Chapter 298: You’d Better Behave Yourself—Don’t Make Me Force You!
Faced with Zhang Yangqing’s sudden invitation, the noblewoman was a bit taken aback.
If other Chosen Ones accepted her invitation to leave, she could indeed attack them.
After all, they would have broken the rules.
But this one not only refused her request—he actually invited her to travel with him.
Zhang Yangqing had his reasons, of course. He’d heard this woman say she was waiting for the carriage here.
Doesn’t that mean she’s the key figure for triggering the carriage encounter?
And Zhang Yangqing already had some theories about the [Carriage] and [Station].
He naturally wouldn’t let such a pivotal character slip through his fingers.
The noblewoman’s beautiful eyes scanned the group. Normally, she was the one to be feared.
But she could sense that these people weren’t exactly pushovers either.
That triggered her second route. She said, “I can go with you, but I’m very cold.”
She was dressed rather lightly, shivering in the chill.
Without warm clothing, she didn’t seem likely to follow them.
This round was another test for the Chosen Ones.
Either give her an umbrella, take the ticket, and move on.
Or take off your own clothes, risk catching a cold, but gain the noblewoman’s company.
This was where Zhang Yangqing’s gentlemanly demeanor should shine.
The audience figured he’d have no problem—after all, what was a little chill to him? Other Chosen Ones might catch a cold, but for a physically robust Master Zhang, it was nothing.
So most viewers assumed this round would be a perfect pass for him.
And they weren’t wrong—Zhang Yangqing did pass. But the way he passed was different.
When the noblewoman made her request, everyone seemed to expect him to take off his coat.
Instead, he looked toward the loli girl and said, “Didn’t you hear her? She’s cold.”
Loli Girl: “…”
So after all that, you want ME to take mine off?!
Where’s your gentlemanly conduct?! Faced with such a stunningly beautiful woman, shouldn’t you just strip off your shirt immediately?!
Zhang Yangqing’s remark made the loli girl grind her teeth in fury.
But he didn’t care. I let you come along—isn’t that your purpose?
I’m blind. No matter how beautiful she is, I can’t see her.
Don’t you need to prove your usefulness on this trip?
You’d better behave yourself—don’t make me force you.
Besides, aren’t you the righteous type? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing you should be doing?
The loli girl’s mind churned for a moment. She wanted to argue with Zhang Yangqing at length, but then she remembered—this guy didn’t care about reason. So she grudgingly took off her jacket and draped it over the noblewoman.
Watching the noblewoman’s voluptuous figure, she couldn’t help but stare with envy at her own flat frame.
As luck would have it, Zhang Yangqing’s group had extra raincoats.
Those were the ones the merchant had thrown in extra—though Zhang Yangqing had given him stones in exchange. Fair trade, after all.
These raincoats could go to the noblewoman without sacrificing any of his demons.
At this stage, many Chosen Ones had no choice but to make sacrifices just to get tickets.
Ramirez, after having his C-rank demon give up its umbrella to the noblewoman, left that demon without cover.
He didn’t want to abandon it—not just out of morality, but because he figured more dangers lay ahead, and every bit of combat strength counted.
So he had the demon wear a raincoat and carry the guide dog, the two of them squeezing under one coat.
This would significantly reduce the demon’s stamina and combat effectiveness.
But there was no other option. Preserving whatever strength the guide dog still had was better than nothing.
Many Chosen Ones suffered losses at this stage—even powerful beings like the Paladin Sidney and Count Campbell faced setbacks or found themselves struggling.
They’d come this far; they couldn’t just turn back.
Turning back would violate the rules.
On the other hand, crafty ones like Kim Jeong-ki had extra umbrellas and raincoats, along with some self-defense trinkets.
The Chosen Ones trudged through the rain for about half an hour, finally making it past the rainy stretch.
The time had reached 5:10 AM. They’d been walking the Night Walk for nearly three hours now.
It had been seven hours since their last meal.
Many of their stomachs began to growl insistently.
Just after exiting the rainy area, quite a few Chosen Ones crouched down by the roadside to rest.
They felt dizzy, their consciousness beginning to blur.
The guide dogs lay on the ground, exhausted.
Going uphill, they’d been pulling the Chosen Ones along, expending tremendous energy.
The Chosen Ones all felt that if they didn’t find food soon, they wouldn’t last until six o’clock.
Ramirez rested a few minutes, then gritted his teeth and stood up.
He knew waiting in the Horror Tale World was useless—you had to keep moving.
Only by covering enough distance and spending enough time would special events trigger and special people appear.
That was the veteran’s understanding of this world.
If waiting worked, then this wouldn’t be the Horror Tale World.
This world was meant to temper one’s willpower. Only those who persevered could clear it. Moving forward was never wrong.
