Chapter 84- Labyrinth

Ya Nuo: "Finally!! Those stairs felt endless.. Nana, are you okay? Tired? We can rest a bit before continuing."

Nana shook her head, "I can continue."

Ya Nuo: "Even if we can continue walking, it seems kind of impossible unless we figure out which route to go for." She pointed at the labyrinth in front of them revealing a complicated yet excited expression. Nana took a seat on one of the steps and looked at her with amazement and respect.

Nana: "How could you be so calm about this? No, excited is probably the word…"

Ya Nuo: "I love puzzles. I never failed to get out of a maze before. And I definitely don't feel like losing on this one." Her eyes smiled brightly even though she wasn't showing a smile.

Nana: "Okay… so how do we decide which route to choose?"

Ya Nuo rubbed her chin and her eyes sparkled when something caught her attention.

"I got it. We're going this way." Ya Nuo helped Nana up and guided the way.

"Why this route?" Nana curiously asked.

"Remember how bad Gu Wing hated bugs and roaches?"

"Mhmm… and?"

"The other routes have either spider webs or some small insects there. If she visits here often, she's not going to make herself endure her worst enemies. Plus, her heel prints are still visible and not covered by any dust, so she was down here pretty recent."

"So you mean… but then nobody else knows about this place right? Did she clean by herself?"

"Easy, she just needs to spray bug spray every time she walks down here. Notice how we've walked this far already and no living insect or roaches are in our way."

"You're so smart! I wonder what kind of secret that witch is hiding this time…She's also polluting the environment by using so much bug spray." Nana nodded in agreement after Ya Nuo's explanation.

"Haha, well this is a natural homemade bug spray so it contains essential oils, rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, and water. This doesn't smell as gross as other bug sprays and is quite effective against bugs."

"Wow! You knew all this from just it's scent??"

"Nope, because I'm the one who created this recipe. These were things that I had access to when I was younger and whenever I saw critters here and there, I'll experiment. Eventually, I mixed them together and it worked so everyone else started using this formula. It's more like I was never treated like family so I was forced to kill critters even though I was afraid of them. Trust me, when I first saw a roach, I was screaming on the top of my lungs, but nobody helped me."

"....Too impressive… at your age, I was still playing with my Barbie dolls with my brother."

"It's nothing much. If I was raised by my real family, I probably would've been doing what every kid did."

"Nnn… but still-" Nana bumped into Ya Nuo and stopped walking.

Ya Nuo: "Nana, close your eyes."

Nana: "Why?"

Ya Nuo: "You don't like scary stuff right? In front of us is a creepy dungeon looking room that has lights like fire on torches, an extremely ugly metal door that looks rusty and filled with mold, and a painting of a blood-curdling doll with red tears draining from her eyes looking straight at us. This looks like some witchcraft sh*t that only shows up in low budgeted movies and dramas."

".....What kind of horror film are we part of?!! I swear if we weren't kidnapped, I'd definitely believe that someone set this up and is watching us from a hidden camera or something!!" Nana hid behind Ya Nuo's back and held her shirt tightly.

"I want to know too… but it seems like the only way out is to get past this door. We can only get through by entering the passcode too. If you're scared, turn around and rest while I explore this gothic sorcery looking room to see if there are any hints for the passcode."

Nana shook her head while her body trembled slightly, "I'll go with you. I want to help. I won't faint so.. "

Ya Nuo rubbed her head, "Alright, but if you really can't handle it, don't force yourself. Worst case is going back upstairs and escaping through another route. They have so many hidden passages, I wonder if they ever got lost themselves…"

They walked into the room and started searching for clues to open this door.

Since they didn't have any accessories or technology, they didn't know that it was already morning.

/Huang Mansion

Everyone had a minimal amount of sleep because they were worried about Ya Nuo and Nana. During breakfast, nobody said a word after greeting each other. Even though the breakfast was fancy and delicious, none of them had the appetite to eat. They forced the food down their throat so that they'll have enough energy to plan their next step.

The awkward silence was broken by Zhi Hei's and Huan Hei's cellphones. Zhi Hei stepped out since it was a call from his company while Huan Hei took the call at the table.

Huan Hei: "Mom?"

Auntie Xu: "Hei! Silly son, I have great news for you!"

Huan Hei: "Mom, not now…"

Auntie Xu: "If you don't listen to me, then you're going to have a huge loss. The Yang family just announced to the entire business field saying that they are accepting families of the same status or higher to pursue their young miss, Yang Ya Nuo! Isn't she your girlfriend? Then quickly get this engagement set up!"

Huan Hei: "Wait.. what?!! Marriage? You mean Yang family is looking for suitors for Ya Nuo?"

Aunties Xu: "Yes and I don't care this time. I've waited long enough for you to settle down. Since she's your girlfriend and you like her so much to oppose me, you better get my future daughter in law for me!"

Auntie Xu hung up before he could reply and he quickly called Qi Yang to inform him about the most updated information.

Qi Yang: "What?!! Is he a psycho?! Marry her off to some family of the same status or higher? Hah, this old duck really asks for a beating!"

Huan Hei: "I'm going to save her. Definitely. It's my turn to make a move. Whoever lays their finger on her will have to pay double the compensation and chop up twice the number of fingers they used to touch her. If they don't have enough fingers, then their toes will be next in line! I'll make them regret it."

Qi Yang: "Alright. Let me know if you need any help."

After hanging up, Huan Hei made a quick phone call. Zhi Hei came back after the call ended and once his and eyes met Huan Hei's, they exchanged smiles.

Zhi Hei: "You made your move?"

Huan Hei: "Yep."

Zhi Hei: "Can I help in any way?"

Huan Hei: "Not now, definitely later when we capture that old sly fox."