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

Her voice was very soft, so soft that the last word was barely a whisper.

The children inside the hall were laughing, their laughter soft and dense, yet it felt like countless soul-devouring nails piercing the hearts of many.

Shen Xingzhuo kept her head down the whole time.

The ghost story witnesses this scene and tries to hear something different from her inner thoughts.

Frustration? Anger? Regret? Self-blame?

"..."

But even her heart was empty.

Hahahaha...

The voice that had been ethereal in the air now seemed to have become real.

The arrogant laughter echoed through the space, causing dust to fall from the entire ancestral hall.

The dust on the beams fell down, onto the ground, onto the statues, and onto the fair faces of the children.

Madam Pei was the first to succumb to the laughter, covering her ears and curling up in extreme pain.

Even Pei Xi, who was in the side hall, was affected.

Shen Xingzhu noticed out of the corner of his eye that its movements had become sluggish, and it almost failed to devour the prey.

A dark glint flashed in his eyes.

"Are you feeling smug?" she asked calmly, interrupting the grotesque laughter of the wielder.

How could this be?

The rhetorical question of "humanization" in the ghost story.

I'm just expressing my regret.

A gust of wind blew in from outside the ancestral hall, lifting up several fair-skinned children, who then circled around Shen Xingzhuo.

These little babies are so lovely and adorable~ I'm so sorry—you can't save them~

Its tone was clear and melodious at the end, and it spoke words of regret, but in reality, it was incredibly sarcastic and unpleasant.

……

Was that a tone of regret? It was clearly sarcasm!

Sister Shen looks genuinely heartbroken...

How can we let Sister Shen know that it wasn't her fault for not being able to save these children! It's Liu Jin who's inhuman, and Guai Tan who's utterly depraved!

Family members, do you really think Sister Shen didn't think of this?

The discussion in the live chat came to an abrupt halt.

In the midst of the strange tale, Shen Xingzhuo suddenly laughed.

She began to form hand seals, and a ball of light gold condensed in her palm.

The skin of the smaller babies who were closer to the burn was scalded black.

His dark skin emanated a dark aura.

Black smoke rose from the scalded skin, wisps like burnt hair. The smoke seemed to have a burning power—wherever it landed, a burnt smell emanated. The children opened their mouths wide, letting out shrill cries. The sounds didn't seem to come from their throats, but rather squeezed from between their bones.

"My ears have suffered a lot following me."

Shen Xingzhu rubbed his ears and made a sarcastic remark to himself.

[It has been detected that the Chosen One, Shen Xingzhuo, has maliciously harmed the "children." The Chosen One must prove that these children are not yours, otherwise it will be considered a violation of the rules! The Tianxia Kingdom and the Chosen One himself will have to accept the punishment for failure!]

Shen Xingzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly.

The rules of ghost stories are—

You deeply love your child, and you're willing to sacrifice anything for them.

As "Pei Yin," her child is now safely and well in the side hall.

What does it mean to prove these aren't her children?

"prove?"

She repeated the word, as if savoring its flavor.

"How do you want me to prove it? A blood test? Or have them call me 'Mother'?"

"That's your problem." The ghost story's voice returned to silence, as still as a stagnant pool. "I'm only responsible for making the judgment."