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

Shen Xingzhuo closed his eyes and began to recall his memories.

Until the sleepless night began, Liya sat in her seat playing with a sheep's knucklebone.

When did she start disappearing?

Shen Xingzhuo's memory flowed forward, showing Liya playing a game of tag, and further ahead, after the lights went out, there was always a small shadow where the child was sitting.

Then the lights came on, and everyone saw Byron's body.

Shen Xingzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, the image in his memory frozen on the pool of blood beneath Byron.

It was from this moment that Liya disappeared.

The lamb knuckle bones on the table were also gone; she must have taken them with her.

Does that mean that Liya walked out of the long hall on her own?

Shen Xingzhuo recalled that when Jenny first introduced herself, she mentioned that she and Liya were now living together.

Whether Liya is safe or not, we can find out by checking Jenny's room.

Shen Xingzhuo's face turned pale as soon as she took the first step.

The side effects of the shape-changing drug came crashing down.

Her vision blurred, and the entire world was upside down, becoming a mirror image.

He gripped his thumb and forefinger tightly with his fingernails, forcefully suppressing the dull ache in his brain.

Shen Xingzhuo took a deep breath in place, her steps unsteady, and she walked in an S-shaped path.

Those watching the celestial display thought it was some kind of strategy she was employing. A small number of foreigners even used it as a cheat code and uploaded it to their countries' information websites.

……

Shen Xingzhuo tried her best to overcome the fog in her mind.

He suddenly stopped, remembering that there was something more important to do before going upstairs: to find the shop owner and get a room to stay in for the night.

Shen Xingzhuo's memory began to resurface as she recalled the fake shop owner, who had a pointed mouth and shrunken cheeks and looked like a rat, and wondered from which direction he first appeared in the lobby.

He killed the real shop owner and stole his identity during working hours.

The only place he could have fled in his panic at the time of the incident was either the hotel's workspace or the hotel owner's room.

After committing the murder, the killer will definitely go back to deal with the crime scene.

Therefore, all she needs to do is wait patiently, and she will definitely find this person and complete the check-in procedures.

Shen Xingzhuo was lucky; he simply followed the direction he remembered and caught the person red-handed.

He was cleaning the blood off his hands.

Upon hearing the door open, they looked towards the entrance with great vigilance.

Shen Xingzhuo's face appeared before him, a smile on her face.

Without looking at her directly, she asked, "Are there any rooms available?"

[If I'm not mistaken, was he wiping blood off his hands?]

[I saw it too! Please, please tell me it's pig's blood!]

[Wait a minute, it can't be pig's blood! Our Sister Shen is also a little pig now QAQ]

But if this person is a murderer, does that mean the game is solved?

[What are you thinking? Clearing the ghost story definitely requires revealing the truth. Just knowing he's a murderer isn't enough; you also need to know his motives for killing...]

Aren't you guys being a little too calm? This person could be a murderer!

The discussion in the live chat was intense.

After getting the key, Shen Xingzhuo left without looking back.

She strictly enforces two guest rules: "Guests should not disturb each other" and "Do not trespass on the owner's private space."

After walking a distance, Shen Xingzhuo reached into the hidden space in his sleeve.

She took out a calming talisman and, with a "snap," stuck it directly to the center of her forehead.

The refreshing sensation was invigorating, and my vision and the misaligned space gradually returned to normal.

She walked toward Jenny's room, number 206, wondering if she should ask Jenny where Byron's room was when she saw her.

She really needs to find a map of ghost stories.

As Byron was a wandering bard who spent most of his life traveling, it is most likely that a map could be found in his journal or personal belongings.

As Shen Xingzhuo pondered this, she unknowingly began walking up the stairs.

A piece of parchment was pasted directly opposite the entrance to the stairs.

She took two more steps forward and discovered that these were new rules!

【Thorn Inn Rules - Part Two】

[1: The hotel has a limited number of rooms; you can only stay in rooms with room numbers posted on them.]

[2: Only blue carpets are used in the hotel. If you see a red carpet, be sure to walk along the edge.]

[3: There are no windows on the walls of the second-floor corridor of the hotel. If you see windows, please change rooms the next day.]

[4: The corridor is usually very quiet. If you hear the sound of chains dragging, immediately stand still, close your eyes, and lower your head.]

[5: I'm so happy, time flies!]

[6: Breakfast is served on the second floor. Someone will bring breakfast to you every morning at 8:2. However, you cannot open the door, or it will be eaten.]

[7: Staff will not bother you between 8 PM and 9 AM the next morning. If they do something wrong, do not call to complain...]

[8: Kill him, kill him, and then take his place.]

[9. If you hear someone calling you in the hallway, never turn around.]

Rule number two appeared so fresh and vibrant.

There is a time conflict between Articles 6 and 7.

Articles 5 and 8 are duplicates of Rule 1.

Both of these repeated rules are psychological suggestions to her.

Especially rule eight—kill him, kill him, and then replace him!—has appeared three times already!

Just how hateful is this "he"?

He is targeted by ghost stories every time.

But what puzzled Shen Xingzhu even more was, who was this "he"?

When I came to my senses, I heard rustling sounds coming from the corridor.

She immediately stopped, lowered her head, and closed her eyes.

His warm breath sprayed on her face, and after a while, the feeling of being watched gradually disappeared...

A very sharp laugh echoed down the corridor.

Shen Xingzhu heard the man dragging a very thick chain as he walked away.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the carpet had turned red.

Without a second thought, Shen Xingzhuo immediately jumped to the edge. The instant she regained her footing, the carpet split open in the middle, revealing a bottomless abyss.

She looked over and saw that the bottom of the abyss was crimson magma, with hot air rising and rolling upwards. In the center of the magma were arms that looked like jelly.

Red...purple...

The friction between the arms also produces a squelching sound.

"Hello!"

When Shen Xingzhu heard someone calling her, she instinctively wanted to reply, "I'm not called 'Feed'."

But she swallowed those words.

If you hear someone calling you in the hallway, do not turn around.

Shen Xingzhuo had no choice but to stiffen her neck, turn around awkwardly, and continue walking towards Jenny's room.

"Knock knock knock—"

No one opened the door; only the faint sound of sobbing could be heard from the other side.

"Jenny, open the door! I know you're home!"