Tang Ning slightly widened his eyes, gazing at the visage before him—exceptionally haggard and pale, yet softly concealing a certain tenderness. Even when faced with such inquiries, there was no hint of coercion in the other's tone, as if every answer would be wholly accepted.
"I-I like the present you," Tang Ning couldn't shift his gaze from Ji Lianyan's, those eyes profound as if pulling out all the secrets tucked away in his heart.
"Do you like me when I'm unwell?" Ji Lianyan leaned in closer, dark eyes akin to a mysterious night, dissolving Tang Ning's thoughts and defenses.
"Don't like," Tang Ning startled himself with his candor. He hadn't intended to speak ill of Ji Lianyan behind his back; it wasn't the right thing to do.
Yet, Ji Lianyan remained gentle and encouraging, fingers lightly tracing his cheek. "Why don't you like?"
Under such accepting eyes, Tang Ning couldn't help but continue, "He's bad, hypocritical, frightening—lacks your gentleness—"
"Ji Lianyan" stared at Tang Ning with extraordinary tenderness. The most lethal form of a gentle touch, perhaps, was in such a gaze.
But Tang Ning, for some reason, suddenly found it hard to continue. A shiver ran through his soul, as if fearing something.
In the silent room, a quiet hush prevailed.
"Ji Lianyan" tenderly caressed Tang Ning's eye sockets with his fingers, trailing over the long lower lashes, seemingly aiming a bit higher to touch the translucent and delicate eyeballs. Tang Ning involuntarily blinked, holding his breath.
Watching the young man before him curl his lips, speaking slowly and gently, "Why stop talking?"
The elusive emotions floating gracefully in the air resembled a skilled army on the move, each step with bladed boots trampling through Tang Ning's heart, systematic and decisive. Only his heart drummed, unable to organize a defense.
They say when the heart flutters, it beats exceptionally fast. Is this what it feels like to be moved?
Tang Ning swallowed, his throat trembling as he asked in a hushed voice, "Are you hungry? I..."
The deep, swirling black eyes grew even more profound, like the vast night sky. A crimson tongue licked across pale lips. "Ji Lianyan" bent his eyes, a subtle smile forming. "Sure."
The air that had solidified seemed to flow again, granting Tang Ning a sense of escape, as if the crisis had passed. Tang Ning took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air.
No wonder he felt so stifled just now; he was too absorbed in watching Ji Lianyan, completely forgetting to breathe.
Tang Ning gently pushed Ji Lianyan away, meeting the expectant gaze. Tang Ning hesitated, "I haven't made noodles before, but I saw instant noodles in the kitchen—"
After a moment, Ji Lianyan stared straight at him.
"Don't worry, I looked up how to make instant noodles taste really good!" Tang Ning reassured confidently, and he had indeed researched it.
"Are you feeling better now?" Tang Ning, too nervous to venture into the kitchen alone, whispered, "Let's cook together."
Ji Lianyan gazed deeply at him, then slowly stood up, a seemingly heavy movement even in its simplicity.
Tang Ning quickly supported Ji Lianyan, ensuring, "Don't worry, I'll do everything myself. You just need to watch."
Ji Lianyan responded with a simple "Mm."
Even a simple "Mm" seemed particularly weary.
Tang Ning was aware that serving instant noodles as the first meal for his newlywed husband wasn't ideal, but fearing a culinary disaster, he figured instant noodles would be tastier. Thinking this, Tang Ning cautiously flashed a pleasing smile at Ji Lianyan, whispering to his ear, "Next time, I'll make something delicious for you, I promise."
"Mm."
With Ji Lianyan's acknowledgment, Tang Ning felt a sense of relief, no longer as apprehensive. Happily, he led Ji Lianyan to the kitchen.
Unable to choose water, operate the stove, or handle fire, he stood by, watching Ji Lianyan bustling around.
In the end, Tang Ning tore open the packaging, tossing the noodles and seasoning into the bowl, completing this instant noodle session.
The aroma of the noodles wafted through the air, tempting Tang Ning's appetite. He quickly devoured three bowls, feeling elated. However, as he became less hungry, eating two more made him feel a bit nauseous.
It was mainly because his stomach, along with this particular body, was quite delicate. Perhaps it was the connotation of having Ji Lianyan's congee in the morning that highlighted the disparity.
Watching Ji Lianyan leisurely enjoy the noodles, Tang Ning glanced down at his bowl with a hint of distress.
"I'll cook dinner tonight," Ji Lianyan suddenly declared.
Tang Ning perked up and joyfully exclaimed to Ji Lianyan, who looked every bit the devoted husband, "Great!"
Satisfied and refreshed, Tang Ning and Ji Lianyan headed to the mourning hall. The hall had been tidied up again, but the traces of the fire weren't entirely cleaned. Currently, Han Ankang was furrowing his brows, inspecting the surroundings.
Last night, all three players guarded the mourning hall. Although there was no ghostly attack, everyone felt something drifting outside the hall. Occasionally, faint sounds were hidden in the night, subtle yet hair-raising, as if something sinister was plotting.
