The lifeless magpie plummeted straight down from the pomelo tree branch, transforming mid-fall into a suit-clad man who crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
It was Zhang Yangxu.
Ning Zhe's consciousness wavered momentarily before he understood what had just happened.
—The ghost had killed the magpie.
But hadn't the world containing He Village already shattered with the Snake God's death? And even if it hadn't, why was that magpie still alive?
The already-dead cannot die twice—otherwise Ning Zhe would have simply used Zhang Yangxu's identity from the start.
Yet that magpie had just died in his place. Did this mean... it was still alive?
"Run."
After a flash of confusion, Ning Zhe abandoned thoughts that couldn't yield quick answers. He couldn't waste any more living identities that could serve as scapegoats.
Ning Zhe's body transformed back into a lifeless bird and flew through the shade trees into a lush bed of hydrangeas.
This ghost roaming Jade Water Bay Manor was far more vicious than Ning Zhe had anticipated. Unlike Taiyi, who lacked killing ability, or the Snake God Zhàoyòu with its fortune-telling nature, this ghost killed indiscriminately. Ning Zhe had lost a life merely by approaching it.
Fortunately, after killing the magpie, the ghost didn't pursue him further. Sharp screams echoed from behind as the ghost apparently went after others who were closer.
"Does the ghost's killing rule relate to distance? Directly or indirectly?"
Before Ning Zhe could ponder further, he reverted to his original form, returned to the pavilion, and grabbed Feng Yushu's hand. "We're leaving. Now."
The ghost in the manor was too ferocious—proximity alone had cost him a life. Ning Zhe wasn't reckless; he only gambled with his life when truly desperate or confident of success. This situation was clearly neither.
With Taiyi's rule in his possession, he had plenty of escape routes.
"I don't need to fight this ghost to the death here. Even if I must break its rule, the rational approach is to return to Gubei Town first, acquire enough living identities to use as scapegoats, then test its killing pattern without worry."
Ning Zhe's mind was clear. He knew exactly what to do.
But Feng Yushu was far less rational.
The brightly lit manor echoed with distant screams and sobs, leaving corpses scattered everywhere. Feng Yushu bit her lip, eyes reddening. "My daughter is still inside... I can't leave."
"What can you accomplish by staying?" Ning Zhe released her hand. "Become the next corpse the ghost kills?"
"You're right, Ning Zhe. I'm weak and slow—staying here won't help anything." Feng Yushu's legs buckled, and she collapsed before him, trembling hands clutching his hem. "But you can do something, right? You must have a way... Please, I'm begging you. Help me save A Zhi. I'll do anything you want, give you anything I have. Please... I can't lose her..."
Not a single word about your husband, I notice...
Ning Zhe pried her fingers from his clothes and exhaled. "Money might have swayed me before, but I'm no longer interested in it."
To him now, money was just numbers.
Seeing Feng Yushu's trembling hand reach toward her chest, he added, "Same goes for you."
Without further discussion, the youth transformed back into a magpie and flew from the pavilion toward the outer wall.
Before acquiring enough living identities, he absolutely would not risk himself again.
Watching Ning Zhe's figure disappear into the night, Feng Yushu covered her face with both hands and collapsed in despair, sobbing uncontrollably. But after her breakdown, she grasped the pavilion's pillar, forced herself to stand, wiped her tears, and walked toward the manor.
She had to reach her daughter, even if she died trying.
But before she'd taken a few steps, an agile figure descended from above, landing beside her.
"Ning Zhe?!" Feng Yushu wept with joy. "Did you come back to help me?"
"Sort of. Because I can't get out." Ning Zhe spoke matter-of-factly. "The manor is sealed."
When Ning Zhe flew toward the outer wall as a magpie, he'd hit an invisible barrier—like a giant hemispherical dome inverted over the entire manor.
"I flew over the wall but didn't see the surging Peach River outside—only the brightly lit European castle ahead, as if I'd just entered from outside." Ning Zhe spoke softly. "Think of it as some kind of spatial folding phenomenon. There's no way out of this manor now."
He'd stepped toward the exterior Peach River only to find himself facing the interior welcome avenue. The space at the manor's boundaries had folded—any "outward" movement automatically curved "inward."
"Let's go find your daughter. If she could dream of He Village without ever visiting Gubei Town, she might know something about this situation." As Ning Zhe spoke, he transformed back into a magpie and perched on Feng Yushu's shoulder. "Move."
"...Alright." Feng Yushu nodded quickly.
She could clearly see Ning Zhe was using her as a scout, having her risk her life to clear the way. But Feng Yushu willingly accepted his cold, calculated exploitation.
If it increased even slightly the hope of saving her daughter, she'd let Ning Zhe use her for anything—just like in He Village.
Jade Water Bay Manor covered a large area—about one hectare. Few guests were staying: only the Bai family, some New Home Group executives, and maintenance staff who tended the greenery and cleaned.
Most had been terrified by the ghost's bizarre killings and the corpses everywhere, scattering in all directions. The majority fled to the manor's far side, where—based on Ning Zhe's earlier observation—the ghost seemed drawn by the crowds.
"Hurry, while those people haven't all been killed. You don't have much time," Ning Zhe reminded her.
"Okay." Feng Yushu steadied the magpie on her shoulder with one hand and jogged along the wall into the European castle at the manor's center.
"Don't hold me. I can balance." Ning Zhe reminded her again.
"Right!" Feng Yushu quickly released her hand, kicked off her high heels to carry them, and continued running barefoot.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild