This bug is amazing!

Chapter 257 Rules
Ji Yi glanced sideways and was startled to see the thick book in Ji Tu's hand, titled "This Bug is Amazing!"

'This looks like a flop online novel at first glance. Was it self-published or privately printed?'

He thought to himself, but Ji Yi didn't say those offensive words out loud.

Ji Tu exchanged a few pleasantries with several elders in the village with whom he had some connection, and then tactfully sat down, knowing that even casual conversation had to be timed and appropriate.

Soon, it was the next person's turn to introduce themselves.

"My surname is Dugu, and my given name is Hong."

Ji Yi looked over and saw a tall, handsome man with well-proportioned muscles who looked serious and unsmiling.

"Dugu? Nobody in our Sanshi Village has that surname. Is he from out of town?"

“Yes.” Dugu Hong nodded. “I came here specifically to investigate the legend of the disappearance of Sanshi Village, so I bought an empty house at the west end of the village.”

"Hey! Someone's actually rushing to their death!" A hunched old man with age spots on his face laughed and cursed, "I've never seen anyone so tired of living before!"

As the old man spoke, many villagers began to look at Dugu Hong with hostility.

Clearly, in this bizarre life-or-death struggle, outsiders will be the first to be ostracized.

'That feels really bad.'

Dugu Hong ignored him and simply sat down with an indifferent expression, as if everything outside was irrelevant to him.

Next, it was Xie Ping's turn to introduce herself.

Many people in the village know her, including Xie An'an, so I'll give a brief introduction to her as well.

Just as Ji Yi thought Xie Ping had finished speaking and was about to sit down, he saw Xie Ping point at him:

"This is my fiancé, Ji Yi. He is also a writer, and he and Mr. Ji should have a lot in common."

As she spoke, Xie Ping gave Ji Yi a wink.

Ji Yi was taken aback at first, then stood up with an embarrassed look on her face and greeted everyone.

Upon seeing this, the village elders couldn't help but look at the two with "auntie smiles."

Praises such as "The young man is quite handsome" and "A perfect match" were heard one after another for nearly three minutes, which shows that Xie Ping is actually quite popular with the elders.

Ji Yi knew that Xie Ping gave him the identity of "fiancé" in order to gain favor with the village elders. It was a way of helping him, otherwise an outsider like Dugu Hong would easily be ostracized.

The self-introductions are still ongoing.

"My surname is Song, and my name is Song Wan'er. Song Lin is my uncle. I'm back in my hometown this time."

She was a petite young woman.

As she spoke, her gaze kept darting between Ji Yi and Xie Ping, as if she were somewhat distracted.

Soon it was the next person's turn, and his appearance could be summed up in one sentence: a gloomy, reclusive guy.
“My surname is Zheng, and my name is Zheng Zaipu. Everyone in the village knows me, so I won’t go into details. Also, I want to emphasize that I stay in my house all day doing game leveling, which is a legitimate job, not some good-for-nothing who lives off his savings.”

"What else is a loser but someone who sits at home playing video games all day?"

An old man spoke up.

Jung Jae-pu: "."

He sat back down looking annoyed and didn't respond.

The self-introductions lasted for nearly an hour. Only after everyone had finished speaking did the village chief seem to remember something and look at Officer Liu.

"Zhao Hua, what's the background of that orange-haired kid you caught today?"

Officer Liu then stood up and added:

“That kid’s name is Wang Aotian. You should remember him, Uncle. His father, Wang Anping, passed away a couple of years ago.”

"Oh, it's his child. Anping is a good man, how could he raise such a wretch who dared to kill someone?"

The village chief seemed to want to say something more, but he stopped himself from speaking.

Everyone in Sanshi Village knows exactly what's going on, and it's only a matter of time before it comes down to murder.

Soon, the meeting began.

After learning what Wang Aotian had done, everyone sighed in dismay.

The topic quickly shifted to what everyone was concerned about: how to escape Sanshi Village, or rather...
Is it possible to escape Sanshi Village?

The legend of the disappearance was something everyone had only heard of; none of the people present had actually experienced it.

Most young people, on the other hand, believe in science and, more often, in conspiracy theories.

For example, Jung Jae-pak believes that this is a large-scale social experiment.

Throughout history, this has always been an entertainment activity organized by a group of powerful and wealthy elites. However, in ancient times, it relied on the ignorance of the masses to deceive them, while now it utilizes more high-tech equipment.

