The man's expression was calm, the light and shadow falling on his eyelashes as he glanced sideways, without a trace of emotion.
The cat remained calm, but the newcomer was startled.
After a few seconds of silence, the newcomer whispered to Yin Xiu again, "Are you a player too?"
Yin Xiu nodded, turned his gaze away from the newlyweds, and continued to look up at the cat.
The cat stopped looking at the newcomer and, under Yin Xiu's gaze, licked its paws before pouncing on the branch as if about to jump down.
"Perfect timing, I'm a player too. I just came out from over there. What are you doing looking at the cats here?" The newbie cautiously moved over, unconsciously getting a few steps closer to Yin Xiu. He was surprised to see a player in this place; he even thought he was the first one to come out.
Yin Xiu's indifference also made him inexplicably excited, as if he had discovered a treasure before anyone else.
"It should be a guide cat, but it doesn't move at all when I'm alone." Yin Xiu raised his chin slightly and took a small step back. The cat jumped down from the tree in a flash, its movements very nimble.
"It seems that at least two people are needed for it to react..." Yin Xiu glanced at the newcomer beside him. He didn't know if it was because this instance required a roommate, which meant that the cat needed two people to start, but just in case, he left Li Mo at home. If the newcomer didn't come, he would have to wait a while longer.
"How do you know it's the cat that leads the way?" The newcomer followed Yin Xiu timidly, watching him follow the cat.
"I guessed," Yin Xiu replied calmly.
After jumping down, the cat wagged its tail and walked gracefully toward the town, the white collar around its neck standing out against its black body.
The newcomer stared at it for a while, then suddenly realized, "It has a collar, so it must be kept as a pet, right?"
"Maybe so," Yin Xiu replied, squinting as he gazed at the distant town.
Even from a distance during the day, the town already exuded a subtle disharmony. Despite the many lights at night and the considerable number of people in the town, it was strangely quiet, unusually quiet.
The only human sound on the entire road was their footsteps. The wind rustled through the branches, but there were no insects chirping or birds singing. Even as they approached the town's entrance, they still couldn't hear any signs of normal life in the town, which was very strange.
The newcomer took a deep breath and stammered, "I... this is my first time entering a dungeon, I don't have much experience, and I might hold you back... I hope you won't mind."
Yin Xiu gave a curt reply, his gaze fixed straight ahead, and followed the cat into the town.
This small town is not very developed yet. There are still many places on the ground paved with bluestone slabs, and weeds grow between the stones. But overall it is acceptable. The ground is clean, the houses are sturdy, and each household has its own yard. At first glance, there is nothing wrong with it, except that it is too quiet.
As soon as Yin Xiu stepped into the town, he felt a chill permeating the air, and a gloomy and dark feeling rushed towards him, instantly blocking out the brightness of the sunlight.
From the moment they entered, many people were staring at them from behind the glass windows of the houses on both sides, their gazes fixed on them in the dim light.
Yin Xiu stopped by the roadside at the entrance of the town and stared at an old stone tablet covered with moss.
Cemetery Town Rules:
1. Children are strictly prohibited from touching the altar in the square at night. No matter what you see, pretend you don't see it and leave immediately.
Second, there are no female ghosts in the town. If you accidentally see a woman in white in town, please avoid her gaze and do not listen to her voice. If she pesters you, please seek help from other townspeople.
3. During the day, strange creatures may disguise themselves as townspeople. Please be careful to distinguish them and do not be invited into their homes. The probability of encountering strange creatures is high during the day, so please try to avoid going out.
Fourth, the town must be welcoming to outsiders, but if they break the rules, please do not show leniency.
Fifth, outsiders may be allowed to watch the sacrificial ceremony, but they must be strictly instructed not to violate the first and second rules.
6. Do not allow outsiders who accidentally violate the rules to leave alive.
Yin Xiu's gaze fell on the rules on the stone tablet. Some of the rules had become blurred by wind and rain, while others were very clear, as if they had been carved recently.
For example, the second half of the third point, "The probability of encountering strange things during the day is very high, so try not to go out," is a very new line that appears crowded in the paragraph, indicating that it was only recently added. Therefore, the probability of encountering strange things was also only recently increased.
"This, this sixth rule... feels so dangerous, and there's even a sacrificial ceremony here?" The newlyweds looked pale. From the last rule, they could clearly feel that the town's attitude towards rule-breaking outsiders was extremely ruthless, and they were those outsiders.
"Hmm." Yin Xiu quickly went through the rules in his mind, and after he had roughly memorized them, he turned around and continued to follow the cat.
The gazes on both sides of the road lingered for a long time. These indigenous people stared intently at them. Perhaps there was a rule that instructed them not to go out during the day, and they all hid in their homes without showing their heads.
As the two followed the black cat closer to the square, someone opened a door with a creak, revealing half a face in darkness and half in sunlight.
The old man looked weak and pale. He stretched out his withered hand and beckoned to Yin Xiu. His voice was hoarse as he said, "You two young men are from out of town, aren't you? Have you seen the stone tablet at the door?... It's dangerous during the day. Don't wander around town. Come and hide at Grandpa's house."
The newcomer glanced at him blankly for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Yin Xiu, who continued walking forward as if he didn't care. "Aren't we going to ignore him?"
"Just ignore him and you'll be dead." Yin Xiu said calmly, "Look at his feet."
The newlyweds immediately turned their gaze to the old man's feet. Inside the house behind him, not far away, lay a figure, almost completely obscured by the dim light of the room, making it difficult to discern.
The newcomer squinted, straining to see what it was. After recognizing it, she gasped, trembling as she moved closer to Yin Xiu. "It's...it's a corpse...a corpse exactly like that old man's..."
"Hmm." Yin Xiu's voice was cold and indifferent, showing no reaction to the corpse or the mysterious being.
Rule 3 clearly states that during the day, there will be people disguised as townspeople inviting people into their houses, but unexpectedly, they were invited in right away. If someone hadn't seen the rule and was careless, they probably would have been tricked by now.
"Young people, I'm telling you the truth, it's very dangerous in town lately. I'm an old man, what can I do for you? Come in!" The old man continued to wave to them persistently, his withered and lifeless eyes fixed on the two figures as they gradually disappeared, radiating some resentment.
Seeing that neither of them was fooled, the "old man" gritted his teeth fiercely and slammed the door shut.
The roadside returned to tranquility, and Yin Xiu followed the black cat to the center of the square.
Upon entering this area, a chill became even more pronounced; the suffocating cold that enveloped the entire town emanated from here.
In the center of the square stood a statue, the head of a woman, but a huge nail was driven into the cold statue's head, piercing straight into the woman's forehead. The woman's pupils were wide open, staring straight at the sky, her eyes radiating a resentful rage as if she were dying. The entire sculpture sent chills down one's spine at first glance.
But what's even more chilling is that the statue is covered with yellow talismans, and red threads are strung together and wrapped around the entire huge statue. The talismans are densely packed, and the ground is engraved with unknown formations, with dark brown traces remaining between the twisted grooves.
In front of the statue was a blue stone platform, on which a large patch of sticky, dark hair was tangled together, emitting a foul stench.
This is probably the sacrificial site mentioned in the town's rules.