"I know you are proud and arrogant. If something happens to you, I will fight with my life!"
Knowing she couldn't persuade her, Li Ye resorted to emotional blackmail.
Ning Wei liked adventure and wasn't afraid of death, but she couldn't accept others dying for her.
As expected, Li Ye's words caused Ning Wei's expression to shift slightly.
"After we go back tonight, you don't need to say anything. Leave everything to me." Li Ye decisively made the decision for Ning Wei and then, holding her hand, they returned to Yu Baohua's house through a small path.
It was already past the agreed-upon time, but Tang Tang and the others couldn't sleep, so they stayed up playing mahjong, waiting.
During this time, Yu Jiansheng came over once to ask if they needed hot water, but Zhu Yulian brushed him off with a few words.
After midnight, it was too cold in the courtyard, and no one was willing to stay guard. They all went into the adjacent rooms.
Therefore, Ning Wei and the other woman's return over the wall did not attract anyone's attention.
Back inside, everyone looked at the two of them with anticipation.
Ning Wei moved her lips, unsure for the first time how to speak to everyone.
She had walked out of this room full of confidence, only to return with a look of dejection.
Having spent so much time together, this was the first time they had seen such an expression on Ning Wei's face.
Everyone's hearts sank, and no one spoke first.
It was Li Ye who broke the silence, saying, "We'll talk about it tomorrow. For tonight, everyone should go back to their rooms and rest."
No one questioned him. Everyone quietly tidied up the table, and soon Li Ye, Song Zhi, and Mei Nan returned to the adjacent room.
The sisters lay on the floor mats. Because Ning Wei was in low spirits, everyone didn't even dare to move around casually.
Ning Wei opened her eyes, looking at the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the window, lost in thought.
In her ears were the uneven breaths of Tang Tang and the others, and the distant arguments from playing cards in the main hall.
Gradually, the breathing of her teammates became steadier, and the four of them had fallen asleep.
Unable to sleep, Ning Wei sat up, leaning against the uneven wall, her hands unconsciously twisting.
The moonlight remained constant, and Ning Wei kept her eyes open until dawn.
After dawn, Ning Wei got up immediately and left the room, walking on the street.
She unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Master Ci Yun's courtyard. The big rooster was crowing, and the big black dog, with its ears perked up, stared intently at Ning Wei.
Seeing Ning Wei not leaving, the big black dog couldn't help but bark.
"Da Hei!" a reprimand came from inside the house.
Ning Wei looked up and saw Master Ci Yun walking out of the house holding a teacup. Da Hei sat obediently beside him, like a loyal guardian.
"You've seen it." Master Ci Yun's first words to Ning Wei were this.
His tone was certain, and though he didn't explicitly say it, both of them clearly understood who "it" was.
"May I come in?" Ning Wei didn't directly answer his question.
Ci Yun nodded, patted Da Hei's head, and Da Hei immediately lay down obediently on the ground.
Ning Wei slowly walked in. Da Hei whimpered softly. Ci Yun coughed, and Da Hei no longer dared to draw attention to itself.
Ci Yun and Ning Wei sat opposite each other at the tea table. The bitter and fragrant aroma of tea wafted with wisps of steam.
"I already warned you, why did you still provoke it?" Ci Yun's tone held a sense of disappointment.
Ning Wei lowered her head and remained silent.
Ci Yun sighed deeply, "Go back."
"I want to know, who is it?" This was the question that had troubled Ning Wei all night.
"It's in the Mountain God Temple. Who do you think it is?" Ci Yun retorted.
Ning Wei shook her head. It couldn't be the Mountain God. The Mountain God wouldn't kill innocent people, nor would it greedily demand offerings.
Even more so, it wouldn't induce believers to make deals with it!
"Knowing too much won't do you any good. Remember my words, leave here quickly, and don't provoke it again!"
Seeing Ning Wei's continued stubbornness, Ci Yun began to dismiss her.
Ning Wei knew she wouldn't get the information she wanted from Ci Yun. After quietly thanking him, she turned and left the courtyard.
On the way back, Ning Wei heard someone suddenly setting off firecrackers on the road, a loud and resounding noise.
She followed the sound and saw a man holding a plate and distributing wedding candies.
Everyone who passed by received a handful. Ning Wei walked past and was forcefully given a handful of candy, "My wife gave birth to a big healthy boy today, everyone come and share the joy."
This man was the one who had offered three sheep as a sacrifice at the Mountain God Temple last night to exchange for his wish.
Ning Wei asked him softly, "Was it full term?"
The man looked at Ning Wei with confusion. Although he didn't know why she would ask this question, he still answered honestly, "No, it was half a month early."
Ning Wei clenched the wedding candies in her hand and then returned to Yu Baohua's house.
It was already past breakfast time. Since everyone didn't know where Ning Wei had gone, they sat in the courtyard waiting.
During this interval, Li Ye explained to everyone what had happened last night.
According to him, that Mountain God was not a being they could contend with, so it was best to stay put and wait for the bus to pick them up.
Everyone agreed with this suggestion.
After all, their initial goal was to leave smoothly, not to investigate the so-called Mountain God.
Some people were curious about how magical and effective this Mountain God was, but after meeting Li Ye's gaze, those thoughts were forcefully suppressed.
Ning Wei returned with the wedding candies. Tang Tang took an egg from her pocket and handed it to her, "It's already breakfast time. I saved an egg for you, eat it quickly."
"Where did the others go?" Only Ning Wei's teammates were in the courtyard now; Yu Baohua's friends and family were not there.
"They went to make arrangements for the burial today, and it can be done tomorrow morning," Wang Jing replied.
Ning Wei took out a handful of wedding candies from her pocket and placed them on the table.
Everyone was a little surprised. Song Zhi quickly asked, "Where did these candies come from?"
"The man who offered sacrifices to the Mountain God last night. His wife gave birth to a son today. He gave me these when he passed by, saying it was to share the good fortune."
Everyone fell silent, staring at the wedding candies in a daze.
Ning Wei continued, "That man said his wife gave birth half a month early. She went into labor this morning and gave birth in less than two hours. He wasn't prepared for the early delivery and was a bit flustered."
"Did the Mountain God really manifest?" Yuan Yuan glanced at everyone and then asked softly.
In her understanding, such a miraculous event had never happened before.
"Perhaps," Ning Wei replied softly, her voice distant, her emotions still subdued.
Just then, a group of people rushed in.