"Knocking out the bride directly is an option, but we don't even know where the bride is," Mei Nan particularly regretted not stopping Yuan Yuan earlier.
It was already past noon, and the wedding was scheduled for after dark. Time was running out, and they couldn't stay put any longer.
Mei Nan immediately decided that he and Song Zhi would dig the pit, while Wang Jing and Zhu Yi Lian would go with Tang Tang to find Yuan Yuan outside. Ning Wei and Li Ye would guard the courtyard, and the remaining three men would roam the village, specifically responsible for gathering and relaying information.
Without delay, Mei Nan and Song Zhi found abandoned hoes behind the house. Fortunately, they were still usable. The two left the courtyard in a hurry, not daring to linger for a moment.
Digging a pit was difficult, but filling one was quite easy. So, the two of them were sufficient for the task.
With everyone splitting up, soon only Ning Wei and Li Ye remained in the courtyard.
Finally getting another chance to be alone, Ning Wei held onto him, preventing him from leaving.
"What are you doing?" Li Ye frowned, looking at her.
"What are your thoughts or suggestions on the current situation?"
"Didn't you all already discuss it?"
"You also think it's feasible?"
"What, you who dare to kill and set fires, now you don't trust your own decisions?" Li Ye said pointedly, smiling at Ning Wei.
Ning Wei rolled her eyes fiercely. She knew asking him was pointless!
She let go of Li Ye's clothes and even gave him a hard push.
Li Ye didn't expect such a childish move from her and slipped, almost falling.
However, he was agile and quickly regained his balance.
"Little one, quite skilled."
Based on the move Li Ye had just shown, Ning Wei was certain that this person was no ordinary individual.
Li Ye had already walked out of the courtyard by then. He easily climbed a tree, faster than Ning Wei could.
Her senior brother used to call Ning Wei "little monkey," but after seeing Li Ye, she truly felt that the title of "little monkey" should belong to Li Ye.
Ning Wei glanced at Li Ye, who was sitting steadily on the tree trunk. She couldn't tell if he was human or ghost.
Her own abilities were still not good enough!
Time passed slowly. Those digging the pit hadn't returned, those searching for people hadn't returned, and even those solely responsible for gathering information hadn't shown up.
Aunt Zhang did come by once, but she was specifically there to check if the courtyard was properly prepared, as the bride would be married from here.
The time grew later, and they could already hear how much the villagers had prepared for this wedding and how much they were anticipating it.
Yet, this anticipation would come at the cost of a girl's life.
Indeed, behind beauty lay the deepest pain.
By the time it was dusk, Zhu Yi Lian and the other two returned. "We searched the whole village, but we couldn't find Yuan Yuan."
Next, Mei Nan and the others returned. Song Zhi was carrying a woman in a red dress. Upon closer inspection, it was Yuan Yuan, whom Zhu Yi Lian and the others had searched for all afternoon without success.
Without time for explanations, Mei Nan put down the hoe and, along with Song Zhi, placed Yuan Yuan back onto the bed.
Yuan Yuan had lost consciousness and allowed them to position her.
Song Zhi, with his obsession for order, insisted on placing Yuan Yuan's feet flat and her hands on either side of her waist. Combined with Yuan Yuan's eyes being tightly closed at that moment, anyone unfamiliar would have thought she had already ascended to paradise.
Ning Wei saw Yuan Yuan's chest rise and fall slightly, confirming she was only temporarily unconscious.
"What happened?" Ning Wei asked after settling Yuan Yuan.
Mei Nan explained, "Just as we were about to finish filling the grave pit, she suddenly ran out, shouting and insisting we were ruining her good deed. We were filling the earth, and she was digging it out with her hands. To finish quickly, we knocked her out. Now the grave pit is filled, and the bride is unconscious. Although the whole process wasn't as planned, the outcome is exactly the same."
Zhu Yi Lian and Wang Jing walked in carrying candles. Before closing the door, they told Ning Wei, "We'll change her wedding dress!"
This detail was something no one had considered, and they couldn't help but give these two girls a nod of approval.
The clothes were quickly changed. Wang Jing came out holding the wedding dress, a trace of fear on her face. "What should we do with this dress?"
"Give it to me," Ning Wei said, reaching out to take it.
She threw the dress on the ground and used a candle to set it ablaze.
She had expected it might be difficult, but surprisingly, the dress burned like any ordinary cloth.
Fabric was highly flammable, and the dress was soon reduced to ashes.
To destroy any evidence, Zhu Yi Lian directly used a shovel to scatter the ashes outside.
Wang Jing then sprinkled all the leftover plant ash from cooking throughout the courtyard, under the pretense of covering up the truth.
After these tasks were completed, it was finally dark.
Since Aunt Zhang had mentioned that the wedding ceremony would begin after dark, their agreed-upon time to return was before nightfall, regardless of whether the mission was completed.
A total of twelve passengers had returned, with eleven arriving successively.
"That person named Zheng Qu seems to have never appeared," Wang Jing whispered.
The three of them had encountered other passengers while searching for Yuan Yuan in the village, but they hadn't seen Zheng Qu at all.
"Could he have been detained by the villagers?" Zhu Yi Lian boldly speculated.
Mei Nan shook his head. "It shouldn't have come to that. We haven't had a complete falling out, so why would they detain someone so casually?"
"Ever since we arrived in this village, I felt he was acting strangely," Song Zhi said in a low voice.
But when everyone asked him to elaborate on what was strange, Song Zhi couldn't pinpoint anything specific.
Song Zhi became agitated later. "Do you think because he and I were at odds before, I would take advantage of his absence to badmouth him now?"
Mei Nan saw he was getting emotional and quickly patted his shoulder to appease him. "No one meant that."
"I believe you!" Ning Wei poured a glass of water and handed it to Song Zhi.
"Zheng Qu had a low presence before, but after arriving in Qiuyin Village, he became someone you couldn't ignore. A sudden change in personality must have a hidden reason."
Song Zhi managed a weak smile, drank the water, and fell silent.
At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from the distance.
"Are they coming to pick up the bride?" Hearing the sound, everyone forgot about their other concerns, their attention drawn to the approaching noise.
The music, which originally symbolized joy, grew louder in the darkness, carrying a hint of eeriness.
It sounded less like a bride being fetched and more like someone being sent away.
Amidst the complex music, a rough gasp could be heard.
Ning Wei recognized this sound the most. "They're carrying a coffin."
"Then what do we do?" At this critical moment, everyone was still at a loss.
To save Yuan Yuan, they would likely have to break ties with the villagers tonight.
"Wait and see!" Ning Wei could only utter these four words.