But he’d barely taken a few steps when things got worse.
The eerie creatures that had been following him all along seemed to have grown stronger after half an hour in the rain—their presence was even more formidable now.
With his own strength waning, if he broke any rules, these creatures would surely attack.
But the rules also said not to fear them—they might actually help you.
How exactly would they help?
Ramirez couldn’t figure that out.
But Sidney did.
At this stage, the Chosen Ones’ combat power would drop sharply.
Especially ordinary ones—they’d have almost nothing left.
So weren’t these empowered eerie creatures the best combat force available?
When danger struck on the road, the Chosen One could break the rules and summon these creatures.
In desperate straits, they could use these terrifying things to survive.
That was the Horror Tale World’s final safety net—and its most dangerous tool.
If there was truly no other choice, who would willingly use something so dreadful?
Mishandled, these things might just take you out too.
The reason Sidney could figure this out was that he felt the dead end approaching fast.
Zhang Yangqing had also considered this—but given his team’s combat power, what even counted as a “dead end” for him?
He’d noticed that the noblewoman possessed S-rank, maybe even higher, combat capability.
Sure, he, the other demons, and the loli girl were all tired—but she wasn’t.
This might be the Horror Tale World’s gift of formidable combat power to the Chosen One—just that other Chosen Ones hadn’t noticed.
And the one who did notice didn’t really lack firepower anyway.
But since Zhang Yangqing had allowed her into the group, it was naturally with the assurance that she was under his control.
Again—not to mention he was tired; even at low health, he wasn’t someone these lowly beings could touch.
That was the absolute confidence of the strong.
The Night Walk still had a ways to go. The Chosen Ones gritted their teeth and pressed on.
Barely minutes later, they heard footsteps on the road.
The guide dogs halted, on high alert.
At that moment, two figures approached from the opposite direction, their backs to the moonlight.
But they seemed to ignore the Chosen Ones entirely, passing right by.
Many Chosen Ones breathed a sigh of relief—as long as there was no danger. Running into trouble right now would be a nightmare.
Some even calculated whether they could take the two down to gain more demons.
By this point, everyone understood the importance of demons.
Without them, they’d never have made it this far.
That was why the Horror Tale World allowed them to summon demons.
In the past, Chosen Ones would attack lone passersby—that was safer.
But taking on two or more was risky. Even if they won, casualties would make it not worth it.
And with the guide dogs exhausted, even with an A-rank demon, a 2v2 wasn’t a guaranteed win.
Just as many Chosen Ones were ready to give up and keep walking, Ramirez suddenly called out, “You two, wait.”
His shout puzzled not only the two passersby but also the audience.
Viewers thought: This guy doesn’t even have an A-rank demon—just an exhausted C-rank and a guide dog. Does he really think he can take on these two?
Argentinian viewers were especially worried he’d do something reckless—they’d come this far, don’t throw it all away!
But Ramirez’s next move made everyone understand why he’d acted.
He stepped forward, approaching the two passersby.
“Excuse me, there’s a heavy downpour ahead. I have an umbrella and a raincoat—do you two need them?”
Ramirez said with a straight face.
There were many details here. If you connected them, you could find some tricks.
For example, the noblewoman waiting at the station for a carriage—she also didn’t dare get caught in the rain, afraid of mutating.
And while crossing the rainy stretch, Ramirez hadn’t noticed anyone passing through.
That meant the natives of the Horror Tale World also knew rain was dangerous.
He’d just come through the rain; these two were about to head into it.
Ramirez was gambling on whether they had rain protection.
If they did, he’d say nothing. If not, two approaches emerged.
First approach: Ramirez could price-gouge them just like the merchant had done to him—take advantage of their need.
Because without umbrellas and raincoats, they couldn’t get through this stretch.
But that was risky—if he pissed them off, they’d attack.
The rules only told Chosen Ones how to survive; they didn’t guarantee passersby wouldn’t hurt them.
If Chosen Ones insisted on being stupid, even the rules couldn’t save them.
So Ramirez didn’t dare try the first option, even though he’d thought of it.
He chose the second: take a small loss, trade his now-useless rain gear for whatever he could get, and hope it helped later.
This was risky too—the rules never said there’d be only one rainstorm tonight.
But Ramirez was betting that if there were another, he’d be dead anyway.
The rules would have shown him a way out.
So he decided there wouldn’t be another storm—and called out to the pair.
“Friend, is there something you need?”
The two stopped. The Chosen Ones couldn’t see them, but after some conversation, they realized it was a man and a woman.
Likely a couple, indeed heading down that road.
Through faint moonlight, the audience could see something odd about the pair.
The man wore a smile—as if he’d won the lottery.
The woman’s face was tear-streaked—as though she’d lost a loved one.
