Chapter 42: The Black Frame

Chapter 42: The Black Frame

I will never be able sleep in that bed. I will definitely never be able to sleep in that sweet, cozy bed in this lifetime of mine. But it doesnt matter, because the floor here is straight and hard. I like it very much. Thats right, I love this super hard floor Helplessly lying on the cold, uncomfortable ground, Tan Zaozao had resorted to hypnotizing herself.

At Ruan Nanzhus merciless refusal, the puny Tan Zaozao was forced to sleep on the floor once again, while the two large grown men squeezed into one soft bed. Of course, she didnt forget to curse madly in her heart as she made her own pathetic-looking floor bed; she deeply hoped that her prayers for that bastards suffering somehow reached Lin Qiushi, and that hed make that lousy Ruan Nanzhus life an absolute living hell.

After their midday rest, it began to drizzle outside.

Dark, heavy clouds amassed in the somber skies. Crystalline droplets of rain fell to the earth at intermittent intervals, issuing crisp pitter-patters as they shattered against the cold ground. Having woken up from his nap, Lin Qiushi stood by windowsill, quietly gazing at the scenery outside.

Through the window, he observed the lush shrubs adorning the castle grounds.

The thriving brambles appeared to be a species of shrub roses. Unfortunately, springtime had yet to arrive and the edges of the bushes hadnt been pruned either, leaving them with the dismal view of an overgrown wreckage bereft of gorgeous flowers.

The atmosphere grew dense and humid with the rain, and that distinctive stench of water began pervading their surroundings. Yet, the smell wasnt nearly as intense as it was the night before; it merely lingered in the air, faint yet ever-present.

What are they doing outside? Tan Zaozao came over to have a peek, only to see three individuals strolling about with umbrellas.

The three individuals were all people who had also entered this world with them. As of this moment, they appeared to be searching for something.

Theyre probably looking for some clues. Lin Qiushi curiously watched them. Maybe we should look around, as well?

Tan Zaozao asked, Should we go?

Lin Qiushi turned around to face Ruan Nanzhu, who was still relaxing in bed without a care for anything.

Under his questioning stare, Ruan Nanzhu lazily replied, No. His tone was bored, and his face, stony, I hate the rain.

Lin Qiushi hummed, Then we wont go.

The people outside ventured even deeper into the bushes, eventually disappearing from Lin Qiushis line of sight.

I dislike getting wet from the rain. Ruan Nanzhu, who finally got out from bed, casually wore his coat and put on his shoes. We havent finished exploring the rest of this castle. Lets go.

The castle was so large and spacious that it was practically impossible to thoroughly inspect in one morning.

Before that incident with Xiao Su transpired, the mood of the crowd was merely tense and anxious; but now, it could be said that it was spiritless, despairingly lifeless. Most of them simply sat in the cheerless dining hall, not daring to move from their spots.

And just like so, a whole day passed.New novel chapters are published on

After another lavish dinner came to an end, the others dragged their feet all the way back to their living quarters. Ruan Nanzhu asked Lin Qiushi if he was afraid to be alone.

Lin Qiushi shook his head, Ill be fine. But if anything happens, Ill come look for you right away.

Ruan Nanzhu gave a brisk nod and watched as Lin Qiushi entered his room, before swiveling around and stepping into his own bedroom.

In spite of it being around six oclock in the evening, the starless skies outside were as dark as night because of shrouding rain. Before washing up, Lin Qiushi peered outside the window for a while. The scanty lights of his room faintly illuminated the dense shrubbery hooking across the coarse walls like feral claws.

Where he caught sight of that strange, dark shadow last night was now an empty space. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

After scrutinizing the area for a while longer, Lin Qiushi finally turned around and left to take a bath.

Having finished showered, Lin Qiushi wiped his damp hair with a towel as he exited the bathroom. He slowly made his way to his bed, when he abruptly halted mid-step A figure was standing outside his window.

A hazy, dark figure whose back was facing him.

It was dressed in the blackest of shades, and a wide-brimmed hat rested atop its head. There it stood still, silently existing in the cold rain with its back turned towards Lin Qiushi.

A penetrating chill travelled up Lin Qiushis spine, crushing the gasp of fright escaping his lungs. He staggered backwards and nervously licked on his dry lips as he tried calming his wildly-beating heart.

