"Do you remember what the villagers of He Family Village said when we first arrived? The good and bad fortunes in the Almanac were Heavenly Secrets revealed by the Snake God."
Ning Zhe took two steps back and leaned against a pillar beside a candelabrum. He looked up at the wooden carving of the Snake God, posed grandly atop the Lotus Platform. "The Snake God is magnanimous. A first offense against the taboos will only bring bad luck—a bit of misfortune."
"However, the Heavenly Secrets must not be revealed. Using the Almanac to learn today's good and bad fortune is already the limit of what the Snake God will tolerate. If you try to learn tomorrow's fortune on top of that, then the only outcome is death."
And not just any death. They would drop dead on the spot, with no chance of reprieve.
The fragments of information fell into place in the silent Ancestral Hall, revealing a strange yet logically consistent chain of murder:
The Ghost wandering He Family Village could assume other people's identities. When it used Gu Yunqing's identity to read the Almanac in advance, the Snake God judged Gu Yunqing to have violated the Death Taboo, and he died on the spot.
Just as Ning Zhe had speculated earlier, the Ghost itself had no ability to kill. From beginning to end, it had done only one thing: take on other people's identities.
In other words, it had used someone else to do the killing.
"Knowing this much is enough." Zhang Yangxu lowered the tablecloth in his hands and covered Lin Zhiyuan's body again. "I'm going to the Central Area of He Family Village to take a look at that mansion, He Manor, and search for clues about how to leave this village. Do you want to come with me?"
He was speaking to Ye Miaozhu and Feng Yushu. He had no intention of inviting Ning Zhe along. It was easy to understand why. Whether Lin Zhiyuan had opened the Almanac out of curiosity or because Ning Zhe had egged him on, Ning Zhe's image in everyone else's eyes had already been ruined. He was untrustworthy and extremely dangerous.
In some ways, he was even more dangerous than that inhuman creature.
If circumstances had allowed it, Zhang Yangxu had even considered finding an opportunity to join forces with the others and kill Ning Zhe, eliminating the threat. Unfortunately, circumstances didn't allow it. Lin Zhiyuan and Gu Yunqing were both dead, leaving only two living men in all of He Family Village: Zhang Yangxu and Ning Zhe. And Zhang Yangxu wasn't in particularly good shape.
The Snake God would have to intervene to stop Ning Zhe from killing him.
Zhang Yangxu's proposal seemed to tempt Ye Miaozhu. Watching her hesitate, Ning Zhe suddenly chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Ye Miaozhu asked.
"I'm laughing at how cowardly and insecure you are. You're as twisted and filthy as a maggot in a sewer," Ning Zhe said lightly. "When Gu Yunqing died, you didn't try to find out the real cause of his death. You didn't even think it through for a second. You just fell apart and took it out on me without a second thought, saying I was the one who got him killed."
"But now you know, don't you? I had absolutely nothing to do with Gu Yunqing's death. Even if we hadn't gone to the river to examine the body, he would still have died at two in the morning, killed by the hand of the Ghost that turned the pages of the Almanac."
"And now that the truth is out, you still don't dare face the mistake you made. You don't even have the courage to apologize to me. You're just driven by that ridiculous pride and your fear, trying to run away—to get as far from me as possible. Because only then can you avoid facing the fact that without Gu Yunqing, you're useless. You can do nothing but rage helplessly."
That kid had a vicious tongue... Zhang Yangxu drew a quiet, sharp breath, a strange feeling rising in him.
He turned his head. Ye Miaozhu's eyes were red, and her clenched fists trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth, like a crazed beast ready to lunge and bite at any moment. Yet even after being humiliated so badly, she didn't dare attack Ning Zhe. He wasn't some spineless man who'd let a woman insult or hit him without fighting back. He really would use violence against anyone who tried to hurt him, even if that person was a woman.
"You talk as if you're so noble! You're a lunatic, a murderer! A heartless psychopath! What gives someone like you the right to judge other people's feelings?" Ye Miaozhu's voice trembled as she shouted. Then she turned and ran out of the Ancestral Hall, leaving Ning Zhe still leaning beside the candelabrum, his expression calm and unruffled.
Zhang Yangxu's confusion only deepened.
Ever since meeting Ning Zhe in He Family Village, the boy had never made a pointless move. Every word he said, every step he took, every decision he made had a clear or hidden purpose. He never wasted his time or energy.
So what was Ning Zhe doing now? What did he gain by mocking the only doctor among the four until she broke down?
Zhang Yangxu couldn't figure it out. He only felt a deeper chill creeping up his back, and he was becoming more and more afraid of this mild-mannered young man who seemed so easy to get along with.
"I should get going, Lady Bai. Would you like to come with me?" Zhang Yangxu asked, forcing himself to speak.
Feng Yushu hesitated. She took a step forward, then another back. At last, she bit her lip and gently shook her head. "Thank you, Director Zhang, but I'd rather not go with you. He Manor... feels like a dangerous place."
Ning Zhe was the one who was even more dangerous... Zhang Yangxu shook his head and didn't press her. "Then I'll be off. Take care."
Zhang Yangxu left the Ancestral Hall and went after Ye Miaozhu.
A plump, pale full moon rose into the sky, wriggling like a silkworm as it crawled toward the zenith. Ning Zhe sighed softly and looked at Feng Yushu, who remained in the Ancestral Hall. Her face was drawn, the hair coiled at the back of her head had come loose, and spots of dried mud stained her lavish purple dress, leaving her looking rather disheveled.
"Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you afraid this murderer will suddenly give in to his beastly instincts and kill you too?" Ning Zhe asked half-jokingly.
"...I am," Feng Yushu said honestly. "But I'm even more afraid of being trapped in this awful place forever, living a life worse than death."
"Following me doesn't guarantee you'll get out either." Ning Zhe shook his head. "Don't you know where Zhang Yangxu's going? He Manor. None of us has explored that place. If there really is a door that can lead out of He Family Village, it's likely to be there. If you're determined to leave, you should go with him."
Feng Yushu shook her head again. "No. Zhang Yangxu, me, or Ye Miaozhu—we all know and understand far less than you do. You're very clever and very calm. While everyone else is still confused and searching for a way out, you've already started trying to break down the Snake God's rules, watching without a flicker of emotion as one person after another dies."
If anyone still alive in He Family Village could solve the mystery and make it out alive, it had to be Ning Zhe.
Ning Zhe couldn't help but laugh. "Auntie, you really are an interesting person. You don't have much practical ability, and you're scared out of your wits, yet you're remarkably good at judging people."
With that, he straightened up and moved away from the candelabrum. He pointed an index finger at his temple. "That's right. I've already made some initial observations and deductions about this village. If nothing goes wrong, I'll soon find a way to break the rules and get out of here. I think it's well worth a try..."
"But why should I help you?" Ning Zhe's tone shifted, and his gentle smile vanished. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. You want me to help you, but what can you do for me?"
"Anything," Feng Yushu said. "Anything."
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