511: Chapter 511 The Hotel with an Eerie Atmosphere

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just took a tumble."

Zhou Yan pulled Lv Yang up in one go. Even though Lv Yang claimed he was fine, his gaze remained fixed on the backs of those three people.

He kept watching until the main door automatically closed because no one had entered for a while.

"After all that, it's actually an ancient-style automatic door? It's a bit of a mismatch, don't you think?"

Zhou Yan turned his head to look at Lv Yang, and seeing him staring blankly at the door, he spoke casually.

"And you call this being 'fine'."

"Aren't you a monk? You can't even handle being bumped into? Are you really that spiteful?"

"This is the Eastern Region; there aren't many normal people here to begin with. That guy's subordinates didn't spit in your mouth while you were down, which is already considered civilized."

Lv Yang didn't look at Zhou Yan. Instead, he lowered his head slightly, his brow furrowing.

"That's not it. I don't like holding grudges."

"Rather than seeking revenge, I prefer to stay away from people I dislike, so as not to be tainted by even a fraction of their Karma and avoid becoming entangled in more of it."

Isn't that just another way of holding a grudge?

Zhou Yan couldn't help but think this to himself, but he quickly realized something.

"Wait, you're implying something else, aren't you?"

Lv Yang ignored Zhou Yan. After a moment of contemplation, he pressed his palms together and strode inside.

Seeing Lv Yang enter, Zhou Yan quickened his pace to follow him.

"Hey, what are you in such a hurry... for..."

This place isn't right.

Zhou Yan opened his mini-map to check. The moment he stepped through the door, several red dots appeared.

While he knew that in a place like the Eastern Region, small shops in the middle of nowhere were basically synonymous with 'shady dens', surely he wouldn't run into monsters right from the start?

Even that shop run by the monkey before didn't have such blatant hostility at the beginning.

Furthermore, there was the scent of Faith here.

While Zhou Yan scanned the surroundings, Lv Yang had already walked up to the front desk to speak with the staff.

The receptionist was a Middle-aged Man wearing futuristic ancient-style clothing, with a Lotus Badge pinned to his chest.

Upon seeing Lv Yang approach, he bowed in welcome first.

"Honored guest, welcome. May the Heavenly Dao bless you."

"Would you like to stay the night or just rest for a while?"

"Of course, based on my knowledge of this area, that wretched sandstorm outside won't be letting up anytime soon."

"If you are willing to stay for a day or two, the sandstorm will dissipate, making your journey ahead much more comfortable."

"Naturally, you will also find these two days here to be exceptionally comfortable."

Lv Yang glanced at the man in white and the two black-clad guards who seemed to be talking in the distance, then nodded and said,

"We need to stay. Open a room for us."

To his surprise, the Middle-aged Man refused Lv Yang.

"I am very sorry, sir, but we implement a one-person-per-room policy. Each guest must reside in their own room and cannot share with others."

"However, please rest assured that there is no extra charge for accommodation at this establishment. You need not worry about heavy lodging costs if there are many people."

"You don't charge money? Then why open a hotel?" Zhou Yan walked over, resting his hand on the counter as he spoke to the Middle-aged Man. "This isn't some kind of shady shop, is it?"

The Middle-aged Man suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha, this guest certainly likes to joke. However, such vigilance is normal. In a place like the Eastern Region, there are far more shady shops than normal ones."

"But please be at ease; our establishment's revenue does not come from lodging."

"As you can see, those who can make it here are basically Cultivators or special individuals. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't stay long."

"So, this was originally just a relay station built to provide shelter from the sandstorms. It's just that as people came and went, it gradually gained a reputation, and under our boss's management, it became this hotel."

"Because of the flow of people, rooms are usually available, and the cost of housing is very low. To better serve everyone, we implemented the one-person-per-room policy."

"As for our paid services, they are mainly focused on amenities."

"There are ways to stay if you have money, and ways to stay if you don't. Anyone who can make it here can certainly afford the basic consumption; I can guarantee you that."

Zhou Yan thought for a moment but still shook his head in refusal.

