Exploring the East Courtyard

Candles, sculptures, corpses, and antique lattice doors; outside the doors lay a courtyard of undulating weeds, an overturned bronze incense burner, a flagstone path, and the bright, clear moonlight.

The deathly silence was permeated with desolation and eeriness.

"This place seems to be trapped in eternal night."

Zhang Yuanqing raised his palm to his mouth and spat out the small blue pill he had been holding.

The method worked. I'm such a genius. He happily tucked the pill into his pocket, feeling a bit more confident about his "future."

With these in hand, he finally had a glimmer of hope for survival when facing the Red Dancing Shoes.

He then walked straight to the offering table, pondered for a moment, and reached out to grasp the candlestick.

Suddenly, a message appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Never-Extinguished Candle]

[Type: Fuel]

[Function: Suppress evil, purify]

[Introduction: An item left behind by the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, said to be refined from the fat of an Eternal Light Beast. It possesses the power to suppress evil and purify.]

[Note: Sometimes, purifying fear is not necessarily a good thing. Additionally, it cannot be moved.]

As expected, items only reveal their information when touched by hand. He hadn't dared to touch the candle before, so he hadn't known it was an item until he read the data.

"Purifying fear isn't necessarily a good thing. According to the classification Guan Ya mentioned, the candle is a 'cost-type' item; the price of using it is the loss of fear. But I'm terrified right now and have absolutely no desire to court death. I'll just hunker down in the main hall for now."

He sat cross-legged before the offering table, contemplating his next move.

"The next objective is to explore the eastern courtyard, figure out the dangers and patterns hidden there, and then find a way to restrain or overcome them. The exploration time cannot exceed 15 minutes, otherwise, the vengeful spirit will latch onto my shoulders, and death will be certain."

"The blue pill is my trump card against the Red Dancing Shoes, but it might not work. Once I face the Red Dancing Shoes directly, it's either life or death. I'll explore the east courtyard first, get a preliminary understanding of the environment there, and then think of a countermeasure."

When push came to shove, he still felt a bit of fear and hesitation, not wanting to go out. Surviving last time was a fluke; whether he could survive this time remained an unknown.

The situation in the east courtyard was unclear, making it impossible to judge the level of danger. It would be all too easy to die just by testing the waters.

However, in this world, things are never as simple as "I don't want to, so I don't have to."

Although there was no time limit for the task of exploring the ancient temple, and theoretically he could hide in the main hall forever, the lack of a time limit also meant that if he didn't complete the task, he would likely never get out.

If he dragged it out too long, his physical state would decline due to hunger, fatigue, and thirst.

By the time he went out to explore then, it would be a dead end.

"Whether I stick my head out or pull it back, the blade is coming anyway. I have to go for it!"

Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth and strode toward the exit.

Wait, I should think about this more. It's very dangerous outside. With one foot over the threshold, he suddenly got cold feet and couldn't help but look back into the hall, lingering on the radiance within.

The candlelight was warm, dispelling the gloom, purifying the filth, and bringing unparalleled courage and confidence to his heart.

It's not a big deal. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out, full of confidence.

The moonlight was as bright as frost. Zhang Yuanqing followed the pebble path along the left side of the main hall and returned to the desolate, dilapidated courtyard.

In a night devoid of insect chirps or bird calls, the silence was terrifying.

But the silence was also reassuring; what he feared most was hearing the "tap-tap" of footsteps when he went out.

"Fifteen minutes. I only have fifteen minutes to finish exploring the east courtyard before the vengeful spirit clings to me."

He entered the room at the easternmost end of the courtyard, searched the corpse leaning under the window again, retrieved the Bronze Mirror, and hid it in his pocket.

Then, he carefully passed through the arched door and entered the east courtyard.

The east courtyard was much larger than the main one. What met his eyes was a desolate garden featuring rockeries, a pavilion, a small pond, and a large Banyan Tree. Its trunk was thick, its branches gnarled, and the tender green leaves reflected the bright moonlight.

There was an ancient well under the Banyan Tree.

Glancing past the rockeries and the pavilion, one could see the ridge of a building revealed in the depths of the garden.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't head straight for the building in the depths of the garden. Instead, he cautiously walked around the large Banyan Tree. The data said this tree was very dangerous, but after circling it, nothing unexpected happened.

"Checking the large Banyan Tree should also advance the exploration progress, right?"

Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, glanced at the pitch-black ancient well, and after much hesitation, still lacked the courage to rush over and take a look.

He had a strong psychological shadow regarding ancient wells in horror stories.

Zhang Yuanqing bypassed the ancient well, rustling through the weeds as he headed toward the building in the depths of the garden.

"Crunch!"

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from under his feet, scaring him into jumping on the spot.

Looking closely, it turned out to be a corpse buried by weeds, wrapped in oxidized work clothes. Zhang Yuanqing leaned down to inspect it; the skeleton of this corpse was well-preserved.

It had fallen face down, but its head was facing backward, which meant that before it died, something had forcibly twisted its head one hundred and eighty degrees.

What kind of thing could do that?

