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

{...In short, don't rush into action. Although Chachai and Tangyuan have assured us that the player named Li Xiaoxiao won't become an enemy, we can't be sure if she's reliable or not. It would be troublesome if something went wrong. So, let her test it out first; let's see if it really works before making any decisions.}

Therefore, although he still wanted to oppose Chika's plan, Takami ultimately did not stick to his initial stance.

{Yes, I know. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Ahai. We'll get through this together, won't we?}

Chika spoke earnestly in the mental link, and then went to discuss the action plan and preliminary verification with Kaguya and the historian Li Xiaoxiao.

Considering that both Chachai and Tangyuan, two very reliable veteran players, were willing to vouch for Li Xiaoxiao, Gao Hai knew that she was likely genuinely capable of helping and unlikely to be a traitor from the evil faction or someone with questionable abilities. Therefore, he estimated that it wouldn't be long before Qianhua Huiye gave a positive response and truly began taking action.

What is this?

The thought of why he had to accept the proposal made Gao Hai unable to suppress his frustration.

Because the power of the crimson flower was so strong that it was impossible to resist, he divided the girls he cared about into three groups. This way, even if one group was captured by the crimson flower, at least the other two groups would have a chance to escape... or commit suicide.

It's really disgusting.

Thinking about this, Gao Hai felt a little like making fun of himself.

{Haijun, are you alright?}

Maki's voice rang out in the mental link. He turned his head and saw the girl beside him with a worried look in her eyes.

I'm fine, don't worry, I'm not that easily defeated.

Gao Hai answered softly in the mental link, then turned his gaze back to the front, to that deep, dense forest.

At this moment, the group in Liu Family Village had ventured deep into the dense forest, heading towards the location of the [Bottomless Lake]. Well, they were probably heading towards that place, though Gao Hai wasn't entirely sure. After all, the space they were in was severely distorted, making it extremely difficult to determine their location.

To confirm his location, Gao Hai had tried using the power of his artifacts, but the Dark Night-level Blood Key was now finally being interfered with. Even with the door-shaped artifact, it couldn't be activated, and the 20-sided die was strangely landing on its tip after being thrown, failing to show any facets. At this point, only the Red Moon-level artifacts could continue to function undisturbed. Therefore, Gao Hai could only confirm that he was indeed approaching something through repeated drawing with his blood pen—something related to strange entities, but definitely not something divine.

{There might be some changes ahead, so stay alert and pay attention to the details of spatial distortion to avoid being distracted by other spaces.}

Gao Hai emphasized this in the spiritual link and temporary spiritual link, and then took the lead in walking along the forest road that had been stretched more than a hundred times longer.

The pungent smell of blood instantly filled my nostrils, but by the time I noticed it, it had become ethereal and I could no longer sense it at all.

At this moment, a large blank space appeared in the deep forest, and at the same time, a strong and eerie aura spread out.

Have we finally found something different?

Look in the direction of that aura.

The next moment, what Gao Hai saw was the rotting carcass of a giant bear that was still over five meters tall even when lying on the ground.

The black bear carcass lay quietly on the ground, its eyes closed, covered in maggots and torn apart, with what appeared to be gaps left by other animals tearing at its flesh and feeding on it.

Not far from the body, there was a small mound of earth, a simple grave with a wooden sign.

Gao Hai walked up to the burial mound and looked at the inscription on the rough wooden plaque.

The Tomb of Jiang Chongguang, the Strange Man Who Suppresses Ghosts

The characters, seemingly carved by a blade, were still clearly visible to Gao Hai despite the erosion of time.

Chapter 120: The Last Words of the Demon Suppressor: Only Gods Can Communicate with Gods

Jiang Zhongguang.

Although there is no other information to match the previous intelligence, Gao Hai has a feeling that this name should belong to the ghost hunter who first came to Li Family Village.

Prior to this, the information he had gathered was vague about the name of the ghost-suppressing man; all that was known was that his surname was Jiang. Unexpectedly, after entering the hidden area of ​​Liu Family Village, he learned the man's name instead.

I had previously speculated about the reason for the disappearance of the Town Demon's name, but I didn't expect it to be hidden along with the information about [Liu Family Village]. However, this is somewhat strange. According to the information we've gathered so far, the timeline for the disappearance of Liu Family Village should be after the old Taoist priest Ge Yuan's men entered the village, but before the Town Demon arrived. After all, the Town Demon's records clearly state that the villagers harbored extreme malice towards him, and they only calmed down after the Town Demon killed several villagers who attempted a night raid. It's safe to say that at that time, the Town Demon only came into contact with the anthropomorphic beings of Li Family Village.

So, could it be because both the Zhen Guiren and the residents of Liu Family Village were ultimately consumed by the blood flower? Because their final fates were the same, they both left traces in this hidden space?

And most importantly, could this mark contain information about bloodstains?

Don't go any closer, something's not right ahead.

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai quickly retreated and signaled to his teammates behind him not to approach the grave.

