Chapter 42: Rainstorm Wild Temple 4
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Although the incident with the actress had created some awkwardness among the eight guests, luckily, a few of them were seasoned individuals in the entertainment industry and immediately cracked some jokes, livening up the atmosphere inside the bus.
Song Ci, a third-generation rich kid similar to Zhang Wubing in terms of family background, was different in that he was a real pampered young master. He had never experienced life-threatening encounters with ghosts and was much more naive and straightforward than Zhang Wubing.
He decided to join the program because everyone was discussing the ghost encounter during the previous trip, and it piqued Song Ci’s curiosity. He wanted to see for himself if there were really ghosts in the world. After confirming the authenticity of the incident with Zhang Wubing, he was itching to witness what these supernatural encounters were like.
Of course, he was also interested in finding out what kind of person this “Brother Yan” who was constantly on Zhang Wubing’s lips, really was.
So, while the other guests on the bus were playing games and singing, creating a relaxed atmosphere of friends going on a trip, Song Ci, who had been keeping an eye on Yan Shixun since he boarded, curiously approached him.
“Are you Yan Shixun?”
With a hint of youthful innocence, Song Ci straightforwardly asked Yan Shixun, “I heard you’ve seen ghosts, is that true?”
Yan Shixun raised an eyebrow slightly and replied, “If you end up causing the program’s live streaming rights to be suspended, it has nothing to do with me. You’ll have to explain it to Zhang Wubing yourself. Didn’t he show you the guest guidelines before departure? The live content requires a positive and healthy attitude.”
Fortunately, the main screen of the live broadcast was currently focused on the guests at the back of the bus, so it didn’t capture the exchange happening on this side. Moreover, Song Ci’s separate screen had very few viewers, and not many people heard his question.
Song Ci didn’t seem to care at all, saying, “Who cares about him? With me here, this show won’t fail.”
“So, Yan Shixun have you really seen ghosts? What do ghosts look like, do they eat people?” The more Song Ci spoke, the brighter his eyes became. He instinctively leaned closer to Yan Shixun, adopting a posture of leaning in to listen attentively. He didn’t even pay attention to the man sitting beside him, slightly encroaching on his space.
The silent man, shrouded in shadow, tilted his head slightly, his emotionless eyes, concealed by the brim of his hat, gazing coldly at Song Ci.
Yan Shixun asked with a mocking tone, “Are you so eager to see ghosts?”
Song Ci nodded eagerly but before he could say anything, Yan Shixun snorted, “Give it up. There are no ghosts. It’s all made up by Zhang Wubing to deceive you.”
Song Ci was left stunned.
The man sitting beside him also turned his head to look at Yan Shixun, his eyes, initially devoid of emotion, now showing surprise.
Yan Shixun sneered, “Are you just out of kindergarten this year? You can’t even tell such obvious made-up stories? Haven’t your teachers or parents taught you to believe in science? Haven’t you seen on TV that stories about ghosts are all lies? Let me ask you, have you ever seen a ghost? No, right? You’ve lived for over twenty years and haven’t seen something you believe exists? Are you crazy?”
Song Ci looked utterly bewildered, nodding along with Yan Shixun’s words, and pitifully replied, “I didn’t know…”
Yan Shixun gestured to him to return to his seat with a pitying expression, saying, “What’s there to look at ghost? You might as well go home and watch cartoons.”
Song Ci, his mind full of question marks, had no choice but to follow the direction pointed by Yan Shixun and return to his seat.
The tall man sitting next to Yan Shixun, however, had a nearly imperceptible smile in his eyes and looked at him with a curious expression.
In the back of the tourist minibus, several guests were happily sharing stories they knew about Wild Wolf Peak, which led to exclamations from their respective viewers on their live streams. The others burst into laughter after successfully scaring people.
Because Zhang Wubing was concerned that the show might not be entertaining enough, he invited a well-known variety show celebrity as one of the guests. This celebrity, with a sometimes gloomy and sometimes surprised voice, told numerous folk legends about the Wild Wolf Peak. He deliberately let the guests and viewers believe these legends, only to reveal later that they were just rumors. This approach created a lively and enjoyable atmosphere, drawing many viewers into the travel variety show.
“When it comes to the Wild Wolf Peak, the most famous thing should be that one.”
The variety show celebrity lowered his voice, using the flashlight on his phone to illuminate his face from bottom to top. In the dimly lit interior of the bus created by drawing the curtains, he continued with a deliberate tone, “From the name ‘Wild Wolf Peak,’ you should all have an idea of what kind of place it is. That’s right, this mountain got its name because there used to be wild wolves roaming here for decades. However, none of you are from that area, so you might not know that in fact, there haven’t been any wolves on Wild Wolf Peak for decades. Instead, there have often been small animals found dead in the mountains.”
