Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

Since you're all guests, please stay and have a meal here.

Liu Qigui said with a gentle smile.

"Has accepting the Li and Zhang families brought you trouble?"

Gao Hai didn't respond to Liu Qigui's question, but instead frowned and continued to ask.

No, no, no, although the Zhang family are a bunch of fools, they can't really be considered evil. After all, in the end, they only harmed themselves and never implicated anyone else.

[It was because we accepted those beasts from the Li family that we ran into such a big problem. Our ancestors met the Li family's ancestors while fleeing and came together. At first, we thought we were all suffering, and it would be good to rely on each other. But who would have thought they were a band of bandits, indiscriminate killers, nothing more than a bunch of uncivilized wild beasts.]

[Heh, it's said that those people initially wanted to kill and rob our ancestors, but they didn't expect to be protected by the Fox Goddess. Realizing they couldn't win, they knelt and begged for mercy, claiming they were also poor people. Our ancestors were kind-hearted and accepted them. If I had encountered them then, I would have chopped those beasts up and fed them to the pigs and chickens. Alas, if it weren't for these ungrateful wretches, our Liu family wouldn't have suffered so much injustice!]

As Liu Qigui spoke, he excitedly tapped the ground with his cane next to the chair.

The words of the Liu family patriarch do correspond to some of the intelligence gathered earlier. So, regardless of his current state, his words still carry a degree of credibility. However, we can't believe everything we hear so easily. After all, we're just outsiders. For a patriarch to keep us here in the main hall and talk to us for so long is not normal behavior; we need to continue observing.

Gao Hai, still deep in thought, didn't immediately ask the next question.

Before Gao Hai's brief silence ended, Cat Brother, who had been sitting quietly, first gestured for Tang Yuan, who wanted to ask another question immediately, to restrain herself. After considering his words for a moment, he slowly spoke.

"Old sir, since you have had so many conflicts with the Li family, are you aware that a group of Taoist priests went to the Li family's side?"

Cat Brother doesn't dare to make a hasty judgment about the state of Liu Qigui in Liu Family Village.

Despite being a well-traveled Red Moon-level player, Cat Bro knew he'd seen far too many strange and illogical things in the [Infant Cry Village] dungeon in just a few hours. Therefore, he mostly observed silently, following the instructions of others without offering his own thoughts or opinions.

After chatting with the old man for a short while, Cat Brother noticed that Gao Hai was clearly unsure of the situation and was merely going along with the old man's words to probe the situation. Tang Yuan, on the other hand, became somewhat excited after discovering that the old man, Liu Qigui, might possess a complete cognitive ability. Therefore, she was a little worried that her words might veer off-topic, so after thinking for a moment, she took the initiative to start the conversation, hoping to break the ice and obtain more information from her side.

According to Mr. Gao's information, the persecution of Ge Yuan and his group likely involved both Li Family Village and Liu Family Village simultaneously. In other words, the Li Family Village that this man described as detestable might actually have a relatively good relationship with the Liu Family, or at least it used to be quite good, which clearly contradicts Liu Qigui's statement.

If the topic itself doesn't involve the power of the rules of the supernatural, then it's difficult to determine the truthfulness of Liu Qigui's answer, and we'd need to use objects of attachment and blessings to try and judge. If it does involve the rules of the supernatural, then whether Liu Qigui will undergo any changes will allow us to clearly confirm the situation from all aspects.

While he was thinking, Cat Brother had already focused his attention on carefully observing Liu Qigui's changing reactions.

Gao Hai and Tang Yuan understood why Cat Brother asked the question, so they also became more vigilant and began to observe their surroundings.

Will anything change?

Generally speaking, if the topic of conversation triggers the special rules of the monsters, those disguised monsters should immediately reveal their true forms and hunt down the violators, so you have to be prepared to fight immediately.

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he saw Liu Qigui just sigh slightly, his face showing a hint of guilt.

Mr. Ge, our Liu family has truly let him down.

[We never expected him to be so cruelly harmed by the Li family, nor did we expect that one of our own would listen to the Li family's beasts and get involved. This is the biggest mistake of our Liu family.]

