Xu Huo remained motionless, his breathing unchanged, as he faced the puppet.
After about ten seconds, the puppet twisted its head and clattered back upstairs with its tapping steps. Before long, the sound of chopping meat echoed from above.
In silence, Xu Huo returned to the ground floor, climbed the stairs and looked up at Tao Chengxin who was stuck on the corner of the ceiling; he gestured her to come down with a crooked finger.
Tao Chengxin landed lightly like a cat, and in the faint light from the window, she inspected Xu Huo's expression. Finding that his emotions hadn't fluctuated in the slightest, she pulled a self-mocking smile.
The two avoided the meat-chopping puppet on the second floor and returned to the fifth. Xu Huo kicked open the door to one of the rooms. It was empty, with no signs of the bedding being used.
Tao Chengxin searched around, knocking and tapping, then crawled out from under the bed, "There's a secret passage here."