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

"A single thought returns to nothingness, all feelings vanish without a trace. The mind is locked away, thoughts hidden in the primordial chaos!"

As soon as the Concealing God Spell was cast, the clear light on Shen Xingzhuo's body subsided, and the surroundings fell into a state of wabi-sabi.

The eeriness in the void suddenly lost its connection to her.

To be precise, it was knowing that Shen Xingzhuo was still trapped in the ghost stories, yet being unable to hear her innermost thoughts anymore.

The flame of the eternal lamp seemed to freeze, and the smoke rising from the incense burner also lingered in mid-air.

Pei Xi opened her eyes instantly, and the bright red swastika pattern in her eyes gradually darkened, merging with her black eyeballs.

But he didn't say anything, instead snuggling even closer to his mother.

Shen Xingzhuo gently patted his back with one hand, while maintaining the hand seal with the other, extending the time he could think.

She immediately calmed herself down and focused her attention on the matter that had been repeatedly interrupted and prevented her from investigating further.

Let's start with the rules of the ancestral hall, and then, considering all the events that have occurred, let's look at rule one:

[When copying scriptures, one must sit in the exact center of the third floor tile; otherwise, it is considered disrespectful!]

In ancient rituals, the third floor tile in the ancestral hall, directly opposite the center line of the incense table, is the position of the matriarch.

The fact that the rules of the ghost story deliberately emphasize this position proves that Pei Yin's identity, in addition to being the eldest daughter of the Pei family, should also be that of the head of the Pei family.

However, one of the rules clearly states that outside the ancestral hall, the father has the final say.

The answer is obvious: apart from this ancestral hall, the entire Pei family mansion is now under the control of Pei's father, Pei Shiquan.

Shen Xingzhuo couldn't help but have doubts about the backstory.

The preface to "Guanyin Brocade" mentions that since learning of Pei Yin's frail health, her father was restless day and night, so he invited a statue of Guanyin to be worshipped day and night.

But what if this is just a concept instilled in her by ghost stories?

Since Shen Xingzhuo entered the world of supernatural tales, she has never felt her father's concern for her. During their only meeting, she could only read the words "waiting for the best price" in Pei's father's eyes.

Pei's father may not have even regarded her as a human being.

In his eyes, Pei Yin's only value was bearing direct descendants and opening the ancestral hall in the back mountain; she was also there to marry that so-called Young Master Lin in exchange for his benefits...

And then there was Pei's father's words: "Once a woman marries, she becomes a member of the Lin family and is no longer considered a daughter of the Pei family."

How can a married daughter be considered no longer a member of the family?

His purpose in saying that was clearly to sever Pei Yin's ties with the Pei family...

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes suddenly darkened.

Based on the information currently available, the children's "biological father" is unknown, and the children's origin is attributed to the blessings bestowed by Guanyin.

Then Pei Xi's claim of "father" is invalid!

Do not!

Pei Xi's mental age is only that of a two or three-year-old; she is still at the age of babbling.

What if we separate the father and father?

That was—my grandfather, Pei Shiquan!

It was his grandfather who instilled in him the idea that "the birth of his sister would take everything away from him."

This confirms Shen Xingzhuo's earlier conjecture:

The position of the matriarch in the ancestral hall is a symbol of power. The Pei family originally respected women, but Pei's father attempted to control the entire Pei family!

Having figured this out, Shen Xingzhuo knew how to control Pei's father in the future.

Let's look at the other rules.

Rule Nine says: Kneel down! Kneel down before me!

Rule number ten: Don't kneel! You are the most honorable!

It's now clear which of these two rules is true and which is false.

Rule Nine is the will of Pei's father, while Rule Ten is the true rule of the Pei family.

Shen Xingzhuo's thoughts shifted again, landing on rule two:

Do not look directly at the center of a deity's forehead for too long, as this can be mentally taxing and may cause hallucinations.

She believed this rule was correct; looking directly at a deity's image was indeed a taboo during worship.

