Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

"You'll be staying here."

The village chief said in his flat voice, "There are five rooms in total, you can allocate them yourself. There is water and simple bedding in the rooms."

He paused, his cold eyes sweeping over the crowd, and added:

"Remember the rules. Don't go out after dark. No matter what you hear, don't open the door."

"If you have any questions, you can find me at the stone house in the center of the village during the day."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and turned to leave.

The villagers seemed to know that this was the guest's accommodation, so they stopped coming closer and just gathered a dozen meters away, standing in twos and threes, whispering to each other, but their eyes were still fixed on them as if they were being pricked by needles.

"Two people per room..."

Mark, the blond man, spoke first, looking at his companion, Kevin, the brown-haired man. Kevin nodded; the two clearly had a prior understanding.

"Hey, that little iceberg—"

Red-haired Emily raised her chin at An Zhiyu, her tone slightly provocative, but her eyes held more of a probing look.

"Want to come together? After all, it's just the two of us girls, and I think it should be pretty safe to be with you at night."

An Zhiyu glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, and walked straight to one of the rooms, pushing open the door and going in, which was considered as tacitly agreeing to Emily's suggestion.

Emily raised an eyebrow and followed.

The burly Black man looked at the pale-faced, long-haired man and asked:

"What about the two of us?"

The pale-faced, long-haired man glanced at the black man with a gloomy look, his expression showing some disdain. He coldly clicked his tongue and looked at Lu Changsheng and his three companions.

The black man raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he suppressed it and said nothing.

"I'll share a room with Mr. Baoshu."

The Japanese man, Yamamoto Ichiro, immediately pulled the Korean man next to him and said something. Park Bo-soo glanced at the remaining people and nodded.

Cheng Caijun looked at Lu Changsheng, and Lu Changsheng nodded.

"I share a room with him."

The long-haired, pale-faced man looked even more unwell.

There were five rooms in total, but only two people remained.

He could only keep a straight face and walk straight into a room.

The tall Black man's expression was also unpleasant, but after hesitating for a moment, glancing at the sky outside, he finally followed him inside.

Lu Changsheng and Cheng Caijun chose the smaller one on the right.

Pushing open the door, a wave of dust and musty smell hit me as I entered the room. The room was small, containing only a single earthen bed with two faded, suspiciously stained coarse cloth sheets and two stiff, damp cotton quilts.

In the corner was a dilapidated wooden shelf with a chipped earthenware jar filled with water on it, and two rough earthenware bowls next to it. Other than that, there was nothing else.

The windows were made of wooden lattice paper, the paper covering them yellowed and torn, letting in a faint light from outside.

Cheng Caijun put down his simple luggage, wiped the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and couldn't help but whisper:

"Brother Lu, this place... is too eerie. The way those villagers look at us doesn't feel like they're looking at a person. It's giving me goosebumps."

"Not only that, the blind fortune teller, the village chief, and even the tour guide are all strange!"

Cheng Caijun felt terrible whenever he thought about everything he had just experienced.

"Brother Lu, I'm the only one among everyone who wasn't seen by that blind man. Does that mean I've broken some taboo?"

"Maybe it's a good thing."

Lu Changsheng neither confirmed nor denied it. Cheng Caijun was originally a person with great fortune, and with the addition of a 25% luck bonus, not being predicted by fate was very likely a good thing.

But if you think like that, then being told your fate is a bad thing...

Lu Changsheng's gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if he were lost in thought.

"I think so too." Cheng Caijun chuckled. "I doubt that blind man can say anything good. This isn't fortune-telling, it's practically a curse!"

Lu Changsheng did not agree; that blind man Chen was quite capable. However, he did not tell Cheng Caijun, lest he exacerbate Cheng's unease.

He changed the subject.

"This is an A-rank dungeon, so it's definitely not simple. And for some reason, An Zhiyu has also joined this dungeon. I suspect this is more than just one dungeon."

Cheng Caijun was taken aback. "Brother Lu... what do you mean?"

Lu Changsheng recalled these players and said.

"Everyone participating in this game instance is extraordinary; they're probably all high-level players. I suspect they're connected to the Rules Management Bureau..."

"Rules Administration Bureau?"

Cheng Caijun immediately thought of that powerful figure from before.

"Um."

Lu Changsheng nodded without saying anything more.

Lu Changsheng interrupted him, walked to the window, and carefully looked out through the hole.

Inside the courtyard, Kim Jun-ho and Park Bo-soo had already gone inside and closed the door. Outside the gate, the villagers hadn't dispersed; they remained standing there like a flock of patient vultures.

The sky was darkening at a visible speed.

"The rule says, don't go out after dark, and don't answer the door if someone knocks."

Lu Changsheng withdrew his gaze and looked at Cheng Caijun, "Let's get some rest and stay vigilant. I'll take the first half of the night, and you take the second half."

Cheng Caijun nodded, a hint of nervousness on his face, but he didn't say anything more.

Lu Changsheng took out several talismans from his backpack and pasted one at the door, one at the window, and one at the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). The cinnabar on the talismans glowed faintly red in the dim light, as if it were alive.

"These are talismans," Lu Changsheng explained. "If anything gets close, the talisman will change color or spontaneously combust."

"Okay...okay." Cheng Caijun climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), lay down fully clothed, but his eyes were wide open.

Lu Changsheng didn't actually sleep. He leaned against the headboard, closed his eyes to rest, but carefully listened to all the sounds outside.

The sounds of wind, insects chirping, faint sobs or low laughter drifting from afar, and the rustling footsteps of villagers gradually dispersing outside the courtyard gate.

Finally, everything seemed to fall silent.

-

The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.

Lu Changsheng fell into a dream.

That was no ordinary dream.

There was no plot, no visuals, only a thick, suffocating darkness, and a strong chill that emanated from his cervical spine—as if a cold knife was pressed against the back of his neck, patiently rubbing back and forth inch by inch.

He could clearly feel the texture of the blade, and the terrifying sensation of flesh and bone separating as it slowly cut. He wanted to struggle, but couldn't move; he wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Just as the knife seemed to have found its mark and was about to make a powerful cut—

"laugh!"

A sharp, burning pain shot through my chest!

Lu Changsheng suddenly woke up from his nightmare, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He looked down and saw that the jade pendant on his chest was emitting a faint light. The jade pendant was so hot that it burned a small black mark on his chest skin.