Jing Jiujiu leapt up suddenly in Bai Yuhuai's palm.
Bai Yuhuai's face remained expressionless, but the veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly. He abruptly closed his fingers, trapping Jing Jiujiu firmly within them.
Now, unless a tornado came and swept Bai Yuhuai away too, there was no escape.
The red figure had a snow-white face with regular features, equally devoid of emotion.
He merely took half a step back, watching Bai Yuhuai.
When the white figures could no longer restrain themselves and began to surround them, the red figure spoke in a low voice: "#r￥&*……"
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Had they lost their minds like those little ghosts?
Yin Mo, however, felt his heart tremble.
The red figure's voice pierced through the gloomy wind and mist. Though far away, it fell clearly into everyone's ears.
"What is he saying?"
"Did the production team hire a foreigner?"
The sudden voices from behind startled Yin Mo. He turned back in exasperation, almost breaking the mantra he was chanting.
It turned out that when the others saw nothing bad happen to Bai Yuhuai as he approached, they gradually relaxed. Seeing Yin Mo chanting so convincingly, whether real or fake, it provided psychological comfort.
So after a brief discussion, they all gathered behind Yin Mo.
Two cameramen even couldn't help but crane their necks further, holding their cameras high, wanting to capture this strange yet oddly beautiful scene.
"How could it possibly be a foreigner?" Ji Meng couldn't help but criticize.
Are these people brainless?
Ji Meng: "There are no foreigners over three meters tall. If he bent down, he could flatten us all into the ground with one palm."
Yun Xin's imagination ran wild: "... Could there be two people inside, one standing on the other's shoulders?"
Ding Hanbing scoffed coldly: "On this mountain dug full of holes, if two people stacked up over three meters high, wouldn't they fall with every step?"
"Stilts?" Yun Xin suggested, but quickly rejected her own idea, saying tremblingly, "They have feet."
Ding Hanbing sighed in relief after hearing this: "Isn't that better? They have feet! It means they're not ghosts!"
Yin Mo: "…………"
Yin Mo stopped his chanting and quickly scolded: "Alright, shut up. They're speaking in ancient Chinese, which you can't understand. I can barely understand it myself... Where the hell did all these people come from?"
Just as Yin Mo finished speaking, Jian Suifan suddenly said in a trembling voice: "Those white-robed figures, why are they all looking at us now?"
Yin Mo turned his head to look.
Indeed.
All those white figures had turned their heads, staring intently at them.
Yin Mo: "Quickly bite the wooden dolls, what are you spacing out for?"
The others were so frightened their hands and feet went weak. Fortunately, they were still clutching the wooden dolls and hurriedly stuffed them into their mouths.
Only Jian Suifan, while terrified inside, also scorned the production team's tricks. So after realizing nothing had happened to Bai Yuhuai, he had already thrown away his doll.
"Why are they still looking at us?"
"They... they seem to be turning towards us..."
"Are they going to walk towards us?"
Each voice was more panicked than the last.
Jian Suifan finally couldn't hold it together: "My doll..."
Before he could finish speaking, he felt something bump against his calf. Jian Suifan lowered his head and bent down, and suddenly there was a doll in his hand. He quickly stuffed the doll into his mouth.
Those white figures stared at them for a few seconds, then turned back again.
Jian Suifan let out a huge sigh of relief.
He didn't know what use this thing had...
Maybe it was just a prop for the show, and biting it was like holding a pass... but why didn't Bai Yuhuai need one? Had the production team given him such special privileges?
As Jian Suifan was secretly envious, a flash of insight suddenly crossed his mind—
How had the doll gotten into his mouth just now?
Had the doll... run over by itself?
Jian Suifan felt a chill all over his body and lowered his gaze.
He saw the doll stretch its leg.
Jian Suifan: "Ah!"
Then he unexpectedly fell down.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai gave a cold laugh: "Is that all you can say? Have you fallen so low?"
