Rules of the Strange: I Became a God in a Bizarre World Through Taoist Arts

Seeing that Shen Xingzhuo was safe and sound, countless hearts that had been hanging in suspense finally settled down.

Aside from a few sporadic sarcastic comments, most of the comments celebrated her survival.

This plot twist was terrifying! I almost pulled the plug on my oxygen tube!

Hey everyone, I already told you to calm down!

[What's there to be smug about? She might have escaped this time, but she could be dead again in a minute!]

[Those at the alliance meeting, kick that foul-mouthed guy upstairs out!]

Wow! My sister Shen is amazing! I declare that I will forever be a follower of Shen Xingzhuo!

Many people felt their emotions were like a rollercoaster ride, and the barrage comments regained their usual vibrancy.

The tense atmosphere in the command room eased.

Guan Shanyue took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions.

It seems she still hasn't gotten used to Shen Xingzhuo's boldness and meticulousness, and doesn't have enough understanding or trust in her.

She had misunderstood before, always thinking that she should use off-field opportunities wisely, but she forgot the importance of establishing initial trust and tacit understanding with Shen Xingzhuo, who was charging ahead.

At that very moment, Assistant Xu delivered a letter from the World Alliance urging them to provide a "walkthrough guide".

Guan Shanyue glanced at it, and while instructing the Huaxu team to prepare for the connection, she also reminded Assistant Xu, "Be sure to emphasize that our actions are at the cost of the Chosen Ones' future survival probability, and we hope that all countries will cherish this."

……

In ghost stories.

The two ate their meal quietly. The moment her brother put down his utensils, Shen Xingzhuo ended her thoroughly entertaining fake eating performance.

After watching the housekeeper push her brother away, she went straight back to her room.

Shen Xingzhuo lay sprawled on the soft bed, completely disregarding her image.

After spending the entire night catching ghosts, time-traveling, and battling wits with ghost stories and eeriness, she was a little tired.

Most importantly, while physical fatigue was manageable, she was genuinely hungry.

"Is there still a bag of potato chips in your sleeve?"

Shen Xingzhuo sat up abruptly in bed, and just as she was about to take out her sleeve to check, she suddenly felt a burning sensation on the inside of her right wrist.

She looked down and noticed that a lucky cloud rune had appeared on her wrist at some point.

Just as she was wondering, projections of Guan Shanyue and the others appeared in front of her.

Guan Shanyue spoke first: "Chosen One, hello. I am the Supreme Commander of the All-China Alliance of Tianxia Kingdom. My name is Guan Shanyue."

She turned slightly to the side. "The people behind me are members of the Huaxu Squad, responsible for strategic coordination with you from the rear."

Her voice was steady and powerful, giving listeners a sense of reassurance.

Shen Xingzhuo was slightly taken aback, then got up and sat down at the front of the sofa.

"Hello, Comrade Guan, I am Shen Xingzhuo."

Their eyes met, like signals from different frequencies finally finding their singularity.

Guan Shanyue nodded slightly and quickly got to the point.

"Xingzhuo, we have limited time, and communications could be disrupted at any time. Now, I will share a few discrepancies in the information regarding the Huaxu team's findings with you."

Shen Xingzhuo immediately straightened up and nodded.

Guan Shanyue continued, "First of all, there are eleven chosen ones from different countries who are also exploring this independent ghost story, 'Sister Carrying a Doll.' According to our real-time data monitoring, only your side has experienced a time jump."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xingzhu raised an eyebrow, thinking that this was a common phenomenon in strange and unusual rules.

But since it isn't...

She quickly realized something and asked, "The treatment I used on my brother was my own unique acupuncture technique. Given enough time, it will have a miraculous effect on him."

"Could it be... that the rules of ghost stories are preventing him from getting better?"

Guan Shanyue tapped the table with his finger. "It's unlikely. There have always been many Chosen Ones who used or created their own items, but this has never happened before."

"It's probably just targeting you," Su Anyu said bluntly.

Shen Xingzhuo: ...Is it because she's too capable?

Lu Qianling, having already received approval, stepped forward and added, "The first time we discovered that the supernatural tales were giving you special 'attention' was when the rules appeared for the second time. At that time, the rules on your side disappeared 44 seconds faster than those on other countries."

"Furthermore, at the beginning, the other chosen ones all received different levels of talent abilities, as well as corresponding reward points after successfully clearing the first killing opportunity."

