By the time the two stirred awake, the first rays of dawn had already peeked through the clouds, leaving them some time until 9am.

“I was scared out of my wits yesterday!” Meng Jingzhou’s heart was still reeling as memories of the previous night flowed into his mind.

Lu Yang appeared more calm. “Let’s familiarize ourselves with the rules first. Once we grasp the rules, we won’t be scared anymore.”

Meng Jingzhou nodded.

The two corroborated the twenty-one rules with each other to ensure there were no discrepancies in their memories before they were finally relieved.

“What time is it now?”

Just then, a gong sounded outside, and the night watchman announced, “It is now 9am. The hour of the snake[1] is upon us.”

The two hurried downstairs.

On the first floor, the two traveling merchants were lashing out at the innkeeper with a saddle in hand, “We left our horse in the stable in the backyard yesterday. Why...