Standing at the entrance of the Heavenly Ghost Imperial Garden, Yin Zhu repeatedly confirmed that she had come to the right place.
But... isn't it a bit too dark here?
In the realm of demons, where there is no electricity or sunlight, most people light lanterns by the roadside to illuminate the path for the spirits. However, this Heavenly Demon Garden is only surrounded by a ring of candlelight on the outside; the inside is completely dark.
The pitch-black garden was like a terrifying maw, as if it wanted to devour everything that came in.
Before coming in, Yin Zhu naturally hadn't thought to bring a candle, so at this moment she had no way to light the way and could only stand at the door thinking about how to complete this task.
Going in rashly doesn't seem like a good idea.
Yin Zhu pinched her chin, recalling the rules and suggestions provided by Hua Ji.
[2. A work schedule will appear in your room. Please complete your tasks on time each day. The palace steward will check your work at 20:00.]
5. The Oni Servant Restaurant at Mount Oe Palace is open at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM daily, but only for one hour. If you haven't left by then, you can hide in the restroom until the next opening time. During this time, do not open the restroom door if you hear any noise outside.
[6. From 2 PM to 4 PM daily is free time. You are free to move around within the Oeyama Royal Palace, but vandalism, fighting, theft, and other such acts are prohibited.]
Hmm... It's 4 PM now, and dinner is in two hours. Four hours later, the palace steward will be inspecting the work—so she has to finish her task within two hours, or she'll miss dinner.
"Zhu, once you go in, don't stay until the seventh day, or you really won't be able to leave."
Hana-hime's hint was easy to interpret.
The ninth rule stated that a demon servant only needed to work at the Ooe Mountain Royal Palace for a full week and present the Demon King with a jar of the finest sake from the wine cellar to leave. However, Shuten-dōji himself loves to eat meat and drink sake, so if the demon servant did this, he might not only deliver the sake but also become a snack himself, thus preventing him from leaving.
Moreover, how to survive the previous seven days is another matter entirely.
Since her task was to prune the flower branches, Yin Zhu thought she should first find a flower shears—these things are usually kept in the tool shed, and she had indeed noticed a small house on the side when she walked around the Tiangui Imperial Garden.
Once inside, she carefully moved along the edge toward the tool shed, and Yin Zhu vaguely heard the sound of something wriggling in the darkness.
Damn it, when I get a fire I'll burn you all to the ground!
Yin Zhu glared resentfully into the darkness, wary of something suddenly rushing out, but fortunately nothing unexpected happened.
Upon entering the tool shed, Yin Zhu noticed a faint light shining through the crack in the door. Standing at the doorway, Yin Zhu listened for a while, and only after confirming that there was no sound coming from inside did she pull the doorknob and open the tool shed door.
A beam of light shone from the door, and Yin Zhu, standing behind the door, saw part of the garden scene in the darkness by the light.
The flower here is less a flower and more a monster with a ring of petals around its face. It has no leaves, only several hands waving slightly in the air.
Yin Zhu slowly squatted down, casually picked up a few bones from who-knows-where, and threw them directly at the face-shaped flower.
The skeleton traced an arc in the air, and just as it approached the human face, it was caught by a hand and crushed into powder. The next second, it seemed as if nothing had happened, continuing to sway in its original position.
Could it be... that's what I'm supposed to trim?
Yin Zhu's face turned pale instantly, not out of fear, but because she had already imagined the scene of this unknown species of human face flower spraying blood all over her when she cut it with scissors.
According to the rules of the Ooeyama Royal Palace, Yin Zhu did not see a place for bathing.
In a place teeming with ghosts and monsters, it wouldn't be good to be covered in blood; you'd feel like a walking, talking target.
Furthermore, these human-faced flowers actively seek out nearby objects and are somewhat aggressive. You can't exactly pin them to the ground and chop off their hands one by one, can you? What if you accidentally kill one of the flowers? Wouldn't that be considered vandalism and a violation of the rules?
It shouldn't count.
Yin Zhu considered the details of the rules, a flash of gold in her eyes, and quickly made an interpretation.
She thought the garden would at most have spider lilies, and that she could just hold her nose and bear it. She never expected that even the visible outer edges would be filled with this messy array of "flowers." Yin Zhu couldn't help but release the doorknob, cracking her knuckles loudly.
It's hardened; its fists have hardened.
Shuten-dōji, you little brat, don't let me catch you, or I'll give you some debuffs.
Before Yin Zhu could make up her mind, the light in the tool shed dimmed for a moment, and a dark figure walked out of the tool shed, muttering curses, "What the hell... ah!"
It felt the door behind it move, and then something suddenly pushed it.
It was Yin Zhu! She kicked it into the flower field, glanced quickly inside the house, slipped inside, and slammed the tool shed door shut behind her, locking it. The movements were swift and fluid.
The next second, a wail came from outside the door.
Yin Zhu seemed not to hear anything. Accompanied by screams and chewing sounds outside the door, she had already seen the layout of the entire tool room and the "Heavenly Demon Imperial Garden Rules" posted on the door.
This is indeed the royal garden of the Oeyama Royal Palace.
However, the garden wasn't just planted with "flowers," it was also a food source for the palace's ghosts. Strictly speaking, calling it a vegetable garden would be more accurate.
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