This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

Chapter 396 I...I wasn't contaminated!

On the other side, inside the Zhaixin Hall.

Lin Feng was quietly eating his vegetarian noodles when a crisp system notification suddenly rang in his ears:

[Ding, Xia Ning's favorability towards the host has increased by 8.]

[Current favorability: 64/100.]

A hint of a smile flashed across Lin Feng's eyes.

Dave, sitting across from him, asked curiously, "Boss, did something happy come to mind?"

Lin Feng immediately suppressed his smile and shook his head: "It's nothing, I just think the vegetarian noodles tonight are better than I expected."

........................

Before long, everyone finished eating, and no one dared to linger.

The eerie atmosphere of Zhaixintang never dissipated; even though the food was not poisonous, it still made people feel uneasy.

Xia Ning still hadn't returned. Only two black-clad deacons stood expressionlessly in the corner, their gazes sweeping over each of the chosen ones who stood up.

Everyone stood up and walked out of the Zhaixin Hall in an orderly manner.

On the way back to his room, Dave patted his round belly and let out a burp:

"I'm finally full. I almost couldn't resist licking the bowl clean."

Park Ji-won glanced at him, her tone tinged with disdain: "Vulgar. Even in a place like this, you should still have basic manners."

Dave shook his head:

"Yes, yes, you're a cultured person, and I'm a roughneck!"

"Something's fishy going on. I wonder if it'll target those with good manners first, or those that are well-fed and have the energy to run away."

........................

The four returned to dormitory number 56. As soon as they opened the door, Xia Ning's clear and ethereal voice came from above:

"There are no cultivation tasks tonight, everyone please get some rest."

"There are many rules in the dormitory, so please be careful."

Dave exclaimed sincerely, "This guide is quite kind."

Lin Feng silently replied in his heart: That's right, she doesn't even know whose wife she is.

After a short rest, it was completely dark.

The room was dimly lit and had a chilly atmosphere.

Dave rubbed his arms: "It's so cold in the mountains, let's hurry up and wash up and get into bed."

Lin Feng nodded and climbed down from the upper bunk.

The four of them picked up their toiletries and walked into the hallway.

The eternal lamps in the corridor were already lit, their bluish-white flames flickering slightly, casting shadowy shadows across the narrow passage.

The doors and windows of the dormitories on both sides were tightly closed, and occasionally a few whispers could be heard coming from behind the doors.

Pushing open the bathroom door, a damp, chilly draft hit me, mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant and a wisp of fishy odor.

The washroom was not spacious, and the walls were bluish-gray with tiny cracks all over them.

Directly opposite the entrance, there are four washbasins placed side by side, with a few black stains on the ceramic walls.

When the tap was turned on, the water was murky for a moment before gradually becoming clear, and it was icy cold to the touch.

Behind the four sinks is a huge mirror that almost covers the entire wall.

The mirror surface was blurry, as if covered with a layer of mist.

The strangest thing is that this mirror seems to have an invisible magic, drawing people's gaze and making them unable to resist looking at themselves in the mirror.

Even if people try to avoid it, their peripheral vision will unconsciously drift towards the mirror.

"There's something wrong with this mirror," Vassim said gravely. "Don't look at it anymore. Hurry up and wash up, then leave!"

The four of them quickly scooped up cold water and splashed it on their faces; the biting cold made them even more awake.

As Lin Feng wiped his face, his peripheral vision inadvertently glanced at the mirror, and his heart suddenly tightened—

The reflection in the mirror showed me moving a fraction of a second slower than in reality!

He raised his hand, and the reflection in the mirror followed suit, but a beat too late;

He frowned, and the reflection in the mirror maintained the same expression until a moment later, when it slowly furrowed again.

Almost simultaneously, Wasim, Dave, and Park Ji-won also noticed something was wrong; their reflections in the mirror were also a moment slower than their own movements.

"W-What's going on?!" Dave exclaimed in fright, instinctively raising his hand to wave it before quickly lowering it, his eyes fixed on the mirror.

Lin Feng suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "Don't panic! Dormitory rule seven has been triggered!"

He quickly repeated the rules: "When washing up in the bathroom, if you find that your reflection in the mirror is a breath slower than you, immediately turn around, put your hands on the ground and do ten standard push-ups, then splash cold water on your face. You must not look directly into the mirror again that day."

"Hurry! Do as the rules say, or it'll be too late!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng turned around first, with his back to the mirror, and quickly put his hands on the cold, damp ground to do push-ups.

Wasim and Park Ji-won followed closely behind. Dave also hurriedly turned around and braced himself on the ground with his hands, but because of his obese body, his body swayed as soon as he stood up.

"one two three……"

He gritted his teeth and, when he reached the third one, he could no longer hold on. His arms went limp, and he collapsed heavily onto the cold, damp ground.

"No, I can't... I... I can't do it anymore..."

The moment he collapsed, the air in the bathroom suddenly became even colder.

The mirror, which was blurry and had a delayed reflection just a moment ago, has now become exceptionally clear.

Besides the four figures reflected in the mirror, countless tiny black shadows slowly emerged from the depths.

Like leeches breaking free of their restraints, they wriggled rapidly, their target Dave, who was sprawled on the floor in the mirror.

In an instant, they reached the bottom of Dave's body and quietly seeped into his skin.

Dave, standing outside the mirror, was still breathing heavily and had no idea that anything was wrong.

However, the next second, he suddenly felt a slight itch in his abdomen.

Immediately afterwards, the itching sensation spread rapidly throughout the body, and even under the skin, one could clearly see raised, fine lines that moved about like earthworms.

"It itches...it's so itchy!"

Dave instinctively raised his hand to pat the bulge in his abdomen, but the moment his palm touched it, the wriggling bulge vanished into thin air, as if everything he had just felt was merely his imagination.

Lin Feng, Vassim, and Park Ji-won, who were standing to the side, had already finished their push-ups and stood up. The three of them had solemn expressions and secretly exchanged glances.

Needless to say, Dave has been corrupted.

The rules of the temple are never a joke. The punishment for failing to complete the seventh rule of the dormitory came so quickly and so strangely.

Letting Dave stay in the barracks was tantamount to placing a time bomb next to him that could explode at any moment.

Dave noticed the three men's strange looks and looked at them with a flustered expression:

"Why are you all looking at me like that?!"

He tried to force a relaxed smile, but as soon as he finished speaking, the skin on his neck suddenly bulged slightly, and a fine line crawled rapidly under the skin.

Dave shuddered in fright and quickly raised his hand to pat his neck, but the bulge disappeared instantly as soon as his hand touched it.

He shook his head frantically, desperately trying to explain:

"I'm really fine!"

"It's just...it's a little itchy, probably because the air here is too dry and cold. I'm really not contaminated!"