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

Before the woman who called herself "Mother" entered, Shen Xingzhuo quickly tore off the coarse cloth covering her body, tearing, unfolding, wrapping, and tying it—

Her movements were so fast they left afterimages; in just two breaths, a cross-collar dress completely covered her undergarments and socks.

Even at the very last second, Shen Xingzhuo had time to straighten the wrinkles on her dress and hide the dirt inside.

"Pei Yin! Allowing you to spend the night in the ancestral hall is already a great favor!"

"How dare you wear only your undergarments..."

Pei's mother stopped abruptly, awkwardly withdrawing her hand that was pointing at Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

In ancient times, aristocratic families placed great importance on etiquette, and women who were not properly dressed were considered filthy in the eyes of others.

The clothes made of coarse cloth were only a little dirty, but not quite improper.

She made the right move, but her mother will definitely correct her mistakes elsewhere.

"Mother."

Shen Xingzhuo was the first to bow.

In her spare time from spiritual practice, her master also made her learn a lot of classical etiquette.

Sure enough, what you learn will always come in handy someday.

She bowed first, then called out to people; there was no way to find a mistake in her manner.

"Our family makes its own brocade, and look at the way you're dressed! Where's the elegance of the eldest daughter of the Pei family?!"

Pei's mother's critical gaze pierced him like a knife.

Shen Xingzhuo, adhering to the principle of saying less to avoid making mistakes, simply smiled and glossed over the matter.

Her gaze swept across Pei's mother's face—

A broad forehead, a straight nose, high eyebrows, sharp eyes, and freckles on the face...

The main character is from a family with decent fortune, but is mean-spirited and malicious.

Let's look at her clothes—

Madam Pei wore a sandalwood-colored, brocade-embroidered, lotus-patterned, high-collared long coat, paired with a dark green horse-face skirt. The fabric resembled Yun brocade, but there seemed to be a subtle difference.

The blade is wrapped in brocade.

That was Shen Xingzhuo's first impression of Pei's mother.

"Alright, considering it's your first day after giving birth, I won't say anything more."

Pei's mother's eyes suddenly turned sinister.

"Your children are waiting for you, why aren't you feeding them yet!"

"Yes, Mother."

Shen Xingzhuo nodded obediently, and as she left, she did not forget her "cannot see" persona from when she first entered the ghost story, and groped her way out.

"Those little bitch's eyes..."

Pei's mother narrowed her eyes, a cold smile appearing on her lips.

She turned her head and ordered with a disdainful expression, "The morning dew is heavy, why don't you go and help the young lady, and 'be careful' so she doesn't bump into anything."

He paused slightly, then added:

"Reply to Jinxuan's post: Remember to prepare some medicine for the young lady—"

"After all, she just gave birth, so we can't be careless."

Granny Yang understood immediately and quickly followed after them.

Shen Xingzhu heard the footsteps following behind him, but remained calm and continued to explore forward.

"You've come at the perfect time."

Pei's mother is such a kind person!

She was just worried about not knowing the way back to the courtyard when her mother sent over a guide.

"Young Miss, wait for this old servant. This old servant will help you back."

Granny Yang caught up and grabbed Shen Xingzhuo's forearm.

"Thank you, Granny." Shen Xingzhu gave a helpless smile. "I was anxious, but my eyes just wouldn't cooperate."

"child……"

She paused deliberately, feeling the pressure on her forearm increase.

She continued, "The children are still hungry. Please, Granny, take me to the children first."

The pressure on my forearm loosened up a bit.

"You still have blood on you."

"Hot water is ready, and we've even added mugwort to cleanse you. Why don't you take a bath first, and then change into clean clothes..."

"I'll go see the young masters once I feel better."

Shen Xingzhuo pursed her lips tightly.

A hand hidden behind his back flicked out a burst of spiritual energy, striking the Taichong acupoint on the back of his foot.

Two streams of hot tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I really feel sorry for the children who are hungry."

"Why don't you prepare some bath towels for me, Granny, so I can wipe myself down?"

Shen Xingzhuo observed Yang Mama's attitude.

He was calculating the significance of the three ghost stories within the fusion ghost story.

So far, "One Pregnancy, Nine Babies" and "Worshiping Immortals" have a significantly larger share of the screen time.

In particular, in "One Pregnancy, Nine Babies", almost every plot is related to this theme, and every NPC's words are inseparable from the birth of their child.

Just now, Granny Yang's words were a subtle test to see if she cared about the children.

First, they tested whether she knew the number of children, then they used a bath to entrap her and enforce the law.

If she agrees to take a bath with mugwort water, it would be tantamount to indirectly admitting that these children are unlucky and unimportant.

This would directly damage the character of the female protagonist in "The Happy Life of One Pregnancy and Nine Babies"—willing to sacrifice, putting her children first, and also...

Born of love, driven mad by love.

However, the "born out of love" part doesn't count for now, since the father of her child might not even be a human being.

"Young Miss, we've arrived."

Shen Xingzhuo's face lit up with joy, and he even tripped over the threshold when he entered the room.

The room was exquisitely decorated and filled with many small toys prepared in advance for the children.

On the carved canopy bed on the east side, nine red swaddled babies were neatly arranged in a row.

Each swaddled baby had a small longevity lock hanging from it, which would spin on its own without wind, making a very soft metallic clinking sound.

Shen Xingzhuo's expression changed when Yang Mama couldn't see her.

"Weren't the children supposed to be starving? Why aren't they crying?"

Although she had no experience raising babies, she knew that children use crying to express their needs.

Right now, it's far too quiet.

Shen Xingzhu quickened her pace and stumbled to the bedside.

"this!"

Shen Xingzhuo quickly stopped making a sound.

"What is this thing?! Did I give birth to nine Nezhas?!"

She stared in shock at the nine red, fleshy balls wrapped in swaddling clothes.

But calling it a fleshy ball isn't entirely accurate—

Because the skin of this lump was dark pink, and underneath it was covered with bluish-purple blood vessels.

The blood vessels are no longer visible; only a faint pulsation can be seen.

Shen Xingzhuo reached out and gently touched it.

My first impression was that it was soft, almost rotten, and warm.

The moment she touched it, the first fleshy sphere trembled violently, and a sharp bulge appeared on its surface.

"Pfft—"

A deflated sound came from behind.

A blood-stained, baby-sized finger pierced through the fleshy wall and emerged straight out.

That finger was pale and swollen, but its nail was jet black and long.

Its movements were not clumsy like a newborn's; instead, it swiftly and decisively scratched the wall of the fleshy ball with its fingernails.

A small, bluish-purple head peeked out from the crack.

Its eyes, mouth, and nose each have a thin membrane.

It emerged, and although it had no mouth, it let out a loud baby cry.

Shen Xingzhu was greatly shaken, feeling as if tens of thousands of needles were pricking his mind, and his movements slowed down by a fraction.

Granny Yang, however, beamed with joy.

"Oh my~ the crying is so crisp and clear! Our young master has such a strong voice!"

She stepped forward and, without any hesitation, embraced the baby in her arms.

Granny Yang took a deep breath—

So fragrant!

A near-fanatical hunger blazed in her eyes!

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes sharpened, and his voice rose, carrying a hint of urgency.

"Granny! The baby is hungry! I'll feed it!"

Then, before Granny Yang could bite down, she cleverly snatched the child away.