The Rules of Burial: Running into Walls ×3
Outside world.
As soon as Ji Yang turned on his live streaming equipment, countless comments flooded in.
[Where have you been, boss? The new Dungeon in level 248 is giving me a real scare, I desperately need your commentary to calm me down.]
[Seven rules after seven, is it even possible for a human to remember them all?]
[Xu Xi's Dungeon this time is so complicated, it feels like the difficulty has increased again.]
[Isn't the main point that that unlucky little bastard Hang Ze was there too?! Does anyone understand the shock I felt when I received two live stream notifications only to find out they were in the same Dungeon?]
[By the way, what are you doing in the car, Streamer?]
While adjusting the angle of his phone, Ji Yang said apologetically, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. I'm currently out and can only do a live stream via my phone. Please understand."
He glanced at the rapidly scrolling comments.
"This Dungeon is indeed very convoluted; you need to switch between different players' perspectives to view it."
Ji Yang spoke, he quickly swiped his finger across another screen, simultaneously opening several small windows.
"The opening sequence is packed with information: a classic rule-based structure, Seven-Day Funeral, multiple layers of taboos—the core of it is definitely related to Master Shen's death."
"These rules are very interesting. A careful analysis will reveal contradictions within them, which I will explain in detail later."
He paused, then his tone suddenly became subtle as he mentioned a certain name. "As for Hang Ze... cough, I didn't expect him to be matched with 248."
Ji Yang, of course, also paid attention to Hang Ze.
He never imagined that someone could be so unlucky.
He even suspected that even if the other party went to a temple to pray, they might be praying to evil gods and ghosts.
He shook his head, suppressing these thoughts, and casually reassured them:
"However, they are all players with similar rankings. According to the God Hunt's matchmaking system, it's normal for them to encounter each other."
[That's true. As you progress, the players' Floor Count become roughly the same, and they generally know each other.]
[Yes, it's not uncommon for entire Dungeons to be filled with people you know; it's practically the same as playing in a party.]
[Not only that, they even deliberately timed their matches to be matched together.]
[Wow, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out. I knew it! How come some players always end up in the same queue?]
[Because there are fewer people further ahead, this maneuver can be exploited. Try it with players behind you; there are hundreds or even thousands of players with similar Floor Count.]
Ji Yang smiled and switched the main screen to Xu Xi's Livestream Room.
The young man on the screen is confronting a maid wearing a white flower in her hair.
He cleared his throat and began to express his opinion.
"Although Hang Ze was a bit unlucky, he has the strength. Putting aside the other rules, there are three rules concerning the Seventh Concubine, and they are even contradictory."
"Funeral Rule Two states that red, purple, and gold should be avoided, yet the Mourning Clothes that Seventh Concubine prepared for the players are all purple. Rule Five states that Seventh Concubine suffers from hysteria and her words are unreliable, but she can still manage the inner courtyard and even deliver soup to the players on night watch."
"Unbelievable doesn't mean false; it could be selective truth. I'm certain she's a key NPC in the Dungeon and possesses some important clue."
As he spoke, Ji Yang pointed to the screen.
"248 obviously thinks so too, but the fact that the backyard is blocked by this maid wearing a white flower means that there are thresholds for the Seventh Concubine route, which may be related to status, time, or trust level. Players like Shi Weiwei and Tang Shutong, who have the status of young ladies and can live in the backyard, may have an advantage."
[I noticed that Xu Xi wasn't listening at all while Xu Xi Yu Hao and the others were discussing it.]
[Yes, and even after everyone else left, he stayed in the same spot for a while, as if he was thinking about something.]
[Master Xu Xi doesn't usually offer reminders, but he specifically mentioned the time. Did he realize something?]
[Don't be like that, this Dungeon shouldn't be too difficult even for a level 248 player, right?]
Ji Yang happened to glance at this comment and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Tricky?" He leaned back in his car seat, but his tone wasn't serious. "I think that for Xu Xi, 'tricky' often means interesting."
On the screen, the young man did not show any displeasure at not being able to enter the backyard.
The other party didn't even show any extra expression, clearly having anticipated something.
