I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 44

Jiang Miao and the others had checked the bedroom earlier. It was similar to the study and the music room, a space where everything could be seen at a single glance. At that time, their minds were entirely focused on finding clues related to the door locks, so they had overlooked almost everything else.

If Qiu Ran could open a secret door in the study with the butler’s help, it would be just as easy to do something similar in her bedroom. From the sparse descriptions of daily life in Qiu Ran’s diary, it could be inferred that the bedroom was a relatively safe place for her. The study, the music room, and even that circular corridor were all cages set up by her mother. Within these cages, the bedroom was perhaps the only place where she could find a moment of peace.

“Based on the existing layout, we can work backward,” Qi Yan led the others toward Qiu Ran’s bedroom, analyzing as she walked. “Originally, before that secret door existed, the study had only one exit, and that exit could only be opened from the outside; it couldn’t be unlocked from within. Once you leave through there, there’s only one path leading straight to the large music room. The music room has two doors: one leading from the study, and the other going back to Qiu Ran’s bedroom.”

“In other words, whether Qiu Ran went to the study or back to her bedroom, she inevitably had to pass through the music room. I believe that to leave this house, one must also pass through that music room. However, leaving the house isn’t the focus of this script. The main plot doesn’t involve us finding a way to exit through the music room, so that part was likely hidden by the ‘Heart’ of the world that keeps this script running.”

Following Qi Yan’s analysis, one thing became certain to everyone: the Eye of the World was definitely not the front door of this house. To find the true Eye, they had to continue exploring everything related to Qiu Ran.

By now, it wasn’t hard to see that Qiu Ran was the Heart of this world.

Re-entering Qiu Ran’s bedroom, everyone’s mood was different than before. Qi Yan hadn’t observed this place seriously the first time; after all, this was the “spawn point” where Jiang Miao and the others had dropped in. They had found the clue to the music room, and at the time, no one thought to look deeper into this bedroom.

Of course, it wasn’t ruled out that Qiu Ran used the script’s rules to restrict the players’ first exploration, similar to many puzzle-solving online or console games where many areas are inaccessible during the first playthrough, and new clues only appear when the player returns after completing the main plot.

The bedroom was straightforward. Aside from a bed and a dressing table with basic skincare products, only a set of wardrobes was prominent.

Jiang Miao and Xinyi checked the bathroom but found no new clues.

Qi Yan stood before the wardrobes that occupied an entire wall, her expression thoughtful.

“Maybe there’s a mechanism in these wardrobes,” Wushuang said, suddenly walking up to her side. “Don’t TV shows and novels often have plots like this?”

Qi Yan glanced at him. Seeing nothing unusual in his expression, she nodded. “True, I was thinking the same thing.”

Furthermore, this set of wardrobes was truly massive, taking up nearly the entire wall. Qiu Lirong would never imagine that her daughter, who was only in middle school, would tamper with such a place.

Wushuang tried to push the wardrobe, but it didn’t budge an inch.

“It’s too heavy, as if it’s nailed to the floor.” He crouched down to look closely. “It seems it really is nailed down! In that case, moving it definitely won’t work.”

Xinyi also crouched on the other side to observe. She gave a cold laugh. “What’s nailed to the floor is an invisible slide rail. It looks like a wardrobe base if you don’t look closely, but it’s actually part of a mechanism.”

Jiang Miao looked around. “Where would the switch for the mechanism be?”

It would be in a place Qiu Lirong would absolutely never think to check.

Qi Yan stood in the center of the room, the lights overhead flickering. As if sensing something, she slowly raised her head and looked at the exquisitely crafted, beautifully carved artistic chandelier on the ceiling.

Beside her, Bai Qing sensed her thoughts and followed her gaze upward, her eyes also falling on that elegant chandelier.

The chandelier was shaped like a phoenix rising from the flames. The entire body of the lamp was crafted into a fire phoenix spreading its wings. Two flame-shaped wicks inside the body emitted a soft light, but the lamp looked like it hadn’t been maintained for a long time; the flickering made it feel as though it could go out at any moment.

Bai Qing knew what Qi Yan was thinking. Without needing a word, she suddenly flicked her sleeve, and white silk transformed into a tangible yet ethereal light that enveloped the entire chandelier.

Qi Yan quickly gripped Bai Qing’s hand and warned, “Don’t break the lamp.”

“I know.” Bai Qing nodded. The white light she sent out seemed to have its own consciousness, sensing around inside the chandelier until it finally touched a star-shaped button near the wick.

“There’s something,” Bai Qing looked down at Qi Yan. At the girl’s silent cue, she commanded the white light to press the button.

After two sounds of gears engaging, the floor of the room shook violently for a moment. Bai Qing immediately retracted her spiritual power and shielded Qi Yan with both hands.

