Yu Xiangnan was not discouraged. He carefully explored the stair railing inch by inch, not missing any place where there might be a hidden mechanism.
Finally, at the junction of the handrail and the fourth-floor wall, she discovered a cleverly disguised hidden compartment. The surface of the compartment blended seamlessly with the surrounding wooden structure, making it difficult to detect.
She opened the hidden compartment, revealing a complex gear mechanism.
Goodness, they've done it in a really discreet way.
After thinking for a moment, she tried turning the gears. With a dull creak, the wall next to the stairs slowly moved, revealing a hidden passage.
What I saw before me was a long corridor that seemed to have no end.
The carpet underfoot was soft, and the dim, yellowish light flickered on the walls, enveloping everything in an eerie atmosphere.
The walls were adorned with portraits, the eyes of the figures in which seemed to follow her every move, intently watching her every action.
As soon as Yu Xiangnan stepped into the corridor on the fifth floor, the wall automatically rose up again.
boom--
The escape route seems to be blocked.
She raised her hand and tapped lightly on the wall; the feel from her knuckles indicated that the wall wasn't very thick. Perhaps the small, seemingly indestructible shovel would come in handy, allowing her to successfully chisel a hole through it.
Let's check out the room at the end of the corridor first...
It might be a good thing if the walls were raised back up. If other players discover a fifth level, things could get complicated.
Yu Xiangnan walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open the heavy door.
Upon entering the room, a strange aura wafted over me.
She did not rush into the room, but instead cautiously looked around.
The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tightly shut, with only a ray of sunlight managing to squeeze in through the gaps, like a thin, cut golden thread, falling obliquely onto the large, antique-style carved bed.
The mattress of the carved bed was deeply indented, and a person was lying on it.
No, or perhaps it can no longer be called human...
They were emaciated, as if all moisture had been drained from them, their bodies pitifully thin, as if a gust of wind could sweep them away. From head to toe, they were wrapped tightly in layers of bandages, like a mummy, with hardly an inch of skin exposed.
Judging from her figure, she is most likely a woman.
strangeness......
Just as Yu Xiangnan was about to take a closer look, the sliver of light coming through the heavy curtains was suddenly blocked.
There's someone behind me!!!
Yu Xiangnan turned around abruptly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Without thinking, he swung his shovel and chopped at the person behind him with all his might.
The man reacted with remarkable agility, as if sensing a deadly danger. He pushed off the ground with both feet and retreated rapidly, narrowly avoiding the fierce attack.
In that instant, she also saw who it was.
It's the old butler!
She explained why the old butler had disappeared without a trace after the egg hunt ended; it turned out he had been hiding in this room all along!
The old butler's face looked somewhat ferocious due to his distorted expression, and he tightly gripped a dagger in his right hand.
The dagger was exquisitely crafted, with an incredibly sharp blade that gleamed with a chilling light in the dim light.
"How did you get here, sir?" the old butler asked, his voice hoarse and menacing.
Yu Xiangnan's lips curled up into a faint smile as he said, "I love taking afternoon naps, but who knew I'd sleepwalk here today? I was in a daze the whole way, and that's how I ended up here."
Upon hearing this, the old butler's face showed a hint of astonishment, and his eyes were full of suspicion.
Is it true or false?
During the brief pause in their conversation, Yu Xiangnan seemingly casually shifted his gaze, his eyes subtly landing on the dagger in the old butler's hand.
She keenly sensed that something was amiss with the dagger.
The blade surface seemed to be covered with a very thin, almost transparent substance, as if something had been smeared on it.
Could it be poison?
Yu Xiangnan had no patience to deal with the old butler and planned to teach him a lesson directly.
She grabbed a shovel and swung it without hesitation. The old housekeeper didn't expect Yu Xiangnan to attack him so suddenly, and he was hit squarely with the shovel.
He staggered from the blow of the shovel, his body swaying violently like a kite with a broken string before he fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain.
It took him a while to come to his senses and realize the situation before him.
My old bones couldn't withstand that blow; the pain almost broke my bones!
"Oh dear, wait, wait!" The old butler's voice trembled violently. "I know I was wrong, sir. Please be magnanimous and don't hit me again."
"Then tell me, who's lying in bed?"
The old housekeeper glanced at the "mummified corpse" on the bed, then quickly took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the tears squeezed out of his eyes by pain and fear.
He began, sobbing, "The woman lying in bed is my lover, Isabella Moreno. I met her when I was 17, before I inherited this estate. She was beautiful and captivating. A gentle breeze blew, lifting her skirt and hair, and in that instant, I was utterly smitten..."
Yu Xiangnan was annoyed and had no patience to listen to his rambling. He immediately raised the shovel as if to swing it, saying, "Stop talking nonsense."
The old butler trembled in fright, instinctively shrinking back while muttering under his breath, "This young man has quite the temper..."
"Actually, I am the owner of the manor, and my real name is Adrian de Lorenzo. In the year I turned 18, the once peaceful and harmonious manor was suddenly shrouded in an evil curse."
"At first, it was just the livestock in the house that died suddenly for no reason. Then, my parents began to be plagued by strange illnesses. Their health deteriorated day by day. No matter how many famous doctors they sought or how many prescriptions they tried, they could not stop their condition from worsening and eventually passed away one after another. The servants in the house also fell ill one after another and died in painful groans."
Adrian de Lorenzo paused, as if recalling a terrible memory, and continued, "My beloved Isabella also succumbed to this horrible curse. At first, she only coughed occasionally, and I didn't pay much attention. But not long after, small red spots began to appear on her body. I sought medical help everywhere, but to no avail."
"The red spots multiplied, gradually turning into large patches of ulceration. Her once flawless, jade-like skin became riddled with holes, emitting a nauseating stench. Seeing her in such pain, my heart ached..."
At this point, Adrian de Lorenzo broke down in tears.
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