I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

Zhang Yangqing was very puzzled. His body was in a semi-strange state, and as a half-human, he shouldn't feel so hungry.

The strange half has a slow and steady need for energy, while the human half, although it may get hungry, doesn't experience such intense hunger.

He examined his body, carefully analyzing the source of each sensation.

This must be a special rule of the guesthouse.

In other words, this guesthouse has certain hidden rules that you can't see, but you have to follow them.

For example, eating on time, or you'll starve if you don't eat by a certain time; sleeping on time, or something will "crawl out" if you don't sleep, and so on.

These are all just Zhang Yangqing's guesses based on the current intelligence.

He was thinking, but the hunger in his stomach was so intense that it almost overwhelmed his reason.

The feeling wasn't ordinary hunger, but a primal, instinctive craving, as if telling him: as a monster, you have to find a way to "eat".

"Eating people," or rather, eating other bizarre things.

Does this mean the rules here are to let the tenants kill each other?

Because where is the "food" here? Nobody knows.

Are we supposed to ask that old weirdo at the door?
Don't forget, he's skin and bones; he couldn't even "eat" you.

He also said that intelligence could only be provided after the fourth day.

Zhang Yangqing put down the building blocks, stood up, and was about to go out to find food when...

"Dong dong dong."

A knock came at the door.

Very light, very rhythmic, three times.

Zhang Yangqing walked to the door. There was no peephole on the door. None of the doors in this guesthouse had peepholes; they were just bare wooden doors.

That unfamiliar sense of fear of "not being able to see" would frighten many chosen ones and passengers.

But who is Zhang Yangqing?

He opened the door; it's uncertain who he might be afraid of.

However, just to be on the safe side, he gripped the doorknob and gently opened it a crack.

A woman stood outside the door; she was familiar—it was the gray-clad lady I hadn't seen for long.

Her face was a little pale, and her hands were nervously twisting together. When she saw Zhang Yangqing open the door, a look of relief flashed in her eyes.

Zhang Yangqing opened the door fully and asked, "What happened?"

The woman in gray's voice trembled slightly: "Master, there's something wrong with my room."

Zhang Yangqing: "What's the problem?"

The woman in gray said, "After I closed the door, I was checking the bed and other things in the room when I heard someone knocking on the door."

Zhang Yangqing: "Go on."

The woman in gray began to recall, her voice growing softer and softer: "I asked who it was, but there was no response from outside, so of course I didn't open the door. But the strange thing was, the knocking kept going on. Even with my ears covered, I could still hear it, which made me very upset and uncomfortable. I felt like my body was out of control, and I had a bloodthirsty urge."

"I called out to the people around me, but no one answered. I felt it was dangerous to continue like this, so I opened the door to look, but I couldn't see anyone. The corridor was empty, there was nothing there. At that moment, the knocking stopped, so I closed the door, and then it started knocking again."

Zhang Yangqing: "How many times has this happened? Have you asked other passengers on the same floor?"

The woman in gray held up three fingers: "Three times. I didn't dare ask them."

Zhang Yangqing stared at the woman in gray for two seconds, then said, "Let's go, take me to see her."

Just then, the door to room 721 next door opened.

Copper Skin strangely poked half its body out, saw Zhang Yangqing and the gray-clad woman, and grinned: "Master, what's wrong? Something happened?"

Zhang Yangqing glanced at him: "There's something going on in her room, I'll go down and check it out."

Copper Skin's strange eyes lit up, and he pushed open the door and came out: "I'm just idling around anyway, let's go together, maybe we can help."

Zhang Yangqing glanced at him, said nothing, and simply nodded.

The three of them went downstairs together.

The staircase still seemed long, the lights flickering on and off.

The woman in gray led the way, glancing back every now and then, as if something was following her.

Copper Skin seemed indifferent, walking around and looking at the surrounding walls, occasionally reaching out to touch the strange marks.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the second floor. The door to room 217 was ajar; the woman in gray had left in such a hurry that she hadn't had time to lock it.

Just as the woman in gray was about to push the door open and go in, Zhang Yangqing stopped at the doorway.

He didn't move, but just quietly watched the woman in gray.

Zhang Yangqing spoke calmly, "Tell me, where is the guest in this room?"

The woman in gray froze, her expression hardening for a moment before she forced a puzzled smile: "Master, what are you talking about?"

Zhang Yangqing didn't answer, he just looked at her.

Tongpi, who hadn't noticed anything amiss before, immediately became wary upon hearing this, his aura surging as if he were ready to attack at any moment.

Facing the two powerful figures, the woman in gray pretended to know nothing: "Great masters, what's wrong with me? I was really frightened by the knocking, that's why I came to find you."

Zhang Yangqing interrupted her: "You said you felt a bloodlust when you heard the knocking, but when you came to find me, your demeanor was very calm. If you were terrified, why did you act so normally at my door?"

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Did you take some time to compose yourself and take a deep breath before coming to find me?"

At this moment, the straight man, Tongpi, suddenly realized something and immediately chimed in: "So that's it! What the master was saying was that your acting wasn't convincing! A person who comes looking for someone in a panic can't be as relaxed as you make it sound!"

Zhang Yangqing continued, "There's one more thing. You seem to know the way very well. I wasn't sure at first, but after you brought me here, I'm certain. You are definitely the oddity here. I find this place a bit confusing, but you were able to get here directly, and you even remembered the way in a hurry. Do you have that kind of memory?"

The straight man, Tongpi, nodded strangely, "That's right! I think so too!"

Once exposed, the "woman in gray" changed her expression instantly.

The face began to contort and rot.

The skin peeled away layer by layer, like melting wax, revealing the blood-red, skinless true face beneath.

His eyes were turned into two bloody holes, and his mouth was split open to his ears, revealing jagged, sharp teeth.

She let out a piercing scream and lunged directly at Zhang Yangqing!
Zhang Yangqing raised his hand.

Bang.

The blood-red, eerie body exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of blood mist before dissipating.

Copper Skin looked at the remnants on the ground with a strange expression, and suddenly sighed.

Zhang Yangqing turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"

Copper Skin blurted out in a strange tone, "This guy has a good physique, no, no, no!"

Realizing he had misspoke, he quickly waved his hand: "What I meant was that we can get more information from her! Yes! Information!"

Zhang Yangqing was speechless.

At a time like this, you're still thinking about this?

He explained, "This kind of anomaly is a rule-based anomaly. Once exposed, it's just a mindless killing tool, fearless of death. Didn't you see? Just now, when the two of us released our auras, she wasn't afraid at all? Any other sentient being would have knelt down long ago."

Copper Skin scratched his head strangely: "I see, I just felt it was a pity."

Zhang Yangqing kicked him.

Copper Skin gave a strange chuckle and quickly concealed himself.

One passenger went missing shortly after they checked in, which made Zhang Yangqing suspicious.

That eerie, blood-red message just now actually contained information: the knocking sound, bloodlust?

He pushed open the door and walked into 217.

The room was a complete mess.

On the wooden board inside the door, there were deep scratch marks, as if someone had scratched it desperately with their fingernails.

The scratches stretched from the height of the doorknob all the way to the ground, and in some places even sawdust.

These marks must have been made by the woman in gray who couldn't stand the knocking.

In other words, she couldn't take it anymore, or she was being controlled, so she opened the door and left?

Apart from the eerie crimson color, there was no other bloodstains around, indicating that the woman in gray was not yet dead and was still alive.

According to Zhang Yuqi's observation, there were still traces of the woman in gray in the room.

One of her coats was lying on the bed, and her small bag, containing some odds and ends, was on the table.

She left in a hurry, taking nothing with her. (End of Chapter)