The Second Temple

Zhou You caught it subconsciously.

Then, a system prompt echoed faintly in his mind.

"You have obtained a green consumable: Ghost-Shaped Figurine."

"When using this item, you can temporarily create a 'flesh doll' that looks extremely similar to yourself. Some monsters will be misled by this doll, mistaking it for your actual self. This doll lasts for a maximum of 5 minutes, and multiple dolls cannot exist simultaneously."

"You have witnessed the production process of the Ghost-Shaped Figurine, but because you do not possess the relevant knowledge, you are unable to learn this crafting ability."

Zhou You carefully pinched the figurine between two fingers, looked at the face that was identical to his own, and turned back to ask.

"Monk... no, is this how your Buddhist arts work? Why do I feel like something is a bit off?"

To his surprise, the other party's expression was one of utter confusion, and he even retorted with a question.

"Benefactor, what are you saying? If Buddhist arts aren't like this, then what are they like?"

"Uh, normally, shouldn't Buddhist arts be the kind that are upright and righteous, in short..." Zhou You carefully recalled the fantasy dramas he had watched in the past, but ultimately just sighed and gave up on explaining. "Forget it. So, Monk, how am I supposed to use this thing?"

"Benefactor, you only need to make a cut on your finger and drip your blood onto it. The strange entity will naturally be distracted by this thing, and you can take the opportunity to place the face skin on it. Don't delay too long; this thing won't last long, and it shatters at the slightest touch."

Hearing this, Zhou You was just about to cut his finger, but after a moment of thought, he peeled back that layer of ointment, squeezed a bit of blood from the wound he had just sustained, and smeared it onto the sculpture.

--Although he was long accustomed to being injured, it still hurt, so he would avoid the knife if he could.

The deep red liquid gradually seeped in. When the last drop disappeared, the sculpture suddenly opened its eyes wide and flashed a chilling smile at Zhou You.

Then, before Zhou You could react, it leaped from his hand and wobbled toward the female ghost.

"Please be aware, Benefactor, the strange entity's attention will be drawn by the Ghost-Shaped Figurine. It will only be suspicious at first, but it will soon discover the truth. You only need to take advantage of this window..."

However, before the Old Monk could finish his whisper, a shrill shriek suddenly erupted from ahead!

Both of them looked up in astonishment, only to discover that the female ghost seemed to have discovered something she hated immensely. She threw the broken remains in her hands aside and charged straight toward the flesh doll without a second thought!

The Old Monk remained bewildered, but Zhou You was the first to react.

--Damn it, I just kicked you and used you as a shield once, do you have to be so petty?

However, there was no time to speak. He slashed his arm with his dagger, creating a fresh wound while his body suddenly accelerated!

The pain stimulated his mind, making Zhou You even more clear-headed. He carefully calculated the distance to the female ghost. The blood-stained, skinless face drew closer and closer. The entity finally grabbed the doll and squeezed it with all its might!

A scream in Zhou You's voice--

However, the one making the sound was not Zhou You himself.

The Ghost-Shaped Figurine screamed and struggled like a living person. It seemed to want to escape from her grasp, but in the end, it was crushed into a ball in the female ghost's hand. At this moment, the female ghost finally realized she had grabbed the wrong target. She turned her head forcefully, only to suddenly feel a cold sensation on her face.

--That piece of skin had already been completely pasted onto her face.

In an instant, all movement ceased.

"My face... I've finally found my face..."

The female ghost stroked the wrinkled skin that clearly did not belong to her. She no longer looked at Zhou You, who was within arm's reach, but instead walked with a staggering gait, squatted back into the street corner, and returned to the posture of hugging her knees as she had been when they first met.

"She is also a pitiful soul." The Old Monk dragged his heavy feet forward. "It is a pity that I have no ability to transcend her; I can only let her remain trapped in this nightmare, repeating the cycle every day--Benefactor, time is limited, let us go quickly."

"...Yes, then let's go."

Zhou You nodded and followed behind the Old Monk.

However, before leaving, he turned his head thoughtfully and glanced at the spot where the Ghost-Shaped Figurine had completely shattered.

The temple on the left path was much like the ones seen before.

It was equally dilapidated and desolate, with the same broken tiles and crumbling walls.

The Old Monk frowned, pushed aside the waist-high weeds at the entrance with great effort, and said while panting.

"Those monks in the city, despite earning a fortune every year, refuse to repair these three foundation temples. They won't even let us people from Qingjing Temple intervene, claiming it would break the rules--and now, after all these years of wind and rain, it has become like this. It looks like it's about to collapse!"

His words were laced with a sense of gnashing teeth.

Zhou You wisely chose not to respond. Just as he stepped into the temple, the system prompt followed.

"Player has reached a hidden location: Weituo Zuntian Dharma Protector Temple of Sanhuamiao Temple."

"Scenario completion rate has been greatly increased."

"Player has obtained 50 Soul Stones. Current Soul Stone count is 160."

Entering the temple and seeing the blood-stained statue, the sorrow in the Old Monk's eyes deepened. He found a relatively clean prayer mat, knelt down, bowed to the statue, then stood up and dragged his thin body toward it.

Zhou You had thought he intended to perform some spell to purify it, but who could have expected that he would lean his body forward and slam straight into the Bodhisattva Statue!

"Careful!"

--Before the words could even leave his mouth, Zhou You witnessed an incredible sight.

The shifting of the bloodstains on the statue suddenly stopped, and then, like a fish smelling bait, they surged frantically into the Old Monk's body--and the Old Monk's withered frame expanded like a balloon, quickly growing to the human limit with a terrifying momentum!

Until four or five minutes later, the Old Monk's body barely returned to its original state. He climbed down from the statue bit by bit, a layer of blood-red color seemingly surfacing over his entire body. He then raised his increasingly hideous head and smiled bitterly at Zhou You.

"Apologies, I have let you see something unsightly, Benefactor. I cultivate the Hungry Ghost Path among the three evil paths. I usually use the method of 'Food Bestowal', which is why I am able to absorb the filth from the statue into myself. But this situation cannot be sustained for long, so please help me finish the remaining three paths as quickly as possible."

--How much of what this person said was true, and how much was false?

Zhou You recalled the Ghost-Shaped Figurine that could be called a dark art, then looked at the Old Monk's eyes--they still held that same upright and peaceful quality. After a few seconds of contemplation, he ultimately nodded.

"Then, let's pick up the pace."