The hotel was small and offered little to explore.
In their hearts, Jing Minghe and the others shared a common understanding: to clear this instance, the key would undoubtedly lie with the NPCs.
"I was just wondering how we could get in touch with the performance troupe," Gu Chenhui said as they walked, "and the instance arranged it so quickly."
"What's there to think about?" Ning Ping belched, his tone dismissive. "No matter how we move in the instance, aren't we already clearly arranged?"
"Ha," Gu Chenhui chuckled, "you think quite openly, don't you?"
Ning Ping rolled his eyes at Gu Chenhui, said nothing, and turned to walk directly towards the exhibition room on the second floor. Si Lian, who was with him, quickly followed.
An Ruo and Xia Rong followed Gong Liang into the performance hall on the third floor. Before entering, they stated their purpose.
"We're going to see how to open that wooden box Gu Chenhui mentioned."
With that, the rest of the group, in silent agreement, followed Jing Minghe directly to the sixth floor. After all, there was nothing much to see on the fourth and fifth floors.
Passing the fifth floor, Jing Minghe and his group encountered members of the performance troupe.
Leading the way was the man who had spoken with the owner, Hu Feiyan, last night. Behind him were two men and one woman. As they approached, Jing Minghe noticed that they were all wearing name tags on their clothes.
"Oh, good morning, everyone," the man spoke first, greeting Jing Minghe and his group. "Have you had breakfast?"
Jing Minghe nodded and smiled, "Yes, we have. We're just planning to look around."
"Good that you've eaten. Don't forget to come watch the performance."
"Alright."
After the brief exchange, the performance troupe members went downstairs to eat.
Once the group had walked away, Chi Hao spoke, "Quan Zhe, head of the Spirit Puppet Art Troupe. Ding Wang, deputy head. A Mo, prop master. Chen Cai, lighting technician."
Chi Hao was reciting the names and positions of the four people on their name tags.
"Mr. Chi, your eyesight is truly remarkable," Gu Chenhui exclaimed with a smile. "Earlier, I struggled immensely and couldn't read all the words on their name tags."
This exclamation was not feigned or flattery but genuine amazement. After all, the four had only brushed past them, and in such a short time, being able to clearly see and remember the words on each person's name tag was no easy feat.
Chi Hao ignored Gu Chenhui's remark. Jing Minghe was lost in thought. Gu Chenhui, having not expected a response, continued to follow Jing Minghe and the others upward.
You Mi and Qiao Qiao, who had been silently following behind them, exchanged glances and chose to remain silent.
You Mi looked at the three in front and thought to herself, exasperated: They say three women make a lot of noise, but I think these three men can also put on a show, and quite a grand one at that. Su Dan Novel Network.
Jing Minghe's objective was clear. The flower garden gave him an unsettling feeling, especially the hanging chair behind the flower wall. He had to confirm it again. He had a premonition that if he could remember where he had seen a similar flower garden before, it might greatly help them clear the instance.
The group arrived on the sixth floor. The small door to the flower garden was still closed. The corridor was dim, but no light seeped through the cracks of the door.
Jing Minghe strode forward and reached out to push it.
"..."
The small door remained unmoved.
"What's going on?" Chi Hao stepped forward and asked.
Jing Minghe tried again, replying, "It won't open."
Gu Chenhui leaned in and said, "There doesn't seem to be a lock on this door. Could someone be blocking it from the inside?"
Chi Hao frowned and suggested, "Break it open."
"Okay."
The two men, in perfect synchronicity, stepped back a few paces, then charged forward simultaneously, delivering a flying kick each. However, the door to the flower garden remained unyielding.
"How can this be?" You Mi wondered, "Can this flower garden only be entered at night?"
"You guys move aside, let me try."
Gu Chenhui said this, then stood in the center of the small door, took a few steps back, aimed at a specific spot, and charged directly into it.
Jing Minghe and the others watched, wide-eyed, as Gu Chenhui, failing to break the door, instead crashed into it himself.
"This..." You Mi and Qiao Qiao's eyes widened simultaneously, too stunned to speak.
Jing Minghe tilted his head, leaned closer to the door, and looked up and down. "Brother Hao, did you see clearly? How did Brother Hui... get in?"
Chi Hao narrowed his eyes. "We'll find out when we try."
"No, no, no," Jing Minghe quickly stopped him. "What if the instance rules only allow him to enter alone? What if you get hurt by crashing into it? I'd be heartbroken."
Chi Hao was taken aback. Jing Minghe hadn't spoken to him like that in a long time.
Jing Minghe then grinned, pointed at himself, and said, "Let me do it. I'm tough, I'm not afraid of getting hurt."
Before Chi Hao could object, Jing Minghe had already quickly retreated and, using Gu Chenhui's method, charged at the door.
His Brother Hao cared so much about appearances. If he couldn't get in, wouldn't it be embarrassing? Moreover, Jing Minghe had noticed the unspoken rivalry between Chi Hao and Gu Chenhui. He just couldn't understand if they knew each other from before, if they had a personal grudge, or why they seemed to dislike each other so much.
*Bang!*
Jing Minghe put all his might into the charge. The door still wouldn't budge, and he remained outside.
Shrugging, Jing Minghe turned back and said with a smile to the others, "See? My guess was probably right. The instance rules only allow Gu Chenhui to enter alone."
"So," Qiao Qiao asked, puzzled, "why only Gu Chenhui?"
"It might not be just him," Jing Minghe analyzed. "Perhaps it's a limited number per day, one person each. Others might have a chance to enter later."
"Since we can't get in," Qiao Qiao asked, "what should we do next? Wait here for him?"
Jing Minghe thought for a moment and said, "Let's not wait. Let's go somewhere else."
Gu Chenhui had been inside for a while but hadn't come out, nor had he given any signal to those outside. This meant that communication between the inside and outside was impossible. If he didn't come out soon, waiting would be in vain. It was better to find clues elsewhere and wait to hear what Gu Chenhui had to say when he emerged.
As he walked downstairs, Jing Minghe saw the pendant on his chest flash with a faint blue light. Although weak, it was definitely real. So, last time, he hadn't been mistaken.
"What's wrong?" Chi Hao asked worriedly as Jing Minghe suddenly stopped.
Jing Minghe shook his head. "No, it's nothing."
Outside the door, Jing Minghe and his group had already left.
Inside the door, Gu Chenhui looked at the person emerging from behind the flower wall and let out a wry smile.
"It really is you. When I saw this flower garden last night, I felt a strange sense of familiarity," Gu Chenhui said as he walked closer to the person. "Since you're still alive, why didn't you reveal yourself to Minghe? Are you just going to let him go through this place full of death traps alone? Lu Fanfei."
"Because I'm not exactly alive."