Is this how the rules are explained?

Green Snake was dumbfounded. Did This Turtle grow his horns backwards, poking into his brain?

Su Huanian’s brows furrowed slightly: “Filthy!”

Su He was covered in cold sweat.

He had merely opened his mouth out of habit to activate his skill, much like how cultivators always liked to point their fingers, not actually swallowing anything!

It was Soul Sacrifice! It was a Divine Ability! The ghostly entity wasn’t in his stomach!!

A gust of wind blew past, scattering the heavy rain. Shadows flitted outside the courtyard.

“Clang, clang! The third watch… the fifth watch… The weather is dry, be careful with candles.” A confused watchman wandered into the rain. But at this moment, it wasn’t late, and the watch had not yet begun.

“Has he gone mad?” Green Snake questioned. Who would talk about dry weather in such heavy rain?

“The rules are in chaos,” Su Huanian said. The maid wasn’t killed but taken away, along with the rules that belonged to her, vanishing altogether. The Cave Mansion did not generate a new maid but fell into disarray, clueless.

Su He looked at Su Huanian, raising an eyebrow: “See, the rules can be broken, right?”

How could it be the same as for mortal cultivators? Mortals probably wouldn’t even notice this table of rotten flesh, and even if they did by chance, they’d have to hold their noses and eat it.

They could only follow the script step by step, thinking of ways to break through. He was different; he could flip the table.

Su Huanian smiled and shook her head, This Turtle’s temper, just like a child!

A child…

She suddenly fell into deep thought.

Outside, there was a rustling sound as a camel sneaked in, followed by an old dog with a tattered cloth bag in its mouth.

The camel and dog quietly jumped into the courtyard, directly entering the room. Seeing the food on the table, the old dog became frantic, pouncing on it, knocking over the round table. Plates and wine jugs clattered to the ground, scattering the food.

The old dog went crazy, trampling on the scattered food. Afterward, it looked up at the three people, Su He, Su Huanian, and Green Snake, surveying back and forth.

The camel looked at it, puzzled.

This old dog was afraid they would eat the food. Creatures condensed by the Cave Mansion, the steward and the lackeys, were not on the same side as the old dog.

The old dog barked, but without any meaning. Su He realized for the first time that there was animal speech he couldn’t understand.

The camel approached, panting excitedly at the old dog. The old dog shook open the cloth bag, revealing some wilted fruits and two or three bamboo shoots.

“Eat?” Su He questioned. The camel just panted excitedly.

The camel was his own, and since the second Mysterious Moon, it had become extremely sensitive to emotions. It must have sensed something from the old dog.

Su He picked up a bamboo shoot and swallowed it in a few bites. Such a task of testing poison naturally fell to Dragon Turtle.

The bamboo shoot was sweet and refreshing. Su He felt his consciousness being infinitely elevated, and for a moment, he stood with a god’s view, looking down at the entire Cave Mansion.

But it wasn’t the current Changyue Mansion; the view was filled with flying snow and fierce winds. It was the dead of winter.

Changyue Mansion spanned over three hundred miles in diameter, not large, but not small either.

Looking down from above, one could see the whole picture at a glance. There were no stewards or lackeys, only birds, insects, fish, and Hundreds of Beasts thriving.

The Cave Mansion was peaceful, days passing by. One day, a Flying Boat sped overhead.

It looked familiar; it was Su He’s Flying Boat. It was the first time he saw the Flying Boat from this angle, and he almost didn’t recognize it.

This was the scene from two months ago.

Four or five hours after the Flying Boat passed, several people arrived outside the gate tower. A wealthy young master extended an iron chain from his palm, binding another middle-aged man who looked very similar to him.

The methods of Feng Huang Palace.

Behind them was a scholar, covering an elder from Qingyuan Sect that Su He knew well with a cover.

Qiao Changlun, Elder Qiao.

That cover was the Dust-Free Cover.

Elder Qiao and Old Taoist Ge were close friends, and the scholar was his master’s disciple. At this moment, Elder Qiao had lost an arm, was injured all over, and was bound.

This was an act of betrayal against one’s master and ancestors.

The group arrived at the gate tower, and the leading young man from Feng Huang Great World took out a pair of jade pendants, which were also a pair of love tokens. He wanted to enter the gate but could never find the way.

