Distinguishing Rules and Hints

"What? Fake? How is that possible? How could the rules be fake?"

Yuigahama Yui wore an expression of utter disbelief; she couldn't fathom the idea that the rules were fake no matter how she thought about it.

If the rules were fake, then what else was real? Was there anything trustworthy in this Minzhai at all?

"The rules aren't fake, but the note you saw isn't the rules."

Bai Yuze corrected Yuigahama Yui's statement.

"What do you mean?"

Yuigahama Yui was bewildered; why was what Bai Yuze said becoming more and more confusing?

"First, you need to know one thing: the 'rules' you saw were written in the name of 'Yang Peng'. This means the authenticity of these rules depends entirely on the conscience of the person who wrote them; they do not possess absolute accuracy."

Bai Yuze's words woke the dreamer; only then did Yuigahama Yui realize something was wrong.

This note was written in the name of 'Yang Peng', so it could at most be considered a suggestion, not something to be executed as absolute rules.

"Secondly, you said that you and Yukino saw doors in three colors: 'red, yellow, and green'. Is it possible that these three doors represent the degree of influence the supernatural has on the two of you?

For example, red directly harms you, yellow affects your cognition, and green is harmless—and very likely the Gate of Life?"

"Impossible! If green is the Gate of Life, then what was the door I walked through?"

Yuigahama Yui had personally walked through the Gate of Life in the basement, and she clearly remembered that the door had no color at all.

"But the rules didn't explicitly state there was only one Gate of Life, did they? Remember the rules? It said there is no basement here, and if you find a staircase leading underground, please ignore it.

So, normally speaking, the Gate of Life should be a staircase leading upstairs, but you simply walked through a door and arrived upstairs. That doesn't match the hint in the rules."

Bai Yuze's words struck Yuigahama Yui's head like a heavy hammer.

That's right, the rules explicitly stated to ignore any staircase leading underground. This indirectly hinted at what the passage from the basement to the upper floor should look like, but neither Yuigahama Yui nor Yukino had thought of this.

"There is one more thing, and that is what I once said: the rules left behind by Yang Peng will be corrupted and can only exist for four cycles at most. For this reason, I specifically copied the note left by Yang Peng.

But my footprints never reached the basement, so... who wrote the note in the basement? My handwriting should be quite easy to recognize, right?"

Yuigahama Yui: !

Yuigahama Yui only then remembered that the handwriting on the note was different from Bai Yuze's. Bai Yuze's handwriting was neat, while the handwriting in the basement was slightly sloppy, as if it had been written in a hurry.

"Also... if the basement really is the first floor, then why would the note prompt you that the seal for the male corpse on the second floor is that scalpel? How did the hint for the first floor seep into the second floor? It's as if it were urging you to hurry forward. Didn't you feel that was strange?"

Yuigahama Yui: !!

"One last question: you said the environment in the basement was dark and damp, and the walls were even covered in moss. Then why is this photo you brought out as good as new?

And why did the room you entered just happen to have a group photo of 'Yang Peng' and others? Don't you find it eerie? It's as if an invisible hand is manipulating everything."

Bai Yuze fiddled with the photo in his hand; it remained clear and clean, as if it had just been taken.

Yuigahama Yui: !!!

"But this can't be blamed on you; it just happens to match the line from the poem."

[What is seen with one's own eyes is not necessarily the truth.]

"However, it is indeed necessary to go to the basement. After all, Yukino and the male corpse are still there. I must bring both the person and the Seal-Suppressing Ghost Artifact back."

Bai Yuze loosened his wrists and ankles, preparing to head to 108 to find the key to the basement from the front desk.

"I'm going with you!"

Yuigahama Yui replied firmly.

"No, you stay here. Although those rules are fake, I suspect they are mixed with some truth, such as 'a person can only come once'."

"It doesn't matter even if I have to give my life! Xiaoxue gave the only chance of survival to me; I cannot just ignore her!"

Yuigahama Yui's eyes were resolute; she looked like she was about to raise her hands and shout about loyalty.

"It's useless for you to go. Your description just now has already given me some stereotypes about the basement, so I can only go alone. This also corresponds to the second half of the hint."

[What is heard with one's own ears is not as good as what is seen with one's own eyes.]

"By the way, keep this clock. I just froze time here. If it reaches the next day and I haven't brought Yukino back, you smash this clock. You remember how to tell if it's the next day, right? It's when the food refreshes."

Bai Yuze handed the clock to Yuigahama Yui and, in passing, exchanged it for Yuigahama Yui's phone and her lock screen password.

"Alright, you rest here for now. I'll be back soon."

Bai Yuze smiled at Yuigahama Yui, then dragged the mangled corpse of Yamauchi Haruki out of 104.

As for Yuigahama Yui, she prayed in her heart that the two of them would return safely. As for the corpse Bai Yuze was dragging... that was irrelevant!

Bai Yuze skillfully hacked off one of Yamauchi Haruki's arms and threw it to the monster in front of him. Once the monster obtained what it wanted, it no longer made things difficult for Bai Yuze.

After all, it could distinguish between being full for one meal and being full for every meal; it definitely wasn't afraid of the gleaming kitchen knife in Bai Yuze's hand.

Bai Yuze dragged Yamauchi Haruki's corpse to room 108.

Knock, knock, knock.

Bai Yuze knocked on the door. As usual, Bai Yuze heard movement from inside.

He took a step back and waited quietly for the front desk to open the door. Before long, the door opened, and the tall figure of the front desk clerk blocked the entire door frame, making it impossible to see what was inside the room.

"Something you need?"

"I accidentally dropped something in the basement, and I'd like to go retrieve it."

"The basement? That is not a place you should be going."

"I know, but given my abilities, I'm capable of venturing down there. Besides, I'm worried that if I wait too long, it'll just attract flies."

The receptionist looked down and noticed Bai Yuze holding a kitchen knife in his right hand and dragging a corpse with his left.

"...You certainly are quite capable."

"You're too kind. This rare delicacy is yours."

Bai Yuze took a step back and tossed the corpse of Yamauchi Haruki in front of the receptionist.

The receptionist stared at Yamauchi Haruki's body for a moment, then slowly uttered a single word.

"Fine."