The Snake God Is Ill

"The Snake God... is sick?" Feng Yushu didn't quite understand what Gu Yunqing meant by that.

How could a god be sick?

"I don't know." Gu Yunqing pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. "But it is said that the Snake God has been sick since 18 years ago, suffering from a madness."

Ye Miaozhu chimed in, "We overheard this in a large residence at the east end of the village. A few people who sounded like servants were whispering in private, saying that... for a few days every month, the originally benevolent-looking statue of the Snake God in the Ancestral Hall becomes fierce and hideous, its face completely distorted. The He Family is very superstitious about this. Whenever the Snake God has an episode, the entire village shuts their doors and stays inside, as if they are hiding from something."

"No wonder we didn't see a single house with its doors open on the way to the Ancestral Hall, and no one came to check the Almanac," Xie Sining realized with a start. "So they were hiding from the maddened Snake God."

"But that doesn't make sense." Zhang Yangxu shook his head. "If the Snake God is truly that dangerous when it has an episode—dangerous enough that the entire He Family is too terrified to even step outside—then why did nothing happen during the time we entered the Ancestral Hall, checked the Almanac, and waited for someone to arrive before leaving?"

Zhang Yangxu's doubt was shared by everyone, but no one could explain the reason behind it.

This eerie village remained shrouded in a fog of the unknown.

In the silence, Ning Zhe's eyes flickered. He thought of the corpse he had hidden under the sacrificial table, and he thought of Lin Zhiyuan, who had died bizarrely in front of the Snake God without even being able to let out a scream.

Perhaps some things hadn't failed to happen; they had already happened.

"Regardless of the truth, we cannot return to the Ancestral Hall to confirm it." Ning Zhe shook his head, took his phone out of his pocket, opened the gallery, and showed a photo to Gu Yunqing and Ye Miaozhu. "This is today's taboo. If you can't remember it, just take a picture of it."

Ye Miaozhu beamed with joy. "Thank you so much, this is a huge help."

Zhang Yangxu watched Ye Miaozhu and Gu Yunqing taking photos of the phone, then looked at Ning Zhe, who appeared calm and composed without a single flaw, and revealed an unreadable smile. "You're quite meticulous."

Perhaps, a bit too meticulous.

Today's Fortune:

[Suitable for:]

[Taboo: Traveling, Burial, Funeral Rites, Sacrificial Rites]

"So, everyone knows today's taboos now." After taking the photo, Ning Zhe put his phone away and continued, "Among them, burial, funeral rites, and sacrificial rites are taboos that require someone to intentionally violate the rules to trigger. And the 'traveling' taboo has been proven not to mean we can't leave our homes; we can move around normally within the village. But whether leaving the village counts as breaking the taboo and whether it's dangerous, we don't know."

"In other words, as long as we don't leave the village, today is effectively free of all taboos."

Ning Zhe took a deep breath and looked at the group without showing any fear. "We've already exchanged information. Everyone here entered this place through a 'gate,' so I boldly guess that the exit to leave this hellhole might be a 'gate' hidden somewhere in the village. As long as we find it, we can return to the real world."

"A reasonable guess." Zhang Yangxu nodded. "I think I know what you mean."

"If we are to explore He Family Village, today, with no taboos, is the best opportunity. Although today is the day the Snake God has its madness, how do we know if tomorrow's taboos won't be more dangerous than the Snake God?" Ning Zhe continued. "No one can be sure if tomorrow's taboos might include 'no breathing' or something else. Instead of sitting and waiting for death, it's better to actively seek a way out, the sooner the better."

"Agreed." Zhang Yangxu nodded.

"I also think we shouldn't just sit and wait for death." Ye Miaozhu expressed her agreement as well.

After a vote, everyone agreed with Ning Zhe's suggestion, though only Feng Yushu seemed to agree very reluctantly, her face slightly pale with fear.

"Then let's set a time."

Gu Yunqing said, glancing at his luminous wristwatch:

"It is now 12:27 AM. Starting from this Ancestral Hall, we will set off in 3 minutes, splitting up into pairs to explore He Family Village and look for clues to leave this place.

One hour and 30 minutes later, at 2:00 AM, everyone will meet at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall to exchange the information we've gathered."

"Fine." Xie Sining was the first to agree.

Zhang Yangxu and Ye Miaozhu naturally had no objections. Gu Yunqing didn't explicitly state how the pairs should be formed; in fact, there was no need to. In an unfamiliar environment, it is human instinct to pair up with those one is more familiar with.

"Right, before we set off, let's exchange phone numbers."

Ye Miaozhu suggested, "You all must have tried calling or texting the outside world. The environment here is very special; the signal seems to be blocked, so neither calls nor messages can go through."

"However, although we cannot contact the outside world, it seems we can communicate with each other while in the village." As she spoke, Ye Miaozhu took out her phone and dialed a number.

A few seconds later, Gu Yunqing's phone began to vibrate and ring.

"See, it connected. People within the village can call each other, and texting should work too." Ye Miaozhu shook her phone. "So before we split up, let's exchange phone numbers so we can notify each other if anything happens."

"So that's how it is. Thank you for telling me." Ning Zhe thanked her while exchanging phone numbers with her.

In fact, he had already tested that people within the village could communicate with each other using Lin Zhiyuan's phone, but Ning Zhe still acted pleasantly surprised by Ye Miaozhu's reminder.

Because he had come to He Family Village alone, he shouldn't have had a way to know that.

Three minutes later, everyone finished exchanging phone numbers and, after performing dialing tests, prepared to set off.

Zhang Yangxu and Xie Sining, Gu Yunqing and Ye Miaozhu—the two groups left the entrance of the Ancestral Hall tacitly and headed toward different alleyway intersections.

"It's good to have acquaintances; even when stranded in a hellhole like this, you can have someone to look out for you." Ning Zhe shook his head with a bitter smile and turned to look at Feng Yushu, who was still standing at the alley entrance. "Then we're a pair. Aunt, let's go."

"...Okay." Feng Yushu gathered her courage, stepped forward, and walked into the depths of the alley with Ning Zhe.

It had just rained tonight, the sky was overcast, and the streets without electric lights were pitch black; the small alleys by the roadside were even darker, to the point where one couldn't see their own fingers.

Feng Yushu took out her phone, intending to turn on the flashlight, but was stopped by Ning Zhe.