After several attempts to pass through the gate tower, they were still outside, unable to enter Changyue Mansion.

To enter Changyue Mansion with the love tokens, a couple, a man and a woman, must each hold half and enter together.

“This place is special; only couples can enter. The Sect Leader once cut himself off, one half transforming into a woman, before they could each hold half of the jade pendant and enter. I’ve heard that Young Master Duo has countless beauties; why not find one to enter with you?” the scholar suggested.

The young man from Feng Huang Palace, referred to as Young Master Duo, glanced at him and said disdainfully, “I am their lover, but they are not mine. How can they enter?”

He chuckled, took out a small object, which was a stone-carved courtyard. The courtyard had a complete set of stewards and lackeys. He placed it on the ground, pointed his finger, and the courtyard turned into a stream of turbid air, merging into the gate tower.

“This object, obtained by my father during his travels through the heavens, can turn Changyue Mansion into a strange land. The more people enter, the more they can help the strange land invade Changyue Mansion. It doesn’t matter if someone finds the pattern to break through or makes a mistake and gets suppressed within.”

The scholar bowed in admiration: “Truly eye-opening, Young Master is brilliant!”

To his flattery, Young Master Duo didn’t care, only saying, “As long as there’s the Evil Suppression Palace inside, whatever Feng Yiju has, you’ll have too! If you make a great contribution, an immortal body is not impossible to give you!”

The scholar was overjoyed.

Just then, a light shot up from the north, and the middle-aged man bound by Young Master Duo’s iron chain struggled violently. The Dust-Free Cover over Elder Qiao instantly flew away.

Young Master Duo watched everything but couldn’t stop it. He turned to look at the bound middle-aged man, his eyebrows inverted, and kicked him, rolling him on the ground like a gourd.

“Fool! I asked you to watch Feng Yiju, but you were transformed alive, even leaking the Dust-Free Cover. I’ll drag you back and throw you in front of the second lady to see what she says! A good situation, almost ruined by your stupidity!”

The light was the death of the Teng Snake, activating the means Feng Yiju left on the Teng Snake, causing this fool to use the Dust-Free Cover.

He scolded the middle-aged man, then saw the strange land’s aura attached to the gate tower of Changyue Mansion, wriggling like maggots, drilling inward. The lakes in Changyue Mansion surged, the mountains trembled, and a force converged, turning into a black dog that leaped out.

The black dog bit at the strange land’s aura but was slapped away by Young Master Duo. Several Talismans were thrown onto the black dog’s body, and he laughed loudly: “A spirit! I didn’t expect a Cave Mansion to have a spirit. If you don’t come out, the strange land can’t bother you for a while, but now that you have, it’s just right for me.”

He laughed and attacked the black dog, and the dog barked and charged. The man and dog fought at the gate from midnight until dawn.

The scholar stood by, his posture even more proper than a servant’s.

Elder Qiao, without the Dust-Free Cover, was still unconscious, lying on the ground soaked by the snow, and the scholar acted as if he didn’t see.

The black dog grew stronger as the battle went on, with the entire Cave Mansion providing power, as if it would never tire.

Young Master Duo was very patient until a cloud of Tribulation gathered in the northern sky, and the feedback from the shattered Dust-Free Cover came. Young Master Duo’s expression changed instantly, and he turned to leave, the clouds dissipating as if they had never appeared.

Young Master Duo concealed himself, waiting for a long time without seeing anything unusual. He came out again, unwilling to entangle with the black dog, took out a glove from his chest, gritted his teeth and put it on, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

As soon as he came out, he grabbed the black dog and tore off a clump of aura, which he slapped into the strange land’s aura.

The black dog aged instantly, tail between its legs, fleeing. The steward and lackeys appeared, walking into Changyue Mansion, their aura already closely connected with it.

Then, bowing to Young Master Duo, “Master, it’s time to return to the mansion!”

The scholar bowed even lower: “Congratulations to Young Master Duo for acquiring a Cave Mansion.”

Young Master Duo had just taken off the glove, still gasping heavily. He waved his hand, unwilling to speak more.

The scholar bowed deeply: “Young Master, just now… did Dragon Turtle break free?”

