This inn is absolutely one-of-a-kind in the world. Regardless of the upper or lower rooms, men or women, living or dead, as long as you stay at the inn, everyone is treated equally. One ingot of silver, weighing ten taels, covers one day and night, including meals and lodging.

  The inn's rules are also unique.

  Men sleep on the 1st floor, women on the 2nd floor, and the dead on the 3rdIn the man's room, there are a table and a stool; in the woman's room, there are a table, a stool, and an old copper mirror; but in the dead person's room, there are a table, a stool, an old copper mirror, teacups, tea bowls, an offering table, and all the offerings.In the men's room, there are no candles; in the women's room, there are no candles; but in the dead man's room, the candles burn bright day and night.The men eat steamed buns and pickles, the women eat rice and cabbage, but the dead eat pork, beef, and mb.The men sleep on wooden kangs and straw mats; the women sleep on broken beds and soft quilts; but the dead sleep on carved beds with brocade.One meal a day, served punctually at midnight.No loud noise during the day, and doors must be closed and lights out early at night; no living person is allowed on the 3rdThere are no candles in the men's rooms, no candles in the women's rooms, but the dead rooms are brightly lit day and night.No one can accept or agree with such rules and such prices, but people still come to stay at this inn because it is the only one of its kind.

  When Wu Mi came in, he was stunned for a good half an hour. A piece of broken wood board, resembling a coffin lid, was tied to a nearly frayed hemp rope, hanging in the middle of the lobby on the 1st floor of the inn. It was on this broken wood board that Wu Mi saw these rules of the inn. The writing was crooked and messy, cking coherence and rhythm, but it was bright red and eye-catching. Besides this, the hall had nothing else, just two wooden doors facing each other and a staircase in the middle.

  "Room C-28."

  Wu Mi covered his heart, gasping for breath as he looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared behind him, so frightened that he couldn't say a word.

  The woman slightly raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a hint of a sneer, and said, "Room C-28."

  Wu Mi awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead and, feeling a bit embarrassed, asked, "Which room is that?"

  "You live there," the woman answered straightforwardly and clearly.

  "Oh, okay, thank you, Boss Lady," Wu Mi politely nodded to show his gratitude.

  The woman extended her hand, revealing long, unkempt nails that had accumuted dirt over the days, obscuring their original appearance and making one feel nauseous just by looking at them.

  Wu Mi naturally understood what this meant and quickly took out a silver ingot from his waist and politely handed it to the woman. "This is ten taels."

  The woman weighed the silver in her hand, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to leave.

  "Hey..." Wu Mi crossed his hands and tucked them into his sleeves, smiling as he said, "Excuse me, Boss Lady, which room is C-28?"

  The woman stopped, turned her head, and pointed with her index finger towards a door on the far right side of the hall.

  "Thank you, Boss Lady," Wu Mi said politely, nodding repeatedly to show his gratitude.

  The woman scoffed again, gncing at Wu Mi, and said, "I'm not the boss′s wife." "Uh..." Wu Mi was about to walk towards the door when she heard this and paused, "Then the boss dy, or the boss..."

  The woman scoffed again, then turned and walked through the door on the left.

  Wu Mi let out a bored huff and was about to head to his room when a hurried sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by several people walking in. Out of curiosity, Wu Mi stopped in his tracks.

  There were a total of five people. Four of them, dressed in coarse blue clothes, were carrying a wooden board covered with a clean, white cloth. Underneath, it seemed... if he wasn't mistaken, there should be a person lying there, and it should be a dead person. Another person in a "baima jacket" stood at the front, directing them to carefully pce the board on the ground. Wu Mi could tell that this person was definitely in charge. He stepped aside a few paces; he didn't want to be associated with the bad luck of the dead.

  (T/N: 白马褂; bái mǎ guà, transtes to "white horse jacket" in English. In traditional Chinese culture, the 马褂 (mǎ guà) was a type of outerwear worn over a long gown during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). It symbolized formality and social status. The 白马褂 specifically refers to a white version of this garment.)

  The door on the left opened again, and this time a man came out. He looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, and he welcomed The man with the baima jacket said with great enthusiasm, "I am the innkeeper at this inn. I will arrange rooms for the six of you right away." Six people? Wu Mi didn't react at first, but then he remembered the rules written on the coffin-like board. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, especially since there were indeed six dead people.

  "You will stay in Room C-29, those four can stay in Room C-30, and as for this one... I will arrange the finest room, let's put you in Room A-4" The young innkeeper rubbed his hands together enthusiastically as he assigned the rooms, seemingly very pleased with his own abilities.

  "Alright." The man with the baima jacket said nothing more, taking six silver ingots from his sleeve and handing them directly to the innkeeper.

  "Exactly sixty taels. Please, the six of you." The innkeeper smiled politely, bowed respectfully, and gestured toward the door on the right.

  With a wave of his hand, The man with the baima jacket signaled. Four men in blue cautiously lifted the wooden board and prepared to head toward the stairs, but The innkeeper immediately stopped them. "Men stay on the 1st floor, women on the 2nd, and the dead on the 3rd. The living are not allowed on the 3rd floor—that's the rule of this inn." As he spoke, the waiter's expression turned unusually serious.

  "If you won't let my men carry it up, then who will?" The man with the baima jacket said with an unhappy expression, clearly displeased by the innkeeper's words.

  The innkeeper cpped his hands twice in the air, and immediately, two scrawny, emaciated men rushed out from the door he had just come through. Without a word, they took the wooden board from the four men and slowly headed toward the stairs.

  "This..." The man with the baima jacket was startled and just about to lose his temper when the waiter quickly cut him off with a polite smile. "This is the rule of our inn. Everyone must follow it. Otherwise, you′re welcome to leave."

  Suppressing his anger, the man with the baima jacket finally relented and led his four men toward the door on the right.

  Wu Mi stood to the side, trying hard to suppress his ughter but managing not to let it escape. His gaze shifted to the staircase, where the wooden board wobbled up and down with the movements of the two men carrying it. A delicate hand slid out lightly, its bright red nails making it appear exceptionally soft and beautiful. But...

  The hand suddenly withdrew.