The Wei Family lived deep in the mountains, amid ancient forests. Shrouded in greenery, the place never saw daylight. Chilling winds moaned, and apes let out long cries from above.
It was an old residence, an enormous one, with front courtyards, rear courtyards, left courtyards, right courtyards... There were countless courtyards, like the architecture of the Suzhou Gardens, only without their poetic beauty. Instead, the place had a savage air.
The people here wore modern clothes, but they were lifeless and gloomy, like figures in an old film from a bygone era.
Wei Yanchi followed behind Xie De. "Sir, are you here for the funeral too?"
"Yes."
Xie De walked ahead of them. Before long, they saw the Blue Stone Road leading to the Wei Family Old Residence.
Several people in dark clothes with white mourning bands around their heads sat or stood there. There were men and women, young and old. When they saw the group approaching, they came forward to greet them.
Zhang Mingqi and Xu Zhouluo kept watching Xie De. They could not understand his connection to the Wei Family. Why had he appeared here? Could the Instance Faction be planning to investigate the Wei Family?
Wei Yanchi did not understand either, so he asked, "Mr. Xie De, why are you here for the Wei Family's funeral?"
"Speaking of that..." The corners of Xie De's mouth lifted. His smile held a hint of affection, but also seemed a little wicked. He told Wei Yanchi, "You should be calling me Uncle."
"Huh??"
By then, the people approaching had reached them: two middle-aged women who looked to be in their forties or fifties, two children who looked barely into their teens, a man in his thirties, and a woman in her twenties.
The two middle-aged women led the way.