Bai Yang listened and nodded. After Mei Nan finished speaking, she immediately said with certainty, "Teacher Mei, don't worry, I promise to be good and obey all your arrangements."
Mei Nan nodded gently and then looked at Ning Wei, "Shall we go now?"
Ning Wei nodded lightly and then walked at the very front.
Bai Yang, acting as if she knew them all, or perhaps afraid they would abandon her, quickly wrapped her arm around Yuan Yuan, who was the least likely to refuse.
Yuan Yuan showed a hint of disgust but didn't struggle, allowing Bai Yang to hold her arm. The two walked slowly to the back of the group.
As for the people who had originally disembarked from the bus with Bai Yang, upon seeing Ning Wei and the others approach the ancient castle, they looked at their companions and silently followed.
After entering the dense forest, even moonlight was rarely seen. They mostly moved forward in darkness.
Ning Wei, leading the way, suddenly stepped on something.
She picked it up and, by the moonlight, saw that it was a human leg bone. There was no flesh left on it, indicating it had been discarded here for a long time.
However, it was just a leg bone. After the incident at the hotel, such a minor matter couldn't shake their nerves.
Because Ning Wei raised it so high, not only their group but also the group following behind saw it very clearly.
"Ah! It's human bones!" someone exclaimed.
Ning Wei casually tossed the leg bone backward, and it landed right in the middle of their group.
It hit someone, causing another wave of screams.
Everyone was accustomed to Ning Wei's occasional mischievous actions.
After committing the misdeed, Ning Wei listened to the screams behind her without a trace of guilt.
She simply cautioned her teammates, "Besides leg bones, there are other parts here. So don't get separated, to avoid trouble."
Hearing this, Bai Yang hugged Yuan Yuan tighter and whispered into Yuan Yuan's ear, "I'm scared."
Yuan Yuan felt the cool air blowing into her ear and her back stiffened.
Even with her good temper, she couldn't help but pull her arm away and complain, "Don't hug me so tight. If something happens, we'll both be unable to run!"
Upon hearing Yuan Yuan's words, everyone turned to look at them.
Yuan Yuan didn't seem to mind, but Bai Yang looked very embarrassed. "I'm just scared, Yuan Yuan, you're too fierce."
Hearing her passive-aggressive remark, Yuan Yuan rolled her eyes directly.
It was Mei Nan who proposed her joining. Although no one objected, the responsibility of resolving issues naturally fell upon Mei Nan.
Feeling the gazes fixed on him, Mei Nan almost regretted his decision.
He looked at Bai Yang and said, "In our team, no one is a protected object. We all look out for each other. So, Bai Yang, don't make a fuss. They all have short tempers. While I face the most pressure, it doesn't mean I can control them."
Bai Yang could only lower her voice and say, "I understand, Teacher Mei."
During the conversation, Yuan Yuan took the opportunity to move closer to Tang Tang, and Tang Tang, with unspoken understanding, took her hand.
Zhu Yilian and Wang Jing, seeing this, also silently held hands.
Bai Yang saw how they were excluding her, and her eyes reddened.
Now, only Ning Wei was left as a girl, but Bai Yang didn't dare to hold her hand.
As for Song Zhi and Mei Nan, they were not even in her consideration.
After looking around, Bai Yang suddenly asked with surprise, "Why don't I see Li Ye?"
For them, this name was already a taboo.
No one dared to mention it again. Who could have expected Bai Yang to be so thoughtless?
In this place, if someone was missing, there was only one possibility: they were already dead.
Everyone dared not look at Ning Wei's face. Zhu Yilian glared fiercely at Bai Yang.
"If you can't speak properly, shut up. Have you been showing off all the way here?" Wang Jing, unusually, lost her temper and scolded her.
Bai Yang felt wronged again. She looked at Mei Nan with teary eyes. Only he spoke to her gently here.
Of course, this attitude was derived from comparisons with Tang Tang and the others.
Mei Nan was now regretting it immensely. How could he have been soft-hearted enough to let this foolish Bai Yang join their team!
"You're all grown up. I believe you know what you should and shouldn't say," Mei Nan could only remind her this much.
If Bai Yang continued to court death, he couldn't guarantee that the troublesome Ning Wei wouldn't take action against her.
Bai Yang saw that Mei Nan wasn't siding with her. She forced back her tears, lowered her head, and covered her face with her hair, not wanting to expose her vulnerability to everyone.
She could only hear her muffled sob as she replied in a low voice, "I know, I'm sorry."
Mei Nan sighed helplessly. This was also because everyone was still reeling from Li Ye's departure, hence their tempers were a bit volatile.
"Alright, let's hurry."
Ning Wei continued to walk forward, and everyone followed again. Bai Yang, without any companions, fell to the very back.
No one noticed that she kept looking back, exchanging glances with the leader of the group behind them several times.
Although the dense forest was difficult to navigate, the distance wasn't too long.
The moment they emerged from the forest, they heard the cawing of crows. Coupled with the ancient castle in the distance, it created a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
Buildings they had only seen through videos or pictures before now appeared before everyone's eyes.
It was grand and magnificent, like a knight in the darkness, and surely a beautiful princess lived within.
A prince, sword in hand, traveled through the dense forest to kiss the beautiful princess.
Everyone had a different perception of this building. A more fairytale-like thought was the one described above.
Just as everyone was immersed in this peculiar beauty, a hoarse voice emerged.
A figure approached them with unusual speed and finally stood steadily before Ning Wei.
Her appearance was exactly like a witch from an animation: a head full of white hair, a sharp, slender nose, and a long black robe.
Seeing this strange figure, everyone instinctively took a step back.
Only Ning Wei remained motionless, looking down contemptuously at the monstrous being before her.
"Welcome to the castle, everyone. I am your housekeeper, my name is Wu Qing."
No one responded, which was a perfectly normal reaction.
Wu Qing showed no sign of embarrassment and continued, "Please follow me. It's late, and if you don't go to your rooms to rest soon, the werewolves will come."
"Are the human bones in the dense forest what the werewolves ate?" Bai Yang tilted her head and looked at Wu Qing.