Chapter 63 - 59: Played Like a Fiddle

Chapter 63: Chapter 59: Played Like a Fiddle

"Hurry up! Don’t waste time!"

Dingding Girl kicked Zhao Xianghe and cursed.

She was worried that any delay would make the Treasure House’s owner kill someone.

’If that happens, I’ll be the one who has to go!’

’Besides, the mist is closing in!’

"Reaping what you sow, huh? Serves you right!"

Xie Shaokun said contemptuously, "You’re a grown man bullying a woman, have you no shame? Don’t you have any sense of duty?"

’Duty my ass.’

Zhao Xianghe cursed him internally, his eyes filled with venom. He hated Xie Shaokun’s guts, but he didn’t dare to resist. He took a deep breath.

He took the first step.

The second step.

When he was only two steps away from the Treasure House’s owner, he refused to go any further. He stopped in place and stretched out his hand, trying to reach.

Luckily, he had long arms and wasn’t short, so he could just barely touch the ledger.

"Have any of you seen my ledger?"

"My ledger is gone."

The voice of the Treasure House’s owner rang out again.

Zhao Xianghe shuddered, too frightened to take the ledger.

"Hurry up!"

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up as she urged him on.

’Though the owner’s voice still sounded mild, it now held a hint of urgency. She didn’t miss the subtle change.’

Zhao Xianghe reached out again.

"Have any of you seen my ledger?"

"My ledger is gone."

The voice of the Treasure House’s owner rang out for the fourth time.

This time, even Zhao Xianghe realized something was off.

’Isn’t he asking a little too frequently?’

’Why?’

’Does this mean he’s about to make his move?’

At that thought, he didn’t dare hesitate. He moved even faster and snatched at the ledger, only to find the owner’s grip was incredibly tight. Turning to the others, he yelled, "Help me."

"His grip is too tight."

Xie Shaokun strode forward.

’A tight grip?’

’That’s a good thing!’

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow. ’This means the Treasure House’s owner is panicking, too. And...’

’First, he sounded rushed. Now, he’s gripping the ledger tightly. This seems to point to one thing: the Treasure House’s owner is a living person with a living person’s thoughts, not just a rigid rule.’

’How interesting.’

’The new rules seem more complex and harder to deal with.’

Instead of being alarmed, she was delighted.

Meanwhile.

With Xie Shaokun’s help, they quickly wrested the ledger away.

’Xia Yu noticed that the owner still hadn’t turned around. During the struggle, he hadn’t budged an inch or even swayed. What did that mean?’

’The Treasure House’s owner couldn’t possibly be that strong. Even she herself wouldn’t be able to remain perfectly still while being pulled with the full force of both Xie Shaokun and Zhao Xianghe.’

’So, the rules must be helping him.’

’Or, to be more precise, the rules are protecting him.’

’Why would the rules protect a living person?’

Xia Yu was incredibly curious, but she set her thoughts aside for the moment and focused on the ledger.

’The only clue related to the owner is this ledger. If I can figure it out, I can solve this!’

"Open it!"

she commanded.

Clutching the ledger, a trembling Zhao Xianghe braced himself and opened it, terrified he might just explode at any moment.

He opened the ledger.

Zhao Xianghe was unharmed. He let out a huge sigh of relief.

The first page was densely packed with numbers, dates, and notes. The elegant script looked like it was written by a gentle young woman. Xia Yu examined it closely.

After a minute or so, she confirmed that there was nothing out of the ordinary on the first page.

"Turn the page."

The page turned.

STEP.

The Treasure House’s owner walked down one step of the stairs.

"He moved!"

"He’s moving."

"Yu."

Zhao Xianghe and Xie Shaokun cried out almost simultaneously, their voices laced with tension.

Of course Xia Yu noticed. Her eyes flashed as she made a deliberate check: the number of pages in the ledger was exactly the same as the number of stairs. A theory began to form in her mind.

Then...

She ordered Zhao Xianghe to turn another page.

The Treasure House’s owner descended another step.

Turn.

Down.

Turn.

Down.

By now, the distance between them had closed significantly.

Xia Yu could even smell the man’s strong body odor. Her brow furrowed, and she told Zhao Xianghe to turn the pages backward.

Instantly.

The Treasure House’s owner took a step up.

Turn again.

Up again.

"Huh?"

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their faces a mixture of surprise and confusion. No one dared to make a sound, for fear of disrupting Xia Yu’s train of thought.

Following Xia Yu’s orders, Zhao Xianghe flipped the pages back and forth, keeping within the first five. This ensured the owner would neither reach them nor leave the staircase to enter the third floor.

The Treasure House’s owner moved ceaselessly up and down the stairs.

Xie Shaokun and the others were starting to catch on. ’The ledger can control him?’

Once they realized this, they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, their fear subsiding.

The unknown represents fear.

The known represents control.

"Yu, should we head to the third floor now?"

Xie Shaokun suggested.

"You can have Zhao Xianghe try it."

Xia Yu didn’t object.

"Huh? Me again?"

Zhao Xianghe frantically waved his hands, his face a mask of panic. "Let’s not just try random things! I’m doing a great job flipping this ledger."

"If we don’t try, how are we supposed to survive?"

Xie Shaokun retorted, "The mist has already consumed the entire second floor and is creeping toward the staircase. We’re running out of time."

