Chapter 56: Rainstorm Wild Temple 18 Part 2
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Lu Xingxing remembered when Senior Fellow Ma had told him the story about Wild Wolf Peak. He emphasized the need for caution, saying that before undertaking any task, one must carefully calculate and study divination techniques.
Most importantly, never approach Wild Wolf Peak on rainy days.
It was a place where god had died.
And all learned spells and charms would fail.
“Hey, hey? Xing’er, are you listening?” The voice of the person on the other end of the phone continued to chatter, pulling Lu Xingxing back from his contemplation.
Lu Xingxing’s vision wavered for a moment before he regained his composure.
He glanced at the pouring rain beating against the window, then reached for the tablet next to him to start searching for the reality show he was talking about. He grumbled, “Huh? Didn’t I tell you not to call me that way? I’m a guy, and you call me ‘Xing,’ with a childlike tone. Ugh, it’s disgusting.”
“…You’re disgusted by the repetition, but your name itself is repetitive. Are you insulting yourself?”
The person on the other end retorted. Then, he continued with a tone of desperation, “It’s really bad this time, Xing’er. I’m done for if you don’t help me!”
It didn’t take much time for Lu Xingxing. As soon as he entered the video platform, he saw the real-time #1 popular travel show, “Heart-pounding Journey of Ninety-Nine Days.” It was the same show that his friend had told him about last time, the one he had mentioned to his master, and the one that had even alarmed Haiyun Temple. One of the senior ancestors, who usually didn’t interfere with worldly affairs, had stepped in.
“Listen to me, Xing’er. I was watching that show, just out of curiosity since you told me it’s not scripted, and it’s real. Tonight, when I was about to play some games, I got a notification that the show was live again. I heard something next to me like it was asking me to make a wish. It said that if I believed in it, it would grant all my wishes. I was a bit groggy after playing games, so I casually said, ‘Sure, if you let me get a rare item in the game, I’ll believe you.'”
His friend’s voice trembled as he continued, “Then, right after I said that, I opened a loot box in the game, and inside was a rare item! I was nearly scared to death. I thought it was just a hallucination or a joke, but it actually came true! What… what do I do? Did I mess with something? Will there be consequences?”
Listening to his friend’s rambling, Lu Xingxing: “……”
On this side, the live stream had just loaded, and the main screen of the show began to play.
Lu Xingxing was immediately confronted with a sea of blood-red shadows floating in the sky, leaving him stunned.
Unlike the reality shows he had watched in the past, the primary screen of this show had an extremely peculiar angle. It provided a low viewpoint as if it was shot from the ground with an upward angle. The scene appeared to be a temple courtyard, with the torrential rain splattering onto the blue stone pavement in front of the camera. The splashing water droplets blurred the view, creating an unclear and hazy perspective.
Lu Xingxing could see that the camera was filled with a dense, blood-red mass of ghostly figures. Their feet didn’t touch the ground; instead, they hovered above it, standing silently in the pouring rain, as if waiting for something.
In the forefront of all the ghostly figures, at the very end of the camera’s field of view, there were two living individuals.
One of them was taller, and Lu Xingxing squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the person’s face. However, as soon as he leaned in closer to the screen, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes, as if he were not allowed to gaze directly at their true appearance.
He couldn’t help but let out a gasp and quickly pulled back, increasing the distance between himself and the screen. After a while, he finally realized what had just happened and could only look toward the other slender figure with suspicion.
The young man appeared to have just concluded a battle, his clothing torn and covered in dust. A bloodstain streaked down his forehead, curving from his brow to the corner of his eye. Despite the numerous spirits and ghosts before him, the young man did not appear to fear them. His face remained devoid of any panic, exuding an icy calmness. It was as though he were a blade submerged beneath the water, untouched by fear.
Perhaps because he hadn’t completely emerged from the state of battle, the young man’s aura remained sharp and overwhelming, truly remarkable. Even through the screen, it caused a shiver to run down Lu Xingxing’s spine, as his heart quivered in response to this formidable presence.
Could a normal person….. possess such an aura?
Lu Xingxing hesitated, but he diverted his attention to respond to his friend, “You know that those roadside ‘100% Chance to Win Prizes’ are scams. Why did you make a wish when someone called out to you? Are you stupid?”
His friend stammered, “I don’t know. Maybe his words were too persuasive. It’s not just me; many people heard it too! Check the comments section of the show. Many people say they made wishes too. I only wished for in-game items, but others wished for money, health, and whatnot. It’s like we’ve all gone mad. That voice seemed to know exactly what each of us wanted most and what made us most anxious.”
“If someone told a starving, impoverished person that they would become rich just by believing in him, a lot of people would believe, wouldn’t they?”
The person retorted confidently, then added hesitantly, “But I know I was wrong, and I won’t do it again. So, will this have a big impact on me? What should I do?”
