Chapter 50: Rainstorm Wild Temple 12 Part 1
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Although the schedule had been disrupted, the guests had not received any messages from the production team. However, with the presence of the variety show celebrity, they took it upon themselves to liven up the atmosphere.
Since they couldn’t proceed with their original plan of camping at Wild Wolf Peak to see the night scenery, the variety show celebrity prepared several small games to engage the guests and ensure the audience watching the show wouldn’t get bored.
However, Yan Shixun rejected this idea.
This left the variety show celebrity somewhat puzzled. “But it’s still early, and if we end now, it would mean we haven’t done anything today. Won’t the show be too boring?”
The other newly added guests shared the same sentiment.
Who cares about sleeping? They came to participate in a variety show, which was work, not relaxation. How could they gain the audience’s attention if they didn’t appear on camera? They were here to boost their popularity.
“Play games?” Yan Shixun cryptically remarked. “Are you playing games, or are the games playing you? As midnight approaches, be careful not to get played by the games.”
The variety show celebrity didn’t quite understand but assumed that Yan Shixun was unhappy with him for stealing the spotlight.
He responded with a somewhat hostile tone, “Even though the director isn’t here, I still want to do my job properly and support this show. If younger brother Yan wants to take charge of the show on his own, I have no objections, but let’s not ruin the show’s outcome by the time we reunite with the director tomorrow.”
Yan Shixun casually walked towards his room with one hand in his pocket. “Let me rephrase it for you — do you know that many animals in the mountains are phototropic? Where there is light and warmth, where there are people, they will go there. Can you confirm whether animals from the mountains come down at night to forage? As you saw when you arrived, this is the only temple nearby. If you need help, there’s no way to get it. If you encounter an animal attack, what will you do?”
“My understanding of being a tour guide isn’t about playing games with you. As long as I ensure you all stay alive, that’s enough,” Yan Shixun snorted, his smile devoid of warmth. “As long as Zhang Wubing’s show can continue, I don’t care if someone dies, and the show doesn’t stop for that reason. The rest is none of my concern.”
Yan Shixun raised his gaze, locking eyes with the variety show celebrity, making it clear to him that he was serious.
Not motivated by the trivial and disdainful emotions the variety show celebrity had speculated about.
— Those feelings of aversion were clearly written on his face.
In the eyes of Yan Shixun, who had witnessed so many supernatural beings, the variety show celebrity was as transparent as glass, their micro-expressions and body language impossible to hide.
He had stated before that he wouldn’t casually form karmic connections with others unless they had entered into a Yin-Yang covenant with him or had a pre-existing karmic entanglement, like Zhang Wubing. Otherwise, even if someone begged for help in front of him, he would simply walk past without a second glance.
Did he not know that the present was the result of past causes?
If he were to intervene out of momentary compassion, how would he know that he wasn’t disrupting the consequences of someone else’s actions? Unless he could be certain that the person seeking help hadn’t previously committed evil deeds, he wouldn’t get involved.
The variety show celebrity wasn’t sure of Yan Shixun’s true intentions, but his words made a lot of sense, causing them to hesitate.
After all, this reality show was different from the ones they had participated in before, and now that they had become separated from the logistics staff, they could only rely on themselves in case of any trouble. Personal safety was indeed important…….
However, An Nanyuan, who may not have fully grasped the conversation, sensed something from Yan Shixun’s tone. Considering what had happened earlier in the bathroom with Rourou and others, his expression changed instantly. He grabbed Song Ci and headed for their room.
The young master, who had been watching the commotion with crossed arms, looked bewildered. “What are you doing?”
“Going to bed,” An Nanyuan’s tone was firm. “Brother Yan is right. It’s already late, and you’re still growing. You can’t stay up late.”
Song Ci protested, “I’m an adult!”
But An Nanyuan’s daily training as an idol far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and Song Ci couldn’t resist his strength. He was pulled into the room.
