The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 36

The various themed areas of the escape room were packed with people, and the main castle’s queue snaked for seven or eight turns. Even more people continued to gather, and each round of the game required the venue to be closed for at least an hour.

Therefore, for the sake of the visitors’ experience, only 30 people were allowed in per batch. Under these circumstances, most people would certainly not get to play, relying instead on a lottery draw after forming teams. Fortunately, the team of four had good luck and managed to enter the venue before midnight thanks to the draw.

Upon entering the castle, the cold air rushed straight toward their faces. The olive-yellow ceiling lights perfectly rendered a classical atmosphere, illuminating the paintings on the four walls along with the golden candelabra.

Pausing in the center to look around, one could roughly estimate the difficulty of this puzzle: there were too many props used to set the mood, and merely identifying which item contained the genuine clue would take a significant amount of time.

There were vases in the north, south, east, and west corners. Cabinets full of things were hidden behind curtains, and the sheer number of paintings and candelabra on the walls was enough to make their heads spin.

“It would be great if we were still wearing the clothes from before,” Yao Yuan remarked with a hint of regret, glancing at Xing Kong’s current casual attire.

Da Ju walked ahead without looking back: “If you like it, just go back and buy similar clothes. Escape room games have scripts. I guess we’re playing the role of tourists visiting a museum right now.”

“Sometimes clues are even hidden in the change of clothes,” he said, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket: “It’s a letter. The event organizer’s prop-making is seriously good. The candles are real, and the quality of the letter’s printing is decent too.”

The slip of paper was about half the size of an A4 sheet, printed with a lavender pattern and a simple golden border.

[Dear Joshua,

Please believe that I never deliberately kept my distance from you; it is only because of my health condition that I cannot contact you often.

…

Perhaps this is the last time I will ask you to keep your appointment.

Yours sincerely, Lilith Glome]

“What does this mean?” Yao Yuan was participating in an escape room for the first time and didn’t quite understand the process.

“It’s one of the clues, but depending on the situation, it might also just be an introduction to the plot,” Da Ju folded the note and put it back in his pocket: “In any case, there must be others among the group who, like me, were selected by the staff to play different roles and advance the storyline.”

“So what should we do now, gather information and then open the door?”

“No, you come here. The game hasn’t officially started yet, and the staff usually won’t stop us from moving.” Da Ju motioned for Yao Yuan to follow. The four people walked one after another into the adjacent room.

“I see, you want to cheat?” Yao Yuan nervously looked left and right. There were only the four of them in this room, which created a spooky atmosphere.

“Cheating my foot! Jin Yu, go guard the door.” Da Ju irritably locked the door, pulled a taliman from his jacket, and stuck it on the lock: “Let them play by themselves; we have something else to do.”

“What do we need to do? Secret filming?”

“I wouldn’t engage in piracy!” Da Ju jokingly threw a punch, which Xing Kong blocked halfway with a slight friction sound.

Under the Devil’s unwavering gaze, he didn’t complain, only put down his hand in frustration and continued to explain: “In short, the spiritual energy here is stronger than the surrounding areas. It must be situated on a spiritual ley line. You try to cultivate here.”

Yao Yuan was a little touched; this sudden-found master seemed more responsible than she thought.

“Okay, Master. What should I do now? Which taliman should I draw?”

Da Ju gasped, narrowly controlling his claws. He glared fiercely at Yao Yuan: “Why are you trying to run before you can walk? Close your eyes and breathe with your abdomen.”

She knew this one; it was diaphragmatic breathing, which she had tried while practicing yoga.

Yao Yuan obediently walked over, sat cross-legged on the prop bed, closed her eyes, and inhaled the air using her abdomen, then slowly exhaled.

“Do you feel it?”

“I feel it. My fat is burning…”

“Hey, Xing Kong over there, surely this is enough to strike her, right?”

The Devil rubbed Yao Yuan’s hair without even looking at Da Ju: “No.”

“Haaa…” Da Ju took a deep breath: “Listen to me! When you breathe with your abdomen, with every inhale, you must feel the airflow and see if a ball of heat gathers inside. It won’t be obvious when you exhale.”

“Okay.”

Yao Yuan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: “Phew… cough cough, no, I don’t feel anything at all.” If anything, she felt a bit hungry.

“How can that be? You definitely have a magical reaction inside your body!” He rushed over and pinched her pulse: “You do, definitely. Are you feeling very cold, with a faint pulse?”

“No, no reaction at all. Not cold, not hot. Only the fat on both sides of my abdomen feels a little warm.” Yao Yuan honestly pinched her belly. This trick might help her lose weight.

The two stared at each other. Da Ju reluctantly looked at Xing Kong: “Since you are her contractor, it will be easier. You sit on the bed too.”

“Wait, wait, wait, why does Xing Kong have to sit on the bed? Is this the legendary dual-something cultivation!” Yao Yuan jumped up in shock, but Xing Kong gently pressed her back down.

“What are you thinking? I don’t want to watch you show affection!” Da Ju snorted: “Since she’s an otherworldly creature residing here via your contract, your magical powers can be interconnected.”

“What does that mean?”

Listening to her clueless words made him furious: “You still don’t get it? How did you build your foundation? After you connect with her, you can feel the magical power. Her magical flow is very strong, it will definitely… What is that expression?”

