Chapter 311: Zhang Yangqing Not Only Knows the “What,” But Also the “Why”!
As for how to get an eyeball from the red-clothed guest—well, that would depend on the intelligence gathered next.
That was El Gregori’s analysis of Rule 1 and Rule 6.
But the moment he finished speaking, the whole place seemed to erupt like a boiling pot.
“My God, so there’s that much to think about in there? I always thought the rules weren’t that hard, but now I think El Gregori’s right. If I went in this round, I’d be dead for sure. I never would have thought to connect the rules that way.”
“Maybe this is the kind of experience that comes from being a veteran clearer. If you can’t have that flash of insight in there and miss this kind of detail, something bad’s bound to happen. Looks like the Horror Tale World really isn’t some simple place.”
“Rule 1 could be seen as a special rule—or a death rule. A hidden death rule, at that. If you don’t get a heart within a certain amount of time, you just fail and get eliminated outright.”
“None of us thought of that—so what about Robert in this round…”
The cardinal didn’t finish his sentence, because the contestant for the Church this round, Cardinal Robert, had indeed gained a lot of experience. But every run of the Horror Tale World plays out differently. If he couldn’t figure that out, he might be in serious danger this time.
Besides, the Horror Tale World had started with eleven rules right off the bat, and El Gregori had only analyzed two of them. There were still nine left.
Thinking about that, the cardinals nearby all felt that it was no wonder so many transcendents had fallen in there.
Because the transcendents who hadn’t gone in were now even questioning whether those who did go in had what it takes.
Take this time, for example—Sidney scored an SSS rating, and the Pope didn’t scold him, but instead encouraged him.
But in reality, many cardinals were deeply dissatisfied with him, thinking to themselves: You were just that close, and you couldn’t push a little harder? You were given the chance to shine, and you wasted it.
They never said it out loud, but Sidney could feel it.
That’s exactly why he volunteered to go back into the Horror Tale World—to prove himself and silence the doubts.
And the Pope, noticing that dynamic, was the one who stopped him from going in.
El Gregori wasn’t the type to overthink things, but he did make his colleagues clearly realize one thing: coming out alive is already a feat. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go in?
If it were someone with a heavier mindset, they’d have torn their colleagues to shreds with words.
El Gregori could be said to have opened his colleagues’ eyes, making them start to respect him without even trying.
He never bragged about his achievements, but his track record in the second tier was incredibly impressive.
By now, a preliminary ranking of all clearers in the Horror Tale World had been established.
Keep in mind—this ranking was based purely on those who had actually cleared it. Those who could theoretically clear it didn’t even qualify for the list.
The fourth tier consisted of ordinary clearers. Anyone who managed to walk out alive could enter the fourth tier.
Don’t underestimate these people. Sure, some got lucky, but everyone who came out alive had real, practical experience.
Even the expert team studying the Horror Tale World were just armchair theorists.
The third tier was for the Chosen Ones who had scored an S-rank.
These were by no means ordinary folk.
True, as the Horror Tale World got harder in later stages, the number of S-rank Chosen Ones increased.
Before, it took several runs to produce one S-rank Chosen One; now, around five or six could emerge in a single run.
But everyone knew that the challenges were getting tougher, requiring more time, which naturally pushed the scores higher.
Plus, S-rank Chosen Ones all walked out with skills. Useless as some might be, it was still better than having none at all.
The second tier was naturally for those who could farm resources—that is, those who achieved a SSSS rating.
Up to now, even Argentina’s Chosen One, Ramirez, who shone exceptionally bright in the third tier, had yet to qualify for the second. If you can’t pull it off, you can’t pull it off—SSSS is the hard bar.
In this second tier were El Gregori, Rahman, Goncharov, and two others—five in total.
These were the kind of powerhouses that only appeared once in hundreds of millions—top-tier in both physical ability and judgment.
As for the first tier? That belonged to Zhang Yangqing alone.
He was the Chosen One in a league of his own.
Even if some people argued that figures like the Pope, the Pharaoh, or the Grand Sorcerer might be on par with the Dragon Kingdom’s Celestial Master in terms of raw power and should be grouped together, the audience and the expert panel weren’t buying it. The standard for the first tier was the actual results inside the Horror Tale World.
Not theoretical “what-ifs.” If they’re so capable, let them go in and try.
Some die-hard fans of the Dragon Kingdom’s Celestial Master even mocked: “Theoretically, I could score a SSSSS too—I just can’t be bothered to participate.”
That remark immediately sparked responses from viewers across all nations.
If you’ve never been in, you don’t even rank in the fourth tier—so what gives you the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Dragon Kingdom’s Celestial Master?