The vibration from the mechanism’s activation was brief, stabilizing in an instant. Everyone looked toward the wardrobes, which had slid to both sides to reveal a door. Behind the door was pitch black; no one knew what kind of scene awaited them inside.

Qi Yan subconsciously tightened her grip on Bai Qing’s hand. Her palms were sweating from nervousness. Realizing this, she felt a bit embarrassed and tried to pull her hand back.

Bai Qing didn’t let go, simply saying calmly, “Don’t run off.”

Qi Yan thought to herself that she wasn’t trying to run off. Besides, where could she even run to in this script world? She couldn’t escape, and who knew where other traps might be; it would be even more troublesome if she got lost.

The mechanism was open and the door stood before them, yet no one dared to enter first.

Wushuang and Xinyi’s gazes drifted toward Qi Yan, primarily toward Bai Qing beside her. By now, everyone could see that Bai Qing was extraordinary; after all, she alone had blocked the thick ghostly aura of the mini-boss Yanyan. Although no one knew exactly who she was, they all knew that with her protection, Qi Yan was likely the safest player among them.

Smart people do not easily place themselves in danger and know how to use everything around them to stay safe. Wushuang and Xinyi both stood still. With Bai Qing there, they weren’t going to be the ones to stick their necks out.

Qi Yan understood their intentions. She didn’t think it was wrong for them to hesitate; at critical moments, humans naturally become more selfish and cautious. Everyone was just trying to stay alive; there was no shame in it.

She gently tugged Bai Qing’s hand and looked up at her.

Bai Qing was in sync with her now, understanding that she was worried about whether she was tired and whether her spiritual power could continue to support them.

In return, she gave her a reassuring smile. Since binding with Qi Yan, her daily cultivation had shown significant progress. Back at the Mount Zhong ritual, she had just broken the seal and could only recover at most 20% of her spiritual power. Now, after more than a month of cultivation, her power had recovered to 40%, and her severely damaged soul was being repaired step by step. Her state was more than just a little bit stronger than it was during the ritual.

Bai Qing had no eyes for the other players. She took Qi Yan’s hand and was the first to walk through the door behind the wardrobe. Jiang Miao followed immediately after. Xinyi, not wanting to be with Wushuang, hurried in as well. Wushuang was left for last.

Beyond the door was a staircase leading downward into an unknown underground world. Bai Qing and Qi Yan walked at the very front, their figures quickly disappearing into the darkness at the end of the stairs without any hesitation.

Xinyi felt uneasy. She gently pulled Jiang Miao and said, “Doesn’t going down mean we’re getting further away from our goal of leaving this house?”

An unknown world naturally breeds more unknown fears. The primary space of this script was this house, yet the players had spent so much time here without seeing a single door that could lead out. Continuing downward in this situation caused hesitation to grow in their hearts.

Wushuang passed between them and gave a light laugh. “Is there any other choice? There’s no proper exit on the floor above, so of course we need to explore more.”

After saying that, he ignored their reactions and walked down alone, quickly vanishing into the darkness at the end.

Jiang Miao pulled Xinyi and said, “Wushuang is sinister, but what he just said is right. We have no choice.”

Going down would definitely lead to more danger, but staying on the floor above wouldn’t be safe either; there was simply no way to leave. They would just circle that circular corridor infinitely until they were trapped to death.

Xinyi was also an experienced player and knew that Jiang Miao and Wushuang were right. She eventually rubbed her brow helplessly and said, “You’re right. I wasn’t being rational enough.”

As all the players entered the underground space along the stairs, the wardrobe in Qiu Ran’s bedroom shuddered twice. Suddenly, without warning, it slowly closed from both sides, sealing the entrance to the secret room.

Qi Yan and Bai Qing entered the underground space. To Qi Yan’s surprise, a piano stood in the very center of this room, surrounded entirely by mirrors. That intense feeling of oppressive suffocation returned.

Qi Yan immediately knit her brows. She turned to look back, only to find no one behind them.

“Wait, where are the other three?”

Bai Qing maintained an attitude of indifference toward the others. When Qi Yan asked, she replied casually, “Maybe they haven’t followed us yet.”

That’s not right.

Qi Yan had a bad premonition. “I suspect we’ve been separated. This staircase isn’t long. Before we entered here, I could still hear Xinyi’s voice. There’s no reason why I can’t hear a single sound now.”

The only explanation was that the moment they descended the stairs, they entered another space. Everything before them was an illusion set up by Qiu Ran; this was not the true appearance of the secret room beneath the bedroom. Not only that, the players had been intentionally separated. Everyone was likely in a different place now, facing the challenges set by Qiu Ran alone.

“Big sister is indeed very smart.”

This steady, emotionless way of speaking and tone definitely wasn’t Yanyan; it was Qiu Ran, the most silent and taciturn of the three ghosts in the Carnival.