Yao Yuan’s face was redder than a cooked shrimp: “C-connect?”

“Get that pornographic trash out of your mind!” Da Ju gesticulated wildly: “Hold hands with her and breathe with your abdomen, understood?!”

This time, Yao Yuan understood. Xing Kong was still standing by the side, with no intention of sitting down, just smiling at her.

“Xing Kong…”

“Hmm?” The Devil’s voice was lovely, and combined with her ambiguous expression, it made people want to… punch her!

Yao Yuan patiently tugged on her sleeve: “Sit down.” Xing Kong did not resist and smoothly sat down on the mattress. The single bed used as a backdrop instantly transformed into a splendid King’s bed.

The Devil remained motionless. Yao Yuan had to take the initiative to reach out, intertwining her fingers with hers.

When their palms met, a tingling sensation spread from her wrist to her palm, which she had to pretend not to notice.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

This time, the feeling was completely different. As she inhaled the first breath, she could feel her aorta slightly expanding, and the pain even spread to her chest cavity, which she hadn’t used much before.

Conversely, she felt immense resistance when exhaling. The breath should have dissipated from her throat, but for some reason, another stream of air insisted on rushing from their intertwined palms.

The tide crashed against the continent; one part disappeared without a trace, while the other bounced back in threads.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!” Yao Yuan choked on her breath. The coughing that should have stopped quickly wouldn’t cease, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Her left hand overlapped with hers again. Xing Kong gently pressed her back with her right hand: “It’s alright. Come, breathe… in and out…” The Devil’s voice was soothing. Following the rhythm, she breathed with her chest, finally relieving the strange power.

“What’s wrong with you?” Da Ju was startled and crouched down to examine her face.

“I’m fine, I felt it,” Yao Yuan covered her chest: “Right here. The hot current is flowing here.”

“That place is called the heart.”

“I know, it’s flowing towards my heart.”

They exchanged another look, and Da Ju was the first to break: “My heavens, stop joking. The heart’s location cannot form any magical storage vortex! I’m telling you, if a magical vortex grew there, your heart would be punched through!”

“But it’s right there…”

“No buts. This is basic knowledge, like 1+1=2.”

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling… A distant bell rang.

Yao Yuan instinctively reached for her pocket, but her phone had already been collected by the staff. Was the bell sound from the loudspeaker?

Da Ju impatiently kicked the carpet: “Alright, let’s just go play. It’s better to enjoy the game than to teach you when you’re being so stubborn.”

“I’m sorry…”

Her pitiful apology made him feel a little better: “It’s fine, you’re a beginner after all. Anyway, try practicing for another week, and I’ll help you test it again.”

“Okay!” Click. The door opened easily.

“What? They didn’t even lock us in here,” Da Ju said like an experienced player, walking ahead.

Standing in the middle, Yao Yuan suddenly felt a little faint: the heat flow in her heart was still surging, only a tiny residual power, but it was still being drawn out and flowing with her blood.

[If only I could spend this magic power.]

Her head swam. She put one hand on the wall. Inhale… exhale…

“Do you want to rest a bit?” Xing Kong embraced half of her body.

“No need, I’m much better.” Yao Yuan shook her head. Maybe she had recovered. After a few rounds of diaphragmatic breathing, the bloating sensation in her bloodstream disappeared just like that.

Dong, dong, dong.

“Why is the bell sound getting louder?” The sound, like a striking clock, made her frown.

“What sound?” Da Ju turned back, utterly confused.

“I didn’t hear a sound.” Xiao Yu shook his head.

She quickly looked at Xing Kong. The Devil’s answer was certain: “No. It seems to be a power that violates the rules.”

Speaking of power that violates the rules, Yao Yuan’s arm trembled slightly: Was it the false god again? Or Chu Yan or the Succubus? Would these people not leave her alone even when she spent a day at the amusement park?

“Wait, don’t get any closer!” Da Ju’s voice was extremely serious. A distinct smell of blood wafted from the corridor ahead.

Someone died?! Why, why in such a short time…

[How great it would be if no one had died. This is supposed to be an escape room, yes, an escape room!]

A huge surge of hope suddenly welled up from her heart: [There shouldn’t be any strange powers. Everyone, everyone is properly participating in the game. There shouldn’t be any victims!]

Da Ju turned into the corridor: “This isn’t human blood; it’s some kind of animal blood, probably poultry.”

“That’s great!” Yao Yuan was about to cheer when the Devil suddenly squeezed her shoulder, and Xing Kong pulled her into a full embrace.

Meanwhile, Da Ju, who came scrambling back, looked pale, even whiter than the wall.

“What’s wrong with you guys?” She grasped Xing Kong’s hand: “Don’t scare me. Isn’t it just animal blood?”

Could it be that there was a corpse behind or above them?!

Thinking of this possibility, she suddenly froze.

“No, my spiritual power isn’t working anymore,” Da Ju anxiously leaned forward: “What the hell!”

“Xing Kong, what about you then?” Yao Yuan lifted her face anxiously. What would happen if they were suddenly attacked at this moment?

“Don’t worry.” The Devil’s scarlet eyes showed no emotion.

“Guests, there you are!” A person in a butler’s outfit appeared silently at the end of the corridor: “Please come over quickly. The lady is waiting for you.”