Chapter 50: Rainstorm Wild Temple 12 Part 2
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Yan Shixun suddenly opened his eyes and swiftly rolled out of bed, his tall figure tensed, already assuming a defensive posture ready to counter an attack.
His sharp, knife-like gaze scanned the dark room in a circle, and he listened intently to the sounds around him for quite some time, confirming that he had indeed not spotted Zhang Wubing’s figure. Only then did he slowly exhale and relax, perplexity creeping in.
Perhaps it was an illusion, or maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but he had just thought he heard Zhang Wubing’s voice pleading for help.
Was he worrying too much about that guy?
Yan Shixun was a bit puzzled and scoffed at his current state.
He wasn’t Zhang Wubing’s father; why was he worrying so much? Even if Zhang Wubing was accustomed to being clingy and calling him “Dad” without hesitation in their daily interactions, he didn’t have such a big and foolish son.
Yan Shixun snorted and then raised his wristwatch to check the time.
One twenty.
Less than two hours had passed since everyone entered the room, but it was as if everyone had fallen asleep. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
However, after midnight, Yan Shixun could consult the gods through divination, which made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.
For someone who spent years exorcising and warding off evil spirits, the inability to consult the gods through divination was akin to losing one eye. They could only see worldly matters but not the supernatural. This was highly disadvantageous when facing malevolent spirits.
So, the inability to consult the gods during the hour when ghosts and spirits were known to be active was extremely perilous for someone like him, who straddled the line between the mortal realm and the spirit world.
Nothing happened during the midnight hour, which slightly reassured Yan Shixun, and his earlier restlessness subsided.
Ever since he became aware that there might be a problem with the Mountain God, no longer protecting the local land and rivers, Yan Shixun had grown increasingly agitated.
The discomfort that had been building up in his heart finally coalesced into a cluster of pressing questions that needed answers.
Starting a century ago, the Dao of the divine beings had declined, and many sects and traditions found that they could no longer communicate with the gods, spirits, ancestors, or even the local land and mountain deities that were revered and worshiped by the villagers. There seemed to be an impending collapse of the Dao.
Yet, even in the face of such a terrifying catastrophe for the divine beings, the Mountain God in this place continued to exist and bless the villagers with years of prosperity. This indicated the deep-rooted connection and heavy reverence it held among the living beings in this land.
Otherwise, Yan Shixun wouldn’t have sensed the presence of a legitimate divine deity in this location.
After the main road collapsed, gods depended on human words.
Human speech and belief could change or even kill a deity, causing them to vanish forever from the earth.
What had happened to the Mountain God to lead to the current situation? If the Mountain God had already fallen, then what remained here to accept the villagers’ offerings, worship, and even ensure the effectiveness of the Mountain God Temple?
Yan Shixun understood very well that people did not believe in deities wholeheartedly and unconditionally; it had to be that the deity could provide them with benefits and advantages for them to be content in offering their worship.
Since, according to the middle-aged Taoist and the villagers, the Mountain God Temple was of great importance to the villagers and held regular temple fairs and ceremonies, it meant that the temple must be highly effective and able to fulfill the villagers’ wishes and requests.
Otherwise, this Mountain God Temple should have long fallen into disrepair like those other temples where gods had died because they could no longer respond to the villagers’ desires, gradually becoming ruins on the mountainside or by the roadside.
But, since the Mountain God held the position of a true deity, it indicated that all living beings in this vicinity relied on Him and trusted in Him.
Can the deity in the Mountain God Temple really replace what went wrong and respond to the villagers? Where does the power come from?
The more Yan Shixun tried to organize his thoughts, the more he realized that there was a missing piece in his thinking, preventing him from piecing together the full truth.
Perhaps the two unusual villagers and the peculiar main hall of the Mountain God Temple could provide some clues.
With these thoughts in mind, and after confirming that there were no sounds of movement or breathing outside, Yan Shixun pushed open the door. His agile figure landed soundlessly on the corridor’s floor, blending swiftly into the darkness as he made his way toward the main hall.
At the same time, the assistant director, who was alone in the room, suddenly opened his eyes.
Although he had emphasized to Yan Shixun how much he valued sleep as if he needed to sleep in a room to feel at ease.
But when he had the room to himself, he didn’t actually sleep. He didn’t even lie down on the bed.
He sat upright in a simple, old wooden chair. After removing his cap, his long black hair cascaded over his shoulders, concealing the dark marks on his temples. A few strands of hair fell in front of his eyes, but they couldn’t hide the weight and majesty in his gaze.
Even though the room was plain, and the chair was just an old piece of furniture, the man sat with the demeanor of someone on a high platform, exuding an imposing presence. The room seemed to transform into a solemn grand hall, inspiring awe in anyone who saw it.
