Chapter 22: Knocking Guest House (VII)

The silent night sky was moonless and cloudless, dark as ink. Yet, across this black canvas, a Vermilion Bird constellation was painted in vivid strokes, forged from the connection of brilliant starlight.

The Vermilion Bird soared through the void, its divine nature radiating with every beat of its wings. As one of the "Four Symbols of Heaven," this divine beast represented the Flame Emperor and the seven mansions of the south. Associated with the element of fire, it was a guardian that warded off evil and misfortune.

However, in the position of the Vermilion Bird’s crest, a cluster of stars appeared dim and despondent, as if veiled by a haze. This left the Vermilion Bird unable to see with its eyes or hear with its ears.

"You went to all this trouble just to show me a bird? I could have seen that myself."

Zhou Ke didn't know much about astrology and didn't understand the significance, but he memorized it regardless. Having done what was required, he returned to his room to catch up on sleep. Compared to those who had tossed and turned all night, Zhou Ke’s lackluster, dead-eyed expression somehow looked remarkably refreshed and composed.

"Surely you believe me now, right?" He raised an eyebrow at Linghu Shiyu and Louis, who looked haggard and were struggling to keep their eyelids open.

He had proven his words were true by putting himself on the line the previous night, all to earn a modicum of trust.

"We believe you, we believe you, okay? Please, don't ever pull a stunt like that again," Linghu Shiyu said, lingering fear in her voice.

"Yeah, same here," Louis added, nodding.

Most of their suspicion toward Zhou Ke had dissipated. They reasoned that if Zhou Ke were the "mole," there would be no need for him to reveal so much intelligence. In truth, over the past few days, Zhou Ke had been the one solving the difficult problems—questioning the mole, decrypting numbers, second-guessing the landlord, "encouraging unity," and cracking the rules—while they had contributed very little.

"What do we do now?" Linghu Shiyu instinctively turned to Zhou Ke.

Today was the fifth day specified in the "Guest Guidelines." If it were all to end automatically when the time came, that would be fine. But if there were other unknown rules, they didn't have much time left.

"We definitely need to order breakfast in the morning; how can we have the energy to work without a full stomach?" Zhou Ke gave a vague response before heading toward Room 2.

Following the fair rotation, it should have been Louis or Li Hua’s turn to make the call, but they had unanimously decided to yield the precious opportunity to Zhou Ke. Never one for shame, Zhou Ke didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the receiver.

"Oh! My most beloved landlord, I am so glad to hear your voice again. The last time we met was just the last time we met!"

...

A long, drawn-out silence came from the other end of the line. Everyone knew the landlord’s face must be as black as the bottom of a pot right now.

"Why is it you again?" the landlord asked, his tone unfriendly.

"Did you miss me?" Zhou Ke’s voice turned tender.

"Say what you have to say, and make it quick!" The landlord was so disgusted he felt nauseated; the good mood he had gained from toying with that girl yesterday had been completely ruined.

"Then, as per custom, please provide us with a portion of slow-cooked Dragon Pearl Brocade, a serving of Palace White Jade harvested in the morning dew, and a portion of Master Chef’s hand-prepared Golden Silk Red Cloud White Sands."

"What is he saying? Can you order off a menu here?" Linghu Shiyu asked, her head full of question marks.

Li Hua spread his hands and shook his head, indicating that even after years of sitting at the same desk, he still couldn't decipher Zhou Ke's thought process.

The landlord, however, understood the meaning perfectly and let out a cold hum: "Understood. One boiled egg, one carton of milk, one pork floss and ham sandwich."

"So nothing changed at all!" everyone thought, speechless.

"Hang up if there's nothing else. I feel a heartache over every cent of phone bill spent on you." The landlord no longer expected to find any amusement in Zhou Ke—it was lucky enough that he wasn't being treated as the amusement himself!

"Wait, don't hang up yet," Zhou Ke shouted.

"You hang up! Your whole family hangs up!"

Hearing the roar from the receiver, Zhou Ke cleaned his ear, thinking: The landlord is very unfriendly.

He didn't pay it much mind and asked calmly, "Landlord, I want to ask you a question."

"Oh—?" The landlord couldn't believe it. The tone of his question actually shifted into something resembling a translated dub. "My God, my heavens, you say you want to ask me a question?"

He became more agitated as he spoke, his tone rising. It was the emotion of a slave who had been oppressed for years finally seeing a chance to rise up and become the master!

Ignoring the commotion on the other end, Zhou Ke asked bluntly, "Do you prefer odd numbers or even numbers?"

Upon hearing the question, the landlord’s high spirits plummeted back to the bottom. However, after a moment’s thought, he let out a sinister, cold laugh:

"Heh heh, I like odd numbers, but after a certain odd number, I like even numbers even more."

"Got it. Thanks."

"Rack your brains for it, heh heh heh!"

Zhou Ke didn't hear the last sentence. After obtaining the answer he wanted, he immediately hung up the phone. His cold attitude, as if treating the landlord like disposable trash, made the others cringe, and they couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the landlord.

"Do you know what that means?" Linghu Shiyu asked.

"Not yet, but we'll know by tonight," Zhou Ke said with a mysterious smile.

He turned to the others and said, "Today is the final day. It’s the day we escape this place. Since we’ll all have to come out eventually, there's no point in acting separately. As the saying goes: live together, or die together."

"Is that really how the phrase goes?" Li Hua grumbled.

"For our final desperate struggle, we should just stay together tonight. At least we can look out for one another."

Zhou Ke's suggestion was quickly agreed upon by the others. They all felt that this fifth day was the key to their escape; if they waited any longer, they would truly be exhausted. Although there was food, it was only enough for one meal, and the expenditure would always exceed the intake. Moreover, with virtually no time to sleep, their mental states had already reached their limits.

"Good, excellent." Zhou Ke nodded with the air of a leader and impatiently summoned his "Truth." "To boost morale, let me tell you all a fairy tale."

Instantly, the listless crowd jumped up.

"I’m going to keep looking for clues," Linghu Shiyu said, walking away without hesitation.

"Little beauty, I’ll go get breakfast," Louis, thick-browed and large-eyed, laughed as he scurried off.

"Uh, I... I..." Li Hua’s barren brain couldn't come up with an excuse in time.

"Do you want to eat or poop?" In Zhou Ke’s eyes, Li Hua wasn't good for much else.

"Uh, ah, I’m going to sleep." Li Hua finished his exaggerated performance and immediately collapsed onto the floor, limp.

Zhou Ke didn't stand on ceremony with him either, sitting directly on Li Hua’s back and sighing, "Sigh, do people these days really not like listening to fairy tales?"

*It’s just that we don’t want to listen to yours; you ruin childhoods,* thought Li Hua, burying his head and playing dead.