Most Weirds had very irritable tempers, so how could they really watch themselves get injured without reacting.
The only explanation was that they had been suppressed by an even more powerful Weird.
Rao Fei, who was similarly unable to move much, wandered off in thought and began to consider a very serious question: just how many good older brothers did this Little Young Master have?
Last time, he had seen one on Wealth Avenue. This time, while passing through the Wang Family Mansion, another good older brother showed up.
The Little Young Master, with a puzzled frown on his face, murmured “So it really is a blood pack” after seeing the bloodstains seeping from Lord Wang’s chest and abdomen. His expression turned dazed for a moment before clearing up again.
In those few seconds as the light returned to his eyes, Rao Fei felt the invisible shackles like mountains begin to fade. On the main seat, the bloodstains on Lord Wang’s clothes seemed to flow backward in time, and in the blink of an eye, the long robe became pristine once more.
Rao Fei felt the intense burning pain on his ankles disappear—not because of this Little Young Master’s other good older brother, but thanks to the bowl of tea he had drunk not long ago.
One of the rules in the 【Deeply Secluded Courtyard】 instance: Lord Wang’s favor in the mansion represented everything.
Thinking of the darkness that had vaguely surged in the neighboring courtyard last night, Rao Fei figured he probably knew the most insidious purpose of this 【Deeply Secluded Courtyard】 instance.
Those surging darknesses appeared in various forms in many Weird Tales Dungeons. They all had one function: to pollute the players’ minds and gradually assimilate the players into the instance.
In this C-Grade Instance, its erosion was even more ferocious than in instances of the same level.
Even for him, Rao Fei estimated that if he were immersed in an environment full of this black mist, he could last at most five or six days. After that, his mind would start to break down.
But last night, this black mist had not touched his courtyard at all.
The reason was obvious.
Only by being favored and graced by Lord Wang could one avoid the black mist’s invasion.
Even if the body suffered some damage during time spent with Lord Wang, it could recover fully the next day.
Because although Lord Wang took one concubine after another, although he had the bad habit of fondling three-inch golden lotuses, although he abused the concubines in his household, in truth, the Wang Family was an upright and proper household.
The concubines’ status could never openly surpass that of the principal wife.
After spending the night with Lord Wang, the concubines had to pay respects to the wife the next morning and serve Lord Wang and the wife breakfast.
This was their honor as well.
So, for the sake of this “honor,” for the sake of surviving and leaving the game alive, the five players who entered the instance had to use every trick in the book to gain Lord Wang’s favor.
That said, as a wealthy lord from a feudal era with countless concubines, was his favor really that easy to obtain?
Under his feet lay the obedient backs of concubines, the fawning tongues of prostitutes, the maidservants who gave whatever was demanded—and finally, the players’ dignity.
In the deeply secluded courtyard, no one could escape submission and competition: submission to Lord Wang’s status, competition for Lord Wang’s favor. This included the wife too—did she really want to see the concubine who had just gotten out of the same bed as her husband every morning? Yet she still had to thank Lord Wang for the courtesy he showed her.
Whether it was the ladies, concubines, young misses, maidservants, or old women in the courtyard, or the instance players in the courtyard.
They could all be collectively called: the “women” of the courtyard.
Rao Fei narrowed his eyes, and thinking of that Weird’s sticky gaze from last night, his stomach churned again.
【Deeply Secluded Courtyard】 was a long-term instance. Fortunately, he had now grasped the key clue to the instance.
It came straight from the mouth of this Little Young Master in front of him.
He had said: Ninth Concubine died from an infected wound, Sixth Concubine burned to death, two maidservants assigned to a yin marriage, and the young miss married off in a rush wedding.
Five people—how convenient. There were also five players who entered this instance.
In the time that followed, thanks to the Eldest Young Master’s divine move of nearly stabbing his “father” through and then forcibly healing him, the atmosphere during the meal in the main hall became extremely harmonious.
After the meal, everyone split into two groups.
Rao Fei took advantage of the daytime freedom of movement to deliberately search the courtyard for the maidservants assigned to the yin marriage and the young miss about to be married off, as mentioned by the Little Young Master. If he was not wrong, those three were the other three unlucky new players.
A C-Grade Instance with just him as the veteran player. One leading four.
If not for this Little Young Master inexplicably providing clues, what a disastrous opening it would have been.
On the other side, the Eldest Young Master and Little Young Master, who served as background characters in the instance, also strolled around the courtyard—but they did so with hands clasped behind their backs, leisurely wandering.
During this time, Su Ximu even found the courtyard of the Wang Family’s Little Young Master, which was his employee dormitory in the mansion.
