Song Cheng remembered that in the "Endless Hell" player forum, the forbidden arrival was divided into three steps: programming, loading, and executing.
Among them, "executing" was the most uncertain, meaning the circumstances under which the taboo would kill were unpredictable.
And the most certain... was "programming."
Although he didn't know the specific "programming details," the forum listed two necessary conditions for "programming."
The first was strong mental changes such as resentment and pain.
Wherever a taboo originated, there must have been a substantial or sharply unfair curse or resentment.
The second was places with few people.
The worldview of "Endless Hell" was always mysterious and vast. The game company's plan was to gradually unveil the world of "Endless Hell" through updates.
As a result, after the first update, "Endless Hell" was banned, and the game company disappeared. The official explanation was that the people in the game company had made a fortune and fled the country.
But before this, many people on the forum had wildly speculated about what kind of world "Endless Hell" actually was.
And the most accepted theory was: "Endless Hell" was literally hell, a world filled with the Yin Qi of the deceased. If there were too many living people in one place, their vitality could hold back the tide of Yin Qi, creating a bubble of life. This was called... Filling the Yin.
And if there were no people, it would be a world dominated by Yin Qi entirely.
The world of Yin Qi was the programming system, and the intense mental changes were the program codes...
Once the program codes were completed, when quantitative change led to qualitative change, then... a small program would be born.
That's when the "programming" was completed.
In "Endless Hell," all information about the taboo was described in "blood red."
Even looking at those characters through a screen, one could see the fonts clawing out, blood flowing.
Before crossing over, Song Cheng naturally assumed "these characters were edited by someone to create an atmosphere." But just now, he had seen that familiar blood red in the blind man's dark world.
He quickly glanced at the bottom of the panel where it read "Taboo: Unlocked."
His breathing quickened, he opened his mouth to speak, but found his throat dry, so he coughed twice to clear his throat, and then said, "My dear, can we move?"
Tong Jia said, "Business is not good here, and these villagers always bargain too much.
But, moving is not easy.
My father had looked into it before."
Now the Dashang Dynasty implements the Baojia system, from villages to county towns, it's all enforced.
Every ten households form a Jia, and they appoint a Jia leader;
Every ten Jia form a Bao, and they appoint a Bao leader.
If something happens in the Baojia, all the residents suffer.
Not to mention joining a better Jia, even joining an ordinary one is difficult, and it involves our household registration and the Village Chief's approval to release people.
Previously, my father thought about giving some silver to the Village Chief, but now... where do we have the silver?"
Song Cheng thought for a moment and said, "If there's a natural disaster or calamity, the county town should automatically accept the villagers, right?"
Tong Jia said, "That would be resettling refugees... how to resettle them and where exactly, all depends on what the officials say. Besides, where would a natural disaster or calamity come from?"
Suddenly, Song Cheng grabbed her shoulders with both hands.
"What's the matter?" Tong Jia was startled.
Song Cheng said earnestly, "My dear, do you believe I can see filthy things?"
The air suddenly went silent.
Just as Tong Jia was about to speak, a voice came from outside: "Doctor Tong, a consultation..."
Song Cheng turned his head.
The cold village wind outlined a woman in simple white lines.
Strength: 0~0
Affection: 80
And this voice...
Song Cheng knew from the memory of his former body that it was a woman from the village named Yune, only twenty-three or twenty-four years old, originally from Prefectural City. Her marriage had caused quite a stir at the time, with every household rushing to see what the bride from Prefectural City looked like, and indeed... she had tender skin and a beautiful figure.
The reason the lady from Prefectural City agreed to leave her family and marry into the village was because of her husband.
Her husband practiced martial arts, had a robust physique, and a handsome face. Anyone in the village who saw him would praise him as "truly a representative of Tang River Village." Earlier this year, when the army was recruiting strong men, her husband had also joined. Later, a family letter returned, stating he was doing well in the army and had become a personal guard to a general. Yune was happy and became even more filial to her mother-in-law.
But not long ago, news of the army's defeat and her husband's death in battle reached her.
Clearly, she was another unfortunate soul.
