When the two woke up, the sky was barely brightening, and there was still some time before the Si hour.
"Yesterday scared the daylights out of me!" Meng Jingzhou said, lingering dread clinging to him as he recalled the previous night.
Lu Yang was relatively calm. "Let's familiarize ourselves with the rules first. Once we know them well, there's nothing to fear."
Meng Jingzhou nodded.
The two reviewed the twenty-one rules to ensure their memories were accurate, only then feeling somewhat reassured.
"What time is it now?"
Just then, the sound of a gong echoed from outside as a nightwatchman struck it and cried out in a clear voice, "The Si hour has arrived!"
The two hurried downstairs.
On the ground floor, two traveling merchants held a saddle, venting their fury at the innkeeper. "We left our horse in the backyard stable yesterday! How come there's only a saddle left today?!"
Lu Yang recalled the massive monster they had encountered the night before. Perhaps it had eaten the horse.
They hadn't heard any whinnying last night, which meant the horse hadn't even had the chance to struggle. What a terrifying creature.
Paying no further attention to the merchants, the two ran out of the inn.
The Immortal Fairy cautioned him, "Those two merchants carry a heavy baleful aura and are plagued by wronged souls. They aren't simple traveling traders."
Lu Yang nodded to show he had noted it.
Wafts of aroma drifted down the street. Eateries had opened their doors, steaming piping-hot food that whetted the appetite. Oddly enough, the eateries were completely devoid of workers. A sign stood on one tier of steamers, reading: "Meat Buns."
The residents of Buyi Town wore brown, coarse hemp garments. Accustomed to this arrangement, they simply took their breakfast, sat down, and ate, steering well clear of the meat buns.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou followed suit, taking three flatbreads and a bowl of soybean milk, eating with great relish.
Lu Yang noticed that the townsfolk ate very quickly. Some even ate while walking, looking exceedingly hurried.
A commotion arose from one end of the street. A crowd fled in panic, and those who had been eating dropped their food and ran off without a second thought.
"Let's run too!" Lu Yang grabbed his flatbread and took off.
The two bolted to the far end of the street, then turned around to see what had happened.
A crowd dressed in black was approaching, numbering around several dozen, with sabers at their waists.
"You there, halt!" one of the black-clothed men barked at someone who was fleeing. The man instinctively turned his head—and his neck twisted a full three hundred and sixty degrees, leaving his head dangling limp.
The black-clothed men burst out laughing at the sight. Sitting before the eatery, they lifted the steamer lids, grabbed meat buns, and dug in, savory oil dripping from their lips.
The deceased man's head lifted, twisted itself back around, and returned to normal. As if forgetting what had just occurred, he leisurely ambled away from the scene.
"Those are government runners. The rules say we can't eat meat buns, but the runners can, which means the rules they follow are different from ours," Lu Yang analyzed in a low voice.
"There are many kinds of breakfast food, yet all the runners chose meat buns. That suggests they can only eat meat buns."
"And the rules say not to turn your head. It seems turning your head twists it clean off!"
The two exchanged glances and decided to leave, putting as much distance between themselves and the runners as possible.
"At man's beginning, nature is good. Natures are similar; habits diverge..." As they passed a private school, clear chanting voices drifted out. The voices sounded mature, like a group of adults reciting the Three Character Classic.
Yet Lu Yang remembered the written rule: [The private school has been abandoned for many years. There is no private school teacher in town. Only barking dogs will be heard from inside, never the sound of reading.]
This was completely wrong.
The two quickened their pace to leave, but a man dressed in gray stepped in front of them, blocking their path. "You two look unfamiliar. Could you have come from elsewhere?"
[Rule Nine: The one in gray robes is the private school teacher. If you encounter the private school teacher, pretend not to hear whatever he says.]
[Rule Ten: Do not meet the private school teacher's eyes. If you make eye contact with him, you will turn into a black dog.]
The two reacted at once, keeping their heads lowered as they walked forward, refusing to meet the teacher's eyes or listen to what he said.
The private school teacher refused to give up, continuing beside them, "Judging by your fine attire, you two must possess cultivation. Could it be that you believe the rules on that white paper?"
"The rules on the paper aren't entirely true. Parts of them are meant to deceive."
"In truth, the great lord who established the rules here bears no ill will. He only wished to protect himself, which was why he resorted to this expedient. Upon learning of your arrival, he specifically sent me to assist you."
"I have a way to leave the town, but the price is that you will lose your memories of this place."
"As long as you recite the Three Character Classic in the private school for three days, you can leave the town! I am not deceiving you—just listen to the voices inside. Yesterday, someone already left with my help."
The private school teacher suddenly dashed ahead of them, bending down to catch Lu Yang's eyes.
Lu Yang shut his eyes and kept walking. Before closing them, he caught sight of the lower half of the man's face: it had no skin, leaving raw, red muscle exposed—a truly gruesome sight.
Seeing that the two paid him no mind and merely kept their heads down, the teacher had no choice but to give up. He shouted after them, "This is your only chance to leave town! You'll regret refusing my help!"
Inside the mental space, the Immortal Fairy spoke up, "Lu Yang, don't believe him. Only part of what he said is true."
"Only part?" Lu Yang was somewhat surprised. He had assumed it was entirely fabricated.
"He really does have a way to let people leave town, but not in human form—as black dogs. Last night, I saw him let several black dogs go."
"And before he ran into you, someone made eye contact with him. Afterward, that person suffered a splitting headache, their eyes turned bloodshot, and black fur gradually sprouted on their arms before they walked into the private school."
A chill ran down Lu Yang's spine. The private school teacher's ability was exceptionally insidious and dangerous to handle.
"Let's head to the tailor shops." Lu Yang had formed a few ideas that needed testing.
The two searched every tailor shop in Buyi Town. None sold black, white, or gray garments, nor did they carry any corresponding fabrics.
While wandering through the town, another question occurred to them: "Where is the ancestral hall?"
The rules claimed the ancestral hall was safe, yet also stated there was a monster inside. Such contradictory statements meant the place was definitely extraordinary.
Yet after a full circle around town, they found no trace of the ancestral hall.
By this time, dusk had fallen and the Hai hour was drawing near; they had to return to the inn.
"Honored guests, you have returned safely! Our inn is very safe, so you need not be so tense. I will see to your safety." At the entrance, a smiling waiter greeted them. He had no whites in his eyes—his eyes were pitch black, as if capable of perceiving things ordinary mortals could not.
The hairs on their necks stood on end. That voice was unmistakably the one that had knocked on their door in the corridor last night!
It had been him all along!
"Waiter, the time hasn't come yet. Go back to your room!" The innkeeper drove the waiter away.
The waiter glared fixatedly at the innkeeper. Only after a long staredown did he turn away, reluctant.
Lu Yang noticed that the waiter headed up to the third floor—the floor with the Sky-rank rooms.
Chapter 132