Amidst Song Ci’s protests like “I want to follow Yan Shixun to see ghosts! Don’t stop me!” and “I won’t sleep, there are no ghosts when you’re asleep! Haven’t they always said ghosts appear at night?” An Nanyuan quickly said goodnight to Yan Shixun with a smile and assured him that he wouldn’t open the door unless Yan Shixun came to find him personally. Then he closed the door with a resounding “thud.”
Upon seeing this, Bai Shuang immediately grabbed Rourou, who was known as the “roommate,” and hurried back to their room. Their speed made it seem like they were being chased by ghosts.
The hesitated variety show celebrity seeing four guests already left: “……”
Yan Shixun offered a fake smile. “If you’re worried the show will be boring, you can live stream your own screen.”
The variety show celebrity who felt dejected muttered, “Hmph,” and turned to walk to their room. “I will go sleep, go sleep. It’s not a big deal anyway.”
The lively corridor had suddenly quieted down.
Yan Shixun glanced at his watch; it was already past 11 o’clock. He couldn’t perform a divination to inquire about the situation inside the main hall this time. So, he prepared to return to his room and wait until everyone was asleep before making a move.
However, just as he took a step forward, he was blocked by the assistant director.
Earlier, when everyone was present, this man deliberately kept a low profile. Despite his tall and attractive appearance, none of the guests had paid much attention to him.
However, now, as he stood in front of Yan Shixun, it was as if a misty veil had been lifted, revealing a formidable barrier that prevented Yan Shixun from moving forward.
His presence suddenly became overwhelming.
Yan Shixun raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is it that your clothes are wet again, or something else?”
The assistant director seemed to smile slightly. “Yan……Shixun have you forgotten that I still don’t have a room? Are you really planning to let me sleep outside on this rainy night? It’s quite cold. I can sit by your room door. If you have any murderous dreams, I’ll just open the door and leave.”
The man pronounced Yan Shixun’s name in an extremely tender manner, with several syllables blending together, as if it carried an implicit intimacy reserved for the closest of individuals.
But for some reason, every time Yan Shixun heard the man call his name, he felt a shiver down his spine and an urge to unleash his frustration by delivering a thunderous blow to the man’s head.
Yan Shixun sneered, “Bai Shuang just happened to leave a spare room. If you’re willing to sleep, go ahead. If not, tomorrow morning, I’ll help you with your funeral arrangements.”
With that, Yan Shixun approached the man directly, not showing any intention of avoiding him, and his arm muscles tensed, ready to flip the man over with a swift move if he obstructed him again.
The man’s gaze shifted down, falling on the faintly visible muscle lines beneath Yan Shixun’s shirt. He then shrugged, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and stepped aside to let Yan Shixun pass.
“Well then, goodnight.”
If you really are planning to sleep.
Yan Shixun watched the sudden change in attitude from the assistant director, giving him a puzzled look for a couple of seconds before finally entering his own room.
The lights in the corridor went out.
The Mountain God Temple was also engulfed in darkness.
Amidst the resounding and torrential rain, the wilderness lay in utter darkness, with only two large red lanterns illuminating the eaves of the Mountain God Temple.
They appeared like some kind of monstrous creature, sinisterly opening their crimson eyes, harboring greed and hunger as they lay in wait for their prey.
In the vast expanse of fields, there were no signs of villages or people, only crops bowing their heads helplessly in the downpour, swaying back and forth as if on the verge of collapsing in the wind and rain.
Amidst the fields, a scarecrow dressed in red clothing lifted its head, revealing a face made of white paper money.
Its two black eyeballs, as if drained of color by the pouring rain, left a black imprint on the white paper money, winding down like tears.
Its bright red mouth, however, was opened wide as if in maniacal laughter.
Under the relentless downpour, the portion of the red pole that ran through the scarecrow from head to toe, extending into the field embankment, began to loosen.
he scarecrow swayed in the wind, and then, to everyone’s astonishment, its straw limbs dressed in red clothing began to move.