Although the figure was rather vague and indistinct, it was undoubtedly the mistress of this castle. Now, he was certain that what he had witnessed the night before wasnt a hallucination.

Just what exactly was the mistress of the castle doing near the bushes this late at night?

Regrettably, such a question could only be left unanswered at present time.

The silhouette in the rain showed no signs of movement; like a fixed marble statue, it stood tall and utterly motionless.

Lin Qiushi vigilantly stared at it for over ten minutes, but the figure didnt budge in the slightest. At long last, the desire for sleep encroached upon him. After checking the time, he drowsily returned to his bed and fell atop the large mattress, sinking deeply into its soft covers.

Yet, just when Lin Qiushi was getting comfortable, something peculiar caught his attention. Suspended on the originally-blank wall before his eyes was a framed painting that shouldnt have been there.

The framed painting depicted an unsmiling woman, void of any colour or emotion. Her flowing gown was blacker than coal, as was the gaudy hat on her head. Rain of white velvet streaked the canvas, formlessly blending with grim background and steadily dripping off the wide brim of her obsidian-tinted hat. Her cloudy eyes were slightly downcast, and her complexion was whiter than a sheetit was The Woman of the Rain.

Lin Qiushis blood ran cold, and the hairs on his body instantly stood on end. He climbed out of bed ever so slowly and cautiously, desperately wishing to leave from this place as soon as possible.

The nearer he approached the door, the stronger the scent of rain grew, until it practically filled his nostrils. The air was unbearably suffocating; just breathing in this thick, damp stench made it feel as though he was drowning in the deepest depths of a murky lake. No sooner, Lin Qiushi saw dark, visible stains begin to appear on the wall beneath the painting.

Just as how muddy puddles coalesced into shallows streams with the accumulation of water, the moist smudges merged together and warped on the wall, steadily sketching out the profile of a face and forming the outline of a person.

Lin Qiushi twisted the doorknob and flung his door wide open, before rushing out of his room and anxiously knocking on Ruan Nanzhus door.

Seconds later, the door creaked open to reveal Tan Zaozao standing behind it. Upon seeing the distraught expression marking Lin Qiushis face, she instantly realized something mustve had happened, Whats wrong? Did something happen?

Yeah. Lin Qiushi panted raggedly. Somethings wrong with my room; the situation doesnt look too good.

Come on in. Tan Zaozao stepped aside, making way for Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi inhaled deeply, and was just about to enter the room, when he noticed something dreadfully awrythe door before Tan Zaozao had opened to the left.

However, all doors in this castle opened to the right.

Lin Qiushis expression froze, and his foot paused mid-air, daring not to move any further. He stiffly stepped backwards, retreating ever so slowly.

Whats wrong? wondered Tan Zaozao, her head cocked to one side in sheer puzzlement. She looked completely normal, as if she was the one-and-only Tan Zaozao who glued herself to them during the day.

Whats your name? Lin Qiushi breathlessly asked. Whats your name again? I forgot

My name is Xu Xiaocheng. Tan Zaozao gave Lin Qiushi a strange look, as though she was looking at a bizarre monster. Are you alright? There isnt anything wrong with your head, is there? Were you really that scared?

Lin Qiushi couldnt even laugh if he wanted to. When no one else was around, he, Ruan Nanzhu and Tan Zaozao would all use their real names to refer to each other. And right now, not a single person was present. Not wasting another second talking to Tan Zaozao, he swirled on his heels and immediately ran to his own room.

Tan Zaozao was beyond taken aback by his actions. Only after Lin Qiushi slammed his door shut, was she finally able to react. Shaking off her shock, she walked over to Lin Qiushis door and knocked several times. She worriedly called out, Yu Linlin, are you alright? Yu Linlin? Whats wrong with you? Whats the matter?

Lin Qiushi stood guardedly behind the closed door, refusing to utter a single word.

Tan Zaozaos urgent voice continued to echo down the dim corridor, Yu Linlin, hurry up, and get out! Didnt you say theres something wrong with your room?! Yu Linlin

Lin Qiushi looked down at the carpet near the door.

The colour at the edges of the carpet gradually began to darken, and a damp shadow slowly spread across the surface. It was a sight Lin Qiushi was well-accustomed to by nowthe carpet was clearly being tainted by water.

