Uncle Meng happened to come in from outside and saw Ning Wei, so he hurried over to greet her.
"I'm really sorry, that master has a rather peculiar temper, but he's the only one in town who understands these things, and we can't afford to offend him easily. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll arrange a place for you to stay."
Before Ning Wei could reply, the nephew of the deceased arrived.
"No need, Uncle Meng. Master and his companions said they would stay here. Since there's no one else in the house, they won't be disturbed here."
Uncle Meng was conflicted. He had actually wanted to arrange for the masters to stay at his own home. It was rare to encounter a master with genuine abilities, and he had his own selfish motives. He hadn't expected that his brief absence would lead to the胖头鱼's nephew snatching up such a good opportunity.
"There are still a few days until 胖头鱼 is buried. There will be people coming and going, and music will be played. Are you sure this won't disturb Master and his companions?" Uncle Meng tried a different approach.
"This..." The nephew hadn't considered this aspect. He had only thought about how the master could help keep an eye on things for a few more days before the burial.
"It's alright. We're in this line of work; we can't be afraid of being disturbed. Besides, eating here is convenient. Since you'll be preparing three meals a day anyway, if you don't mind, we'll take up one table." Ning Wei didn't want to leave either; she hadn't yet figured out the reason for the reanimation.
Before Uncle Meng could speak, the nephew quickly interjected, "It's no trouble, no trouble at all. It's just a matter of a few extra pairs of chopsticks."
Since both of them had agreed, Uncle Meng had nothing more to say.
"In that case, I'll be here these next few days as well. If you need anything, just let me know anytime." Uncle Meng did not forget to make his presence known.
Ning Wei nodded, then, using the excuse of not wanting to disrupt their important business, returned to her room.
Inside the room, Tang Tang and the others were already lying on the floor mattresses. However, they hadn't fallen asleep. The dinner was a bit salty, and they had eaten quickly and greedily. Now they were feeling thirsty but were too embarrassed to go out and find water. Still, being thirsty was uncomfortable. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, a few of them sent out two representatives. With Ning Wei's status, it wouldn't be difficult for her companions to get some water. Zhu Yilian even complained that the bowls in the kitchen had a fishy smell, and she and Wang Jing had washed them for a long time.
The first night passed without any major incidents. There was no movement from Mei Nan's room; they had likely already fallen asleep.
As soon as dawn broke on the second day, Ning Wei and the others were awakened by the sound of urgent bells. Ning Wei was the first to get dressed and open the door. She saw a man in a yellow Taoist robe performing a ritual in the courtyard. Seeing Ning Wei emerge, the nephew ran over to explain, "Sorry to disturb Master's rest. Due to the reanimation problem last night, we will begin performing rituals from today onwards. Once a day, for a total of three days."
Ning Wei understood, "It's alright."
"After the ritual is completed, you can prepare breakfast. Master can also call the others to get up and get ready."
Ning Wei nodded and turned back into the room.
"What's the task for today?" Tang Tang and the others, sitting up in their quilts, looked at Ning Wei with blank expressions. They clearly had just woken up and were not yet fully alert.
"Let's wander around the town and see what this place is like," Ning Wei said softly.
"And what if we encounter the black cat?" Yuan Yuan asked quietly.
"Stay away from it. You can't handle it," Ning Wei stated truthfully. It could toy with Li Ye; what hope did these novices have?
The group nodded and began to tidy up their floor mattresses, preparing to go out. Just as Ning Wei was about to knock on the next door, Li Ye opened it. After not seeing him for a night, Ning Wei noticed that Li Ye's complexion seemed to have become even fairer. A few playful rays of sunlight slanted in, with one beam falling directly on Li Ye's face. With the added glow of sunlight, he looked even more human.
"They're awake. Is it time to eat?" Li Ye spoke first.
Ning Wei nodded, "After breakfast, let them explore the town. They're new here and have no information."
Li Ye nodded, "Then what will you and I do?"
"I want to figure out the reason for the reanimation of the person in the coffin, and that mysterious black cat. It would be even better if we could capture it."
"Then we'll split up after eating."
Ning Wei looked at him in surprise, "Aren't you coming with me?" They had always acted together.
Li Ye thought for a moment and then explained, "The beads and the ring are no longer working. I want to walk around and see if there's some more powerful treasure at play here. So let's split up today."
Li Ye hadn't cared much about these two treasures before. Since entering the town, Ning Wei had noticed he was acting strangely. Ning Wei studied Li Ye and asked tentatively, "Have you remembered anything?" Ning Wei herself couldn't say whether she wished for him to recall his lost memories quickly, or if she hoped he would stay with the group for a longer, even longer time.
Li Ye shook his head slightly, gently patted Ning Wei's shoulder, and then tenderly tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. The touch of his cold hand on her slightly cool ear made her wonder whose temperature was lower.
"Don't overthink things. I just want to understand why these two things have become lifeless objects." Although Ning Wei didn't entirely believe Li Ye's explanation, she didn't press him further. After all, they were not from the same world, and their paths were bound to diverge eventually.
Women, in their tendency to overthink, seemed to be naturally gifted. Li Ye, simply by not acting with her, had caused Ning Wei to spin a multitude of thoughts. Li Ye, being straightforward, had no idea of a girl's delicate thoughts. Seeing Ning Wei's expression was a bit off, he thought she was tired from dealing with the reanimation last night. He quickly led her to the table where they had eaten the previous night and urged her to eat plenty. After the commotion of last night, only half of the people who had been there were present for breakfast. There were now only five tables, all placed at the sides of the courtyard, leaving the center clear for the ritual. Since the deceased had no descendants, his nephew naturally became the heir and needed to participate in the important steps of the funeral. The ritual itself was simple, and in Ning Wei's opinion, it bore no resemblance to an exorcism. After the ritual, the Taoist priest was to stay for a meal. Tang Tang and the others also gradually got ready and slowly came to sit at the tables. The meal was served quickly. Breakfast was simple and not as lavish as dinner the previous night.