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

It's not uncommon for strange occurrences to help people avoid danger.

But at that time, the butler already had a high level of affection for her and regarded her as a "little sister" from the bottom of his heart, a little master who needed his protection.

But now...

Besides the "fake mother-son bond," did Pei Xi develop any genuine feelings for her?

Shen Xingzhuo suddenly remembered that he could check the mission progress at any time.

With a thought, the light screen silently unfolded before my eyes.

This was her first time using this reward privilege, and the sheer detail of the task list surprised her.

[First section: Current development of character relationships in the ghost story (character affinity)]

[Runyu: 99%]

Pei Xi: 30%

[Granny Yang: 11%]

[Pei Zhao: 10%]

Pei Shiquan: 8%

As expected, thanks to the passive skill "Mom's Diary", she gained 10% initial favorability with all these people.

Unexpectedly, Pei Xi's favorability towards her had already reached 30%.

This explains why he would actively help himself avoid being killed.

However, Shen Xingzhuo still felt a pang of regret, because once the level of the supernatural tale is S or above, the character's favorability will no longer reward national resources.

She gently shook her head and continued reading.

The extra 1% that Granny Yang received must be due to the effects of that gold ingot.

"I wonder if it's possible to directly increase affection levels by spending real money?"

As soon as the thought crossed Shen Xingzhuo's mind, she noticed that Pei's father had deducted 2%.

Shen Xingzhuo: ...

Forget it, why bother wishing to the King of Hell for a long life?

To her even greater surprise, Pei's mother was not on the entire list of names!

If the list were determined by kinship, even Granny Yang would be included.

If we're talking about whether there was any interaction, she had already met Pei's mother when she first woke up.

This forced her to think deeply—

The rules clearly state that her mother can be trusted, so Pei's mother must be important to Pei Yin.

So where exactly does the problem lie?

Shen Xingzhuo pressed her palms together, silently filling in the rules in her memory:

You can trust your mother, but you must also respect her. Remember to enter the ancestral hall alone with her after midnight.

What changes will occur after midnight?

No rush, just wait a little while.

[Second Column: Current Ghost Story Quests and Progress]

[Main Quest 1: Fast for 3 days in the ancestral hall and copy scriptures for use in the grand sacrificial ceremony. (Current progress: 2/10)]

Side Quest 1: Ensure the survival of the nine children. (Current status: 1/9/9)

[Strange Tales Progress: 15%. Hint: Once the strange tale progress reaches 30%, the chosen one will receive a mission reward. Specific rewards will be revealed upon reaching the target.]

Shen Xingzhuo's early morning lessons included copying scriptures, and she had already developed excellent calligraphy skills by then.

It's just copying the Heart Sutra; she can finish it in half an afternoon.

However, he still had to maintain the persona of having poor eyesight, so he deliberately ruined several sheets of paper and only completed two scriptures.

Besides, making her copy scriptures was just to make things difficult for her; writing two or three copies would be enough to get by.

"1/9/9……"

The way this task status is displayed is strange.

If you want to indicate that all 9 children survived normally, you can just write 9/9, but now there is an extra 1 in front of it.

So, does this "one" refer to Pei Xi, who has already hatched, or to the younger sister who was swallowed up?

The image of Pei Xi devouring his sister flashed through Shen Xingzhuo's mind again.

It seems that it was right for her not to react directly at the time, but instead to hang her sister's longevity lock around Pei Xi's neck.

It's not just because the rules say that longevity locks are very important.

Furthermore, she had learned through the art of observing qi that her sister's qi had not disappeared. Although faint, it still existed.

Shen Xingzhu subconsciously began to guess the meaning of this progress.

Is the plan to have Pei Xi devour all the other children?

Shen Xingzhu shook his head subconsciously.

No... this shouldn't be the case...

"Young Miss".

Runyu's voice pulled her back from her reverie.

Shen Xingzhu frowned subconsciously; the constant interruption of his thoughts was indeed annoying.

But Runyu's voice was so soft, as if afraid of disturbing something, and she looked at her cautiously: "It's already night, now... now is the best time to dye Guanyin brocade."

Shen Xingzhuo looked in the direction she pointed, and his gaze fell directly on the blue stone well in the courtyard of the ancestral hall.

Yang Mama's words echoed in his mind.

"Only the water from the well at midnight can soothe the throat and tongue..."

This was something that Granny Yang brought up when she was trying to get information out of her, but it was deliberately omitted from all the rules.

"Do we need well water to dye brocade?" Shen Xingzhu asked directly.

Runyu's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.

She lowered her head and remained silent for a long while before nodding very slightly.

The action didn't seem like confirmation; it was more like a reluctant submission.

Seeing her like this, Shen Xingzhuo didn't ask any more questions and bent down to pick up Pei Xi.

"Mother...where are you going?"

Pei Xi wrapped his arms around her neck, pressed his face against her shoulder, and asked.

"Xi'er, would you like to come with your mother to the well?"

Pei Xi didn't speak, but simply tightened her grip on his arm.

Shen Xingzhu smiled, picked him up, and prepared to walk outside.

This doesn't mean she neglects her other children.

Instead, the seven unhatched chubby babies are being cared for by Runyu. Runyu is her destined one, and they are bound together, so the children's safety is at least not a concern.

As for Pei Xi, he was the first one to be "born," so it's normal for her to have some preference for him.

She had to let Pei Xi know that even though he had eight other younger siblings, he was still loved by his mother.

It's summer now.

It should have been cooler after nightfall, but the air was always sticky and humid.

Shen Xingzhuo had just reached the door when her ears twitched as she heard a rustling sound.

Someone is watching...

She smiled and put Pei Xi down on the ground, taking his small hand in hers.

"Xi'er, lead the way," she said softly, "Mother can't see clearly."

A persona should only be acted out when necessary.

She didn't need to pretend in front of Runyu, and Granny Yang had already been won over by Yuanbao, so her slight abnormality could be explained.

However, at this moment, the unfamiliar aura that had locked onto her was completely different—

It's time to put your acting skills to the test!

Pei Xi tightened her grip on her small hand, and led her carefully toward the well.

The closer you get to the center of the courtyard, the stronger the strange, fishy smell becomes.

Just like the one on Pei's father, it had a very sweet and fishy smell.

Shen Xingzhuo felt like she had smelled it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

The two, one large and one small, were already close to the well.

Shen Xingzhuo looked into the well; the water was dark and murky, reflecting only the moonlight.

The moon was originally full, but a dark cloud happened to drift by and turned it into a crescent moon.

Shen Xingzhuo stared for only three seconds, and suddenly a whirlpool formed in the water at the bottom of the well.

The vortex spun faster and faster, gradually forming a small tornado above the well opening.

The wind howled fiercely, and the powerful suction tore everything in the yard apart.

Shen Xingzhu steadied himself and shielded Pei Xi behind him.

She was already seeing things with her inner eye at that moment, and her gaze darkened as she saw through the true nature of the wind—

Countless vengeful ghosts and spirits, their long hair disheveled, swirled rapidly around the well's opening. Unable to escape, their blood smeared the well's mouth, thick with resentment.

Shen Xingzhuo's first reaction was to perform a ritual to help these poor souls find peace.

But just as she was about to utter the first syllable of the incantation, a small, cold hand pressed down on her wrist.

"Mother, no..."

Pei Xi looked at her pleadingly, her eyes filled with pleas.

Shen Xingzhuo's movements faltered, but in that instant of hesitation, he was pulled to the bottom of the well by an irresistible force!