Seeing Yuan Yuan looking so solemn, Zhang He'an and the other man fell silent and accompanied the little one as they waited for the white jade artifacts.
Thankfully, they were being made on - site. It wasn't long before their subordinates presented the items.
Zhang Yuanyuan pulled a straight face and seriously placed all the jade ornaments together. She took out several strands of consecrated red thread and carefully strung each set of ornaments together.
Zhang He'an and Zhang Haomiao watched silently from the side, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
After a long while, the little girl finally finished her handicraft. She turned around and put a jade bracelet on each of them.
A gentle aura instantly enveloped their hands. Zhang He'an and Zhang Haomiao felt this strange sensation and couldn't help but click their tongues in surprise.
"Okay, now it's all good..."
"Big Uncle, you can get back to work. Fourth Uncle and I are going home. Remember to eat well and rest after you're done. Don't overwork yourself!"
Zhang Yuanyuan put away the remaining treasures and tugged on Zhang Haomiao, hurrying out.
"Leaving already? Won't you stay and accompany Uncle for a while longer?"
"We've got things to do!"
Zhang He'an gritted his back teeth so hard he almost broke them.
He hadn't gotten to spend much time with his little niece, and she had seen him looking so disheveled today...
Zhang He'an was seething inside.
...
In the following days, Yuan Yuan was on high alert. She rarely showed her previous cute and carefree self. She seriously handed the jade ornaments to her grandfather and told him to make sure all her uncles wore them.
She spent days and nights in her little room, drawing countless talismans with ink and brush.
Each one was folded into a delicate little triangle, and she told Zhang Haomiao to carry them with him.
Even the other people in the show received talisman papers without exception.
Zhang Haomiao pursed his thin lips slightly. His eyes looking at the little girl were even softer, like the gentle white jade that day.
The little one didn't notice her uncle's affection. When Director Zhao announced that the show was about to start filming, she solemnly saw Zhang Haomiao off, stuffing a backpack full of safety talismans for him. Then she rushed to the TV and waited intently.
One of the most attractive aspects of this variety show was that it was live - streamed. Since Zhang Haomiao's official announcement, countless people had dug out the identities of most of the amateurs and were excitedly waiting in front of their screens.
Grandpa gently squeezed Zhang Yuanyuan's nervous little hand. "Don't worry, Nannan. With your protection, Uncle will be fine."
"Yeah..."
As night fell.
Zhang Haomiao and his group arrived at the filming location.
The crew carried their cameras and gathered with a group of amateurs in a desolate area.
Since the incident here, this place had become a deserted suburb. Weeds grew everywhere, and there were no houses nearby. The moonlight was a pale, greenish - white, casting a gloomy veil over the dead land.
The camera made a buzzing sound, and the originally clear pixels became blurry. Everything in front of them became indistinct.
The ground was covered with dry branches and leaves. Every step they took made a crunching sound.
The camera followed their steps forward, and an empty courtyard stood among the weeds. There were no doors or windows, and the whole house was charred. There was still a faint smell of burning in the air.
The already dark night became even thicker in the courtyard, and a sense of suffocation rushed towards them.
Netizens went crazy.
"Damn, is this variety show for real? Are they really going to challenge the Nanzhi Workshop?"
"This is a famous haunted house. Almost all the people who used to live around here have moved away. I heard from the locals that they can hear the sound of opera singing every night..."
...
The bullet comments scrolled crazily, and more and more people flooded into the live - stream room.
The director's team spoke at this moment. They smiled and took out several black - looking devices.
"Haomiao, only the guests can go inside. There are too many staff, and it will affect the viewing experience. We won't go in to film. You need to wear the cameras and film from a first - person perspective."
Zhang Haomiao frowned but said nothing. He just took the camera and put it on as required. Then he tightened his grip on the eight - white jade given by Yuan Yuan and took the lead.
"We're here. Let's go in."
The amateurs glanced at each other, not daring to say a word. They timidly followed behind Zhang Haomiao.
The audience on the other side of the screen felt their throats constrict. The atmosphere was like a horror movie, and the bullet comments suddenly went silent. No one made a sound.
The moment Zhang Haomiao stepped through the charred wooden door, a faint, greenish - white moonlight suddenly shone through the dark courtyard.
A red figure flashed by in front of them and disappeared in an instant.
"Who's there?"
An amateur shouted nervously. The charred wooden door behind them slammed shut with a "bang".
Suddenly, there was only an endless, empty echo in the courtyard.
The group instinctively took out the peach - wood swords, compasses, etc. they had prepared earlier and nervously stared at the scene in front of them!
Zhang Haomiao glanced out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but sigh.
These guys were so amateurish. They were no match for a simple talisman paper from Yuan Yuan.
"Buzz."
The equipment hummed, and a voice echoed in the courtyard again, making one's hair stand on end.
"Welcome to the Nanzhi Workshop."
This wasn't the voice of the director's team. It was a sharp, female opera voice!
The red figure flashed by again behind them. Zhang Haomiao whipped his head around but didn't catch sight of anyone. The camera around his neck swayed, and the audience could feel his heavy breathing through the screen.
From the depths of the darkness, the melodious sound of the erhu came, the strings rising and falling rhythmically.
But there were no lights on around.
Suddenly, the high - pitched sound of the suona resounded through the entire courtyard, and the long, delicate opera voice followed.
"The Azure Dragon Crescent Blade strikes fear into gods and ghosts alike. At Baima Slope, Wen Chou met his end..."
The empty opera voice seemed to come from all directions, scaring everyone so much that their hands trembled.
Zhang Haomiao's first - person perspective was even more eerie. Although there were no lights in front of him, he saw a group of blurry figures sitting in the middle of the courtyard.
In front of them, the stage that had been almost completely destroyed seemed to have been rebuilt.
The curtain slowly rose, and several people in flamboyant costumes turned around on the stage.
On both sides of the stage, people were playing music with their heads down.
The red - clothed figure walked out from behind the curtain and gave a faint smile in Zhang Haomiao's direction.
The bright red lips contrasted sharply with the pale, greenish cheeks, making one tremble with fear...
This scene was extremely terrifying!
The amateurs behind Zhang Haomiao also saw this scene. They couldn't hold back anymore. They took out their peach - wood swords and waved them forward. Then they took a big gulp of strong liquor and spat it out in the direction of the sword tips.
In the darkness, a ball of fire suddenly burst from his sword.
"Those who are brave in battle stand in formation before me!"
"Stop!"
A loud shout came from this person's mouth. However, his actions seemed to have angered the red - clothed figure on the stage. The opera music paused, and a sharp voice roared at him.
"The opera has begun. All directions listen. One is for humans, three for ghosts, and four for gods! How can you just stop it as you please!"
"Aah!"
A shrill scream pierced the sky. Zhang Haomiao looked at the person warily and found that their bodies suddenly froze in place!
The eight - white jade in his hand became burning hot and red. Zhang Haomiao was about to step forward to check but was scalded by the jade and took a few steps back.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanyuan saw all this on the screen in front of her. She held her grandfather's big hand tightly with her small one, her eyebrows knitted tightly.
Zhang Zhenwei patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."
Yuan Yuan shook her head, her face solemn. "Something's not right... These things seem very fierce. The backpack full of talismans Uncle is carrying may not be enough to deal with them..."