With magic vines and soaring serpents appearing one after another, even Little Red Riding Hood had already guessed that Tang Jizhi possessed something that could store “pets.”

Could Snow White really not have noticed?

She remembered.

Mulis had stuffed her into a coffin.

She had beaten desperately on the lid, begging him to let her out.

Every time, she told herself that Mulis had been deceived by others, that he had once saved her, and that she should forgive him.

It was as if kindness and forgiveness had become unavoidable elements in her fate—
and every time, she died because of them.

When kindness and forgiveness become shackles,
when they become an inescapable injustice imposed by fate upon oneself—

then everything should be shattered.

Abandon kindness.

Abandon forgiveness.

Become a brand-new Snow White—
one who inspires fear, reverence, and dread in everyone.

Snow White pressed her temple, forcing those unpleasant memories down.

Facing the prey she had dragged into her domain, her clear and beautiful eyes slowly curved into crescent moons.

The moment she took a step forward, the forest darkened abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, there was no one around Tang Jizhi.

Only himself remained.

He was still in the forest.

Fluorescent green lights hung from the branches of towering trees, casting a gloomy glow over the surroundings.

Several meters ahead stood a tombstone.

Tang Jizhi took a few steps forward.

Through the eerie green light, he saw that the tombstone bore no inscription.

Only a photograph.

A photograph of himself.

And it was a photo of him from high school.

Tang Jizhi: “……”

Could it be that the memories he recalled earlier—when he saw his parents—had also been learned by Snow White?

In his memory, during his final year of high school he wore his school uniform every day.

So the photo on the tombstone was an ID photo of him in his school uniform.

If Snow White could even spy on his memories…

Then what about the livestream?

Tang Jizhi frowned and opened the system panel.

The bullet comments were in chaos.

【Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk】

【The scene suddenly changes and people are separated—Snow White’s ability is way too outrageous!】

【Damn, Snow White was beaten down by Suzaku and that handsome guy. I even thought she was too weak. Turns out she just hadn’t acted yet.】

【This is a hand-written script for sure.】

【So exciting! Don’t be afraid, Boss Tang—take out your magic picture book, it’s time to show off your drawing skills!】

【Don’t panic. Look at the anchor. Does he look panicked at all?】

【By the way, is that photo on the tombstone Tang Tang from his student days? He looks so soft and cute, I want to pinch him.】

……

【I am really the Third Prince】

I’ve been busy with company affairs these days and haven’t had time to watch the stream. I finally have time to tune in.

As a diamond VIP and also an investor, although the replay function had not yet been developed, he could still view the preview through the system.

According to the system prompt, Tang Jizhi and the others were not only facing Snow White now.

They had also been pulled into Snow White’s personal territory, where she intended to defeat them one by one.

The Third Prince lifted his coffee and took a sip.

Staring at the screen, he watched Tang Jizhi calmly look left and right at the wordless tombstone, as if he were trying to find flowers growing on it.

He could not help rolling his eyes.

“Doesn’t he know what he’s supposed to do?”

In fact, Tang Jizhi was waiting for Snow White to show herself.

So hundreds of thousands of viewers watching the livestream saw the young man on the screen lift his leg and kick the tombstone.

After several kicks, the tombstone finally toppled over.

Then he sat down on it.

The audience: “……”

This is about life and death!

And you’re… sitting down?

If you’re going to sit, at least take out the picture book and draw something to save your life!

The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuchs are dying of anxiety.

Tang Jizhi took the photo off the tombstone.

Whether it was real or fake, it was still his own picture. It felt uncomfortable to leave it there.

He blew gently on the photo, blowing away the dust on its surface.

When the dust cleared—

In the blink of an eye, the person in the photo became his father.

Tang Jizhi: “……”

From the audience’s perspective, the photo was still his high-school picture.

So when they saw Tang Jizhi suddenly fall silent while holding the photo, they felt something was off.

Tang Jizhi had not been particularly close to his father when he was young.

Most children are closer to their mothers.

