Her actions served as a silent warning to Yu Jiansheng in his eyes.
Yu Jiansheng was so scared he wet himself. He didn't even dare to look at Fangfang's eyes.
Ning Wei looked at him expectantly, and Yu Jiansheng slowly revealed where he had hidden the money.
After he finished speaking, he repeatedly assured Ning Wei, "I'm not lying. Master, please don't let Fangfang kill me. I promise I'll live well with her from now on and won't cause any more trouble."
Ning Wei had no interest in his crocodile tears. She pulled Fangfang and began treasure hunting in the house.
Having brushed shoulders with death, Yu Jiansheng now wished for nothing more than to stay alive.
He hadn't lied. Ning Wei and Fangfang found bundles of money wrapped in plastic bags, rolled up, in various places.
Yu Baohua must have been a rabbit in his past life, hiding money in the most bizarre places, even in the crevices of rocks above the toilet.
The two of them entered the house with their full haul. Under Ning Wei's sparkling gaze, Fangfang began to count.
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but Yu Jiansheng could hear it perfectly clearly.
Expenses were low in this small town. This money would be enough for Fangfang to live for at least ten to twenty years.
"Compared to the thrill of killing, money in hand is more secure, wouldn't you agree?" Ning Wei was reminding Fangfang not to do anything foolish.
Fangfang looked at Ning Wei. Their eyes met for a long time, and finally, Fangfang nodded.
Ning Wei's task for the night was considered complete. Before leaving, she couldn't resist reminding Fangfang, "If it weren't for the Mountain God guiding things, you wouldn't have experienced this in the first place. Don't you think so?"
The townspeople revered the Mountain God greatly, so they wouldn't have suspected anything else.
However, Ning Wei was not from here. As an observer, she saw things very clearly.
Fangfang suddenly understood, but due to prolonged mental manipulation, she couldn't immediately say anything disrespectful to the Mountain God.
Ning Wei left it at that. She carried her basket in one hand, gently patted Fangfang's shoulder with the other, and then walked out of the Yu residence.
Fangfang leaned against the doorframe, watching Ning Wei's receding figure.
There were no streetlights in the town. After dark, only moonlight served as a guide.
As her figure grew smaller, Fangfang recalled Ning Wei's parting words, and her faith slowly began to shift.
Returning to the Meng family's house, they had already finished dinner, but Ning Wei's meal was kept warm in a pot on the stove.
Li Ye was waiting for her under the grape trellis, reading a book.
Because Ning Wei had been delayed for too long at the Yu residence, and everyone had been through a lot today, they had retired to their rooms early to rest.
"Did you figure it out?" Li Ye had guessed what she was doing when Ning Wei didn't return for so long.
Ning Wei sat down and nodded slightly.
She hadn't felt hungry while she was busy, but shortly after leaving the Yu residence, her stomach began to rumble.
Her stomach wouldn't stop growling intermittently all the way back.
Li Ye looked at her with amusement and said very gently, "Wait for me."
The kitchen light was dim and yellow. Li Ye moved around inside and soon came out with a steaming hot meal.
While Ning Wei was eating heartily, Li Ye told her, "Song Zhi and the others went to the Mountain God Temple today. They suspect the bus hasn't come because a hidden task wasn't completed, so they went to investigate behind our backs."
Ning Wei wasn't surprised by this. It seemed like something they would do.
There was no need to ask what happened next; judging by their demeanor, they had come back empty-handed.
"We were scolded by that deity the last time we went to the Mountain God Temple. Why are they unharmed?" Ning Wei was curious about this. Did the Mountain God play favorites?
"Perhaps it's the difference between day and night," Li Ye wasn't sure of the exact reason, but considering that people in this town usually prayed to the deity at night, it was likely that the deity only appeared then.
If their suspicions were true, then the so-called task might have been intended for Ning Wei, but she had refused it.
Ning Wei was conflicted because she couldn't quite understand the Mountain God.
Li Ye was patient, waiting for Ning Wei to tell him the truth.
Due to her special constitution, Ning Wei could always access the core of the events at any station.
Li Ye believed this time was no different. Perhaps Ning Wei had many thoughts she hadn't shared with everyone, which was why she kept them hidden.
The two sat in silence in the courtyard. After Ning Wei returned, Li Ye stopped reading and instead kept his gaze fixed on her, even if it was just her profile.
Ning Wei was lost in thought, recalling everything that had happened since entering the town and all the decisions she had made.
In that place with the wooden house, river, and white snake, the reason she hadn't immediately agreed to the white snake's suggestion was that she couldn't figure out its identity.
From being entangled when she entered the Mountain God Temple to Fangfang carrying a spirit child and Ning Wei producing only little black snakes, what was the true form of the Mountain God?
Ning Wei's head ached from thinking. She was utterly confused by this Mountain God.
She turned to look at Li Ye, only to find him staring at her intently.
"What are you looking at?"
"You."
Ning Wei was speechless.
"Actually, there are some things I haven't told everyone. It's mainly because I haven't figured them out myself, so..."
"I understand. So are you going to tell me now?"
Ning Wei thought that since they had already begun acting behind each other's backs, her deliberate concealment was highly inappropriate.
She could be angry at Song Zhi and the others for acting alone, and they likewise had reason to resent Ning Wei for not telling them the truth.
Putting herself in their shoes, Ning Wei felt she shouldn't continue to agonize alone.
She told Li Ye about what happened after she fell asleep at night. She spoke so engrossed that she didn't notice Li Ye's darkening face.
She emphasized the matter of the white snake and its suggestion: "Do you think I missed the task everyone is talking about?"
"You won't have missed it. Since you've been chosen, it will find you again," Li Ye replied softly, though only he knew the turmoil in his heart.
No wonder Ning Wei seemed so sleepy during the day; she was being dragged into another space every night.
Yet, they were completely unaware of all this. Li Ye felt immense regret.
If his two treasures hadn't lost their powers, he would never have been so oblivious.
At this point, Li Ye's desire to reclaim all his memories intensified to an extreme.