The other party seemed to understand Bai Yuhuai's meaning, and their snow-white face became even colder.
"Isn't the netherworld long gone? Why open the Ghost Gate here? Do you want this place to be barren, with all living people perishing? To turn this into a ghost den?" Bai Yuhuai said coldly.
The red figure mumbled a few more words.
If one listened carefully, a hint of ancient phonology could be heard.
"It originally had nothing to do with me," Bai Yuhuai said, his expression cruel. "But why did you take away my person?"
The red figure seemed to pause for a moment. He stretched out his pale hand, trying to take the little paper man from Bai Yuhuai's palm.
Jing Jiujiu, covered in Bai Yuhuai's palm, could only vaguely see through the gaps the pale, almost bluish fingers and a bit of red clothing.
The red figure finally squeezed out some common speech awkwardly: "He is not... human..."
"Give him... to me..."
Bai Yuhuai's brows and eyes sank, and he took out a peach wood talisman. This talisman was different from ordinary styles. It was about two feet long, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, inlaid with gold thread, with complex incantations written on both sides.
Gripped in his hand, it was like holding a short dagger.
The red figure glanced at the peach wood, showing no fear, and even repeated: "Give me..."
Bai Yuhuai's expression grew increasingly cold.
Give you?
Who do you think you are?
"He is... my... offering..." said the red figure.
Jing Jiujiu: "..."
The evil god last time said the same thing.
Why don't you two fight it out first?
Jing Jiujiu couldn't help but ponder carefully - was Jing Tinghua really that impressive? Using him to sacrifice to two deities at once? Should he be grateful that Jing Tinghua didn't cut him in half?
And... was the one before them also a god?
Jing Jiujiu couldn't stir up much emotion in his heart.
But Bai Yuhuai's anger and killing intent were fully provoked.
"Is that so?" Bai Yuhuai raised his eyes, staring coldly at the red figure: "But he is mine."
Jing Jiujiu thought, that's right.
I'm the ghost he raised.
Raising me is so difficult!
Bai Yuhuai has it tough!
Red figure: "Then..."
I'll kill you all.
But before he could squeeze out the words.
Bai Yuhuai's peach wood talisman had already struck his body.
Bai Yuhuai recited two lines from the Shurangama Sutra again. The white figures let out shrill howls from their throats, while the red figure waved his hand, flying backwards before landing again.
Looking down.
A large hole had opened in his chest.
Bai Yuhuai slowly curled his hand.
The peach wood talisman fell to the ground, replaced by a dense yin energy he held in his palm.
Bai Yuhuai lowered his eyes and opened his palm: "Have you ever eaten King Yama?"
Jing Jiujiu was startled and licked his lips: "King Yama?"
"One of the Ten Kings of Hell, also known as Yama," Bai Yuhuai pointed at the red figure, "It's an avatar of Yama."
Then he pointed at the white figures: "A group of ghost officials."
After he finished speaking, Bai Yuhuai frowned again and commented more coldly: "More like a bunch of lunatics..."
"What... kind of... thing... are you?" the red figure asked from afar.
Bai Yuhuai gave all the yin energy to Jing Jiujiu. Jing Jiujiu, caught off guard, slurped it all up.
Only then did Bai Yuhuai release the little paper man from his palm.
He gripped his bracelet with one hand and slowly walked towards the red figure: "Someone who can kill you."
"You are not human," the red figure said, followed by another gust of wild wind.
A pitch-black, bottomless hole opened in mid-air, and then all the figures disappeared.
Jing Jiujiu said loudly: "He insulted you. Hic."
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm, it's okay. Next time we meet, I'll kill him."
He hadn't expected it to be just an avatar. If he had known, he wouldn't have been so cautious and could have just killed it with a spell.
Jing Jiujiu still spoke loudly: "I'm a bit full." "Hic."
But while feeling full, he also had a very mysterious sensation, as if... as if in the pitch darkness, something was trembling in his direction.
