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

Yes, even after hearing your description, I still couldn't imagine that this place was like this. So this is what it was like... So this is what it looked like before all this happened...

Li Xiaoxiao sighed.

However, her sentiments made Kaguya feel a strong sense of being torn apart and out of place.

Because there was no emotion on the player's face; the only thing she could read in his expression was bewilderment.

It was filled with ignorance and confusion, a complete inability to understand where one was.

Such an expression, and the sentimental tone in her voice as if she were revisiting an old haunt, were so jarring that Kaguya couldn't understand why there was such a strong sense of incongruity about her.

I've never actually been to this place before, nor have I ever seen Zhangjia Village in this state. This experience is quite new to me.

Before Kaguya could say anything more, Li Xiaoxiao, who had been keeping quiet all along, spoke up again.

{In fact, although I was well aware of my own existence, my family's connection to [Zhangjia Village], I knew absolutely nothing about it until I became a player, until I truly had the ability to trace this nightmare back to its source.}

{Even my successful arrival at this place was thanks to a teleportation artifact and your description. Without your description of [Zhangjia Village], I would have had to rely on luck and teleport randomly, and it might have taken me years to find the right place.}

{So, I understand your concerns, Miss Shinomiya. My situation is indeed very suspicious in the players' eyes. But please believe me, you and your companions, that I harbor no ill will towards any of you and will not harm you. All I want to do is settle my karmic debts and repay what I owe the Zhang family.}

Li Xiaoxiao bowed her head sincerely and said.

Seeing her like this, Kaguya couldn't say anything more. She simply indicated in the temporary mental link that she didn't suspect the other person, and then turned her gaze to the village ahead.

This place... is indeed quite similar to what Gao Hai described before.

Under the sunlight, in the seemingly leisurely and carefree remote mountain village, all the villagers are untouchable, each one completely immersed in their own world, showing relaxed and happy expressions.

They were completely unaware of the players' approach; they could not be truly touched by the players, and any attempt to make contact yielded no results. They were like phantoms from another world, remnants from outside the timeline, separated from the players into two different worlds.

This peculiar sense of interplay caused Kaguya to momentarily feel as if she were in a dream.

In a daze, she even had the feeling that she would fall asleep and merge into this beautiful dream from which she would never wake up. However, because she had played several high-level games with Gao Hai, she was very vigilant about her mental changes. Therefore, Kaguya immediately noticed some of her subconscious reactions and broke free to return to a fully conscious state, no longer affected by this faint force.

Be careful, there might be some kind of mind-polluting force here. Check your mental state frequently if necessary.

While reminding everyone, Kaguya also felt a little strange. Why hadn't Takami specifically mentioned this issue when he came here before?

Given Gao Hai's personality, it's impossible that he would overlook such a problem, right?

Wait, if this kind of mental erosion can be quickly detected and resisted by my mental strength, then Gao Jun... could it be that he didn't even notice the mental pollution phenomenon in this place, and didn't feel anything unusual?

The moment the doubts in her mind surfaced, Kaguya found the answer herself.

Although she didn't like that answer.

Gao Jun is really something... Although it's precisely because of his immense strength and unwavering will that he's been able to lead us all this way, and that he deserves the trust and following of so many, it still makes me feel a little discouraged sometimes. He clearly had many shortcomings when we were exploring the Baichuan Apartment, but now he's become stronger and stronger, to the point that the gap between him and normal players is almost precipitous.

Just like in this situation, Gao Jun was also affected by mental corruption after arriving in the Zhangjia Village area. However, he was so strong that he didn't even notice the corruption happening, and only discovered the problem when Kaguya arrived.

That's quite normal. After all, with Gao Jun's iron will, what could possibly affect him? It's probably impossible for any opponent to break his spirit.

(Gao Hai, who was worried about the bloodstains reappearing on the side of Liujia Village, sneezed.)

Occasionally, Kaguya has to admit that she also worries and is afraid, wondering if Takami continues to grow stronger, and one day he will become so powerful that she will be unable to chase after him, understand him, or communicate with him.

Like the difference between a giant and an ant, the gap was so wide that neither could even perceive the other. Although Maki and Chika had both advised her against having such thoughts, Kaguya couldn't help but sigh inwardly after realizing Takami's immense strength again from these subtle details.

Is Gao Jun now considered a human, or a gradually growing deity?

Well, whatever happens, the things that need to be done won't change because of this. I have to do my part, whether it's for Taka-kun, for Hayasaka, or for myself. Staying in the rear as someone who's being protected isn't what I want.