We need to confirm this first.

Using mental power to probe is suicidal, and directly digging up the grave is also courting death. Only by confirming whether there is any blood flower information in the grave, and without being able to come into contact with any blood flower information, can safety be guaranteed.

Could it be that thing?

Seeing that Gao Hai had become wary and nervous, Zhenfei realized what might be going on.

{Well, we can't confirm it yet, but if it is, we'll be in trouble. So we need to find a way to probe it, but the problem is that probing could also lead to our total annihilation. The situation is a bit complicated.}

Gao Hai spoke very frankly in the mental link, and at the same time informed the two people behind him of the situation.

Tangyuan became excited almost immediately. Having never truly witnessed the power of the Blood Flower, she was extremely curious about this indescribable thing that transcended the players' understanding. She even directly offered to personally test it, stating that she wouldn't mind if she accidentally contracted it—a reflection of her historian's awareness. But clearly, the more she acted this way, the less likely Gao Hai was to let her go. Therefore, Gao Hai then looked at Cat Brother.

{With Dark Night-level artifacts rendered ineffective by this space, probing such things is indeed very troublesome. However, I do have a solution; there's an artifact capable of handling this task.}

Cat Brother, with a calm expression, nodded slightly, then pulled out a ghost money note from his pocket.

He casually folded the banknote, which had a face value of over one hundred million, into the shape of a small airplane. Then, with a wave of his hand, the paper airplane flew straight towards the grave of the ghost-suppressing man, its sharp tip embedding itself in the mound.

At the same time that the object hit the grave mound, Gao Hai and his group of four had already hidden themselves and prepared teleportation methods, ready to retreat immediately if the situation turned bad.

{The Red Moon-level core artifact, [Blood Paper Money], is a special artifact similar to a wish-granting machine. It has significant limitations, but it can also be manipulated flexibly. Our Lazy Gang paid a considerable price to obtain it from the dungeon. I just activated the power of that ghost money but didn't use it, so it will begin searching for sentient individuals in the vicinity, attempting to establish contact and have them express their wishes.}

If there truly is a sentient being in that cemetery, then the power of the ghost money will definitely be activated upon contact with it. At that moment, we will immediately sense the power released by this object of obsession, regardless of whether it grants wishes. Therefore, if we sense the aura released by this object of obsession in a moment, we should run away immediately. Of course, I didn't actually throw something good at it for the other party to use; the conditions for using the [blood paper money] object of obsession are very strict, and a single piece of ghost money cannot truly trigger its power.

If there's no sentient being in the graveyard, the power of the ghost money won't find a trigger and will return to me. In that case, the ghost money will return within fifteen seconds. If it hasn't returned after fifteen seconds, it means that even if there's nothing with sentience in the graveyard, there's definitely something unusual going on. For safety's sake, we'd better run away quickly.

Cat Bro quickly explained the situation in the temporary mental link.

Compared to Tangyuan, who was always eager to try all sorts of reckless things and needed someone to pull him back to calm down, this player known as Cat Bro was remarkably calm. Although he seemed to have little presence when cooperating during ping sessions, he always did his job well when help was needed, offering various ideas and suggestions without ever making a mistake. Gao Hai had initially wondered why Cat Bro and Sister Xiongmi were considered the two pillars of the "Slacking Off Gang," but now his impression of Cat Bro was simply "reliable."

Speaking of which, both Cat Bro and Bear Sister died at Fujihana Middle School, right? Even the top combatants and leaders of the elite Red Moon-level teams couldn't withstand Alice created by the writers. It just goes to show how utterly hopeless the gap is when players and Keepers of the Priest (KP) become enemies. Even I could only survive Fujihana Middle School thanks to the power of my Black Watch, and now I'm facing a terrifying opponent that's difficult to defeat even with the Black Watch's power. I really don't know what to say.

Gao Hai's mental activity was very fast; he seemed to have thought about a lot of things, but in reality, it didn't even take a second.

Then, using the giant black bear's carcass as cover, they hid for about twelve or thirteen seconds before a paper airplane made of folded ghost money floated back and landed in Cat Brother's hand.

Looks like we're pretty lucky.

Cat Brother casually put the ghost money back into his pocket and said in a relaxed tone in the temporary mental link.

That's good. I really don't want to hear any more unexpected news right now.

Once he was sure there were no problems, Gao Hai stood up, made a casual remark, and then walked outside.

During this process, he further examined the giant bear carcass. He discovered that the body was covered in cuts and slashes from blades, and the fact that the wounds showed no signs of healing indicated that they were inflicted after death, as if the bear had been venting its anger. Additionally, one of the carcass's feet had been severed. Although its size might not match the bear paw Gao Hai had obtained, Gao Hai speculated that the two could likely be pieced together.

There were no fatal wounds.

Even though there were hardly any intact parts left on the giant bear's body, and it was practically rotting away, Gao Hai was still certain that none of the injuries were fatal. Every wound on the giant bear's body was inflicted after it died.

