The first step was to visit the Ci Yun family again. This time, Ning Wei was not alone; behind her were teammates who had supported her and were even willing to give their lives for her.
Li Ye surprisingly did not join them. He had preferred to act alone for the past two days, and Ning Wei had sensed something was amiss.
"Are you... hiding something from us?" Ning Wei asked tentatively.
Li Ye shook his head. "I want to go and see the mountain god temple. Perhaps I can encounter the other mountain god you mentioned. I have the ability to protect myself, so I am more suited than anyone else to go there."
Before Ning Wei could say anything more, Li Ye turned and left, giving her no chance to speak.
Tang Tang and the others stood at a distance, staring at Ning Wei with confusion.
Just this morning, they had seemed so close.
Li Ye was acting strangely; it was obvious to everyone.
However, there were too many things to resolve now, so they decided to put this aside for the moment.
Little did they know that what happened next would be more than any of them could bear.
"Let's go," Ning Wei said to everyone.
Putting aside other thoughts, resolving the mountain god issue was the most important thing.
The white snake Ning Wei had seen had only asked for her help in defeating the other one, but had not specified how to do it. Therefore, everyone was still unsure of whose side to take.
The group arrived outside the Ci Yun courtyard. They expected to be turned away again, but to their surprise, Ci Yun was sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea.
Beside him, a large rooster pecked for insects on the ground, and a large black dog dozed at his feet.
"I have been waiting for you," Ci Yun said.
Ning Wei glanced at her companions, then walked to the courtyard entrance and asked, "You have been waiting for us?"
"Come in," Ci Yun said, gesturing with his arm.
They followed his gaze and saw that several stools were placed nearby, exactly enough for the seven of them.
The group was quick to act, taking the stools and gathering around the tea table.
Although there were only two teacups on the table, they paid it no mind.
Ci Yun poured a cup for Ning Wei and then said slowly, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."
"I came, but you were not here," Ning Wei countered immediately.
"I know. You even ransacked my home."
Ning Wei felt no embarrassment and added, "Too bad I didn't find anything."
It was clear that she was genuinely disappointed.
Everyone felt awkward for Ning Wei, as rummaging through someone's home in their absence was not something most people would do.
Ning Wei's expression was very candid, and Ci Yun did not seem to mind.
On the contrary, he admired Ning Wei's way of doing things, so unique, no wonder she had attracted the attention of that person.
Ci Yun thought this and then said it.
Ning Wei was greatly surprised. "Who are you, and how do you know these things?"
Ci Yun smiled mysteriously and then said to Ning Wei, "I have a story here. Are you interested in hearing it?"
"I'm all ears," Ning Wei said. She loved hearing stories, as they often contained the truth everyone was seeking.
The others also looked very curious, watching Ci Yun intently.
Even the large black dog pricked up its ears, its dark eyes wide open.
Ci Yun picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat.
This tea was picked by him from the mountains when he had free time. Although it wasn't a premium variety, it had a long-lasting, unique flavor due to its natural qualities.
After drinking the tea, Ning Wei thoughtfully refilled his cup. However, Ci Yun did not drink more. Watching the wisps of steam, he began his story.
"Once upon a time, there was an unknown small town with a population of no more than a thousand people.
One summer, there was a torrential downpour. The small river outside the town overflowed, first submerging the small bridge, then collecting water from all directions, and finally turning into a river that surged towards the town.
The only road out of the town was that small bridge, but it was now submerged, and no one dared to venture into the water to test its depth.
So, everyone decided to climb up the mountain. They didn't believe that the overflowing floodwaters could engulf the large mountain behind them.
Men, women, old, and young, they all held hands and climbed the mountain.
But when they looked back, they discovered that the entire town had been submerged.
They hid on the mountain for a long time. Because it kept raining, some people couldn't withstand it and fell ill, and their food supplies wouldn't last long.
The elderly began to pray to heaven. At this moment, someone found a small mountain god temple in a corner.
The temple was low and humble. If it hadn't been for the continuous rain and the erosion of the mud and water in recent days, it would not have had the chance to be seen again.
Some people believed this was a sign from heaven and prayed desperately to the mountain god.
Unfortunately, the mountain god never appeared.
This was the largest flood to occur that year, and many people died, including those in this town.
After finishing his story, Ci Yun looked at Ning Wei with a hint of majesty and unwavering gaze. He asked, 'Do you think this is the truth of the story?'
Ning Wei chuckled, 'This is the story everyone is most satisfied with. Whether it's the truth or not is no longer important.'
Ci Yun's eyes softened slightly, and he continued.
At that time, food was the most important thing, the key to survival.
Therefore, human nature was particularly evident here.
To allow their younger generations to live, some elders voluntarily jumped into the river.
With this beginning, things became uncontrollable.
Those younger generations, with ferocious eyes, directly deprived the elders of their food. In those few days, many people starved to death or died of illness.
To cover up the truth, they threw all the bodies into the water, letting the gradually receding floodwaters carry away the corpses, and also their conscience.
At this moment, they suddenly saw a large white snake dart into the water from the forest, whether it was seeking survival or for the bodies in the water, they did not know.
Later, the floodwaters receded, and only a few hundred people survived in the entire town.
To conceal the truth, they used the mountain god to tell a story of sacrifice for love.
When they rebuilt their homes, they even deliberately built a very large mountain god temple.
As for the statue, they used that snake as its form.
Only a story that is half true and half false can deceive everyone.
As time passed, even those who had witnessed the truth began to believe that the story was the most moving version.
"So, to survive, those people forced the weak elders to their deaths?" Zhu Yulian couldn't believe the truth she heard, her voice trembling slightly.
Out of a thousand people in the town, only a few hundred remained. This was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one!
No one answered her. They were all immersed in shock.
This was a huge lie prepared by those who survived that year.
Beneath the lie lay the buried bodies of countless elderly people.
Their faces were blurred, but their resentment was immense!"