Bai Yuhuai's eyes moved: "Shall I rub your belly for you?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm, let's go back to the factory first. Ah~ hic!"
Bai Yuhuai: "Alright."
Only then did Bai Yuhuai hang Jing Jiujiu on his ear again. Jing Jiujiu swayed and said, "You were too careless when you pinched me..."
Bai Yuhuai paused: "Did I hurt you?"
Jing Jiujiu: "No, you can't tell the difference between a face and a butt. You keep touching my butt."
Bai Yuhuai's breathing suddenly changed rhythm, and his fingers tightened.
Jing Jiujiu was still muttering in his ear: "Are there any bigger paper dolls? Can they be custom-made? Make one as big as me. Then you definitely wouldn't touch the wrong place..."
Bai Yuhuai's eyes flickered again, and he said softly: "No, there aren't."
Jing Jiujiu voiced his disappointment: "There aren't?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm-hmm."
Jing Jiujiu believed him without doubt, thought for a moment and said: "Never mind, anyway, a paper doll's butt would feel dry and nothing like my own butt..."
Bai Yuhuai's breathing grew heavier: "...Is that so?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm-hmm."
After exchanging just a few words, they returned to the factory entrance.
Ding Hanbing hurriedly asked: "Where's Jiujiu?"
Yin Mo: "Hanging on his ear."
Ding Hanbing looked closely and carefully tried to cup his hands around it.
So small.
Ding Hanbing thought nervously, I could hold him in my hands, put him in my pocket...
But Bai Yuhuai walked straight past them, and Ding Hanbing's hands grasped at empty air.
Bai Yuhuai asked: "Where are the others?"
"Jian Suifan fainted from fright, so the others took him inside," Yin Mo said.
Hearing this, Ding Hanbing couldn't help but sneer coldly: "Useless thing!" He had managed to stand his ground until the very end!
The three people and one ghost then walked in together.
The cameraman heard footsteps and quickly turned around: "Brother Bai." He wiped his face; he had been part of the team that went to the castle last time. After that experience, he was now much calmer and could speak fluently: "We can't make phone calls... we'll have to go down the mountain."
Bai Yuhuai responded with a faint "Mm," then realized that everyone was still biting the wooden dolls. Even the cameraman had immediately put it back in his mouth after speaking.
Bai Yuhuai: "You don't need to bite them anymore."
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!" Upon hearing this, everyone rushed to spit them out.
Bai Yuhuai: "..." "Move gently, lay them flat on the ground."
Bai Yuhuai's personal cameraman was the most obedient, quickly following his instructions and carefully placing it on the ground. He even took out some paper to wipe it, smiling sheepishly: "I've been biting it for a long time, there's probably saliva..."
Ding Hanbing frowned and was the first to ask: "What exactly are these things? Why did we have to bite them?"
At this moment, Jian Suifan had finally regained his senses and was slowly sitting up, supported by Yun Xin.
Since becoming famous, when had Jian Suifan ever suffered like this? His face darkened, and he hurriedly threw away the wooden doll from his mouth.
The cameraman wanted to say something but hesitated.
Ah.
Why so rough?
Bai Yuhuai didn't even look at Jian Suifan, speaking calmly: "They are made of locust wood. Locust is associated with the underworld. Once a soul is placed inside, it can serve as a body for the dead. In the past, people often used them to bury the ghosts of loved ones who lost their bodies on the battlefield. With a body, they could be considered human and enter the six realms of reincarnation."
He paused: "The aura of the living on your bodies is too strong, even your breath is full of vitality. Evil things would be drawn to that scent... In the emergency, we could only have you bite these, blocking the living aura in your mouths and instead emitting the aura of the dead, even corpse energy... Those things would then only see you as corpses and naturally lose interest."
Hearing this, Yun Xin couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice: "So these wooden dolls once housed ghost souls?"
