le was strong, but his tied-up long white hair made him seem out of the world.Originally, the clothes were quite common and pedestrian. But he wore them as if they were the unique creations of an avan..."Huh Why" I was taken aback.

"Your little brother, Liang, tells everyone that you're about to have good news and warns me not to smoke in front of you, hahaha."

Oh my, Little Brother Liang is too impatient!

Mu Wanchen chuckled softly, propping his chin with one hand and looking at me with a smile but saying nothing.

Suddenly, there was a burst of firecrackers outside, so loud that I covered my ears. The middle-aged man muttered under his breath and shouted to me: "Anyway, you guys be careful these days, we're different here after all. Once the rites are over and they're cremated, everything will be peaceful... I'm going to take a look, don't cause any fire hazards!"

He dashed out the back gate, and I covered my ears, lying on the table waiting for the firecrackers to die down.

Mu Wanchen propped his chin up with one hand and reached out to touch my head, then slid over to cover my hand.

He originally had hair as black as ink, eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like bright stars. His facial features were deep and handsome, his figure tall and slender. If he were placed in ancient times, he would be a breathtaking beauty of the era.

And he also likes to use a bit of savagery and brutality to cover up his inner self. Perhaps because the king has been lonely for too long, he needs to conceal his softer side.

The little wife said he looked scary, but was actually quite kind. I think it's more than that.

He is not only kind, but also gentle.

Now that my hair is turning white, in the quiet of the night when we embraced each other in our sleep, he once whispered that this might be a punishment, a warning.

Even a powerful sorcerer cannot go against the "Dao". The "Dao" refers to the natural law governing the birth and death of all things, from the vast universe to the smallest speck of dust.

Mu Wanchen himself doesn't feel much about black hair and white hair, but I think he looks much more ethereal and world-weary with white hair.

His eyebrows thus became serene, as if he had a calm perspective on some future events.

The firecrackers outside are particularly loud, this must be a long string they bought, it's so annoying.

After the firecrackers had finished exploding, the chef came out from the backyard carrying our hotpot. As he lifted the lid, he scolded, "You guys have no common sense! Setting off firecrackers in the backyard and even long ones at that! Are you hiding something shameful and afraid of the ghosts knocking The backyard is right next to our kitchen! I can't cook anything anymore. You two will just have to make do with hotpot. I've turned off all the stoves."

"Excuse me, what does 'long cannon' mean" I humbly asked.

The chef sighed and said, "Beauty, the customs in our area are a bit different. Generally speaking, long firecrackers are for happy occasions, and short ones are for funerals. For example, when an elderly person dies peacefully or passes away, it's considered a joyous occasion, so we use long firecrackers; but if someone dies unexpectedly, we use short ones, and we also have to invite a Taoist priest or a monk to perform a ceremony... I guess the family didn't invite a priest, they felt that the death was suspicious and unsettling, so they set off long firecrackers to ward off evil spirits."

Having said that, he frowned again and said: "Who is still setting off fireworks in the yard now Don't they fear causing a fire The head of this household isn't a smart person, otherwise his son wouldn't behave like this."

After the chef left, I scooped up my rice while teasing Mu Wanchen: "I think you're too lenient with your people. I've never heard you yell at them. If you ever become a father, you can't be this 'weak'."

This is just a playful banter between us, to ease the tension, but Mu Wanchen this guy often suddenly becomes serious out of nowhere.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, then said seriously with a hint of amusement: "Spoiling a child is like killing a child, I understand this principle of course. If you're worried, why don't you educate your child... but first, you have to be a mother yourself."

When you cut it open, its belly is black.

This is such a cunning way to lead me into a trap.

I twirled the rice in my bowl, muttering to myself, "If we keep going like this, recklessly and without restraint, it's only a matter of time..."

Because of the funeral next door, it was still noisy at night.

All the surrounding houses were shut up tight, and the streets were deserted. The noise coming from this one household was especially jarring.

Crying, shouting, and somewhere a monk chanting scriptures and striking a wooden fish.

Perhaps because it was so close, there was indeed a faint smell of death in the air.

Perhaps ordinary people can't feel it, but I feel uncomfortable all over.

The four-poster bed we sleep in has mosquito netting. Since it's cold this time of year and there are no mosquitoes, I'm too lazy to drop it all the way down. When I go to sleep, the side of the netting facing the screen is rolled up.

Mu Wanchen slept outside, he always slept on the outer side, holding me in his chest, following my movements as I moved, whether facing him or facing away from him, he held my waist, letting me sleep soundly.

But tonight my eyelids are twitching, and I don't know why, I keep feeling the urge to go to the restroom.

This house doesn't have a bathroom inside, the bathroom is across the way. I can just step over and get there in two steps when I open the door.

It was late at night, all sounds had died down. The cries from next door had ceased, leaving only the slow and steady sound of wooden fish chanting.

As I went to the restroom, I glanced haphazardly at the courtyard through the ornately carved window on the corridor.

On our side, it's pitch black, while next door, there are still lights on.

And there were also white banners hanging in the courtyard, called soul-summoning flags. The styles varied slightly depending on the region.

I looked at him with a sigh. I thought, even those who die tragically are quite pitiful. He wasn't a particularly bad person and hadn't done anything truly evil or harmful. I hope he can find peace soon.

Just as I was about to turn around and open the bathroom door, I suddenly caught sight of a black patch on the white flag!

I thought I was seeing things, so I rubbed my eyes and looked again—

It wasn't completely dark, it was just a silhouette.

But this figure... it was uncannily strange!

Hunchbacked and with a stooped back, trying to keep my head as straight as possible—and I don't know if it's the lighting or the angle—but my body looks so long!

Judging from the curvature of its body, it appears to be very slender, but its legs are not visible.

What's the point of this Summoning a deity

I looked down from the window, stunned for a few seconds before realizing that the steady sound of wooden fish from next door had stopped.

The realization of this sent chills down my spine, and I turned and ran back to my room.

"Wàn Chén, Wàn Chén... it seems like something's fishy next door..." I jumped to the bed and nudged Mù Wàn Chén.

He was actually awake. I got out of bed and he knew it, but this guy is a bit "old-fashioned," wouldn't follow me to the bathroom with me. But he definitely had his ear pricked, listening to every move I made.

"Well, something's entered the yard." He sat up and reached out to put the thick coat on me.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw a weird shadow on the summoning banner, its movements were so strange. Could something weird have gotten into his yard" I quickly put on my down jacket and shoes.

Mu Wanchen shook his head. "I didn't mean the next door, I meant something entered 'our' courtyard."

What!

I was stunned, and sprang up with a jolt, hiding behind Mu Wanchen.

The lights next door were blazing, illuminating our side dimly.

I peered out from Mu Wanchen's side, looking down through the glass window. A dark figure was jumping down from the wall, landing with incredible agility.

Thief

The word appeared in my mind.

The next second, the shadow stood at the back door of the first-floor courtyard and actually raised its hand to gently "knock, knock..." on the door.

Will thieves still knock on the door small table was set with two self-heating hot pots. She handed me disposable chopsticks, and I absentmindedly ate, my ears perked up, eavesdropping on the conversation outside."The cycle of yin and y...