The Rules of Square Inch

"Bitch!" Fang Xun's eyes turned bloodshot, uncontrollable killing intent rising within them.

"Why haven't you seized her yet?!"

"This..." Wu Kuang looked troubled, hesitating to speak.

He glanced at Fang Xun, who stood on the brink of fury, swallowed hard, and reported tremblingly, "Hall Master, ever since Yu Niang entered the city, she's been telling everyone she's carrying your child. By now, this matter has likely spread throughout the entire city."

Fang Xun felt his mind buzz, and his vision went black. In a fit of rage, he raised his hand and viciously slapped Wu Kuang across the face.

The blow was so powerful that the unprepared Wu Kuang staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

"You useless bastard! Why didn't you stop her?!"

Wu Kuang clutched his face, filled with grievance. "This... who would dare use force? She has such a big belly. If my men were even a little rough and injured your bloodline..."

Bang!

Fang Xun flew into a rage and sent a savage kick at him, knocking Wu Kuang straight to the ground and crudely cutting off the rest of his words.

"What fucking bloodline of mine?! When I saw that bitch last month, her belly was still flat. It's only been a few days—how could she possibly be showing already?!"

At that point, Fang Xun suddenly stopped speaking.

As though he had realized something, he abruptly calmed down.

After a long while, Fang Xun finally ground out a few words through clenched teeth. "Yin-Yang Secret Art—hide the essence within the body and wait for the right moment."

"I really underestimated that woman."

Fang Xun took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

He suddenly realized that perhaps because he had recently rendered great service in suppressing the rebellion and was about to be promoted and transferred back to the Sacred Capital, he had truly become somewhat carried away.

The steady state of mind he had forged while struggling through the lower ranks of officialdom had unknowingly vanished without a trace. His emotions had become easily stirred and volatile. He had even been so blinded by lust that he dared set his sights on the lofty Changle Marquis!

And Yu Niang's appearance at this moment was like a basin of icy water dumped over his head, waking him from his stupor and dragging him back to reality.

At this moment, he could no longer spare any thought for currying favor with the Changle Marquis and seeking a greater future.

"Before the transfer order comes down next spring, there absolutely cannot be the slightest blemish on my reputation. Nothing can go wrong with this promotion. Otherwise..."

"Twenty-seven years of bitter waiting, and the hope I finally gained will shatter in a single day."

"Not only will there be no hope of promotion. My master will never spare me either!"

After a long time, Fang Xun opened his eyes again. His aura had completely returned to its usual gloomy calmness.

Nearly gritting his teeth, he gave the order word by word. "Go invite Yu Niang into the residence at once... and treat her... well."

Enduring the pain wracking his body, Wu Kuang lowered his head, accepted the order, and left.

Yu Niang's appearance while heavily pregnant truly caused no small stir in Cold Mountain County.

Li Shun naturally noticed it as well.

That woman is still alive? She disappeared for more than half a month. I thought Fang Xun had already silenced her for good.

Now she's showing herself so openly and deliberately stirring up a citywide uproar—but why?

Surely she doesn't naively think Fang Xun wouldn't dare touch her just because she has that piece of flesh in her belly?

After turning the matter over in his mind for a long while, Li Shun still could not figure out what that woman was thinking.

Since he could not make sense of it, he simply stopped thinking about it.

He gathered all his attention once more and focused it upon the new area within the [Square Inch] space that was about to be fully opened.

After days of his frenzied, tireless labor, the brand-new area had gradually shed its illusionary nature and completely taken shape.

Li Shun also noticed that the white mist at the edge of the space, which had once rolled like a raging sea, was fluctuating less and less. When he used his spiritual sense to "push" it, it had also become increasingly strenuous and difficult.

The expansion is nearing its current limit. A flash of understanding rose in Li Shun's heart.

I wonder what exactly causes the changes in this white mist.

When the final area was opened, the boundless white mist around it completely solidified as though it were tangible. It once again became the insurmountable barrier it had been before, forcibly driving back Li Shun's probing consciousness.

Li Shun's consciousness floated in midair, silently watching the newly born fourth area within the [Square Inch] space.

It hung alone beyond the three central core areas.

Although all four areas were connected to one another, the newest one was clearly on a lower level.

Fortunately, in terms of size alone, it was not much different from the first three.

As Li Shun's spiritual sense slowly flowed through the area, a vast amount of ancient, obscure information surfaced within his heart.

Now that Square Inch has been opened, from this day onward, this new land may contain people and store objects just like the previous three spaces.

The rules for taking living people into Square Inch and refining them into puppets are divided into two kinds: "active" and "passive."

The so-called active method requires another person to willingly and without the slightest resistance be taken into this Square Inch space and become a puppet. Moreover, the process of taking them in is not instantaneous. It is as long and despairing as watching oneself slowly sink from the surface of the water into a bottomless sea. During this process, the one being taken in must not resist in the slightest. Otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted.

Li Shun furrowed his brows deeply. Tsk, those conditions are harsh. They're practically impossible to fulfill in reality.

The passive method, on the other hand, is much easier.

As long as I personally kill someone in the real world, at the instant their body dies and soul scatters, I can forcibly draw their remains and lingering thoughts into Square Inch and refine them into a puppet.

After sorting through this information, Li Shun's gaze slowly swept across the three puppets that had originally stood within the space, and understanding immediately dawned on him.

In truth, from the very beginning, Li Shun had been puzzled by the origins of the three puppets already present in this space.

Setting aside the two damaged, mysterious ancient stone statues, why was there a puppet [Li Shun] here in the Square Inch realm, one that looked exactly like his physical body in this world?

Li Shun had long harbored a vague suspicion, but he had no way to confirm it.

Only today, after personally opening this new area and learning the rules for taking in puppets, was his guess verified.

I transmigrated here and took the original owner's place. Isn't that equivalent to killing him? That is why [Li Shun] appeared in the Square Inch space as a puppet. In other words, [Li Shun] is the first—and so far, the only—person I have killed.

Li Shun stared at the puppet figure before him, temporarily frozen because it had gone out to dig tunnels. In truth, there was not much fluctuation in his heart.

As for the other two stone statues of mysterious origin...

Perhaps they entered Square Inch voluntarily.

Li Shun's gaze flickered. Then it seems I definitely possessed this [Square Inch] space before taking over Li Shun's body! But what exactly happened after I transmigrated, allowing me to possess such a treasure and encounter those two stone statues...

No matter how he pondered it, he could not dredge up the slightest scrap of memory. Li Shun could only set the matter aside for the time being.

Furthermore, since the first two stages of Threefold Self-Reflection are both illusionary, even if I kill someone during that process, I cannot successfully take in a puppet. Only in the third stage can the conditions for taking one in truly be met.

Li Shun had long been mentally prepared for this.

Based on his previous experiences with retracing the past, no physical object from the first two stages could be stored within Square Inch.

Only intangible "information" could remain.

Though the new space has been opened, I have yet to find a suitable target for the new puppet.

First, I must be exceedingly cautious in choosing this new puppet. After all, I only have this one vacant slot at present. Ideally, it should be of tremendous help in changing my current circumstances.

Second, persuading someone to willingly become my puppet is nearly impossible. As for the second, passive method...

In reality, I lack even the strength to truss up a chicken. Those I can kill are useless to me. Those useful to me, I cannot kill.

I fear I can only do as I did when plotting against Cold Mountain Venerable...

Fish in troubled waters and snatch chestnuts from the fire.

Li Shun's thoughts surged on, refusing to settle for a long time.