Chapter 102: Inside the Temple

Hu Yunkuan believed that the immediate priority was to find supplies.

This circular clearing held nothing, and the eight large tombs clearly posed danger, so he decided to take advantage of the relative safety of daylight to at least find food, drink, bedding, and firewood.

Otherwise, given enough time, they wouldn’t need malevolent spirits to kill them—they’d die of thirst, hunger, or cold themselves.

The tour guide Liang Fang, the Three Officials Sect follower Qingjie, the heavily made-up woman Xu Fenglan, and others—including head chef Qi Peiyeh, the two female college students traveling together, Zhao Xiaofu and Jiang Xianglan, the middle-aged male teacher Luan Jing with his scholarly air, and the severely overweight Fatty Pei Dasen—all supported his idea.

Nine people total formed the first team and set out together to search for supplies.

The second external team was led by Guan Daorong.

He believed in the legend of the blessed land and in malevolent spirits and ghosts—he’d seen them with his own eyes; disbelief was no longer an option.

Wu Xian sneered: “I don’t accept that explanation.”

Wu Xian lost the first round—he would enter the first tomb, while Du E would be last.

They decided to stay put in the clearing, waiting for the others’ findings before deciding what to do.

“Aside from the Great Emperor statues, there are five other statues facing away, and there are also five doors outside that are closed but unlocked—does that mean we must emerge alive from those doors before another statue turns around?”

Since entering this blessed land, Wu Xian had behaved conventionally, doing nothing out of the ordinary, so these two had no suspicions about him.

“Isn’t it fine if I just have a low threshold for laughter?”

So he planned to go out and see—if he could find a way out of this graveyard.

Among the eight tombs, only the temple tomb’s door was open; the order of the first tomb was certainly correct.

Wu Xian shook his head and temporarily shifted his focus to worshiping the deities.

But he didn’t fully trust Hu Yunkuan and the other Juanren , especially since they hadn’t mentioned the travel permits or the eight rooms before.

As for the final group.

If Wei Dian’s strange laughter was truly tied to his blessing, then pressing too hard on the matter wouldn’t be wise.

It was Wei Dian, Du E, and Wu Xian.

Wei Dian let out a strange laugh.

Wu Xian’s face lit up—the incense burner and incense sticks, though placed before the Dragon King statue, didn’t mean only the Dragon King statue could use them!

Then Wu Xian carefully examined the three talismans.

But everyone thought the same.

Stepping into the temple’s lower level, Wu Xian’s eyes brightened and he grinned—before entering, he’d had several theories about the name “Temple.”

Composed of the pot-bellied, balding Boss Yu, Huo Gai, and his girlfriend Sha Xiwen.

“Shit… it’s really me.”

The light dimmed, and the open door shut automatically.

Wei Dian shrugged helplessly: “I can only say my laughter isn’t intentional—it’s tied to my blessing. If that still doesn’t make sense, then I’m out of answers.”

That’s impossible to explain—entering the tomb is already dangerous; now you’d have to fear this guy stabbing you in the back too.

“I have cultivation, and I carry a spirit jar that can command a minor ghost not yet transformed into a malevolent spirit. I’ll have the ghost approach each of you one by one—only when it’s near you will it feel most comfortable, meaning you’re the one among the Juanren with the most yin virtue. I’ve decided to stay with you—it’ll make things easier for me.”

“What about you? Why do you keep laughing for no reason?”

Wei Dian said casually: “Then ask.”

Two: untransformed ghosts are more drawn to those with high yin virtue.

Wu Xian nodded, accepting Du E’s explanation, then turned to Wei Dian.

“Got it!”

He was confident in his looks, but he didn’t believe he could make someone like Du E swoon.

“So it seems the temple allows only one person to enter at a time.”

“Now the question is—who among us three goes in first? Even if we’re going in together, there must be an order.”

The other six statues stood on either side, mostly facing walls, their forms blurred and indistinct—only one, the Water Official—Guangde Dragon King, faced Wu Xian, with an incense burner and incense sticks on the altar before it.

Their thinking was much simpler.

Dragging it out would waste precious time.

As for Wu Xian.

Wu Xian quickly prepared himself. Under their watchful eyes, he stepped onto the downward staircase and entered the tomb with caution—no sooner had he stepped inside than he heard a soft *click*.

Directly ahead were three Great Emperor statues, all facing Wu Xian, their altars empty.

Du E’s expression returned to normal: “Alright, I’ll be honest.”

“B-because… I… oh, darn.”

Weapons—swords, spears, shields, armor—among them, blades and swords could directly compensate for Wu Xian’s lack of offensive power.

Wu Xian’s gaze flickered.

After communicating, the three decided their entry order by rock-paper-scissors.

The Guangde Dragon King’s worship reward was “Weapons.”

“So it seems anyone who enters the temple can worship…”

Now, he wanted to go inside the graveyard and take a look!

The safest approach was to do something else first, wait for others to explore the tombs, then decide whether to enter based on their reports.

Du E’s face flushed red; she slipped back into the shy, timid girl persona she’d shown before, stammering and unable to form a complete sentence.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the incense burner and sticks, placed them before the Heaven Official Great Emperor statue, lit the incense with the brazier, and inserted it into the burner—immediately, three shifting clouds of vapor appeared before his eyes.

This situation was the best possible outcome.

Wu Xian thought for a moment, then nodded.

Wu Xian shook his head.

One: ghosts are divided into transformed and untransformed.

“Before I go in, I want to clarify a few things—I won’t turn my back on you two without knowing.”

Wu Xian first turned to Du E: “Why have you been following me? On the bus, on the road last night, even choosing the bed next to mine?”

Actually, Sha Xiwen wanted to go with Hu Yunkuan—to help out and avoid being abandoned by the group—but Huo Gai had grabbed her and forced her to stay, because he thought it would be too embarrassing to leave only two behind.

Extension Method: Doubles the duration of the next use of a certain ability; ineffective on a few special abilities.

Du E’s words revealed two pieces of information.

One group was the slackers.

The three agreed: if multiple people could enter, they’d go in together; if only one could enter, they’d follow the order; if someone entered and never came out, those outside would improvise.

But Wu Xian now wanted talismans more.

Those remaining in the circle were split into two groups of three each.

This team, besides him, included fitness coach Su Mi, driver Old Zhao, Flowered Auntie He, and the middle-aged farmer couple Huang Anzong and Luo Xiang—five others followed.

Wei Dian’s smile froze instantly; Wu Xian even saw a flicker of embarrassment in his eyes.

The tomb’s interior was small and square, its walls hung with yellow cloth, a brazier burned in the center, and most importantly, nine divine statues stood inside.

Du E and Wu Xian both shook their heads.

Same Injury Technique: Any damage the caster receives is reflected back at the attacker with equal force, lasting one minute, usable [3/3] times.

Cold Charm: Releases a blast of cold air capable of freezing or chilling an enemy, turning water into ice, usable [3/3] times.

(End of Chapter)