"The situation isn't good—no matter which path we take, it's a disaster involving bloodshed," Zhang Yuanqing said, his expression serious as he looked at the Palace Master. In star-phase predictions, a disaster involving bloodshed signifies a life-threatening danger and is the highest level of crisis. If the sky is overcast, there's a risk of injury, but not of losing one's life. "This is a master-level rule-type item. It's entirely normal to face life-threatening risks with such an item," the Palace Master replied softly and calmly, her voice pleasant and steady, showing no sign of urgency. She pointed to the path leading to "Prohibited Forward Movement." "Our footprints point this way—we must take this path." "I know, I know..." Zhang Yuanqing responded repeatedly, lifting his head and gazing into the deep night sky, saying, "Let me observe the celestial patterns. The great heavens will offer guidance." Among the various professions, there are three skills for predicting the future: divination, prophecy, and stargazing. Of these, divination can only determine whether an outcome will be favorable or unfavorable, offering no specific details. Prophecy delivers a specific outcome directly, without any preceding causes or consequences. Astrology is the strongest—it not only predicts fortune and misfortune but also reveals glimpses of destiny (fragments of the future) and the evolution and development of all things. Currently, Zhang Yuanqing has not yet reached the level to perceive such evolution and development. Mystical, radiant stars shimmer in his eyes, and he sees the constellations scattered across a night sky like velvet, yet the constellations, which should be clear and brilliant, are now veiled in a layer of shadow. It's as if someone with 500 degrees of nearsightedness gazes at the stars—only able to perceive the light of the stars, but unable to see the stars themselves. The zoo has limited my astrological abilities. Oh, rule-based items are always troublesome... Zhang Yuanqing feels a weight settle in his palms, and the Great Celestial Disk appears. Instantly, the blurry river of stars becomes slightly clearer. Yet it remains only slightly clearer, far from meeting the standard of true astrology. "My astrology is restricted," Zhang Yuanqing shakes his head with regret. "I can't see the images of the future—the external enhancement has been sealed." "Then think creatively—don't always rely on lucky breaks!" the Master of Zhishā Palace said with a pleasant voice. "Do you remember that famous quote about overcoming rule-based items?" "Rules are always flawed," Zhang Yuanqing replied instinctively, then recalled something. "But actually, that doesn't seem right. The Shé family's Holy Infant appears to have no flaws." Although, once separated from the Infant and the cries, the abdomen gradually disappears, fleeing clearly cannot be considered a flaw in the item's functionality. "Who says otherwise? It's actually quite simple to overcome the Infant's cries," the Master of Zhishā Palace smiled. "Just provide a bottle nipple—should you not have one, even a fingertip will do. As long as you block the Infant's mouth, the cries are silenced." "Indeed, that's surprisingly simple," Zhang Yuanqing found it astonishing yet suddenly enlightened. "Hurting children isn't difficult," the Master of Zhishā Palace said calmly, then steered the conversation back on track. "To uncover flaws in the rules, one must first understand the rules themselves." There are two options. First, use human lives to fill the gaps—haven't you brought along the shadow corpses? Summon them up. Second, proactively seek out the rules. My recommendation is to go to the employee lounge." Zhang Yuanqing, while pulling out the little red hat, humbly asked, "Why the employee lounge?" The Master of Heng-Shi, a seasoned traveler from the Spiritual Realm and a master-tier practitioner, was more familiar with such high-level rule-based artifacts than he was. "Based on observations from the outer areas, the information we've gathered so far is limited to signage—clearly insufficient to fully understand the garden's internal rules. Therefore, we must rely on the shadow corpses to experiment and test. If this is indeed your father's artifact, then your father must have also used shadow corpses and spiritual servants to gradually unravel the garden's rules through trial and error." The Master of Heng-Shi, like a stage actress, gently waved her long sleeves with a composed, effortless air. "But your foundation is still far from your father's level. You've managed to gather two six-tier shadow corpses—don't want them to be lost here, do you?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. The Master of the Stop-Killing Palace raised her hand, her plum blossom fingers gracefully pointing toward the direction of the "employee rest room": "Theoretically speaking, humans are the most inclined to leave traces... Employees working in the garden will inevitably leave behind work records, daily notes, and so on—these are exactly the intelligence we need." Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up, and he quickly flattered: "Sister, you're truly brilliant! Who could possibly marry you? That would be a fortune accumulated over eight lifetimes!" The Master of the Stop-Killing Palace casually wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling gently: "Then you marry me." The eyes beneath the silver mask were moist and luminous, like precious pearls shining in the night. "Master, right now we're in peril—this isn't just about romance," Zhang Yuanqing said, pressing gently on her shoulders and gently pushing her away, shaking his little red hat in his hands. Four figures tumbled out of the void—none other than the Three Pillars of "The Return of the Departed." