After rubbing the little fox's head a few times, Ye Tiancheng sat down beside it.
Ye Tiancheng said to the little fox, "Don't be so pessimistic. Judging by Lin Yanqin's attitude, perhaps things aren't over yet. But even if there's no gain, it's not a big deal."
"We already know, and we don't just have this one chance. Occasional setbacks are perfectly normal. Life isn't always smooth sailing."
"Didn't we know this long ago? There's no need to be so dejected."
The little fox managed a weak smile.
He said, "When we talk about principles, everyone understands them. But when things actually happen, it's hard to truly act according to those principles."
"No matter what we do, encountering failure suddenly is unavoidable and can make people a bit dejected. But it's not a big problem. I understand. I'm just a little disappointed, but I'm fine."
Ye Tiancheng said, "It's good that you're alright."
Ye Tiancheng was certainly concerned about the little fox's mood. For so long, no matter what they encountered, they had tried their best to find solutions and resolve issues. However, facing a situation like this, where they might have to give up and seek other directions because a problem was completely unsolvable, was something new.
This was the first time such a thing had happened since the little fox started following Ye Tiancheng.
Therefore, it was understandable that the little fox was particularly dejected. After all, they hadn't encountered such a situation before. Facing such a significant setback for the first time, even being forced to give up on the problem they had been diligently working on, anyone would inevitably feel a bit down.
Ye Tiancheng understood this completely.
Fortunately, the little fox was also good at managing his emotions. He was only dejected for a while before he felt better.
However, having been rejected by Lin Yanqin twice already, it seemed inappropriate for them to continue investigating actively. After all, there were no other clues to be found elsewhere. Furthermore, after being rejected, they couldn't proactively search Lin Yanqin's room for trouble.
Under these circumstances, it seemed they had no better option than to lie low and wait for an opportunity.
Ye Tiancheng's mindset was good.
After all, he had experienced many things. Ye Tiancheng himself knew very well that his somewhat mature demeanor was also due to his real age not matching his apparent age.
Ye Tiancheng had lived through this life once before and had actually lived for many years.
The little fox also had a good mindset, but psychologically, he was younger.
Although, in terms of actual years, the little fox should have been the oldest among them, due to his condition and amnesia, he was much more naive in some aspects. It was normal for him to be unable to process certain things immediately.
Even if Ye Tiancheng and the others lay low and did nothing, they would still constantly monitor the movements of the remaining employee of the inn.
They needed to be wary of this employee, given his ruthless nature.
They didn't want this employee to stab them in the back, which would be terrible for them.
However, that employee was quite astute.
Whenever Ye Tiancheng and the others needed him for something or had questions for him, this employee was always responsive. Although he was still very afraid of Ye Tiancheng and the others, his demeanor when facing them was somewhat timid.
Perhaps it was genuine fear of Ye Tiancheng and the others, leading him to try and appease them.
After all, Ye Tiancheng and the others seemed to possess considerable ability to have survived there for so many days.
This employee had lived in Xiao Jing City for quite some time, so he knew even better how difficult it was for newcomers like Ye Tiancheng and the others to survive in this godforsaken place.
If survival were so easy, why would he be working under such a black-hearted innkeeper?
On one hand, he had also hardened his heart. On the other hand, it was because he couldn't survive well on his own.
While working for the innkeeper carried significant risks, and there was always the possibility of being betrayed by the innkeeper when they needed to protect themselves, the chances of survival were still much higher than staying alone.
Being able to live under the innkeeper and now adopting this attitude towards Ye Tiancheng and the others.
This employee was very good at reading people and catering to them.
Ye Tiancheng and the others were much stronger than him now, so naturally, this employee adopted such an attitude.
If Ye Tiancheng and the others were weaker, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Lin Yanqin had also asked Ye Tiancheng and the others about the innkeeper's whereabouts. After all, Lin Yanqin hadn't seen the innkeeper, whom Ye Tiancheng and the others had captured, since then.
For the sake of maintaining their personas, Ye Tiancheng and the others advised Lin Yanqin, who appeared to be a weak woman, to tell her the truth, lest she be deceived and taken advantage of.
Ye Tiancheng and the others told Lin Yanqin that when they asked the inn's employee to deliver food to the innkeeper, the employee harbored ill intentions and poisoned the innkeeper's food and drink, thus killing him.
Lin Yanqin was naturally very surprised upon hearing this.
