Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Calamity Inn – Fortune Inn

Lin Xi noticed Zhao Zechen’s skeptical gaze but did not get angry, calmly recounting his encounter.

Zhao Zechen asked again with suspicion, "Then, why didn’t you save Sun Kai?"

Lin Xi looked into Zhao Zechen’s eyes with a smile and said, word by word, "Boss Zhao, how come I didn’t notice you were such a saint?"

"Whether I am a saint or a devil remains to be seen, doesn't it?" Zhao Zechen retorted, his expression showing displeasure.

"You might be a saint, but I’m not. I only saved you all because you were blocking my path. I just happened to bump into Zheng Daqian while my eyes were closed. If you had been behind me, do you think I would have gone back to save you?" Lin Xi leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs, his gaze fixed on Zhao Zechen with unkind intent.

"Oh my, you two, stop arguing! Isn't our goal to survive? If it weren't for young brother Mu Bei just now, we wouldn't even know if we could have made it off the stairs alive," Qian Baobao interjected to smooth things over.

Zhao Zechen snorted coldly and stopped questioning Lin Xi.

Lin Xi turned his head, focusing his gaze on the skinless fat man in the evening gown. His eyes flickered with a thoughtful glint, and a bold, somewhat risky idea began to form in his mind.

"Ding." The elevator doors opened slowly.

Two women emerged one after the other. The first to step out was the cold, glamorous woman whose voice had previously caused Sun Kai to bleed from his seven orifices. Lin Xi did not recognize the woman who followed her, but the other six people were very familiar with her. This woman was the dark-skinned, distorted-faced person who had impersonated Lin Xi to lead them earlier. Yet now, she was wearing red high heels, her skin fair and radiant, with not a trace of burn marks to be seen.

Seeing them appear, the hearts of the group, which had only just begun to relax, started pounding wildly again. The two women walked toward their location, and the tension among the group reached its peak; if Zheng Daqian didn't feel his legs turning to jelly, he would have fled the spot immediately.

Zhao Zechen looked at Lin Xi, the suspicion in his eyes deepening. He was almost certain that all of this was a conspiracy orchestrated by Lin Xi. After all, whether it was going upstairs, suggesting the reversed information the fat man spoke of, or leading them down the stairs before dark, the one who did it all was this man in front of them who called himself Mu Bei, the cleaner.

Lin Xi ignored Zhao Zechen’s suspicion, thinking frantically about where the discrepancy lay and why these two women were walking toward them. Although Lin Xi didn’t recognize the woman behind, seeing her walk with the cold woman in the pajamas, he knew without needing to think that she was no benevolent soul.

After scanning the two of them frantically, Lin Xi discovered the problem. The cold woman in pajamas he had seen before walked as if she were floating—she had no feet. Although the cold woman walking toward them looked almost identical to the other, she was walking, and she had feet.

The two sat down at a table slightly away from the group. After glancing at them and whispering to each other with vigilance, they ignored the group entirely.

"That woman, have you seen her before?" Lin Xi asked Qian Baobao quietly beside him.

"How did you know? She pretended to be you earlier and led us around," Qian Baobao answered, looking very surprised.

"I guessed," Lin Xi said, his gaze deepening as he looked at the back of the woman sitting in the chair.

Qian Baobao curled her lip, clearly dissatisfied with Lin Xi's answer.

Lin Xi asked again, "Was she the same before as she is now?"

Qian Baobao did not answer immediately. She hesitated for a moment before asking Lin Xi, "Brother Bei, I can tell you, but you have to tell me the truth about how you knew."

Lin Xi replied, "You don't need to say anything; I already know. Also, what I said just now was the truth."

Qian Baobao bit her lip and did not press further, simply moving her chair a little further away from Lin Xi.

"Ding." The sound of the elevator came again.

A middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist walked out with a leisurely air. He held a scepter that appeared to be about three feet long. The scepter was pitch black, with only a lifelike golden mouse carved into the handle.

Upon seeing the man, the skinless fat man in the evening gown trotted out from behind the counter to greet him. When he reached the man, he respectfully called out "Boss," and his skinless face managed to squeeze out a very strange, fawning expression.

Lin Xi had noticed earlier, as soon as he stepped out of the stairwell, that the two eyeballs the fat man had stuffed deep into his ear canals had returned to their proper places, completely undamaged.

"Welcome, travelers, to the Fortune Hotel. Your arrival brings great brilliance to my humble establishment. While ensuring you stay comfortably and securely, I hope you can feel happiness here and wish you all the best of luck within the Fortune Hotel."

The man ignored the skinless fat man’s flattery, walked straight past him to the table where the group was sitting, and said politely.

"Many thanks. Are there any 'Easter eggs' regarding happiness and good luck in the Fortune Hotel?" Lin Xi probed, asking the boss.

"Easter eggs, you say~" The boss smiled and thought for a moment before saying, "Of course there are, and you all have plenty of time to look for them. Fortune Hotel wishes for fortune to be with you."

After saying that, the boss uttered a few more pleasantries and returned to the elevator. Watching the elevator slowly rise to the third floor before stopping, Lin Xi had a rough guess in his heart.

"Big sister, let's go find some good luck," the woman in red high heels, who had been quietly listening to the boss, said happily to the cold woman in pajamas in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

The cold woman flashed an indulgent smile, stroked her head, and after saying "Okay," she stood up, took the woman’s hand, and walked slowly toward the elevator.

When the cold woman in pajamas spoke, everyone else broke into a cold sweat—everyone except Lin Xi.

The woman’s voice was not harsh, which indirectly confirmed part of Lin Xi’s hypothesis, but he had no intention of sharing this with the others to avoid inviting their suspicion.

"Waiter, come here for a moment," Lin Xi beckoned to the skinless fat man.

The skinless fat man immediately approached with a smiling face.

"Traveler, how may I serve you?" the skinless fat man asked softly.

"Bring me a bottle of the Water of Life and a lighter," Lin Xi said after a moment of thought.

The fat man nodded, but instead of going to get them immediately, he replied, "The Water of Life is no problem, but open flames are not allowed in the Fortune Hotel. I ask for your understanding."

Lin Xi’s eyes shifted, and he said, "Never mind the lighter. Bring the Water of Life, and also, bring me some food and some nourishing wine."

The fat man nodded and turned to go, but Lin Xi called him back.

"I don't have any money, you know."

The fat man turned and smiled at Lin Xi, saying, "That’s quite alright, traveler. Our boss is exceptionally generous. The drinks, food, and rooms in this hotel are entirely free."

Lin Xi nodded to signal the skinless fat man to go get the items, and the fat man turned and left.