Breaking the Game

"Do you remember what the villagers said when we first entered the village? The fortune written in the Almanac is a Heavenly Secret revealed by the Snake God."

Ning Zhe stepped back twice, leaning against a pillar beside a candle stand, and raised his eyes to gaze at the flamboyant wooden carving of the Snake God on the Lotus Platform: "The Snake God is magnanimous. Violating the taboo for the first time only results in a streak of bad luck, nothing more."

"However, Heavenly Secrets must not be leaked. Using the Almanac to probe today's fortune is already the limit of what the Snake God can tolerate. If one attempts to pry into tomorrow's fortune based on that, the only outcome is death."

And it would be an instantaneous, violent death with absolutely no room for negotiation.

The fragmented information pieced itself together in the silent Ancestral Hall, revealing a bizarre yet logically sound killing process to everyone present:

The ghost wandering in He Family Village possesses the ability to impersonate others. When it used the identity of "Gu Yunqing" to flip through the Almanac in advance, Gu Yunqing himself was deemed by the Snake God to have violated a fatal taboo, leading to his immediate death.

Just as Ning Zhe had speculated earlier, the ghost itself does not have the ability to kill. From beginning to end, it has only done one thing: usurp the identities of others.

In other words, it is killing with a borrowed knife.

"Knowing this much is enough." Zhang Yangxu put down the tablecloth in his hand, covered Lin Zhiyuan's corpse once more, and said, "I am going to the Central Area of He Family Village next to check out that 'He Manor' and look for clues to leave this village. Are you coming with me?"

He directed this question at Ye Miaozhu and Feng Yushu, without the slightest intention of inviting Ning Zhe. This was easy to understand; after all, regardless of whether Lin Zhiyuan was driven by his own curiosity or instigated by Ning Zhe to open the Almanac, Ning Zhe's image in the eyes of the others had already collapsed. He was untrustworthy and extremely dangerous.

In a sense, he was even more dangerous than the inhuman entity.

If circumstances allowed, Zhang Yangxu had even considered finding an opportunity to kill Ning Zhe with the others to eliminate the threat. Unfortunately, the circumstances did not allow it. With both Lin Zhiyuan and Gu Yunqing dead, only Zhang Yangxu and Ning Zhe remained as the only living males in the vast He Family Village, and Zhang Yangxu's physical condition was mediocre at best.

It would be a miracle from the Snake God if Ning Zhe didn't kill him first.

Zhang Yangxu's proposal stirred Ye Miaozhu, and as Ning Zhe watched her hesitate, he suddenly chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Miaozhu asked.

"I'm laughing at your cowardice and inferiority; you're as dark and twisted as a maggot in a sewer." Ning Zhe said nonchalantly: "When Gu Yunqing died, you didn't try to find his true cause of death, nor did you think rationally for even a single second. You just had an emotional breakdown and lashed out at me without rhyme or reason, claiming that I was the one who killed him."

"But now you know, don't you? Gu Yunqing's death had absolutely nothing to do with me. Even if we hadn't gone to the river to examine the body, he still would have died at 2:00 AM, killed by the hand of the ghost that flipped through the Almanac."

"And now that the truth is out, you still don't dare to face the mistakes you've made. You don't even have the courage to apologize to me. You are just blindly driven by your ridiculous pride and fear, trying to escape and get as far away from me as possible, because only then can you avoid facing the fact that you are nothing but a useless wretch who can do nothing without Gu Yunqing, capable only of impotent rage."

This kid has such a venomous tongue... Zhang Yangxu gasped softly, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

Turning his head, he saw that Ye Miaozhu's eyes were already bloodshot, her clenched fists trembling slightly, and her teeth gritted like a crazed beast ready to pounce at any moment—yet, even humiliated to this extent, she didn't dare to actually lay a hand on Ning Zhe. Ning Zhe was not the kind of cowardly simp who would take insults and blows from the opposite sex without fighting back; he would truly inflict violence on anyone who tried to harm him, even if the person was a woman.

"Don't act like you're so noble! You're just a lunatic, a murderer! A heartless pervert! What right do you have to judge anyone else's feelings!" Ye Miaozhu's voice trembled as she shouted, and after her outburst, she turned and ran out of the Ancestral Hall, leaving Ning Zhe still leaning against the candle stand, his calm expression unruffled by her presence in the slightest.

Consequently, the doubt in Zhang Yangxu's heart deepened.

Since they met in He Family Village, this youngster named Ning Zhe had never performed any meaningless actions. Every word he said, every step he took, and every decision he made had a clear or subtle purpose; he never wasted his time or energy in vain.

But what was Ning Zhe doing now? What was the point of mocking the only doctor among the four of them until she had an emotional breakdown?

Zhang Yangxu couldn't fathom the reason, only feeling a growing chill down his spine. He was becoming increasingly afraid of this gentle-looking youngster who seemed so easy to get along with.

"I should go. Lady Bai, would you like to come along?" Zhang Yangxu asked, bracing himself.

Feng Yushu hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, then stepped back, and finally bit her lip and shook her head gently: "Thank you, Director Zhang, but I won't accompany you. He Manor... it feels like a dangerous place."

Ning Zhe is the one who is more dangerous... Zhang Yangxu shook his head and didn't try to persuade her further: "Then I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

Zhang Yangxu left the Ancestral Hall and chased after the direction in which Ye Miaozhu had fled.

A round, plump white moon rose into mid-air, crawling toward the center of the sky like a silkworm wiggling its body. Ning Zhe sighed softly and looked at Feng Yushu, who had remained in the Ancestral Hall. Her expression was haggard, her hair, pinned up at the back of her head, was slightly disheveled, and her luxurious purple dress was stained with spots of dried mud, making her look quite wretched.

"Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you afraid that I, this murderer, might suddenly go wild and kill you too?" Ning Zhe asked half-jokingly.

"...I am." Feng Yushu spoke honestly: "But I am even more afraid of being trapped in this hellhole forever, living a life worse than death."

"Following me doesn't guarantee you'll get out." Ning Zhe shook his head: "Don't you know where Zhang Yangxu is going? He Manor. None of us have explored that place. If there truly exists a door that can lead out of He Family Village, it is very likely to be there. If you really want to leave no matter what, you should have gone with him."

Feng Yushu still shook her head: "No. Whether it's Zhang Yangxu, myself, or Ye Miaozhu, none of us know as much or possess as much information as you do. You are very intelligent and very calm. While everyone else is still cluelessly looking for a way out, you have already started trying to deconstruct the rules of the Snake God, watching expressionlessly as others die one by one."

If there is one person among all the living in He Family Village who can solve the mystery and leave alive, that person must be Ning Zhe.

Ning Zhe couldn't help but smile: "Aunt, you really are an interesting person. You clearly have no practical skills and are scared to death, yet your judgment of people is remarkably accurate."

With that, he stood up straight, no longer leaning against the candle stand, and pointed an index finger at his own temple: "Indeed, I have already gained some preliminary understanding and speculation regarding the situation in this village. If nothing goes wrong, I will soon be able to find a way to break the rules and leave this place. A method I believe is well worth trying..."

"But, why should I help you?" Ning Zhe changed the subject, the gentle smile on his face vanishing: "There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You want me to help you, but what can you do for me?"

"Anything." Feng Yushu said: "Anything at all."