Qi Yan’s gaze shifted toward the direction of the voice. A girl wearing a middle school uniform revealed her silhouette. Her temperament was very different from Yanyan’s. Yanyan was a flamboyant, outward-reaching ghost, very arrogant in this script likely because she was a mini-boss who could manipulate others’ lives at will.

But Qiu Ran was very different. Far from being flamboyant or arrogant, she barely spoke. Qi Yan remembered that in the Carnival, she always walked behind Yanyan and Ling Yi. While those two were loud and boisterous, she was always silent, making it hard even to notice her.

Yet a girl with this personality was the true core of this script, the true BOSS.

Qi Yan looked at Qiu Ran, who stood quietly by the piano, then at the shadows reflected in the four mirrors. Finally, she asked, “Why won’t you let us see your true secret space?”

Qiu Ran stared at her fixedly, her pupils as dark as ink, like the middle of the night. That unwavering gaze easily instilled a sense of boundless fear.

“What do you want to achieve by separating us? If you just wanted to kill us all, with your power as the script boss, it wouldn’t be hard even if we were all together, right?”

Qiu Ran didn’t blink. This time, she didn’t remain silent. “Sister seems to have some misunderstandings about the script. The script has its own restrictions. Although I am the center of this world, I am not omnipotent.”

“But those restrictions don’t stop you from killing. If you wanted to strike, it shouldn’t matter if we are all together.”

Qiu Ran nodded honestly. “But I wanted to separate you.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to stay and play with me, Sister.”

No person could remain calm upon hearing a ghost say they wanted them to stay and play.

Qi Yan was no different. She immediately thought of being turned into a doll and instinctively hid behind Bai Qing.

Bai Qing went straight into a combat-ready state. Spiritual power enveloped her and Qi Yan as she looked coldly at the little ghost before them.

Qiu Ran’s gaze moved to Bai Qing, and she tilted her head slightly. “If you feel lonely, you can both stay.”

Qi Yan was dumbfounded. She thought to herself that Qiu Ran was truly something, even daring to target Bai Qing. She clearly wasn’t afraid of this ancestor getting angry and exhausting all her spiritual power to turn this script upside down.

Qi Yan wasn’t exaggerating. She was understanding Bai Qing more and more; this fox possessed the arrogance of a long-time ruler, a temperament she couldn’t change even after being sealed for a century, essentially, she bowed to no one.

Sure enough, hearing Qiu Ran’s words, Bai Qing’s expression turned even colder. That stunningly beautiful face, like a peach blossom, seemed to be covered in a layer of frost. In the next instant, she put one arm around Qi Yan’s waist to shield her, while her right hand summoned a long sword pointed directly at Qiu Ran.

“I loathe humans who do not know their place most of all,” Bai Qing’s words were like ice, chilling to the bone.

Qi Yan quickly reached out to press down on her right arm, coaxing, “Don’t be in a hurry, don’t be in a hurry! There’s no need to get angry at a child! Ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss!”

This fox, Bai Qing, used to listen to no one, but now she could actually take in what Qi Yan said.

“If she wants to keep you, I will never allow it!”

Qi Yan could tell the fox was truly enraged. She quickly said, “I know, of course, we won’t let her keep us. But we can still talk it out now; there’s no need to fight immediately. Besides, if a fight starts, we shouldn’t be the ones to initiate it. Your spiritual power hasn’t fully recovered yet, so save it.”

The two of them didn’t hide their conversation, so Qiu Ran naturally heard everything clearly. Her expression remained numb as she looked at Qi Yan, with only a flicker of bluish-purple on her face betraying a slight change in her emotions.

“Sister doesn’t want to stay. It was the same last time when you turned into a doll, trying your best to escape. It’s the same this time. You won’t even stay to play with us.”

Qiu Ran acted like a puppet. She didn’t have the intense emotional fluctuations of Yanyan or Ling Yi; it was as if she had been suppressed for too long and had forgotten how a human should feel. Even as a ghost, she wasn’t as carefree and rebellious as the other two.

Qi Yan stared at Qiu Ran, locking eyes with those pitch-black pupils. After a long silence, Qi Yan finally said, “Staying here only leads to a dead end. Qiu Ran, you are the center of the script; you should know this better than anyone.”

Qiu Ran’s chest heaved suddenly. She was still clutching thick textbooks, but she quickly regained her composure.

See, even the anger and rage of this little ghost lasted only for an instant.

“If you want to leave that badly, then find a way yourself!”

Qiu Ran slammed her hand down on the piano keys. A harsh, unpleasant sound rang out. Qi Yan instinctively covered her ears. Watching Qiu Ran play chaotic, irregular notes on the piano, she felt the ground beneath her feet begin to shake while being tortured by the hideous music.

Qiu Ran stopped her chaotic playing and looked coldly at Qi Yan. “If you can survive here, Big Sister.”

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