Then You All Die First

Jiang Dao's eyes narrowed. After listening to Lü An finish in one breath, he instantly understood what was going on.

"Since you knew they were not right back then, why didn't you report it to headquarters?"

He asked.

"Your subordinate didn't know they would have trouble at the time. Moreover, they are all stewards, and your subordinate is just a small manager. How could he dare to report them? Your subordinate only thought it was their hobby."

Lü An said with a fearful expression.

"After they disappeared, have others also done this?"

Jiang Dao asked.

"Yes, two more people in the gang have become abnormal. They also started chanting scriptures every night, refusing to go out, locking themselves in their rooms, and handling all their meals and bowel movements within the room."

Lü An said quickly.

"Where are they now?"

Jiang Dao asked.

"They are in their rooms!"

Lü An replied.

"Take me there!"

Jiang Dao said.

"Hall Master, please follow me!"

Lü An quickly led Jiang Dao out into the interior of the large courtyard.

Behind them, Hu Biao and Fan Hu frowned, exchanged a look, and finally dismounted, leading their men to follow.

They passed through corridors and went deeper inside.

In the vast courtyard, torches had been lit in many places in advance.

Even so, many areas still appeared gloomy and eerie, with wisps of coldness pervading them.

"Mokeqi Mokeqi, Aloshalosha..."

A series of evil and unknown syllables suddenly came faintly from the courtyard ahead, captivating the soul and entering the mind, causing the mind to surge instantly and a sense of emptiness to appear.

Jiang Dao's eyes narrowed slightly. After listening for a moment, he strode forward.

Finally, they arrived at a courtyard.

There were originally five rooms in the courtyard, but now only two were still occupied, and the other three rooms were all vacant.

Lü An was worried that this strange chanting sound would be 'contagious', so as soon as the two people showed symptoms, he immediately moved out everyone who lived in the same courtyard, leaving only this isolated courtyard for them to use.

"Hall Master, it's those two rooms!"

Lü An pointed ahead with trepidation.

It could be clearly seen that the five rooms here were all pitch black, with windows and doors tightly shut, but only two of them continuously emitted chanting sounds, vague and indistinct, mysterious and unknown.

"They don't light lamps at night?"

Jiang Dao asked.

"No, they don't. Even during the day, they lock the windows tightly, not letting any sunlight in."

Lü An said.

"If they don't light lamps at night, how can they see the scriptures?"

Fan Hu frowned.

"Your subordinate doesn't know about that either."

Lü An said.

Jiang Dao suddenly turned back and glanced at Hu Biao and Fan Hu, saying, "Would you two like to take a look?"

"Please go ahead, Hall Master Jiang. We will provide support from the side."

Fan Hu said with a smile.

Jiang Dao snorted coldly in his heart and looked at the two rooms in front of him again, saying, "Break down the doors!"

Lü An immediately called a group of people and began to ram the doors.

These people, emboldened by the Hall Master's support, immediately lifted thick doorposts and vigorously rammed the two doors.

Bang bang bang!

A series of dull thuds sounded.

The two thin doors, at this moment, seemed to be held back by mountains from within. Even with four or five strong men ramming them together, they still didn't budge.

The chanting sound from inside was not disturbed in the slightest, and continued to ring out continuously.

"Get out of the way!"

Jiang Dao's eyes sank, and he strode forward.

A group of men quickly lifted the doorposts and retreated.

Boom!

Jiang Dao kicked out with immense force, like a bronze pillar smashing through, and the wooden door before him exploded into pieces, scattering wood chips everywhere.

A pungent, fishy stench immediately billowed out of the room, stinging the nostrils and bringing tears to the eyes.

Many of the men nearly vomited.

The smell was like dozens of corpses piled together, rotting and foul.

Jiang Dao had already held his breath and looked inside, his gaze sharp as lightning.

Lü An covered his nose and mouth, quickly ordering someone to bring a torch to illuminate the dark room.

The room was small, dim, and dark, gradually lit by the torch.

The walls were covered in bizarre graffiti.

The table was a mess.

The floor was covered in white shredded paper.

Shadows revealed patches of black bloodstains and many food scraps.

In the southeast corner, a stone Buddha statue about a foot tall stood quietly. The statue looked extremely strange, lacking the compassion of normal Buddha statues, instead exuding a sinister aura.

A gang member dressed in black, with his back to everyone, faced the Buddha statue.

His chanting had been continuous, but it stopped abruptly as the wooden door was kicked open.

Jiang Dao's gaze swept over the gang member with his back to them. He walked step by step towards him, standing behind the gang member, looking down.

