Li Ye held Ning Wei, knowing she was still a little nervous.
No one could truly remain composed when facing the danger of death.
The big black dog's last value was gone. Ci Yun carried its corpse, step by step, towards the outside.
Outside the mountain god's temple stood a large tree. Beneath it, a hole had already been dug.
Ci Yun gently placed the big black dog inside and, with his bare hands, pushed all the nearby soil down.
The dirt fell onto the big black dog's body, slowly covering it until the last handful of earth was added. The ground became perfectly flat, and no one would have guessed that a big black dog lay here, sacrificed for righteousness.
After finishing, Ci Yun strode into the mountain god's temple, tearing off the black cloth covering the statue in a fit of rage. Then, he knocked all the offerings and the incense burner to the ground.
The incense burner rolled several times on the floor.
"It's your turn." Having done this, Ci Yun turned his gaze to Ning Wei.
Ning Wei released Li Ye's hand and took a step forward. Li Ye suddenly grabbed her hand and asked in a low voice, "Will you remember me?"
Although his question was nonsensical, Ning Wei still answered earnestly, "Of course, I will always remember you."
"Then I am satisfied," Li Ye sighed softly.
What happened next took everyone by surprise.
Ning Wei turned to walk into the mountain god's temple, but Li Ye, from behind her, directly knocked her unconscious.
Ning Wei had no defense against him, so the entire process was seamless.
"What are you doing!" Tang Tang cried out.
Li Ye did not reply. He placed the unconscious Ning Wei on the ground and then said to the others, "Take care of her. The tickets will appear soon, and you can take her onto the bus."
Li Ye's words were extremely odd. Mei Nan looked serious, and Song Zhi wanted to approach him to ask for clarification.
Li Ye merely waved his hand, and an invisible barrier appeared before him.
He took the ring from his pocket and put it on Ning Wei. Finally, he stroked her face and gently kissed her lips.
Song Zhi and the others could not break through the barrier and could only watch him walk step by step into the mountain god's temple.
After Li Ye entered, the mountain god's temple door slammed shut with a bang.
Song Zhi and the others did not know exactly what happened inside. They only knew that after the door closed, the mountain god's temple erupted in a blaze of light, followed by sounds like wailing ghosts.
Song Zhi desperately beat against the barrier, shouting Li Ye's name.
At this point, what else could they not understand?
To protect Ning Wei, Li Ye had sacrificed himself.
But strangely, although the fire in the temple was intense and a lot of smoke seeped from the cracks, the mountain god's temple showed no signs of collapsing.
This continued until the howling sounds inside grew weaker and finally disappeared completely.
When the door opened, only Ci Yun walked out.
His form had now transformed into a human body with a snake's tail, a massive white serpentine tail slithering on the ground, supporting his upper body as he slowly approached them.
"Where is Li Ye!" Song Zhi shouted at Ci Yun, pounding on the screen.
Ci Yun moved his serpentine tail, and the screen vanished.
"Li Ye burned his soul to help me deal with the black snake."
The serpentine tail flicked again, and Ning Wei slowly regained consciousness.
"What happened?" Ning Wei asked.
"It's all over. The tickets are on you now, and the bus will be here soon. You can leave," Ci Yun continued.
Ning Wei vaguely suspected something. Li Ye had indeed been very strange today.
"I'm asking you, where is Li Ye?" she said, looking at Ci Yun, who could no longer maintain his human form.
"Li Ye exchanged places with you. This was the only way to let you live."
From a distance, the sound of the bus horn could be heard. Ci Yun's face showed relief, and he said to them again, "Let's go. It's all over."
Ning Wei looked at the people behind her. They dared not meet her gaze.
Only Tang Tang bravely said to her, "We wanted to stop him, but Li Ye trapped us here. Ci Yun said he used his soul to burn the mountain god."
"Did he truly disappear?" Ning Wei asked Ci Yun, calmly seeking an answer.
Ci Yun's smile was strange as he retorted, "What do you think?"
Ning Wei rushed into the mountain god's temple. It was pitch black inside. The spiritual oppression she had once felt was completely gone.
The mountain god had truly vanished.
Li Ye had also vanished.
Ning Wei shouted Li Ye's name, but he would never appear again.
She felt a strange sensation on her hand. Ning Wei raised her hand and saw the ring that she and Li Ye had painstakingly found in the hotel, now on her own finger.
The ring was jade-green, and her fingers were slender and white.
Ning Wei's tears flowed silently. She caressed the ring, still bearing Li Ye's warmth.
"I will always remember you," she whispered.
Outside, Ci Yun's human form had completely faded, transforming into a true white snake.
He flicked his tongue at Mei Nan and the others, then slithered to the tree where the big black dog was buried, coiling his body around it.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
As soon as he spoke, Ci Yun also dissolved into white smoke.
It scattered with the wind, leaving nothing behind.
Only when the snake's body, which carried the spirit, completely disappeared would the malevolent mountain god truly perish.
In this matter, Ci Yun had never spoken of sacrifice from beginning to end, yet he had long decided his own end.
At this moment, Ning Wei also emerged from the mountain god's temple. She toyed with the ring on her finger and softly said to everyone, "Let's go."
They followed in silence. Reaching into their pockets, they found the bus tickets.
However, this time, the ticket was too heavy, having cost the life of one of their most formidable young men.
"Wait a moment!" a voice suddenly called from behind.
Everyone stopped and turned to see that it was Fang Fang.
"Didn't she leave Bai Xian Town?" Wang Jing exclaimed.
Fang Fang strode up to Ning Wei. "I know you are leaving. Thank you for resolving the man-eating mountain god this time."
"You saw everything?" Ning Wei asked coldly.
Fang Fang nodded. "Li Ye originally told me to leave after spreading the news, but I was worried and stayed here."
It turned out Li Ye had planned everything meticulously, even accounting for everyone.
Ning Wei remained silent. Fang Fang looked at her finger, the ring on it so valuable that one couldn't bear to look away.
"There's something I want to tell you. When Li Ye approached me, he asked me what was the most expressive thing of love. I told him that nowadays lovers give rings to signify they are firmly bound to each other."
Hearing Fang Fang's words, everyone involuntarily turned their gaze to Ning Wei's ring, their eyes filled with unspeakable regret.