# Chapter 47: Castle Exploration (5)
The girl seemed to have found some kind of support, letting out a long sigh. Her watery eyes gazed over, as if looking at the white knight from her dreams. Bai Jing stared into her pitch-black pupils and immediately turned off his phone screen, then raised his arm and patted her back stiffly.
"You'll protect me, right?" the girl sniffled. "If we really face danger, would you be willing to sacrifice your own life to save me?"
Sudden, intense love and shyness appeared in the girl's eyes, mixed with the lingering fear on her face and her paper-white complexion—this display alone was enough to make most people nod in agreement.
"Mm..." For a moment, Bai Jing's expression went blank. He watched the girl's red lips part and close repeatedly, almost unable to resist nodding in response. But the cold gathered in his palm timely roused his senses.
In the end, Bai Jing said nothing. The girl gazed at him with lingering hope, but the expectation in her eyes had already turned to disappointment. Her body trembled continuously, as if she were looking at some heartless scoundrel.
From a distance, Qi An watched this scene unfold. He noticed that around the girl, some young men had already begun fidgeting restlessly, scratching their heads and shuffling about—but not a single one went over to comfort her.
Their eyes showed they wanted to do just that, yet none dared to put it into action.
Moreover, all these restless young men were from the first team.
From the moment he'd seen these people, Qi An had sensed that each of them was on guard. Even though those around them appeared utterly weak, they remained secretly wary. It was as if they were worried that something terrifying might be hidden beneath those seemingly defenseless exteriors.
Based on the information he'd gathered since arriving here, all he knew was that after the first team arrived, they had experienced a spirit-summoning game.
Summoning spirits...
They had indeed summoned something, and indeed, everyone had remained in their original state—none missing arms or legs. But based on the first team's current state of fear, something must have happened during the summoning.
Thinking about how Zhao Qizhu had tried to lure them into playing the spirit game, and how the first team hadn't raised a single objection—Qi An glanced at the coldly smiling boy from earlier. Only he among them had seemed to want to warn the second team.
But just as he was about to speak, the lights flickered, as if some kind of warning, interrupting his words.
Qi An stared at the ceiling for a moment, his expression unchanged.
"Let's head back to our rooms and rest for now." Mu Gangnong, the burly young man, gazed thoughtfully at the swaying old woman before speaking in a low voice. With his imposing build and steady disposition, he had quietly become the de facto leader of the entire group.
"The rooms here are uneven in quality, so we'll decide room assignments by drawing lots. This has to do with the slippers you're wearing—each room has a pattern on its door, and these patterns match the designs on your slippers." Mu Gangnong pointed to the animal pattern on his own shoe, then gestured to a certain room's animal design. "Everyone can go find their own room first."
The moment he finished speaking, someone rushed into the nearest room.
"Why is it so run-down!" The first person complained. When others went over to take a look, they saw that inside there was only a single bed, the walls horribly dirty, as if some mischievous child had scribbled all over them with watercolors. Even the chandelier on the ceiling hung precariously, making people worry it might suddenly crash down. Especially when trying to sleep at night, one wouldn't feel safe—worried sick that the light fixture above might fall and kill them.
"The outside is so magnificent and grand, how can it be so shabby inside?" the person assigned to this room couldn't help but curse loudly.
Seeing the first person's miserable room, others went to find their own rooms with complicated feelings. Immediately, complaints rang out one after another. The girls' expressions were unsightly, but they silently entered their rooms, while the boys made an even bigger ruckus.
The best rooms merely had properly hung chandeliers and came with a private bathroom—plus they were tiny, making living in them extremely suffocating.
"The second floor rooms don't have this pattern. Your room should be on the third floor." Coldly watching the second team members complain, Mu Gangnong walked up to the seemingly confused Qi An. His tone and manner both shifted slightly. "Let me take you there."
"Ah?" The startled boy looked up at him, revealing delicate features and wide, round eyes. "Then I'll trouble you."
He shouldn't have reacted like this.
Mu Gangnong furrowed his thick eyebrows, but almost instinctively loosened them the moment that soft, gentle voice sounded. Giving the boy an odd look, Mu Gangnong headed up to the third floor with Qi An.
The black-and-white twin flower pattern was easy to find—large and conspicuous.
Mu Gangnong led Qi An to it, gently pushed open the door, and froze.
This room was unexpectedly spacious and luxurious—but that wasn't even the strangest part.
Because this appeared to be... a bridal chamber.