"You bitch!" Sano growled angrily. He was about to attack her but he was stopped by both Eli and Lu Xingyan.

  Spider Lily snickered at them before she turned and left the room.

  "If they won't kill us by poison, I guess they'll kill us by making us starve." George tore his eyes away from the food that was on the table. It was torture for hungry people like them to look at food and drinks that they can't even consume.

  "We can still eat." Lu Xingyan said as she approached the small table this time. "I believe that these bread and water is not poisoned."

  George scoffed, "And how can you even be so sure of that?"

  "I'm not." She grabbed a piece of bread and looked at it. She gulped, her mouth-watering. She badly wanted to eat and drink too but she needed restraint.

  "Xiao Xing, don't do it!" Eli rushed to her side. "What if it's poisoned too? You'll die!"

  "Someone has to make sure that this food is clean." Lu Xingyan didn't have a choice but to take the risk. She didn't want to die but the situation didn't give her a choice. There was no way out.

  "Damn it! You're a stupid kid, you know that?" Sano came walking towards them. He grabbed the bread that Lu Xingyan was holding and without even giving them time to react, he took a bite on it and began eating it.

  "Sano!" Eli shouted.

  Lu Xingyan was surprised as well. She never expected that he would suddenly steal the bread from her and put his life at risk instead.

  It was all too late now. They waited and waited, minutes passed but nothing happened to the man.

  "Do you feel something strange in your body?" Lu Xingyan asked worriedly.

  "Yeah! I'm hungry!" With that, he continued to consume the bread he was holding.

  Seeing that nothing was happening to him, the three sighed in relief and began eating their share along with him. Even if it was just plain bread, it was good enough for them. Every food tasted good when a person is hungry.

  While they were in the middle of eating, a slow clap was suddenly heard and when they turned, they saw a young, handsome man, walking down the stairs.

  The young man was wearing a tight, scarlet waistcoat, fastened by tags, and very close-fitting breeches. A sword hanging on the side of his waist. He looked like he was at the same age as Lu Xingyan. His black hair was tousled. The cunningness in his black eyes was seen. A smile etched its way into his lips. He looked so dignified with the way he looked. It was as if he was a member of nobility or even the royal family.

  "I'm sorry for Lily's rudeness earlier." He turned to the servants who were standing on the side and ordered, "Throw out the poisoned food and drinks and replace them with clean ones. My guests must be tired from the long journey so prepare their rooms too."

  Lu Xingyan, Eli, Sano, and George were all stupefied as they watched the newcomer.

  Noticing their looks, the man turned his gaze back to them and smiled, "My apologies. Let me introduce myself to you. I am the owner of this place, my name is Murong Wei." He even gave them an elegant curtsy.

  Murong……?

  If she remembered correctly, didn't Han Yehan said that every member of the Murong family was killed? Could he be a survivor?

  Murong Wei noticed the sudden change in Lu Xingyan's face when he introduced himself, "Oh, looks like someone knows something about my family." He began approaching Lu Xingyan but stopped when he saw how Eli and Sano went in front of her, blocking him.

  "My apologies if I scared you."

  "Please, bring us back." Eli pleaded.

  "I'm afraid I can't do that. If you want to go back, then you have to survive and win the game. Don't worry, you will not leave empty-handed here." Murong Wei explained. "Anyway, I shall discuss the rest of the details tomorrow so for now, make yourself at home."

  Lu Xingyan was the only person who knew that there was no way of winning the game. He was lying. The sick game was going to be endless……

  Arriving at the room that was prepared for them, Lu Xingyan and Eli became roommates.

  The room was windowless. The only good thing was that it looked decent. It had the size of the apartment room that Lu Xingyan was staying with her sister. The room had a bathroom of its own, two closets, a bookshelf, and even a study desk.

  Eli went and opened the closed, revealing different sets of clean clothes that fitted her perfectly.

  With how things were, one could only go with the flow and try not to be killed.

  "Xiao Xing, do you want to use the bathroom?"

  "No. I'll take a bath after you, Jiejie." Lu Xingyan said while she was scanning the books on the shelves.

  Eli went to her side and gently placed her hand on her shoulder, "I know that this must be hard for you but everything will be alright…… Someone will come to find us."

  Lu Xingyan turned to her with a small smile. She knew that was not going to happen anytime soon but she decided to be quiet about it, "Thank you, Jiejie."

  Eli stared at her for a while. She could already tell that Lu Xingyan was a smart girl. She was the calmest among them but she knew deep inside, the young girl was scared. But it was all thanks to this girl that she was alive as well. "We'll go through this together." The woman said softly before she turned and went to the bathroom.

  Lu Xingyan looked at the books again, trying to see if there was something useful. She couldn't just sit and do nothing after all. Every second counts and she needed to form a plan on how to survive and help others. Most of the books were novels, some were puzzle books to past times. In other words, the books on the shelves weren't helpful. They were all useless.