His father was relatively strict and traveled several times a year. Even when he came home, he did not dote on Tang Jizhi very much.

As a child, Tang Jizhi inevitably complained in his heart.

Other children in the courtyard all said their fathers were good.

Later, his father forced him to learn painting, hoping that drawing would slow him down and reduce the burden on his heart condition.

At the time, Tang Jizhi disliked his father even more.

Until one night in elementary school, he suddenly fell ill.

His mother was not at home.

There were almost no taxis on the street at that hour, and it would take time for an ambulance to arrive.

His father was afraid something would happen to him while waiting.

So he carried him in his arms and ran all the way to the nearest hospital.

Little Tang Jizhi was in unbearable pain and could barely breathe.

But he saw his father’s face drenched in sweat.

His father kept comforting him, telling him to relax.

At that moment, young Tang Jizhi thought:

My dad loves me very much too.

From then on, his attitude toward his father changed, and he liked sticking close to him.

Later, during middle school, after entering adolescence and learning painting, his temperament gradually softened, and he slowly became less dependent on his parents.

Tang Jizhi slipped the photo into his pocket.

His fingers brushed against the picture book.

After thinking for a moment, he did not take it out.

Since Snow White’s target was the picture book, it was safer to keep it hidden for now.

And…

He vaguely sensed that Snow White was watching him from the darkness.

Perhaps she was waiting for him to take out the picture book, to secretly observe how he used it.

Once she figured it out—

she would rush over, beat him a few times, snatch the magic picture book, and run.

As long as Snow White still wanted the magic picture book, she would not kill him outright before obtaining it.

Tang Jizhi sat relaxed on the fallen tombstone, casually plucking a weed in his hand.

Strange shadows flickered through the forest from time to time, but he could not see them clearly.

Although he remained still, his mind was racing.

What was Snow White’s weakness?

Or rather—

what was she afraid of?

One of the dwarfs had almost said it earlier, but had been interrupted by Little Red Riding Hood.

Tang Jizhi sighed inwardly in regret.

Knowing Snow White’s weakness would make things much easier.

He recalled the fairy tale of Snow White.

Unfortunately, the story emphasized her beauty and kindness.

This Snow White—who had reincarnated more than eight thousand times—was completely different from the original fairy-tale version.

There was no useful information to be extracted at all.

“Hehe…”

Suddenly, laughter echoed through the forest.

Tang Jizhi did not react to the sound.

The audience, however, were terrified.

【What kind of laugh is that?! Why is it so scary?!】

【Is it really okay to watch a livestream this late at night?】

【What is it?!】

【Did Snow White release some ghost to scare Boss Tang?!】

【Damn, I just saw a face flash in the woods!】

【I saw it too!】

【Help—bullet-screen protection!】

……

Tang Jizhi raised his head.

In the dark green forest, eerie laughter rang out from time to time.

White shadows flitted past among the trees.

Together with the fallen tombstone, the scene looked exactly like a livestream horror movie.

Tang Jizhi—who was physically inside this “horror film”—showed no awareness at all of being its protagonist.

He even looked around calmly.

After a moment, he spoke politely:

“Your Highness, there’s no need to float around. Why don’t you show yourself and talk to me face to face?”

Look at how relaxed he was.

What were the viewers—who were hiding under their blankets—supposed to think?!

The moment Tang Jizhi finished speaking, the forest fell silent again.

A few seconds later—

A white shadow suddenly dropped down from above, head first.

【AHHHHHHH!】

【Snow White, I’m going to kill you!】

【My poor heart is about to jump out!】

【Hahaha I’m dying—Snow White actually used a fake ghost to scare Tang Jizhi. Her thought process is surprisingly clear.】

【Honestly, if I were Snow White, I’d just attack him directly. Why go through all this trouble? The thinking of a big boss is really hard to understand.】

【Am I the only one who thinks Snow White is kind of cute??】

……

Naturally, Snow White herself was not hanging upside down.

After all, beautiful women usually care about their image.