Bai Yuhuai lowered his eyes to look at the dolls on the ground: "Perhaps there are still lingering souls inside them now."
Jian Suifan, who had just regained consciousness, rolled his eyes upon hearing this: "Ugh."
He fainted again.
The others used all their strength to keep themselves from reacting the same way.
The cameraman forced a smile: "Ah, no wonder... No wonder Brother Bai told us to be careful when putting them down earlier."
You bit someone and then threw them on the ground, how could the ghost inside be happy about that?
If it gets upset, strangling you would be getting off lightly!
"Those things just now..." Yun Xin said in a low voice.
"Don't call them things, call them soul-collecting officers," Yin Mo corrected.
Yun Xin's heart tightened, and she quickly bowed to the four corners: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my ignorance, I meant no offense." Then she carefully asked: "Are they here to lock away souls and take them to the underworld?"
Yin Mo shook his head: "There hasn't been an underworld for a long time."
"So..." Yin Mo frowned, "Why would these things appear here again? What they said before wasn't wrong, even if they were to appear, it should be during the Ghost Festival when the gates of hell open."
Ji Meng followed with a trembling voice, asking the most crucial question: "Can we go down the mountain now?"
The cameraman nodded: "Yeah, Jian is still unconscious."
Jian Suifan's physical condition wasn't that bad, and as they were speaking, he slowly regained consciousness again.
But after sitting up, his expression remained dazed.
It's fake, it's all fake, it's just props from the production team...
Jian Suifan reassured himself repeatedly.
"Let's go down the mountain immediately!" Jian Suifan said, raising his head.
Ding Hanbing sneered: "Has your brain been sliced and fed to donkeys? This mountain is full of abandoned mine shafts and pits. Aren't you afraid of falling into one while walking? If you encounter a ghost maze, wouldn't you wet your pants in fear?"
Now that he had a protective charm, Ding Hanbing was quite confident.
Jian Suifan choked on his words, wanting to retort but not knowing how.
At this moment, Jing Jiujiu let out another small hiccup next to Bai Yuhuai's ear.
Bai Yuhuai lowered his gaze.
He still needed to dispel some of the yin energy from Jing Jiujiu.
"It's now 1:21 AM, and the gates of hell closed firmly at 1 AM. You can now rest easy and sleep, regaining your strength, and leave when it's daylight," Bai Yuhuai made the decision with one sentence.
Everyone else obediently complied.
Jian Suifan returned to his tent but felt uneasy no matter what.
Would this part be edited into the show? Was he the only one who fainted like a coward in the entire program?
He now even suspected that the production team had deliberately set him up. Was it to get revenge for him canceling at the last minute before? But hadn't they ended up inviting Bai Yuhuai because of that, resulting in sky-high ratings and trending on social media for three consecutive days?
Jian Suifan closed his eyes resentfully.
I need to think of a way...
At least I can't be the only one who looks so stupid on the show...
Meanwhile, as Bai Yuhuai was about to zip up the tent, Yin Mo reached out and stopped him, calling softly: "Jiujiu."
"You saw today, Brother Bai is quite extraordinary..."
Yin Mo stared intently at Bai Yuhuai, lowering his voice: "Who would have thought that being an actor and winning best actor awards are just side jobs for Brother Bai. Your main profession is being a Taoist master, right?"
Bai Yuhuai's face was cold, and he didn't respond.
Yin Mo felt increasingly uneasy: "You didn't tell Jiujiu about your true identity from the beginning, did you? He just treated you like an ordinary person. Don't you think you owe him an explanation, Brother Bai? Why are you deceiving him like this? Is it for the same purpose as Jing Tinghua?"
Bai Yuhuai's heart sank a little, his expression growing colder, but he remained calm and composed.
In the past, he could have explained away his actions by saying his family had hired a Taoist master, and he had obtained some magical tools and picked up some knowledge from them. But today, there was no way to explain it away.
