SABA Chapter 12

The voting result was naturally Jiang Tiao, and the audience’s reactions were complex.

[He really… I thought he would decline, but not only did he readily accept, he even voted for himself.]

[Hahaha, it’s so much better to have this kind of personality. No need for all that pretense. Every time I see people who clearly want something but act like they’re only accepting it because they were invited multiple times, I get annoyed. Yes, I’m talking about He Xinran, hahaha, shocked?]

[Humility is a Chinese virtue. What’s wrong with society? Rudeness has become authenticity, and politeness has become hypocrisy. Shouldn’t those who say these things reflect on themselves?]

[Oh, here comes the reflection brother.]

[Reflect, reflect, reflect at work, reflect at home, and I have to reflect while watching a variety show. Go back to your master and reflect on why no one else chooses you.]

[Such beautiful Chinese words.]

[But honestly, in terms of the game, Jiang Tiao’s choice wasn’t wrong. If he was the villain, keeping the prop and preventing the good guys from getting it is the correct game strategy; if he was a good guy, he should have kept it himself because he was most certain of his own identity.]

As the audience debated, the group followed the iron ladder at the bottom of the fireplace into the underground.

It was a long, low tunnel made of packed earth, so short that adult men had to walk with their backs hunched. Embedded in the surrounding walls were many skeletal remains, which, judging by the hair, appeared to be all female. Most of their bodies were buried in the earth, with only their skulls exposed, their grim appearance making it easy to imagine the inhuman torture they endured in life.

[I hate him. Why can he casually manipulate our destinies.]

A long line of blood-red characters was silently left on a corner of the wall, as if the wails of the castle’s female ghosts, crying out after hundreds of years.

[Another person died. Their body was buried in the castle. Only three people are left. I really want to see the sunlight outside.]

Silence spread through the tunnel, and no one knew what to say. The angry screams that seemed to lift their coffin lids when the painting frame was removed were not just to scare them.

[So all the female ghosts in the castle are vengeful spirits formed from those tortured to death and imprisoned in endless darkness?]

[It’s too tragic. I feel like I can’t breathe just looking at it.]

[Who killed them?]

“Player 2 has died. Player 2 has died!”

Just as the audience was speculating, a voice suddenly echoed in the quiet tunnel. The voice sounded electronically synthesized, high-pitched and thin, much like a warning before a bloodbath in a horror movie.

“The sleeping souls have awakened. The resentment suppressed for nearly a thousand years can only be satisfied by blood. Stay, stay! Become a part of the Weeping Castle together!”

The resentful echoes reverberated through the empty tunnel, lingering for a long time. The grim female corpses embedded in the earth and stones around them seemed to come alive, struggling to crawl out of the dirt.

“Wooooooh— Ah—” Qi Yingyi, startled, instinctively jumped and hit his head.

“My grievances have a source, and my debts have a owner. Why are you catching us?!”

Luo Xingwen was also a little scared. He tightly hugged his arms, struggling to dodge the hands stretching out from the dirt: “What’s happening now? What did those words just mean?”

Bei Caijie: “Player 2 is Sister Lu, right? That means Teacher Li Ming, who was with her, is the ghost.”

He Xinran: “So does that mean the five of us are all good guys?”

Luo Xingwen waited for a long time and found that Jiang Tiao, uncharacteristically, hadn’t said anything. He turned his head and saw Jiang Tiao staring straight ahead, his lips quickly closing and opening as if he were mumbling something.

“Hey,” Luo Xingwen patted Jiang Tiao’s shoulder, “What are you mumbling about? What do you think?”

Jiang Tiao jolted, and like a poorly maintained puppet, slowly turned his head: “?”

The competitive spirit in the man made Luo Xingwen temporarily forget his fear. He looked as if he had discovered a new continent: “Oh, little brother, you’re quite scared, aren’t you?”

Jiang Tiao: “I’m not scared! I’m not afraid, I’m a brave tough guy!”

