Chapter 14

Candles, sculptures, corpses, and an ancient lattice door. Beyond the door was a courtyard overgrown with grass, a toppled bronze incense burner, and a path of bluestone slabs bathed in the bright moonlight.

The silence was suffused with desolation and eeriness.

"This place seems to be in perpetual darkness."

Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand to his mouth and spat out the blue pill he had been holding in his mouth.

The method worked; he was truly clever. He put the pill in his pocket, feeling a bit more confident about his "future."

With these, he had a chance to survive when facing the red dancing shoes.

Next, he walked straight to the offering table, thought for a moment, and reached out to grasp the candlestick.

Suddenly, a message appeared before his eyes:

【Name: Eternal Candle】

【Type: Fuel】

【Function: Warding off evil, purification】

【Description: A prop left by the Lady of San Dao Mountain, said to be made from the fat of the Eternal Beast, with the power to ward off evil and purify.】

【Note: Sometimes, purifying fear is not a good thing. Additionally, it cannot be moved.】

Indeed, only by touching the prop could he receive the information. He hadn't dared to touch the candle before, so he didn't know it was a prop until he read the information.

"Purifying fear is not necessarily a good thing. According to Guan Ya's classification, the candle is a cost item. The cost of using it is the loss of fear. But I am very afraid now and have no intention of risking my life. I'll just stay in the main hall for now..."

He sat cross-legged in front of the offering table, pondering his next move.

"The next goal is to explore the eastern courtyard, figure out the hidden dangers and patterns there, and then find ways to counter and overcome them. The exploration time must not exceed 15 minutes, or the vengeful spirits will catch up, and I will surely die."

"The blue pill is my trump card against the red dancing shoes, but it may not work. Once I face the red dancing shoes, it will be a matter of life or death. I'll explore the eastern courtyard first, get a preliminary understanding of the environment, and then think of a strategy."

At this critical moment, he still felt some fear and hesitation, not wanting to go outside. Surviving last time was a stroke of luck, and whether he would survive this time was still uncertain.

The situation in the eastern courtyard was unclear, and it was easy to die from a single misstep.

However, in this world, just because you don't want to do something doesn't mean you can avoid it.

Although the mission to explore the ancient temple had no time limit, theoretically, he could stay in the main hall indefinitely, but without a time limit, it also meant that he would likely never leave if he didn't complete the mission.

If he lingered too long, his body would deteriorate due to hunger, fatigue, and thirst.

By then, going out to explore would be a dead end.

"Whether I go out or stay, it's the same. I have to take the risk!"

Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth and strode out.

Wait, I should think it over. It's dangerous outside. Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly hesitated and looked back at the hall, lingering over its light.

The warm candlelight dispelled the gloom, purified the filth, and gave him unparalleled courage and confidence.

No problem, Zhang Yuanqing confidently stepped out.

The moonlight was as bright as frost. Zhang Yuanqing followed the path of bluestone slabs along the left side of the main hall, returning to the desolate and dilapidated quadrangle.

The night was silent, with no insect chirping or bird singing, making it frightening.

But the silence also brought a sense of peace. He was most afraid of hearing the "tap-tap" of footsteps when he went outside.

"I only have 15 minutes. I must explore the eastern courtyard before the vengeful spirits catch up."

He entered the room at the far east of the quadrangle and found a bronze mirror on the corpse lying by the window, hiding it in his pocket.

Then, he cautiously crossed the arched door and entered the eastern courtyard.

The eastern courtyard was much larger than the quadrangle. What he saw was a desolate garden with artificial hills, a pavilion, a small pond, and a large banyan tree with a thick trunk and twisted branches. The tender green leaves reflected the bright moonlight.

There was an ancient well under the banyan tree.

Looking past the artificial hills and pavilion, he could see the roof of a building in the depths of the garden.

Zhang Yuanqing did not rush to the building in the depths of the garden but cautiously circled the large banyan tree. According to the information, the tree was dangerous, but after circling it, nothing happened.

"Checking the banyan tree should also advance the exploration progress, right?"

Zhang Yuanqing thought, glancing at the dark well. After much hesitation, he still lacked the courage to look into it.

He had a strong psychological shadow about ancient wells in horror stories.

Zhang Yuanqing bypassed the well, walking through the overgrown grass toward the building in the depths of the garden.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from under his feet, making him jump.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a corpse buried in the grass, wrapped in oxidized protective clothing. Zhang Yuanqing bent down to examine it, finding the skeleton intact.

It was lying face down, but the head was turned backward, indicating that it had been twisted 180 degrees before death.

