This was not the end. Ning Wei walked to the base of the tree and directly shook Li Ye down.
Li Ye looked at her with displeasure. Ning Wei was not afraid and began to assign him tasks.
"Keep an eye on the house. We're already short on people, and we can't afford to lose any more."
Li Ye did not inquire about Ning Wei's movements, nor did he obey her commands. He said nonchalantly, "If they die, they die."
Ning Wei smiled at him. "I don't know why you're here, but I assume you've encountered some difficulties as well? If everyone dies, do you think you'll be safe?"
Unsurprisingly, Ning Wei's words struck a chord with Li Ye.
If it weren't for a certain reason, he wouldn't have been willing to stay here.
Li Ye's silence made Ning Wei feel as though she had gained the upper hand.
"This place is in your hands now. To leave here quickly, I hope you'll cooperate."
Regardless of whether Li Ye agreed, Ning Wei strode out of the courtyard.
The village was incredibly quiet at night. She moved through the darkness, and soon stood before the Zhou family's main gate.
To avoid encountering the person named Zhou Wei, Ning Wei chose another wall.
After climbing over, Ning Wei circled around and, by luck, chose a door.
Opening this door revealed only the dim candlelight casting shadows on the wall.
A gentle breeze blew, the candlelight flickered, and Ning Wei's shadow warped on the wall.
This door opened not into a room, but a passage, just like the Zhou family in the dream from the beginning.
Candles were placed at intervals, preventing her from walking in complete darkness. However, this also had its drawbacks, as it completely exposed Ning Wei's movements.
She could only try her best to avoid the light and hide her shadow.
She had no idea where this passage led. It was too dark to see the end, so Ning Wei could only brace herself and walk deeper into it.
Finally, she stopped before a door.
Seeing a lock as thick as an adult man's arm hanging on the door, Ning Wei chuckled.
It was so heavily secured; there must be a big secret behind this door!
No lock could stump the "King of Locks" like her. Ning Wei pulled a thin, long wire from her neatly tied hair and inserted it into the keyhole, gently fiddling with it.
She pressed her ear to the lock, listening carefully to the sounds within.
Finally, she heard a very faint "click," and the lock sprang open on its own.
Ning Wei carefully removed the lock and held it in her hand. This way, she could prevent herself from being locked in, and at a critical moment, she could use the lock to smash someone and escape.
Upon opening the door, the sight inside surprised Ning Wei.
It wasn't a secret room, but a small garden filled with white flowers. The air carried a faint scent of blood.
These small white flowers were the same ones the bride wore on her head, the "Soul-Returning Flowers" that could trap people in dreams.
She had been curious before about where these flowers came from and why she hadn't seen them in the village. It turned out someone had been deliberately cultivating them in secret.
There were at least dozens of them here, and it was evident that the flower grower had taken great care in tending to them.
Moonlight spilled into the small garden, creating a sense of profound tranquility, so serene that one might be tempted to lie down right there.
These flowers were problematic!
Ning Wei pinched her thigh hard, wincing in pain.
Since she had come this far, she couldn't leave empty-handed.
Ning Wei held her breath and plucked about ten flowers. As she walked, she found it difficult to control her body. She felt like she was walking in a straight line, but her body kept drifting towards the wall.
Her foot kicked something. Before it could make a sound, Ning Wei quickly grabbed it.
Upon closer inspection, it was a small iron pot, likely used for watering the flowers.
However, the pot had a faint dark red hue. Was it rust?
Ning Wei opened the lid and looked inside. The bottom of the pot was dried blood – human blood!
Human blood was kept in a small iron pot used for watering flowers, and the air was filled with the scent of blood.
Ning Wei boldly guessed that these Soul-Returning Flowers were nourished by human blood.
It was so sinister; no wonder she had trouble controlling her body and her mind felt fuzzy.
This place was not safe for long!
She put down the iron pot, replaced the lock, and crept out of there.
As she stepped out of the last door, Zhou Wei suddenly appeared. He seemed to have been standing there waiting.
He was still holding a chamber pot, and its foul, pungent odor wafted to Ning Wei's nose on the wind.
She frowned and stared at him without a word.
As long as this boy cried out, she planned to knock him unconscious.
She was quite experienced in this matter, ensuring it would be quick and brutal, leaving absolutely no "witnesses."
She made eye contact with Zhou Wei for at least a minute, a duration Ning Wei had never felt so long.
Suddenly, a series of hacking coughs erupted, sounding as if the person was about to run out of breath.
Zhou Wei pursed his lips, then silently walked away with the chamber pot.
After he entered the house, Ning Wei let out a sigh of relief.
Without time to think, she scaled the wall and returned to the courtyard.
Leaning against the tree trunk, she gasped for breath. It had been so thrillingly dangerous!
It seemed this Zhou Wei was not an ordinary boy, otherwise, how could she encounter him every time she went to the Zhou family's place?
It couldn't be just bad luck; perhaps this kid had her in his sights.
It seemed she would have to find time to have a serious talk with him!
After resting enough, Ning Wei looked up at the "bat spirit" in the tree. "Are you okay?"
The "bat spirit" didn't even look at her. "I think you're the one who's not okay right now."
Ning Wei glared at him, but he remained unfazed.
An idea struck her, and she kicked the tree trunk.
A few more leaves fell, dislodged by her actions. The "bat spirit" reluctantly jumped down.
He extended his hand. "Give it to me."
Ning Wei feigned ignorance. "Give what?"
He directly snatched the Soul-Returning Flowers from Ning Wei's pocket. "You can't take these. In fact, no one should take these. They are too Yin."
"So you're saying you're not human!" Ning Wei, delighted to have caught the bat spirit on something, pounced.
Li Ye remained silent. He took the flowers and returned to the tree.
He placed the Soul-Returning Flowers one by one on the branches, allowing the moonlight to shine on them.
A miraculous scene unfolded: the Soul-Returning Flowers began to dry up.
It turned out that dried flowers were not made by sun-drying, but by moonlight.
Soul-Returning Flowers were Yin in nature, and moonlight was also Yin. They complemented each other perfectly.
Tonight hadn't been entirely without reward; at least she now knew where the Soul-Returning Flowers came from.
She wasn't at ease and checked on everyone by opening their doors one by one, confirming they were all truly asleep before leaving the courtyard.
"You've been quite busy all night," Li Ye commented sarcastically as Ning Wei prepared to go out again.
Ning Wei had learned her lesson. She directly kicked the tree trunk. Seeing Li Ye instinctively grab a nearby branch for support, she left satisfied.
Her next target was Matchmaker Zhang's house.