Could this bear be the so-called "Black Immortal," the one who initially guided the refugees to settle in Little Black Mountain?

The villagers of Liu Village believed they were guided there by the Fox Goddess. Could the Black Immortal be connected to the Fox Goddess? The fact that such a gigantic, monstrous beast would lie dead on the ground, its body hacked open and gutted, is plausible. These things could very well have been done by the villagers of Li Village, but given the fighting capabilities of mountain villagers in that era, whether through direct combat or digging traps, it would have been highly unlikely they could defeat a giant bear that, even on all fours, was over five meters tall and perhaps weighed more than an elephant.

Poisoned?

Is there anything that could be poisonous to something that has already deviated to some extent from the category of carbon-based life?

By the way, that clan chief named Liu Qigui said he suspected that the Li family had a powerful figure guiding them. If that's true, there might actually be some formidable person advising the Li family, helping them defeat the Black Immortal and bring down the Liu family.

If such a person truly existed, who would he be? Is he still alive now? Has he become something neither human nor ghost, like the villagers of Lijia Village, or has he vanished into history like the villagers of Liujia Village, leaving only a few remnants of his original self?

Regardless, considering the KP doll's position, it's unlikely that the guide is still alive and well, nor is it likely that they successfully escaped the instance. However, since KPs usually only guide the formation of instances at key junctures, and most of the time it depends on people's own choices, Gao Hai suspects that this elusive guy might bear a significant portion of the responsibility for the [Infant Cry Village] instance becoming such a ghastly place.

As he was thinking this, Gao Hai remembered someone he had heard about twice while gathering intelligence, but had never met.

Mr. Du.

Li Ziyong had dealings with a Mr. Du, from whom he bought and sold women. Therefore, Gao Hai initially thought that Mr. Du was a human trafficker.

Later, when Li Ziyong released the chaotic soldiers and monsters to deal with the Zhenguiren army, someone mentioned "Mr. Du". This Mr. Du emphasized the issue of sealing. Li Ziyong's words also showed that his actions violated Mr. Du's guidance, but he just didn't care about it.

Could these two "Mr. Du"s be the same person?

If the problem lies with this Mr. Du, then what role did he play in the formation of the [Infant Cry Village] instance? Is he an ordinary person, or someone who, like the old Taoist priest Ge Yuan and the Ghost Suppressor, genuinely possesses some kind of extraordinary power, but simply holds a different position? Furthermore, is it possible that this [Mr. Du] has actually been in contact with the people of Li Family Village for decades, even over a century, influencing the village?

Gao Hai had many thoughts just from the giant bear's corpse. However, he didn't yet have a practical way to verify these ideas, so he temporarily suppressed them and didn't try to reattach the corpse with the bear's paw. Instead, he continued to focus his attention on the tomb of the Ghost Slayer.

It's unclear who dug this simple grave. Since the ghost-suppressing people ultimately failed, and even Jiang Zhongguang's junior sister was turned into a puppet by Lijia Village, who would give him a proper burial?

With this thought in mind, Gao Hai gently placed his hand on the grave mound.

{Spread out a bit, I'm about to begin.}

Gao Hai, who had spoken in the mental link and temporary mental link, took a light breath and then slapped the other end with a slight force.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the grave mound was instantly smashed to pieces, scattering soil and stones everywhere, revealing the tattered black coffin beneath.

{I never imagined I'd be digging up graves in a dungeon one day. Does this count as unlocking a new achievement in my life?}

After confirming the location of the coffin, Gao Hai casually made a comment in the mental link.

{If we calculate it this way, I feel like you're unlocking a new achievement every single moment, Haijun. Hmm, speaking of which, this coffin looks almost completely rotten; is it because of insect infestation?}

Consort Zhen bravely stepped forward, reached out and dug away the soil and pebbles beside the coffin, and then carefully lifted the coffin lid.

click-

Then the coffin, which had just been lifted slightly, snapped cleanly, startling Consort Zhen.

There were no strange creatures appearing; it really was just a small coffin that was almost completely rotten. In terms of size, it didn't seem to be for an adult at all; it looked more like a small coffin for a five or six-year-old child.

If this thing really contained that ghost-suppressing man named Jiang Chongguang, Gao Hai would probably have to cut him up very finely. But in fact, when Zhenfei opened the coffin, what was revealed was a package that took up most of the coffin, and there was nothing else inside.

Upon opening, one finds an outer wrapping that appears to be made of a special material and has some water-absorbing properties.

Then open the very tightly sealed inner layer of the package, which is basically impossible for any flying insects to get in, and can also isolate the humid environment from the outside.

The four then rummaged through the inside and found a small box. When they opened this box, there was another box inside, and inside this box was another animal skin bag.

Is this some kind of Russian nesting doll game?

After opening several packages in a row, Gao Hai couldn't hold back any longer.

This is probably a kind of wisdom from the ancients.

Tangyuan thought for a moment and tried to find a few words to add.