Chapter 134: Stance Inversion

As the hour of the pig descended, only two guests remained within the entire inn: Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

The inn boy descended from the third floor clutching an axe, its blade slick with fresh, uncoagulated blood that dripped steadily onto the floor, its source unknown.

A smirk curled the corners of his mouth; though he had stumbled into this town by mistake and was forced to abide by its rules, this very confinement was also an opportunity—a chance to unleash his true nature.

He had long since forgotten how long he had been in Buyi Town, nor could he recall how many souls he had slaughtered.

These two had been exceptionally lucky; Buyi Town was rife with pitfalls, yet they had miraculously avoided every trap to survive until now, unlike previous waves of guests who, unfamiliar with the land and skeptical of the rules, were swiftly annihilated.

The ten Earth-rank rooms stood as proof, nine of their doors having already turned pitch black, and that was not even counting those fools who blindly ventured to the third floor to stay in the Heaven-rank suites.

The luck of these two newcomers was bound to run out tonight.

He resolved to pound on their door from now until dawn; even if he could not kill them outright, he would drive them to the brink of madness with torment.

"Strange. Earth Room Four was lit up the past two nights, so why is it dark tonight?"

The inn boy quickly deduced the reason and sneered, "To think such a trick would make me spare you. Naive."

Adjusting his tone, he tapped gently on the wooden door. "Honored guests, please open the door. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding between us."

The inn boy paused, then spoke again in a voice that sounded far more steady and trustworthy: "Honored guests, please open the door. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding between us."

As always, there was no reply.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand shot forth and clamped tightly around his ankle.

"Who goes there!"

He whipped his head down and discovered that, at some unknown point, a small crawlhole had been breached at the base of Earth Room Four's wall; through it, a pale hand extended, gripping his ankle in a deathly vice.

The strength behind that hand was monstrous; with a violent yank, it sent him crashing to the floor.

Clatter—

The inn boy hit the ground hard, his axe skittering away across the floorboards.

He crawled frantically backward, desperate to break free, but the sheer power of that grip defied imagination; he could not break loose!

It had always been he who dragged others to their doom; when had the roles ever been reversed!

He was going to die!

A profound sense of absurdity washed over him. How could this be? He was the hunter, and the guests were the prey!

"No, this is entirely possible!" The inn boy suddenly recalled the second rule.

From the hour of the pig to the hour of the dragon, closed-door thatched huts and closed-door inn rooms are absolutely safe; anywhere outside of them is fraught with peril.

Earth Room Four was still securely shut, making it an absolute sanctuary for the guests. If he were to be dragged inside, his fate would be utterly catastrophic!

The inn boy clawed at the wooden floorboards with his fingernails, like prey half-swallowed by a giant serpent, straining for survival as he shrieked frantically, "Help! Help! Save me!"

His desperate cries were filled with genuine terror.

Unfortunately, no one came to his rescue.

The rules of the Buyi Town Inn contained no clause regarding the salvation of the inn boy.

Just as more than half of his body was about to be pulled through, he jammed both hands against the walls flanking the hole and exerted a burst of frantic strength, finally breaking free of the hold.

Leaving his axe behind, the inn boy scrambled up and fled limping back to the Heaven-rank quarters.

"He got away?" Meng Jingzhou muttered, a trace of helplessness in his voice. The fellow's strength was uncanny; even crushing his ankle hadn't been enough to hold him fast.

No matter what, the two of them were determined to deal with this annoying inn boy tonight, who kept knocking blindly instead of sleeping like a decent soul.

Did he not know who they were? As the grand helmsmen of the Demonic Sect, when had they ever tolerated such insolence?!

After two days of careful observation, they had deciphered the rules of the inn and swiftly devised a counter-strategy.

Lu Yang had first utilized his sword to hollow out a gap beneath the wall tailored precisely to the inn boy's proportions.

By weaponizing the rule that "a closed room is safe," they ensured that pulling the inn boy inside would shield them from his harm, leaving the upper hand firmly in their grasp.

"A lively prey makes for a much better hunt!" A cruel smile tugged at Lu Yang's lips as his chilling voice echoed through the chamber.

Two dark silhouettes stepped out from Earth Room Four—one holding a sword, the other empty-handed until he retrieved the discarded axe from the floor.

The tip of the sword dragged along the ground with an erratic, scraping hiss, while the axe wept blood in rhythmic, heavy drops.

Clutching their blood-stained implements of dread, the two shadows prowled through the inn.

Not on the second floor... which meant he had to be on the third.

The third floor comprised four rooms in total, all designated as Heaven-rank quarters.

The shadow with the sword knocked gently upon a door, his voice deceptively mild: "We heard free supper is provided here. We are quite famished and wish to dine. Pray, open the door."

Seeing no response from Heaven Room One, Lu Yang grew impatient and hammered violently upon the wood. "Open up! We want our food! What kind of service is this!"

"There is a misunderstanding between us. Open the door so we can have a proper chat!"

"Open up! Open it this instant! If you don't open the door, I shall break it down!"

The thunderous pounding reverberated with such force that it shook the entire inn.

With a heavy kick, Lu Yang burst into Heaven Room One only to find it vacant; yet when he attempted to cross the threshold, an invisible barrier repelled him, denying entry.

Rule Five: Under no circumstances shall one enter the Heaven-rank rooms.

Cowering within one of the suites, the inn boy shivered uncontrollably as he listened to the commotion next door.

"D-do not be afraid. The rules explicitly state they cannot enter a Heaven-rank room. They cannot get in. They cannot get in," the inn boy muttered over and over, though his heart hammered with agonizing doubt.

Heaven Room Two and Heaven Room Three were kicked open in swift succession by Lu Yang, yet neither yielded any sign of the inn boy.

"Then it must be Heaven Room Four!"

Without a second thought, Lu Yang booted the door open, exposing the inn boy curled into a wretched ball within the shadows.

"Come out! Do so, and I might grant you mercy!" Meng Jingzhou threatened with fierce, booming authority.

Discerning what he believed to be a mere bluff, the inn boy relaxed and burst into mocking laughter. "Haha! Just as I thought, you are bound by the rules as well!"

Within the Heaven-rank quarters, he alone held the power to grant entry, and within these walls, his dominion was absolute—no one could touch him!

Just as the inn boy pondered whether to drag the pair inside to their doom, Lu Yang unhurriedly produced a wooden plaque from behind his back; upon seeing it, the inn boy's face twisted into an expression of absolute horror.

Inscribed upon the wooden plaque were the words: Earth Room Four.

Anticipating such an impasse, Lu Yang had previously experimented by swapping the plaque of Earth Room Three with that of Earth Room Four; the black door of Room Three had immediately reverted to brown, proving it had indeed transformed into "Earth Room Four."

The exploit worked perfectly.

The moment Lu Yang replaced the sign of Heaven Room Four with that of Earth Room Four, the protective barrier vanished, leaving the way entirely clear.

One bearing a sword and the other wielding an axe, the two stepped forward with terrifying smiles etched upon their faces.

Under the inn boy's petrified gaze, they marched into the room and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

This was now Earth Room Four, a domain of absolute safety for them.

Lu Yang brought his foot down, knocking the inn boy flat, and systematically severed his tendons to ensure no chance of escape.

Meng Jingzhou delivered two resounding slaps to his face, collecting a bit of interest for all the nightly terror he had inflicted.

Then, the two of them dressed him anew in garments of pure white.

"Speak, what do you know!"

Article Seventeen: Do not easily trust the words of strangers, those who wear white clothes only speak the truth.

(Additional update for Alliance Leader Sky of Clouds and Sea)

(End of this chapter)