The white shadow was one of the “people” Snow White had released from the soil mounds.

Its face was deathly pale, its lips blood-red, and its eyes stared unblinkingly at Tang Jizhi.

Tang Jizhi’s body froze.

Because at that moment—

the pale, eerie face before him turned into his mother’s face.

She looked at him in pain.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to speak—

but dark red blood kept spilling from her mouth.

Tang Jizhi slowly clenched the fingers resting on his knee.

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he looked at the familiar face in front of him.

The casual smile vanished.

His gaze turned icy.

“Snow White… do you know the saying ‘never do a bad thing more than three times’?”

“What does that mean?”

Snow White finally appeared.

The hanging white shadow vanished.

Snow White slowly walked out from the shadows opposite him.

She was still breathtakingly beautiful.

A wreath rested on her head.

Tang Jizhi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It was the wreath he had braided for Little Red Riding Hood.

“I’m afraid you won’t understand even if I explain,” Tang Jizhi said lightly.

“But I can tell you what that saying means.”

His tone and expression displeased Snow White.

She stopped about two meters away from him.

Her eyelashes trembled faintly.

“Oh? I’m listening.”

Tang Jizhi said,

“It means you shouldn’t commit the same wrongdoing three times in a row.”

Snow White tilted her head, curious.

“So what if it happens three times?”

Tang Jizhi shrugged.

“Then the consequences are unpredictable.”

“I see.”

Snow White nodded.

“Your pets—especially that big snake—should be very suitable for living in a forest. This forest belongs to me. You can let them roam freely here.”

“That won’t do.”

Tang Jizhi stood up and walked toward her.

“My little pets are very easy to take care of. I would feel bad if I let a naughty tree out and damaged the surrounding forest.”

“And I should apologize to you as well,” he added lightly.

“My bird accidentally burned down your house.”

As he spoke, Tang Jizhi reached out to take Snow White’s hand.

Startled by his sudden change in attitude, Snow White’s eyes showed confusion.

She subconsciously pulled her hand back, took two steps away, and frowned slightly.

The more abnormal something was, the more dangerous it felt.

Snow White became wary.

Her previous experience in the wooden house—where Suzaku and Lan Tong had slipped through her grasp—was more than enough of a lesson.

“It’s fine. I accept your apology.”

Snow White decided not to toy with this human any longer.

His current behavior made her uneasy and hard to read.

“Let’s make a deal.”

【Hahaha, another deal—this feels familiar.】

【Thinking about how Little Red Riding Hood ended up… I suddenly feel the picture book is about to get another meal.】

【I’ve noticed that no matter how scary the scene is, no matter how terrifying the enemy is, as long as Tang speaks, everything somehow feels… not scary anymore.】

【Snow White, you’re going to regret making this deal.】

Tang Jizhi was not surprised at all.

“What kind of deal?”

Snow White revealed a slightly smug smile.

“You miss your parents very much. Their deaths are a past you do not want to recall. You regret not being by their side at the end of their lives—and you regret even more that you never got to see them one last time.”

Tang Jizhi smiled quietly, letting her continue.

Snow White was briefly thrown off by his calm reaction, but quickly regained her composure.

“You must miss them very much.”

“I can revive your parents.”

“I can let the three of you reunite and live together as a family.”

“And then?” Tang Jizhi asked with a faint smile.

“What do I have to do?”

Snow White said,

“You don’t need to do anything else.”

“You only need to exchange that thing of yours with me.”

“As long as you agree, I can treat everything that happened before as if it never happened.”

“And you will be welcome to visit my home anytime.”

Tang Jizhi smiled gently.

“To be honest, Your Highness, I’m actually very poor. Before coming here, I didn’t have much money. I can’t even afford a decent meal. I truly have nothing I could exchange with you.”

He was not lying.

He really had not had a proper meal since arriving on Monster Desert Island.

Snow White was too lazy to judge whether his words were true.

She said softly,

“It doesn’t matter… You have something that can store your pets. You can exchange that item with me.”