"Knowing about this matter, you must have some connection with Mr. Ge, right? I'm truly sorry, but making excuses now is indeed shameful. But if you've made a mistake, you have to stand up and take the punishment. Yes, Mr. Ge and his disciples were murdered by the Li and Liu families. Although we later found those corrupted scoundrels and buried them alive as a sacrifice to appease the dead, the Li family basically took all of Mr. Ge and his disciples' bodies. In the end, we only managed to bury a very small number of them."

The more Liu Qigui spoke, the more guilty he looked, his face filled with the pain of regret.

To be honest, everyone in Liujia Village is very grateful to Mr. Ge for coming to help us back then.

Without the old master and his disciples' efforts, the problem at "Bottomless Lake" might never have been solved. Thanks to the old master's paper figures, those mysterious entities that constantly attacked our Liu family were suppressed, preventing the Liu family from losing so many members every year.

If I could do it all over again, I would never let this happen again. Alas, Mr. Ge, he really shouldn't have died like this.

Amidst Liu Qigui's repeated sighs, his sincere expression made it impossible for even experienced players like Cat Brother and Tangyuan to determine whether it was genuine emotion, a pretense, or merely a performance by a ghost imitating a living person.

However, there was one place he mentioned that Gao Hai was very concerned about.

【Bottomless Lake】? I remember the Fishing Gang checked that place on their second playthrough. It's a lake in the forest, and it seems there are quite a few babies who drowned in it.

Was that place related to Liujia Village? Could there be a core obsession that remains undiscovered, hidden in that place?

Anyway, we now have a new direction. However, Yili is currently focused on that desolate village filled with mass graves, while the other Red Moon level players who stayed behind need to guard against unexpected situations, so they can't spare anyone to go there for the time being... Hmm, it wouldn't be a bad option to send Lao Guo to scout things out first.

As Gao Hai was thinking this, a warning from Zhenfei suddenly came through the mental link.

The two children's voices completely disappeared; their heartbeats and breathing stopped.

Maki, who had been using Eriko Asamoto's hearing blessing to monitor the two children who were taken away, spoke earnestly to Takami through the private link on her black watch.

Did you hear anything unusual?

Realizing something might be wrong, Gao Hai immediately asked, while simultaneously activating his auditory blessing to scan the surroundings, but he didn't hear any unusual sounds.

{Not yet, there are many cacophony of sounds drowning out each other, sounding like a lot of people are busy. Hmm... these sounds are chaotic, extremely chaotic, and it seems their movements have been accelerated, as if time itself has sped up, making it difficult to discern anything clearly. But, um, if I'm not mistaken, I think I heard the sound of grease splattering? And maybe the sound of chopping vegetables along with it? Ah, those sounds have stopped.}

Princess Zhenfei quickly relayed what she had heard.

It was at this moment that Gao Hai suddenly noticed that a large table had appeared in the lobby, with several sets of bowls and chopsticks placed on it.

Liu Qigui, who had been chatting in a chair, stood up and naturally sat down in the main seat at the table, gesturing for Gao Hai and the others to sit wherever they pleased.

After chatting for a while, everyone must be a little thirsty and hungry, right? Let's have lunch at my house. I can treat you all to one of the Liu family's signature dishes these next couple of days.

The man was smiling.

Several young men and women carried a huge pot, big enough to fit a person, into the house and placed it on the table.

You can smell a refreshing fragrance.

No, it's less a fragrance and more a vibrant, captivating life force.

It's as if taking a good breath can grant you several more years of life, allowing your body to fully recover from the wear and tear of aging and return to its true prime.

Such vibrant, beautiful life force, like the rising sun.

The moment the pot lid was lifted, a genuine, powerful, yet nascent vitality surged towards the players present.

"..."

Despite having been mentally prepared, Gao Hai still fell into a slight silence after confirming the facts before him.

Seeing this scene for the first time, Princess Zhenfei's pupils constricted, her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Wow, claypot rice..."

Tangyuan muttered a complaint under her breath, while Cat Brother turned his head away without saying a word.

