Chapter 81: Courting Death: Being infected by a patient is terrifying—it can kill you.

The medicine was very effective, Zhou Qi’s fever finally subsided.

Miss Yang, holding her skirt and raising her chin, proudly returned to her own room. Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong also breathed a sigh of relief, muttering, “Maybe we’re overthinking it, it’s just a normal fever.”

But You Huo didn’t think so.

He asked Qin Jiu for the time and looked at the sky outside.

Gao Qi had worked as an invigilator for many years, so he was a bit out of touch with the actual exams. His instincts weren’t as sharp as those of genuine examinees. He asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Any problems?”

You Huo was about to speak when Qin Jiu said, “Feels like the timing is a bit coincidental, right?”

You Huo closed his mouth again and replied, “Yeah.”

“What do you mean by coincidental?” Gao Qi asked again.

“The time when Miss Zhou’s fever subsided,” Qin Jiu said.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you find Ms. Zhou’s timing of waking up perfectly coincidental?” Qin Jiu pointed toward the balcony. “Dawn has arrived, all the night’s taboos are lifted, and her fever has broken.”

It’s as if… the fever was meant to ensure she stayed quietly in the room, not going anywhere.

Gao Qi chuckled in disbelief. “Really? What kind of exam question would be this considerate? How could there possibly be such a feature?”

“Indeed, it’s quite strange.” Qin Jiu pointed at You Huo and said, “Isn’t the Examiner confirming it right now?”

You Huo: “…”

Since someone had already said everything, he saved himself the trouble of even opening his mouth.

He stood behind the door, listening to the sounds outside, and shot a glance at Qin Jiu. “Are you surnamed Tapeworm?”

Qin Jiu replied, “Occasionally, this kind of function can be triggered.”

He sauntered along behind You Huo, following him to the door. His hand was already gripping the doorknob when he suddenly added, “But there’s a condition.”

You Huo looked at him for a moment. “…Such as?”

“Such as…it depends on who it’s directed at.”

After saying this, Qin Jiu had already opened the door a crack.

Outside the door, the servants who had vanished all night suddenly returned, standing there with utmost deference, one on each side.

Their expressions were blank, their postures stiff, as if they had stood guard here all night without moving an inch.

The morning light streamed in through a few windows, as if nothing had happened overnight.

The servant heard the door open and turned his head, locking eyes with Qin Jiu.

Qin Jiu calmly greeted him, saying, “Good morning.”

The servant replied, “Good morning.”

The door slammed shut with a thud.

Two seconds later, the male servant suddenly turned his head and stared at the door. “???”

Another voice rasped, “What’s wrong?”

“The gentleman staying in this room… looks like this???”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

On the other side of the door, Qin Jiu held the door and smiled at You Huo, saying, “Run.”

You Huo: “…”

In the next second, Gao Qi felt two figures flash past him, instantly reaching the balcony, leaping over, and disappearing from sight one after another.

As they passed by him, they even gave him a push, directly shoving him toward the door.

Ignoring propriety, the male servant opened the door from outside only to find Gao Qi leaning against it, striking a pose.

The two of them stared at each other.

The butler said, “Did you open the door just now?”

Gao Qi replied, “Yes, I did.”

The butler was speechless.

Although only the lower half of his face was visible behind the mask…

Unwilling to give up, he went to the next room over. As soon as he opened the door, Qin Jiu emerged from the bedroom with his coat in hand, looking calm but slightly surprised. “Is something the matter?”

Yang Shu was sitting on the carpet, her wide skirt spread out as she sorted through her bag. She turned to the servant and said, “Who taught you manners? You can’t just barge into a lady’s room without knocking. Get out.”

The servant: “…”

He shut the door, took a moment outside to calm himself, thinking, Am I blind?

* * *

Although Zhou Qi’s fever had subsided, she was still in a poor state overall.

As Yang Shu had pointed out, she seemed frightened, and she hadn’t been able to eat breakfast.

