Entering A Chinese Ghost Story

More than twenty days passed quickly. Aside from receiving a custom horizontal bamboo flute, An Yang gained almost nothing, and the time for him to enter A Chinese Ghost Story had arrived.

Guo Bei County, the location in the plot, was very chaotic—or rather, in the era of the plot, the entire world was very chaotic. The law of the land had long been disregarded. To avoid standing out as an anomaly, An Yang found a theatrical costume shop and had a set of ancient scholar robes custom-made.

Not only that, but he also went to a jewelry store to buy two catties of silver, prepared several full buckets of firewood, and took out some more to store in bottles until his Portable Space could hold no more. These were meant for preserving his life in the hands of Thousand-Year Tree Demon.

Having prepared everything, he entered A Chinese Ghost Story.

With a blur before his eyes, he dropped from the air and found himself in an overgrown, grassy place. Ahead of him stood a grayish-white stone monument with the large characters "Guo Bei County" inscribed upon it.

"Is this Guo Bei County?"

An Yang frowned and muttered to himself. Just like the awkward situation he encountered in his first world, Léon: The Professional, he had no idea what the current progress of the plot was.

Sitting beneath the Guo Bei County monument, he thought for a long time, and indeed found that the plans he had made a few days ago were basically rendered useless, leaving only a pitiful bit of reference value.

Yet he had to go all out.

The missions in A Chinese Ghost Story were not only higher in difficulty than the previous two, but they also came with no initial skills and no initial items. This meant that if he could not fend for himself and reap benefits from within, his gains would be far lower than in the previous two worlds.

He fished out his phone and placed it before him. The phone screen immediately lit up, and a cold voice rang out: "Something the matter?"

An Yang frowned and said, "No. I'm just checking my reflection, hurry up and turn the screen off."

The screen went dark.

A moment later, the sky grew gloomy, unsure whether a heavy rain was approaching or if dusk was simply falling.

An Yang strode toward Guo Bei County. The nights in this world were far from safe; not only were there legendary demons and monsters, but wild wolves roamed about as well. Although he possessed a pistol, his bullets were not entirely free of charge.

Stepping into Guo Bei County, he found it truly chaotic here. Everywhere were armed men wearing armor and carrying sabers who made a living by capturing wanted fugitives; these people looked at everyone as if they were wanted criminals.

Pedestrians on the street were sparse, and the ancient walls and green tiles by the roadside possessed a genuine ancient charm, giving An Yang a strong sense of foreignness that was far better than the ancient towns of later generations.

Along a short stretch of road, he was interrogated three times before finally reaching the inn where Ning Caichen collected debts. Of course, he was not here to stay the night; knowing the plot well, he knew there was a paper-offerings shop right next door. The runes on those joss paper actually possessed the ability to harm ghosts. In the original plot, a cinnabar rune was stamped on Ning Caichen's back, which actually startled Nie Xiaoqian.

The joss paper here was not the joss paper of later generations, but rather yellow paper inscribed with certain runes using cinnabar. Perhaps precisely because it used cinnabar, which was supremely yang and steadfast, it possessed a certain lethality against ghosts.

Although An Yang's Mastery of Combat was now at the intermediate level, his Firearms Mastery was also at the intermediate level, and he possessed a sniper rifle and a pistol, they were of virtually no use in this world. These items were fine for dealing with orthodox humans, but they were utterly incapable of killing demons and ghosts—especially ethereal ghosts.

After buying a stack of talisman paper, An Yang walked over to a place that sold paintings and indeed spotted the painting that had captured Ning Caichen's heart at first sight in the plot. The beautiful woman washing her hair in the painting was none other than Nie Xiaoqian during her lifetime. After asking the boss whether he had seen a scholar of "low status and high taste," and receiving a negative reply, he bought the painting without the slightest hesitation and then walked toward Lanruo Temple.

In less than an hour, a dilapidated ancient temple appeared before him. At this time, the sky had not yet grown dark, and a tattered stone monument could be seen ahead, carved with the three large characters "Lanruo Temple." Before it stood the stone statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, though they were already exposed to the open wilderness, having endured goodness knows how much wind and rain.

The sky in this area seemed even gloomier, and the surroundings were dead silent. Looking closely, one could seemingly see wisps of black Qi lingering and shifting above the dilapidated Lanruo Temple.

An Yang raised his head to glance at it, then resolutely stepped into Lanruo Temple. Having watched A Chinese Ghost Story so many times, he had a sufficient understanding of Nie Xiaoqian's personality, and things would not go wrong that easily.

Stepping into the main hall of Lanruo Temple, he saw a heavily-bearded man in gray robes sitting in the center, a sword box strapped to his back. He thought to himself that this must be Yan Chixia.

Lowering his head to glance at his own scholar's attire, he raised a hand to knock on the already dilapidated wooden door and said, "Hero, this humble scholar is disturbing you."

Yan Chixia abruptly opened his eyes. His gaze was like a torch, his voice as resounding as a giant bell, and he said, "Where did this scholar come from, and what are you doing here?"

An Yang cupped his fists in a salute and said, "This humble scholar is named An Yang. I am originally a scholar traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, but unexpectedly I ran into bandits halfway and was harmed by treacherous men, robbed of all my possessions. I only managed to escape with the bundle I carried on my person, and having truly no other choice, I've ended up here to seek shelter for the night."

Yan Chixia let out a cold hum and said, "To think you're still a pitiful scholar. But in this world today, which official didn't buy their official rank with money? You still want to go to the capital for the examinations!"

An Yang had also analyzed Yan Chixia's personality. After all, this was the person with the highest combat power in the plot. No matter which plan he wanted to execute, getting on good terms with Yan Chixia was essential.