From the moment he chased after Jing Jiujiu and left the factory, he had actually foreseen this outcome.
But he still chased after him.
"This is between me and Jiujiu," Bai Yuhuai said coldly.
Yin Mo suppressed his anger.
If even he couldn't see through Bai Yuhuai, how could Jing Jiujiu?
But Bai Yuhuai's words had hit his weak spot... Yes, it was Jiujiu's own business, and he didn't even have the right to interfere.
Yin Mo finally let go: "Then I ask Brother Bai to handle this matter carefully and thoroughly. If Brother Bai truly has ill intentions... I, and my master, won't let it slide so easily."
It had happened once before.
It absolutely would not happen a second time.
Bai Yuhuai coldly zipped up the tent, completely blocking Yin Mo's face from view.
Yin Mo: "..."
Yin Mo raised his hand and pressed his brow, where a slightly raised mole was clearly felt.
Yin Mo remembered that long ago, Master Tingyi had praised him for his natural Buddhist affinity, saying he was destined to attain enlightenment, preside over the temple, and bring peace to all directions.
But he was far from being a match for Bai Yuhuai.
Yin Mo hesitated, suppressing the unwillingness in his heart. He turned around, took out a book, and began reading it under the flashlight.
The cover read "Pramāṇasamuccaya".
What is this? He couldn't understand it.
Ding Hanbing saw how hard he was trying.
He must be secretly striving to win Jiujiu's favor...
So Ding Hanbing immediately pulled out a script as well.
Yun Xin: ?
Ji Meng: ?
Cameraman: ?
Even though the ghost had left, why did the atmosphere still feel strange?
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the tent was even more tense.
Jing Jiujiu stepped on Bai Yuhuai's shoulders and tumbled to the ground in a few quick movements.
Bai Yuhuai's face still showed no expression.
But outside the factory, Jing Jiujiu's intimate and casual conversation with him still echoed in his ears.
So at this moment, the silence inside the tent became even more unbearable in contrast.
Bai Yuhuai pressed one hand on the paper doll and pulled Jing Jiujiu out.
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Jing Jiujiu: "I was just about to crawl out."
Bai Yuhuai unconsciously changed his sitting posture, his whole body stiffening without realizing it. He lowered his gaze slightly: "Jiu..."
Jing Jiujiu: "Hey, don't speak yet."
Bai Yuhuai's eyelid twitched, his heart pounding in his chest again. But this time, all the blood in his body flowed slowly and coldly. It was a completely different feeling from when his heart was racing before.
Bai Yuhuai tasted fear for the first time.
Jing Jiujiu was afraid of Taoist priests.
This was something he had known for a long time.
But out of selfishness, he didn't want the young man to fear him, and even wanted to use those things he had learned and mastered deeply to keep the young man by his side...
So he had never taken the initiative to mention his other identity.
What would Jing Jiujiu think?
Simple fear?
Or would he, as Yin Mo said, suspect him of having ulterior motives.
He won't even let me speak...
Bai Yuhuai sat there, a dull pain spreading in his chest.
Jing Jiujiu changed his sitting position and slowly raised his head: "Ah, this is so awkward." He had never felt so awkward in his entire life.
Jing Jiujiu rubbed his head, messing up all his hair.
When he looked at Bai Yuhuai again, he looked as if someone had violently pushed him down...
Bai Yuhuai's heart skipped a beat inappropriately.
He felt he was truly sick.
Even at a time like this, he still had an inappropriate reaction to the young man's appearance.
"I've always been terrified of Taoist priests, monks, and diviners. Since ancient times, it's said that good and evil cannot coexist, humans and ghosts cannot live together. Yan Chixia never showed mercy to demons and ghosts..."
The dull pain in Bai Yuhuai's heart spread even deeper.
Bai Yuhuai calmly stated: "Yes. On the first day I entered the castle and discovered there was a ghost, I planned to kill you."
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Wait a minute.