Upon hearing that many people had made wishes, Lu Xingxing’s expression changed abruptly, and he quickly scrolled to the comments section of the program.
As expected, many people were discussing the incident.
Lu Xingxing immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. Ignoring his friend’s anxious shouts, he hung up the phone and called his master.
“Master, it’s Xingxing. Remember the program I told you about last time? Well, something has happened again. They went to the Wild Wolf Peak on a rainy day…”
Before he could finish her sentence, a sigh came from the other end. “I already knew. Your senior and I are on our way to the Wild Wolf Peak together.”
Taoist Song, sitting in the off-road vehicle, sighed and felt like his phone was about to explode.
Since Yan Shixun initiated the split-screen during the late night, the program’s popularity had skyrocketed. Many viewers had witnessed the moving wall paintings in the Mountain God Temple and the attacking statues. After recovering from their shock, these viewers immediately called the official hotline and the Wild Wolf Peak scenic area, trying to verify with the authorities.
The hotline operators were initially bewildered but quickly realized it was the same program team that had been involved in the rescue at Gui Mountain previously. They promptly reported the situation and contacted Haiyun Taoist Temple to seek their professional opinion.
After all, the hotline operator had never encountered something like moving wall paintings and statues, and it had left them on the verge of tears.
However, upon receiving the report, the responsible official immediately leaped out of bed and rushed to Haiyun Temple. The Haiyun Taoist masters who had been watching the live broadcast since the incident was discovered were already prepared for departure. Together, they set off for the Wild Wolf Peak.
Although the general public had always been skeptical about the existence of ghosts and supernatural entities, and the official stance leaned heavily on scientific explanations, some things were undeniably real. These things were known to the specialized government departments responsible for dealing with such matters.
Gui Mountain had been one such example, it appeared that Wild Wolf Peak was becoming another one.
Behind the facade of ordinary people living happy lives, there are many who silently guard against danger in places unnoticed by ordinary people. They suppress information and prevent panic.
Nineteen years ago, everyone in the villages near Wild Wolf Peak disappeared within a few months, and the trees near the Wild Wolf Peak withered rapidly, leaving the land barren. This event had already caught the attention of the authorities.
After Taoist Ma, who had firsthand experience in the village near Wild Wolf Peak, described the situation in the village, the authorities quickly stopped a large number of people from going up the mountain to search, hoping to find survivors, even if it was just one.
However, when they, led by more than a dozen Taoist masters from Haiyun Monastery, entered the village, what they saw was a nightmare.
—In the houses of the village, every household, was charred corpses.
The charred corpses were in various positions, and their locations were different. It looked as if someone had died in their sleep, while others were near the toilets, in their own courtyards, in the fields… Moreover, there wasn’t a single body with signs of struggling; they all appeared to have died without pain, perhaps even voluntarily.
The charred corpses had completely carbonized; their entire bodies were black, with skin and flesh tightly attached to their bones, significantly shrunk and contorted, layers of them resembling pine cones that had been roasted black after ripening.
But these were people.
People who had once been alive.
Many people on the team felt nauseated and vomited on the spot, even afterward, many couldn’t sleep at night, closing their eyes only to see the charred corpses in the village, causing psychological problems. They had to receive unified intervention and treatment from therapists.
In the spacious courtyards, there were many luxury cars parked, and many four or five-story villas were under construction in the village. Every household had a substantial amount of gold and banknotes, giving the appearance of prosperity and happiness.
However, it was all empty, without a living soul.
The stark contrast made this scene even more absurd and eerie.
The authorities quickly removed the charred corpses and conducted a detailed investigation and evidence collection in the village, initially investigating it as a heinous series of murders and arson.
However, those charred corpses had already carbonized completely, and many of them were so deteriorated that even with the technology available at the time, verifying their DNA was challenging. Despite this, with the efforts of forensic experts, it was inferred that these charred corpses should have formed at different points in time, with some of them separated by several months. None of them showed any signs of struggling.
What puzzled the forensic experts the most was that these charred corpses all exhibited varying degrees of damage, especially near the joints, where a large amount of carbonized debris had detached. It appeared as if these charred corpses had moved and walked around after death. But how could that be possible?
Furthermore, in the stomachs of some of the charred corpses, there were human flesh and blood. Some of it seemed to have been ingested while the individuals were still alive, with partially digested finger meat and bone. However, some appeared to have been swallowed after death, showing no signs of digestion. This had even ruptured their inelastic esophagus and stomach.
Upon receiving the forensic report and testimonies from those who had escaped the village early, the authorities realized that this was indeed not a case caused by humans.
But rather the work of supernatural entities.
However, when the responsible authorities officially invited domestic experts in this field to come and solve the case, one after another, the experts failed and some even encountered danger.