Although the voice of the person outside his door was all too familiar, Lin Qiushi hadnt any idea what god-awful being it truly was. He turned his head and glanced at the wall beside him, only to see pristine droplets of water beginning to seep from The Woman of the Rain. Drip by drip, the silver beads trickled down the frame, similarly to how they slid down the ladys wide-brimmed hat.

Linlin. Linlin With each passing second, Tan Zaozaos voice grew eerier, garbled as though she was submerged in thick water. As she relentlessly pounded against the door, seemingly wanting to smash it to smithereens, she rasped, Linlin, come out, ah. Come out

Lin Qiushi didnt respond. He just calmly pulled the stool over and propped it against the door.

The floor near the door became sopping wet; it was as if the Tan Zaozao standing outside was drenched in endlessly-spilling water. It was only natural that Lin Qiushi was itching with poisonous curiosity. Honestly speaking, Lin Qiushi really wanted to see what was going on outside, but, at the same time, he wasnt at all brave enough to crouch on the ground and peek through the slit between the door and floorboards. God knew what grisly, heart-stopping terrors were lurking on the other side; for all he knew, he might even meet a pair of sinister eyeballs peering back at him through the crack.

Test it out how? wondered Tan Zaozao.

Ruan Nanzhu: Well, if one of them ends up dying because of it, that just means something is wrong with that condition, and well need to beware of it.

Tan Zaozao: Well played.

It wasnt the least bit surprising that Ruan Nanzhu had devious schemes like this up his sleeve. On the contrary, the hint Zhang Tao gave them was quite perfunctory; all he mentioned was there being a black frame within the bushes.

A black frame Lin Qiushi thought back on the dark shadow he saw outside his window last night. Could the figure I saw yesterday have anything to do with this?

Ruan Nanzhu simply said, Well have to see to know.

Before it started raining again, they hurried over to where they previously saw Zhang Tao and the others walking. Sure enough, they found a black picture frame near the edges of the bushes. The frame was inserted into the ground diagonally, and its sleek surface was speckled with shimmering pellets of rain.

Upon catching sight of the black frame, Ruan Nanzhu crouched down and began scanning the area, seemingly searching for something. Before long, he sharply clicked his tongue and beckoned Lin Qiushi over, Come have a look.

Huh? Lin Qiushi walked over to Ruan Nanzhus location and squatted down.

See that? Ruan Nanzhu pointed at the frame.

Lin Qiushi studied it for a while, before realising what Ruan Nanzhu was referring to. From this angle, his room happened to be captured perfectly inside the frame. The orientation at which the frame was arranged was quite clever and meticulous. If they looked at it from different positions, theyd only see ordinary dense bushes, but the view of his room from the window was always on full display before the black frame; although he couldnt see the frame from his room, the black frame could clearly see him.

It must be because of this. Ruan Nanzhu concluded. Im guessing someone probably moved the frame.

Lin Qiushi asked, Is it because theres dirt on it?

Correct, replied Ruan Nanzhu. It was placed here by someoneno, perhaps it wasnt someone, but something.

Lin Qiushi said, If anything, lets first remove this. Thinking back on it, the figure standing outside his room last night seemed to stand exactly where they found this black frame. Could the owner of this frame have possibly decided to treat him as a mere painting? If, by any chance, said owner managed to encapsulate his figure into a creative piecewouldnt the same thing that happened to that girl happen to him?

Ruan Nanzhu nodded.

Because he didnt know what other effects the black frame could bring about, Lin Qiushi didnt dare take it back with him. Instead, he found a conspicuous area, and dug a deep pit to bury it.

After burying the frame, they headed back to the castle.

Not long after they returned, large drops of rain started to cascade down from the gloomy skies. Since they arrived here, it was practically showering all the time, the downpours lasting for more than seven to eight hours straight. At most, the rain would briefly cease in the morning, but by the afternoon and evening, the rain would fall once again, giving rise to a prickling feeling of agitation and distress.

As of right now, Lin Qiushi detested the earthy stench of rain. Whenever he caught a whiff of that scent, he instantly recalled that awful ordeal he suffered through last night.

As a result, he was rather absent-minded during lunchtime; his attention constantly strayed to the view outside the window.

Whats the matter? asked Ruan Nanzhu.

I wonder if Ill run into anything again tonight. Lin Qiushi huffed exasperatedly. Hah, how troublesome.