Zhang Yangqing’s capability and strength were beyond doubt. He had reached the level of a “walking legend.”
He was also widely recognized by expert panels around the world as the textbook example of a clearer.
You could say that many second-tier Chosen Ones modeled their approaches after his.
Others might say things like “so-and-so is probably close to the Dragon Kingdom’s Celestial Master,” but no one ever questioned whether he belonged in the first-tier spot.
As for those who did question him—not only would no one believe them if they posted it, but even the posters themselves probably wouldn’t buy it.
In this particular Horror Tale run, only one second-tier clearer was participating—Rahman.
The audience from the Eagle Nation were all hoping that Miller would advance to the second tier, because he’d been stuck in the third for a long time.
If Miller knew what they were thinking, he’d probably say: “Whether I even make it out alive is one question—and you’re thinking about that?”
Inside the Horror Tale World, Miller felt a headache coming on the moment he saw his surroundings.
But as a veteran of the Horror Tale World, he quickly calmed down.
Miller remembered that, in order to analyze Zhang Yangqing, he had once gone out of his way—much like El Gregori—to study some of the Dragon Kingdom’s history, where tales of monsters and the supernatural were abundant.
He came to one conclusion: the eerie beings in the Dragon Kingdom were probably of a higher caliber, and in earlier Horror Tale Worlds, they rarely appeared. Now that they’d finally shown up—and he’d run into them—it was just his rotten luck.
His understanding of Rule 1 was more or less the same as El Gregori’s.
Rule 2 was also fairly normal. In Miller’s interpretation, the point wasn’t to wait for the candle to go out, but to prevent it from going out.
He didn’t need to understand the mechanism behind why the candle went out—he just needed to analyze the rules.
But there’s always a “what if.” The rule gave the Chosen Ones a way out: when the candle goes out, don’t breathe.
“In other words, the candle flame, in some sense, ‘hides’ me and prevents those eerie beings from attacking.”
Once he figured that out, his whole body relaxed.
Miller started connecting the rules.
Rule 3 clearly stated: Please try to keep the shelves well-stocked. If customers can’t find what they want, they’ll be very unhappy.
So Miller thought there was a certain connection between Rule 2 and Rule 3.
He’d checked—this general store had no lights. That made sense; deep in the mountains with no electricity, of course there was no power.
Up ahead were several shelves, neatly packed with a dazzling array of goods. His job was to replenish the items after they were taken.
The list said the inventory was in the warehouse. The warehouse door had some yellow talismans stuck on it, covered in strange script that Miller couldn’t read.
If Hu Liuqi were here, he’d recognize those talismans as wards against evil—things that eerie beings couldn’t approach. That was the home-field advantage.
Miller understood it as: he’d definitely have to step out from behind the counter at “regular intervals” to check the stock levels—and when he did, he’d need to carry a candle.
If the candle didn’t go out, he’d be safe. If it did, he’d be attacked.
The candle was a warning tool for the Chosen One.
While checking the shelves, he also needed to keep Rule 11 in mind.
[Rule 11: The general store does not provide black dog blood. If you see it on the shelf, drink it immediately!]
Miller felt his top priority right now was to locate the black dog blood and figure out exactly what it was.
Otherwise, if he went looking for it later—or worse, if one of the “customers” found it first—there’d be big trouble.
After all, the rule told him to drink it, which could also mean that this store must not have any black dog blood on the premises.
Miller still didn’t fully grasp why he had to drink it, but the rule was clear, so he’d just follow it for now.
As for the other rules, he could only memorize them for the time being—at least he had the paper slip on him.
There wasn’t enough time to analyze all the rules thoroughly. He’d just have to take it one step at a time.
Because no one knew when a “customer” would show up.
If a customer came and the item they wanted wasn’t on the shelf, they’d get angry.
And once they got angry, it would trigger a chain reaction of rules.
[Rule 7: Never make “them” angry. The angrier they get, the stronger they become.]
No matter which angle Miller considered, something felt off.
The pitch-black general store was lit only by two candles on the counter. He picked up the candlestick under the candle with his right hand, held the inventory list in his left, and went to the shelves to check the names of all the items, spot any shortages, and—if he found any black dog blood—drink it.
Miller wasn’t the only one. Many experienced Chosen Ones also began to move.
Rahman, the Chosen One from the Pyramid Nation, even analyzed that the reason the Horror Tale World gave them two candles was that when he went to check the shelves, he might encounter “danger”—meaning the candle might go out.
At that point, he’d need to hold his breath and return to the vicinity of the other candle on the counter.
That was Rahman’s prediction regarding the “danger.”
It was also a special skill that only seasoned veterans possessed.
In the Horror Tale World, many things were interlinked. If you couldn’t grasp the purpose of these tools, the difficulty of the world would increase.