“As for your pets, they will still belong to you.”

After speaking, she waited for Tang Jizhi’s answer.

“The deal you’re offering is indeed tempting,” Tang Jizhi drawled.

“But…”

“How can I be sure that the people you revive are truly my parents?”

Snow White’s face darkened.

“You doubt my abilities?”

“It’s not that I doubt you.”

Tang Jizhi widened his eyes slightly, as if sincerely puzzled.

“I’m just being cautious. After all, once I give that item to you, my little pets won’t even have a place to sleep. I won’t be able to take them anywhere anymore. This may be nothing to you, but to someone like me—who can’t even afford a proper meal—this is my most precious treasure.”

Snow White was nearly dizzy from his long string of words.

She said impatiently,

“In my domain, everything is created by me. Extracting the memories of your parents from your mind and reconstructing them here is not difficult at all.”

Tang Jizhi frowned.

“Then that isn’t resurrection. At most, it’s just a highly realistic imitation.”

Snow White’s patience was almost exhausted.

She had already explained enough and shown more than enough sincerity.

Yet Tang Jizhi still dragged things out endlessly.

“So,” she said coldly, “you are unwilling to make a deal with me?”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling, it’s just that…”

Tang Jizhi put on an earnest expression and prepared to continue rambling.

Snow White suddenly realized what was happening.

This outsider had been stringing her along from the very beginning.

He had never intended to make a deal with her at all.

Realizing that she had been played by Tang Jizhi, Snow White’s gaze slowly changed.

She wanted to find out what exactly it was.

Even Little Red Riding Hood had been willing to trade for it—and had even acknowledged Tang Jizhi as her father.

Since this outsider did not know what was good for him…

At that moment, Snow White’s expression suddenly changed, as if something unexpected had happened.

Before she could make a move against Tang Jizhi—

her body vanished from in front of him.

Tang Jizhi: “……”

He stood still.

His intuition told him that the sudden change that made Snow White’s expression shift had something to do with Blue Eyes.

He needed to find a way out of this place.

Tang Jizhi decided to move forward.

After only a few steps, the light around him changed abruptly.

The dark, cold, green night receded.

Sunlight poured down through the gaps between the trees above his head.

Dust motes floated in the beams of light.

A faint floral fragrance drifted through the air.

Crisp birdsong rang out from time to time overhead.

In an instant, the entire atmosphere changed.

Tang Jizhi frowned.

This was Snow White’s domain.

Why had it suddenly become so bright and peaceful?

Where were Blue Eyes, Little Red Riding Hood, Suzaku, and the others?

In fact, Suzaku and Blue Eyes were together.

Suzaku had been thrown underwater first.

Little Red Riding Hood had made a deal with Tang Jizhi, asking him to take her away from this world. Tang Jizhi, in turn, had tricked her into helping collect the picture book and had turned her into one of his own.

But what about Snow White?

Did she also want to leave this world?

Tang Jizhi could not be sure.

Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood were fundamentally different.

Little Red Riding Hood—already in her third generation—still had a simple and straightforward personality.

But Snow White…

More than eight thousand generations.

The magic picture book had been extremely reluctant when it swallowed Little Red Riding Hood last night. It had only succeeded because Sonia had discovered it too late. A Snow White who had existed for over eight thousand generations probably could not be swallowed so easily.

Likewise, Snow White did not know what Tang Jizhi was pretending to be—a “pet.”

Perhaps she was just as wary of him.

After realizing this, the tension in Tang Jizhi finally eased.

He slipped his hand into his pocket.

Instead of taking out the picture book directly, he opened it inside his pocket and released Suzaku.

Snow White had been watching him the whole time.

When Tang Jizhi took Suzaku out of his pocket, her expression finally changed slightly.

“Her Royal Highness the Trouble Princess.”

Snow White took Suzaku in her hands, lowered her eyes, shook her head gently, and said softly,

“This was a mistake my mother made.”

She held Suzaku, placed her fingertips lightly on the top of Suzaku’s head, parted her lips, and silently recited several incantations.