[... Streamer, you've changed. You weren't like this before.]
[Where did you go, that Streamer who used to hold his breath for players whenever a high-difficulty Dungeon appeared? Who are you now? Get off him!]
[Sanshui has been brought to a state of calm by Xu Xi, and so have I, of course.]
Ji Yang looked at the comments and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Hey, you can't say that. It's not that I've changed. Of course I'm still worried, it's just that he's 248, you know?"
That was a strange remark, but the comments section immediately got it.
Why such blind trust? Because the other party has performed miracles.
"Besides," Ji Yang crossed his legs, "You can tell from 248's reaction that he anticipated this limitation, or rather, his original purpose wasn't to see Seventh Concubine immediately, but to test her."
"His actions may seem to be thwarted, but this actually reveals a valuable piece of information: contacting the Seventh Concubine requires specific conditions or timing, but it is not an absolute dead end or a trap."
[Okay, as expected, the thinking of these experts is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like us.]
[Since the Streamer has said so, let's just keep waiting for Xu Xi to clear the game! (Confidence restored. jpg)]
Wait, have you guys forgotten about that unlucky little bastard Hang Ze again?
[... Grass (Confidence vanished. jpg)]
Ji Yang remained silent.
He had completely forgotten about this guy's bizarre constitution.
He raised his hand to his forehead, thought for a moment, and comforted them, "Look on the bright side, with a completion speed of 248, maybe they'll have cleared the Dungeon before it even had a chance to mutate?"
Thank you, my confidence has returned.
[You know what, it's actually quite possible. Don't be fooled by the slow progress in the first few multiplayer Dungeons; it's because Xu Xi was just coasting through the whole time.]
[That's right! Look how quickly the pros cleared the dungeon in the Mixed-Team Competition, I think they must have been able to detect the anomaly the moment the Dungeon mutated.]
[Perhaps he has already seen through Hang Ze's physique.]
[That's right, don't underestimate 248, he's just a nobody, he's only suffered a little bit of hardship.]
Ji Yang was initially a little hesitant, but he gradually became infected by the optimism of the comments.
That's true; after all, the other side has created miracles more than once or twice.
They were completely unaware that the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons and Rule Collapse that Hang Ze had caused were merely "a few trials and tribulations."
While they were having a heated discussion, the young man on the screen made a new move.
So, where is Xu Xi headed this time?
Ji Yang glanced down at the paper on his lap. It was a rough sketch of the mansion's structure, drawn from the perspectives of the seven players.
That's why he was a little late.
After comparing the directions, Ji Yang confirmed, "It's Ancestral Hall."
He then involuntarily leaned forward and quickly switched to Xing Ge's perspective for a glance.
Just two seconds later, he spoke up, "Look, the position of this Paper Figure has changed." His tone was exceptionally certain.
Inside the Dungeon.
The thought of going back to the Ancestral Hall for a quick look flashed through my mind, but it quickly grew stronger.
Xu Xi turned and left without hesitation.
After the young man left, the maid did not immediately retreat to the backyard.
She remained standing with her head bowed beneath the moon gate, the white flower tucked behind her ear appearing as if stained with blood in the dim light, gradually turning red.
On the other side.
The bluestone path Hanging Flower Gate gleamed with a damp, cold light in the dim night, and the passageway leading to the Ancestral Hall remained unchanged.
Xu Xi followed the route in her memory and stepped into the passageway, but soon, a strange sense of unease arose.
He remembered that there were two flickering lamps at the end of the passageway, but when he followed his memory to the place where he should have been able to see the lamps, all he saw was a bare wall.
He stepped back a few paces and changed his perspective.
... It's still a wall.
He refused to believe it and tried several seemingly bypassable corridors, attempting to judge the distance based on orientation and sense of distance. However, each time he thought he was getting close, the scenery in front of him always gave him a subtle sense of dislocation.
Xu Xi stopped in her tracks.
He finally realized what was happening.
It wasn't that he was lost; it was that the house itself was preventing him from going to the Ancestral Hall.
"..." Met a wall x3.