Bai Shuang, who was listening attentively, shivered involuntarily. “There are no wolves anymore? Then why do so many small animals die? Is there poaching?”
The variety show celebrity shrugged. “That’s hard to say. Anyway, when there was a shortage of food at the beginning, some people would pick up the freshly dead small animals and bring them home to eat. It’s said that everyone who ate the meat of those animals went mad, and the village shaman claimed they had encountered ghosts and lost their souls, so they wanted to use the ‘fire burning method’ to summon their souls. But…”
The variety show celebrity paused with a smile before continuing, “Those people ended up being burned alive in front of everyone’s eyes, and nobody could get close to rescue them. What’s more, they ran away from the fire as agile as normal people and disappeared. Since then, it’s been common for people to see those charcoal-like corpses standing in front of them in the dark when they go out to the toilet or work in the fields at dawn. They just stand there without saying a word, smiling silently at them…”
Just as the guests were getting into the story but were also frightened, one of them exclaimed, “How could this be? Weren’t they already dead?”
“Is this fake? This story is poorly crafted; I don’t believe it. If you told me it was something the villagers did, I might buy it.”
“I’m thinking, maybe it’s just a thief dressed in black, and the homeowner going out to the toilet thought it was those corpses, so he pretended to be one of them?”
Not only the guests but also the viewers watching through the split-screen were startled.
They covered their rapidly beating hearts, looking around in shock, but with the barrage of comments scrolling on the screen, they didn’t feel alone.
[I have to admit, coming from the world of variety shows, the storytelling skills and pacing control are impressive!]
[I was genuinely scared; I even thought about it. You know, those corpses would be black after being burned, and in the middle of the night with no streetlights back in the last century’s rural areas, they’d blend into the darkness, right? In case you didn’t see them and bumped into one of those things…]
[Ahh! Stop it, please stop, get out of my head!]
[Sigh, I knew this show wasn’t just a simple and kind travel variety show. I’ve prepared snacks and drinks and locked my door, you won’t scare me no matter what you say, hahaha. But… does anyone know how to get to the toilet the quickest? I think I drank too much soda just now… I want to use the restroom, but I’m too scared to leave my room, sniffle!]
[Hold it! I can’t be the only one too scared to go to the bathroom.]
The variety show celebrity, who had successfully frightened everyone, chuckled and spread his hands, saying, “Don’t worry; this is something I heard from the elders when I was a child. It’s probably just a tale they made up to scare the kids from going out and playing too much. My hometown is right next to Wild Wolf Peak, so I know a little about it.”
“But the night sky at Wild Wolf Peak is indeed beautiful. In recent years, many people have gone there to take photos for their social media; it’s become a famous tourist attraction.” The variety show celebrity smiled and continued, “The Wild Wolf Temple there is also known for its efficacy. If you’re interested, you can pay a visit.”
The guests gradually relaxed, chuckling and praising the story.
However, the actions of Song Ci, who returned to his seat, caught Anthony’s attention.
Ever since this young master boarded the bus, he hadn’t shown him a friendly face. His gaze toward him was disdainful as if he were looking at an imbecile. He had also rebuffed his attempts to be friendly, insulted him directly in front of the live camera, and made him lose face.
However, this privileged young master, who seemed oblivious to the struggles of ordinary people, was surprisingly courteous to Yan Shixun, an unknown amateur. He even took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Yan Shixun?
Why should he get special treatment? Who did Yan Shixun think he was, pretending to be mystical and ghostly? It seemed that not only An Nanyuan but even this young master was treating Yan Shixun so nicely. Had they all lost their minds?
Anger quickly filled Anthony. He raised his voice and shouted at Yan Shixun, “Aren’t you our guide, Yan Shixun? Don’t you plan to introduce us to Wild Wolf Peak?”
The atmosphere inside the bus, which had been lively just a moment ago, suddenly turned cold. Everyone exchanged subtle glances between Anthony and Yan Shixun. They slowly realized that Anthony had been targeting Yan Shixun all along.
An Nanyuan’s face darkened, and he looked at Anthony with a hint of anger, ready to say something.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shixun gave an answer that surprised everyone, “Sure.”
Anthony, who was ready for an argument, was also taken aback.
What everyone saw next was as the minibus moved forward, Yan Shixun casually tapping the window beside him with a small red flag in his hand, saying, “This is asphalt road, anyone unfamiliar with it?”
“This is a flower.”
“This is grass.”
“This is a farmer and his cow.”
“This is a mountain.”
……
A true master of perfunctoriness, Yan Shixun.
If you say he’s wrong, well, what he said wasn’t wrong. But if you say he’s right… after listening to what he said, it’s like you just listened to a monologue of loneliness.
The guests’ expressions went from surprise to bewilderment, and eventually to speechlessness.