"I think we'll pass. We aren't really interested in services. The sandstorm is a bit heavy, but it's not like we can't travel through it, right?"

"Lv Yang, let's go."

Zhou Yan reached out to pull Lv Yang's hand, but Lv Yang submitted his check-in information first.

"I'm honestly too tired. Since we don't have to pay anyway, staying for one night won't hurt."

"Besides, the staff's attitude is quite good. This doesn't look like some improper place; you're being too sensitive."

"If you don't want to stay, you can leave first. I'll catch up with you later."

Zhou Yan's mouth hung open; his expression under the hood was one of utter disbelief.

Has this monk been possessed by another player?

Just a moment ago, he seemed so deep in thought, yet now he's acting like a naive fool.

Surely he didn't fail to understand what I meant?

To ensure his meaning got across this time, Zhou Yan decided to use a transmission to inform Lv Yang of the danger here.

At the same time, to prevent Lv Yang from being startled by a sudden transmission and causing unnecessary risk, Zhou Yan specifically walked over and draped an arm over his shoulder, using the large movement to hide what he was doing next.

"You guy, you're staying in a hot spring hotel while leaving me out to dry?"

Divine Sense Transmission: "This place is wrong. Don't make any strange faces after hearing this transmission. Let's just slowly head out."

Lv Yang didn't show the nervousness Zhou Yan expected. Instead, he acted as if nothing had happened, brushed Zhou Yan's hand away, and walked toward the corridor, not forgetting to say a word to Zhou Yan.

"I'm going in first. Hurry up and register so you can come rest too."

Watching Lv Yang walk in just like that, Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and decisively turned to leave.

Are you kidding me? Knowing it's a dungeon and still crawling inside? He wasn't that stupid.

This Lv Yang clearly wasn't simple. Believing he was a Mortal was less plausible than believing Xiao Sheng was actually a great philanthropist.

Since he ignored my warning and insisted on going in, he must have his own strategy. I'll find a place to wait outside for a bit and wait for him to finish before he comes out.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan stood before the main door.

"Pah, pah, pah! What the hell is this!" Zhou Yan quickly backed away, starting to spit sand onto the ground.

Who could understand the 'joy' of opening a door only to swallow two pounds of wind and an ounce of sand?

At that moment, the Middle-aged Man suddenly spoke.

"I am very sorry, guest."

"It seems you have encountered a Black Sandstorm."

"This phenomenon is the most vexing in this region. It specifically targets a Cultivator's protective Qi and cannot be blocked by magic power."

"While its lethality isn't necessarily high, it is truly annoying, isn't it?"

"So, will you really not consider staying for a rest?"

Looking at the Middle-aged Man's smiling face and thinking about the sand that could actually penetrate magic power from his firsthand experience just now...

Crap, they have a combo move!

He definitely couldn't just leave Lv Yang behind, or Lv Yang might just run off on his own, but he didn't plan on eating sand outside either.

Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time. Maybe, like that monkey, he's just a small fry on the side of the road?

Zhou Yan sighed and registered his information at the front desk.

"I'm really impressed by you guys. Using the terrain to do business—it's hard to say if you're a shady shop or not."

"Hahaha, where there's a demand, there's a market."

"If it weren't for this strange sandstorm, our business wouldn't have grown so large, would it?"

"Of course, if this sandstorm could stop, we would wish for that too. Even if it meant losing hotel profits, we still hope our guests can have a better experience."

Watching Zhou Yan finish signing the registration form, the Middle-aged Man politely took it, then bowed slightly to gesture for Zhou Yan to enter.

After Zhou Yan entered as well, the Middle-aged Man returned to his previous standing posture, perfectly standard, just like a doll.

He just waited quietly for the next guest to arrive.

The registration forms that Zhou Yan and Lv Yang had just signed were placed under the desk.

One was written with the name Lv Yang, and the other with Ma Hao.

Then, as if those two names were being devoured by something, tooth marks appeared in the handwriting.

Soon, they completely vanished, turning back into two blank registration forms.