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then withdrew his eager pursuit of the divine general. With both him and the Master of the Halt-Killing Palace present, their combat strength is ample; the role of the Yin-Shi is primarily to serve as expendable assets, stepping on landmines. Given that, it’s absolutely essential not to have the greedy general bear the brunt of those landmines—Lady Blood-Rosette is an excellent choice, as from the moment she donned her little red hat, she has already been designated a sacrificial pawn. It’s a bit of a pity, though, since this Yin-Shi is unusually beautiful. As for Lady Yin-Yao, she is a companion, not a Yin-Shi. "Let’s go!" Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward first toward the "employee lounge," but the Master of the Halt-Killing Palace intercepted him, smiling, "A modest Saint—don’t try to outshine me, just follow behind me." With that, she moved gracefully along the path. Along both sides of the path, thick shrubs grew, behind which vast stretches of plants stretched. Streetlights were spaced every fifteen meters, casting a dim, yellowish glow, illuminating only a circular patch on the ground. The surroundings were silent. The four figures’ footsteps echoed through the dark night After about ten minutes, a small building appeared ahead—red tile roof, gray walls, with an apartment-style architecture, two stories tall, seven rooms on each floor. The building stood quietly in the darkness, its windows dark and empty. More strangely, though it was a habitation meant for people, there were no streetlights around it at all. As a result, the building and its surroundings were completely dark. With the lush vegetation nearby, the impression was that one had stumbled upon a small, abandoned building deep within a dense forest. "Even though this is a rule-based item for a Wood Spirit class, it feels more eerie than a night-wanderer's supernatural quest," Zhang Yuanqing murmured. "Don't you find this interesting?" asked the Lady of Zhishā, smiling. "Imagine this as a date—like we've gone to a cinema, bought two tickets for a horror film, and are expecting a series of thrilling, suspenseful scenes. I'll scream and cling to you, making you eat your tofu, or perhaps you'll snuggle into my arms?" "Has your mental illness truly improved? I still feel you're rather frenzied... Zhang Yuanqing inwardly murmured a critique, though the tense, weighty atmosphere did somewhat ease the impression. Princess Yin Yao glanced at the Palace Master, then at Zhang Yuanqing, and silently raised her small horn, whispering, "Master Yuan Shi, how many beloved companions do you truly have?" Although the sound coming from the horn was a soft murmur, everyone heard it clearly. The Palace Master examined the beautiful, ethereal corpse, frowned, and said, "Why preserve the spirit of this corpse? Young man, I'll take care of it myself." Such a disregard for palace protocol—Princess Yin Yao quietly set down her horn, remained silent, and feigned to be a mere mindless corpse. "Go in and take a look—don't waste time. If we delay any further, the Dog Elder will return." Zhang Yuanqing reached out, caught the Palace Master's hand, and led her toward the small pavilion. The Mad Princess immediately forgot about Lady Yinyao and happily, with a joyful step, followed Zhang Yuanqing into the small pavilion. "Click~" As Zhang Yuanqing reached the door of the first room on the left, he extended his palm, didn't lock it, and gently pushed it open. The room was completely dark. He slowly scanned the space— the room was modest, featuring two double iron beds, accommodating four beds. In the center stood a long table, with vases, cups, clothing, and other daily items piled with dust, including the tabletop itself. Two standing storage cabinets were positioned near the window. "This isn't a room for regular staff," Zhang Yuanqing wiped the dust off the table. He meant the daytime zoo staff who wore formal blue and black uniforms. "The Princess of Zhishi said, with her graceful gaze sweeping over the room, "Interestingly, they never seem to return to stay here?" Otherwise, the dust would never have accumulated so thickly. "They're active around the园区 at night, but don't return during the day—then what's the point of this dorm building?" Zhang Yuanqing was puzzled. The Master of Zhishi Palace shook her head and walked straight toward the standing cabinet. Both Zhang Yuanqing and the Master quickly began searching through the cabinet, while Lady Yingyao and Blood Rose knelt down to pull out boxes hidden beneath the beds. Zhang Yuanqing opened the cabinet door, revealing cotton quilts, clothing, towels, toothbrushes, and other daily necessities, along with a badge. The surname on the badge had been erased, and the name read: Qiao Jun. "There's an employee handbook," said the Master of Zhishi Palace, pulling out a thin booklet from the cabinet. An employee handbook? Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of excitement—such a handbook would surely be closely tied to the zoo and thus a highly valuable clue. She immediately approached. The Master of Zhishi Palace then leaned against the young man's chest, opening the booklet and reading it together with him. Lady Yin Yao also wanted to approach, but was quietly reminded by the Palace Master's cold gaze, and then stepped back without a word.