"Now isn't the time for this."
Su Bai had no idea what wild thoughts had run through Xie Ying's head in those few moments, but the situation before them was more dangerous than he had imagined, and he was in no mood to explain.
Danger was already upon them.
The instant the wall broke open, the withered branches shot toward them with a piercing whistle, moving so fast that there was almost no time to react.
Su Bai hadn't expected these branches to tear through the wall so violently and attack them directly. Before this, the way "it" attacked had been... relatively mild.
Su Bai "looked" at the lights shining in the corridor. Clearly, the fifteenth floor didn't follow the rules of the floors below.
"Master, you seem to have provoked quite a formidable creature."
Blood Epiphyllum's voice drifted out of the quiet, like a breeze brushing crimson petals, whispering in the night.
"Or have you taken a fancy to another plant while you've been away?"
"..."
The puzzle pieces in the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle had always had their own preferred ways of addressing him. Some called him by name, while others affectionately called him "Xiao Bai," but more of them chose "Master" to show their reverence for the "Master of the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle."
Although Su Bai had never treated them as servants, preferring instead to see them as family who stayed by his side, these puzzle pieces seemed determined to defy him no matter how often he corrected them. The more he corrected them, the more enthusiastically they called him that. Eventually, Su Bai could only resign himself to it.
But...
But...
Su Bai frowned slightly, sending a hint of inquiry through his consciousness. "...Little Flower, did you notice something?"
"Little Flower" was a name Blood Epiphyllum had