The tree shadows were desolate. A thick layer of dust covered the dark - colored plaque. The oppressive atmosphere assailed them head - on. Just then, a few crows landed on the old locust tree, making the terrifying atmosphere even stronger.
He Zhiping shivered immediately. "This dilapidated temple is so bad that even a ghost would have bad luck for three years if it lived here. How could anyone dare to come and worship?"
All the ghosts:......
With a soft "creak", the dilapidated door was slowly pushed open, and a stone statue was revealed to everyone.
It had an androgynous face, long hair reaching the waist, a graceful figure, and a strange smile on its face. Its narrow, half - closed eyes indifferently looked down on everyone.
Although they all knew that the thing in front of them was inanimate, they still got goosebumps from being stared at.
Ming Mingzhong looked at the stone statue again and again, feeling a bit confused. "Why have I never seen this god in the scriptures?"
Yu Nian carefully examined the inside of the temple. Apart from the evil aura left by the ghosts, there was also a faint trace of demonic aura.
Could it be that what was enshrined in this temple now was a demon?
The next moment, a soft sound came from under the incense table, as if someone was chewing something hard and crispy.
"Crunch, crunch." The sound grew louder and louder, sounding extremely strange in the silent temple.
He Zhiping, who was closest to the incense table, turned green in the face. It was the small hours of the morning, the night was dark and the wind was high. What else could be eating in this dilapidated temple if not a ghost or a demon? What that ghost or demon was chewing on might even be a human!
Yu Nian put her index finger in front of her lips and signaled everyone to be quiet. Then she slowed down her steps. The moment she lifted the curtain, she met a pair of terrified, black - bright eyes.
The owner of the eyes let out a sudden scream, and then a stinky and unknown liquid was splashed straight at Yu Nian.
Feng Chengyuan quickly pulled Yu Nian aside, but He Zhiping and Ming Mingzhong on the side were not so lucky. They were splashed with the stinking stuff on their trouser legs.
"Damn it! Human blood!" Someone shouted first, and then the two of them immediately fled in a hurry. The small temple was in a complete mess.
Feng Chengyuan looked at the dark - red object that quickly congealed on the ground and frowned tightly. "This is...?"
"Black dog blood."
"What?" Ming Mingzhong and He Zhiping suddenly stopped in their tracks when they heard this. They hid beside Yu Nian, still in shock and doubt.
Yu Nian looked at the trembling young man under the incense table. "Your reaction speed is quite fast, but next time when you're exorcising evil spirits, make sure whether the person in front of you is a human or a ghost first."
Qian Lin was stunned for a moment. He looked at the ground dubiously. Seeing that the people indeed had shadows, he let out a sigh of relief. He neatly crawled out from under the incense table. He held an empty copper basin in his right hand and still clutched a half - eaten apple in his left hand.
He Zhiping's mouth twitched. "Is that what you were chewing on just now?"
Qian Lin nodded, looking a bit puzzled. "Yes. What else?"
He Zhiping chose to remain silent, thinking to himself that sometimes having too much imagination was not a good thing.
Yu Nian's eyes swept over the five - emperor copper coins hanging on his waist. She was sure that this young man with weak spiritual energy all over his body was also a young Taoist priest. But she was amused by the young man's matter - of - fact look. "You even dare to eat the sacrificial fruits?"
Qian Lin scratched his head embarrassedly. "What's there to be afraid of? When I was six years old, my family was too poor, so they left me on the mountain. When I was about to starve to death, I would pick up the pastries and fruits that hadn't rotted from each tombstone. I would kowtow to them while eating."
He survived on the sacrificial offerings and rainwater on the mountain for half a month like this. Later, although he was adopted by his master, he still couldn't get rid of the habit of stealing sacrificial offerings.
Feng Chengyuan looked at Qian Lin's carefree look. It seemed that he often came to this temple, so he asked, "I've heard that this temple is very strange. You've been here for so long. Haven't you noticed anything strange?"
Qian Lin skillfully threw the eaten apple core behind the stone statue. "You mean that snake demon? I've already figured out its routine. At midnight, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the snake demon won't come. Usually, it won't come until a crazy old man comes to the temple and kowtows to the stone statue a hundred times. Then the snake demon will come slowly."
After he finished speaking, he calmly smoothed his hair. "By the way, what time is it now?"
Feng Chengyuan: "One o'clock and five minutes."
Qian Lin:......
The room was silent for a moment. Qian Lin suddenly let out a loud cry. "It's over! It's over!" Then he staggered in a hurry, picked up the copper basin and was about to run out of the temple.
But he was still a step too late. The dragging footsteps came from outside the temple door and were getting closer and closer. Qian Lin was so panicked that he had nowhere to go. He had to return to the temple. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead in a hurry. He wasn't unfamiliar with the power of the snake demon. Even his master wasn't a match for it, let alone him?
Qian Lin felt extremely remorseful in his heart. If he had studied harder with his master, he wouldn't have been such a half - baked Taoist who even had trouble with the invisibility spell.
Just when he was in despair, Yu Nian gently patted his shoulder. Qian Lin looked up. Looking at this thin and delicate girl beside him, he felt a twinge of pity in his heart. He was at a chivalrous and impulsive age, and there was still a bit of chivalry in his heart. So he forced himself to comfort her. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't let the demon hurt you at all!"
After he said this, Ming Mingzhong and He Zhiping gave him strange looks.
Qian Lin was a bit unhappy. "What? Can't so many of us men protect a girl?"
Just as he finished speaking, a figure slowly stepped into the temple.
Judging from the figure, it should be a slightly overweight middle - aged man. He wasn't tall, and he walked staggeringly, sometimes high and sometimes low. He had to stop and take a deep breath after each step. He should have a lame foot.
The man's hair was shoulder - length, all tangled up like weeds. His clothes were in tatters, and there was still coagulated fresh blood on his cheeks. He walked up to the stone statue and suddenly knelt down on the futon.
At first, Qian Lin was ready to fight to the death. But after he made a few gestures, he found that the man in front of him seemed not to be able to see him at all. What was going on? Could it be that he had broken through his own confinement in a critical moment, his cultivation had greatly improved, and he had mastered the invisibility spell without a teacher?
Yu Nian stared at the man. He was muttering something, but his words were too vague. Only a few words could be vaguely distinguished. Then a faint green light flashed in the man's eyes. His body suddenly bent, and he fell heavily forward with a soft "thud". He used a great deal of force. Just when everyone thought he was going to faint, the man suddenly got up again. Like a tumbler, he kowtowed his head heavily and then quickly got up, kowtowed, got up...
After repeating this many times, warm fresh blood had already overflowed from the man's forehead. But he seemed not to feel the pain at all. He mumbled incoherently, "Seventy - nine... Ninety - nine... One hundred!"