quickly approached.

“Master, what are your orders?”

The butler, ever loyal and attentive, his wrinkled face fixed in a polite smile, waited.

Shen Wen’s robe was damp, his chest and sleeves stained with water, his usually neat hair slightly disheveled, a stark contrast to his usual elegant and aloof appearance.

But Shen Wen, too preoccupied to care about his appearance, pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice slightly urgent.

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

The butler smiled confidently, opened his mouth, then realized this was beyond his knowledge.

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

These players would often break the castle’s rules, despite having heard them.

But human players rarely lived long enough in the castle to get sick.

Unable to answer his master’s question, the butler, ashamed, lowered his head and offered a suggestion.

“The cook is very knowledgeable about ingredients. Perhaps she knows what to eat when one is sick?”

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:

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

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

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

She never missed an opportunity to criticize the pastry chef.

She thought for a moment, then something came to mind.

“A player once snuck into my kitchen at night to make ginger soup. He said his companion had a fever. I think the little master might need that too!”

Shen Wen, knowing little about humans, and his castle lacking any medicinal herbs, nodded.

“Then make some ginger soup.”

The cook quickly agreed.

She efficiently directed the kitchen maids to start a fire and prepared a strong ginger soup, adding a spoonful of honey, and handed 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 here to prepare it.”

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

“Don’t worry, I won’t sleep tonight! I’ll guard the kitchen! Unlike the pastry chef, who disappears every night!”

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

Night fell unnoticed, the castle sky a dark, moonless void.

The crystal lights illuminated every corner of the castle.

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

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

Knowing the little one’s clingy nature, Shen Wen expected him to be even more demanding when sick and unwilling to drink the ginger soup.

He placed the bowl on the nightstand, pulled back the covers, and was about to coax Xing Nuo when he realized the bed was empty.

His hand froze mid-air, the smile fading from his face.

His eyes turned cold and distant, and he withdrew his hand.

He had forgotten that the little one had entered through a dungeon.

At night, the dungeon would revert to its normal time.

Perhaps the little one was already with his dad in the original timeline.

It’s for the best, Shen Wen thought. This castle, with no medicine or anything a sick child needs, isn’t suitable for him.

The other dad must have everything prepared.

Shen Wen sat on the edge of the bed, tugging at his damp sleeve.

He had wasted his time bathing the little dirty cub.

Night had fallen, a thick, inky darkness enveloping the castle.

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

Their sleep wasn’t long, only about half an hour, before they woke up, groggy.

Their anger and frustration from the past two days had subsided during that short nap.

The female newbie, clutching her chest, feeling her heart beating steadily, gasped softly.

“I…I feel better!”

Before, when her emotions were unstable, she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, wanting to jump despite knowing it would be fatal.

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

At least she wasn’t constantly fighting the urge to self-destruct or lash out!

As the players were discussing the change, a system notification sounded:

[Ding! Congratulations! You have followed all the castle rules today and have received a hint: First-floor hallway.]

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

So, following the rules in this exploration-type dungeon granted 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 sighed in relief, glad to see her teammates’ conditions improve, no longer worried about being attacked by them.

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

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

And they couldn’t keep bothering the little master for soup, could they?

The other players nodded, and they started discussing their plan.

Mid-discussion, another system notification sounded.

[Ding! Player Wen Xingxue has died!]

The dreaded news made their hearts sink. But before they could despair, another notification followed:

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

Players: ???

Is he dead or not?

They couldn’t understand the Big Boss’s actions, but they instinctively felt that Wen Xingxue must still be alive!

A god-level player, consistently ranked first, couldn’t possibly die so easily.

The buzz-cut player repeated the two system notifications, 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 wasn’t dead and had cleared the game, he would be transported out of the dungeon, and they still couldn’t rely on him.

“Tonight’s operation must succeed!”

Rewinding to a few minutes after nightfall.

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

He was always frail, prone to fevers and illnesses.

Lying in bed, he heard his dad’s footsteps leaving and called out hoarsely:

“Daddy.”

But there was no response.

Daddy must be downstairs making medicine for Zaizai.

Lately, Daddy hadn’t been letting him soak in the pool when he was sick, only giving him bitter medicine.

Xing Nuo, not wanting to drink the nasty medicine, coughed, pushed aside his blanket, and, his legs unsteady, walked out of the room.

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

He gripped the railing, his feet sinking into the soft carpet, and slowly shuffled towards the stairs.

He wanted to go downstairs and tell Daddy that he wasn’t uncomfortable and didn’t need medicine.

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

He flailed his arms weakly, his eyelids growing heavy.

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

Suddenly, he was lifted by the back of his neck, his arms and legs dangling limply.

He struggled to lift his head and look back.

Wen Xingxue, having broken Shen Wen’s “no second floor” rule, had been chased by the castle monsters all day.

Even the strongest person would tire of fighting endless waves of monsters.

Wen Xingxue had decided to hide on the second floor again.

He had just arrived when he saw the little 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 looked at the unfamiliar big brother, answering weakly:

“Zaizai no sleep.”

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

His mind was blank. He tried to remember, but couldn’t.

Wen Xingxue, his expression 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 half-closed, sleepy eyes.

“Your eyes…look like mine.”

Wen Xingxue finally realized why the little one’s eyes looked so familiar.