"And the Treasure House’s owner is like a machine, showing no signs of fatigue."

Just as he finished speaking.

HUFF.

Xia Yu heard the owner panting heavily.

’Hmm?’

’The owner seems to be trying to suppress his panting. Is it because he doesn’t want us to hear?’

Observing him closely, she made another discovery: he was drenched in sweat!

Beads of sweat trickled down his exposed neck.

’He sweats, too? He’s definitely a living person.’

Xia Yu was now certain.

’When the rules and a living person work together, it makes the rules less rigid, adding a touch of ’intelligence.’ It’s like finding loopholes within the system.’

’In the real world, these are the hardest kind of people to deal with.’

’And in here, they’re just as difficult.’

Of course, that wasn’t Xia Yu’s main concern. What really interested her was this: ’If the new rules can work in concert with a living person, it means there’s a higher probability of a rule-based resource being generated. And that resource is bound to be extremely valuable.’

Her anticipation grew.

"Flip faster."

"Right."

The owner’s pace on the stairs quickened.

"It’s working!"

Xia Yu’s eyes brightened. "Let’s see how long you can keep this up," she said coolly.

With that, she had Zhao Xianghe flip the pages back and forth even more rapidly.

HUFF... PUFF...

The Treasure House’s owner was already gasping for breath, unable to take it anymore.

Finally.

"You’ve won."

He finally conceded, pleading, "Stop flipping, please stop! I’ll tell you how to get to the third floor."

Everyone’s eyes lit up, a mix of excitement and wariness on their faces.

"Tell us."

Xia Yu kept Zhao Xianghe flipping the pages, giving the owner no time to rest. After all, the mist was almost upon them; there was no time for mistakes.

"Stop flipping!"

the Treasure House’s owner repeated hastily.

Zhao Xianghe just flipped with more vigor.

The owner was thoroughly terrified now. Gasping for air, he rushed to say, "Throw the ledger into the mist! The mist will devour it, and then I’ll be free from the restrictions. I’ll be able to move freely."

"And you’ll be able to go to the third floor."

’Restrictions?’

’The power of the rules is forcing him to go up and down?’

Xia Yu fell into thought.

"Please, stop flipping! I’ve already told you the way!"

The Treasure House’s owner was on the verge of tears, the resentment in his eyes deepening.

"The mist is coming up,"

came Dingding Girl’s anxious voice from behind them.

"Let us go up first,"

Xia Yu said.

"Th-that... I’ll do whatever you say, just make him stop flipping."

The owner paused for a moment, then nodded hastily.

The next moment.

Xia Yu snatched the ledger and threw it up to the third floor.

Everyone: ???

Even the Treasure House’s owner paused. Then, to everyone’s confusion, he walked step-by-step up to the third floor and vanished from sight.

Everyone was even more baffled.

They waited for two minutes. Nothing happened.

"Let’s go."

Without further hesitation, Xia Yu was the first to step onto the third floor.

Xie Shaokun and the others followed close behind.

They all breathed a collective sigh of relief once everyone was on the third floor.

’We actually made it!’

"Yu, you’re incredible,"

Xie Shaokun said, full of admiration.

The others chimed in with their own flattery, with Zhao Xianghe being the most enthusiastic, looking every bit the sycophant.

"Uncle is dead."

Little Nannan’s words cast a pall of silence over the group.

"Sigh."

Xie Shaokun was filled with self-reproach. "It’s all my fault."

No one said anything, but they all knew this wasn’t Xie Shaokun’s fault.

"Look!"

"The Treasure House’s owner isn’t dead! He’s over there!"

Dingding Girl’s voice trembled as she pointed toward the far end of the third floor.

SWISH.

Everyone’s gaze followed her finger.

There stood a familiar figure, his back still to them, the ledger still in his hands.

’Another strange event is about to happen. Someone else is going to die.’

The thought surfaced in Zhao Xianghe’s mind, and his fear intensified. He couldn’t help but take a step back, shrinking behind the others.

Then...

He noticed that Dingding Girl had, at some point, also retreated to the very back of the group.

"Go take a look,"

Xia Yu said.

SWISH!

All eyes fell on Zhao Xianghe.

’Ugh... why is it always me.’

’They’re just picking on the weak one.’

’If I could actually beat any of you, I’d kill you all!’

Looking utterly wronged, Zhao Xianghe trudged from the back of the group to the front, slowly approaching the Treasure House’s owner.

Xia Yu followed right behind him.

Xie Shaokun, Little Nannan, and Dingding Girl brought up the rear.

The closer they got to the owner, the more their tension mounted.

Suddenly.

"How did you figure out the right answer?"

the Treasure House’s owner spoke. He still hadn’t turned around, and the sound of his ragged breaths was proof of the ordeal they had just put him through.

"When I suggested we go up first, you hesitated. That was deliberate, wasn’t it?"

Xia Yu countered, "You did it to throw off my judgment. It proves that even when you were completely exhausted, you were still trying to scheme against us."

"That means the solution you offered earlier—throwing the ledger into the mist—was most likely another one of your schemes. A wrong answer."

"And we know the ledger is the key to the solution."

"So..."

"Once you eliminate the wrong answer, figuring out the right one isn’t that hard."