{Let's go, I'll walk in front, everyone be careful.}

The player named Li Xiaoxiao had already started moving forward, cautiously approaching the village.

Kaguya and Chika walked behind, each carrying a self-defense and offensive artifact, prepared to deal with any attack.

Although Gao Hai, based on his previous exploration experience, indicated that Zhangjia Village was relatively safe and there were no truly unseen monsters to encounter, as Kaguya had just secretly pondered, that was, after all, Gao Hai's experience; things might be different for others.

Soon, the group entered the village.

Apart from the previous corrupting force, Kaguya and Chika did not feel any other special forces acting on them.

They were simply speaking silently, laughing silently, and doing all sorts of things silently and casually.

{It's just ahead...it should be just ahead, I'm not entirely sure, but it shouldn't be too far.}

In the temporary mental link, Li Xiaoxiao spoke as she cautiously ventured deeper into the village.

He didn't walk along the main road into the village, but changed direction several times along the way, seemingly to check his surroundings.

Kaguya noticed that the confusion on her face was becoming more and more obvious, but her tone was gradually taking on a hint of surprise. The increasingly obvious contradiction between the two was very unsettling. However, based on her perception blessing, she could still confirm that the other party had no ill intentions and was completely human. Therefore, Kaguya continued to follow the other party.

So the group wandered around and gradually arrived at a place with few buildings and hardly any people around.

It was here that Li Xiaoxiao, seemingly relying on her memory, grabbed something from a pile of weeds, and suddenly lifted it up. Then Kaguya saw a wooden plank standing up among the rolled-up dirt, and a passage whose depth was unclear beneath the plank.

{This should be the place we're going to next}

Li Xiaoxiao said in a calm tone in the temporary mental link.

Chika, who had been silently observing, turned her head at this moment and looked in the direction from which the group had come. In the distance, she could still see the figures of some villagers coming and going, and they seemed to have paused briefly before turning their heads to look over.

Chapter 122: The Promise in Our Blood and the Shocking Turn of Events in the Night

It seems that something is being triggered and changing as Li Xiaoxiao acts.

Under the sunlight, the group, having reached a sparsely populated area, found themselves in complete silence. Looking out, they could see villagers still going about their business, continuing their lives in a way that was unlikely to change.

It's impossible to tell what exactly has changed.

Even the anomalies that were initially noticed seemed to be just illusions, unable to be truly verified.

Chika wasn't sure if her feelings at that moment were correct.

After all, she didn't have the powerful perception of Takami or Miko, so even if the ghost stories within the instance fluctuated, she would only have some vague feelings at most, and wouldn't be able to obtain any information from them.

But she wasn't stupid; even a vague feeling was enough to put her on guard. Even without this vague feeling, she would be doubly vigilant in such situations, after all, a Crimson Moon-level monster was no joke. Qianhua didn't think the monster was harmless just because Gao Hai could currently beat it up; she knew perfectly well the current strength level of her group.

Something's up! The villagers seemed to glance over when Ms. Li opened the wooden plank!

Qianhua quickly sent reminders through the two mental links and prepared to defend and relocate.

Can they sense us?

Kaguya immediately turned her head, her dark red eyes scanning her surroundings. But in her line of sight, the villagers in the distance were still going about their business, none of them turning their heads to look at her or doing anything unusual; they seemed no different from before.

Like Chika, Kaguya, whose perception is not particularly good, could not directly find the problem. However, she did not lower her guard just because she did not see anything unusual. Instead, she immediately used the deep connection of her black watch to get the object of her obsession, the 20-sided golden dice, from Takami.

This powerful artifact, capable of making judgments, is now rarely needed for use against monsters due to Gao Hai's increased strength. Furthermore, it's too difficult for this Dark Night-level artifact to be effective against gods. Therefore, it's actually more suitable for Kaguya Chika, since dealing with Crimson Moon-level monsters would still be very dangerous for them.

Throw the dice, then reach out and catch them.

Kaguya opened her palm and saw the number [13] displayed at the top of the die.

The judgment she had just made in her mind was that "the strange creatures in Zhangjia Village have triggered the rules and started paying attention to them, the players." The number shown on the dice was more than 10, but only slightly more. This proved that her judgment was not entirely accurate, but the general direction should be correct.

In other words, does the passage opened by Li Xiaoxiao hold some special significance for the Zhangjia Village area? If so, the villagers might seem fine now, but they could attack in a little while. Or, more seriously, there's a possibility of curses or cognitive blockages—conditions that are difficult to detect or directly target the mind and soul.

Don't worry about the villagers, they'll be fine for now.

