Five Rules Inn

Hell Valley, inside an inn in the Blood Pond Clan Territory.

The door creaked open, and a stench of mold and rot rushed into their faces. Uchiha Zhi Li frowned slightly and silently led Tong Ren and Nian inside.

This was a standard inn. The room was dim because its only illumination came from candle lamps. The simple and unadorned elm floorboards, worn tables, and old chairs all spoke of the inn's poverty.

More importantly, of the seven people inside the inn whom Zhi Li had been watching closely, only two reacted when they entered.

One was the woman behind the counter. She merely looked up at them before losing interest.

The other was the Shop Assistant dressed in coarse linen. Seeing the three enter, he immediately beamed and hurried over.

"Welcome, honored guests. Are you here to eat or stay the night?"

Tong Ren instinctively glanced at Nian, his heart pounding. According to Nian, this man was the one whose soul strength was no weaker than Zhi Li's.

Fortunately, all three of them had removed their Uchiha clan clothes before entering, so they had not drawn anyone's attention.

"Eating," Zhi Li replied flatly. Her expression was natural as she led the other two to a seat.

Their table was close to the entrance and directly faced the main hall. If things got out of control, they could immediately rush out the door.

"Certainly!"

Zhi Li took the menu. While ordering, she casually remarked, "It's a little quiet today, isn't it?"

"Well, that's business. Having few customers is nothing unusual," the Shop Assistant replied with a smile.

"So which customers are we?" Zhi Li shot him a glance, one slender brow rising slightly.

"That... is rather difficult to answer." The Shop Assistant waved his hand, his tone carrying a faint urge to hurry her along. "You should order first, honored guest. I can't wait for you to taste our chef's cooking!"

"What's the rush?" Zhi Li did not indulge him. She slowly flipped through the menu, while her other hand habitually reached beneath the table and felt along its underside.

At that moment, heavy footsteps came from upstairs. A sleepy Strong man yawned as he descended. He looked around, apparently searching for the Shop Assistant, then strode over and dropped into the seat beside the three of them.

"Cut me three jin of roe deer meat, a dish of diced mustard greens, and half a jin of Rice Wine," he called out while rubbing his eyes.

When the Shop Assistant did not respond, he immediately bellowed, "Bastard! Didn't you hear me?"

"Uh, honored guest, I'm terribly sorry. This inn is too small, and I'm the only assistant here. Right now, it's this honored guest's turn." Cold sweat beaded on the Shop Assistant's forehead as he spoke in a helpless tone.

"Hmph, picking a meal and still dawdling." The Strong man slapped the table, clearly irritated.

The hall instantly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. The two diners quietly rose and moved away from the Strong man. By coincidence, they took seats around the three of them in a surrounding formation, while their dishes were moved to their respective tables.

Zhi Li did not choose to confront them head-on. She casually ordered several dishes, and the Shop Assistant swiftly took the menu. After placing it on the counter, he called into the hall, "Mei Ya! Tell the kitchen to hurry!"

The woman named Mei Ya nodded coldly and turned to walk behind the curtain.

The Shop Assistant immediately turned around and began serving the Strong man, his ingratiating laughter sounding from time to time.

Before long, dishes were brought to the table one after another. They looked enticing and smelled delicious.

"Why did you order so much?" Tong Ren asked in surprise.

With her back to the hall, Zhi Li's pretty face suddenly turned grave. She tapped the tabletop with a delicate finger, glanced downward, then deliberately knocked over the food tray.

The siblings' understanding needed no words. Tong Ren immediately caught on. He bent down to pick it up, and while gathering the scattered utensils, he quietly raised his head. His eyes abruptly widened.

Several lines of small writing had been carved beneath the table.

"Welcome to Five Rules Inn."

"The game begins upon entering the inn."

"Rule One: The silent are eliminated."

"Rule Two: Those who do not eat are eliminated."

"Rule Three: Those who stand are eliminated."

"Rule Four: Those who do not follow one bite of meat, two bites of vegetables, and three drinks are eliminated."

Tong Ren stiffly gathered the utensils and sat upright, his face already deathly pale.

At the next table, the Strong man began eating and drinking heartily—one bite of meat, one bite of vegetables, one drink of wine—enjoying himself immensely.

The lights in the hall were dim. The air was filled with chewing sounds, punctuated now and then by the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, as well as faint whispers like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Looking at the feast before him, Tong Ren felt nauseated. Zhi Li across from him did not look much better. Clearly, she had already learned of these so-called rules.

At that moment, Tong Ren wanted nothing more than to stand up and leave, yet he did not have the courage to break the rules.

Of the three, the youngest, Uchiha Nian, remained the calmest. He propped up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and put it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing as he chewed.

"Pah," he said, then spat it onto the table.

He picked up a piece of diced radish, chewed twice, and spat that out as well. He lifted his tea and gargled loudly, then suddenly sprayed it at the Strong man at the next table.

Pfft!

The sight made Tong Ren's heart pound wildly, and even Zhi Li was somewhat startled.

"Damn it, you little brat! Are you looking to die?"

The Strong man flew into a rage. Slapping the table, he rose and took a step forward to seize Nian by the collar. But he seemed to suddenly recall something, and his face went pale in an instant.

Then, a scalp-numbing scene unfolded. The Strong man's eyes widened in terror as the Flesh and Blood all over his body began to melt strangely. Like a wax statue roasted by blazing fire, he melted inch by inch, from his limbs to his torso, into the earth.

Amid chilling sizzling sounds, he turned into a pool of blood within mere seconds, seeping into the cracks between the floorboards.

Tong Ren instinctively looked out the window. He saw a stream of blood flowing along the grooves in the ground, merging into the blood pool at the very center.

"Bleurgh!"

He retched uncontrollably and nearly fell from his seat, but Nian grabbed his arm.

Now he understood where that pool of blood had come from!

Could it be that everyone in the Blood Pond Clan had turned into bloodwater?!?

Only then did he realize that the two diners who had stood up and changed seats earlier had disappeared without a trace.

Suppressing his nausea, Tong Ren and Zhi Li both picked up their chopsticks and began tasting the food in order. Sure enough, the flavors were bizarre, completely unlike ordinary dishes.

Suddenly, Tong Ren noticed that Nian beside him had frozen. His Eyes bulged, his Hands clutched at his own throat, and amid violent convulsions, foam spilled from his mouth as he rolled off his seat.

"What?!"

"Why?!"

"Nian clearly followed the rules!"

He screamed Nian's name in terror as he bent over, trying to pull Nian up from the floor. But it was utterly useless. He could only watch as Nian melted inch by inch, turning into bloodwater that seeped into the floorboards.

Immense grief swallowed him whole.

Suddenly, he inadvertently glanced beneath the table and discovered another line of tiny writing at the very bottom of the rules.

"Rule Five: Obeying all the above rules is forbidden."

A chill ran through Tong Ren's entire body, and beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down from his temples.

"Tong Ren, get up quickly!"

Zhi Li's urgent shout came from above the table.

Tong Ren's lips trembled as he hurriedly stood. "Sister, what should we do? Nian... Nian is dead!"

"Tong Ren, hurry and eat!"

"?"

"Tong Ren, hurry!"

Tong Ren stared at his sister in disbelief, watching her shout at the empty air beside her as though someone were sitting there.

"Sister, I'm right here!" Tong Ren cried.

As if she had heard him, Zhi Li stopped calling out and abruptly turned to look at him.

In that instant, Tong Ren's soul nearly left his body. The sister before him—her delicate, gentle face—had completely become the Shop Assistant's face. He grinned at Tong Ren sinisterly, his hollow eyes brimming with eerie malice.