After reading these ridiculous rules, Yan Qing only had one thing in mind:
"Holy crap!"
What kind of rules are these? They're clearly just messing with her!
She had checked the rules with the dice beforehand, and they were indeed free of any corruption. But that didn't really prove anything, because these ridiculous rules were actually self-contradictory. If every single one of them was true, then she couldn't trust any of them.
Moreover, the fact that the parchment would turn black is itself an abnormal occurrence.
Yan Qing thought for a moment, and finally just flicked her fingers to release a tiny flame.
The next moment, the flames grew larger and rushed directly towards the black parchment.
"Ouch—Master, why did you burn all the rules?" Lingxi was startled and rushed forward to put out the fire. But Yan Qing's flames were no ordinary fire; she screamed in pain as soon as she touched them.
Yan Qing quickly pulled her away and helped her extinguish the flames on her hands. "You know, I didn't burn myself in a fit of anger, look—"
She pointed to the parchment on the ground, which was burned to pieces. Under the enhancement of the supernatural flames, most of the parchment had turned to ash.
Amidst the ashes, a few scattered golden characters stood out conspicuously:
"Believe in the clouds and mountains"
When the golden lettering appeared, Lingxi's eyes lit up.
Wow! Master, you're amazing!
Yan Qing patted her head. "Now you know, right? Although the rule seems fine at first glance, its content is completely self-contradictory. So, the only possible answer is that we haven't actually found the real rule."
Her gaze fell on the five scattered golden characters, and she murmured to herself,
"Do we believe in Wuyun Mountain? Or does Wuyun Mountain believe?" But no matter how they are arranged, the meaning is essentially the same. It seems the answer is quite obvious.
Combined with the burned rules, Yan Qing was certain of at least one thing: in this "Falling Flower Cave Girl" instance, the only person she could trust was herself.
Also, where exactly is Wuyun Mountain?
Her rule for passing the level is very simple: kill the Fallen Flower Cave Woman, and she will be redeemed.
However, it's unclear whether this sentence means the literal meaning, and the current "Falling Flower Cave Girl" is Zhang Nana's older sister, Zhang Xinxin.
According to this, all she needed to do was get rid of Zhang Xinxin. But for some reason, she had a feeling that things wouldn't be that simple.
Since the end-of-the-world rules were introduced, she has indeed discovered many different things along the way.
The so-called "rules," while ostensibly protecting these adventurers, make you realize, after each successful run according to the rules, that you've entered a pre-written script, where the adventurer's role is simply to play their part step by step.
One dungeon after another, endless challenges, it felt like a demonic game world. And she was just a pawn in it all.
Yan Qing had a gut feeling that this so-called "rule" couldn't possibly be without any loopholes. She didn't want to be just a puppet; she wanted true, uncontrolled freedom.
Breaking the rules was the most risky thing she ever did.
Back in the Azure Dragon Coffin dungeon, inside that enormous stone coffin, a message she had left for herself flashed by, though it inexplicably disappeared. However, those words were deeply imprinted in her mind.
It was a sense of despair akin to a feeling of fatalism, and a relentless, unyielding struggle.
Chu Jiang's sudden disappearance proves at least one thing: he had been protecting her all along.
Although Yan Qing didn't actually know him, she had a feeling that this wasn't her first time going to the Azure Dragon Coffin dungeon.
The Falling Flower Cave instance before us is a sequel to the Azure Dragon Coffin instance. It's safe to say that she would never have come here if she hadn't found the real Azure Dragon Coffin.
Yan Qing vaguely recalled what Chu Jiang had said back then.
"If it weren't for a last resort, I would never let you go back to the Zhang family's old house—"
She didn't understand the meaning of those words at the time, but today, she vaguely sensed something. Chu Jiang, like her, seemed to be constantly struggling against an unseen force.
In addition, she vaguely sensed that Chu Jiang had been silently protecting her all along, even though he was no longer with her.
Therefore, there must be a much stronger reason for her to be here. And this should be the secret she truly seeks to uncover, rather than some simple rule for passing the level.
Although Yan Qing's mind never stopped, her hands and feet moved with lightning speed. She walked to Zhang Nana's wardrobe and opened it directly.
All she could see were red clothes; there wasn't a single garment of any other color. What made her even more suspicious was that all the red clothes were exactly the same.
"Oh my god! Has Zhang Nana gone crazy wanting to be a bride?" Lingxi pouted, holding up one of the red dresses with a dissatisfied look, and said.
“Master, you may not know this, but these red dresses, although they look a bit like wedding gowns, are not the kind of clothes that brides usually wear.”
"Oh?" Yan Qing also became interested. These red clothes felt very out of place to her, and she felt that something was wrong.
"This is a wedding dress worn by the dead for their ghost marriages. What living person would wear this every day?" Lingxi threw the clothes away in disgust, wiping her fingers as she did so.
"Master, look, although these clothes are simple in style, there are black circles embroidered on the inner hem of each garment. As far as I know, these are the funeral clothes worn by the Fallen Flower Cave Maiden, one of the three great evil arts of western Hunan!"
Of the three great evil arts of western Hunan, the most famous is the Xiangxi Corpse King, who is said to be an ancient general named Jiang Chen. On the day his coffin was unearthed, all the coffins in western Hunan shook and bowed to this mysterious master of western Hunan.
As for the second major form of witchcraft, it is also very famous, and has been mentioned in many films, television dramas, and novels. However, in the local area of Xiangxi, witchcraft is something that everyone avoids like the plague, after all, this thing can kill people invisibly.
Finally, and most mysteriously, are the Fallen Flower Cave Maidens. Yan Qing had only heard a little about them. It was said that the Fallen Flower Cave Maidens had to be the most beautiful girls in the surrounding area. Once they caught the eye of the cave god, they would become dazed and foolish, sitting alone by the water all day, singing endlessly, but no one could understand what they were singing.
Moreover, this woman is certain to die soon. Therefore, her family will hold a wedding for her in advance, signifying that they are marrying their daughter to the cave god. Then, one day not long after, the girl will walk into the water on her own and disappear completely.
After some time, the body will suddenly appear on the water's surface. The girl looks lifelike, even more beautiful than when she was alive.
The girls came like fallen petals on the flowing water, and then disappeared with it; no one ever knew where they went again.
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