This argument actually garnered the agreement of some people.

It was almost impossible to reach a consensus on the nature of the disappearance incident, and the crowd was in an uproar, making it difficult to maintain order at the scene.

While seeking common ground while respecting differences, at least in terms of rules, everyone knows that they need to abide by them.

Otherwise, whether it is a deity, a ghost, a man-made disaster, or anything else, it will punish those who do not follow the rules.

Thus, Ji Yi finally gained a more comprehensive understanding of the rules:

A dog's barking will displease the gods; if you keep a dog, you must mute it.

Lights must be turned off before 10 PM. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, please do not go out and prepare for sleep, as that is the time when the gods prepare for their activities.

You must be asleep by midnight, otherwise you will encounter the gods and surely die.

If everyone follows the rules, the gods will choose only one person at night and take away their three souls, seven spirits, flesh and blood essence, leaving no trace.

This information filled in some of Ji Yi's doubts, but what followed was even more perplexing.

[After committing murder, the body must be buried properly, otherwise crows will carry away the bones, circle in the air laughing, and bring disaster.]

There are no wells in the village. If you see a well, it means you are dreaming. Anyone who dreams of a well for three consecutive days will go insane and die.

Do not look directly at a person's reflection in the river, for a drowned ghost may take their place.

If you are being haunted by a deceased person, you should light white candles at their grave at night, and your ancestors will provide a solution.

"It's just a chaotic set of rules that have no logic whatsoever."

Ji Yi could only offer this assessment.

"And it's strange. The four rules clearly state the likes and dislikes of 'gods,' while the other four rules mention things like 'disaster' and 'ghosts.'"

This is very strange, or rather, intriguing.

Although it cannot be ruled out that information may be distorted over a long period of time.

But no matter what, a god should be a god, and a ghost should be a ghost. How can two completely different styles of elements appear in a logically consistent system of rules?

No wonder people have differing opinions. Some say it's divine punishment, others say it's the work of ghosts, and still others believe it's all just superstitious myths spread through the ages.

"So, could this be a clue to some kind of information?"

Ji Yi did not participate in the discussion, but instead stroked her chin in deep thought.

After discussing the rules, some of the young people shifted the topic to finding ways to escape Sanshi Village.

In their view, regardless of the truth behind this curse, they should actively seek survival and try to contact the outside world or leave this place.

At this stage of the meeting, there's basically nothing left to talk about, or rather, everyone is avoiding discussing a certain topic—who got the "live" note?
That's destined to be a question without an answer.

At the same time, when we talk about this, we have to talk about the issue of infighting.

Everyone is avoiding the topic, but they all know the truth.

"In short, at least for now we can struggle and try to get out of here."

Someone suggested this.

"Alright, let's go together! I refuse to believe that a small earthen mound can stop us with so many of us!"

The young people were enthusiastic, but the elderly were mostly disheartened. One reason was that they were unable to do heavy physical labor due to physical limitations, and another reason was that they were the most superstitious about the legends of the disappearance, and had almost no hope of escaping.

The meeting ended quickly, and the people dispersed.

Everyone is striving for the truth they firmly believe in.

Thirty minutes later, at Xie Ping's house.

"Xiao Ji doesn't seem to have the same drive as those young people. Shouldn't he take some time to improve his health?"

Xie Ping said this while tidying up her toolbox.

The box didn't contain miscellaneous items or other tools, but rather various types of iron weapons. However, due to long periods of disuse, most of them were rusty.

Fortunately, there were whetstones in the box as well.

Ji Yi watched this scene without asking any further questions, only asking:

“I saw An’an’s grandmother that night. According to custom, should I go to her grave and light candles?”

Clearly, Ji Yi, being the only one who witnessed the deaths firsthand, didn't consider any of those so-called conspiracy theories.

Instead of wasting time thinking about how to escape, it's better to focus on how to survive as much as possible and then solve the mystery of the disappearance.

"If she hasn't done anything to hurt you, theoretically speaking, it's fine whether you go or not."

Xie Ping answered seriously, and at the same time began sharpening the knives in her home.

"Sharpening your knife is so noisy, aren't you afraid someone will hear? It's practically like you're going to shout: I'm going to kill someone tonight."

Ji Yi asked.

Xie Ping smiled gently:
"There's nothing left to eat at home. If you don't slaughter the pig, are you going to let us starve to death?"

Ji Yi was surprised: "You can even butcher pigs?"

"No, so you'll handle this."