This was also why they couldn't endure until morning and decided to rest. The mental exhaustion from last night was too severe; they hadn't dared to let their guard down, planning to take a brief break during the day, only to be met with this situation.
Han Ankan, still shaken, glanced at Han Yuren lying on the wooden bed covered in white cloth. Among the three, Han Yuren had the best physical condition. When Han Ankan and Lin Guijing couldn't hold on and needed rest in the morning, Han Yuren still appeared lively.
But upon seeing their teammate again, he was now a hanging corpse, his eyes frozen in a moment of shock and fear, as if he had witnessed something terrifying, causing chills even in broad daylight.
This time it was Han Yuren; who would be next to face whatever it was?
Han Ankan couldn't calm his inner turmoil. Last night, nothing happened in the mourning hall, leaving two possibilities: either the ghosts were observing, or there was something in the hall that frightened them.
If it's the latter case, whatever is in the mourning hall is crucial to their survival in this scenario. However, the hall contains numerous items, making it challenging to identify the key element. The best approach is to leave everything as it is and replicate the first night's setting tonight.
However, now...
Han Ankang looked at the partially burned ancestral portrait on the mourning table. He had intended to replace it, but there was only this single photo.
Not only the portrait, but there were also two burning incense sticks on the table. There should have been three, symbolizing respect for heaven, earth, and ancestors during the mourning vigil.
Last night, the incense burner burned for the entire night without consuming much. However, due to the fire in the mourning hall today, one incense stick had burned completely.
Han Ankang initially wanted to replace it, but surprisingly, there were no other incense sticks available in the village, just like the ancestral portrait—only one.
This made him feel quite uneasy.
At that moment, footsteps approached from outside. Han Ankang turned to see Tang Ning, dressed in mourning attire with a mourning band, and Ji Lianyan, also attired similarly as his husband.
Accidentally setting fire to the mourning hall's NPC made Tang Ning, who already appeared frail, even more delicate. He needed support from Tang Ning to walk, and dressed in all white, his frail and elegant demeanor was accentuated, inadvertently evoking the image of a Wei and Jin Dynasty literati for Han Ankang.
He subconsciously glanced at the eternal lamp next to the coffin. The candlelight on the lamp flickered unpredictably, as if a gentle breeze kept brushing against it. Under Han Ankang's tense gaze, the candle flame eventually stabilized.
In the mourning hall, there were several cushions for kneeling. Tang Ning found one and knelt down, with Ji Lianyan calmly joining him in front of the coffin.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Han Ankang reluctantly eased his heightened tension and knelt in the mourning hall. He watched the partially burned ancestral portrait, surrounded by pale smoke that created an uncertain and elusive semblance of Tang Xianheng.
A strong scent of incense wafted to Han Ankang's nostrils, overwhelming and pungent. He paused, his gaze shifting from the portrait to the incense burner on the side. Then, he horrifyingly discovered—
The two incense sticks inserted in the burner suddenly burned at an incredible speed, ethereal smoke rising as their bodies swiftly turned into charred powder in an instant!
"No good!"
Han Ankang exclaimed urgently!
Everyone looked at him in confusion. Han Ankang looked at Ji Lianyan in horror, an intuition telling him that the bizarre burning speed of the incense was related to this NPC. He quickly said, "Ji Lianyan! Get up quickly!"
Ji Lianyan calmly knelt on the cushion, clearly in a kneeling posture. The pale face surrounded by wisps of smoke reminded Han Ankang of a deity receiving offerings in a temple.
His gaze was faint, seemingly weary with slightly closed eyes, carrying a hint of disdain for everything in the world. Even facing the frightened Han Ankang, Ji Lianyan maintained that calm gaze, unwilling to even flutter his eyelids, let alone stand up as Han Ankang urged.
The incense was still burning rapidly, seeming to run out soon. Han Ankang, sweating profusely, shouted to the bewildered Tang Ning on the side, "Make your husband get up!!!"
Though Tang Ning didn't understand what was happening, seeing Han Ankang's alarmed expression, he quickly nudged Ji Lianyan, "Get up quickly."
At those words, Ji Lianyan obediently stood up. At the moment he rose, the rapidly burning incense barely came to a stop. The two incense sticks were left with only a pitifully small portion.
Han Ankang widened his eyes, glancing at the incense, then turning his gaze back to Ji Lianyan.
He inexplicably recalled a story he had heard before. It was said that a deity reincarnated but didn't know their true identity. They went to a land temple like any other worshipper, and when they lit incense, the land deity directly collapsed, unable to withstand just one stick of incense.
Yet, he had a gut feeling. He speculated that this incense was the key to their protection in the mourning hall. Throughout last night, all three of them remained unharmed, with the incense only losing half. Today, Ji Lianyan entered the mourning hall twice, almost burning two sticks of incense completely. It was even more terrifying than the ghosts lurking in the shadows last night!
With this realization, large beads of sweat finally dripped down from Han Ankang's forehead—
He couldn't let Ji Lianyan enter the mourning hall.