Xiao Cheng raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, gazing at the overly dreamy candy house in front of her.

It really is a candy house. The whole house is backed by a deep forest and stands on a soft, green lawn, exuding a sweet fragrance.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see inside the house. A family of three sits around a long dining table, their eyes closed, praying devoutly.

The boy was very young. He quietly opened his eyes and stared at the delicious meat soup placed in the center of the table. He couldn't wait to touch his own bowl and plate.

Their prayers didn't last long; the boy's father took an exaggerated sniff, a look of blissful absorption on his face.

"It smells so good."

His voice came from inside the house and reached Xiao Cheng's ears, sounding incredibly clear.

Then he ladled himself a bowl of soup, ignoring the heat, and eagerly took a big gulp, then sighed again, "It smells so good."

The boy looked at his empty bowl and couldn't help but feel envious. He glanced cautiously at his mother, then asked softly, "Can I drink it, Mom?"

“Of course, darling.” The woman gently ruffled his hair, then turned to meet Xiao Cheng’s gaze, giving him a stiff smile. “However, we should invite the lost traveler in to rest for a while first.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Cheng heard a system notification.

"Attention all players, the Dark Fairy Tale survival instance has been loaded. Game rules are being imported. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience."

At the same time, a line of bright red writing slowly appeared on the floor-to-ceiling window. Perhaps to match the occasion, the handwriting was very cute, and it exuded the sweet aroma of strawberry jam. The whole thing looked bouncy and chewy.

[Attention players, the game has officially begun.]

Rule 1: Strictly prohibit infighting.

[Rule 2: There is a rule, but it is not obvious]

Rule 3: Please make your own way to your destination.

Xiao Cheng was completely bewildered by these inexplicable rules, and more importantly, she hadn't seen any other players at all.

Is this a single-player instance? Or do we have to complete the single-player story first?

But the current situation didn't give her any time at all. The little boy listened to his mother and obediently ran outside, stood in front of her, and looked at her expectantly.

“Dear traveler, my mother invites you into her house for lunch. Please grant me this invitation so that I may enjoy some delicious broth.”

To be honest, Xiao Cheng wasn't really keen on agreeing.

But the situation had already developed to this point, leaving her no choice but to agree.

Compared to the boy, who only had eyes for the soup, his parents seemed much more enthusiastic, even to the point of being hypocritical.

"Ah! Young traveler! What astonishing beauty you possess! But even more astonishing than your beauty is your unparalleled courage! Praise God, and bless His perfect creation!"

The woman's strange way of speaking made Xiao Cheng a little embarrassed, and she felt even more awkward and ashamed.

After all, who can resist flattery?

At the warm invitation of the hosts, she sat down at the long dining table.

The hostess brought out a new set of tableware and even personally served her a bowl of soup.

“God must have heard my prayers to let you appear at my door!” she said earnestly.

I must say, the broth was really fragrant and very clean, with no trace of fishy smell.

Xiao Cheng stirred the soup with a spoon, watching the half-finger bobbing up and down in the milky white broth, and thought very seriously, "If the ingredients weren't human, that would be even better."

"What's wrong? Why aren't you drinking it?" The hostess noticed her hesitation and urged her somewhat hastily, "Such delicious meat soup shouldn't be wasted!"

On the other side, the male head of the household had already drunk three or four bowls, the meat and bones he spat out piled up in front of him, a stark white expanse. The boy looked at the half-empty soup pot, at his own empty bowl, and pouted, almost on the verge of tears.

Xiao Cheng knew it was time to uphold the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young.

With a smile, she pushed her bowl in front of the boy: "Drink up, you seem to have been wanting to drink for a long time."

The boy suddenly looked up, his face showing an expression of disbelief and astonishment. Then he eagerly picked up the soup bowl and took a big gulp.

He chewed on the half-finger, squinted his eyes, and let out a satisfied sigh: "It smells so good, Mom. It smells so good, Dad."

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he abruptly stopped chewing, spat out his finger bone with tears streaming down his face, clutched it tightly in his hand, turned to look at Xiao Cheng, and sobbed, "It smells so good, sister."

Xiao Cheng smiled and gently stroked his head, her voice exceptionally gentle: "You're welcome. Look at you, you're crying from eating so much."

The man drank the soup more and more loudly, until finally he simply grabbed the soup pot and gulped it down, making a huge noise.

The hostess's face instantly turned incredibly gloomy, and her voice sounded as cold as ice: "Dear guest, are you sure you don't want to enjoy this delicious soup?"

Absolutely certain.

Xiao Cheng nodded frantically in her heart, but on the surface she still had to maintain her elegance and grace.

"Actually, it's like this: when I was very young, I swore to God that I would eat both meat and vegetables throughout my life as a sign of my reverence for God. The broth was delicious, but it's quite a pity that it wasn't a proper meat and vegetable dish."

She expressed her regret at just the right moment.

The woman stared at her with a sinister look for a long time, then the gloom on her face vanished instantly, as if nothing had happened, and she resumed her previous smile.

“Even so, we cannot let our distinguished guest feel neglected.” She reached under her apron and pulled out a large, bright red apple, presenting it to Xiao Cheng with both hands. “Please enjoy this apple. It’s very sweet, really sweet.”

To eat or not to eat, that's not even the question.

The known name of the instance is Dark Fairy Tale.

Furthermore, it is known that there are basically no edible apples in fairy tales.

Now that things have progressed to this point, Xiao Cheng took the apple from the hostess, revealing an expression of attraction.

"What an exquisite thing! As an apple, it actually looks so apple-like!"

The hostess's smile was almost impossible to maintain: "Please eat, distinguished guest."

“Thank you for your kindness, but such a perfect apple should be used to serve God, not wasted on me,” Xiao Cheng said earnestly, shaking her head, before turning to look at the boy beside her.

“Such a lovely child must have been blessed by God, so I will follow God’s will.”

As she spoke, she placed an apple in the boy's hand, and upon seeing his flattered expression, she gave him a sincere and encouraging smile.