"You've probably never seen any of these before."

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes widened slightly, and she couldn't help but wonder if this strange tale was taking advantage of her being an outsider.

But she suppressed her doubts.

After all, her every move is now under the scrutiny of Tianmu, so it's better to discuss some things privately with Guan Shanyue and the others.

Guan Shanyue understood the emotions in her eyes and nodded gently.

"One more thing, is my personal analysis of the walkthrough conditions for the ghost stories, which you can use as a reference."

"Please speak."

Guan Shanyue continued, "Based on my speculation, the normal way to pass the level is a trap."

"Different levels of rule-based ghost stories have certain time limits; B-level ghost stories usually last between 7 and 10 days."

"And the conditions for having a perfect day are far too exaggerated."

Shen Xingzhuo nodded solemnly, "I understand."

Guan Shanyue smiled slightly, indicating that the conversation had ended there; there were more important matters to discuss.

"Furthermore, given your outstanding performance in the ghost stories, the Universal Alliance has sent us a cooperation request, and the Interstellar Connectivity Agreement has already been signed. We promise..."

Guan Shanyue, however, changed his words when they were on the tip of his tongue.

"They think your approach is unique, so they'd like to ask you for some advice."

"it is good."

Shen Xingzhuo nodded again, understanding why Guan Shanyue hesitated to speak.

"We saw you completely frozen into a doll at the restaurant, but you reappeared safely in your seat when your brother went berserk."

"As mentioned earlier, you didn't receive any strange items or clues. So how did you discover that the doll could take the attack for you?"

Shen Xingzhu shook his head frankly, "I didn't notice."

"Huh?" Su Anyu exclaimed in disbelief, interrupting, "Then aren't you gambling with your life?!"

Shen Xingzhu quickly organized his thoughts.

"This is a paper-cut soldier from my Xuanmen sect. That puppet is a paper figure I released earlier."

"I switched places with it the moment the lights in the Infinite Corridor went out. What has remained in my brother's room ever since has never been me, but a paper doll carrying my essence."

Su Anyu shook her head frantically, "This is impossible! How could a monster not smell the difference!"

Shen Xingzhu could only shrug. "Perhaps you should read through the Encyclopedia of Taoism first."

Time was limited, and she didn't intend to waste it explaining esoteric arts to laymen.

But besides her skills, there's one more condition for her to successfully complete the game.

"Rule 1 mentioned that older brothers need companionship. I think this is similar to when someone goes to Haidilao for a meal, and the waiter uses a plush toy to keep the customer company."

"The point is not who is accompanying you, but the act of being there for you."

Lu Qianling keenly grasped a key contradiction.

"So that means you can turn paper figures into your own substitutes?!"

"So, the ghost story rewarded you with a substitute puppet, which is basically giving you nothing and even limiting your abilities?!"

Lu Qianling's eyes widened in anger.

Shen Xingzhuo looked at her approvingly, "You observe very carefully and analyze very quickly."

"However, it's hard to say..."

She blinked, making Lu Qianling's cheeks flush.

Guan Shanyue chimed in at the opportune moment, "Xingzhuo, the paper-cut soldiers cannot be replicated by other chosen ones. Did you discover any other useful clues while you were in the restaurant?"

"have."

"First, we must pay attention to dining etiquette. The older brother is obviously sitting in the head seat, so he is the 'head of the household.' Therefore, the younger sister cannot eat faster than her brother, as that would be disrespectful to him; nor can she eat slower than her brother, as that would imply that the meal her brother carefully prepared was unpalatable."

"Secondly, the red soup on the table is not to be drunk; it is a strong acid that will corrode the esophagus of the chosen ones."

"Third, if you are fortunate enough to get real food from the butler in white, you cannot actually eat it; you must pretend to eat it. But note that this rule only applies after you have real food."

"..."

Shen Xingzhuo explained his observations and speculations in a clear and organized manner.

Su Anyu and the viewers in the live chat were instantly confused. They genuinely felt that if it were their turn to enter this strange tale, they wouldn't survive until the end of their meal.

Lu Qianling listened silently, quickly processing the information she received.

"If the essence of dining is children playing house, does that mean that the character of the younger sister might not be a real person, but rather a puppet-like existence?"

Shen Xingzhuo curled her lips into a smile, but her tone was quite inscrutable.

"Whether it is or not, we'll find out after dark by going to the garden..."