Its two hands lifted, stiffly pushing forward with all its might, pulling the long pole that had already begun to loosen from the ground, and firmly landing both feet on the ground.
The scarecrow slowly turned its head, finally aligning its completely black eyes with the distant glowing temple of the Mountain God Temple.
In the midst of total darkness, these two points of red light pointed the way for all creatures in the night.
Amidst muddy terrain and fallen crops, the scarecrow, carrying the red pole that pierced through its head, cackled strangely as it slowly made its way toward the Mountain God Temple.
Its red clothing had been washed of its color by the rain, and with each step, red water fell beneath its feet, like a trail of bloody footprints.
“Mountain God, Mountain God’s death anniversary day… cackle… wuuu death anniversary day…”
The hoarse, chilling laughter echoed in the open field.
In the midst of endless farmland, one after another, the scarecrows lifted their heads.
They grinned, their faces made of white paper money resembling the careless scribbles of mischievous children, washed out by the rain, the red and black colors merging into a chaotic mess, unlike human faces.
“Mountain God…”
The scarecrow pulled up the red pole that supported it.
“Mountain God’s birthday…”
Black tears streamed down the scarecrow’s face.
“Mountain God’s death anniversary day…”
Beneath the scarecrow’s feet—
Lay a pool of blood.
Unavenged spirits.
……
“Is the air conditioning on too high?”
Zhang Wubing rubbed the goosebumps that had formed on his arms and muttered strangely, “Why does it feel like a refrigerator in here? Aren’t any of you cold?”
However, none of the passengers in the car answered him.
The guests in their seats all sat stiffly, with their heads lowered like cardboard cutouts, so still that their faces couldn’t be seen.
No one spoke, and the car was eerily quiet, with a creeping chill.
So, Zhang Wubing, who had originally wanted to seek agreement and turned up the air conditioning accordingly, found himself awkwardly left hanging.
He shifted uncomfortably, cleared his throat, and then turned to Yan Shixun beside him, asking, “Brother Yan, are you cold? Should we turn up the air conditioning?”
His Brother Yan would surely help him out of this awkward situation!
However, Yan Shixun slowly and stiffly turned his neck, like a long-dead corpse, so rigid that even his cloudy eyeballs didn’t move, and his gaze fell directly on Zhang Wubing.
“Is it cold? I think this temperature is just right. Zhang Wubing, you’ll get used to it slowly.” Yan Shixun forced a stiff and difficult smile as if he were a frozen piece of meat trying to make an expression. “You’ll come to like this temperature too, I promise.”
Zhang Wubing, who had been looking forward to it, responded, “Um… I’ll try my best, even though I feel like this temperature is almost like being dead.”
Zhang Wubing had always gone along with whatever his Brother Yan said, so he didn’t argue now either. He just took it as Brother Yan teasing him for being delicate and unable to endure hardship.
As the car continued to drive, the interior lights dimmed gradually, making it barely possible to see things around them. Zhang Wubing couldn’t see Yan Shixun’s expression, but he felt a chill coming from all around him, causing him to shiver.
Zhang Wubing couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Why does it feel like we’re in the middle of nowhere? But Brother Yan is sitting right next to me, right?”
However, when he turned his head and looked back at the darkness ahead of the car, he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Hmm?”
“Driver, did you forget to turn on the high beams? Can you see the road clearly? It’s so dark on this road, it would be safer to turn on the lights, and it would also help the assistant director’s car find us…”
At this point, Zhang Wubing hesitated for a moment.
It was then that he realized the car had been driving for quite some time, and they still hadn’t seen the assistant director’s car. However, logically speaking, he had instructed them to wait on the side of the road before he got out of the director’s car, and when he ran back, it had only taken him about ten minutes. They should have met the assistant director’s car by now.
What was going on? Did the assistant director’s car leave without telling him? Or did the guest’s car take the wrong route?