In the end, a Shaman from outside Shanhai Pass made some progress.
“It’s not the work of humans.”
The highly respected Shaman from Shanhai Pass shook his head and sighed. “It’s the work of the immortals in this area. Several of my fellow Shamans tried to communicate with the immortals and even had a few confrontations, but it didn’t work. We couldn’t even see the true form of that immortal. It has transcended the conventional concept of immortals; it’s more like a god. I advise you not to drive them away casually; instead, seal off this place and make it a forbidden zone.”
“Humans can’t handle this; only gods can. Don’t let people come here any more; cordon off this area, and then leave the rest to time,” the Shaman continued. “Perhaps the Mountain God, who might no longer be in existence, will take pity on your suffering and find a way to resolve this.”
Upon hearing this, the Taoists from Haiyun Temple’s complexion changed dramatically.
In the Shaman temple, the offerings were typically made from animals like foxes, yellow weasels, and other creatures commonly associated with these practices.
The Shaman they had invited happened to be from the Huang family, and the offering presented was a yellow weasel. (Huang=yellow in Chinese)
Since this Shaman claimed that the cause of all the disturbances at Wild Wolf Peak was an immortal being, even a god.
It implied that an animal had taken the place of the Mountain God!
Regardless of how the masters and officials involved in this incident felt, whether they were left speechless or overwhelmed by the idea of a mountain god being replaced by an animal, the government quickly suppressed the news. They sealed off all routes leading to Wild Wolf Peak, preventing ordinary people from entering.
This seal lasted for a decade.
This matter weighed heavily on the conscience of the government official in charge. He wanted to resolve it but could only let it rest, helpless.
Until a few years ago.
That Wild Wolf Peak unexpectedly began to see plant life return. Although it was only low shrubs and weeds, there were still no animals, it was a definite improvement.
Upon investigation, Haiyun Temple found that Wild Wolf Peak had somehow reverted to its non-threatening state during normal conditions. The conditions where the magic was active and allowed the detection of sinister forces only occurred during rainy periods on Wild Wolf Peak.
It was as if something had created a rain-made cage in the shadows, locking away the resentment and malevolence of the new Mountain God, preventing them from harming people.
The Haiyun Taoist masters immediately thought of the words spoken by that Shaman from years ago.
Perhaps, the mountain god felt compassion for the suffering of humans, so even though its position was usurped, it tried to find a solution.
Wild Wolf Peak gradually reopened.
And visitors who came back were amazed to find that stargazing there was incredibly beautiful.
As a result, Wild Wolf Peak became famous for its starry skies on the internet, becoming a new popular tourist spot. And for several years, nothing untoward happened.
That is, until the production team encountered trouble here…
Seeing his furious old Taoist beside him, Taoist Song Yi couldn’t help but steal a glance and then quickly covered his eyes with a painful “slap,” his face contorted in agony.
What’s the deal with Master Uncle Chengyun’s disciple? Isn’t he supposed to be deeply affected by evil spirits? Why can he go to Gui Mountain (Ghost Mountain) and mistakenly end up in a rainy Wild Wolf Peak? Is he really not a magnet for ghosts with such bad luck?
Most importantly, Master really liked Master Uncle Chengyun’s disciple. Even the way he looked at me was strange!
The old Taoist snorted, “You always call your novice disciple, but why don’t you care about Gou Dan’s disciple? He’s Gou Dan’s only direct disciple, how can you be his senior brother like this?”
Taoist Ma looked at Taoist Song Yi whose face was full of misery and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The old Taoist immediately turned and said, “And you, why didn’t you remind Gou Dan’s disciple not to go to Wild Wolf Peak on a rainy day?”
Taoist Ma cried out for injustice, “It seems like Junior Brother Yan didn’t check his phone. I called him in front of you, Master, but no one answered.”
The car suddenly bumped and then slammed on the brakes.
Everyone in the car fell forward due to inertia, making a clattering noise as they fell to the ground. Only the three Taoists from Haiyun Temple remained seated in their original positions. Taoist Ma held a tablet with a split screen of Yan Shixun, it was still in his hand without flying out.
“What’s going on?” The official in charge got out of the car and saw that the car had stopped in the middle of the road.
Further ahead, the boundary between wet and dry on the ground was so distinct.
The side where the car was parked remained dry, but across the boundary, there was a downpour.
The driver was panicked as he turned around. “I don’t know what happened. I was planning to drive in, but there was a very gentle force that stopped me. Even stepping on the gas pedal didn’t work, so I had to stop.”
The old Taoist got out of the car with a serious expression. “It seems that the original Mountain God is refusing us entry… The Mountain God thinks there’s danger inside.”
“That’s possible. Maybe, we can only rely on Gou Dan’s disciple,” the old Taoist sighed, feeling somewhat concerned.
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