Gradually, a strand of black mist seeped out from the crown of Suzaku’s head.

Snow White turned her fingers. The black mist floated into her palm, twisting like a living creature, and soon dissipated.

“—!”

Suzaku suddenly opened her eyes.

In the next instant, blazing flames burst out of her body.

Snow White’s expression changed. She immediately threw Suzaku away.

When she looked at her palm again, it had already been scorched red.

Brilliant flames swept across the room.

Everyone was forced to squint, unable to open their eyes.

The fire surged into the air, turning into a beam of light that pierced through the living-room ceiling and burned a huge hole straight through the roof.

The wooden roof caught fire instantly.

Suzaku’s body rapidly expanded within the flames.

Then a fireball shot out from her throat, blasting two more large holes in the roof. Several pieces of furniture in the living room were set ablaze as well.

Snow White’s expression darkened.

This was her home.

Having two massive holes burned through the roof was enough to make anyone furious.

Just as she was about to make a move, Suzaku charged straight at her, wrapped in fire.

Snow White knew that this fire was strange and extremely powerful. She did not confront it head-on.

She swung half her arm and formed a strange gesture.

Suzaku’s rushing body suddenly stopped in midair, blocked by an invisible barrier.

The very next second—

Snow White’s body stiffened.

She collapsed softly to the ground.

Blue Eyes appeared behind her at some unknown moment and slowly withdrew his hand.

Suzaku drew back the flames surrounding her body.

“Master, I leveled up!”

She landed on the floor. Beneath her claws, scorch marks spread across the ground.

She said angrily,

“This Snow White kept trying to control me. Luckily, I belong to you. Otherwise, she really would have succeeded!”

There was still lingering fear in Suzaku’s voice.

Tang Jizhi glanced at her.

It was obvious that Suzaku was much stronger after awakening—judging by the color of her flames alone.

They had once been light red.

Now they were much darker.

But that was not the key point.

The key point was—

He looked at Snow White lying limp on the ground.

Blue Eyes said calmly,

“She’s only unconscious. Not dead.”

No matter how powerful Snow White was, once she was struck before she could use her abilities, she was helpless.

Suzaku’s sudden attack had robbed her of her chance to react, and she had underestimated Suzaku’s true strength.

The Suzaku Snow White had encountered last night was still in a juvenile state. Before Suzaku could unleash her real power, she had already been subdued.

Snow White had misjudged her.

Just as Suzaku had fallen at Snow White’s feet last night, now Snow White had fallen as well.

Of course, if Lan Tong had not appeared silently behind her and knocked her out, she would not have fallen so completely.

Faced with the situation, Tang Jizhi was, for once, speechless.

“Let’s go outside first.”

Two seconds later, he finally spoke.

The house was burning everywhere. The temperature was rapidly rising.

At that moment, the seven dwarfs rushed in.

When they saw Snow White collapsed on the floor, they instantly flew into a rage.

Their bodies began to swell at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Leave it to me!”

Suzaku rushed forward.

Little Red Riding Hood hesitated for a moment, then followed.

The combat strength of the seven dwarfs was not high.

They had been created by Snow White in the first place—little more than servants. How powerful could servants really be?

Lan Tong grabbed Tang Jizhi and quickly pulled him outside.

Tang Jizhi only had time to say,

“Bring Snow White out.”

Liu Zhongyuan’s clothes caught fire. He rolled and scrambled away, escaping in panic, leaving only Lou Yu and Du Ziqian behind, who had reacted too slowly.

Lou Yu said urgently,

“You go carry her!”

Du Ziqian almost cried.

“I—I don’t dare!”

Lou Yu cursed,

“Stop wasting time! Brother Tang said to bring her out!”

He was afraid too.

What if Snow White suddenly woke up?

Du Ziqian noticed the cloth cushion on the sofa and suddenly had an idea.

He rushed over, pulled it off, and covered Snow White’s face.

“If we cover her face like this, then even if she wakes up, she won’t see us right away!”