Since entering the room just moments ago, he had been resting with closed eyes, his breathing nearly imperceptible. In the quiet room, he silently listened to the steady breaths emanating from the adjacent room where Yan Shixun was. From the recent changes in Yan Shixun’s breathing rate, he deduced Yan Shixun’s intentions and movements.
However, he did not stop Yan Shixun or accompany him.
Instead, he waited until Yan Shixun’s footsteps had disappeared from the room before slowly getting up. He looked in the direction Yan Shixun had gone through the wall.
“You’ve sensed that something’s wrong with the Mountain God, faster than I anticipated,” the man chuckled softly. “If I were to praise you, would you be pleased, exorcist of the mortal realm?”
He spoke as if he were asking himself, not expecting an answer.
Of course, no one could hear his words. The only sound that was heard was…
Crack!
The brittle sound of bones breaking echoed in the room.
The man’s palm flipped, and suddenly, a black mist burst forth from his hand, transforming into a roaring black beast that lunged straight for the underside of the bed.
Immediately, there was a flurry of struggling and flapping sounds, continually emanating from the confined space beneath the bed. It was like the sharp claws of some rodent, scratching at the bed frame and the floor, creating a piercing and unsettling noise.
Simultaneously, there were sharp and eerie screams accompanied by squeaking sounds, unlike human voices.
However, the sole listener paid no attention.
There was not even a hint of expression on his face. His black eyes were cold as if he had long grown accustomed to such scenes, and nothing could disturb his thoughts.
After just a few seconds of eye contact, the struggles and screams from under the bed gradually weakened.
The black beast picked up a massive and furry object from under the bed, casually tossed it to the ground, then transformed back into black mist and dissipated into the air.
The man lowered his gaze slightly.
Lying on the ground was none other than a rat, measuring over half a meter in length.
Its yellowish-brown plump body twitched continuously, its fur soaked with the blood that had flowed from its own body, and its neck had been bitten through.
The two enormous yellow sharp teeth protruding from its mouth glistened with a sharp glint in the dim light of the room, resembling daggers.
It could be foreseen that if it were a person or an ordinary animal in its jaws, they might not last a few moments before being bitten to death.
However, this vicious creature now lay sprawled on the icy ground. The remnants of its consciousness compelled it to twitch and desperately look upward with its small, black-bean-like eyes, hoping to see what had ultimately killed it.
It had been here for many years, devouring so many nutrients. How could it have been harmed by those damned human Taoists?
The man noticed the movement of the giant rat, but he quickly withdrew his gaze, showing no interest.
It was as if such a filthy creature didn’t even qualify for his attention.
“To think it still wanted to attack me.”
The man’s voice was indifferent, with a condescending tone: “Overestimating its abilities.”
Just as its consciousness teetered on the brink of life and death, and its vision blurred to the point where it couldn’t make out the face of the person who had killed it, the giant rat suddenly twitched and instantly went rigid.
— At the moment it was half-submerged into the spirit world, it suddenly realized the possible identity of the person from this familiar aura.
H-How is that possible! Such a prominent figure, how could they appear in the mortal realm!
The gigantic rat, which had regained its senses due to nourishment, was filled with regret and remorse for its attempt to ambush a human in this room today.
However, the path to the spirit world was unidirectional and irreversible. Even if the gigantic rat wanted to express regret or warn its companions, it was already too late.
In its ears, the sound of ghostly chains had already begun to ring.
……
Inside the room, there was nothing left.
The corpse of the gigantic rat, which had just been thrown to the ground, had disappeared without a trace.
The man took long strides toward the door.
“Creak… crack…”
The sound of a scream and the opening of the door disturbed An Nanyuan’s already restless sleep. He awoke from a nightmarish dream, his face contorted in fear, and sat up abruptly, gasping for air, drenched in sweat.
Just as he had managed to calm his racing heart and detach himself slightly from the nightmarish world, An Nanyuan slowly let out a breath. Then, he casually glanced to the side.
And there, An Nanyuan locked eyes with another pair that held resentment, silently watching him.
An Nanyuan: “!!!”
OH, NO, NO, NO, THERE’S A GHOST, MOM, AHHHH!!!
An Nanyuan was so frightened that he nearly lost his wits. His heart momentarily stopped, his mouth hung wide open, and his bones kept making a clattering noise as if on the verge of producing a piercing scream.
He heard the owner of the adjacent pair of eyes languidly say, “What’s with that expression? Are you so delighted to see me not being able to sleep?”
There’s a ghost, ahhhhh… Huh? This voice sounds somewhat familiar?
An Nanyuan’s internal scream suddenly paused.
He blinked in confusion and looked back at the pair of eyes beside him.