Within the temporary mental link, Li Xiaoxiao's own calm voice suddenly rang out.

{Although I only have a vague sense of some things, there shouldn't be any major problems for now. As long as I return what's owed, everything will be fine. These villagers... they're in stable condition; they'll be alright.}

As she said this, Li Xiaoxiao jumped into the pit under the wooden plank without turning her head and squatted down inside.

Kaguya and Chika initially thought it was some kind of tunnel, but when Li Xiaoxiao turned on her flashlight inside the passage, they discovered it was just a small hole, barely big enough for one or two people to squat in, and there were obvious signs of filling at the bottom of the hole.

Reaching out her hands, Li Xiaoxiao slowly dug away the soil on the ground of the pit, as if searching for something inside.

She was so focused that she completely ignored the two players standing on the ground, staring intently at the soil in front of her.

From the moment this player arrived at this place, their behavior seemed to become increasingly strange.

If Kaguya hadn't repeatedly verified that she was alright, she probably would have started to suspect that she might actually be an enemy who had infiltrated the area.

{Be prepared to be teleported back at any time. Even if she was previously verified as trustworthy, it doesn't mean she won't change her mind later. After all, if she really is a descendant of the villagers in this instance, she might be possessed by something at any time. In that case, even if a threat arises, it won't be from her, and who can you complain to?}

Gao Hai's voice came through the mental link. Both Chika and Kaguya would report the situation here from time to time, so Gao Hai could basically know the team's movements in real time and offer his own opinions and ideas.

This person named Li Xiaoxiao is very likely to be one of the descendants of the Li family who were sent out to possess the fake Guanyin statue.

Using counterfeit idols to bear the power of the curse, the distortion that breeds malice spreads to the outside world. Gao Hai no longer has any interest in commenting on the Li family's anthropomorphic actions. He only suspects that since Li Xiaoxiao is a descendant of the Li family, it is possible that the Li family has done something to her, so that even after many generations and hundreds of years, she would still be guided back to this village after becoming a player and coming into contact with extraordinary power.

If that's the case, Gao Hai finds it hard not to suspect that Li Xiaoxiao might suddenly become an enemy. After all, given the Li family's heinous acts, it's perfectly normal for them to place some kind of extremely dangerous curse on their descendants who have left the village. Gao Hai finds it impossible that these people, whose very souls have been thoroughly warped, wouldn't have done this.

{Do not attempt to fight her. If you confirm she's problematic, teleport away immediately. Don't try to handle her yourself; a Red Moon-level player is extremely dangerous if she loses control! Back in Zaori Elementary School, I once subdued an out-of-control Red Moon-level player. To be honest, it was incredibly dangerous; one wrong move and I would have had to reload the game. So please, never even consider such a thing.}

Because he was so worried that Kaguya and Chika might do something inappropriate, Takahashi gave them a few more reminders.

{We wouldn't do that, Ahai. Don't treat us like immature kids. Even if Kaguya-san might be a little silly sometimes, I would never do that, okay?}

Then, a somewhat dissatisfied reply came through the mental link.

{What? How am I really that stupid? Fujiwara-san, what do you mean by that?}

Because this message wasn't sent through a private link, Kaguya, who also heard it, was very unhappy and immediately protested.

Of course, despite their playful antics, neither of the two girls truly relaxed their guard; one kept a close eye on Li Xiaoxiao, while the other kept a close watch on their surroundings. They were acutely aware that they were in an extremely dangerous situation, and any moment of carelessness could lead to their deaths.

{Found it...}

Within the temporary mental link, Li Xiaoxiao's voice suddenly rang out with emotion.

She stood up and pulled something out of the soil.

The thing had a faint smell of blood on it, and even though it had been buried in the soil for so long, it had not completely dissipated and still left some traces.

Kaguya saw the black stone.

In Li Xiaoxiao's hands, she saw something that seemed to have originally been some kind of statue, but now it had become fragmented and incomplete, and she could only barely make out that the raw material was black stone.

Is this the statue that Gao Jun mentioned?

Why is it in a broken state?

And how did this thing get unearthed in Zhangjia Village? And by a player who seems to have a bloodline connection to the [Infant Cry Village] instance...?

{After becoming a player, I triggered a curse attack in a Dark Night-level dungeon that could trace bloodlines and directly target a player's blood relatives. However, my family had all died long ago, so I didn't pay attention to this rule. I even thought it was something I could use, so I deliberately violated the rule in an attempt to explore the dungeon and find clues.}

Li Xiaoxiao jumped up from the pit and landed on the ground, then spoke to the two of them in a calm tone.