He picked up a spoon.

Without changing his expression, Liu Qigui scooped a spoonful of thick soup from the fragrant dishes and brought it to his mouth.

[Slurp—~]

The sound of tasting was incredibly clear.

[Slurp—~]

They savored the food with utter delight.

[Slurp—Whoosh—That's really good!]

After tasting it, you should smack your lips gently, showing a look of lingering enjoyment.

Then, Liu Qigui turned around and gave the players, who had not yet taken their seats, a very friendly smile.

Just like when he first appeared before the players, he smiled kindly and peacefully, without any hostility.

Come on, everyone, this is a rare opportunity!

He spoke sincerely to Gao Hai and the others.

My children and grandchildren, blessed by the Goddess, are now in the perfect season for harvesting; there could be no more delicious or longevity-enhancing delicacy than this.

We urge all guests not to refuse and to experience the secret of our Liu Family Village—this truly miraculous longevity soup. My grandfather can live to be several hundred years old, and it's all thanks to this delicious soup!

Hehehe~

Chapter 116: The Self-Contained Twisted Entity and the Confirmed Third Core

To be honest, when Gao Hai saw that thing, he found that he was actually not mentally affected at all.

I wasn't surprised at all.

They did not experience any emotional change because of the bloody appearance of the thing.

It was just a feeling of "Ah, I knew it," and then nothing more.

I've become like this without even realizing it.

Gao Hai silently stared at the still-steaming, twisted mess. He found it hard to imagine how this thing had been made. But now it was right in front of him, and the life force it contained was so clear that even without touching it, Gao Hai could tell its purpose.

Is it possible to prolong one's own lifespan by using the vitality of a child?

Speaking of which, in the fragments of memory I gleaned, the Li family did indeed say that the Liu family had mastered the method of immortality. But they called the Liu family's method of immortality a beastly act—so that's what they meant by "beastly"?

To be honest, it's quite funny, especially considering the Li family's series of anthropomorphic actions and their disdain for the Liu family. Gao Hai really finds it hard to describe his feelings at this moment.

However, at least one thing is now clearly perceptible.

The twisted nature of these Liu family villagers was finally exposed to Gao Hai.

"How long have you been eating this kind of thing?"

Gao Hai stood up from his seat, looked at the thing on the table, and calmly asked Liu Qigui.

"Hmm? Who would remember something like that? It must have been hundreds of years ago. Alright, alright, don't worry about it. Sit down and eat with us."

Liu Qigui answered cheerfully, took another sip of soup, and a look of utter satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Really? Did you start eating this after you settled down in Xiaoheishan, or before you came here?"

Gao Hai remained calm and asked again.

【Hey, are you going to keep harping on this? I don't remember the specifics, but it must have been after we got here, right? So you really aren't going to eat it? This is very precious food. We usually offer such good things to the Empress, and it's rare for us to have any left over for ourselves.】

As Liu Qigui answered, he took another sip of soup. Seeing that no one sat down to eat with Gao Hai, he earnestly urged him to eat again.

"So, this precious ingredient was discovered for you by the Fox Queen?"

Gao Hai had roughly figured it out, sighed, and after thinking for a moment, asked one last question.

"Of course! If the Queen hadn't told us, we wouldn't have discovered such delicious and nourishing things. And, to be honest, the benefits don't stop there. These delicious ingredients not only taste amazing with minimal processing, but they also prolong life. If you have any injuries, like missing limbs, blindness, or deafness—illnesses that are hard to cure—just pray to the Queen, offer some tribute, and you can exchange your soul with the ingredient's, and all your ailments will be gone. Alas, it just wastes an ingredient that takes several years to cultivate, and destroying your original body is quite a hassle."

It's like discussing something that's commonplace in daily life, something very ordinary.

Throughout the entire discussion, Liu Qigui's attitude towards "ingredients" was no different from his attitude towards chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs.

He genuinely believed that this was a normal thing.

While he was being quite friendly when interacting with the players, his attitude changed drastically when the topic shifted to this particular thing.