Ruan Nanzhu softly suggested, Sleep with me?

Lin Qiushi: Ill think about it.

Ruan Nanzhu: Think about it then. He seemed rather dissatisfied and upset at Lin Qiushis indecision. He firmly placed his knife and fork down, and stopped eating.

At the side, Tan Zaozao couldnt resist the delightful feeling of schadenfreude. She inwardly grinned to herself, happily thinking, Looks like you have it pretty tough too, huh? Serves you right, Ruan Nanzhu. Karma sure is a bitch.

Ruan Nanzhu seemed to have perceived Tan Zaozaos thoughts. He glanced at her in displeasure, his eyes flashing with a bitter, glacial light, and coldly spat, Seems like youve forgotten your position. You think youll still be happy and safe later, huh?

Tan Zaozao: Nonono, Boss! Boss! I need you! Linlin, what in the world are you hesitating for?! Its obviously safer when all three of us are together! If you run into something dangerous, our big brother boss here will protect you! Cant get a better deal than that, you know! Your comfort and peace are one-hundred percent guaranteed by his side!

Ruan Nanzhu: Hm.

It deeply pained Tan Zaozao to have to kiss up to a bastard like him.

After contemplating for a moment, Lin Qiushi decided that her words held some reason, so he nodded, Alright. Lets stick together.

Pleased, Ruan Nanzhu hummed.

Wilted, Tan Zaozao heaved a sigh.

Lin Qiushi was perplexed, utterly oblivious to the reason for Tan Zaozaos heavy sigh.

As they ate their lunch, everyone exchanged the clues they found. Of course, most of them still had reservations, so they obviously withheld some information.

Lin Qiushi narrated what he had experienced the night before. A mix of fear, respect and relief filled the others eyes, once they heard his account. There were even some who patted Lin Qiushi on the shoulder and acknowledged, Brother, your luck is truly too good.

Lin Qiushi could only smile wryly at that.

He couldnt necessarily say that he was lucky, because he was one of the first people to be targeted in this world. But he also couldnt say that he was unlucky, because he still managed to survive and see the light of the next day; if he truly was unlucky, he wouldnt be sitting here, having this conversation.

In any case, it was hard to say whether this luck of his was truly good or bad.

Ruan Nanzhu asked if anyone had been to the atelier at the top of the castle or the warehouse where unfinished paintings were being stored.

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they hadnt visited either of those places. One person among them even commented, Didnt the butler say that were forbidden from entering those two places? Why the hell would we even go there? To seek death?

Ruan Nanzhu sarcastically retorted, You mean to say you wont ever die as long as you dont go there?

The other person:

Lets go. Theres nothing useful here. As Ruan Nanzhu took Lin Qiushi and Tan Zaozao out of the room, he sneered, The people who have entered the door this time are beyond foolish and incompetent. It seems we cannot expect anything from such hopeless individuals.

Incompetent? How so? Tan Zaozao blinked curiously.

Ruan Nanzhu responded, Would you ever blindly follow or obey the NPCs word without question?

Tan Zaozao shook her head, Never.

Ruan Nanzhu pointed behind him, They would.

After thinking about it for a while, Tan Zaozao eventually agreed with Ruan Nanzhus statement. Excluding the newcomers, the others who were participating this time were especially cowardly and meek. Ever since that tragedy with Xiao Su, most of them became frightened out of their wits, and their spirits completely broke. Only around two to three people had the guts to search for some leads. As for the rest, they were either hiding in their rooms or cowering in the dining hall, waiting for God-knows-what.

Im going to visit the art studio. Ruan Nanzhu said. Although it will be dangerous, we must check this place out. He delicately rolled up his sleeves, exposing his strong, beautifully-carved forearms. After all, even though they are mere NPCs, every single one of them are eager to see us die in this door world.

Authors Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: Hug me.

Lin Qiushi: Tan Zaozao, big brother Ruan wants a hug from you.

Tan Zaozao: ?????

Zhu Meng: Hug me.

A blushing Lin Qiushi: *Hugs tightly*

Ruan Nanzhu fiercely rips off his skirt: God dammit, Lin Qiushi, Im going to fuck you so damn hard!

Ahahahahaha I cant believe you all prefer the Brother Ruan who dresses in womens clothes! Sexism has been reported!