Thinking for a moment, he said, "It is precisely because the world is currently in chaos and treacherous ministers hold sway that this humble scholar is all the more eager to go to the capital for the imperial examinations and make a contribution to the peace of the realm!"

Yan Chixia said, "What does a little scholar like you understand? Making a contribution to the peace of the realm—it will be fortunate if you don't end up reduced to a parasitic worm by then!"

An Yang said, "The world is naturally murky, and there are always those who fall into corruption. Yet the heavens are inherently pristine, and there are always those who emerge from the mire unstained. As long as one's mind is tranquil, the Buddha naturally dwells within; as long as one guards their original intent, they will naturally not be stained by the filth of the secular world!"

Yan Chixia startled, then his eyes narrowed!

A tranquil mind naturally has the Buddha; this was his own favorite catchphrase in the plot!

The name Yan Chixia was illustrious. He was originally the ruthless judge who shook the twenty-six provinces of Guandong and Guangxi, loathing corrupt officials and greedy magistrates above all else. Because treacherous ministers held power, he grew disheartened, which was why he withdrew from the jianghu and lived in seclusion at Lanruo Temple, keeping company with demons and monsters.

When it came to guarding one's original intent and emerging from the mire unstained, he was certainly among the paragons. An Yang's words could be considered to have struck a chord in his heart.

"Hah! You little scholar, to think you've even read Buddhist scriptures for a few days, and you're quite persistent. You're just like me when I was young!"

An Yang said calmly, "Buddhism says that only by experiencing an obsession can one let go of that obsession. Regardless of the outcome, I ought to pursue it with all my might, and even if I ultimately fail, I will have no regrets."

Yan Chixia was startled once more. Weren't these very words describing him?

In his youth, he harbored a deep hatred for evil and knew not how many corrupt officials and greedy magistrates he had apprehended. Yet in the end, he deeply realized that the entire imperial court had been usurped by corrupt officials and greedy magistrates, which was why he grew disheartened. His former persistence could be considered a failure, but when had he ever regretted it?

Seeing that An Yang had already seated himself within Lanruo Temple, his expression abruptly turned stern, and he said loudly, "No, you cannot stay here!"

An Yang feigned a startled look and said, "Why not? I don't have a single coin on me, where else would you have me go?"

Yan Chixia turned his head away and said, "I don't care where you go, anyway you are not welcome here. Hurry up and leave!"

An Yang said, "But it's almost dark now. Can you not even provide me with a place to shelter from the wind and rain? If I walk out there in the woods, I'll be eaten by wild wolves!"

Yan Chixia glared, his eyes widening like copper bells: "I said no means no! Do you know that the things in this temple are a thousand times fiercer than the wild wolves outside?"

An Yang started slightly and asked, "A thousand times fiercer than wild wolves? Could it be that there are demons and ghosts here?"

Yan Chixia sneered and said, "That's right. Consider it fortunate that your books of the sages didn't go to waste; there are indeed demons and ghosts here, and they come out to eat people every night!"

An Yang said with a straight face, "Stop talking nonsense. If there were truly ghosts here, how could you rest easy staying here? Clearly, you just don't want me to stay and are making up lies to fool me!"

Yan Chixia said, "You really are an ungrateful wretch of a scholar! This temple wasn't opened by me, why on earth would I lie to you! If you're willing to stay, then stay. When you die and turn into a ghost later, don't blame me for not warning you!"

An Yang shrugged, placed his cloth bundle on the ground, and actually adopted the posture of genuinely intending to stay here.

Based on the preceding conversation, Yan Chixia held a fairly favorable impression of him, and seeing this, he could not help but ask, "Do you really intend to stay here?"

An Yang said, "That's right. Never having done anything to cause a guilty conscience in my life, I'm not afraid of a knock on the door at midnight. Furthermore, compared to the twists and turns of human scheming, perhaps demons and monsters are even more straightforward. If I am not tempted, even a ghost cannot harm me!"

Yan Chixia glared at him, feeling that every single word he spoke struck right into his own heart. Wasn't this precisely the reason he lived in seclusion at Lanruo Temple, keeping company with demons and monsters?

An Yang took a hamburger out from the backpack on his back—though it was actually taken from his Portable Space—and it immediately emitted an alluring fragrance that filled the entire dilapidated main hall.

Yan Chixia cast a sidelong glance at it. The times were chaotic, and there were not many people who could eat their fill. With something this fragrant, probably very few people had ever laid eyes on it.

Yet the fact was indeed so; modern spices and seasonings were inherently richer than those of ancient times. As everyone knew, fast food also contained all kinds of artificial flavors and additives, and when it came to the taste of eating it for the first time, it probably far surpassed this era.

An Yang turned his head.

Sure enough, Yan Chixia swallowed covertly, quickly withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and said nothing more. After a little while, he opened his eyes again; seeming hungry, he fished a cold steamed bun from his bosom and began gnawing on it.

An Yang smiled, took another hamburger out from the Portable Space, tossed it to Yan Chixia, and said, "Big-beard, I happen to have some food left over on me, you should taste a bit as well."

Yan Chixia caught the hamburger. He had never seen such a strange steamed bun before. He shook his head and said, "Unearned rewards are not to be accepted, I, Yan Chixia, will not casually take things from you!"

An Yang said, "Didn't you say there are demons and ghosts here? I see you aren't very afraid either, so you surely possess skills. I'll just lodge here for the night and leave tomorrow. If an accident happens tonight, you can come help me out once if you hear it; if you don't hear it, then so be it, consider it my destined fate!"

Yan Chixia was momentarily stunned, then said, "Fine. For the sake of this steamed bun, if you encounter danger tonight, just shout my name loudly. As long as I hear it, and provided it's not the Thousand-Year Tree Demon, I'm not afraid of any demons or ghosts here! Right, my name is Yan Chixia!"