He only hated his own inadequacy, otherwise how could he watch the black snake make mistakes and have to use another identity to clean up its mess?
The black snake and white snake were originally one body, just that half of it was occupied by a vengeful spirit, and they were both fighting for control of the body.
The white snake had lived for so long, and from initial indifference to current regret, its heart had suffered for many years.
In the beginning, it accepted incense offerings and felt elated, thus ignoring the appearance of the black snake.
This could be considered its own trial. If it had acted sooner, it wouldn't have allowed the black snake to grow stronger to the point where it was now beyond control.
Now, it was too late for the white snake to regret. Its own power was insufficient to deal with the black snake, so it could only secretly fight it, struggling not to disappear, hoping to wait for a chance to make amends.
The moment he saw Ning Wei, Ci Yun knew he had finally found the person.
Li Ye sat there until dark, and Ci Yun accompanied him until dark.
When night fell, Li Ye got up and walked out.
Ci Yun suddenly said, "You care a lot about Ning Wei, why?"
Although Ning Wei's body was special, it was not as unique as his own, who had enjoyed incense offerings from the mortal world.
Li Ye looked down on himself, which showed how powerful he was.
A powerful being and a weak person, no matter how you looked at it, it was hard to imagine any connection between them.
Li Ye stood in the darkness and answered Ci Yun without looking back, "Although you are special, it's a pity. All your life you've only known how to absorb incense and fight the black snake, never sparing a glance for the human world's everyday life."
Ci Yun was stunned, not knowing what to say to refute Li Ye.
After Li Ye left, he stroked the big black dog's head and said, "I've always been absorbing the human world's everyday life, and I don't feel anything special about it."
If Ning Wei could see Ci Yun's expression at this moment, she would surely be able to guess his true identity.
His current dazed look was very similar to the white snake that was wriggling in the small river.
After Ning Wei and the others left Ci Yun's courtyard, they all silently followed behind her, afraid she would disappear from their sight and go to find the black snake.
She kept walking forward and finally sat by the side of the small river.
There were pebbles and some large stones on the side, which women used as benches when washing clothes.
The river water was clear, and at its deepest, it was no more than two meters. Small fish, about a palm's length, could be seen swimming at the bottom, looking very leisurely.
Everyone else also sat silently on the side, not daring to make a sound to disturb them.
Perhaps it was boredom, or perhaps the small fish in the water were too clever, they slowly swam closer to the edge, making Zhu Yilian and the others unable to resist reaching out to catch them.
Ning Wei's hand was also in the water. After soaking for a while, she began to stir it.
Ripples spread across the water's surface, scaring away the mischievous little fish.
She suddenly said, "There really is a rotten smell in this water."
Zhu Yilian's hand was still in the water. Upon hearing Ning Wei's words and recalling the story Ci Yun had told, she was so scared that she quickly raised her hand and desperately shook the water droplets off.
Ning Wei chuckled and looked back at everyone.
Zhu Yilian immediately realized she had been tricked and looked at Ning Wei unhappily.
"You all looked like I was about to die, so I specifically told a joke to tease you."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Mei Nan frowned at Ning Wei, which was rare.
"Isn't there a second path? At worst, we'll fight it to the death here. I don't believe that after decades here, we can't change everyone's beliefs!" Tang Tang said confidently.
Ning Wei was touched, but she was not the type to show it. Instead, she began to pour cold water on them, "What if we can't live that long?"
What she said was also true, so Tang Tang didn't know how to respond.
Yuan Yuan said in a low voice, "Anyway... we don't agree to let you go and eliminate the black snake."
Ning Wei looked into the distance, "Let's wait a little longer. Maybe there are other ways out."
Ning Wei thought about the unfinished words of the white snake. She wanted to find an opportunity to talk to the white snake again. What if the white snake had a better solution?
When they returned to the Meng family, Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng quickly got up, "You must be hungry, we'll have dinner right away."
The couple didn't ask where everyone had been but instead focused on preparing dinner.
When they hadn't returned, the two of them sat in the courtyard and waited. The food in the kitchen was kept warm, emitting a faint fragrance.
Knowing that Ning Wei and her group were special, the Meng couple was very tactful and never inquired about their affairs.
Li Ye had not returned even after dinner.
Ning Wei sat in the courtyard waiting. Aunt Meng reminded her softly, "I've kept the food warm in the pot. Remember to have him eat when he returns. Young people shouldn't go hungry."
Looking at Aunt Meng's kind face, Ning Wei nodded gently.
The others had returned to their rooms. They had already decided that if the black snake attacked them again, they would resist with all sorts of methods, and they would not let the black snake succeed.
Eat when it's time to eat, sleep when it's time to sleep, conserve energy, and fight the dark forces with all their might!
Seeing everyone encouraging each other, Ning Wei felt a warmth in her heart.
Yesterday, Li Ye was waiting for her in the courtyard. Today, the roles had reversed, and it was her waiting for Li Ye.
But Ning Wei didn't have Li Ye's patience. She lay on the lounge chair and glared at the moon.
After a long time, her eyelids grew heavy, and she felt drowsy.
When Li Ye returned, he saw Ning Wei fast asleep.
His face was full of tenderness. He took off his clothes and gently draped them over Ning Wei.
Ning Wei was very alert. As soon as the clothes touched her, she immediately opened her eyes.
Seeing that it was Li Ye, the alertness in her eyes completely receded, replaced by a tenderness she hadn't even noticed herself.
Rubbing her blurry eyes, she said with a hint of complaint, "Why are you only back now?"
Li Ye reached out and tidied her stray hair. "You must be tired. Go back to your room and sleep."
Ning Wei nodded, raised her hand to let Li Ye help her up, and then slowly returned to her room.
Li Ye was not human; he didn't need to eat.
Ning Wei had been waiting in the courtyard just because she wanted to see him return.
As long as Li Ye was here, Ning Wei felt at ease.
After entering the room, Ning Wei observed the condition of everyone else. They seemed to be truly asleep.
She didn't know if the black snake was too tired to attack them, or if it was determined to get her.
This hurdle was indeed difficult to overcome. The vengeful spirit that had accepted incense offerings for years was no longer a being that Ning Wei could easily deal with.
Ning Wei sighed softly and then slowly closed her eyes, wishing that the white snake would come to talk to her properly.