# Chapter 59: Castle Exploration (Part 17)
The teenager being quietly watched by all the beast-people and wild beasts was no other than Qi An himself.
Qi An's hand was pressed against the upper part of the mural when he suddenly felt an extremely strong pull emanating from the fresco, as if a pair of hands from within were dragging him, wanting to pull him inside.
Faintly, Qi An heard various laughter in different tones.
There were males and females, old and young—their laughter low and hoarse, resembling the screeching sound of something heavy being dragged across the ground.
As if they hadn't spoken in a very long time, and had suddenly动用 their vocal cords for some reason.
Qi An showed no panic in his expression, merely studying the mural spread out before him. The warm scene depicted within the painting hadn't changed in the slightest—it was still as pleasing to mind and body. However, the beast-people painted within had moved. Their bodies remained slightly tilted toward the center of the image, but their eyeballs had rolled, fixing their gazes on Qi An.
In an instant, Qi An felt numerous scalding gazes upon him.
But just then, Qi An sensed a pair of icy hands grabbing his other hand, trying to keep him here. Qi An turned his head to look and found it was Zhang Zhaoqi.
"Are you alright?" Two forces from opposite directions were battling. Even as Zhang Zhaoqi continuously pulled with all his strength, the other party's expression remained unchanged.
Qi An nodded, gazing thoughtfully at the other party's eyes that were gradually turning blood-red. This wasn't the first time he'd noticed Zhang Zhaoqi undergo such a change. But each time this happened, Zhang Zhaoqi's aura would shift in some way. And today, except for the color of his eyes, everything else was no different from usual.
Zhang Zhaoqi finally pulled Qi An away from the mural. He looked at Qi An and asked softly once more, "Are you alright?"
Qi An shook his head, redirecting his gaze to the mural. Those beast-people's eyes were still fixed on him—even as Zhang Zhaoqi pulled him back several steps, their gazes remained firmly locked onto him.
Strange.
This painting was completely identical to the beast-world he'd encountered in the previous world.
And yet, the beast-people's reactions had changed.
If this were truly that world, those beast-people wouldn't look at him with such eyes.
Before he could think further, Qi An watched Zhang Zhaoqi lift a person with one hand. This boy Qi An knew well—he was Shao Tian's boyfriend from before, the one who had shoved him earlier.
Zhang Zhaoqi hurled the trembling boy toward the mural. No collision sound came. The boy's figure vanished completely from the second floor. Accompanied by this, those eyeballs on the mural reluctantly returned their eyes to their original positions.
Qi An turned his head to look at Zhang Zhaoqi. The other party's cold, detached voice sounded out: "They're craving something. Throwing in a person just now was able to satisfy some kind of demand of theirs."
"Qi An!"
Si Mao's voice suddenly reached Qi An's ears. His expression turned unusually serious. "I have something to tell you. It's very important!"
As he spoke, he gazed solemnly at the frail youth revealed in the center of the painting.
He had always known this painting was important.
Especially what was painted at the center of the image.
"Please must remember—do not touch the mural easily. But the center of the image is especially crucial."
"That is your only possibility of surviving."