They searched all day without finding Wang Si's wife.
The woman, who was already dead, seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Hong Tao and his friends were very eager to help and spent the whole day searching too, even canceling their photography plans.
But throughout that entire day, none of the villagers left the village. In other words, no one went searching deep in the mountain forests.
What did that mean? It meant they didn't care at all whether wild animals had carried off the body, and whether they cared depended on whether Wang Si's family cared.
For all the enthusiasm Hong Tao and his friends showed in helping, they hadn't dared venture deep into the mountain forests either.
Over dinner that evening.
Seventh Master asked Hong Tao and his friends how much longer they planned to stay in the village.
"We originally planned to stay three or four days, gather some inspiration, then move on somewhere else once we'd taken our photos."
Hong Tao said, "But today held us up, and we didn't take any photos, so we might stay another four days or so."
Seventh Master sighed. "Stay one more night, then head down the mountain tomorrow."
The young people were immediately baffled and hurried to ask why.
"Why else? A corpse has risen, so what are you still hanging around here for?"
"Wild animals didn't carry off Wang Si's wife. She got up and slipped away herself."
Seventh Master put down his chopsticks. "Young people should still have some reverence. If something happens to you out here, what are your parents supposed to do?"
The young people laughed. It wasn't mockery, but the sort of laughter that came from thinking they knew everything, dismissing Seventh Master as superstitious, yet feeling too awkward to tell him so.