The fire was spreading.

Gritting his teeth, Lou Yu said,

“You lift her arms. I’ll lift her legs.”

Du Ziqian had no way to argue.

Both of them were shaking all over as they lifted Snow White together and rushed out of the house.

Halfway through—

Something felt wrong.

Why was she getting lighter and lighter?

Snow White’s figure was slender, but she should still weigh over a hundred pounds. It was impossible for her to become lighter and lighter.

“Something’s wrong!”

Lou Yu shouted.

Du Ziqian noticed it too.

Snow White’s body was becoming transparent.

By the time they reached the door, Snow White had completely vanished.

The cloth cushion covering her face fell gently to the ground.

“Brother Tang—!”

Lou Yu ran to Tang Jizhi in one breath, his face deathly pale.

“Snow White… she… she disappeared!”

Du Ziqian’s face was ashen. The sweat on his face—brought on by the flames—had turned ice-cold.

Snow White had disappeared.

Was she dead?

Had she escaped?

Or was she hiding, waiting to take revenge?

“I saw it,” Tang Jizhi said calmly.

Not only Snow White, but also the seven dwarfs—who had been grabbed several times by Suzaku and Little Red Riding Hood—had disappeared as well.

The wooden house had become a sea of fire.

“What’s going on?!”

Lou Yu panicked.

“Is Snow White dead?!”

Tang Jizhi looked at Little Red Riding Hood.

The little girl looked just as confused as everyone else.

“The fire—!”

Liu Zhongyuan clutched his burned arm. His voice suddenly turned sharp, as though he had seen something terrifying.

The burning wooden house seemed to have had a pause button pressed.

It froze.

Then, it began to reverse.

The flames vanished.

In just a few seconds, the burned house returned to exactly how it had been before.

Then the door slowly creaked open from inside.

Snow White, dressed in a white gown, walked out.

The scene was almost identical to when she had first stepped out to welcome them.

The only difference was—

She was no longer smiling.

She looked at them expressionlessly.

Her gaze fixed on Blue Eyes and Suzaku.

Everyone could feel the suppressed fury radiating from Snow White.

Yet, for some unknown reason, she still did not make a move.

The atmosphere fell into a deadlock.

“Brother Tang, I just stole this from the dwarf!”

Lou Yu hurriedly handed the bottle to Tang Jizhi.

Tang Jizhi glanced at it.

“Keep it yourself.”

Lou Yu opened his mouth, but under Tang Jizhi’s gaze, he did not dare say anything more and silently hid behind him.

He had thought that stealing the bottle would make Boss Tang happy.

Since Snow White still had not moved, Tang Jizhi thought for a moment and then spoke to her in a tone he had never used before:

“Your Highness, it’s getting late. We should be going. If there is a chance in the future, we will visit again.”

Snow White said nothing.

“Let’s go.”

Tang Jizhi motioned for Little Red Riding Hood to lead the way.

“Just… just leaving?”

“Not staying for lunch?”

Lou Yu fell silent.

After taking a few steps, everyone suddenly stopped.

Not because they did not want to leave—

But because they could not.

A continuous cracking and tearing sound echoed through the forest, as though something were breaking through the ground.

Following the sound, the soil mounds beneath the surrounding trees began to bulge and writhe.

It was like hands pushing up from under the earth.

In the dim forest, behind the silent Snow White, terrifying noises came from the soil mounds beneath the trees all around them.

The atmosphere alone was enough for a horror movie.

“F*ck… those dirt mounds don’t contain mummies, do they?!”

Under the pressure of the eerie scene, Lou Yu could not help blurting it out.

The moment he spoke—

Dry, withered claws burst out of the soil.

One.

Two.

Three…

Countless hands.

How many trees were there in this forest?

Lou Yu instantly shut his mouth.

First came the hands.

Then the heads.

Then the bodies.

One “person” after another crawled out of the soil.

They looked no different from ordinary people.

There were no wounds on their bodies, and their skin was not shriveled.

