This time, it's a man.

 

Just as the scissors were about to pierce Xing Ye’s throat, a small mirror hanging from his chest crawled out from under his clothes. The middle-aged woman caught sight of the reflection in the mirror and instantly froze.

Unparalleled Beauty: A skill that only a truly peerless beauty can wield. When used, if the user genuinely smiles or cries in sorrow, it causes the enemy to become frozen in awe. Any NPC or player with normal vision and aesthetic sense will be stunned for three minutes, unable to move, use starting skills, QR codes, items, or any form of attack. The area of effect depends on the mirror's size. Duration: three minutes per person. Each use deducts 200 points. After three minutes, aesthetic fatigue sets in, making it unusable on the same person for another 3 hours. It can only be used on up to three people within a 24-hour period.

 

The middle-aged woman held the scissors, the tip only 1 cm from Xing Ye’s throat—just a little pressure would pierce it.

But she didn’t move. She was completely mesmerized by the reflection in the mirror. Even though she was half insane, her vision and aesthetic senses were still normal, and she was utterly unable to resist Lu Mingze’s breathtaking beauty.

Only three minutes.

Xing Ye used the opportunity to struggle with all his might and finally freed his right hand, grabbing the scissors from her.

As soon as he grabbed the scissors, he realized—his hands were shockingly small.

Xing Ye: “…”

It didn’t slow him down. He adjusted the mirror on his neck to continue facing the woman and used the scissors to cut the rope binding his left hand.

After pushing the woman away, he cut the rope around his legs and stood up.

Once he stood, he realized—his height was shocking. Xing Ye used to be about 1.8 meters tall. Now… maybe one meter?

Maybe a bit more. Judging from the size of his hands, he looked to be a bit over ten years old.

Now with some breathing room, Xing Ye quickly used the Repainting Brush to draw a QR code: Hypnosis, and controlled the woman’s mind. Only then did he let out a slight sigh of relief.

Hypnosis not only caused hallucinations but could also compel someone to tell the truth. It was a very useful QR code.

In fact, any QR code could be terrifying if used repeatedly. For example, in the school world, the piano he obtained—combined with the QR codes “Piano,” “Ping Pong Ball,” and Requiem—had allowed him to defeat all four members of Di Kuang’s team. Repeatedly smashing the piano was like a literal mountain falling on someone, causing massive physical damage.

But what was truly terrifying was not the QR codes usable only once—but Xing Ye’s starting skill: Repainting Brush.

“Why did you want to kill me?” Xing Ye asked.

As soon as he spoke, he noticed—his voice was soft and childlike. Not the slightly lazy babyish tone of the mirror, but actual child’s voice.

Xing Ye: “…”

He felt that his current age was no more than ten. And this time, the system had actually restricted his strength.

In the past, regardless of body type or gender, Xing Ye’s strength and agility remained similar to his original form. But this body was too weak—even running a few steps left him breathless.

Technically, Xing Ye was a rear-line strategist who only needed to draw and didn’t rely on physical strength. But since the system had chosen to limit his power, it likely meant this weak body could put him in danger.

The middle-aged woman, under hypnosis, blankly replied: “Rather than offering you as a sacrifice to the Mountain God, I figured I’d kill you first. My eldest son, second son, and eldest daughter were all taken away as sacrifices—none of them came back. Xiao Mao, you're the only son I have left. I can’t have more children. I’ll kill you and then myself—at least we’ll be together in the afterlife. That’s better than your siblings, isn’t it?”

Her crazed expression suddenly turned dreamy, as if imagining something beautiful.

Mountain God… sacrifice…

Xing Ye looked at his clothes and the surroundings.

A dilapidated clay house. Patched clothes.

He couldn’t tell whether he was in a rural area of the modern day, or somewhere after the Republic of China era. All he knew was—this world definitely didn’t have cell phones.

A black and white wristband appeared on his wrist.

Since Hypnosis only lasted five minutes, Xing Ye didn’t want to waste time and didn’t check the wristband just yet. He continued asking, “Why am I a sacrifice?”

“Every three years, they pick five boys and girls to sacrifice to the Mountain God. And every time, it’s our family’s turn,” the woman suddenly started sobbing, “That bastard of a husband of mine—gambling every year, losing every year—and when he lost, he’d trade our kids for others, offering his own children as sacrifices in exchange. My children, my babies… sob sob sob…”

She seemed to recall something painful and covered her mouth to cry. Even in grief, she didn’t dare wail aloud—just let out repressed sobs, which was heartbreaking to listen to.

“So pitiful…” Lu Mingze said sadly. “How can we help her?”

Xing Ye replied, “It might not just be ignorance. Since this is a fantasy world, the Mountain God might actually exist.”

He sighed, unsure what to do with this woman.

In two more minutes, Hypnosis would wear off and she’d go mad again.

Xing Ye didn’t believe a regular woman could hurt him—but he didn’t want to hurt her either.

He could tie her up and escape, leaving her crying and struggling in the room—but Xing Ye couldn’t bring himself to do that.

With one minute of Hypnosis left, Xing Ye opened the wristband and scanned the world’s background info.

 

Story Background: In a remote and isolated mountain village, there exists a tradition of sacrificing to the Mountain God—every three years, five children (boys and girls) are chosen and sent up the mountain. Only four return. It’s said the Mountain God keeps one. The four who return lose all memories of what happened on the mountain. No one knows what the Mountain God truly looks like—or if it even exists.

But the children really did disappear, and in the three years following each sacrifice, the village genuinely enjoy favourable weather and peace—no disasters occurs.

Kind and brave Xiao Mao, you are one of the chosen for this year’s ritual. Along with four other boys and girls, you will be escorted deep into the mountains by the village guards. From among the five of you, the Mountain God will choose one as a sacrifice. Will you be the one who survives?

 

The background introduction ended here. It didn't mention what he was supposed to do. There was no explanation of the plot, nor any instruction on how to win.

Was everything meant to be figured out on his own?

As Xing Ye was thinking, the effect of Hypnosis wore off. The middle-aged woman regained consciousness. She was momentarily dazed, then, upon seeing the scissors in Xing Ye’s hand, immediately lunged to snatch them back.

 

Translator : DarNan