Moreover, Lin Yanqin seemed somewhat frightened.
From then on, Lin Yanqin would avoid the inn's employee whenever she saw him. She didn't even proactively ask him for anything.
However, the inn wasn't just inhabited by the innkeeper and the employee.
Ye Tiancheng and the others later found out that other tasks within the inn, such as cleaning empty rooms and cooking in the back kitchen, were performed by various strange non-human beings.
In fact, Ye Tiancheng and the others weren't the only guests in the inn. Lin Yanqin was also there.
There were also many non-human travelers.
In short, Ye Tiancheng and the others strongly suspected that the non-humans who caused disturbances every night, creating noise and trying to break into their rooms, might be these very beings.
These entities were only more orderly and behaved more like normal people during the day, being relatively stable and controllable.
In general, as long as they didn't court disaster, they wouldn't encounter any accidents.
However, this further proved that the food in the inn was absolutely inedible. It was fortunate that Ye Tiancheng and the others had foresight and stored a large amount of food, water, and even various supplies in their storage space.
Otherwise, after living in Xiao Jing City for a while, people would eventually run into problems.
Who could guarantee that those ill-intentioned non-humans at night didn't harbor malice when preparing things during the day?
At most, they couldn't harm people openly.
After all, Xiao Jing City was a place with stringent rules.
For humans like Ye Tiancheng and the others, who were lured into and forced to live in Xiao Jing City, there were many rules they needed to abide by. Similarly, for those non-humans, there were also rules they had to follow.
If not for this, it would be unbelievable that these non-humans didn't break doors at night and harm people during the day without any restraint.
They were clearly influenced by some rules, which made them so well-behaved.
But for Ye Tiancheng and the others, this was definitely a good thing.
It was like a sword with a scabbard was much safer than a sword without one. As long as the sword remained sheathed, it wouldn't harm anyone.
On the fifth day, Lin Yanqin met with Ye Tiancheng and the others again. However, she only spoke with them and did not ask for their help. It was unclear whether Lin Yanqin still had concerns or if her situation had not yet reached a point where she felt compelled to seek their assistance.
On the sixth day, Lin Yanqin did not meet with Ye Tiancheng and the others again.
Ye Tiancheng and the others passed the day uneventfully.
It wasn't until the seventh day that they went to check on the inn employee's condition as usual. However, this time, it wasn't all four of them going together. In fact, they hadn't gone together for the previous two days either.
Generally, either Ye Tiancheng went alone, or two of them went to check the situation.
In any case, they couldn't stay cooped up in the room all day. If something happened and they didn't discover it in time, wouldn't they be caught like fish in a barrel?
Ye Tiancheng and the others were certainly not foolish enough to do that.
However, considering that before the innkeeper was harmed and died, he had repeatedly stated that the seventh day was the most dangerous. Even the innkeeper himself was usually invisible on that day.
Furthermore, out of fear for his life, the innkeeper had largely stopped showing himself in the later days of the cycle.
It was easy to imagine that the later days were very dangerous.
That was why the innkeeper had reacted that way.
When they went out on the seventh day, considering the potential dangers outside, Ye Tiancheng left many life-saving items for Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping, believing they would be much safer staying in the room.
In short, they were not to go out again.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping's individual capabilities were inferior to those of Ye Tiancheng and the little fox. The same level of danger that might be a crisis for Ye Tiancheng and the little fox could be a certain death for Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping.
Ye Tiancheng planned to take the little fox out to check the situation and then return.
However, even when leaving Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping in the room, they had to consider the possibility of accidents occurring within the room, so they needed to leave them some defensive items.
Ye Tiancheng and the others were very cautious while living in this inn.
Only when they were in a relatively safe state would they open the door for each other. In situations like the seventh day, which required raising an alarm, everyone tacitly agreed not to open the door for anyone, even if they sounded like companions.
Everyone should carry their own keys. With a key, they could naturally enter the room.
If they didn't have a key, those inside definitely wouldn't open the door.
This was also why Ye Tiancheng chose to go out with the little fox to check the situation.
If the person outside accidentally lost their key and couldn't get into the room, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox could still ensure their own safety and survive.
However, if such a situation were to occur with Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping, the situation would be different.
Whether both of them came out or they were separated and only one came out, Ye Tiancheng and the others would be greatly constrained and the risks would increase if they brought Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping with them.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping also accepted Ye Tiancheng's arrangement, as his arrangements were considered reasonable.