[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h":3,"chapter-the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-chapter-36":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Eighteen Levels of Hell: Lying is Forbidden Here",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},748914,993,"Chapter 36: Embroidered Shoe","the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>'You cannot tell a lie, yet you must deceive others.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Deceive them with the environment.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Deceive them with half-truths.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This rule of Common Sense is telling a Newbie how deception works in the 18th Level.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran looked at the very last rule of Common Sense on the final page and discovered it was completely blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Blank?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Am I supposed to fill it in myself?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No, according to the third-to-last rule of Common Sense, altering the contents is strictly forbidden.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If someone else filled it in and then died for breaking the rules, and this Booklet fell into my hands, wouldn't that mean...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Let me get this straight.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'The contents of this book are Common Sense.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'The very last rule is blank, but it is also Common Sense. If someone fills in the contents...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'It remains Common Sense!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'But the prerequisite is finding a scapegoat to help complete the contents, and it cannot violate what is currently Within Reason.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'It seems that from now on in the 18th Level, I must be careful with every person and situation I encounter. A single moment of carelessness, and I might violate... the final rule of Common Sense completed by someone else.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran closed the Booklet. He silently recited the rules of Common Sense in his mind, and only after confirming he had memorized them flawlessly did he stub out his cigarette and stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking the lead, he pushed the door open without waiting for Mei Zhixu's reaction. Free from his previous hesitations, he strode out of the alliance hall with purposeful steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed like a completely different person from the overly cautious man he was just moments ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Zhixu quickly stepped forward to catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since you now understand Common Sense, what are your plans moving forward?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She noticed Chen Ran's silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She continued, \"Under normal circumstances, a Newbie will drag things out in the 18th Level for a dozen days or so before running an Instance. They use this period to recruit teammates. If you need to form a party, I can help introduce you to some people. For a fee, of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need,\" Chen Ran replied after a brief thought. \"I have no intention of forming a team. Rather than wasting time in the 18th Level, I might as well run an Instance tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that Auntie Liu and Mei Zhixu could not see through the Spring and Autumn Brushwork he had filled out on the Form, but the higher-ups would inevitably notice the inconsistencies sooner or later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Skill effects he had exposed could play a decisive role in certain environments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auntie Liu would definitely report this, meaning he would eventually be conscripted by the higher-ups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Chen Ran planned to hide in an Instance first. There, he could understand more rules and grow through Infighting with other players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He absolutely did not want to be conscripted by the Liar-Slayer Alliance into a high Star Rating Instance... just to serve as Cannon Fodder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Zhixu said no more, finding the man before her completely unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran had no desire to speak, either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'In the past, when I wrote novels, I would always set a goal for the protagonist to build up anticipation.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Now.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Now that I have arrived in this man-eating Hell, shouldn't I set a goal for myself as well?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'From what I can see so far...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'There are no Soul Reapers, no Magistrates, and no Yanluo in Hell.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Which means.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hell operates on an unmanaged system. As long as those few core rules exist, Hell will function normally, leaving the evil spirits to engage in Infighting.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Instance Infighting: Killing people grants Points. The more you kill, the more you earn. Points are the key to survival in the 18th Level.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Those who are killed transform into Instances. This cycle repeats endlessly, generating a constant loop.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'18th Level Infighting: A Liar-Slayer tells a lie and becomes a Ghost Whisperer. The more Ghost Whisperers there are, the more Shackles are placed upon the players of the 18th Level.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Therefore...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'A Liar-Slayer must kill Ghost Whisperers.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This is also a cycle. In the 18th Level, a steady stream of Common Sense is born, while a steady stream of Common Sense is simultaneously destroyed.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'An endless cycle of birth and unceasing reincarnation!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Chen Ran understood these rules, and because he had no intention of staying in Hell forever, he needed to establish three goals for himself: short-term, long-term, and ultimate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Before I died...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I didn't have much to leave behind.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'But right now...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I just want to live!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I never want to experience that feeling of being completely unable to grasp my own fate again, like when I was struck and killed by that car!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I will escape Hell!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Staying in Hell means being bound by all sorts of rules. This is not the fate I desire.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Escaping Hell might lead me to the true Underworld, or perhaps it will allow me to reincarnate, or maybe it will wash away the karma of my sins and turn me into a Ghost Immortal...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'But I don't care about any of that!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I only care about the present. I despise the current state of Hell, and I am going to escape!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having made up his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran began planning for the future. His first priority was to accumulate strength and obtain a Mind Cultivation Method from the Liar-Slayer Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, he needed to destroy Hell's existing cyclical mechanisms to probe the true nature of Hell, the Instances, and the 18th Level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, there was his escape plan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran pondered as he walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the two arrived beneath his building at Lane 250, Room 18-18. Mei Zhixu glanced at the still-pensive Chen Ran and advised, \"The Commercial District is to the northeast, right at the border between the Liar-Slayers and the Ghost Whisperers. You can buy anything you're missing there, though it's quite expensive. With your current Points, it might not be enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, right. You might need certain special items in the Instances, and those can all be purchased in the Commercial District. You'd best prepare a few.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just a heads-up: the Commercial District is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes. Try not to linger there for too long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Liar-Slayer Skill is at the Id Tier. Whenever you're ready, you can join my team at any time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that said, she turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran's pupils contracted slightly. Mei Zhixu had mentioned earlier that someone with an Id Tier Skill could easily snag a position as a Squad Leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she had just referred to it as her team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a high probability that Mei Zhixu's Liar-Slayer Skill was also at the Id Tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hidden masters truly don't show their hands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran shook his head. Everyone here was better at hiding their true strength than the last. This Hell was quite interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He headed upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His room was number 18 on the 18th floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This building...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had no elevator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked incredibly dilapidated. He had been climbing the stairs for quite a while before finally reaching the ninth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spotted a pair of Embroidered Shoes, along with...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large Red Lanterns!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red Embroidered Shoes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And stairs completely littered with Joss Paper. Chen Ran's pupils abruptly shrank as he wondered to himself, 'Could there actually be ghosts in Hell?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carefully stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air felt like it was growing colder and colder. Suddenly, he sensed that someone on the stairs was watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he looked up, a silhouette flashed by. It was a...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A red silhouette!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With disheveled hair draped over its shoulders!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what it actually was, he had no way of knowing. He gulped down a mouthful of saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly continued up the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All at once, gusts of sinister wind blew past, and the faint sound of a woman crying seemed to echo through the air...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the weeping grew louder and louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sob... sob... sob...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ran felt his scalp tingle with dread. He stood frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle. Right at that moment...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone behind him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patted him on the shoulder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This single touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It scared him out of his wits. Standing rigidly in place, he slowly turned his head, only to find a beautiful woman standing behind him, gazing at him with a beaming smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman gently brushed back her elegant hair, looking exactly as she did in his memories. She reached out a hand, smiling as brightly as a blooming flower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chen Ran, it's been a long time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1446,"2026-06-02T12:08:03.436Z",1,"novelbin.me","c1e585b8ad3ae6d0fe97239706ebd3c520a654dfd5baba0eee6d9169b0060c59","the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-chapter-37","the-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-chapter-35",621,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-eighteen-levels-of-hell-lying-is-forbidden-h-cover.jpg"]