So you really thought about killing me?
But I developed unspeakable thoughts.
Bai Yuhuai thought to himself.
Jing Jiujiu stammered: "Th-then what about now?"
"Now... no one can kill you."
Jing Jiujiu breathed a sigh of relief. That's what he thought.
"Do you believe me?" Bai Yuhuai asked in a low voice, his whole body tensing up even more.
Jing Jiujiu: "Of course I believe you."
His tone was light, as if answering a completely unimportant question.
Bai Yuhuai paused. Just like that... the young man believed him so easily?
Without even asking for more explanations?
Jing Jiujiu: "If you still wanted to kill me, couldn't you just feed me your blood? I'd surely vanish in no time. So why would you still take me to uncover the truth about the castle?"
Actually, even without Yin Mo's reminder, he had vaguely realized later that Bai Yuhuai was not ordinary.
"It's just..." Jing Jiujiu paused, troubled.
"Just what?" Bai Yuhuai's heart suddenly suspended again.
Just that I still can't forgive your deception?
Jing Jiujiu suddenly burrowed into the blanket, burying himself, and said in a muffled voice: "Don't you think it's ridiculous for a ghost to say he wants to protect a celestial master?"
He had said it so many times!
Each time with such conviction!
Bai Yuhuai's heart fell back into place with a thud. He pressed his lips tightly together, and a flash of joy even crossed his brow and eyes.
Jing Jiujiu didn't let him speak just because he was embarrassed...
Just for that reason.
Bai Yuhuai quickly dug Jing Jiujiu out of the blanket and said: "It's not ridiculous."
He gazed deeply at Jing Jiujiu: "No one has ever protected me before. When you said it, I was happy." Happy that the young man had kept him in his heart.
Jing Jiujiu tilted his head, looking at him in confusion: "Really?"
"Mm."
Jing Jiujiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It's good if it's not awkward... Come to think of it, he had never seen Bai Yuhuai's family or friends. Bai Yuhuai was really pitiful... He was even happy when a ghost brazenly said he wanted to protect him.
Bai Yuhuai was so easy to please.
Jing Jiujiu: "Alright then, it's fine now."
Bai Yuhuai paused, still not quite believing it was over just like that.
"You don't have anything else to ask me?"
Jing Jiujiu frowned: "I have indigestion, no energy to ask anything else. Let's talk about the rest tomorrow..."
He still wanted to chat with Bai Yuhuai about that King Yama.
Bai Yuhuai's throat tightened.
The young man was truly too adorable.
Bai Yuhuai fastened the bracelet for him: "Let me rub it for you." As he said this, Bai Yuhuai's face remained calm, but his heart skipped a beat.
Jing Jiujiu fired off a series of questions: "Do ghosts have stomachs? Is yin energy stored in the stomach? Should you rub my belly or my mouth?"
He lay in the blanket, slowly solidifying into a physical form.
Before Bai Yuhuai could answer, Jing Jiujiu asked again: "Do I need to go back into the paper doll to be like a body, so rubbing my belly can help me feel better?"
"But the paper doll is too small," Jing Jiujiu said, rejecting his own idea. "You won't be able to touch my belly, more likely you'll touch my butt."
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
In just a short while, his emotions had been on a rollercoaster, experiencing all sorts of feelings.
"Then let's sleep," Bai Yuhuai finally lay down.
Jing Jiujiu rolled over in the blanket and leaned close to his ear to ask: "Do you want to touch my butt?"
Bai Yuhuai: ?
Bai Yuhuai stiffly uttered: "...Hm?"
Yes. No. The words caught in his throat.
Jing Jiujiu murmured: "Since I died, I haven't been able to touch my own butt. But it must be different from the paper doll."
Bai Yuhuai's throat bobbed.
Before he could speak, Jing Jiujiu had already steered the conversation in another direction, saying: "I don't think we'll be able to get down the mountain tomorrow."