What did this?

Zhang Yuanqing became alert, standing up and preparing to continue his exploration.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the garden, causing the grass to sway and the large banyan tree to twist and sway as if it were alive.

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing"

A shrill voice called from behind him.

The voice, carried by the wind, seemed to whisper in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

Out of instinct, Zhang Yuanqing was about to turn around, but a sudden flash of information from the data in his mind stopped him:

Do not turn around!

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing"

Seeing no response, the voice became more urgent, trying to make him turn around.

Zhang Yuanqing, of course, did not turn around. He stood still, quietly unzipped his jacket pocket, and pulled out the bronze mirror, slowly raising it above his shoulder.

The bronze mirror faintly reflected the scene behind him.

A white-clad woman with long, disheveled hair emerged from the well. Her face had no features, just a pale, fleshy mask, staring at Zhang Yuanqing.

Damn! Zhang Yuanqing's face turned pale, and he ran forward.

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing"

The voice called out repeatedly, urgently, but could only watch helplessly as he ran farther away.

Soon, Zhang Yuanqing bypassed the artificial hills and reached the depths of the garden, where there was a large building with a one-story roof, a stone foundation, and walls made of yellow earth.

This building was more dilapidated than the quadrangle, with sparse tiles on the roof and many holes.

"The night wanderer in the data also came here. He only said not to turn around but didn't say not to go back. The ghost in the well might only call out to those who turn around. In that case, I should be safe when I return."

He took a deep breath, calming his fear and shock, and focused on the present.

"First, explore this building."

The large building had three doors, representing three rooms.

He cautiously approached the leftmost room and pushed open the broken wooden door with force.

"Creak~"

As the door opened, Zhang Yuanqing quickly stepped back, assuming a defensive stance.

After a while, nothing happened.

He boldly entered the room, the moonlight shining through the broken roof. He strained his eyes to take in as much light as possible.

This was a kitchen and dining area, with two brick stoves, pots, bowls, and cabinets, all decayed and covered in dust.

No danger, finally found a container. Zhang Yuanqing grabbed a dusty gourd ladle, his thoughts wandering:

"I've heard that child's urine can dispel evil."

He considered whether to collect a ladle of child's urine but gave up the idea after careful thought.

Although he had never dated a girl, Zhang Yuanqing didn't consider himself a child.

"I've been too lenient, giving you one chance after another to show off." He looked down at his hands, feeling a deep sense of regret.

After exploring, he confirmed that the large building was a combination of a kitchen and dining area, with no special features or dangers. Zhang Yuanqing took a rusty kitchen knife and a wooden stick and walked out, turning his attention to the last rectangular building.

Unlike the kitchen and dining area, this building had four doors, dividing it into four rooms.

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but grip the wooden stick and kitchen knife tighter. They might not be useful, but they provided psychological comfort.

He carefully inspected the first and second rooms, which were storage rooms filled with old farming tools, furniture, and donation boxes.

Nothing valuable, Zhang Yuanqing moved to the third room.

This was an armory, with swords, bows, daggers, and short swords hanging on the walls. Many weapons had fallen to the ground due to the decay of the hanging ropes.

There were two rows of weapon racks by the window, one of which had fallen, scattering sticks and spears.

Two corpses lay by the fallen weapon rack.

Seeing the weapons, Zhang Yuanqing was not surprised. The disciples of the temple, who followed the Lady of San Dao Mountain, could make corpse-sealing talismans, indicating they had skills.

It was not surprising that they could dance and wield weapons.

He routinely checked the corpses, looking for information from his predecessors.

As he approached the corpses, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh." The two corpses on the ground were not skeletons but mummies.

Their skin was gray, wrinkled, and tightly adhered to the bones, with sunken bellies.

"How could there be mummies?"

Zhang Yuanqing frowned. As a student of Songhai University, he had a wealth of knowledge.

There were two reasons for the formation of mummies: artificial preservation and natural formation.

The first could be ruled out, and the second usually occurred in dry areas like deserts.

The conditions in the temple did not match.

He carefully examined the two mummies, finding no fatal wounds or broken bones from the red dancing shoes. However, there were two obvious holes in the neck area.

As if bitten by a predator's sharp fangs.

"What could have drained them to this state? Hiss."

Zhang Yuanqing drew a sharp breath, his body tensing.

At that moment, he heard a "thud" from the next room, like someone knocking on a wooden door.

His scalp tingled, and Zhang Yuanqing, like a sensitive deer, perked up his ears to listen.