Only their eyes were dull, and their faces unnaturally pale.

The “people” crawling out were men and women, tall and short, fat and thin.

They all moved toward Tang Jizhi and the others.

“Are… are they zombies?”

The more Du Ziqian looked, the more they resembled the zombies he had seen in movies—except that these “people” were very clean, nothing like the terrifying, rotten monsters from films.

Tang Jizhi’s tightly furrowed brows told him instinctively—

It was not that simple.

The “people” drew closer and closer.

“Dad… Mom… Xiao Cong… Afang…”

Liu Zhongyuan suddenly shouted.

He stared blankly at the approaching figures.

In the next second, he ran toward them.

Du Ziqian murmured in disbelief,

“Grandma… Sister… Why are you here?”

He ran toward them as well.

Then came Lou Yu.

In their eyes, those approaching “people” had all become their own family members.

Tang Jizhi saw his parents standing not far away, waving at him.

“Tangtang, come to Mom.”

His mother looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“Mom hasn’t seen you in so long. I miss you so much.”

“Jizhi, your dad prepared a good pot of wine for you. Come have a drink with me.”

His father waved too.

Tang Jizhi’s vision blurred.

When Tang Jizhi was in his final year of high school, his parents had been driving to his school to bring him food.

Halfway there, they were involved in a traffic accident.

Both of them died on the spot.

After receiving the news, his aunt did not dare inform Tang Jizhi at school.

First, it was because Tang Jizhi was about to take the college entrance examination.

Second, because Tang Jizhi had a heart condition and could not be emotionally overstimulated. She was afraid that telling him over the phone would trigger his illness.

What if something happened?

His aunt and uncle handled the funeral arrangements for his parents.

After everything was settled, his aunt went to the school in person to find Tang Jizhi.

When she saw Tang Jizhi—who looked so much like her sister—she broke down in tears.

She did not know how to tell her nephew such cruel news.

Unexpectedly, Tang Jizhi looked at his distraught aunt and calmly said something that stunned her:

“Aunt, I already know.”

There seemed to be a kind of inexplicable bond between children and their parents.

Before the accident, Tang Jizhi had received a message from his mother.

The message read:

“Tangtang, even if Mom and Dad are gone, you must take good care of yourself and love life. Remember—Mom and Dad will always love you.”

Not long after that, he fell ill in class.

By the time he woke up, it was already evening.

He heard from his classmates that a serious car accident had occurred on the highway, and that the occupants of the car had died.

Tang Jizhi called his mother’s phone.

It was answered by his aunt, who had rushed to the accident scene.

She lied to him.

For many years afterward, Tang Jizhi did not work particularly hard.

He only accepted a few commissions each year—just enough to cover his living expenses.

The rest of the time, he stayed at home, or traveled occasionally.

This was because his mother had told him to love life.

If all your time is consumed by work, how can you talk about loving life?

For all these years, he rarely dwelled on his parents.

Since his parents hoped that he would take good care of himself, he chose to live the way he wanted—so that they could be at ease in the afterlife.

……

Looking at the vivid, lifelike figures of his parents in front of him, Tang Jizhi slowly curved his lips into a smile.

“Jizhi.”

“Son.”

“Master!”

Tang Jizhi did not move at all.

His eyes were clear.

How could he be confused by such an illusion?

When he looked again, he saw Du Ziqian and the others being dragged into the soil by those “people.”

There was no fear on their faces.

Every single one of them wore blissful smiles.

Lou Yu shouted happily,

“Dad, stop scolding me all the time, okay? I’ll bring you home a top-student certificate tomorrow!”

Du Ziqian said shyly,

“Mom… Xiao Ai still hasn’t agreed to marry me yet, so… isn’t this a little too fast?”

Liu Zhongyuan hugged one of the “people” and shouted to his young son,

“Let your dad take a look—hey, you’ve put on weight these past few days!”

……

Tang Jizhi closed his eyes, then opened them again.

His parents were gone.

Those “people” surrounded them.

