The Corpse Moving Around Was Normal
When the two returned to their room, they ran into two traveling merchants. The merchants, who had been quite arrogant yesterday, were unusually friendly today and even invited the two to come in and sit down. Lu Yang did not want to have too much contact with them and declined directly.
The traveling merchant wasn't annoyed by the rejection and simply closed the door.
The gong sounded again, and the night watchman shouted, "It's Hai Shi (9-11 PM)!"
Tap tap tap, the rhythmic footsteps echoed again in the stairwell, where the dark-eyed waiter wandered about.
The waiter gently knocked on the door across the hall. "Sir, are you there? Please open the door."
Just when the two thought it would be like the night before, with the itinerant merchant refusing to open the door and the waiter knocking louder and louder until it was deafening,
Squeak--
The door opposite was opened.
One of the traveling vendors was startled by his companion's actions. "What are you doing! Why are you opening the door!"
"Close the door right now! Close the door right now!"
"Don't drag me down with you if you're going to die!"
Why can't I close the door?!
There were clearly two itinerant merchants, but only one of them spoke throughout the entire event, while the other remained completely silent, which was extremely strange.
"Don't come any closer, ah--"
A heart-wrenching scream came from the other side, and then there was silence.
"What happened? The traveling merchant isn't stupid, why would he open the door on his own initiative?" A chill ran down Meng Jingzhou's spine.
Lu Yang pondered for a moment, then thought of a possibility, "Do you remember the man you saw this morning who was killed by the officials? He came back to life and looked no different from a living person."
"The rules state that [corpse movement is a normal phenomenon], but the rules do not say that corpses will come back to life!"
Was the person who came back to life this morning really himself?
Meng Jingzhou's eyes widened. "You mean... a traveling merchant has died, but his companions haven't noticed?"
Lu Yang nodded. "Yes, that's the idea!"
Meng Jingzhou felt a chill run down his spine. Today, seeing the bustling crowds on the street, he had assumed that not many people had been murdered. Now it seemed that there were probably quite a few living dead on the streets during the day!
The loud knocking sounded again, this time aimed at Lu Yang and his companion's room.
"Help! Help me! The waiter is going to kill me!"
"Open the door! Open the door now!"
"Please, have mercy and save me! I'll give you gold, Spirit Stone, and the location of the ancient ruins!"
"Don't kill me--"
Then came the dull thud of an axe piercing flesh and striking bone, accompanied by the screams of the traveling merchant.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance and decided not to open the door. There had clearly been no movement from the other side just now, and now they were calling for help again. It didn't seem right at all; it was strange and bizarre.
Moreover, Lu Yang learned from the Immortal Fairy that the two merchants were not good people and there was no need to save them.
The traveling merchant's voice faded away, and then the waiter's gentle knocking came again. "Esteemed guests, are you there? Please open the door?"
"Esteemed guests, are you there? Please open the door!"
"I told you two to open the door!"
"Open the door for me!"
Just like yesterday, the knocking grew louder and louder, and could be heard throughout the entire inn.
Whether it was due to the quality of the door or a rule restriction, the shopkeeper was unable to open the door as he had hoped.
Lu Yang heard the waiter coming upstairs, indicating that he had gone straight back to the top-class room.
The monster outside the window did not reappear; tonight is peaceful.
When Lu Yang left the inn at 9:00 AM the next day, he noticed that the door across the street had changed from brown to black. Two traveling merchants came out of the room, chatting and laughing, and greeted Lu Yang with smiles.
[Article 16: After entering the black door, do not speak or eat anything inside.]
Lu Yang's eyes narrowed; the two traveling merchants no longer needed to follow the usual rules.
Meng Jingzhou couldn't help but ask, "Which of you called for help last night?"
The two traveling merchants looked puzzled, their expressions genuine. "A cry for help? Who's calling for help?"
Unsure of the situation of the traveling merchants, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were unwilling to say more and left in a hurry.
During the day, the two men followed the official from a distance and discovered that the official only ate one meal a day, and it had to be a meat bun.
Meng Jingzhou once stole a meat bun, and when he opened it, he saw that in addition to the meat, there were also what appeared to be fingernails and hair.
After the officials finished their meal, they would walk through the streets, herding people like ducks. If someone was unlucky enough to accidentally turn their head, they would die instantly and then be resurrected.
"Did you notice? The officials searched the entire town, but they didn't go near the private school at all!"
Lu Yang spread out a map, which he had drawn yesterday while strolling around the town. The map marked the crash site, the inn, the private school, the tailor shop, the pharmacy, and the government office.
The map I drew was... well, let's just say it was hard to describe. The good news is that I can understand it myself.
"It seems they follow different rules, and they're not a monolithic entity!" Meng Jingzhou laughed. This was good news; it all depended on how they used it.
As they walked down the street, the two noticed a shadowy figure flashing past inside a thatched hut through the paper window.
The rule states that [you cannot return to the thatched hut or inn before 7 PM], so what kind of creature could be in the thatched hut?
"It seems there are still many rules in this town that we don't know about."
Different identities require different rules, and Lu Yang felt that the ancient Body Integration Realm was incredibly boring.
"Fairy, can you see what's happening outside? How's my master's fight going?"
The Immortal Fairy clicked her tongue in amazement. "Your master has a profound understanding of the way of the sword; he can hold his own against four opponents."
Lu Yang nodded, then he was relieved.
The two returned to the inn, where Lu Yang wrote a line on a piece of paper and handed it to the innkeeper, "Are you from out of town?"
Meng Jingzhou watched from the side and understood what Lu Yang meant. The rules said that locals could not reveal things about the town to outsiders, but the innkeeper could, which meant that the innkeeper was not a local.
The innkeeper, not expecting Lu Yang to ask this question, wrote down the word "yes".
Lu Yang wrote: Ordinary person or cultivator?
The boss wrote: Qi Refining Level 9.
Lu Yang wrote: How did I become an innkeeper?
The boss wrote: I can't say.
Lu Yang wrote: Do you need to follow different rules than us? What are those specific rules?
The innkeeper wrote: I follow the [Buyi Town Inn Rules], but I cannot tell you the specific rules.
Lu Yang wrote again: Do you want to leave?
The boss's right hand trembled slightly. "I want to."
Lu Yang took out his identity jade token. "We are disciples of the Ask Dao Sect. We have mistakenly entered this place and also wish to leave."
Upon learning that Ask Dao Sect, the shopkeeper became even more excited and wrote with trembling hands: What do you need?
Lu Yang wrote: Take off your white clothes.
When the innkeeper saw Lu Yang's request, he was taken aback, not expecting Lu Yang to make such a request.
The rules he followed stipulated that "within the rules, we should try our best to meet the guests' requests, except for those that violate ethical norms," but there was no mention of not being able to take off one's clothes.
The innkeeper took off his white clothes and handed them to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang packed up the clothes and returned to the room with Meng Jingzhou.
"We've been knocking on the door for two days, today it's our turn!" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou smiled coldly.
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