Eiger had installed surveillance cameras in the dining room!
No—more than that. He had probably installed them in many other places too, all to monitor their every move.
The realization made the corner of Xie Mingchi's eye twitch involuntarily.
He had to admit—Eiger's level of caution was something else.
Just as Zhen Jia finished recounting her whereabouts, Xie Mingchi raised a hand to signal for silence. Then, he picked up a wax block and a small shard of mirror from the table and began carving his recent discovery into the wax with the edge of the mirror.
Because the surface was uneven and carving was tricky, he kept it simple: "Surveillance. She thinks Feng Yu and I are stronger."
Worried they might not catch on, he added a few more keywords: "Mr. Du's soul thread," "Bloody Mary story."
That should be enough to link everything together.
Halfway through, he pressed too hard and snapped the mirror shard in his hand. He tossed it aside and found another piece, one that was better shaped for writing.
Except—
After finishing, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together and paused, something feeling off.
He suppressed the thought for the time being and passed the wax block around.
First to Wan Wuqiu, who read it with a neutral expression and gave Xie Mingchi a nod.
They were clearly on the same page.
Next came Shen Feinian, who looked properly shocked after reading.
Feng Yu, who'd been anxiously waiting, didn't have an "aha" moment. Instead, he looked excited—like someone thrilled to find another person who shared his theory.
Despite his timid nature, Feng Yu was sharp. That much had been obvious since last night—nervous but still able to think logically and spot flaws.
Not bad. A solid kid.
Xie Mingchi approved.
He couldn't say the same for He Qi though. The guy was timid and a little slow on the uptake.
Xie sighed internally and just hoped He Qi wouldn't be dragged into the Specter Realm again. It was too dangerous for someone like him.
As for Xiao Xiao and Chu You—veterans. They caught on quickly and made the connections easily.
Jenna and Zhen Jia, on the other hand, struggled a bit. Jenna was a newbie, and Zhen Jia had been coasting on luck and minimal effort. Understandable.
They had now cracked one of Eiger's main rules for selection—it was subjective. She picked whoever seemed easiest to handle or posed the greatest threat. That was it.
Though she likely could only choose two people per night.
Now the next step was figuring out which rule Xia Zhi had broken.
The fact that the death condition had widened was not good. The sooner they figured out how to avoid it, the better.
Everyone had witnessed what happened earlier. Eiger had simply asked Xia Zhi to pass a plate. Her killing intent hadn't flared immediately.
It was only after Xia Zhi's hand got cut that she turned deadly.
Xie Mingchi listed a few possibilities in his mind:
1. Presence of a wound.
2. Being wounded by Eiger specifically.
3. Blood.
After all, in the Bloody Mary legend, "blood" was a crucial element.
All three essentially boiled down to one rule: avoid being injured, especially by Eiger, and definitely don't bleed.
Though the mansion was littered with broken mirrors, as long as they were careful, they should be able to avoid triggering the rule.
"Alright, I think we're all on the same page now," Wan Wuqiu suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Let's split up and look for clues. Sitting here isn't going to solve anything."
With that, he grabbed Xie Mingchi's hand and pulled him out of the dining room.
Xie Mingchi stared at their clasped hands in disbelief.
Wait a minute… is this getting a little too intimate?
Wan Wuqiu didn't care. He dragged him all the way back to their room, pulled him into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and started rummaging through everything.
When he didn't find whatever it was he was looking for, he exhaled—but only slightly, like he still wasn't fully reassured.
He stepped closer to Xie Mingchi.
Xie backed up instinctively. "What are you doing?"
With lightning speed, Wan Wuqiu wrapped one arm around his waist and the other behind his head, locking him in place.
"…Really?" Xie Mingchi frowned. "You're copping a feel right now?"
"Yup," Wan Wuqiu said calmly. "That's exactly what I'm doing."
He leaned in closer. Xie turned his head just in time, so Wan Wuqiu's lips stopped right next to his ear.
Xie could practically feel the warmth of his breath.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he heard Wan Wuqiu whisper softly, "What did you realize while you were writing?"
So he had noticed even that tiny hesitation.
Xie Mingchi was impressed—but also distracted, because Wan Wuqiu was way too close.
The whisper tickled his ear, each word sending a jolt down his spine. He could barely think straight.
He tried to push him away, but Wan Wuqiu only held him tighter.
Only then did Xie Mingchi realize—Wan Wuqiu was much stronger than him.
He wasn't getting away that easily.
"Don't move. What happened to being a good boy?" Wan Wuqiu chuckled. "You were worried about surveillance, right? I already checked—no audio devices in the bathroom."
Then why are you still this close?
Xie Mingchi was about to retort, but Wan Wuqiu added, "Can't say the same about the bedroom, though."
That shut him up.
