There was a mountain god here, and with a new character, Ning Wei definitely had to check it out.
On the road, Ning Wei encountered the master. He was surrounded by a group of people, walking out of a courtyard.
Ning Wei stood under a tree. As soon as the master looked up, he saw her.
He waved to the people around him, "Alright, alright. If you need anything else, come back and find me. I have things to do, so I'll see you off here."
Since the master had spoken, the others could not defy his will, so they dispersed quickly.
Seeing that no one was around, the master walked straight up to Ning Wei and said, "I know why you're here, but given your immense talent, I must warn you. That existence is not something you can afford to provoke. You should leave here quickly."
Ning Wei was completely bewildered, but she looked at the master calmly and said, "The existence you're talking about, it's the mountain god, isn't it."
The master's pupils constricted, and his gaze towards Ning Wei held a hint of disappointment, as if she were failing to live up to her potential.
"Since you know how powerful it is, you should stay far away!"
Ning Wei wanted to say, I really don't know how powerful the mountain god is.
"Then how powerful is it?" Ning Wei's strength was that she asked when she didn't understand.
The master choked for a moment, glanced at Ning Wei, and then flicked his sleeve, walking away.
Ning Wei was thick-skinned. She had already planned to ask about the mountain god. She hadn't expected to meet the master, who seemed to know a lot about this mountain god.
Moreover, from his warning, Ning Wei knew that this master was not as indifferent as outsiders perceived him to be.
At least for his peers, he had some consideration.
The master knew Ning Wei was following behind him. He didn't look back or stop her. The two walked one after another, directly to the master's residence.
His place was at the end of the street, with a bamboo forest behind it. A gust of wind blew, and the bamboo forest rustled, sounding lonely and terrifying.
No wonder Uncle Meng was delayed for so long that night. It turned out the master's residence was indeed very far, and it would waste time to travel back and forth.
In the courtyard, there was a large rooster and a big black dog. They were the only living things in this yard.
As Ning Wei approached the courtyard gate, the big black dog let out a low growl, while the rooster, without even lifting its head, pecked at the ground for insects.
"Since you're here, come in and sit down," the master invited Ning Wei in.
The moment Ning Wei took a step inside, the big black dog approached her, baring its teeth.
"Big Black, get aside!" the master reprimanded.
The dog was very obedient and grudgingly lay down where it was.
From the gate to inside the house, its eyes never left Ning Wei.
The master had already sat down and taken out two cups, pouring two cups of tea.
Ning Wei was quite familiar with the place. She plopped down and picked up a cup, starting to drink.
"Aren't you afraid I'll poison you?" the master raised an eyebrow slightly.
"We're both in the same trade. I trust you." In reality, she had the ability to detect poisons in food. With a simple sniff, she could tell if it was just plain tea.
The master said nothing and, taking his own cup, began to drink.
"Is the mountain god you mentioned really that powerful?" Ning Wei was eager to unlock a new character.
However, the master had no intention of discussing the mountain god with her. Instead, he started asking Ning Wei how she acquired such skills.
Most importantly, he was particularly curious why Ning Wei's blood, like black dog blood, had the effect of warding off evil.
That night, he hadn't forgotten the talismans on the corpse, nor had he overlooked the wound on Ning Wei's finger.
Ning Wei didn't want to stand out as being too special. Since she had been discovered, it was futile to hide it further, so she had to approach it from another angle.
She explained, "Our master's family has passed down a secret recipe that allows ordinary people's blood to ward off evil. In the Taoist temple, all my fellow disciples know this technique. I've only been there for a short time, so I've only learned the basics."
The master stroked his beard, his expression calm, making it impossible to tell if he believed her.
After all, there were countless wonders in the world. Who could guarantee that such a method didn't exist?
If one could cultivate their own blood to have the effect of warding off evil, wouldn't that be invincible?
"I wonder if this method can be revealed to outsiders?"
Ning Wei shook her head slightly. Forget about methods like this; even ordinary ghost-catching techniques wouldn't be casually told to others.
The master was somewhat disappointed, then said to Ning Wei, "It must not be easy to achieve such skills. So, I'll warn you one last time: don't waste your time here. Leave quickly."
"Then the mountain god..." Ning Wei was not resigned and wanted to ask a few more questions.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the master stopped her.
"Don't try to understand it. If you're here for it, I can tell you that you'll only be wasting your time here, and you might even lose your life."
"There are very few women in this line of work. Don't disappoint the Taoist temple's training for you."
After speaking, the master called out, "Big Black!" The black dog quickly ran from the courtyard to the gate.
"You've had your tea, and I've said what I needed to say. You can leave now. Don't come here again. Remember my words."
Ning Wei was speechless. What had he said? He hadn't said anything at all!
On the contrary, he had been relentlessly probing Ning Wei's background. If she hadn't been clever, her entire history would have been laid bare.
The big black dog kept baring its teeth at her, its drool dripping onto the ground. If she lingered any longer, the master would probably set the dog on her.
She didn't know if there was a rabies vaccine here. She didn't want to return to the Taoist temple and scare her master by acting like a mad dog.
"Since you're unwilling to reveal anything else, may I know your name?"
This was a trivial question, and the master had no reason to refuse.
"My name is Ci Yun."
"Master Ci Yun, goodbye." Ning Wei was very sensible and quickly got up.
The big black dog followed her until Ning Wei was far away, then it lay down at the courtyard gate like a bodyguard.
The rooster was still searching for insects in the yard, occasionally scratching the ground with its claws.
This rooster must have been raised for several years. Its claws were sharp and long, and the comb on its head was bright red.
Both the rooster and the black dog were animals that warded off evil. It was normal for Ci Yun to keep two.
Ning Wei walked slowly. There was no one else on the road until she returned to the street, where she gradually saw people passing by.
Ci Yun was like a true master, living a life that seemed detached from the world and avoided interaction with others.
The morning passed just like that. Feeling her empty stomach, Ning Wei started walking towards Yu Baohua's house. No, it should be Yu Jiansheng's house now.
Once the funeral was over, Yu Jiansheng would move in.
Upon returning to the courtyard, Li Ye was already sitting at the table, playing with a teacup.