It was around seven in the morning when Wen Qi woke up. Feng Ce had already gone out. He went to the parking lot to return his raincoat and inquired about the news.
The eldest sister saw Qi get up and warmly invited her to have breakfast. "I just cooked the porridge this morning. It's so delicious. Eat it while it's hot. I also have some pickled vegetables I made at home. Do you want some?"
Wen Qi smiled and nodded, "Eat, thank you, big sister."
The eldest sister was even happier. She went out with a smile and soon brought back a plate of pickled cucumber slices. "It's perfect to eat with the porridge."
Wen Qi ate a piece and praised it highly, then chatted while eating, "Sister, are you the only one in your family?"
Hearing this, the eldest sister sighed and said, "Yes, I am the only one left in my family now. When will the people at home be able to get up?"
Wen Qi paused while eating, "Sorry, I don't know...did something happen?"
The eldest sister waved her hands and said, "There's nothing to be sorry about. People die when they get older. It's normal. Living alone is good except that it's a little lonely."
Wen Qi smiled and nodded. When they were almost done eating, Feng Ce came back.
The eldest sister asked quickly: "When did you go out this morning? I didn't hear anything. Did you have breakfast?"
Feng Ce shook his head and said he hadn’t eaten yet. The eldest sister turned around and went to the kitchen to get some porridge.
Feng Ce lowered his voice and said, "I saw Mingren's car in the forest to the east. The car was empty, with nothing in it. But the villagers I met this morning said that no outsiders had come to the village for a long time."
Wen Qi's expression changed. The whole village was trying to cover up the fact that Mingren had been here. Why? Feng Ce nodded, "Mingren should be in the ancestral temple."
Wen Qi whispered, "Find a chance to go in and take a look."
Feng Ce nodded and his voice returned to normal. "Just now the village chief said that the roads are closed due to heavy rain. We may have to stay in the village for a few days."
Before she finished her words, the eldest sister came back with porridge and said, "Then stay. Anyway, there is room at my house. You can stay as long as you want."
Wen Qi smiled and thanked him, "I'm sorry to trouble you."
The eldest sister waved her hand, "What's the trouble? It will be more lively with two more people at home."
After dinner, Wen Qi and Feng Ce left their eldest sister's residence, using the excuse of going out to take photos and enjoy the scenery.
Walking in the village, looking at the smoke rising from the roofs of every household and listening to the intermittent noise, Wen Qi felt that this place was no different from an ordinary village.
It was not until Wen Qi and Feng Ce walked hand in hand near the ancestral temple that they approached to observe curiously. Before they could really get close, they heard a scolding voice from behind: "Stop!"
Wen Qi and Feng Ce stopped at the same time and looked at each other. They saw surprise in each other's eyes. They didn't notice anyone approaching just now.
"That's the village's ancestral temple. Outsiders are not allowed to enter."
Wen Qi turned around and looked over. It was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was tall and thin, with bright eyes, but her expression was very serious, giving people a feeling of being old-fashioned.
"Sorry, we just arrived last night and don't know the rules here." Wen Qi said embarrassedly: "Don't worry, we won't get close."
The girl nodded, looked at them with disbelief, and turned away.
She seemed to have some leg disease and walked with a limp. Her right hand was behind her back out of habit, and her left hand was raised as if to support something, but when she couldn't find it, she unnaturally put her hand back to her side and deliberately straightened her back.
After the people walked away, Wen Qi said, "She walks like an old person, an old person with a cane."
Feng Ce groaned and said, "It looks like rebirth or possession."
Wen Qi looked back at the ancestral temple and said, "Come and take a look tonight, I should be able to solve the mystery."
A day of doing nothing was very difficult to endure. Wen Qi could only sleep to pass the time, while also preparing for the night visit.
At ten o'clock in the evening, the whole village became quiet and everyone fell asleep.
Wen Qi and Feng Ce tiptoed out and headed straight for the ancestral temple.
The door of the ancestral temple was locked from the inside using an ancient horizontal wooden bolt. It was easy to open and fell off after just a few pushes. The temple door opened and it was pitch black inside.
Feng Ce was very calm, "It should be one of the rules, be careful."
Wen Qi nodded and followed Feng Ce into the room.
As soon as the two stood still in the ancestral temple, the temple door closed automatically, blocking out the moonlight outside.
Wen Qi was completely plunged into darkness. She whispered, "Feng Ce?"
No one responded.
Wen Qi thought, great, they were separated again when they were acting at the same time, they can't appear together, right? Wen Qi took a step forward tentatively, and suddenly a cold wind blew by her side. She subconsciously took a step back and kicked in the direction of the wind.
The attack missed.
Wen Qi curled her lips slightly. She felt really insecure when she couldn't see anything. After thinking for a while, she released Taotie and asked, "Can you find the location of Mingren or Fengce?"
Taotie let out a "Ya Ya" and turned around and rushed into the darkness.
Wen Qi raised her foot and followed. Of course she still couldn’t see it, but Taotie was her soul messenger, so she could sense its location without using her eyes.
After walking for about five minutes, Wen Qi was sure that she must have entered a different space. Otherwise, at her speed, she would have bumped into the wall several times if she had walked so far in a straight line.
In front, Taotie cried out. Wen Qi sped up again. When she took the last step, her eyes suddenly lit up and she squinted instinctively.
At the same time! A cold wind blew right in her face.
Wen Qi raised her hand to block, and after a "bang" sound, she felt a tingling sensation in her arm.
Taotie rushed over, growled, knocked down the thing that attacked Wen Qi, and bit it.
Wen Qi opened his eyes and saw that what was bitten in the mouth of the Taotie was actually a human skeleton. The skeleton was snow-white and translucent, like jade, and it was obvious that it was a spirit, no wonder it was so hard.
"Taotie, let it go first."
Taotie obediently opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue in disgust. The food had a hard texture and was not tasty at all.
The skeleton struggled to stand up from the ground and assumed a defensive posture.
Wen Qi looked it up and down, "Are you the owner of the ancestral temple?"
The skeleton made a series of meaningless "cracking" sounds.
Wen Qi didn't understand, she frowned and asked: "Can you write?"
The skeleton shook its head and made a dismissive gesture.
Wen Qi took out the Fengdu Stick and said in a deep voice: "I am here to look for someone. I will not leave until I find him. If you don't cooperate, I can only look for him in my own way."
The skeleton waved its hands repeatedly, making a "click" sound again.
Wen Qi ignored it and looked around carefully. This was a place like an ancestral hall. There were tablets on the altar behind the skeleton. The one at the top and in the middle was the largest, and it had Bai Wuyou written on it.
Apart from this, there is nothing else in this bright place.
Wen Qi frowned, "Taotie, where is the person?"
Taotie shouted twice at the altar.
Wen Qi swept the bones away with a stick, lifted the tablecloth on the altar and saw a one-meter-high red arch inside.
At this time, the door was half open, and there was a simple drawing of a red spider lily next to the door.
Wen Qi touched it and found the marks were very fresh, probably left by Feng Ce. She looked back at Bai Gu who no longer tried to stop her, then ducked and got in, followed closely by Taotie.