Chapter 276: Zodiac Rules

“Will this child be beaten to death… and what does that have to do with me?”

Bai Yang Gege looked coldly at Hu Shushu, his gaze making people feel a bit afraid.

“Yang Ge, you know what kind of behavior the provincial-level ‘Sheng Xiao’ have here,” Hu Shushu said. “This child won’t earn any ‘Dao,’ so she definitely won’t last more than a few days.”

“How do you know she won’t earn ‘Dao’?” Bai Yang Gege said. “Anyone who can wear a mask can’t possibly be an ordinary person.”

“But…”

Hu Shushu seemed to find it a bit suspicious too. After a pause, he turned back and asked me, “Little Laoshu, how did you end up wearing the mask?”

“I…”

Seeing everyone looking at me, I had no choice but to tell them everything that had happened today, from start to finish.

After hearing about my experiences, their expressions all changed.

She Shushu was crying his eyes out.

At that moment, I realized that although he had an unpleasant smell, he was actually a very kind person.

“Are those people even human…?” She Shushu sobbed. “Tomorrow, I’ll go chop their bodies into mince and make meatballs for you all to eat… sob sob sob…”

I take back what I said earlier—he still seemed pretty strange.

“You eat them yourself,” Hu Shushu snapped at him, then turned to Bai Yang Gege. “Yang Ge, you heard it too. This little girl’s reason for becoming ‘Sheng Xiao’ is different from ours. Can you really bear to watch her die…?”

Bai Yang Gege didn’t say anything, but Hei Yang Shushu spoke up.

“Ren Hu, have you lost your mind?” He slowly stood up. “Do you know why we’re ‘Sheng Xiao’? If you’re so overflowing with sympathy, when will you ever sign the contract?”

“If I were as emotionless as you, that’s what would be insane,” Hu Shushu said angrily. “Even if we can kill people freely, does that contradict helping a child? Does she deserve to die?”

“Whether she deserves it or not, she’s already wearing the ‘mask,’” Hei Yang Shushu said. “If she can’t handle the consequences, she’ll live more miserably than anyone. You can’t let your longing for your daughter burden us. I think Yang Ge is right—if she’s going to die anyway, better to end it now.”

“End it yourself!”

Hu Shushu roared and was about to lunge forward when Bai Yang Gege lightly tapped the table.

In that instant, all four table legs broke, and the food on the table started spilling to the floor. I felt so bad about it that I reached out to catch it, but I couldn’t manage, and I heard a crash of plates and bowls shattering on the ground.

Bai Yang Gege slowly lifted his eyes and looked at the two uncles. “Have you two eaten something filthy? How dare you think of fighting in front of me?”

As soon as he said that, both of their bodies trembled.

“S-sorry…”

“We were wrong, Yang Ge…”

The two uncles immediately bowed their heads, looking very afraid of Bai Yang Gege.

How strange—Bai Yang Gege’s voice sounded as soft as a goat’s, but everyone was terrified of him.

“Th-that… um…” I said quietly, “Please, uncles, don’t fight… It’s all my fault. I’ve eaten my fill now, so I’ll just leave. Please don’t argue because of me…”

“Little Laoshu, don’t say another word.” Hu Shushu reached out and firmly pressed my head. “I brought you here for more than just a meal.”

“Very well…” Bai Yang Gege thought for a moment and said, “Little Laoshu, if you agree to a few conditions, I’ll see if I can take you in.”

“T-take me in?” Although I was meeting these people for the first time, I really wanted to stay.

They were different from anyone I’d ever met.

Maybe it was because they gave me food right away?

If not for that meal, I might have starved to death.

“Little Laoshu, what I’m about to say are the rules that everyone must follow after becoming ‘Sheng Xiao.’ We call them the ‘Sheng Xiao Regulations,’” Bai Yang Gege said. “If you break even one, you’ll be struck down by the ‘Shen Shou.’”

“Ah… I…”

“First, never abandon your ‘Sheng Xiao’ identity, except in death.”

“Second, never remove your mask, except in death.”

“Third, never reveal your real name, except in death.”

“Fourth, ‘Sheng Xiao’ must never ‘Hui Xiang.’”

“Fifth, ‘Sheng Xiao’ must never ‘Cui Tao.’”

I didn’t fully understand, but I nodded anyway.

Does that mean I’m a ‘Sheng Xiao’ now? I put on the mouse mask, so I must be the mouse in ‘Sheng Xiao’?

“Next are the design rules for the ‘You Xi’…” Bai Yang Gege started to say something but paused. “Little Laoshu, you don’t have a ‘You Xi’ right now, do you?”

“You… ‘You Xi’? I…” My mind was all foggy, and I didn’t know how to answer.

“I’ll give you tonight to think about it,” Bai Yang Gege said. “Go design a ‘You Xi’ for me.”

“Design a ‘You Xi’…?” I said, starting to get it a little. “Well… I’ve only played things like dodgeball and hopscotch, so I…”

Before I could finish, Hu Shushu covered my mouth.

“Little Laoshu, don’t talk nonsense—I’ll explain it to you in detail later.”

“Dodgeball and hopscotch…?” Bai Yang Gege smiled slightly. “If that’s what you come up with by tomorrow morning, I’ll personally throw you out of here.”

“Ah?”

Seeing how respectfully everyone treated Bai Yang Gege, I didn’t dare say more.

Bai Yang Gege slowly stood up, glanced at the uncles, and said, “I’m going to read. See you at breakfast tomorrow.”

He pushed the door open and left. The three people in the room finally relaxed and slowly sat back in their chairs.

Since no one was speaking, I bent down to pick up the broken plates on the floor.

These plates looked so well-made—it was such a shame they were shattered.

“Little girl… don’t bother cleaning up,” Hu Shushu said to me. “You should hurry and think about the ‘You Xi.’”

“But if these plates are left broken, what if one of you uncles steps on them…”

“That’s not your concern!” Hu Shushu pulled me over. “Little Laoshu, you have to understand—if you want to survive here, Yang Ge’s help is crucial! He’s different from the other provincial-level ones, you…”

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Hei Yang Shushu shook his head. “How ruthless is Yang Ge? He’s just looking for an excuse to kick this child out fair and square.”

Not knowing what to do, I glanced at She Shushu.

She Shushu winked at me, then stood up and walked over to Hei Yang Shushu.

“What are you doing?” Hei Yang Shushu asked.

“Old Yang, oh Old Yang…” He reached out and massaged Hei Yang Shushu’s shoulders. “I don’t care what Yang Ge’s real intentions are. All I know is that he asked this child to design a ‘You Xi’… You’re the smartest one here, so why not help her out?”

“Help her? Why should I?”

“If you don’t help…” She Shushu smirked, “then tonight, I won’t let go of you.”