Then Jing Jiujiu crawled back into the paper doll, covered himself with the blanket, and went to sleep.
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
He hadn't touched anything.
Just as Jing Jiujiu had guessed, the next morning, Jian Suifan got up and looked at his watch.
Seven o'clock in the morning.
Jian Suifan began to wait for sunrise. As soon as it was bright, they could leave.
But as he waited, everyone else woke up one after another.
"...It's already 10:30," the cameraman said trembling.
Outside, the sky was still pitch black.
This was a sight they had never seen before, as if the sun had been completely eclipsed.
Jian Suifan completely lost it.
He grabbed his hair, shaking the cameraman: "Is your production team sick? What kind of thing did you set up? Or did you mess with all our watches?"
The cameraman's face turned pale: "I don't know what's going on either, Brother Jian... Brother Jian, calm down!"
"Did those ghost officials come back last night?" Yun Xin asked in a trembling voice. "Is it because we're supposed to die? Are they going to lock up our souls?"
"No," Bai Yuhuai denied it directly.
Jing Jiujiu leaned against his ear and said: "There's not such a heavy yin energy now..."
Yin Mo stared intently at them, watching the little paper doll hanging on Bai Yuhuai's ear, sometimes moving its arms, sometimes shaking its legs, sometimes jumping on Bai Yuhuai's shoulders, sometimes climbing to sit on top of Bai Yuhuai's head...
Yin Mo suppressed the sourness in his heart.
They've made up just like that?
Just like that? Just like that?
Without even giving Bai Yuhuai a couple of slaps?!
Yin Mo thought for a moment. He and Ding Hanbing had forgotten about Jing Jiujiu, failed to rescue him, and didn't even get to see him one last time... Yet Jing Jiujiu didn't blame them for it.
Yin Mo briefly lost himself in thought.
...Sometimes he really didn't know if this was Jing Jiujiu's kindness or his coldness.
Because he never cared, he wouldn't get angry at all.
Yin Mo clenched his fingertips tightly, suppressing a myriad of thoughts. He looked up and his eyes widened: "...It's that old man from the other day."
The old man was kowtowing on the cold, hard ground, muttering something incoherently.
Then he quickly got up, walked a few steps, knelt down and kowtowed again.
In the pitch darkness.
On the desolate mountain, he was the only one there, repeatedly performing this action.
Each sound of his kowtow, neither light nor heavy, struck into everyone's hearts, bringing out a somewhat creepy feeling.
"What is he doing?" Jian Suifan gritted his teeth, "Is he crazy?"
Jing Jiujiu seemed to sense something. He slid down from Bai Yuhuai's back, then let the little ghost nudge him, quickly going behind a wall.
Sheltered by the wall, Jing Jiujiu finally crawled out of the paper figure and put on his bracelet.
He slowly walked out.
Ji Meng was the first to see him. Ji Meng suddenly cried out in surprise: "...Why are you here?"
Jian Suifan and the others turned their heads. They didn't find it scary, but rather felt relieved.
"Did you come up from the foot of the mountain? How did you get here? Why is it still dark here?" Jian Suifan asked urgently.
Jing Jiujiu shook his head and pointed at Bai Yuhuai: "I've been following him. When you went up the mountain, I followed."
Jian Suifan looked utterly disappointed.
Jing Jiujiu stepped forward and whispered in Bai Yuhuai's ear: "I keep feeling like something is afraid of me..."
"In the factory?"
Jing Jiujiu lightly tapped the ground with his toe: "...It feels strange, like it's in the factory, but also like it's outside. I felt it when Yama disappeared last night."
At this point, Jing Jiujiu suddenly paused. He turned to ask Bai Yuhuai: "You once said that all things have spirits..."
Bai Yuhuai: "Hmm?"
Jing Jiujiu walked straight out of the factory.
Bai Yuhuai followed closely behind.
