Chapter 1826: Chapter 1853: Order vs. Logic
Shangguan Dong’s face looked displeased; he only wanted to live a peaceful life in the village, and the villagers thought the same.
But since trouble had come knocking, for the sake of future peace, he needed to eradicate them totally, eliminating this group of visitors along with Li Xiaobai.
Thinking this, he touched a Death Exemption Token in his pocket. With the Law of Order’s approval, he had a chance to use it rationally and eliminate everyone.
“So you’re here, seems this old man is your last support.”
“Unfortunately, no matter which deity he is, all he faces is defeat.”
“This village is starting to evolve into a certain village from the story. Once I take down the village chief, Jade Lotus Village will completely belong to me.”
The Flute Player, leading a large group of magical beings, blocked in front of the temple, confident of victory.
“Enter and assimilate them!”
The Flute Player directed a being to rush toward the temple’s inside. At the moment of crossing the threshold, a pitch-black hand extended, grabbing that being and it vanished.
Currently, the rule in the village is to step with the right foot first when crossing any entrance.
“Kid, if it continues like this, your group may lessen even more; another two steps, and you might find yourself alone, a commander without soldiers.”
Li Xiaobai mocked mercilessly.
“Cheap provocation, I’ve slowly discerned; the mysterious power in this village doesn’t just target fighting beings. Even minor mistakes in detail invite disaster, like stepping into the temple with the right foot is fine, but stepping with the left foot first means being grabbed, correct?”
The Flute Player sneered coldly, waved his hand, and the rest of the beings surged into the temple. As expected, the black hand did not appear again.
Through constant probing, this Flute Player had grasped some of the village’s basic rules, making him less likely to fall into traps.
Fear not the dumb villains, but the smart ones; this Flute Player, or the elusive Jiang Que behind him, is hard to deal with.
Li Xiaobai felt it was troublesome; sacrificing just one story character to understand the threshold’s rule was all he needed, but how much more had he grasped on the way here?
“Who are you?”
“The village is innocent; the person you’re looking for is here, don’t cause damage in the village.”
Shangguan Dong spoke loudly, directly selling out his allies.
But the Flute Player didn’t buy it: “Old man, your words sound nice, but are actually a trap; you’re aiming to lower my guard and then seize an opportunity to strike, right?”
“My children will help me understand all the taboos here, then take down you and Li Xiaobai without even lifting a finger.”
More and more magical beings surged into the temple; the Flute Player kept summoning companions. Although in Jade Lotus Village, the power of [Peach Blossom Spring Record] couldn’t be used, outside the village, countless stories were moving freely, and calling them didn’t violate Jade Lotus Village’s rules.
“Village chief, quickly use your invincible Law of Order to finish him off!”
Li Xiaobai tugged at Shangguan Dong’s sleeve, whispering.
“I’ve already been using it. Many of these strange beings have been erased, but more keep pouring in, and the village is already concealed. They seem to have found another entry.”
“Boy, they’re here for you; the village is suffering unjust disaster due to you. Leave and die as an apology, sacrificing one for the happiness of all villagers; I’ll build a tombstone for you.”
Shangguan Dong said blandly.
In the end, he was only a mortal village chief; though he killed Monk Changsheng and gained the authority to use the Law of Order, he didn’t want to be dragged into such troubles at all.
“We have risked life together; I thought I could trust you with my back. Didn’t expect you’d send me to death, are you even human?”
Li Xiaobai opened his eyes wide, looking incredulous: “This man is Jiang Que, an enforcer from the organization, the superior of Monk Changsheng, who you killed. Alas, seems I’ll have to bear all brunt.”
Li Xiaobai sighed and started to get up, but Shangguan Dong pressed him down into his seat.
“Kid, you’re still as sinister as ever; hearing this news, how can I survive?”
Shangguan Dong was so angry that his beard rose; he purposely revealed the organization’s information to force him onto the pirate ship, truly wicked.
“Take him out; both of us can survive, unnoticed by anyone.”
Li Xiaobai incited.
“I didn’t kill Monk Changsheng; it was Wang Dachui who did.”
Shangguan Dong replied dryly.
Li Xiaobai scoffed: “Just say whether he died in the village and if the Law of Order is now in your hands after his death.”
Shangguan Dong blew his beard and glared, eventually conceding: “Agreed, after leaving this time, don’t come back.”
“Rest assured, once I leave this time, I’ll depart from Yue Xing.”
“Got any ideas?”
“Lure him into a mistake, let the Order deal with him.”
“Not easy.”
Li Xiaobai was suspicious: “You’re the village chief; surely you have chances to resist; don’t try to trick me.”
Shangguan Dong pointed at the Flute Player: “That Flute Player has already transformed himself into a character from another story. Look, four guards stand beside him; once you make a move on him, you align with the storyline, and will become an assassin within the narrative.”
“He’s placed a mountain gate from a certain story at the village entrance; even if the village is hidden, those beings can enter through that gate.”
Shangguan Dong admired the Flute Player somewhat; just having power isn’t enough; this person could flexibly use the Law of Power, not just relying on the power of laws to confront directly.
“What to do then?”
“Endure, wait patiently; they’ll eventually make a mistake.”
The story’s magical beings cautiously approached the two; as they bypassed the coffee table to surround Shangguan Dong, ripples in the void appeared. Over ten pitch-black hands reached out, taking away all beings near the coffee table.
Among the many rules, the tea-drinking rules are numerous; it’s not only when sitting down to drink tea that the rules begin; they start the moment one sees the coffee table.
The position the guest should stand in relation to the host, when both host and guest positions are occupied, where should one stand, the distance to the table, the standing posture, all hold significance.
These predetermined storyline beings never understand this level; as soon as they approach, they get grabbed into the mountains.
The Flute Player noticed it too and frowned slightly, looked at Shangguan Dong: “What law are you using as a village chief?”
Shangguan Dong: “Guess.”
“Heh… I…”
The Flute Player was about to get angry but suddenly thought of something, immediately changed tone: “I guess your law can see the whole village, controlling everything that’s happening now.”
“Smart, you can see the entire village through these beings’ eyes; old man has similar capabilities.”
Shangguan Dong nodded, regretted inwardly.
If the Flute Player had just gotten angry without addressing his question, he’d immediately be grabbed by the Law of Order; not answering the host’s question is very against the rules.
This Flute Player is not only cunning and quick-witted but also has sharp intuition.