Zhang Wubing, who had great trust in Yan Shixun, directly asked, and Yan Shixun replied, “Changed the route, not moving forward.”
“Huh?” Zhang Wubing was confused.
“The sky is so dark, let’s stay overnight at a villager’s house.”
In the dim light, Zhang Wubing heard the figure on the other side chuckle and say, “We’ll arrive soon.”
But that voice sent shivers down Zhang Wubing’s spine, making him somewhat frightened.
Before Zhang Wubing could rack his brains to figure it out, the car had already passed through fields and entered the village.
Through the rain-smeared windows, Zhang Wubing could vaguely see a few flashes of red in the fields, like red cloth fluttering, which made him wonder: was it a custom in the Wild Wolf Peak area to tie red cloth in the fields like this?
“We’ve arrived, get out of the car.”
Yan Shixun opened the car door and roughly pulled Zhang Wubing’s arm, dragging him towards the ground.
Zhang Wubing couldn’t react in time and bumped his head directly against the nearby car wall, causing tears to well up in his eyes from the pain. “Hey? Hey??? Brother Yan, what’s wrong with you? That hurts.”
Unexplainably, he didn’t want to get out of the car, even though he was being pulled by Yan Shixun, whom he trusted and relied on deeply.
But when Zhang Wubing looked back in confusion, he found that the guests had somehow appeared behind him, silently staring straight at him.
Seeing him struggle and even grab onto the car handle beside him, refusing to get out, the guest smiled. “Zhang Wubing, you can’t sleep in the car, can you?”
Other guests chimed in, “Zhang Wubing, it’s cold.”
“Zhang Wubing, get off, we’re all waiting for you.”
“Zhang Wubing…”
……
The high and low voices overlapped into one, like hollow echoes.
Although Zhang Wubing instinctively felt that something was amiss, he was swayed by the words of the guests and Yan Shixun.
Indeed, he was the director, responsible for taking care of all the guests. He couldn’t let all the guests sleep in the car just because he was afraid, and now that all the guests had expressed their dissatisfaction, he couldn’t be so selfish.
With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Wubing released his grip on the car’s handle. Immediately, he was forcefully and rudely pulled by Yan Shixun, stumbling and stumbling down the steps and getting out of the car.
Whether it was due to blurred vision or an angle-induced illusion, Zhang Wubing suddenly felt that at the moment his feet touched the ground, all the guests standing silently in the car seemed like vague ghostly figures, looking down on him from above.
And they were laughing.
Zhang Wubing was startled by his own thoughts, and quickly reached out to rub his eyes, fearing that he was seeing things.
But the next moment, he felt Yan Shixun pulling his arm and lifting him up, pushing him forward.
At the end of the narrow path, the door of a village house creaked open, and a mixture of cold air and dim light gushed out together, hitting Zhang Wubing in the face.
The person who walked out of the room greeted them with a stiff and lifeless smile, “You’re here to stay, aren’t you? Please come in, please come in.”
“Our village hasn’t seen a living person in a long time, and we like… people like you.”
As the villagers spoke the last syllables, their tone became ambiguous, and if one listened closely, it almost sounded like they were saying “living person.”
Zhang Wubing was pushed to the front of the door and staggered a few times before managing to stand still.
Then, just as he raised his head, through the crack between the door and the villagers, he saw a black-and-white memorial portrait on a table inside the house.
The young man in the portrait seemed to sense Zhang Wubing’s gaze, he moved his eyes and slowly turned to look at Zhang Wubing, revealing a greedy smile.
Zhang Wubing gasped and felt his scalp tingling.
“Brother Yan! Brother Yan, there’s a ghost here! AHHHHH!!”
But this time, the “Yan Shixun” standing behind Zhang Wubing didn’t move.
“Yan Shixun” simply stood with those “guests,” like elusive specters, silent and still, standing quietly behind the living person, greedily and maliciously surveying the figures of the living with cold eyes.
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