This stark contrast made many viewers uneasy—could this be a trap?
Meeting such eerie passersby on a dark night would unnerve anyone.
But the Chosen Ones were blind, filtering out visual cues and relying on hearing to gauge hostility.
The guide dog, though exhausted, was clever—it didn’t show fatigue in front of others, standing alert beside them.
The C-rank demon behind Ramirez was loyal, standing firmly at his side.
If these two attacked, it would protect its master with its life.
It knew it couldn’t win—but it would buy its master a chance to survive.
That was the contract—the demon Ramirez had bought with his lifespan.
Hearing their reply, Ramirez described the weather ahead.
His raincoat and umbrella were still damp—he’d just come from there.
If they didn’t want to get soaked, they’d do well to listen.
“If you two need rain gear, we can trade. If not, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Ramirez had learned from experience—no desperation in his voice.
If he acted too eager, they’d give him junk.
That was the caution born of being cheated before.
He was anxious, but he couldn’t show it.
He was just offering his wares—take ’em or leave ’em.
That was his mentality.
The couple observed for a moment. Ramirez did have water stains—contaminated ones at that. They exchanged nods, and the man said, “Looks like there really is rain ahead. But we don’t have much of value—what do you want in exchange?”
Ramirez was tempted to say, “I want your girlfriend.”
But no—he just needed fighters and wanted to trick one into being killed.
Saying that would likely get him killed instead, so he asked what they had.
The man had a crisp new coin and a lucky coin.
The woman had a bottle of water and a scented handkerchief.
That was all they could offer.
Ramirez felt like cursing—I traded gold watches and necklaces for these raincoats, and all I can get is this junk?
And you two are pushing it—I thought you’d give me everything, but I only get to pick two?
If I were stupid and didn’t ask, would you just give me garbage?
The Horror Tale World is ruthless—why am I always the one getting screwed?
Still, the lucky coin caught his eye.
Whether he’d encounter the black carriage tonight might hinge on this.
After all, it had the word [Lucky] in it.
Ramirez had a carriage ticket, so triggering the carriage was certain.
But whether it would be black or white—that was the question.
This lucky item was bound to be key.
So Ramirez traded one umbrella and one raincoat for a lucky coin and a bottle of water.
The other items were meaningless to him.
As he took the bottle, he subtly brushed the woman’s hand—it felt warm.
That wasn’t perversion; he was checking if she was human.
He’d learned in the Haunted Mansion that only human-given food was safe.
This water came from a human, so it should be drinkable.
Given the darkness and his blindness, the woman said nothing.
It passed as a normal touch; her boyfriend didn’t notice.
When the male passerby handed him the coin, Ramirez felt it—it was freezing!
That meant the man likely wasn’t human.
But he showed no intent to harm Ramirez, so Ramirez didn’t react much.
After all, in the villa, he’d met many non-human, cold entities that weren’t necessarily dangerous.
As the man handed over the coin, he added an explanation.
“There’s a wishing well ahead. We passed by there to make our wishes.”
He told Ramirez the well’s location and said he had to toss the coin in and speak his wish aloud for it to work.
He said it solemnly: [Only by speaking your wish aloud can it come true.]
Ramirez nodded—then the usually quiet woman spoke up too.
[If it’s a wish, saying it aloud makes it lose its magic, you know.]
That line hit Ramirez like a thunderbolt.
What did that mean?
Aren’t they saying opposite things?
Was one of them lying?
Who should he believe?
When he came to, they were already gone.
Chasing them would risk breaking rules and wasting energy.
He’d have to figure it out himself.
Even the audience was baffled—what did those two mean?
Many flipped through their recorded rules and clues, but none could decide whom to trust.
The experts and viewers could only hope the Chosen Ones solved it themselves.
After all, only they had full access to the information.
Ramirez began analyzing the strategy.
How to use the lucky coin correctly—that was the key to summoning either the black or white carriage.
After they left, Ramirez got descriptions from the C-rank demon.
“So the man isn’t human, but he’s smiling. He told me to speak my wish when tossing the coin for it to work.”
“And the woman is human, with a tear-streaked face. She said not to speak it—or it won’t come true.”
“Normally, I should trust the woman—she’s human like me, and in the villa’s rules, I should trust humans.”
“But the lucky coin came from the man—how would the woman know if it works or not?”
His pupils dilated sharply.
Then, suddenly, he slapped himself hard.
“Damn it—the mirror! I should’ve used the mirror!”
Ramirez ‘awakened.’ He didn’t know who would help him, but if he could tell who would harm him, he’d know whom to trust.
Only impostors wanted Chosen Ones dead.
That was the mirror’s purpose—he’d brought it but never used it.
Too late now. He could only keep walking toward the well.
