The Buddha statue was exactly like the stone statue I'd seen inside the inn. But when I moved to a different spot and my angle changed, I saw the strange smile on its face.
Looking closely, I realized there was a crack across the statue's face. It had distorted the statue's mouth, forming that sinister, terrifying smile.
Moonlight filtered through a hole in the shrine's roof and fell across the statue's face, making it look a strange, deathly white.
People ran and screamed all around us. Some were so terrified their legs gave out, and they collapsed to the ground, crying for help.
"Han Ji" dragged Bian Sijun along. She wasn't running, only quickening her pace a little.
The Shimada family was just ahead of "Han Ji."
But once the crowd surged forward, they vanished from sight.
"What's going on?! What are those things?"
Nantian's voice reached my ears.
I turned and saw him. His gaze was a little off target.
"It's not just one ghost," I answered briefly.
Nantian had found my general location, but his gaze was still slightly off.
"Not just one?" He fell into thought, then looked at "Han Ji" up ahead. "Can you save them?"
I thought it over and gave a bitter smile. "Not necessarily. I still don't know what they're trying to do. It's probably revenge, but..."
Before I could finish, I heard an even louder scream.
The torii gate was right in front of us, but it had changed beyond recognition. Something had completely wrecked it, cutting it clean in half. The upper section of the pillar lay on the ground, blocking the path and crushing the trees. Distinct claw marks covered the pillar, while the break itself was jagged.
The pillar was hollow inside, as if it had collapsed from being