"Why did you stop chanting?"

His voice was cold.

The gang member remained motionless, as if he hadn't heard.

Jiang Dao reached out his palm, gently grabbing his shoulder, but the moment his hand made contact, his expression darkened.

With a splat, the person before him instantly deflated and slumped to the side.

It was just a human skin!

The flesh and bones inside had all vanished.

Maggots writhed inside the skin, a wriggling white mass exuding a foul odor, utterly disgusting.

Lü An, on the side, quickly covered his mouth, nearly vomiting again.

"Dead."

Jiang Dao casually dropped the skin, flicked his hand, and his gaze swept around the room, saying in a low voice, "You two go to the other room and check on the other person."

"Good idea!"

Hu Biao and Fan Hu both nodded and walked out of the room.

Jiang Dao surveyed the room and his eyes suddenly fell on the stone Buddha statue. He frowned slightly, reached out, and grabbed the statue, examining it in his hand.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he noticed two small characters at the bottom of the statue.

"Little Stone"!

"Where did this statue come from? Are there any temples nearby?"

Jiang Dao asked.

Lü An covered his nose and mouth and quickly replied, "There seems to be an old temple, but it has very few monks, and the incense offerings are almost non-existent. It's about twenty miles east of Qing Shi Town, called Little Stone Temple."

"Little Stone Temple?"

Jiang Dao's gaze fell on the two characters at the base of the statue, saying, "Did this thing come from Little Stone Temple?"

"This subordinate doesn't know."

Lü An replied.

Jiang Dao held the statue, turned, and walked out, heading towards another room.

The chanting from the other room also stopped abruptly. A foul smell filled the air, torches flickered, and a group of people searched inside quickly.

A short while later, Hu Biao and Fan Hu came out, each holding a similar Buddha statue.

"Do the rooms of the other missing people have these things?"

Hu Biao asked hoarsely.

"Reporting to the Hall Master, absolutely not!"

Lü An replied.

"No? Could it be that this thing disappears after something happens?"

Hu Biao frowned and asked, "Are there any temples nearby?"

Lü An quickly repeated what he had said earlier.

"Hall Master Jiang, it seems the matter isn't settled yet. How about we go take a look at the Little Stone Temple?"

Fan Hu looked at Jiang Dao with a forced, unamused smile.

Jiang Dao turned his head, rolled his neck, and looked deeply at the two of them before saying, "Alright, let's go!"

He carried the stone Buddha in his hand and walked towards the outside.

Hu Biao and Fan Hu's hearts tightened, and they exchanged another glance.

Jiang Dao's gaze just now seemed a little off.

What am I afraid of? He's just a brat not even twenty years old. How strong can he be even if he's been training since birth?

Hu Biao thought to himself.

The two of them brought their men and followed directly behind Jiang Dao.

A group of people mounted swift horses and rushed towards the direction of the Little Stone Temple overnight.

The night was deep and silent.

The moon hung high above the willows.

The surrounding mountain forests rustled.

Halfway there, Hu Biao's eyes were sinister. He signaled to Fan Hu, slowly took out a black porcelain bottle from his bosom, uncorked it, and a wisp of strange fragrance spread with the wind, blowing towards the front.

At the same time, a red pill had been silently swallowed by the two of them, and they signaled for everyone behind them to hold their breath.

Roar!

Suddenly, the painful neighing of horses rang out.

Without exception, the swift horses everyone was riding suddenly collapsed to the ground, their limbs twitching, foaming at the mouth, and dying tragically.

Jiang Dao's body leaped lightly, jumping off his horse and landing steadily.

He gently shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy and having difficulty breathing.

"Hall Master Jiang, what's wrong? Feeling unwell?"

Hu Biao let out a hoarse, strange laugh.

Jiang Dao's eyes turned cold, and he turned back.

"You poisoned me?"

He saw Hu Biao and Fan Hu both wearing smiles, chuckling creepily.

Everyone behind him also covered their mouths and noses, remaining motionless, staring intently at Jiang Dao.

"Hall Master Jiang, just die in peace. This place is beautiful with its mountains and clear waters, perfect for a burial ground. Once you're hit with the Golden Wave Poison Mist, even an elephant would obediently die."

Hu Biao let out a hoarse, strange laugh.

Jiang Dao's eyes were terrifying, flickering brightly under the moonlight. A terrifying, invisible aura emanated from his entire being.

"Is that so? Did the Left Guardian order you to do this?"

"Why does a dead man need to ask so many questions? We'll tell you after you're dead!"

Hu Biao chuckled.

"If that's the case, then you die first."