As for what kind of danger awaited—Rahman didn’t have time to think about that either. He started busying himself as well.
Being able to think that far already put him in the top tier among Chosen Ones.
At this stage, many people had already switched to a big screen—the Dragon Kingdom’s screen.
For the first time, audiences began paying attention to the Dragon Kingdom’s Celestial Master right from the start of the Horror Tale World.
Normally, they’d wait until other Chosen Ones encountered danger before checking in on how the Celestial Master handled it.
But this time was different—it was the Dragon Kingdom’s home turf, and everyone was eager to see what kind of incredible moves their Celestial Master would pull off.
Audiences from other countries were all here for the spectacle, hoping the Celestial Master would go full throttle and do something insane.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Kingdom’s viewers were starting to worry. Aside from him, it was hard for their country to produce another Chosen One of that caliber.
Everyone hoped he’d keep grinding out rewards for the Dragon Kingdom, not just get himself killed from being too reckless.
Quite a few people were even praying for Zhang Yangqing, asking the Dao Ancestor to bless him through this ordeal—and, more importantly, to keep him from being too rash.
Zhang Yangqing, inside the Horror Tale World, had no idea about any of this. If he did, he’d probably be puzzled.
I don’t get why you’re worried about me going wild on home turf. As if I don’t go wild when it’s not my home turf?
Inside the Yin-Yang General Store, Zhang Yangqing checked his physical condition, then—unlike the other Chosen Ones who were looking around frantically—went straight for the rules.
Upon reading them, he felt a sense of familiarity.
Because he was fighting on home ground, he could spot things that other Chosen Ones simply couldn’t grasp.
Seeing Rule 2, Zhang Yangqing paused for a moment.
What? “A man lights a candle; a ghost blows out the lamp,” is that it?
Any ghost that can blow out a lamp is a ferocious ghost.
In the Horror Tale World, that would probably be at the level of a Fierce Specter.
When he saw Rule 4, Rule 5, and Rule 6, Zhang Yangqing immediately thought of something.
Black-clothed guests? White-clothed guests? This isn’t going to be that, is it?
As a Celestial Master, he naturally knew the hierarchy of ghosts and monsters.
Rule 4 mentioned guests dressed in black, gray, and white. Zhang Yangqing figured these were probably Shadow Ghosts, Ash Ghosts, and White-Clothed Ghosts.
All three types of ghosts were very weak—normally, even an ordinary person with strong yang energy could handle them.
That’s why the rule added: Remember to remind him to pay—don’t overcharge, don’t undercharge.
Since the rule told the Chosen One to ask for money, it meant the Chosen One could handle these three types of supernatural beings.
Rule 5 mentioned guests dressed in yellow and green. Zhang Yangqing judged them to be Yellow-Robed Ghosts and Green-Snatcher Ghosts.
These two types had been cultivating for a certain number of years—probably around a hundred years of practice—so normal people definitely couldn’t deal with them anymore.
That’s why the rule added: If he asks for something, nod if you have it, shake your head if you don’t—and never speak to him.
It was telling the Chosen One not to provoke such supernatural beings, because if you did, you wouldn’t stand a chance.
As for the red-clothed guest mentioned in Rule 6—even the Dragon Kingdom audience knew that meant the especially vicious Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost.
The Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost is no joke. Ordinary Taoist priests would run at the sight of one.
To reach the Red-Clothed level, either the person had died with immense resentment in a particularly brutal way, or they’d obtained some kind of treasure and cultivated for many years.
But when a Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost runs into a Celestial Master-level figure? The ghost is the one who’s about to meet its match.
This round couldn’t even be called a home game—it was more like a perfect fit for his specialty.
As for even higher levels—though the current Horror Tale World rules didn’t mention them, Zhang Yangqing knew about them.
Ghost Generals and Ghost Kings were probably the upper limit for this Horror Tale run.
Likely the equivalent of the so-called Eerie Boss tier.
Beyond that, the moment anything stronger appeared, it would bring a miasma of resentment for miles around, killing countless people.
Those would be the Royal-tier and Emperor-tier monsters.
Zhang Yangqing figured those levels couldn’t possibly appear in a Horror Tale World of the current difficulty. He wouldn’t mind, but what about the other Chosen Ones?
If something like that just got close to this area, its zone-wide negative effects alone would instantly kill ordinary Chosen Ones.
And this Horror Tale didn’t even give the Chosen Ones any protective items.
That was Zhang Yangqing’s understanding of these rules.
There were also rules that other Chosen Ones simply couldn’t comprehend.
For example: [Rule 7: Never make “them” angry. The angrier they get, the stronger they become.]