"..."

Finally, after the knife was sharpened, it was already afternoon.

The pig wasn't slaughtered, and the family of three started preparing dinner.

Plain porridge, cured meat, and pickled vegetables—it was still a simple meal.

After dinner, before it got completely dark, Ji Yi went to the entrance of the village to check on the blocked road.

That was indeed a road that could not be broken through by human power in a short time. If we relied solely on these people, it would probably take two or three months.

After silently observing the scene for a while, Ji Yi thought of the secluded path she had taken to get there.

Will the road closures be more severe over there?

Muttering to herself, Ji Yi headed straight there.

As darkness fell, the hazy blue hue became increasingly difficult to discern.

Ji Yi dared not delay, and quickened her pace until she arrived at the path she had taken that night.

But what he saw made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Damn it, where's the road here...?"

There should have been a small slope in front of us, but instead it turned out to be solid red rock with a slope of nearly ninety degrees.

Ji Yi was certain that he hadn't gone the wrong way; this was the place he had come from last night.

Just as Ji Yi was filled with doubt and surprise.

Suddenly, a light appeared behind me.

It was a yellowish, somewhat familiar light bulb glow.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could clearly feel that warm light.

Ji Yi turned around in confusion and saw a makeshift iron shed filled with goods, where a smiling old lady was sitting.

"?!"

Sure enough, he really was haunted by a ghost!
Ji Yi quickly calmed down and stood still, observing the old lady.

The old woman maintained her smile as when they first met, remaining motionless like a wax figure.

Ji Yi mustered his courage and walked over, confirming that the old lady, like last time, would not do anything to harm him.

I glanced at the shelf and noticed that two lollipops were missing.

"What kind of... ghost shop is this?"

Xie Ping said that as long as the deceased grandmother did not do anything to harm anyone, theoretically there is no need to take action.

"Since that's the case, we're already here."

Ji Yi took out a dollar: "Grandma, give me two lollipops, I'll buy them for your grandson."

As he spoke, he put a dollar on the counter and took two candies.

"For the sake of how good I am to your grandson, please bless me and don't let me be the first one to die."

This time, Ji Yi did not do anything impolite. Instead, she bowed to An'an's grandmother a few times and then left.

This time, I didn't encounter any ghost walls or mazes.

Ji Yi followed the mountain path and soon returned to Xie Ping's home.

From afar, Ji Yi could still vaguely see smoke rising from the house. Puzzled, Ji Yi quickly walked to the courtyard.

"She's injured her leg but still runs around so much, is Xiao Ji a masochist?"

At this moment, Xie Ping was sitting in the courtyard, holding a cleaned chicken in her hand, with chicken feathers scattered on the ground beneath her feet.

Xie Ping has now taken off her black dress and put on the attire of a peasant woman. Even so, her rustic clothes cannot hide her delicate and beautiful face.

Suddenly, Ji Yi had a strange feeling.

It's as if I'm not in a game, but have won the heart of a beautiful woman and am living a life of comfort and happiness with my wife and children.

The current situation is very much like "the husband goes out to work, the wife stays at home to do laundry and cook, and the children do their homework in the house."

Seeing Ji Yi's stunned expression, Xie Ping spoke again:

"What kind of look is that? If I can't kill a pig, can't I kill a chicken? I can tell you didn't eat enough tonight, so I specially prepared a stewed chicken for you. You've come at the right time, lend a hand and add some firewood."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yi felt an even deeper, inexplicable sensation in her heart.

"it is good."

With indescribable feelings, Ji Yi quickly entered the kitchen and added firewood to the stove to boil water.

Soon, an extra meal was ready.

Ji Yi was indeed starving, and he wolfed down the whole chicken, although it wasn't the best he had ever eaten, or even particularly delicious.

But that inexplicable, itchy feeling made him feel incredibly happy.

As Ji Yi devoured the stewed chicken, soup and all, it was soon time for bed, as per the rules.

The two still shared a bed.

Compared to Xie Jiayi's gentleness and Miss Cat's sharp tongue, Xie Ping seems to combine the two, with an added touch of mature and bold charm.

After all, what kind of good person would hold someone else's younger brother while sleeping?
However, Ji Yi eventually slept soundly, and didn't wake up until 9:30 the next morning when it was already bright.

Then, he saw the empty bed next to him, with only a complete set of women's clothing remaining.

Last night, what disappeared without a trace was—

Xie Ping.

(End of this chapter)