Young Master Duo’s expression was unpleasant: “A Divine Beast is crossing the Tribulation, Dragon Turtle has broken free!”

The scholar’s face changed instantly, turning from red to black to pale in a moment, his lips quivering for a while before saying, “Even Feng Huang Palace can’t subdue Dragon Turtle?”

“Subdue?” Young Master Duo turned back: “Do you know what Dragon Turtle is? Its status is not inferior to the crown prince of my dynasty! You actually want to subdue it?”

The scholar’s face turned even worse. The nobility of Dragon Turtle’s status kept refreshing his understanding, far exceeding his imagination. They had a chance to coexist peacefully with Dragon Turtle, but it seemed to have all fallen through in his hands.

Young Master Duo smirked, a flash of light in his eyes: “Subduing Dragon Turtle is impossible, but picking a fight and collecting some blood and flesh to take back… might be feasible.”

Muttering to himself, he was about to enter the mansion when the northern sky suddenly rolled with Tribulation clouds, enveloping the entire world.

In just a quarter of an hour, the relative of his bound by iron chains, with a look of confusion in his eyes, suddenly jumped up and wailed: “Who killed my friend! My friend has an immortal body, who killed him!”

Before his cries fell, a phoenix cry came from the north.

Young Master Duo’s face turned pale with horror, he slapped the middle-aged man unconscious, turned, and left without looking back!

The scholar didn’t understand but followed closely.

Only the steward at the gate tower was left, nodding and bowing, still greeting the master: “Master, it’s time to return to the mansion…”

The scene dispersed, and Su He slowly came back to his senses, looking at the old dog.

He was short-sighted; this was actually a spirit!

A Cave Mansion also has a spirit?

Su He turned to Su Huanian: “Senior Sister, have you ever seen a spirit?”

Su Huanian didn’t answer but picked up her Fairy Sword, lightly flicked it, and a shadow on the sword condensed into a little girl with her hands on her hips, looking at Su He with a bossy demeanor: “Hey! Big Dragon Turtle, are you looking for me?”

⊙)

This Sword Residence actually has a spirit! Su He knew that this Fairy Sword was not refined by Su Huanian, but a genuine treasure of the fairy family. He had carried it for several months, but never knew the sword had a spirit!

But thinking about it, it made sense. Su Huanian could attach her consciousness to the sword, turning it into an avatar. This was not something ordinary weapons or methods could achieve; this was the marvelous use of a spirit!

“Senior Sister, this sword…” Su He raised an eyebrow. Was it from her past life? Why would the spirit of a sword from her past life look like a little girl?

Su Huanian flicked the sword back into its sheath, and the little spirit shrank back into the sword.

“It’s not a sword worn by a fairy, just casually refined, but the spirit is new, only condensed for thirty years. Why do you ask about spirits?”

Su He gestured towards the old dog: “This guy is actually the spirit of Changyue Mansion, can you imagine?”

Su Huanian looked at the old dog, who sat upright with his chest out.

Su Huanian shook her head, unable to tell that this was a spirit at all.

“I can’t tell either. I suspect this guy is deceiving me with a fake illusion. Maybe we should dissect it!”

The old dog, who had been sitting upright, was suddenly dumbfounded, looking at Su He in disbelief, trembling and backing away.

He could understand speech!

But after losing half of its existence, its barking became meaningless—did the ability to speak go to the steward and lackeys?

Su He told Su Huanian about what he had seen.

Su Huanian’s expression remained unchanged, but her tone was colder: “Can Elder Qiao still be saved?”

Elder Qiao from the previous generation of Qingyuan Sect had watched her grow up.

“I don’t know, I’ll try my best.” Judging from the black dog’s battle, Young Master Duo wasn’t so powerful that he couldn’t be defeated. It shouldn’t be difficult to save Elder Qiao. The difficult part was that Su He didn’t know where they were!

If they could revert this strange land to its original form and refine it directly, they might find them through the mark Young Master Duo left in the strange land.

Elder Qiao had protected him for several months; how could he ignore the favor of protection?

“Senior Sister, do you think that Young Master Duo knows we’ve entered Changyue Mansion?”

The strange land was his treasure, and he must know about this place.

Su Huanian shook her head lightly: “He must not know about the affairs inside the house. I’ve set up a Formation, but he might have known before, but he couldn’t possibly understand everything. After all, the mansion has not been completely assimilated.”

