Chang'e Does Not Flee to the Moon 4

Just in case, Xu Si had pre-booked reincarnation slots for Houyi, along with two extras as backups.

Her watch indicated it was ten o'clock at night, nearing the deep hours. Xu Si reflected on how all the rules she had encountered shared a common trait: failing to consume the spiritual medicine would lead to madness, which in turn made it impossible to ascend! She felt that deciphering what exactly "madness" and "ascension" meant was the key to this puzzle.

Pain—her head throbbed as if it were splitting apart. Xu Si tossed and turned in bed, letting out heavy sighs from time to time. She pressed her temples, which were aching intensely, and rubbed her chin. Without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep.

She had a dream, a dream of constant shuttling. She dreamt of many men. Although she could not see their faces clearly, she knew deep down that they were not good people.

"You can't even handle housework; I wonder what kind of man would ever dare to marry you!"
"I changed your college preferences for your own good. What girl dreams of flying fighter jets? A girl should just live a stable life like this!"
"With grades like this, you're a real disgrace to your father!"
"You old hag, sell the house quickly and invest the money for me. What does it have to do with me if you have nowhere to live?"
"I'll say this one last time—she's just my cousin. Stop being so aggressive!"
"Who gave you permission to talk to other men? Friends? Would 'just friends' smile at you that happily?"
"You stay home all day doing chores and watching the kids, while I work myself to the bone making money, and yet you’re the one acting aggrieved?"

Those men kept screaming hysterically, their hands wielding sticks or kitchen knives, striking her again and again.

Pain. It hurt so much. The pain was so intense she couldn't speak, couldn't fight back, and could only endure.

["He" is a despicable, deceitful ghost! Run! Run! Run!]

A shrill female voice pierced through her eardrums. The eerie voice had returned! Xu Si woke up with a start, gasping for air. Her body felt a searing, fiery pain, as if the sticks and knives had truly struck her.

"Mistress, are you alright?" Seventeen-Niang asked, holding her hand with concern and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Xu Si shook her head to signal she was fine.

The dungeon was titled "Chang'e Does Not Fly to the Moon," yet every rule she had received so far kept guiding players to fly to the moon and become immortals. What was the connection between this dungeon and these dreams? Could it be that the rules were right, yet also wrong?

The more she thought, the more her head ached. She glanced at her watch: 2:00 AM. It was now the dead of night.

Xu Si led Seventeen-Niang through the darkness toward the living room. Just as she was about to open the door leading outside, Houyi appeared, crawling on the ground in a dark, twisted manner.

"Chang'e... heh... heh... heh... where are you going?" Houyi crawled sluggishly, his head swaying from side to side.

She took out a steamed bun and offered it to him, but for the first time, he did not take it. It seemed that the buns were only effective if she didn't violate the rules; fortunately, she had prepared for this. She recited a mantra in her heart: *A halo guards my body, ten thousand ghosts cannot touch me!*

"The Underworld Platform’s senior reincarnation specialist at your service!" With a flash of light, the newcomer knelt on one knee.

"Quick, quick! I pre-booked a reincarnation slot—hurry and drag Houyi off to be reincarnated!" Seeing her savior, Xu Si couldn't help but let a smile creep across her face.

"Respected customer, we are here to provide service!" The Ox-Head spirit said as he lassoed Houyi and began gesturing with a compass. After a moment, both spirits wore grave expressions.

"Sorry, the dungeon has not yet been cleared, so we cannot drag the boss into the underworld for reincarnation!" With that, they let Houyi go.

They just... let him go! Xu Si was stunned. Did they not care about her life at all? Seeing this, Houyi’s mouth split open to a ninety-degree angle, and he began crawling rapidly toward her on all fours.

Xu Si gritted her teeth and pulled out more buns, offering them to the Ox-Head and Horse-Face spirits. "You two, please, I beg of you!" She pressed her palms together, pleading humbly.

The two remained unmoved, and Houyi crawled ever closer. Desperate, she took a gamble and pulled out a massive pile of buns. "I’m begging you! If it comes to it, I’ll kowtow to you both—please, my lords!"

Seeing the mountain of buns Xu Si produced, the eyes of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face spirits lit up. They decided on the spot that they would definitely stick to this gold mine!

"Cough... this is a one-time exception. We'll give you two hours! Once the time is up, we’re letting Houyi go," Horse-Face said, feigning reluctance while stuffing the buns away.

Seeing this, she opened the door and rushed out with Seventeen-Niang.

Outside, a thick fog obscured everything; she couldn't even see her own fingers. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared ahead. Xu Si saw a house named "Laurel Garden," and suddenly, a woman rushed out and grabbed her hand tightly.

The woman muttered a single sentence: "Every Houyi is untrustworthy! Every Houyi is unworthy of trust!"

Then, the woman disintegrated on the spot, turning into a slip of paper.

[Rules written by the vanished Chang'e:
Dear sisters, under "His" mockery, I have gradually lost myself, lost my thoughts, and become a walking corpse.
I must end everything. You must stay vigilant at all times!
1. There is never a full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Houyi is very good at disguising himself; every Houyi is unworthy of trust.
2. Wu Gang is not Wu Gang. He is full of toxins; he is an abuser and cannot be trusted.
3. If the Jade Rabbit attacks you, it has no malice—it has simply been deceived. Please tell it the truth.
4. You must never fly to the moon. Succeeding in flying to the moon means you will no longer be you; you will be you, yet not you!]

Xu Si: "..."

What was going on? She felt like her brain was about to fry.

The woman and the ghost carefully walked into the depths of the Laurel Garden. Xu Si discovered a large shed covered by a black cloth next to a grove of laurel trees. She quietly lifted a corner and discovered, to her horror, a group of unnaturally fat rabbits being farmed.

Although Xu Si had been prepared, she still couldn't help but tremble at the sight. The rabbits were all pounding medicine; their movements were practiced, their expressions numb, repeating the same motions over and over—cutting herbs, pounding them, and rolling them into spheres.

The raw material, surprisingly, was the deceased Chang'e.

If there were so many Moon Rabbits, it meant there must be countless Wu Gangs as well. But time was running out—how could she possibly catch so many of them?

The sky was falling. At that moment, Xu Si truly felt as if the world were collapsing.

Xu Si quickly ordered Seventeen-Niang to search immediately, sensing that a boss-level entity must be hidden somewhere nearby.