Other Chosen Ones could only try to guess what actions might make “them” angry and try to avoid them.
Zhang Yangqing not only knew the what, but also the why.
The source of a ghost’s power is resentment. The more a Chosen One’s actions anger the ghost, the more powerful it becomes.
Things like deception, betrayal, and the like would trigger mutations in the supernatural beings.
In other words, the rule was hinting at the conditions for these supernatural mutations.
Besides a very few exceptional Chosen Ones, most hadn’t realized this at all.
As for the black dog blood mentioned in Rule 11—other Chosen Ones saw it as “unknown.”
To Zhang Yangqing, it was even simpler.
The black dog blood definitely couldn’t stay in the store. It was a tool used for warding off evil and avoiding misfortune. Fierce ghosts hated it, and lesser ghosts wouldn’t dare approach—which would trigger the second half of Rule 4: [Turnover is the key to whether you survive.]
If there was black dog blood in the store, no customers would come. No customers meant no business, and no business meant no turnover.
So the rule told the Chosen One to drink it.
Here’s another detail—a potential death sentence for other Chosen Ones: under no circumstances should you sprinkle the black dog blood near the entrance or anywhere else. The rule says drink it, so you drink it. Otherwise, there really won’t be any customers coming in.
The problem was, Zhang Yangqing could effortlessly understand all these rules, while the other Chosen Ones simply couldn’t.
They could only follow the rules’ instructions, and only after gaining enough experience could they start to “infer.”
This made Zhang Yangqing think: Whoa, is this what a home-field advantage feels like?
The rules in front of him—in the eyes of other Chosen Ones vs. in his eyes—were practically two different things.
Zhang Yangqing didn’t just understand how to interpret the rules; he even started speculating about his own identity.
What was this place?
This was the Yin-Yang General Store.
Who said the merchandise was only what’s on the shelves? Let’s not forget—there’s one more item in the store.
This item was very special, and the vast majority of Chosen Ones at this stage couldn’t understand it—or might even go to their deaths without grasping it.
That item was the Chosen One himself.
Why had the Chosen One lost their heart?
Could it have been “sold” to another guest a few days ago?
Or was it “borrowed” by someone?
Understanding any of that would be a lead.
As for how to understand it, the rules gave hints too.
The first half of Rule 6 was about the Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost, and the second half said: [Unless he gives you his eyeballs.]
Doesn’t that mean that the things on your own body can be “traded”?
At this stage, Zhang Yangqing had a bigger goal that set him apart from other Chosen Ones.
He definitely had to complete Rule 1, or he’d die too.
That was finding a heart.
There were two ways to do it.
First: Find a way to acquire a heart.
He could try trading—after all, the rules did say some supernatural beings could be communicated with.
If they could give you their eyeballs, why not a heart?
Here, Zhang Yangqing leaned more toward… just taking it by force.
Second: Find a way to reclaim his own missing heart.
That would require gathering intelligence—couldn’t just go in blind.
After all, hearts weren’t something that just anyone could match.
So it would depend on whether the customers could provide him with valuable intel, or whether he could find some kind of record in the store.
Zhang Yangqing had one more special insight: Sure, I’m the store clerk—but I’m not necessarily alive.
To be more precise, I’m not necessarily dead either. I’m more like an undead being, caught between life and death.
After all, how could a living person just give away their heart?
If there were a receipt, it would be simple—but after searching for a while, he found that not only were there no receipts, there wasn’t even a bill.
So he could only do the same as the other Chosen Ones—follow the normal procedure, pick up the candlestick, and go check if the items on the shelves were fully stocked, and whether there was any black dog blood.
At this stage, Rahman’s performance could be said to have surpassed everyone else.
He was so meticulous that even the audience couldn’t find a single flaw.
“Twenty masks, twenty bundles of incense, eight urns, three coffins…”
He didn’t just check—he wrote down the quantity of each item.
If he saw that a customer had taken something, he could replenish it in time.
The audience marveled: No wonder he scored a SSSS rating—this is the difference between Chosen Ones.
But then, Rahman felt that the already pitch-black store somehow grew even dimmer—though the candle hadn’t gone out.
Then, a strange chill crept into the shop.
Dingling!
The wind chime by the door rang.
There must be a “customer” here.
If Rahman still had a heart, it would have leaped into his throat.
Because a blurry, black figure had appeared beside him—so dark it was deep and terrifying.
It made his hair stand on end, cold sweat beading on his back.
He could feel the breath of death eroding his nerves.
It was as if dozens of pitch-black arms were grabbing at his feet from the ground, holding him in place.
Whoosh~
A soft sound of blowing air whispered.
The candle flame in Rahman’s hand had gone out…