Uh, this face looks quite familiar… Just like that new guest from the production team, that young master, Song Ci?
“How can you sleep so soundly? And you said your sleep habits wouldn’t disturb me? You lied.”
Song Ci opened a pair of resentful eyes and said, “I couldn’t sleep because of you.”
An Nanyuan: …Oh, it really is Song Ci.
He heaved a sigh of relief, and his racing heart settled back into his chest. He felt like he had just been given a new lease on life.
“Young Master, what are you doing up in the middle of the night? Scaring people can lead to fatal fright, you know? Do you realize how scary it is to wake up and find someone staring at you like you are right now?”
Song Ci scoffed, “You’re so easily frightened.”
An Nanyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, feeling mentally exhausted. “No matter who it is, if they wake up and find someone looking at them, they’ll be scared to death, okay?”
“Alright, then I apologize to you.” Although Song Ci didn’t quite understand what An Nanyuan had said, he realized that he had frightened him and obediently apologized.
However, the conversation quickly shifted, and Song Ci immediately accused him, saying, “Didn’t you say you sleep soundly and don’t talk in your sleep? You big liar!”
Song Ci continued, “I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t go with Yan Shixun to see what ghosts look like. After finally managing to fall asleep counting sheep, you suddenly yelled ‘there’s a ghost!’ and woke me up. When I asked you where it was, you didn’t respond, and that’s when I realized you were just having a dream.”
“Ah? Was it me?” An Nanyuan awkwardly rubbed his nose. “I didn’t even know I had the habit of talking in my sleep…”
Song Ci looked resentful and said, “Not only that, you kept kicking and flailing your arms and legs at me. You were thrashing around on the bed, saying things like ‘run!’ and ‘stay away!’ What kind of dream were you having? Are you sleepwalking too? Yan Shixun said he enjoys killing in his dreams, are you the same?”
“Do I really do all that?”
An Nanyuan looked bewildered, initially wanting to apologize to Song Ci for disturbing his sleep but suddenly froze.
Song Ci’s words helped him recall the nightmare he had just experienced.
In the dream, he saw Brother Yan leaving the room.
The situation where all the guests in the entire room had lost Yan Shixun’s protection made the dream version of An Nanyuan extremely uneasy. He wanted to get out of bed and chase after Yan Shixun. However, as soon as he got off the bed, his ankle, which had fallen to the floor, was grabbed by a furry hand, and he was immediately pulled down to the ground as if something wanted to drag him into the shadow beneath the bed.
In the dream, when An Nanyuan lifted his head to look under the bed, he saw a pair of small eyes emitting a faint red glow in the darkness. The creature grinned at him, and even saliva dripped down from its sharp teeth.
He could even smell the foul odor emanating from the creature’s mouth.
It was like a mix of decomposed corpse and blood, which almost made An Nanyuan feel nauseated.
With half of his leg dragged under the bed, An Nanyuan began to struggle fiercely. He used both his hands and feet to grab the bed’s railings, attempting to pull his leg out, all the while kicking and hitting the creature. He shouted all sorts of incoherent phrases like, “Die, die!” “Brother Yan, hurry back and save me!” “There’s a ghost!” “Get away from me!” and so on.
In the dream, An Nanyuan was too terrified to even comprehend what he was shouting. However, he was no match for the creature’s immense strength and was gradually pulled under the bed. He could even feel the creature opening its gaping maw, intending to consume his flesh bit by bit.
He cried with tears streaming down his face, and in the end, he started calling Yan Shixun’s name.
After listening to An Nanyuan’s brief description of his nightmare, Song Ci was quite interested in the topic and continued to inquire, “And then what happened? How did you finally escape?”
“Of course, I couldn’t escape.” An Nanyuan sighed. “In the dream, I was almost eaten by that monster, but then I suddenly heard a door opening from the next room. Before I could figure out what was happening, I woke up from the dream on my own.”
Song Ci seemed somewhat disappointed with this answer. “Oh.”
An Nanyuan: “…….What are you disappointed about? You’re disappointed that I didn’t die?”
“No,” Song Ci said with a hint of disdain. “I’m just disappointed that I can smell your sweat. You should go and wipe it off.”
“Is it that strong of a smell?” An Nanyuan chuckled awkwardly and then got up from the bed, preparing to fetch a towel from the other side of the room.
He wouldn’t venture outside; after all, Brother Yan had mentioned the danger here, so he wouldn’t open the door.
Moreover, he had just experienced such a terrifying dream.
However, as soon as An Nanyuan’s feet touched the ground and before he could steady himself, his ankle was suddenly grabbed by an ice-cold claw.
An Nanyuan gasped, trembling as he looked down—
The claw had emerged from under the bed.
“AHHHH, BROTHER YAN, HELP ME!!!”
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