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

Shen Xingzhuo's hand unconsciously pressed on her lower abdomen.

Although the high-grade medicine given to her by Guan Shanyue had long since restored her body to its original state, her organs and muscles still remembered the excruciating pain of that moment.

The phantom pain, like a maggot clinging to a bone, will probably not stop until this ghost story is completed.

Shen Xingzhuo practiced Taoism from a young age, as Taoists often say—

"The bond between mother and child is so strong that at the moment of conception, a wisp of innate energy binds them together until the child is born and the umbilical cord is cut, at which point their earthly ties are severed and they become independent."

Pei Xi's actions just now were not simply about devouring his sister's soul.

Instead, it forcibly severed the innate kinship between the younger sister and the mother.

Therefore, Shen Xingzhuo will feel pain, extreme pain.

But there isn't just one way to solve a ghost story.

Behind this pain lies the symbolism of her child being forcibly ripped from her womb.

Someone... is attempting to use Pei Xi, this youngest son, to kill the true heir!

Shen Xingzhuo looked at Pei Xi, who was completely dependent on him, in his arms.

She spoke very softly, as if afraid of disturbing him.

"Xi'er, tell your mother..."

"Who taught you to say these things? Who told you that as long as your sister isn't born, your mother belongs to you alone?"

Pei Xi blinked, looking confused.

He clearly uttered two reduplicated words: "Father..."

Shen Xingzhuo frowned.

"Bang!!!"

A loud bang came from the main hall.

Shen Xingzhuo turned around and saw that the bronze incense burner, which was half the height of a person, on the offering table had fallen over without warning.

Dust and smoke rose everywhere.

The heavy incense burner smashed the table, and the incense ash that had accumulated for who knows how many years buried the scriptures in an instant.

Shen Xingzhu instinctively covered Pei Xi's mouth and nose.

A sudden chill ran through me.

According to her Taoist beliefs, an incense burner falling over without reason often indicates two possibilities:

Either they are angered by the gods they worship and refuse to receive sacrifices;

Either the ritual itself was tainted with unspeakable filth, causing a backlash!

But either way, it's an ominous sign!

The incense burner collapsed with a crash as soon as Pei Xi uttered the word "father".

Is it...

Does it mean the child's biological father is unknown?

Before she could think it through, a dazed and confused figure squeezed in, stumbling around aimlessly.

Shen Xingzhuo: "Is it that brother-in-law? ...What bad luck."

The man, sporting his signature smirk and murky eyes, walked straight towards Shen Xingzhuo and Pei Xi. He mumbled incoherently, "Beautiful wife..."

Shen Xingzhu instinctively pulled the child behind her to protect her. Only after doing so did she realize that she had truly taken on the role of the child's mother.

That's good; the more you immerse yourself in the story, the more clues you'll discover.

The tall figure walked towards them.

However, just as he stepped over the splattered incense ash, a strange change occurred!

The man slipped and his burly figure fell forward, landing squarely in the thick layer of incense ash.

"Ouch..."

He cried out in pain and tried to get up, but the incense ash seemed to suddenly come to life, transforming into a rope that tightly bound him to the ground.

The incense ash rope seemed to be strangling his flesh and bones.

Blood seeped from his body.

Just as Shen Xingzhuo was about to save the man, he slowly raised his head...

The foolish, muddled look on his face receded as quickly as the tide, replaced by extreme fear, and... a brief, heartbreaking moment of clarity.

His eyes were fixed on Shen Xingzhuo, his lips trembling violently, as if he had used all his strength to squeeze out a few broken words from deep in his throat:

"Yin'er... hurry..."

"Run!!!"

"Please...don't...look back..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light in his eyes suddenly went out.

His body slumped down, and he completely fainted in the incense ash.

Shen Xingzhuo was stunned by his gaze and words, frozen in place, unable to move for a long time.

When she came to her senses again, even though her mind's eye had been opened, her vision returned to a blurry state.

But it was precisely because of this that she was able to see the changes on the ground.

Perhaps because of my brother's struggle just now, the messy pile of incense ash on the ground, under the sunlight filtering in through the window, revealed lines of clear text.

Shen Xingzhuo held his breath, squinted his eyes to focus, and stared intently.

Including what Granny Yang mentioned earlier, the complete rules for ancestral hall worship have been revealed!

[The ancestral hall is the mother's palace; all who enter are guests in the womb. As a daughter of the Pei family, you must uphold the Pei family's rules for generations to come, and never confuse the yin and yang!]

[1: When copying scriptures, one must sit in the exact center of the third floor tile; otherwise, it is considered disrespectful!]

[2: Do not look directly at the center of the forehead of a deity's statue. Looking at it for too long can be mentally taxing and may cause hallucinations.]

[3: If you hear any sound after midnight, do not turn around or respond.]

[4: In the shrine, you must respond to the statues of the gods.]

[5: Offering sacrifices to crows during the waning moon will make your wishes come true.]

[6: Fresh ash must be added to the incense burner daily; never disturb the old ash at the bottom.]

7. The ancestral hall must be kept clean.

[8: The Guanyin brocade can only be dyed in the ancestral hall, but the dyeing process must not be seen by the deity statue.]

[9: Kneel down! Kneel down before me!]

[10: Don't kneel! You are the most honorable!]

[11: Offer your children to the idol! One a day, and it will be done...]

As Shen Xingzhuo read this, a gust of wind blew in, scattering the incense ash.

At the same time, her mental eye could see clearly again.

Faint marks were reflected on the scattered incense ash.

Those were four big characters—"Reversing the Heavenly Gang!"

Shen Xingzhuo sighed softly, stretched her wrists, and dragged her stout brother outside the ancestral hall.

It wasn't that she didn't care about this person's life or death, but rather that men were not allowed to enter the ancestral hall.

Even though Pei Xi is standing here perfectly fine now, it's because Shen Xingzhuo dressed him up as a girl before he came to the ancestral hall.

Just as Shen Xingzhuo was about to stand up, her brother suddenly opened his eyes.

The moment their eyes met, Shen Xingzhuo felt a jolt run through her body. The scenery before her kept changing until it stopped. She was no longer at the entrance of the ancestral hall, but in a place where the sun never shines.

There was only a single candle burning dimly here.

Although the light was very dim, it was enough for Shen Xingzhuo to see everything clearly.

This is a tiny room, barely five steps wide. A bed in the northeast corner almost fills the entire room.

Two wooden buckets were placed side by side at the foot of the bed, one filled with rice, while the other... emitted a foul stench.

"Smack...smack..."

The sound of greedy chewing caught Shen Xingzhuo's attention.

She turned around and saw a man eating frantically. He was of normal build, except that his stomach was strangely swollen from eating too much.

In just a short while, the man swelled up to be extremely obese under her gaze.

His cheeks sagged down, bulging and blending into his neck.

"I ate it all!"

His face, distorted by fat, was revealed, his eyes filled with terror, as he murmured a plea to the void:

"Please...don't hurt my sister!"