On the way, he weighed the options and decided to trust the human—say nothing when tossing the coin, or it won’t work.
That was most Chosen Ones’ choice: trust humans over other species.
The woman might have added that line after sensing he was human too.
Otherwise, why say it at all?
Many Chosen Ones felt increasingly certain of their choice.
Sidney even thought the man wasn’t lying—he was telling the truth.
But that ‘truth’ only applied to non-humans.
The woman’s warning not to speak at the well was also correct.
Overall, both might be good people—just giving different advice.
Though their expressions remained puzzling.
Not all Chosen Ones sided with the woman—a few trusted the man, since the coin was his.
Then came the heavyweight Chosen One.
Others reached the well, tossed their coins, and made wishes—believing only one of the two.
Zhang Yangqing believed both.
Earlier, his group had encountered the same couple.
With plenty of rain gear, he traded for all four items.
Just four items—and he had plenty left.
His mindset: useful or not, I have more than enough.
If not, there’s always rocks by the road.
If no rocks, pull grass or dig dirt.
Among the items was the coin and instructions on how to use it.
When they explained, the loli girl was lost.
But Zhang Yangqing ‘understood’ and let them go.
The loli girl kept asking what it meant—weren’t they saying contradictory things?
Zhang Yangqing ignored her, his expression practically saying, With your IQ, it’s hard to explain.
Just watch me. It’s not that hard.
Following the man’s directions, they reached the well by the roadside.
Zhang Yangqing tossed the lucky coin in and said, “I hope the black luxury carriage doesn’t come.”
Loli Girl: “???”
Audience: “!!!”
The loli girl was completely baffled. The audience seemed to half-get it—but not entirely.
They felt his words were odd yet somehow correct.
This was Zhang Yangqing’s synthesis of both statements.
[Only by speaking your wish aloud can it come true.]
[If it’s a wish, saying it aloud makes it lose its magic, you know.]
The man said you had to say it for it to work—he never said you’d get exactly what you asked for.
That was the ‘trap’ in his words—or rather, what he left unsaid.
The woman’s line was a supplement to his.
Think about it: if a spoken wish doesn’t come true, then saying the opposite works, right?
Combining both, Zhang Yangqing deduced: toss the coin, then say the opposite of what you want.
There was another subtle trick: if a Chosen One said “I want a white carriage,” a white carriage wouldn’t come—but it might not be black either; could be red, green, etc.
Since “not working” didn’t specify what would appear.
Another trick: if you had enough gifts, you could boost goodwill and just ask how to summon the black carriage.
They’d still speak in riddles, but you’d have more clues.
Zhang Yangqing needed no extra info—he’d already understood. He just said he hoped the black carriage wouldn’t come. If “don’t” didn’t work, then “do” would.
And “don’t” failing meant “do” happening.
When the experts later reverse-engineered Zhang Yangqing’s logic for the audience, everyone was stunned.
: If the experts hadn’t explained it, I’d never get what Master Zhang meant—this actually works?
: My head’s still spinning—so neither lied, they just didn’t tell the whole truth?
: Exactly. Aside from Master Zhang, who knows what carriages the others will get.
: Master Zhang’s figured out this world inside out—how did he even guess all this? If I were in there, I’d just jump in the well.
: And did you hear him? He specifically wants the black luxury carriage!
Zhang Yangqing’s move blew the audience’s minds.
Other Chosen Ones didn’t even know if a black carriage existed—this guy was literally choosing.
Most either said their wish aloud (which failed) or said nothing (and got nothing specific).
A carriage would come—everyone had tickets from the noblewoman, and some even had her following them.
After more delays, the Chosen Ones pressed on.
The water here eased their exhaustion a bit.
With no food, water was all they had to stave off hunger.
Smaller groups let the Chosen One drink first, then shared the rest with their guide dog and demon.
A sip of water revived them—didn’t erase hunger, but gave some energy.
Zhang Yangqing’s group was huge: one man, one dog, eight demons, and two women.
Normally, the human drinks first, then shares with the rest.
But did Zhang Yangqing care?
He drank some, gave some to the guide dog, then let the others have the rest.
The loli girl and demons felt insulted.
In this team, they ranked below a dog?
Especially the loli girl—she felt that as the leader, sure, he could drink first. But being behind a dog was too much!
She was his partner—was this how he treated partners?
But what good was complaining? Take it or leave it. Zhang Yangqing didn’t coddle anyone.
She’d been coasting the whole trip—being behind the dog was perfectly normal.
As for the demons with nothing to drink—dare they blame him?
After hydrating, all Chosen Ones resumed their journey.
Many crossroads appeared, but they all correctly oriented themselves by the moon.
By 5:30, they began arriving at a station one by one.
As they waited, the sound of hooves echoed from afar.
