I heard you had a white moonlight who died young.

Fan Zhiyi listened and asked, "If that's the case, then why has this village become like this?"

Lin Taiyin chuckled and shrugged lazily: "If we knew the reason, why would we need to post a plea for help?"

Hmm, makes sense.

Cen Jun leaned closer and asked, "Who is that master, and why is an ancient tree that has withstood five thunderbolts used as a statue?"

"I don't know about the expert, after all, it's just a legend. As for the ancient tree, is it possible that because such trees have spirits, it could become a god protecting this place after receiving the incense offerings from the villagers? Who knows? But it's true that it can no longer leave this place." As he was speaking, Lin Taiyin suddenly changed the subject, "After watching the sacrificial ceremony tonight, why don't you all come back to the Lin family with me? After all, you are guests who have come from afar, and the Lin family should do its best to be hospitable. Tomorrow I will have someone come to arrange your accommodations so that you can all stay here more comfortably."

Zhuang Yujing was the first to refuse without even thinking: "I'm not going. Let's finish this as soon as possible. I have other things to do."

He An naturally agreed with Zhuang Yujing, and as for Cen Jun and Bing Nandong, they wouldn't make a decision until Fan Zhiyi spoke.

Lin Taiyin also knew this, and looked at Fan Zhiyi: "I wonder what the Immortal Venerable thinks? The patriarch also sent an invitation to the Immortal Venerable back then, but was rejected by the Immortal Venerable. The patriarch has always felt very regretful."

Fan Zhiyi lost interest immediately upon hearing this, but in order to maintain his outward image, he only said two words with restraint: "No, thank you."

"What a pity." Lin Taiyin sighed with some distress, raising his eyes to look at everyone. "But speaking of which, Senior Brother Bing and Fan Zhiyi were the closest. I was very saddened when I heard about their accident. Now that Senior Brother Bing has been found, where is Fan Zhiyi?"

No one answered him, so Lin Taiyin continued to speak to himself: "I was thinking that if there was still no news of Fan Zhiyi, I could help you look for him, but the only way is within the Lin family residence. Since you are all unwilling, there is nothing I can do. I can only say that we are not destined to meet."

"Do you know where my brother is?" Cen Jun's tone revealed an barely concealed excitement. He almost stepped forward, but fortunately Fan Zhiyi quickly grabbed him and gestured for him to calm down. He then pursed his lips and asked, "How do you know?"

Lin Taiyin smiled but remained silent.

This man's words and actions were illogical, making it difficult to believe him. However, since the matter concerned Cen Jun's brother, Fan Zhiyi had to reconsider his earlier question: should he attend the banquet at the Lin family's residence? He didn't know this man and was worried there might be a trap.

Seeing Cen Jun's anxious gaze, Fan Zhiyi glanced at Bing Nandong, who nodded subtly as if understanding. Fan Zhiyi said, "Then I'll trouble you."

"It is an honor for the Lin family to have the Immortal Venerable grace us with his presence." Lin Taiyin's lips curved into a smile, as if he was genuinely delighted by Fan Zhiyi's agreement. His peach blossom eyes held a subtle glint of light, which was unintentionally captivating.

Since the three of them were going, Zhuang Yujing naturally couldn't just stay behind with He An. So, in the end, they all decided to go to the Lin family together after watching the Fusang God's journey.

The group was assigned rooms. Fan Zhiyi, Bing Nandong, and Cen Jun shared one room, while He An and Zhuang Yujing shared another room very close to each other. This way, if anything happened, everyone could react immediately.

The last rays of sunlight on the horizon were about to be swallowed up. They split into two groups and wandered around the village first. When the Fusang God's procession ceremony began, the two groups met and followed the flow of people forward.

Actually, the crowd was only a little over a hundred people, and judging from their build, most of them were elderly. They all wore the same black masks, with only their cloudy eyes showing, and they remained silent.

Fan Zhiyi and Bing Nandong exchanged a glance, and Cen Jun, understanding, leaned close to the nearest person and asked, "Where are we going now?"

When the other party ignored him, Cen Jun shook his head at Fan Zhiyi.

The procession moved slowly. The previously deserted village, with its gates tightly shut, now had people dressed in dark clothes and wearing black masks standing in front of some houses. As the procession drew closer, they automatically blended in. In the night, within this procession, everything seemed incredibly strange.

Every few rows in the procession, there were people with slightly taller figures carrying torches. Otherwise, given the color of their clothes and masks, Fan Zhiyi estimated that he would not have been able to see that there were so many people here in the darkness.

The six of them stood in the middle and back. Fan Zhiyi lit a flame with his fingertip, illuminating their little world. Some villagers looked in their direction, their eyes meeting Fan Zhiyi's, but they quickly looked away as if they were doing something wrong.

Fan Zhiyi felt puzzled, but the way those people looked at him made him very uncomfortable. It was cold and emotionless, like... the way those ghost dolls stared at the protagonist from the shadows in horror movies about dolls that Fan Zhiyi had seen before.

We needed to go up the mountain, and the surroundings became increasingly quiet. The tall vegetation seemed to devour us. The mountain path was just a narrow strip of grass hidden among the vegetation, barely wide enough for three people to fit at a time.

This mountain road is nothing like the snow-capped mountains where they live; it is extremely rugged and full of loose rocks.

Fan Zhiyi casually took Bing Nandong's wrist through his sleeve without drawing attention and whispered, "It's hard to walk here, and it's crowded. I'll hold your hand."

"it is good."

Just then, Zhuang Yujing, who was walking fast and had taken the lead up the slope, reached out his hand to Bing Nandong without turning his head: "Hurry up, this road is not easy to walk on. Your eyesight is not good, so I, this young master, will take pity on you and hold your hand."

Bing Nandong didn't respond. When Zhuang Yujing turned around, he naturally saw Fan Zhiyi holding Bing Nandong's hand. He frowned, looked at Fan Zhiyi, and then at Bing Nandong. Because the crowd was surging, he only paused for a second or two before regaining his arrogance and finding a way to back down. He ordered Fan Zhiyi, "Hold him tight, don't let him fall."

"Do not worry."

Bing Nandong looked down at Fan Zhiyi's hand. In the firelight, Fan Zhiyi's fair skin was bathed in an orange-yellow glow. Although it was still somewhat blurry, his five fingers were already clearly visible.

Bing Nandong felt that Fan Zhiyi was holding him very tightly, as if he would never let go no matter what happened, which made him move closer. His eyes had improved in the past few days, and it was no longer difficult for him to walk this kind of road, but he did not tell Fan Zhiyi.

Sensing Bing Nandong's approach, Fan Zhiyi asked, "What's wrong?"

"I always feel uneasy when I can't see clearly."

"I'll walk slower."

"No need."