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

The rigidity is irreversible!

Those eight words were like a sharp thorn, piercing deep into everyone's hearts.

Guan Shanyue looked up at the sky in disbelief.

All she saw was the little girl who had brought her surprises time and time again, just like the legendary chosen one, Long Qingyue, who had once lived, falling lifelessly to the ground.

Shen Xingzhuo's body stiffened inch by inch under everyone's gaze, until the wood grain replaced the skin all over his body.

She had completely transformed into an exquisite puppet dressed in a Western-style dress.

Guan Shanyue couldn't bear to continue watching and turned her back slightly.

Shen Xingzhuo's failure was too sudden.

The intense mix of hope and despair made Guan Shanyue's voice sound weary: "Activate Operation 'Great Wall' at the highest alert level."

"We've opened up our strategic reserves to the frontline search and rescue special forces; we're about to face a tough battle."

Guan Shanyue appeared calm, but she knew the turmoil raging within her heart.

Perhaps a few years ago, the failure of the Chosen Ones wouldn't have been a huge blow to the Tianxia Kingdom. But today, the areas within the Tianxia Kingdom invaded by the strange tales have completely become a paradise for monsters.

The fog outside, which can pollute people's minds, is getting worse and worse.

She estimated that it wouldn't be long before even areas without the invasion of monsters would perish due to humans killing each other.

The situation was on the verge of collapse.

People from other countries were making sarcastic remarks in the live chat, but at this point, the people of Tianxia were powerless to refute them, and everyone felt insecure.

"Captain Guan!" Lu Qianling exclaimed softly.

Guan Shanyue looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

Lu Qianling's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think we can wait a little longer! The Ghost Stories haven't announced Starfall's failure yet!"

Su Anyu clapped her hands. "That's right! In the past, as long as the Chosen One died, the Ghost Story Society would immediately be declared a failure! But this time there was no notification sound!"

"Yes!" Lu Qianling nodded. "I saw Xingzhuo briefly unable to move when she was in my brother's room before."

"Maybe this time it was just too serious, and she needs some time to recover!"

Lu Qianling's expression was full of trust.

"Taoist arts have been passed down for thousands of years on ancient Blue Star. Perhaps the solution lies within them, we just don't know it yet. We must believe in Xingzhuo. As long as the strange tales haven't declared her death, we must firmly believe that she can succeed!"

Lu Qianling's voice echoed in the empty command room.

Guan Shanyue paused for a moment, then smiled softly.

She saw the eyes of the Huaxu team members gradually change; it was a long-lost fighting spirit.

……

In ghost stories.

Why...?

The older brother stood in front of the puppet, his voice hoarse and barely audible. His movements were unusually flustered; he abandoned all pretense of elegance and stumbled awkwardly to the side of the puppet.

His hands trembled as he tried to pull his sister into his arms.

"Click".

The puppet's arm has been broken off.

"ah!!!"

The older brother roared in grief, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.

"Liars! They're all liars!"

"Didn't you say you'd be a good boy and always stay with your brother?!"

The older brother pressed the puppet's head tightly against his heart, his eyes vacant, which then gradually turned into an uncontrollable rage.

He suddenly sprang up and threw the puppet away in a fit of rage.

The restaurant space has subtly changed, with the walls on all sides now serving as mirrors.

The mirror reflects countless brothers—angry, lost, and in pain… Each holds a carving knife, tearing apart the sculpture in their hands, one blow at a time.

"Are you going to become lifeless too?! Since you don't want to stay with me, then die!"

The older brother lifted the chair, just like the reflection in the mirror where he held a carving knife.

The chair slammed down hard!

"elder brother."

A questioning yet serious voice rang out.

The chair suddenly froze in mid-air.

The older brother slowly turned his head back.

Shen Xingzhuo sat perfectly still in her seat, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"elder brother!"

Why are you bullying my doll?!

"The doll is angry!"

You love your doll very much, and you are its only owner. If your brother tries to touch, wash, or change its clothes, you must immediately get angry and stop him.

Shen Xingzhuo's last sentence cleverly shifted the source of his anger to the puppet.

She was simply engrossed in playing house. That way, it could be considered that she was getting angry, but it wouldn't be considered that she was throwing a tantrum at her brother.

A blank look appeared on the older brother's face.

Shen Xingzhuo looked at him helplessly, "Brother, really! The food's all cold."

She turned to look at the white-clad housekeeper in the corner, who was rearranging the dishes.

"Housekeeper, could you replace these with some of my favorite foods?"

"Okay, please wait a moment, Miss."

The butler retrieved the soup and other food that had been placed on the table and temporarily left the restaurant with the trolley.

Shen Xingzhu smiled slightly, her fingers tapping out a pleasant rhythm on the table.

If you see a butler in white, you can ask them a question.

The housekeeper serves the older brother and younger sister, so if you ask, "Can you do this or that for me?", you will definitely get an affirmative answer.

The chosen ones can use this to create favorable conditions for themselves.

Shen Xingzhuo exploited a small bug, skipping the process of asking questions and speculating on the rules, and instead had the butler change the menu to a table of "green and pollution-free" food.

Of course, Shen Xingzhuo didn't forget to carefully pick up the doll on the ground.

When the doll returned to its mini chair.

The sound of ghost stories begins:

[The Chosen One has been detected to have obtained a special item: a puppet doll. This item can be bound at night, and upon successful binding, it can block three attacks for the Chosen One. After three attacks, it will enter a cooldown period, and will become active again upon entering a new mystery.]

[Since the special item has been obtained, the Chosen One can choose whether to accept the hidden quest—The Doll's Secret. If accepted, please explore the quest trigger conditions yourself.]

[The "Little Sister Carrying a Doll" ghost story has reached 60% completion. Congratulations to the chosen one for unlocking the completion conditions.]

[Normal Walkthrough: A perfect day spent with my brother.]

[Perfect Completion: Complete the story rewind of "Little Sister Carrying a Doll," with a story perfection rate of 90% or higher.]

[The chosen one, good luck.]

The ghostly sounds disappeared, and everything around them returned to normal.

Soon, the housekeeper returned pushing the cart again.

The new plate held a steaming hot dish: a medium-rare steak served with vibrant green asparagus and butter-fried mushrooms.

The aroma of black pepper wafted into Shen Xingzhuo's nose.

"Miss, this is your favorite steak."

The older brother slowly walked back to his seat, and this time, his voice returned to its gentle pretense.

"This time it's your favorite food, so you can't be willful again."

"I understand, brother."

Shen Xingzhuo picked up the knife and fork, and the blade made a very subtle clinking sound when it touched the steak.

The older brother looked over again.

Shen Xingzhuo sighed almost imperceptibly, then gracefully made the motion of cutting the steak.

She picked up a piece of steak with her fork and calmly put the air into her mouth.