The chill in the mansion during the day had weakened considerably, and with Blue 242 Leader accompanying him, he even rested for a while in his own dormitory that afternoon.
The Wang Family placed less emphasis on lunch and dinner than on breakfast, so there was no need for everyone to gather together.
Before clocking out, Su Ximu led Blue 242 Leader weaving through flowers and willows to a large artificial hill, then proudly pushed open the stone door of the hill like he was showing off a treasure.
“This cafeteria is really hard to find. Yesterday, I stared at the map for a long time before locating it.” Su Ximu said as he went to the insulated box and lifted the lid.
Inside, just like yesterday, were stacks of full boxed meals.
Su Ximu picked up a portion and enthusiastically recommended it to Blue 242 Leader: “These boxed meals are delicious, and they even have big shrimp!”
Blue 242 also took a boxed meal from the insulated box. He glanced through the transparent lid, and his whole face lit up with a smile. In the tone of someone discovering a new continent, he said: “Today not only has big shrimp, but it seems there’s also ribs. The food here is pretty good. My previous workplace didn’t have anything like this.”
“Hm? And cookies too.”
Compared to the two colleagues yesterday who said it was “not even fit for dogs,” Blue 242 Leader’s reaction was exceedingly friendly.
The two sat together eating, with no rule against talking while eating or sleeping. Su Ximu said the shrimp today was really good, and Blue 242 replied that the ribs must have been made from fresh ones. Su Ximu took a sip of soup and felt that today’s meal tasted even better than yesterday’s.
After eating, Su Ximu cleared the table, tossed his and Blue 242 Leader’s meal boxes into the cafeteria’s trash bin, and sighed in confusion: “The food in the cafeteria is so good, so why doesn’t anyone come eat here?”
Blue 242 chimed in: “Maybe because the cafeteria is too hard to find.”
The teenager nodded after rinsing his hands at the sink, thinking that was probably part of the reason.
When the two entered the cafeteria to eat, it was only slightly dim outside. By the time they finished and came out, the moon was already hanging in the sky.
Su Ximu looked up. Today’s moon had risen a bit early.
Setting aside the eerie atmosphere that set in as soon as night fell, the night view of the entire Wang Family Mansion was still beautiful.
Beautiful lanterns lined the corridors every few steps, and one section was a water corridor where the red carp, which hid from the heat during the day, now swam out in schools from shady spots. The water surface reflected the shadows of the beautiful lanterns and the moon.
Su Ximu saw that Blue 242 Leader seemed captivated by the scenery along this stretch of path. He thought for a moment and offered the small portion of uneaten cookies he had packed from the cafeteria.
“Blue 242 Leader, here you go.”
Blue 242 took the cookies at first without realizing what they were for.
Su Ximu reached out, pinched a bit, and demonstrated: “Like this, crumble the cookies and scatter them in the water. The fish will come up to eat.”
Unlike the 【No Feeding】 signs in regular scenic areas, the sign by the artificial lake in the Wang Family Mansion actually read 【Welcome to Feed】.
Blue 242 looked at the fish in the water, then at Su Ximu in front of him, and suddenly pettily pulled his hand back: “These are yours to eat.”
Su Ximu looked up in a daze. For an instant, he felt like a similar scene flashed through his mind.
It was as if, at some unknown time, there had also been a very pretty little boy who pettily kept all the good food for himself and only let him eat.
Through that ordinary handsome face opposite him, under the moonlight, Su Ximu hazily felt like he saw a completely different face.
Wealth Avenue, Su Family
Su Jianglou waited at home, but no one came after a long time, so he impatiently pulled out his phone and called his eldest brother, who was still working outside.
After two rings, the call connected, and a steady male voice came through: “What’s up? Speak.”
Su Jianglou’s tone was not good: “Big Brother, didn’t you say Second Brother would be home today? I’ve been waiting at home all day, and there’s not even a ghost of him.”
Su Xuanxiao thought for a moment upon hearing this: “Sorry, there were a lot of things today. I forgot to tell you. Second Brother has something going on lately, so he’s not coming back for now.”
“Something? What something?” Su Jianglou immediately grew alert.
Had he discovered the Xiao Mu he had hidden away?
“I don’t know. He didn’t say.”
Su Jianglou’s sense of unease grew heavier. After hanging up on his big brother, he immediately called Xiao Mu.
Wang Family Mansion
It was already after hours, and the Tourist Garden had closed. Su Ximu pulled out his phone, which he had unmuted, and answered the call.
“Hey? Xiao Mu? Still alive?”