In her condition, You Huo, being in the same group, couldn’t help but feel a bit more concerned.

So that morning, for once he and Qin Jiu acted honestly—or rather, they adapted their strategy to adopt Zhao Jiatong’s suggestion, deciding to follow the storyline and first take a look at the town.

At 8 a.m., a cluster of black carriages parked outside the ancient castle, waiting in a lifeless manner.

The guests boarded the carriages one after another, rounded a corner of Carlton Hill, and vanished along the road.

In the western tower of the castle, the Duke stood behind a window, pulling aside the curtain and watching from afar.

“Master,” the butler Douglas stood behind him, respectfully asking, “What are you looking at?”

The Duke replied, “I don’t know. Suddenly looking at those guests, I wonder how many will return intact today.”

After speaking, he pressed his lips together, the corners of his mouth downturned, appearing to be in a very foul mood.

The entire room was filled with a dangerous sense of oppression, and the decaying, deathly scent left everyone in silence.

Douglas did not speak.

After a moment, the Duke suddenly said, “It failed again this time.”

He turned to ask the butler, “Why… is that?”

He touched his own chest, where someone else’s heart now resided—Zhang Pengyi’s heart was beating within his ribcage, slowly becoming one with him.

“I can sense that he likes that woman.” The Duke lowered his head and said: “Just as I love my Alisa, though that woman’s face is far less beautiful than Alisa’s… but Alisa is such a gentle person, she probably wouldn’t blame her too harshly. Why? Why hasn’t Alisa come back to me yet, Douglas?”

The butler stood with his hands at his sides, his aged voice saying, “I don’t know. Perhaps that lady just doesn’t love this gentleman enough.”

The duke’s mood finally improved a little.

He thought for a moment and said, “Yes, that must be it.”

“But I’m still unhappy.” The duke said softly, “I’ve tried too many times and waited too long. My patience is nearly exhausted.”

The butler said, “That day will surely come.”

The Duke said, “By the way, have you dealt with that kind-hearted pair of guests?”

He whispered, “Although my Elsa never returned, after all, they helped me a bit and made a small contribution. We can’t just leave them lying there like that.”

The butler lowered his eyes and said, “It’s been taken care of, just as you instructed, just like before—they’ve been laid to rest.”

“That’s good, that’s good…” said the duke. “This won’t bring me any trouble, will it?”

The butler’s aged voice replied, “No, master.”

The duke patted him on the shoulder. “I trust your work… How old were you when you came here?”

“Four years old, master. You saved my life, and I’ve been here ever since.”

The Duke said, “In this world, besides Eliza, you treat me the best.”

“It’s only what is proper, my lord.”

“You would never betray me, right?” the Duke stared into his eyes as he spoke.

“I would not.”

“You will always listen to me, won’t you?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then quickly find a younger body. I think that… what’s his name, that guest, looks quite good.”

The duke pondered and said, “Those two guests’ bodies are too perfect—their height, muscles, figure, strength… Let’s each take one, shall we?”

Douglas hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Alright.”

“It’s a pity that the guests are always so shy and timid. I observed those two for a long time during breakfast today—I think they are too gentlemanly and well-behaved. Could you think of a way to make those perfect gentlemen make a mistake? Something that would make me a bit unhappy, so I’d have a good reason to give them a little punishment.”

Douglas thought for a moment and said, “I’ll give it a try.”

The violent butler, Douglas, pondered for a while and decided to follow the guests to the town—there, he would have a whole day to tempt the guests into making mistakes.

No need to make any major mistakes.

They’ve seen plenty of visiting guests, those cowards wouldn’t dare do anything too outrageous.

A small slip-up is more than enough to make them tremble.

* * *

The midsummer weather was muggy and humid, yet the town still wore a lifeless, stagnant appearance.

Only when a large number of carriages came to a halt in the town, forming a circle around the pond, did the townsfolk begin to lean out of their windows in twos and threes.

