Wu Mi remembered how the woman had trembled when she left, constantly muttering, "He must have eaten the bun. It wasn′t for him—it was for the dead." Her face had been ashen, her gaze vacant, clearly shaken by something terrifying. Wu Mi was certain she wasn′t the killer, despite having seen her hold that ruler.

  The innkeeper′s face had never regained its color, remaining as pale as paper. Though he tried to comfort the woman with forced calmness, it was clear that he, too, had been deeply frightened. The two men who had helped the man with the baima jacket carry the body seemed far more composed, perhaps from having seen too many dead bodies. As for the four other staff members, they had disappeared without a trace when no one was looking. Wu Mi was sure they wouldn′t be coming back.

  Wu Mi recalled the woman's words again—the dead... Could everything be reted to the dead? With that thought, a sudden realization struck him. He lifted his head and looked toward the wooden dder leading to the upper floor, and his mind recalled the hand that had withdrawn earlier...

  It was another night without candlelight. Quietly, Wu Mi crept toward the dder.

  After everything that had happened during the day, he was certain that none of the woman, the innkeeper, or the two men who had helped carry the body would dare to come out in the middle of the night. So, with that in mind, he began to climb the dder slowly.

  The dder creaked occasionally, but fortunately, no one paid attention, allowing Wu Mi to reach the 2nd floor undisturbed.

  The 2nd-floor corridor was eerily silent. Wu Mi was well aware of the inn′s rules, and although he had mentally prepared himself, navigating in the dark filled him with an indescribable fear. He began to regret his decision and hesitated, wondering whether he should continue up.

  Suddenly, a door creaked open, and a fsh of light flickered along the 2nd-floor hallway.

  Wu Mi held his breath, pressing his body close to the stairs. His eyes locked onto the source of the flickering light.

  It was a woman, and a strikingly beautiful one at that. She was holding a candle, moving swiftly as she emerged from the innermost room. Her movements were light and quick, almost like... a thief.

  A thief? Wu Mi suddenly felt something was off. According to the inn′s rules, the 2nd floor was indeed where the women stayed. So why was she sneaking around? Wu Mi decided to investigate and quietly moved a little closer.

  The woman, holding the candle, walked slowly down the hallway, peeking into each room before stopping in the middle of the corridor. She furrowed her brow, looking deep in thought. Wu Mi had no idea what she was searching for, but one thing struck him as strange: was she the only one staying on the 2nd floor? Why could she enter every room? If someone else was staying there, how could she just walk in?

  The woman looked at the rooms again, her face showing a mix of disappointment and confusion. Slowly, she extended her hand, propping her chin as if unwilling to give up on something.

  Wu Mi tilted his head, his attention completely drawn to the woman's hand in the candlelight. He felt like he had seen that hand somewhere before. He thought about it, studied it, and suddenly his mouth dropped open—that hand... wasn′t it the hand of the corpse?

  At that moment, Wu Mi′s legs gave way. His whole body tumbled down the wooden dder with a loud crash. After a scream, he felt the painful impact of hitting the floor.

  "The inn′s rules: only women are allowed on the 2nd floor." The woman stood next to Wu Mi, gring at him with anger.

  Wu Mi didn′t have time to worry about her fury. He was so terrified he could barely hold himself together, his body trembling with fear. He pointed shakily at the dder, babbling incoherently, "Ghost... that woman... that corpse... it′s the dead one."

  "What dead people and ghosts? Stop making noise!" The woman gred at Wu Mi, visibly irritated. "I told you the rules of the inn—"

  Wu Mi, gasping for breath, shouted at her, "To hell with your damn rules! I′m telling you, I saw a corpse, the one that was brought in yesterday! She′s on the 2nd floor!"

  The woman's candle dropped to the ground, and she immediately colpsed onto the floor.

  There was no one else on the 2nd floor. In fact, Wu Mi was the only living guest in the entire inn, and the woman was well aware of that.