The four dwarfs, along with Xiao Cheng and Fang He, embarked on a journey to save the dwarfs.

Xiao Cheng never expected things to develop in such a surreal way.

"So now, we're just going to barge through like this? Isn't that a bit too direct?" She looked at the four dwarfs running ahead, their short legs moving incredibly fast, and asked Fang He in a low voice.

"The original plotline has been disrupted by the system's mainframe, but judging from the current situation, it's probably impossible to infiltrate by disguising oneself as a nobleman."

Fang He shook his head, paused for a moment, and then continued, "However, as I said before, everything must start from the source, and the solution to the problem can definitely be found at the source."

"...So?" Xiao Cheng vaguely guessed what he meant.

As expected, Fang He spoke again: "Let's start from the beginning of this instance. Now that the dwarves and the princess are connected, what remains..."

"The Candy House!" A brief flash of inspiration struck Xiao Cheng, but his thoughts quickly became chaotic again. "Why was that family, who were human, taken into the old monk's alms bowl?"

She frowned slightly, shook her head, and dismissed the irrelevant thoughts: "Wait a minute... that's not the problem. There's a contradiction in the current plot, isn't there? Didn't it say back then..."

"Whether it's dwarves or snake spirits, they were all formed from the consciousness of the White Snake after it was melted down in the pot. But given the current situation, they have become completely independent individuals, haven't they?"

“Yes, that’s the key.” Fang He nodded slightly. “The consciousness within the bowl has become a reality outside. What did that make you think of?”

Xiao Cheng was slightly taken aback, then her eyes widened suddenly: "A novelist's copy?!"

“Yes, a novelist’s copy.” Fang He raised his head slightly, glancing calmly at the clear blue sky. “We can already make a bold guess, Xiao Cheng.”

"The mastermind behind this instance, the worshipped demon, the true boss..."

He didn't continue, but changed the subject: "Suppose that there are different consciousnesses in Fahai's alms bowl, and they have diverged into different storylines. So far, the two main ones seem to be the Cursed Forest and the Candy House."

"Other players obviously haven't been inside the bowl. The Little Red Riding Hood storyline that I experienced is almost negligible and can be understood as scattered fragments of consciousness."

"The Cursed Forest corresponds to dwarves and gnomes, so let's make another bold guess. As for the Candy House... Xiao Cheng, do you still remember that big bird?"

Of course I remember.

Xiao Cheng had a very deep impression of the white bird that was swallowed by the giant.

It landed on the roof of the candy house, fluttering its wings, and recited a strange nursery rhyme with a mournful cry.

My thoughts wandered, and the distant voice seemed to echo in my ears again.

"My mother killed me..."

"My father ate me..."

“My sister gathered my remains and buried them under the stones…”

The four dwarfs running ahead suddenly stopped in unison, turning their heads solemnly to look at Xiao Cheng.

"What are you saying?" the third dwarf coldly questioned. "You just recited that song... How did you know?"

"Huh?" Xiao Cheng looked at Fang He in surprise. "Did I read it out?"

But Fang He also showed a slightly bewildered expression.

So only the dwarves heard it.

"Where did you learn this nursery rhyme? Who recited it to you?" Dwarf Number Three pressed on relentlessly, "Do you know..."

"Do you know that this is the song the princess sings when she summons that devil?"

In this way, everything is connected from beginning to end.

Xiao Cheng reorganized her thoughts: "So the princess is related to that white bird?"

The dwarf had never heard the white bird sing before. The first time he saw it, the giant caught it and ate it alive.

After hearing Xiao Cheng's explanation, the four dwarfs were completely bewildered.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” Number One shook his head in astonishment. “But this song represents a curse. The princess used it to summon the devil, and then disaster would follow.”

“She uses the power of curses to bewitch people’s minds, just like Number Seven.” Number Two dwarf showed an expression of great grief and indignation. “You are good people, and I hope you never have to face such things in your lives.”

Xiao Cheng: "..." Although, it is indeed completely unavoidable to face it anymore.

"So, based on the most superficial clues, and analyzing it back to the nursery rhyme itself... is this about the devil? And connecting it to the princess herself, is she the sister in the nursery rhyme who ultimately collected the remains?"

“That does seem to make sense,” Xiao Cheng said thoughtfully.

"So...so what we need to do now is defeat that demon?" the fourth dwarf asked weakly. "But, but such a terrifying being as the demon is bound to be very difficult to defeat. Even the seventh dwarf was bewitched by it, let alone a princess..."

"It might be a bit difficult, but it's not impossible." Fang He slightly curled the corners of his lips, revealing a confident smile.

"You've thought of something again?" Xiao Cheng raised an eyebrow at him.

"There's a phrase called 'crushing bones to dust,' and another called 'digging up the grave and whipping the corpse.' Although they are indeed a bit insidious, if the other party is a devil, it shouldn't matter if we don't care too much about such things."

“But are we sure we can find its remains? And does it even have remains?” The third dwarf analyzed calmly.

"From the very beginning, it was just your conjecture based on the nursery rhyme. If the nursery rhyme has nothing to do with the devil, or even with the princess, then can you bear the consequences?"

“It’s no longer just conjecture, it’s almost certainly true,” Xiao Cheng shook his head and retorted. “Since nursery rhymes exist, they can’t possibly be meaningless.”

The third dwarf frowned; clearly, such words could not persuade him at all.

But before he could deny it again, Xiao Cheng continued, "Of course, just to be on the safe side, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Let's split up. I'll go to the princess's banquet, and Fang He, you take them to find the stone where the devil is buried."

Fang He originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Xiao Cheng's determined expression, he hesitated for a long time before finally saying only, "Be careful."

“Stones…stones are everywhere, where are you going to look for them?” The first dwarf jumped onto Fang He’s shoulder and asked.

"Ah, of course... it's the source."

Fang He replied, and after the four dwarfs had all settled on his shoulders, he turned and walked back towards the wooden house he had come from.

He didn't say goodbye to Xiao Cheng; he waved symbolically only after walking quite a distance away.

Xiao Cheng stood there, silently staring at his back until he completely disappeared from sight.

Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter that had appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood-written words.