“Are you here for treatment?” they asked.

A candidate among the examinees responded, “Yes, that’s right!”

Not far away, the door of the small church opened, and a nun in a black dress ran to the carriage, saying, “You’ve finally arrived. Follow me.”

The candidates glanced at each other before following the nun, one after another.

The nun stretched out her hand and counted, “There are 24 in total, right?”

Many people instinctively nodded in agreement.

After a moment, someone suddenly whispered, “Wait, isn’t it 26 candidates?”

The crowd quieted briefly before a wave of murmurs rose.

“Zhang Pengyi and his girlfriend…”

“Right, those two who were late last night. Where are they? Haven’t they shown up?”

“Maybe… maybe they overslept? Or they plan to give up the scoring point in this small town?”

……

Many people came up with some frightening thoughts, but no one wanted those ideas to become reality. So, they all started making optimistic guesses.

After a moment, silence fell once again.

“Which rooms are those two examinees staying in?” You Huo suddenly asked.

“I didn’t notice, maybe downstairs?” Zhao Jiatong said.

“Directly beneath your room,” Qin Jiu replied.

“How do you know?” Zhao Jiatong asked in surprise.

“I took an extra glance last night.”

You Huo glanced at Qin Jiu, still silent.

Qin Jiu nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go check it out later.”

Zhao Jiatong: “…” Am I going deaf?

* * *

The small church was dim and gloomy.

As soon as they entered, everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath.

The smell was absolutely dreadful.

A mix of sweat, rotting flesh, and blood—it was as foul as could be.

The church’s pews and chairs had been dismantled, with dilapidated beds placed everywhere, roughly counting over twenty. On each bed lay a curled-up figure…

“My God…”

“Is that… a person?”

Exclamations erupted one after another.

Some with sensitive throats were already beginning to gag.

The nun lowered her gaze and said, “These are all patients who have been ill for a very long time. The Duke is kind-hearted and often invites guests here—said to be skilled doctors, just like you.”

Gao Qi muttered, “That’s pure slander…”

You Huo looked at the nearby bed.

The person lying there was covered in sores large and small on his face, with one side of his chin a bloody, mangled mess.

He was curled up inside a blanket whose original color was long lost, scratching at his own face amidst his pitiful groans, his fingertips stained deep crimson.

The nun sighed and said, “Unfortunately, there aren’t many doctors who can truly help the patients. Some doctors not only failed to free the patients from their illnesses but also ended up infected themselves.”

As she spoke, she led the examinees to their assigned places.

Only after all the assignments were made did they realize that there were exactly 26 beds here. If Zhang Pengyi and his girlfriend were still present, each examinee would have been paired with one patient.

From this, it was clear that helping the patients should have been the first scoring point.

Of course, it could also be the first point of death.

The nun walked to the last bed and softly let out an “ah.”

That bed had only a dirty bundle of blankets, with no one in it.

“Ah, they’re up to mischief again.” The nun’s muttered words reached You Huo’s ears.

She quickly walked to the door and said to the crowd, “A disobedient patient has slipped away. I need to go find him. As for the remaining patients, I’ll leave them to you.”

“By the way, a reminder—they’ve been sick for so long that their tempers have turned a bit foul, so… be careful with them. Also, whatever you do, don’t touch their sores. If you come into contact with them, you’ll be infected.”

Holding the door with both hands, she tilted her head and said to everyone, “Getting infected is truly a dreadful thing—it can be fatal, you know.”

“Best of luck to you.”

With that, she closed the door.

The sound of a lock clicking shut came from outside.

At the very moment the lock fell, a hand suddenly grabbed You Huo’s forearm, damp and sticky with a foul, fishy stench.

You Huo looked down and saw that the patient he was responsible for, with hands covered in bloody sores, had grabbed hold of him tightly…

Still have the face to cry to him.