Jian Suifan gritted his teeth: "At a time like this, why are they running around? They can't help at all, are they planning to make trouble?"
The rest of the people didn't move or speak.
They no longer dared to treat everything before them as the production team's setup. This place was very eerie, and if they weren't careful, they might really lose their lives.
Yin Mo, eyes fixed straight ahead, also walked out.
Ding Hanbing followed without hesitation.
The others were dumbfounded.
Yin Mo could chant sutras!
He had really been a monk before!
Didn't people say that the aura of monks could suppress evil spirits?
He couldn't leave! Thinking this, the others had to steel themselves and follow.
As they approached the old man.
The old man raised his head and coldly swept his gaze over them, then quickly knelt down again to continue kowtowing. His cold expression instantly twisted into one of grief and remorse, mumbling: "It's here... everything is here..."
"What on earth is he worshipping?" Jian Suifan frowned and asked.
"..." No one answered.
"Does he know how to get down the mountain? Who wants to ask him?" Jian Suifan spoke again.
The old man had just finished kowtowing and stood up, saying coldly: "You might never be able to get down the mountain in your lifetime..."
Jian Suifan clenched his fists: "What the hell are you saying?"
"If you want to leave, then learn from me first. Kneel down and kowtow. From this end to that end..." The old man pointed to a distant end.
Jian Suifan: "You're insane!"
Jing Jiujiu said in a low voice: "I've confirmed it. That thing is under my feet."
Bai Yuhuai frowned: "Under your feet?"
Yin Mo reacted quickly, hurrying to lift Jing Jiujiu's leg.
Bai Yuhuai: "Is it in the ground beneath your feet?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm-hmm."
Yin Mo's movement abruptly stopped.
"What's in the ground?" The others hurriedly asked, all suddenly staring intently at Jing Jiujiu.
The old man's figure also trembled slightly, though few noticed.
Jing Jiujiu thought for a moment and said: "It's this piece of land."
"What?" Jian Suifan's brow furrowed even deeper, feeling like the young man was toying with them.
Jing Jiujiu crouched down and stroked the ground.
The surface was rough and uneven, the soil hard, with potholes everywhere, devoid of any vitality.
"It's this piece of land that's afraid of me," Jing Jiujiu repeated.
After hearing this, Jian Suifan almost snorted with laughter.
Ji Meng also found it unreliable. Even if Jing Jiujiu was a ghost, there was no reason for a piece of land to be afraid of him.
This show really has problems! Everyone from top to bottom has problems! Jian Suifan cursed in his heart.
"You say it's afraid of you?" The old man suddenly stopped, turned back and stared hard at Jing Jiujiu, his cloudy eyes suddenly gleaming with light.
He stepped forward, about to grab Jing Jiujiu, but was blocked by Bai Yuhuai.
The old man asked cautiously: "What are you? Are you a god?"
Jing Jiujiu peeked out from behind Bai Yuhuai, catching a loophole in his words.
The young man asked lightly in return: "Oh? Have you seen a god before?"
The old man just trembled all over, mumbling: "It's here, it's all here..."
It wasn't clear who he was talking to.
But Jing Jiujiu was almost certain that he had seen it, and what he had seen was very likely the red-robed King Yama from last night.
Jing Jiujiu walked a circle around the old man: "You've worshipped a god? Made a wish?"
The old man remained silent.
Jing Jiujiu paused: "You not only made a wish, but you also offered something in exchange. This thing... is very valuable, valuable to everyone in the town. You offered this piece of land."
He looked at Bai Yuhuai: "Yama didn't come to lock up souls, he came to collect an offering. But the offering wasn't me, it was this." Jing Jiujiu said, stamping his foot.
A hint of disappointment showed on Jing Jiujiu's face, as if disappointed in the old man, and also in the former Jing Tinghua.
"This place has already been dug up and ruined... Everyone abandoned the mountain. Yet you still want to offer it to the gods. You trampled on it, and you also toyed with the gods."