"The soup is here."

Bai Xueji brought a steaming bowl of soup to Yin Zhu. The ingredients and taste were exactly the same as before. The tofu and kelp were faintly visible under the milky white soup, tantalizing Yin Zhu's taste buds.

Because the soup was indeed warming, Yin Zhu took it and, as usual, drank more than half of it.

If it weren't for rule number six, "But please don't eat it all; leave some food for the homeowner," Yin Zhu would have preferred to gulp it down in one go. However, considering that leaving nothing might make her the food herself, Yin Zhu left a small portion.

Seeing Yin Zhu wiping the soup from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, Bai Xueji frowned slightly and said, "You'll never get married if you keep doing this."

"It's alright, I don't have time to think about that right now. I still need to find the God." Yin Zhu winked at her, saying that she was looking for Nekomata, but she was actually looking for the unspeakable things behind the dungeon.

Snow White didn't quite understand: "Is the cat god you're talking about really that important?"

"Very important."

Yin Zhu nodded, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Since the cat demon wasn't inside the icicle, it must still be there. But Yin Zhu is trapped in the loop of Snow Mountain Village and hasn't seen the cat demon yet, so there's only one possibility left—

Just as the chosen ones from various countries on Earth embark on their own parallel adventures, Yin Zhu and Mao You may very well have also entered different "snow mountain villages".

No matter how far Yin Zhu goes, she will never see Mao You's shadow.

They were "physically separated".

Yin Zhu wasn't worried that Mao You would break the rules, because Mao You had already memorized the rules perfectly. Perhaps, because she hadn't been able to save her friend back then, Mao You had replayed the events in her mind countless times afterward, thinking about what she should do if she had to do it again.

Nekomata probably won't let his guard down until he finds himself, Shiranui, and the Ice Pillar Woman.

No, the Ice Pillar Woman should have already returned to report.

"Do you still want to go on?" Snow White asked, her heart filled with mixed emotions. "Going forward is uncertain, and there are dangers on the snowfield. You're just wasting your energy. As long as the snow doesn't stop, you'll never leave this place."

"Yes." Yin Zhu completely ignored all advice.

To be precise, Yin Zhu listened attentively.

As long as the heavy snow continues, you'll never be able to leave this place.

This statement is exactly the same as rule number seven:

When someone's life comes to an end, the snowstorm will stop, and that's your only chance to leave.

In other words, to leave this place, the snowstorm needs to stop, and for the snowstorm to stop, a sacrifice is required? Yin Zhu was startled by her own guess, but then she remembered that this was the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" instance, and that ghosts themselves did not have human values; they were just bullies who preyed on the weak.

But who are these people...?

Yin Zhu suddenly realized that she had made a serious oversight. Because she relied too much on Mao You, she habitually trusted the rules that Mao You provided and never personally searched for the rules in Snow Mountain Village.

Although there were verbal rules like those in the previous sunny and cheerful kindergarten, Yin Zhu didn't think that a group of ghosts would risk their lives to find out all the rules of the Snow Woman dungeon.

Or perhaps the rule is written somewhere.

Either these seven rules are incomplete, or there are many other rules that have yet to be discovered.

If it's the latter, that's the worst-case scenario.

After returning the soup to Snow White, Yin Zhu didn't leave the village immediately to begin the next cycle of reincarnation. Instead, she took the initiative to say, "Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever explored the village before. Could you show me around?"

Bai Xueji was pleased to see Yin Zhu's sudden change: "Okay, you can stay by my side."

She hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when she chuckled, looking at Yin Zhu, who was moving alongside her, with mixed feelings: "But why are you walking like that?"

"I don't know, but I've heard that if you don't do it, you'll be in big trouble."

Yin Zhu believed she wasn't lying. Just as she genuinely didn't know why the rules were set up this way, and it was true that if she turned back, she would get completely lost here, which was considered extremely unlucky.

Snow White did not ask any further questions.

She led Yin Zhu on a journey through the snow-covered village. It seemed that wherever they went, the people came alive and would greet Bai Xueji. If Yin Zhu hadn't already witnessed the villagers' repetitive lives, she would have thought this was a normal village.

"This uncle used to be an adventurer, but he couldn't leave the village, so he married and had children here."

As Bai Xueji spoke, she pointed to Yin Zhu and said, "That woman in the pink cherry blossom dress is his wife, Mu Zi. I heard that when I was little, my parents went out to work, and Aunt Mu Zi held me in her arms."

Oh right, where are your parents?

Yin Zhu subconsciously thought of Bai Xueji, but didn't ask. Whatever the reason, since it wasn't true, it probably wasn't something to be happy about, so there was no need to ask.

"That old lady, I heard she used to run in here too, just as stubborn as you."

Bai Xueji glanced back at Yin Zhu, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "She didn't believe in evil spirits and tried to run away, but she always ended up back in the village. She probably ran away more than ten times. Later, the snow got too heavy, and she froze unconscious in the snow. It was Grandpa from the village who went down the mountain to bring her back."

Yin Zhu did the math and figured she'd be there soon too.

It seems that if the snow is higher than oneself, it is not suitable to go out, as there may be other dangers.

Well, with her height, she can't last more than ten times.

Shirayuki then muttered to herself, "However, after Grandpa Yamashita brought her back, he treated her to a big meal, and she was willing to stay and marry him."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!