Luo Xingwen almost burst out laughing, and the audience was in fits of laughter too.

[Hahaha, I think he’s scared out of his mind.]

[Poor kid, is he so scared that he’s speaking his own self-comforting words?]

[Hahaha, how embarrassing. I can even imagine him cringing so hard his toes curl when he rewatches this.]

[Tiao, let’s just say, you should look in the mirror. Look at your face, so tender it makes people want to pinch it. What part of you resembles a tough guy?]

[Hahaha, Jiang the tough guy, haven’t you noticed your lips are pale and you’re even trembling when you say you’re not scared?]

“Hahaha—” Luo Xingwen’s mocking laughter was deafening, making Jiang Tiao belatedly realize. He pursed his lips, his ear tips turning slightly red.

[Oh my god, he he he, my maternal instincts are overflowing!]

[What kind of adorable little creature is he, that he can actually be shy!]

[I can’t, he really… I’m crying. It’s over. From now on, am I going to start raising cubs again?]

“What were you asking me just now?” The stubborn Jiang Tiao refused to admit that was him, trying to skip over that part.

Luo Xingwen was laughing like a dog. Bei Caijie finally showed some conscience. She held back her overflowing maternal affection and explained their analysis to Jiang Tiao.

Jiang Tiao held the candle and led the way, trembling as he walked. It was too terrifying here. He couldn’t handle it. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to sleep alone at night.

Wooo, Huo Shen still has a business trip tonight. That means he’ll have to live alone in that big house? Or maybe he could go to Chu Yunhao’s bar for a night after filming?

No, no, can’t think about that. I need to be calm, I need to focus. Yes, Player 2 died… Wooo, it’s just a variety show, why do they have to go to such great lengths!

Luo Xingwen: “So you also think Teacher Li is the only ghost?”

Jiang Tiao paused, still trembling, and shook his head: “One against six isn’t fair. If I were the designer, I’d choose two against five.”

One hidden, one visible, and then give them some other abilities.

Qi Yingyi: “Player 2 died, the sleeping souls have awakened. Does that mean the NPCs who scared us before can start killing now?”

“No,” Jiang Tiao said with certainty, “There are only five good guys in total. The production team wouldn’t set such a huge disadvantage. NPCs can at most help catch people or drive them away. Only the ‘ghost’ can kill.”

Qi Yingyi thought Jiang Tiao’s analysis made sense: “So what do we do now?”

Jiang Tiao narrowed his eyes and looked at Qi Yingyi.

Qi Yingyi: “???”

Jiang Tiao: “Can I be sure you and I are on the same side now?”

Qi Yingyi felt there was no trust between people: “I voted for you, so I’m a good guy, aren’t I?!”

Jiang Tiao stroked his chin and deliberately said: “Who knows? What if you’re trying to deceive me?”

Qi Yingyi became anxious: “Look how bad I am. If I’m alone, I’m too scared to even walk. Do you think the production team would make me the ghost?”

[Hahaha, he, he, he… He’s so self-aware!]

[Hahaha, Luo Zi is so desperate to prove himself, he’s throwing all shame out the window.]

[Shamelessly admitting he’s bad.]

[Yi Zi (hands on hips): I’m bad, so I’m not the mole!]

Seeing Jiang Tiao’s expression, Qi Yingyi realized he was being teased. He was speechless and thought Jiang Tiao was truly terrible!

Jiang Tiao wasn’t just teasing him for fun. The probability of Qi Yingyi being good in his eyes was eighty percent, and he did want to observe his reaction.

However, he had to admit, Qi Yingyi’s reason convinced him.

Their next goal was simple: find a way to leave the castle and find as many props as possible for self-preservation. They couldn’t let one person hold all the props. Jiang Tiao suggested playing rock-paper-scissors before opening the boxes. This would not only give everyone a chance to obtain them but also ensure to the greatest extent possible that the ghost hidden among them couldn’t know their cards.

The director was quite conscientious. The props placed along the way, while hidden, were not too few. It just took a lot of time to decipher the puzzles.

At the end of the tunnel was an upward iron ladder. The exit was quiet, but it felt like the calm before a storm.

Qi Yingyi trembled as he peered up. It was completely dark above, and nothing could be seen. He nervously turned back: “Who’s going first?”

He Xinran smiled gently, appearing to be fair and thinking of everyone: “How about Jiang Tiao goes first? You have that immobilization water gun, so you have the ability to protect yourself if there’s danger.”

[I don’t know if it’s just me, but does He Xinran seem a bit targeted towards Jiang Tiao?]

[Don’t doubt it. Petty He Xinran. This isn’t the first time he’s suppressed a junior who could steal his spotlight.]

[Don’t spread rumors. Voting Jiang Tiao for the first prop represents everyone’s trust in him. He should repay that.]

[Yes, yes, as if he hasn’t contributed to cracking the codes for the props everyone has obtained so far.]

[Hehehe, understand He Xinran. After all, he lost every round of rock-paper-scissors.]

Compared to the ghosts disguised as people on the ground, Jiang Tiao was clearly more disturbed by the moving skeletons embedded in the walls underground. Going out first wasn’t something that troubled him.

However, Luo Xingwen had other considerations.

“I’ll go first.”

Everyone was more or less surprised.

Luo Xingwen: “Your brain is more useful. It should be more valuable to be alive.”

“……”

Jiang Tiao felt a bit complicated.

He Xinran: “Heh, you’re really selfless.”

Jiang Tiao turned his head in shock: “???”

[No! No! Sisters, what’s going on? I can’t quite understand!]

[Is my feeling wrong? Why does He’s sentence feel a bit…]

[Sour…?]

[Don’t just feel it. As a decade-long BL fan who has shipped countless couples, I, a Sherlock Holmes girl, can tell you your feeling is not wrong!]

[Please, please don’t tell me that He Xinran always pays attention to and targets Luo because he’s his deeply closeted gay lover?]

[But Luo’s disdain for him is almost overflowing, and this is even with the cameras on!]

[Whether Luo disdains He is not for me to comment on for now, but it’s obvious he wants to trade his life for Jiang Tiao’s life.]

[OMG, in this little extreme escape room, there are so many hidden feelings!]

[So now it’s: He Xinran → Luo Xingwen → Jiang Tiao?]

[Wow wow wow, this is so exciting. What kind of love triangle is this? Let’s get fired up!]

[……]

Although the solo fans tried their best to stop it, they couldn’t extinguish the burning gossip fire of those who loved to watch.

The audience was in chaos, and Jiang Tiao’s mood was also very complex. He quietly moved a step to the side, putting distance between himself and them.

Respect, blessings! But please leave me alone!

Luo Xingwen thought He Xinran was crazy and was about to retort.

Stop! Jiang Tiao made a decisive move: “I’ll go first!”

If it were just watching gossip, Jiang Tiao would have been delighted. But if the gossip escalated to involve him, it would certainly not be pleasant. Moreover, Jiang Tiao didn’t need anyone to go first for him.

Jiang Tiao explained: “The NPCs can’t ‘kill.’ At most, they can help the ghost control people or scout the guests’ locations. We’ve been walking in the tunnel for so long without encountering any obstacles or dangers, which means Teacher Li Ming hasn’t found the entrance to the tunnel at all.”

Since the assumption of waiting by the tree for a rabbit was invalid, the risk of going up first versus going up later was naturally the same.

Luo Xingwen said he didn’t mind. He had only brought it up casually.

However, Jiang Tiao’s sharp eyes saw a flicker in his eyes, a mix of disappointment and regret that he couldn’t distinguish.

Good heavens, hasn’t that matter already passed?!

Jiang Tiao stepped onto the iron ladder, climbing faster than a rabbit, as if fire were burning his tail.