The sage was determined to die.

Ji Bai walked unsteadily.

He walked alone through the mountain of books for more than an hour, his entire body covered in a paint-like liquid that clung to him, and bright red liquid dripped down his clothes like beads of blood. He couldn't help but rub his eyes, and finally saw a group of unfamiliar figures in the distance.

Just as Ji Bai was hesitating about whether to go, the system, which had not been online for a long time, started moving.

Please remember, when you're surrounded by books, you're no longer human.

The system's cold login notification echoed in Ji Bai's mind. Since he transmigrated to this world, the system had only logged on once, leaving him with very brief information. He almost thought the system would never log on again, and had even almost forgotten its existence.

Unexpectedly, the system popped up in the mountain of books, and even more unexpectedly, the system was much more talkative in the mountain of books than when it first went online, chattering incessantly with many messages.

Your current role is that of a guardian of the mountain of books.

As a guardian of the mountain of books, you must actively respond to the intrusion of outsiders, while also abiding by the rules of the guardians.

[One: As guardians of the mountain of books, one must not attack one's fellow human beings outside the rules.]

[Part Two: Collect the fear value of outsiders. When the fear value reaches 100 points, you can recruit/punish the outsiders.]

【…】

Listening to the mechanical voices from the system, Ji Bai roughly understood his current situation. Although he didn't understand why he suddenly couldn't be a human anymore, from another perspective, wasn't he now the enemy of all the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)?

Originally, there was constant struggle between countries, with each trying to kill the other. As a scholar from Qi, he was originally a competitor of other countries.

Now they have become a target that other countries have no choice but to kill.

Unexpectedly, the system came to my aid at this crucial moment.

Ji Bai couldn't help but feel sorry for his future self.

He started walking towards the crowd, deliberately slowing his pace to attract attention.

.

The two princes of Chu naturally took notice of Ji Bai.

"He looks perfectly normal," Chu Xi asked, frowning. "Brother, is he really not a scholar from another country?"

Chu Ze shook his head and said, "Although I didn't sense any particular danger, the compass doesn't lie."

"What should we do then?"

Chu Xi never doubted his brother's judgment. If his brother thought there was something wrong with this non-human thing, then there must be something wrong with it.

"Should we avoid him for now?" Chu Xi asked.

Chu Ze looked at the few scholars who had entered the puppet forest. These scholars from small countries had no powerful backing. If they retreated now, all their previous efforts would be in vain. They did not intend to leave any of these scholars alive.

Even a small mosquito is still meat. If any of these people manage to escape alive, they might unite with people from other small countries to form a united front. At that point, even if they are still able to capture people, it won't be as easy as it is now.

"The Puppet Forest can only be opened by the blood sacrifice of several people. The Book Mountain is too vast, and we do not have enough manpower and time to explore it all. This is the place where we are most confident in obtaining the Literary Heart, so we cannot give up so quickly."

Chu Ze stared at Ji Bai's back, and seeing that the other was about to meet up with the other scholars from the small countries, he said, "No rush, let's see if these people will die later, and observe the situation."

Chu Xi nodded upon hearing this.

.

The scholars from the small countries did not know each other. Although they were the pride of their respective countries, their weak national strength meant they could not compete for many places to enter the Imperial Academy.

In other words, they are the only ones left in their respective countries.

What happens in the mountain of books will remain unknown to the outside world. In other words, even if they die here, only their families will grieve for them.

"Gentlemen, let's take a gamble."

The leader, named Gongsun Yang, glanced back at the Chu people who were poised to attack, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, saying, "The man who was just killed by that scoundrel Chu Ze was my friend. Even if we run away now, he won't let us go."

"Since that's the case, we might as well step into this Puppet Forest and find Wenxin here before them," Gongsun Yang said with a dark face. "Once we have Wenxin in the Book Mountain, we can kill people without restraint."

The person beside him, clutching his wound, asked with a mixture of fear and confusion, "Brother Gongsun, before entering the Mountain of Books, our teacher instructed me to protect myself and told us that we must use cunning to kill within the mountain. Why is the Prince of Chu able to kill so recklessly?"

This question was also answered by several other people.

Gongsun Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "I guess his sword is related to the Book Mountain, and is very likely a product of Wenxin. If we could also find such a sword..."

Before he could finish speaking, he gritted his teeth and entered the Puppet Forest completely.

The others exchanged a silent glance and followed suit.

With literary talent, one finds a way to survive.

The moment they stepped into the Puppet Forest.

Ji Bai also entered the woods.

"This mountain of books is really strange." Ji Bai looked up at the forest composed of countless locust trees. These locust trees were narrow and thin, with crooked trunks, yet their height seemed to stretch endlessly. The dense forest formed a dense web like spiders, enticing people to step into it.

At this moment, Ji Bai's hair was red, making him stand out in the pitch-black world.

He came to have a friendly chat with those strangers.

Upon entering the grove, the most striking feeling these scholars had was the cold.

The group had no choice but to huddle together for warmth. The biting coldness shot from their feet to the top of their heads, and their faces instantly paled several shades.

At the same time, several cold, mechanical voices flashed through their minds simultaneously.

Survival Rules in the Puppet Forest

First: Do not trust any person or animal that is associated with the color red.

Second: Do not attempt to disobey or anger people or animals that are red.

Three: Do not believe a single word spoken by this creature.

The group exchanged incredulous glances, then simultaneously exclaimed, "Did you hear that?"

"...The mountain of books is indeed wondrous." Gongsun Yang twitched his ears and pursed his lips. "Perhaps this is our way of survival. Everyone, please do not relax."

The group nodded solemnly, when suddenly they heard a rustling sound, accompanied by the dripping sound of water falling on the ground.

But the mountain of books is clearly a vast expanse of scorched earth, so that people can walk on it without making a sound.

They looked in the direction of the sound and the next second they saw a blood-soaked figure walking step by step toward them.

He was a complete celebrity.

The man turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood; even his exposed teeth were red. As he approached them, he smiled maliciously: "Gentlemen, you seem to need my help."