Yan Qing was determined not to go to this ancestral hall. However, she couldn't resist Madam Luo's insistence and ultimately decided to leave Master Sima's body in the ancestral hall.

Rule Seven of the "One Bow to Heaven and Earth Rules":

The ancestral hall is a forbidden area; only men are allowed to enter. Women who enter will encounter misfortune. Remember this!

Yan Qing deliberately made up an excuse that she was too weak to enter the ancestral hall, and only watched from afar as the men went in.

To her surprise, Luo Shi also refused to enter the ancestral hall. Yan Qing didn't know why, but no one could do anything about it.

Dr. Zhang left Mrs. Zhang with the two women, ostensibly to "comfort Mrs. Luo, who was overly heartbroken."

Yan Qing couldn't see a trace of sadness in Luo Shi, even though she shed quite a few tears. Her acting skills today would definitely qualify her for a Best Actress award.

The remaining men went into the ancestral hall, set up the memorial tablet and brazier for Master Sima, and sent servants to burn paper money before slowly retreating.

The courtyard where the ancestral hall is located looks gray and gloomy, and candles have to be lit even during the day.

After they finished their work, they walked out of the ancestral hall. The last rays of the setting sun shone on their faces, and only then did they realize that a day had passed just like that.

During dinner, the steward appeared again. He respectfully thanked them for their deep affection for their master, and then instructed the maids to take them back to their rooms to rest.

The guesthouse is still the same guesthouse, but the layout inside is completely different. Originally, it had one room in the middle and two rooms on each side, but now it has become a layout with three rooms on each side.

The middle room just vanished!

This scene was a shock to everyone. They all stood at the entrance to the guest courtyard, none of them willing to go in first.

The man in the black robe was the first to go in. The room number hadn't changed, but there was now an extra room with the character "正" (zheng).

The man in black robes walked into the room with the character "正" on it without stopping. Only after the door closed did the others breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why don't we all take a rest?" Dr. Zhang suggested.

"Amitabha, dear benefactors, this old monk is departing."

Yan Qing returned to her room, and Lingxi followed her silently. Only after the door was closed did Lingxi pat her chest vigorously.

"Master, today is the second day." She wanted to tell her master that they couldn't wait until the fifth day, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get out, but she couldn't say it.

Yan Qing guessed from her expression that it was that damned rule restriction again! Right now, they could only start with the known clues.

"Lingxi, how did the new lady meet Master Sima?"

Lingxi's eyes lit up. "Reporting to Master, Master met her a month ago. That time, Master was invited by Young Master Liang to watch a play at the theater, and the new Madam happened to be there as well. Master fell in love with her at first sight and redeemed her to the manor the next day."

"I see," Yan Qing nodded. Based on Lingxi's expression and words, she discovered another undisclosed rule.

As an NPC in the dungeon, Lingxi cannot proactively reveal information. However, if someone asks her about something she knows, she can answer.

To verify this idea, she asked another question, "How many wives did Master Sima marry in total?"

Lingxi's eyes shone even brighter; her master was indeed clever!

However, what she could say were the lines that the dungeon rules had assigned to her.

"The master has married two wives. His first wife is said to have married him when he was eighteen, but unfortunately she passed away very early. The master was deeply devoted to his first wife, so he did not remarry for eighteen years and remains single to this day."

"Does Master Sima have any children?"

"No."

Yan Qing pondered for a moment. Since he was so devoted to his first wife and had stayed by her side for eighteen years, why would he suddenly change his attitude and want to marry a woman he had only met once?

—And she was a former top courtesan from a brothel. That just doesn't make sense.

Wait a minute—eighteen years, age?!

"Lingxi, how old is Madam Luo this year?"

Lingxi could barely contain her smile. "Madam Luo just turned eighteen this year."

Yan Qing gasped. Could this be what she was thinking?

Just to be on the safe side, she asked again, "Lingxi, do you know what Sima Yuanwai's first wife looked like?"

This time, Lingxi finally shook her head. "This servant does not know, but there should be a portrait of the late Madam in the ancestral hall. This servant once heard the steward mention that because the master missed the late Madam, he specially painted her portrait and placed it in the ancestral hall so that he could pay homage to her from time to time."

It seems she can't avoid this ancestral hall tonight.

For safety's sake, she took Yan Che with her. After all, only men were allowed to enter the ancestral hall, and she would have to rely on her dear older brother to find the items.

The two walked in the dark towards the ancestral hall. When they passed the huge artificial lake in the garden, Yan Qing inadvertently noticed that there was a small area in the center of the lake that was constantly bubbling.

Each bubble looks so big that it seems impossible for a human to make them.

"Quick, look over there! The lake looks like it's boiling!" She quickly nudged her older brother.

Yan Che turned around and found the lake completely still. There was no wind at night, and the water was not even a ripple.

"You brat, are you too sleepy and seeing things?" Yan Che slapped her, "To wake you up."

Yan Qing looked back again and found that the bubbles had completely disappeared.

Could it be that she saw it wrong?

However, something was still unusual. She remembered that when the steward sent people back, there wasn't a single lamp on the road. How come the lamps in the mansion were lit after everyone had gone to sleep?

"One, two, three, four, ... fifteen, sixteen, seventeen!" In this mere uninhabited artificial lake mansion, a total of seventeen lamps were lit.

Keep in mind that this is just a desolate artificial lake.

This is indeed quite unusual. Who would light a lamp in a deserted place when it's pitch black in a populated area?

Leaving the artificial lake, the road indeed plunged into complete darkness. Not only that, the path was extremely difficult to walk on; Yan Che tripped and fell several times, finally losing his temper.

"Damn, this Master Sima looks pretty rich, how come he can't even fix the roads properly? Anyone who comes here is bound to slip and fall!"

"Alright, bro, you're not watching your step, and you're complaining that the road is bad?" Yan Qing was also speechless.

However, this also served as a reminder to her that the road leading to the ancestral hall was indeed too desolate.

She recalled what Lingxi had said. According to her words, this Master Sima was deeply in love with the late Madam and should visit the ancestral hall often.

But this road, overgrown with weeds and pebbles, doesn't look like anyone has been here often.