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

"What...what are you talking about?"

Jenny looked flustered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I've been trying to help you... Is... is there something I've done wrong?"

Shen Xingzhu chuckled, offering no reply, and simply watched Jenny's performance in silence.

A golden rule for those living in ghost stories came to mind.

Never believe in anything supernatural.

Her gaze gradually sharpened.

Those watching the sky also noticed the anomaly.

[Oh no, judging from Sister Shen's attitude, Jenny must be up to something.]

[Is that even a question? No matter how good Jenny seems, something's off about her; of course, you can't trust her.]

Although the comment above might seem like hindsight, it's correct.

[Lesson 1 of the Strange Tales of Rules: In strange tales, the "people" who are kind to you are often the ones who will strike you the hardest!]

Under Shen Xingzhuo's watchful gaze, Jenny began to bluff.

"I'm the only one who's been helping you!"

"You doubt me so much, aren't you afraid of failure?!"

Shen Xingzhu smiled and finally spoke.

"Yes, without your repeated 'help,' I really couldn't have integrated everyone so easily."

Shen Xingzhuo took a step forward.

"You must have smelled the transformation potion on me the moment I walked into the long hall, right?"

"You greeted me warmly and explained the hotel's rules to me... You really seemed kind and helpful."

At this point, Shen Xingzhuo's gaze swept over Jenny and settled on her hand.

"But your hand is on my neck."

She stared intently into Jenny's eyes.

"Perhaps this is just a habitual action of yours?"

"But you forgot the most important point."

The hotel code of conduct, rule four, clearly states that—

I don't look forward to making friends with humans because they have no sense of boundaries and will always grab me by the scruff of the neck.

Jenny's face drained of color, and she pursed her lips, remaining silent.

Shen Xingzhuo did not pause and continued to complete her reasoning.

"The rules clearly state that you are a guardian."

However, a person whose true calling is to protect should be the strongest being in this spiritual world.

And you... acted like you had no opinions of your own, and were as timid as a mouse.

"There's only one explanation: you're using a show of weakness to lower my guard."

Jenny forced a smile.

Is that all the suspicion you have about me?

If I really wanted to harm you, to harm Bai Xue, wouldn't it have been better if I had just ignored it from the beginning?

Shen Xingzhu shrugged, his tone almost praising.

"That's where your brilliance lies."

"You guided me to do what you wanted to do but didn't dare to do yourself."

Your hands, though spotless, perfectly achieved the goal of cleaning house and consolidating power.

Shen Xingzhuo paused for a moment and sighed softly.

"Jenny, subconscious actions don't lie."

When you introduced Liya, you emphasized her parents. But didn't your implication still be that you considered Liya a burden?

Jenny's expression gradually changed, revealing her true colors.

"You are indeed very smart..." her tone turned sarcastic and arrogant, "but you are also incredibly stupid!"

"Wouldn't it be better to follow the path I've planned? You've already integrated with everyone else, and I've helped you kill the king. You're now ready to become the most perfect dominant personality."

Jenny frowned, trying to persuade Shen Xingzhuo.

"We can coexist, can't we? I can be your most loyal..."

Shen Xingzhuo raised his hand to interrupt her, briefly focusing his attention on the main storyline progress in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Main Story Exploration - Progress 94%

"I was going to give you a little more time to convince me," she said with a playful smile. "Unfortunately, I don't have time anymore."

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes instantly sharpened.

"By the Supreme Lord's decree, your lonely soul is liberated. All evil and filth vanish, the Dao's Qi endures. Enlighten your mind and see your true nature, return to your original purity! So be it!"

The spell transformed into golden script and struck Jenny squarely between the eyebrows.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

It transformed into countless points of light, which converged into Shen Xingzhuo's brow.

[Hidden Quest: Kill the Hollow Man - Progress 100%]

Main storyline exploration progress - 95%

The ghost stories arrived as scheduled, and surprisingly, one could detect a hint of barely suppressed pleasure in them.

The "Thorn Hotel Sleepless Night" ghost story is 95% complete. Congratulations to the chosen one for clearing out all the hollow people in the other world.

[You did a great job, but unfortunately... the Guardian personality has died, and you will no longer be able to merge with the main personality.]

You failed.

Shen Xingzhuo curled the corners of her lips into a confident smile.

"Failure? Not necessarily?"

She took out the soul orb that was shimmering with a faint light from her Qiankun bag.

It was the part she had extracted from herself when she first took human form, and it was also her connection to this world.

Shen Xingzhuo walked to the crystal coffin and placed the soul orb against Bai Xue's chest.

Then he leaned down and kissed Bai Xue's lips.

The two of them emitted a soft white light.

Shen Xingzhuo was momentarily dazed.

A phantom emerged from her body and merged with Bai Xue.

……

The voice of the ghost story paused for a moment, then spoke without any emotion.

[Detection indicates the resurgence of the primary personality, Snow White's consciousness...]

[Congratulations, Chosen One! The main quest progress has reached 99%.]

[Please answer the following two questions, chosen one. If you answer both correctly, you will achieve perfect completion.]

Shen Xingzhu smiled indifferently.

The ghost stories and eerie tales don't come up with any new tricks; they only know these simple and obvious ways to make things difficult.

Moreover, she is too emotionally expressive; whenever she is unhappy, her voice becomes as cold as ice.

That's just...childish.

The ghost story was silent for a moment, then the voice rang out again.

[Question 1: Please, Chosen One, fully explain the relationship between Jenny and the King.]

Shen Xingzhu thought for a moment, then immediately answered clearly and logically:

"First of all, Jenny and the King are both guardians of this world."

"Jenny's identity goes without saying; it's already clearly stated in the rules."

"And the evidence of the king's role as a guardian lies in the fact that when he first appeared, he offered a large sum of money in exchange for Snow White's awakening."

This is the most basic reaction a father should have in his subconscious—to protect his daughter.

Therefore, the King and Jenny perform the same function in the Otherworld.

"Secondly, Jenny and the King are two sides of the same coin, representing the same will."

"The crystal heart in the hidden compartment is enough to prove this point."

The crystal-clear material symbolizes the guardian's radiant appearance.

The pitch-black interior revealed their long-rotten nature.

"Although they are protecting Snow White, their goal is to gain control of the inner world."

"Because both Jenny and the King considered the sacrifice of their companions as part of their plan."

They are all the same; they look down on the weak.

One uses violence to reap, the other uses emotion to sacrifice.

Essentially, it was the two of them who together formed the order of this thorny cage.

[Correct answer.]

[Question 2: Please have the Chosen One explain the reasons for the formation of each personality and reconstruct the story of the Thorn Hotel.]

Shen Xingzhu shook her head gently.

"The story has already been told in my previous experiences, so I refuse to answer this question."

[Chosen One, please consider carefully. Refusing to answer means failure to pass the level.]

Can you afford to pay this price?

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes gradually turned sad, and her face gradually overlapped with Bai Xue's.

"I stand here looking back, and beneath my feet lies a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood belonging to those who loved me."

"The rule for a perfect completion is to merge everyone and give me a happy ending."

"So I choose, like all fairy tales, to end with 'We lived happily ever after.'"