If it were truly assimilated, the spirit would not be able to exist. But the degree of assimilation was already very high, and the spirit had no power to resist in front of the steward.

Perhaps driving them out earlier was also because he didn’t want anyone to come in and strengthen the power of the strange land, or maybe he sensed the jade pendant on Su He?

“How to remove the strange land?” Su He asked.

Su Huanian pondered for a moment: “The Glutton’s eating method, Soul Sacrifice, breaking the rules of the strange land, or another Tribulation.”

She looked at Su He. If they could bring about a Tribulation, the Cave Mansion was just a place, just a site for Tribulation Crossing, but the strange land was clearly not. Enveloping it would surely erode it.Su He was drenched in cold sweat, speaking gravely, “Senior Sister, don’t treat the heavenly tribulation as a common means of fighting enemies! It can kill people!”

Playing with fire will eventually lead to self-immolation!

Su Huanian lightly gathered her hair, “I’m just saying what I can think of.”

Su He pondered; the Glutton’s method of consumption must not be used recklessly. That thing actually gets eaten, and who knows what reactions might occur once the bizarre enters the belly.

Moreover, the Glutton’s method does not differentiate between friend and foe. One bite and both the old dog and the bizarre are stripped of their essence. It’s like cutting both allies and enemies with the same blade. Judging from the current situation, the one likely to fall first would be the old dog.

The Soul Sacrifice has been proven effective, but the butler and the servant boy do not belong to the soul category, limiting its application.

While they were talking, the sound of the watchman’s clapper grew louder outside. After the disappearance of the maid, it was bound to be a plot related to the watchman, with the maid gone and the watchman’s routine thrown into chaos.

A ghostly white paper umbrella suddenly appeared outside the courtyard but did not enter, merely reminding from beyond the wall, “Master, you must eat the meal sent by the servant!”

The old dog scurried under the table, eyes filled with terror.

Su He turned and responded, “I’ve already eaten, not a bit wasted!”

The butler paused noticeably, then continued in a voice devoid of any emotion, “Master, you must eat the meal sent by the servant!”

The old dog under the table grew even more terrified, throwing a dried fruit at Su He.

Eat again?

The old dog was the spirit of the Cave Mansion, and having been deprived of the ability to speak, it could only express itself through objects of the Cave Mansion, like fruits and bamboo shoots…

Su He, with slight disdain, picked up the fruit and swallowed it.

A sliver of consciousness entered his mind; it was the Cave Mansion spirit’s contact with the bizarre, stealing the laws of the bizarre.

First, one can only do things that fit their status.

Second, the butler’s reasonable requests cannot be refused or delayed.

Third, the same matter must not be repeated by the bizarre characters more than three times.

The rules were simple, just three of them, each more significant than the last.

In the past two months, only one mortal hunter had strayed into this place. He was very obedient here and survived peacefully until three days ago when he overslept and the butler called him three times without him getting up.

On the fourth call, the hunter was forcibly awakened, in pieces: first the skin, then the flesh, and finally the bones.

Su He glanced at the rules and tossed them aside in his mind. Such things were only for intimidating low-level cultivators and mortals. Today, if he lay here and let them flay and debone him, let’s see if they could do it?

The butler outside did not hear Su He’s reply and was about to speak again when Su He walked out of the room, “I really ate it! Don’t believe me? I’ll vomit it out for you to see?”

Su He opened his mouth, and a Soul Sacrifice shot out. It was the maid from before, who upon appearing, used her strongest pre-life strike towards the butler—she had taken off her clothes!

The maid’s strongest method was not fighting, but what she did in bed.

The hunter from three days ago was defeated by this move, tormented all night and truly unable to get up, called by the butler three times, forcibly awakened.

As soon as the maid appeared, she embraced the butler and tore at his clothes, but the butler seemed not to see her, allowing the tearing. He only looked at Su He, about to speak again, “Master, the servant’s meal…”

“Silence!” Su He roared furiously, interrupting the butler’s spellcasting, his tone angry, “In broad daylight, as the steward of the house, you dare to engage in such indecent acts with the maid! From this moment on, I strip you of your stewardship!”

The butler was momentarily stunned.