He had, in fact, discovered something earlier. But…
He glanced at Wan Wuqiu's face—so close—and steeled himself. Then he leaned in and whispered back the same way, "The shards on the table… some were mirror, some were sugar."
Wan Wuqiu froze.
Xie Mingchi confirmed, "The second piece I picked up was sugar. It stuck to my fingers."
The first one had been a mirror, but when it broke, he grabbed another without thinking. That second one started melting from his body heat.
He'd even sniffed his fingers afterward—there was a faint, sticky-sweet scent.
He hadn't mentioned it earlier because it felt… weird.
If both mirror shards and sugar shards were on the table, then the real question was—what did Eiger eat?
Wan Wuqiu seemed to reach the same conclusion and tilted his head in thought.
Xie Mingchi, meanwhile, couldn't focus. Wan Wuqiu's scent was overwhelming—barely any medicine smell, mostly a refined tea aroma, elegant and refreshing.
Yet somehow tantalizing.
He stared at the little mole near Wan Wuqiu's eye.
And without thinking… leaned in a little closer.
Wan Wuqiu spoke: "Say…"
He turned his head abruptly.
Xie Mingchi couldn't pull back fast enough. Their faces collided—right at the corner of Wan Wuqiu's mouth.
Panic surged. Xie Mingchi shoved him away in a flurry of limbs.
Wan Wuqiu looked confused. "Wait… I'm the one who got kissed, no?"
"Kiss?! What kiss!" Xie Mingchi barked, flustered. His voice cracked upward, then dropped sheepishly. "It was… it was an accident!"
"Oh yeah?" Wan Wuqiu smirked. "Then why were you staring at the corner of my eye?"
He touched the mole. "Were you looking at this?"
Xie Mingchi felt his face flush red-hot. He stammered, "No—I wasn't! That's not—!"
Abruptly changing the subject, he said stiffly, "Weren't we supposed to be looking for clues? Let's get on with that."
Wan Wuqiu looked a little disappointed. It wasn't clear who he was speaking to when he said, "See? He doesn't remember you… Fine. Let's look."
Xie Mingchi didn't dwell on it, assuming Wan Wuqiu was just being dramatic. He stiffly opened the door and bolted.
Right into Feng Yu.
"Uh—?"
Feng Yu was about to ask what was going on when Xie Mingchi sprinted away.
He was still confused when Shen Feinian clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, let me give you some advice, junior."
Feng Yu stood at attention. "Please, Feinian-senpai!"
Shen Feinian nodded wisely. "Don't interfere with other people's love stories."
L-Love stories?
What love story?!
Was there something going on between his senior and Wan-senpai?
Feng Yu was thoroughly baffled.
Wan Wuqiu walked out next, spotting the two with their arms slung around each other. Whatever good mood he'd been in instantly vanished.
He let out a long, unimpressed "heh" and followed after Xie Mingchi.
Despite his frantic exit, Xie Mingchi wasn't lost. He had a goal.
Xia Zhi had only just died. Her body had to still be somewhere.
If they could find it, maybe it would provide more clues.
Following signs of a struggle, he and Wan Wuqiu arrived on the eighth floor—the second-to-last level of the castle.
Eiger was still in the dining room preparing lunch. She wouldn't be watching them here.
The moment they pushed open the door, a heavy, metallic stench of blood hit Xie Mingchi's nose.
He frowned.
The room was dim, the curtains pulled tight, not a sliver of light creeping through—not that there was much daylight to begin with.
Three walls were covered in mirrors, reflecting a strange red glow that gave the space a haunted, suffocating feel.
At the center stood a massive bathtub, filled to the brim with blood.
Yes—entirely with blood.
A grotesque bath of red.
In the corner sat a large wardrobe.
The tub had probably been white once, but the constant soak of blood had stained it into a sickly, indescribable hue.
Xie Mingchi spared it a glance, then walked over to the wardrobe and opened it.
Inside, two human skins hung from hooks.
The stench hit him full-force. He nearly gagged.
Shriveled and putrid as they were, the skins were still recognizable.
Xiao Mu and Xia Zhi.
It looked like everyone Eiger killed was dragged here, drained of blood, and repurposed as raw materials for her twisted spa.
Xie Mingchi shut the wardrobe and took a breath, looking around at the surrounding mirrors.
Still no reflection.
Wan Wuqiu suddenly asked, "Do you think Eiger would install surveillance in her own bathroom?"
Xie Mingchi replied instantly, "No. The cameras are to watch us. She wouldn't need them in a place where she bathes."
In other words—she had no reason to monitor herself.
"I see," Wan Wuqiu nodded, pressing a hand against one of the mirrors. "Still can't see ourselves in these."
"Mhm," Xie Mingchi agreed, already anticipating the next question.
Wan Wuqiu turned to him. "If Eiger can appear in mirrors… do you think she can see herself in them?"