“…………”
They had never seen a tour guide this dismissive!
Yanshixuan smiled: Now you’ve seen one.
Anthony couldn’t take it anymore. “Tour guide, can’t you say a few more words? You keep throwing out words, are you just brushing us off?”
Yan Shixun nonchalantly responded, “You’re mistaken.”
Anthony, in anger, asked, “So, what are you doing now?”
Yan Shixun leaned back in his seat, not even bothering to turn and give Anthony a glance. “Oh, it’s because I have intermittent aphasia. Every time I see you, I don’t feel like talking, understand?”
Anthony and the others: “…”
There’s a condition like that? Why haven’t they heard of it?
The man who had been quietly listening beside them finally chuckled, finding it quite amusing.
But just as Yan Shixun finished his response to Anthony and turned to continue introducing things with his little red flag by tapping on the car window, he suddenly noticed that the bright sunshine outside was gradually dimming. Moreover, the previously dry road surface suddenly turned muddy.
A yellowish figure swiftly dashed through the field outside the car.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brows and was about to focus to get a clearer view when the car suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Due to inertia, everyone involuntarily lurched forward, and a chorus of exclamations filled the air.
Caught off guard, Yan Shixun, who had been focused on the outside, also made a sudden movement toward the front window.
Fortunately, the tall man sitting beside him acted swiftly. His long and strong arm quickly reached out to grab Yan Shixun around the waist, pulling him back into his strong embrace. This prevented Yan Shixun from crashing into the car window and getting injured.
Yan Shixun felt like he had hit a wall when his back came into contact with the man’s chest. The shockwaves from the impact spread through his body, jolting his internal organs. He almost instinctively retaliated with an elbow strike.
However, he quickly realized that there was no ill intent from the assistant director beside him. So, he forcibly restrained himself from delivering the elbow strike he had initially intended.
But at the moment their backs touched, Yan Shixun felt a sudden chill creeping up from his back, like the sensation of skin touching ice. It startled him, making him shudder. His attention, which had been focused on the yellow figure dashing across the field, immediately returned, refocusing on what was right in front of him.
The guests and staff inside the bus were thrown off balance by the sudden brake, with some falling and stumbling in all directions. The female actress had the misfortune of falling directly to the ground from her seat, getting her legs stuck in the gap between the two rows of seats in an awkward position. Then, she was hit by a falling backpack from above, causing her to cry out in pain.
The other guests, who were disoriented from the fall, quickly helped each other after getting back up. At that moment, everyone in the bus was focused on assisting each other, and they didn’t pay attention to anything else.
Yan Shixun, with a stern expression, quickly pushed aside the man next to him and rushed to the front of the bus. He asked the driver rapidly, “Why did you suddenly stop the bus?”
The driver, sitting in his seat, had a terrified expression and pointed tremblingly in front of the bus window. “There, there was something! Just now, I saw a face!”
Yan Shixun followed the driver’s direction and looked ahead, but the muddy ground in front of the bus was empty.
“You’ve been driving for too long, haven’t you? Fatigue driving, or maybe you didn’t get enough rest?” Yan Shixun, while remaining vigilant and scanning his surroundings, comforted the driver, “This is not a good habit. You should change it. There’s nothing there. Fortunately, this is a rural road with no one around. Otherwise, if there were a real accident, you’d regret it.”
Hearing Yan Shixun’s words, the driver rubbed his eyes and looked again.
However, the ground that had displayed a face and had prompted the driver to slam on the brakes moments ago was now empty.
Was it really just an illusion? But that face had a nose and eyes; it didn’t seem like a trick of the eye.
The driver had his doubts, but his pounding heart was slowly calming down.
Seeing the driver’s composure returning, Yan Shixun immediately asked, “Wasn’t it sunny just a moment ago? How did the ground suddenly become so wet?”
The driver also found it strange. “I don’t know. It seemed like we had just passed the provincial road and entered the rural road, and in the blink of an eye, it became like this.”
Yan Shixun’s gaze swept the surroundings.
Apart from the muddy ground, the trees and crops around them were all dripping with dew, giving the appearance of having recently experienced heavy rain, rather than anything unusual.
Just as Yan Shixun was starting to feel slightly relieved, another vehicle approached from the front.
It was the director’s car that Zhang Wubing was in charge of. Responsible for scouting the road ahead and solving any problems in advance, and it was about ten minutes ahead of the guests’ tour bus.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Zhang Wubing quickly jumped out and ran over in their direction.
“Brother Yan, we can’t continue ahead!”
Zhang Wubing shouted from a distance, “It’s been raining heavily ahead, and the downpour washed away a bridge. We can’t take the originally planned route, so we might have to find an alternative way.”
A downpour?
That explained it. So the muddy ground he had seen earlier was due to the rain.
Yan Shixun nodded. “Alright.”
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