Zhang Yuanqing became quietly vigilant, stood up, and was about to continue his exploration.

Just then, a gust of wind blew over. The weeds in the garden swayed, rustling, and the large Banyan Tree behind him seemed to come alive, its branches and leaves twisting and shaking.

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing."

A shrill voice called out from behind him.

The sound drifted over with the wind, whispering right against his ear and sending a wave of bone-chilling terror down his spine.

Zhang Yuanqing's instinct was to turn around and stand guard, but the information from his files flashed through his mind:

Do not look back!

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing."

Seeing he didn't react, the voice seemed to grow urgent, desperate to make him turn his head.

Zhang Yuanqing certainly wouldn't turn around. He stood his ground, quietly unzipping his jacket pocket to fish out the Brass Mirror. He raised it slowly until it was higher than his shoulder.

The Brass Mirror reflected the scene behind him, albeit a bit hazily.

A disheveled woman in white was crawling out of the ancient well. She had no facial features; that pale, fleshy face was staring directly at Zhang Yuanqing.

Screw your grandpa. Zhang Yuanqing's face went pale, and he put his head down and bolted forward.

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing."

The voice called out over and over, frantic and insistent, but it could only watch helplessly as he ran further and further away.

Soon, Zhang Yuanqing rounded a rockery and reached the depths of the garden. Here stood a large house with a straight roof ridge, a foundation built of stone blocks, and walls made of yellow earth.

The houses here were even more dilapidated than the courtyard; the roof tiles were sparse, riddled with holes.

The Night Wanderer mentioned in the files also came here. He only said not to look back, but he didn't say you couldn't walk back. The Well Ghost's call might only target those who turn their heads. If that's the case, I shouldn't be in danger when I return later.

He took a deep breath on the spot to steady his surging fear and horror, focusing his attention on the present.

Let's explore this house first.

The large house had three doors in total, representing three rooms.

He carefully approached the leftmost one and reached out to push the broken wooden door open with force.

"Creeeak~"

As the wooden door groaned open, Zhang Yuanqing quickly retreated, assuming a defensive stance.

A long moment passed, but nothing happened.

Emboldened, he entered the room. Moonlight shone in through the tattered roof, and he strained his eyes, letting his pupils take in as much light as possible.

This was a kitchen and dining hall combined. There were two earthen stoves built of blue bricks, and items like pots, bowls, ladles, water vats, and cabinets had long since rotted and gathered dust.

No danger. Finally found a container. Zhang Yuanqing grabbed a dusty gourd ladle, his thoughts wandering:

I've heard that a boy's urine can break evil.

He considered whether to collect a ladle of boy's urine, but after careful thought, he helplessly abandoned the idea.

Although he had never dated a girl, Zhang Yuanqing felt he probably couldn't count as a boy anymore.

I've been too indulgent with you all, giving you one chance after another to act cool. He looked down at his hands, feeling a pang of regret.

After some exploration, confirming that this house was just a kitchen and dining hall with nothing special or dangerous, Zhang Yuanqing picked up a rusted kitchen knife and a wooden stick, walked out of the house, and turned his gaze toward the final rectangular building.

Unlike the kitchen that doubled as a dining hall, this building had four doors, divided into four rooms.

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but grip the wooden stick and kitchen knife tighter; they might not be useful, but they provided some psychological comfort.

He carefully checked the first and second rooms. They were storage rooms, piled with old-fashioned farm tools, furniture, and donation boxes.

Nothing of value. Zhang Yuanqing turned to the third room.

This was an armory. Swords, bows, daggers, and short blades hung on the walls, though many weapons had fallen to the floor as their cords had rotted away.

By the window were two rows of weapon racks, one of which had toppled over, scattering clubs and spears across the ground.

Beside the overturned rack lay two corpses.

Seeing these weapons, Zhang Yuanqing wasn't surprised. The disciples of the temple were followers of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain and could craft the Zombie Suppressing Talisman, so they clearly had some skills.

It wasn't strange that they knew how to handle weapons.

He went to check the corpses as usual, looking for information from his predecessors.

Just as he approached, he couldn't help but let out an "Eh?" The two corpses lying on the ground weren't skeletons, but mummified remains.

Their skin was gray, shriveled, and clung tightly to their bones, their abdomens sunken.

How are there mummified corpses?

Zhang Yuanqing frowned. As a student at Songhai University, he had a wealth of knowledge.

There are two reasons for mummification: artificial preservation or natural formation.

The first could be ruled out immediately, and the second usually only occurred in dry areas like deserts.

The conditions in the temple clearly didn't fit.

He carefully examined the two mummies. There were no fatal wounds on their bodies, and their bones hadn't been crushed by the Red Dancing Shoes, but there were two distinct holes in the flesh of their necks.

They looked like puncture wounds from a beast's sharp fangs.

Were they sucked dry by something? Hiss...

Zhang Yuanqing gasped, his entire body tensing up.

Just then, he heard a "thud" from the next room, like something knocking against a wooden door.

His scalp instantly prickled. Like a sharp-witted deer, Zhang Yuanqing raised his neck to listen.