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

Chapter 16 The Doll's Secret

The sounds of ghost stories began to appear.

[Congratulations to the chosen one for unlocking the hidden quest "The Doll's Secret".]

Now, the chosen one, have seven minutes to explain the secret truth you have perceived.

[Note: The doll's secrets may be true or false; please distinguish carefully… The chosen one must answer at least three correctly to successfully complete the mission. Otherwise, it will be considered a failure, and the chosen one will suffer the penalty!]

A spotlight shone on Shen Xingzhuo.

The surroundings gradually darkened, as if only she and Tongtong existed in the entire space.

But she could sense someone lurking in the darkness, as if they would take her life with a carving knife if she made a single wrong statement.

"What a dog!"

Shen Xingzhuo was so angry she laughed.

When the progress was settled earlier, I told her that she could choose whether to enable the hidden mission.

The option that appeared wasn't to answer "yes" or "no," but rather to assume that she would accept it as long as she said the key information!

This hidden quest is actually part of the conditions for a perfect completion of the entire ghost story!

When she came to her brother's room at night, she did not pass through the infinite corridor, and naturally ended up at the other end of the "Möbius strip".

From the moment she entered the puppet workshop, Shen Xingzhuo knew that only by overcoming this life-threatening situation could she find that crucial notebook.

So no matter what, she would definitely come to the puppet workshop.

Then, following the logic of ghost stories, they are forced to voluntarily complete the hidden mission.

Doesn't that still leave her with no choice?!

Shen Xingzhuo pursed her lips and found a comfortable sitting position.

Let's just take a break.

[Chosen One, please begin your explanation; the countdown has begun!]

Shen Xingzhu patted her palms, lowered her eyes, and began to recount the story of her younger sister and the doll in an orderly manner.

"The first secret."

"In this family, the line between the younger sister and the dolls is always blurred."

"The relationship between the person and the object may seem like one of subordination, but in reality, the doll is both the younger sister and not the younger sister."

"You can also think of the doll as a 'person,' who appeared in this space alternately before Tongtong appeared."

"For example, when I'm with my brother in a restaurant."

The sister's body stiffens when her brother gets close; this is her instinctive fear of her brother.

And when she has completely turned into an immobile puppet, the butler will appear and serve the doll a perfect meal.

Looking back now, it seems that once the younger sister became completely frozen in place, the older brother's emotions would gradually calm down. But for the chosen one, this was a doomed problem.

So the key to breaking the deadlock was the butler in white.

"But we'll talk about the housekeeper later. Let's get back to the younger sister and the doll."

"Only fake dolls would eat steak carved from wood."

"Dolls don't have a sense of smell, so when the 'doll's owner' tells her that it's a delicious meal with great color, aroma, and taste, she will smell the aroma of meat when the food is served."

"This is why some rules are inherently contradictory."

"Because you are the happiest sister in the world, and you and your brother have a very close relationship..."

These are all settings for dolls.

The real sister, however, probably wishes she could get as far away from the brother who terrifies her as possible.

Shen Xingzhuo paused for a moment after speaking.

Ten small squares appeared in front of her, and a green circular pattern lit up on the one directly opposite her.

She was right about the first secret.

Shen Xingzhuo continued, "The second secret."

The reason why the younger sister is afraid of her own brother is because it was all the brother's fault.

Shen Xingzhu rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of his forearm carved from wood.

"The brother wants to turn his sister into a puppet who will always obey him."

So, after experimenting on the servants first, they gradually replaced her flesh and blood with wood.

"Wood represents death, flesh represents life."

To replace life with death is tantamount to driving away one's soul.

Without the soul, a person gradually becomes numb and rigid, turning into a conscious but powerless living puppet.

"so……"

Shen Xingzhuo was about to continue speaking when he was interrupted by the alarm sound of the ghost story.

[The second secret of the Chosen One is presented as too speculative. How can you be sure that the brother is a persecutor and not saving his sister?]

Shen Xingzhu gave a forced smile, secretly cursing in his heart.

Why don't you check where they are now?

A workbench, a toolbox, and an older brother holding a carving knife in the shadows.

This could be considered catching them red-handed!

"save?"

Shen Xingzhuo's tone reflected his disdain for whatever he was thinking.

"What kind of savior would regard a living person's voice, freedom, and even the will to resist as 'defective'?"

Was his way of saving his sister simply to make her obey only the persona he assigned her?

Please don't tarnish the Savior's image.

The savior is someone who helps people become better versions of themselves.

And he, my dear brother, wanted me to become the person he wanted me to be.

And these are things I will never need!

Therefore, there is absolutely no such nonsense as the assumption that the older brother is the younger sister's savior!

From beginning to end, this was a massacre of the sister's soul by the brother!

Shen Xingzhuo's tone became a little excited, and the paper doll she was holding in her hands sensed it and quietly hugged her fingers.

A second green circle appeared in front of me.

This second secret is also true.

Shen Xingzhuo took a few deep breaths, adjusted his mindset, and continued.

"The third secret."

"In the rules, the doll actually corresponds to the shackles that the younger sister bears."

"These can be seen from the general rules to the corridor rules."

The brother just wanted to mold his sister into a doll that he could manipulate at will.

So from the very beginning of the story, it's emphasized that the younger sister is carrying a doll, and she can't lose it. The younger sister carries this burden, and she 'must' always wear this burden!

And the younger sister's true will—

It's like the mirror reflecting a doll being gently held in one's arms.

It's because she doesn't like red.

She wouldn't allow her brother to touch her dolls...

She kept telling herself that she couldn't carry the doll on her back.

The third green circle lights up.

Shen Xingzhuo sighed softly.

"Name one more."

"Actually, the doll born from my sister's flesh and blood loves her very much."

"So after Tongtong appeared, the younger sister and the doll became completely independent."

Shen Xingzhu generously demonstrated the part of her body that had transformed into a puppet.

From this moment on, she is a doll, and Tongtong is her younger sister.