"Miss Yun, please take a seat,"
Tong Jia quite liked Yune.
Yune, with a face full of worry, walked in and then said, "Doctor Tong, my mother-in-law is ill; she's very sick. A few days ago, she was alright and could even eat. But today, she suddenly can't get out of bed at all; she's only muttering Yong's name."
Yong was her husband.
And when she mentioned "Yong," tears streamed down her face, falling onto her delicate and tender skin, highlighting her fragile beauty like a pear flower bathed in rain.
Tong Jia hurried to her feet and said, "Okay, I'll pack my things and follow you right away."
She found a small bag, placed some commonly used medical items inside, and then instructed, "Brother Cheng, keep an eye on the house."
Song Cheng nodded.
Tong Jia and Yune hurried away.
It wasn't until near evening that she returned, weighed five bags of medicine, filled a gourd with medicinal wine, and helped deliver them.
By the time she returned again, it was almost dark.
Song Cheng closed the main door.
In the village, the clinic closed as soon as it got dark.
The dim blood-red twilight fell through the oiled paper window, casting a hazy light in the room filled with the scent of medicine.
Tong Jia dangled a piece of silver in the setting sun, then gripped it tightly and carefully stored it in the moneybox before saying, "Yune's family still has some money."
"How much?"
"No bargaining, they gave two silvers!" Tong Jia beamed with joy.
Two silvers meant two hundred copper coins.
Song Cheng frowned slightly.
Tong Jia asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Cheng said, "Do you think... Yune always doesn't bargain like this?"
Tong Jia replied, "What's the matter, not bargaining has become a fault in your eyes? Everyone has it tough, I offer a fair price, and our medicine deceives neither old nor young, why should people bargain?"
Song Cheng shook his head, saying nothing more as it was purely his needless worry.
...
Night fell.
Perhaps it was the energy conserved from yesterday, or perhaps the earnings of the copper coins today, both were exceptionally passionate...
The legs of the bed were not on the floor but on rather flat, yet somewhat uneven, muddy ground. The smell of the earth mixed with the cold wind sneaking through the window cracks and the "creaking" noise, as if fanning the "Dan furnace" or as if flames were burning inside.
The fire burnt ever more fiercely.
After a long while...
The intensity suddenly ceased.
Song Cheng was exhausted.
Tong Jia, perhaps feeling an intense draft from the window, quickly slipped on her Embroidered Shoes, took the Bamboo Basket to cover the window, and then sprinted back to snuggle under the covers, her legs cold as she pressed them against Song Cheng.
Tong Jia, propping her chin with a smile, said, "Let's not think about moving for now. Once I, your good wife, earn more silver, I'll buy some meat to nourish you."
Song Cheng was speechless.
Tong Jia then asked, "About what you said during the day, that you can see 'dirty things,' is it true?"
Song Cheng nodded.
Tong Jia asked, "What do they look like? Where are they?"
Song Cheng said, "I can't see their form, but I can feel that chilling Yin Qi. It hasn't taken shape yet, just by the old tree outside to the west... that's why I mentioned moving."
Tong Jia knew her husband was frail and timid, prone to superstitions, so she comforted him, "Don't worry, your wife has been running around the mountains. If there were dirty things, I would have encountered them long ago.
I've heard that these dirty things specifically target those with weak bodies.
With your wife here, our home is full of life force, so there's nothing to worry about."
As she spoke, she grinned and playfully flexed her fist.
Song Cheng did not speak further.
Actually, if someone else had told him there were dirty things outside, he wouldn't have believed it.
The fact that Tong Jia was willing to listen to him and even considered moving meant she took his concerns seriously.
In these times, people crave stability. As long as there is no blood-soaked disaster or life-threatening situation before them, they generally do not think about leaving their homeland or changing their lives.
In Chaotic World, every change carries great risks.
Many people might never leave the village they were born in.
Song Cheng reviewed the progress of the 'Pagoda Visualization Method'.
He could only hope to advance quickly, so he could leave this shell and see what the situation in the village really was and whether the surroundings were safe.