Those who came and went here knew that these strangers were Yu Jiansheng's guests, so no one inquired about their origins.
Furthermore, Ning Wei had previously shown her skill by resolving the issue of the reanimated corpse.
With her status, people dared not casually strike up a conversation.
After all, Master Ci Yun, a figure in town, was a stern man who would fly into a rage at the slightest provocation.
Taking Master Ci Yun as an example, everyone believed that people in this profession were difficult to approach and had peculiar tempers.
"Any discoveries today?" Ning Wei plunked herself down opposite Li Ye.
Li Ye poured a cup of water and, without regard for its temperature, dipped his finger into it. He then wrote "Mountain God" on the table.
This coincided with Ning Wei's own findings. However, it was not the time for conversation. Ning Wei nodded slightly at Li Ye, indicating that she had arrived at the same conclusion.
Their prolonged interaction had fostered a tacit understanding, allowing them to communicate directly on the table with tea. Just a few words were enough for the other to grasp their meaning.
Moreover, the water dried quickly, preventing others from seeing their exchange.
From the information Li Ye revealed, he had directly located the mountain god temple. Although the power of his two treasures was suppressed, he could still sense certain things through them.
The mountain god temple was located far from the street, at the foot of a mountain.
It was an ordinary temple, no larger than ten square meters. Although no one was seen burning incense, the offerings and the flow of incense were exceptionally generous.
Therefore, it could be concluded that this mountain god temple was very popular in the area.
Ning Wei, through the mention of the mountain god, immediately thought of the town's name—Bai Xian Town.
There must be a connection between the two, but she had yet to uncover the reason.
It was not the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, so the incense traffic shouldn't be this heavy. Yet, according to Li Ye's description, this ordinary mountain god temple was extremely popular.
Mountain gods were typically guardians of local peace. People would offer prayers to the mountain god for their wishes and beseech their protection to fulfill them sooner.
However, such matters could only be considered as a form of solace. Even if successful, it was due to one's own efforts, with no relation to the mountain god.
This was Ning Wei's general understanding of mountain gods, but it did not mean that the townspeople thought the same way.
As for how the locals viewed the mountain god, they needed to put in more effort to investigate.
The others also returned gradually, just as lunch was being prepared in the kitchen.
Although there was nothing to do here, friends and family had to stay day by day. Meals were arranged every day, so boredom was often dispelled by chatting or playing cards.
Ning Wei and the others remained at the same table. As everyone returned, Li Ye voluntarily sat back beside her.
There was no other choice. The table could only seat eight people. If they sat separately, it would mean someone else would have to sit with Li Ye.
It wasn't that people were unwilling, but under Tang Tang's subtle hints, they had sensed a rift between Ning Wei and Li Ye.
They couldn't easily get involved and pretended not to notice.
Moreover, Li Ye's主动 move to sit with her signified his concession.
When two people argued, if one yielded, the other would not hold their ground for too long.
This was not the place for discussion, so everyone had to suppress their desire to share and focus on eating their fill.
After the meal, some guests were feeling extremely drowsy and left the courtyard.
Consequently, there were significantly fewer guests in the Yu residence during the afternoon.
However, even so, it was not an opportune time to talk.
Youngsters like Tang Tang loved to sleep, and even Mei Nan, who was middle-aged, habitually took a nap at noon due to the nature of her work.
So, Ning Wei waved her hand, instructing everyone to return to their rooms to sleep.
Investigating the matter was important, but a midday nap was even more crucial.
Sleeping on the floor, even with thick quilts, still made the ground feel hard, and Ning Wei had not rested well the entire night.
Yawning constantly, she was the first to return to her room.
In the eyes of others, she was still angry with Li Ye, which was why she entered the room first.
The two protagonists were completely unaware of the speculation.
Accompanied by the sounds of card games outside, the group slowly closed their eyes.
In the afternoon, they did not leave the courtyard but obtained playing cards from Yu Jiansheng.
Since boarding this bus, they had not engaged in any leisure activities. As it was not a good time for conversation and there were fewer people outside in the afternoon, there were no leads.
Song Zhi, upon receiving the cards, began to invite everyone to play Dou Dizhu.
However, Dou Dizhu only required three players, leaving the other five to watch idly.
Ning Wei, hearing the sounds of Mahjong nearby, felt a surge of enthusiasm.
Back when she was in the Taoist temple, her senior and junior brothers would often take her to a secluded hut to play Mahjong in secret.
They thought they had been flawless, but they were eventually discovered by their master.
Such frivolous pursuits, once discovered, would result in severe punishment.
The group knelt uniformly before their master, with everyone holding their hands high, awaiting the master's bamboo cane.
In the end, the master's scolding was anticlimactic, and each person received only one strike.
Later that night, the master, unable to sleep, stumbled upon them playing Mahjong again. Under everyone's strong urging, the master joined them.
Recalling past events, Ning Wei's face lit up with a warm smile.
Since there was nothing else to do, she asked Yu Jiansheng to bring another set of Mahjong tiles.
There were no automatic Mahjong machines here. Although they had to build the wall manually, it added a certain charm.
Tang Tang and the others knew how to play, but they rarely had the opportunity to play Mahjong.
Following Ning Wei's suggestion, the young ladies had only played two rounds when they saw Zhu Yulian and Yuanyuan rolling up their sleeves, ready for a serious game.
They had initially assumed that masters were like Ci Yun, stoic and unapproachable, but unexpectedly, Ning Wei was so amiable.
If Ning Wei and her friends hadn't been playing for fun, Yu Jiansheng himself would have been tempted to join.
There were eight of them in total. Three played Dou Dizhu, and four played Mahjong, leaving Li Ye as the extra person.
Li Ye would not join either game, so he sat quietly beside Ning Wei, watching her play.
Each time Ning Wei was close to winning, she would unconsciously purse her lips. This small gesture went unnoticed by others, but Li Ye observed it closely.
Throughout the entire afternoon, no one called a halt, not even with aching shoulders.
It wasn't until Yu Jiansheng announced that dinner was being prepared that Tang Tang and the others began to clear the table.
After dinner, as the sun began to set, candles were relit in the white lanterns in the courtyard.
The night primarily involved keeping watch, and not too many people needed to stay. Therefore, they had privately agreed to take turns.