But the fact that it was specifically mentioned in the ghost story makes it seem very strange.

Shen Xingzhu recalled that when she first entered the ghost story and gave birth in the ancestral hall, she had already stared directly at this jade statue. What she saw then was an evil statue entwined with the spirits of countless unjustly killed infants.

If that's the case, then Rule Five [Offering sacrifices to crows during the waning moon will make your wishes come true] makes sense for now.

The waning moon is associated with yin, and crows are considered unlucky, as yin energy is at its peak at that time...

But how can we be sure that we can't use yin to overcome yin?

"The rest can only be verified tonight."

Thinking of this, Shen Xingzhuo dispelled the hand seals on his hands.

The spiritual energy within her body is not inexhaustible. Now that she is in a world of strange tales, it is best not to risk running out of spiritual energy.

Her eyes were deep and dark. She took out a short knife from her sleeve and cut her fingertip.

"mother!"

Pei Xi nervously took Shen Xingzhuo's hand, her little face scrunched up.

"Mother is fine, Xi'er, go back to sleep."

Pei Xi looked at her mother, who had returned to normal, hesitated for a moment, and then fell asleep peacefully.

He has just "devoured" his sister and now needs to "digest" it properly.

Looking at the baby's sleeping face, Shen Xingzhuo turned her gaze back to the jade pen that Runyu had put away again.

He then used the tip of the knife to collect the blood from his fingertip and skillfully inscribed the "Supreme Pure Light Pardon Talisman" on the brush.

The moment the talisman was completed, a wisp of white light seemed to flow from the pen to its tip.

The beauty of this approach lies in using blood as a catalyst, jade as a medium, and talismans as a bridge to activate the spiritual energy of Hetian jade.

From then on, wherever the brush and ink are used, their power to dispel filth will cleanse away evil.

Shen Xingzhuo calmed down and copied the Heart Sutra.

The room was filled with the flickering candlelight, creating a moment of tranquility.

……

But Su Anyu, who is also in the world of ghost stories, is not so carefree.

He was now hiding in a crevice in a metal wall, his face deathly pale, covering his mouth tightly, afraid that he would make a sound and be discovered by the AI ​​android.

Less than 3 meters in front of him, an android was lying face down on the ceiling with its limbs bent backwards and its neck twisted 180 degrees, staring intently in the direction where he was hiding.

Before this, Su Anyu had escaped from the android's rest pod.

He inadvertently connected to the android's brain and witnessed an evil game in the android's mental world.

Humans were placed in the arena, where a cannibalistic spectacle was staged.

But the scene before him was completely different from what he had seen on the interstellar battlefield before.

It wasn't a bloody battle, but rather these living, breathing people meticulously slicing open their opponent's body with utensils, as if following orders, and putting the pieces into their mouths one by one.

That numbness still makes him shudder even now.

Su Anyu tried desperately to control her breathing, but her mind was a complete blank, and she had almost forgotten all the rules she had learned before.

"Calm down, calm down..."

He let out a long breath.

"Think about how Sister Shen always does it."

He gradually regained his senses and recalled the premise of this ghost story.

The pet-man was a domesticated being, and his escape violated the rules, which is why he was hunted down by the androids.

But C-level ghost stories must have a way to survive within the rules.

Got it!

When pet owners feel extremely anxious, they can seek comfort by cuddling with their owners.

Su Anyu's eyes lit up!

But the next second, he was enveloped in shadow!

A pair of eyes formed from data emits a scanning beam.

The zookeeper, Su Anyu, tilted his head, and his standard smile cracked into an arc that exceeded human limits.

Its mouth has no tongue, only countless pale blue, translucent tentacles made of data.

These tentacles gleamed with an ominous light and instantly wrapped around Su Anyu's body.

A faint electric current tingled his skin, and what was even more terrifying was that the tips of some finer tentacles slowly reached towards his temples and ear canals!

Its face was expressionless, its eyes flashing only with a steady digital light, as it spoke, word by word:

"Found you!"