“Master, my power is being suppressed.”

Suzaku flapped her wings anxiously.

She could not even release a single spark.

Little Red Riding Hood’s delicate face was solemn.

“I know what this is. This is Sister Snow White’s domain world. She dragged us into her domain.”

Blue Eyes rarely spoke, but this time he quietly said,

“Mhm.”

Confirming her words.

Tang Jizhi turned around.

Snow White was still standing at the door, watching them expressionlessly.

“As long as we don’t break Sister Snow White’s domain, she can attack us at any time.”

Little Red Riding Hood understood this feeling very well—the feeling of standing above everyone else and watching them struggle like pieces on a board.

There was a special satisfaction in controlling other people’s lives—watching them panic, rack their brains, and struggle to survive.

She herself used to play such games.

She would set rules and secretly observe how terrified her “guests” looked.

She found it fun.

This was exactly Snow White’s mindset toward them now.

At the same time, this “game” also carried a sense of revenge.

Snow White reached up and gently pulled a strand of hair forward.

Her smooth hair had been scorched by the fire.

A burned house could be restored.

But burned hair could not.

And…

She pressed her fingertips lightly to the back of her head.

A sharp pain shot through her.

It had been a long time since she had felt pain like this.

A moment of daze flickered through Snow White’s eyes.

When was the last time it had hurt this much?

Ah…

Snow White knew exactly how to deal with Suzaku.

Water restrained fire.

Suzaku was suppressed by her power and could not release any flames. Throwing it into the water and watching it struggle to survive was, to her, the cruelest form of torture.

What she did not know, however, was that as a mythical beast of the fire attribute, Suzaku did not fear water at all.

In fact, because of its companions, it could even breathe underwater.

Water posed no threat to it.

Realizing that it had been separated from its master—and sensing how unfathomable Snow White was—Suzaku grew anxious. It had to find Tang Jizhi as soon as possible and stay by his side.

Otherwise, if its master was alone while the others were still asleep and unable to wake up, the danger would be unimaginable.

It was in the water that Suzaku encountered Lan Tong.

In the water, a mermaid could unleash their greatest power.

“Do you know where the master is?!”
Although Suzaku disliked Lan Tong, it knew very well how powerful he was. Since Lan Tong could find it, he would certainly be able to find Tang Jizhi as well.

Lan Tong’s expression was cold.

He was not looking for Tang Jizhi.

He was looking for Snow White.

As long as he found Snow White and killed her, Tang Jizhi would naturally be found.

“What are you doing? The master is alone right now—he’s in danger!”
Seeing Lan Tong standing motionless in the water, Suzaku became so angry that even its claws trembled.

“Stop wasting time and go look for him! The master usually treats you the best— you, you… If you won’t look for him, then I will!”

“Shut up.”

Lan Tong shot it a cold glance.

The killing intent in his eyes was so intense that Suzaku, whose strength was still suppressed, immediately fell silent.

It did not know what Lan Tong had done.

But not long afterward, Snow White appeared.

Suzaku instantly became alert.

Thinking of how it had once worked together with Lan Tong to knock Snow White out, it now clearly realized how terrifying this human was.

It should have burned her to ashes back then.

“You… what exactly are you?”

Snow White pressed her aching temple, disbelief written all over her face.

Inside her own domain, an outsider had actually interfered directly with her thoughts.

She had never taken these two intruders seriously.

In this world, she was the absolute master of power.

Yet Lan Tong’s counterattack completely shattered the belief she had held for countless years.

Guests had come before, and some of them had been special.

There was once a guest who came with tea and taught her how to brew it.

She liked him very much.

But he died.

Snow White’s head began to ache again.

Her aura surged rapidly.

In a single instant, she made a decision.

She was going to kill this outsider.

Lan Tong floated quietly in the water, looking at Snow White from a distance.
His ice-blue eyes were now tinged with a deep, dark blue.

A battle was on the verge of breaking out.

Between Lan Tong and Snow White, the tension was like a drawn bow—ready to snap at any moment.