Hey! Let Me Tell You a Story!
After two days and one night of walking, the group of people had followed Ning Caichen along the official road, stopping and resting along the way, and arrived at Jinhua City. Almost everyone looked exhausted.
It must be said that this seemingly frail scholar, carrying a bamboo basket, actually showed more patience than the robust "Kunlun Slave" among the crowd when walking long distances.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
After paying a few copper coins each as an "entry fee," the group realized that after the Main God changed the appearance and clothing of the participants, among the various seemingly random "identities," their bags would almost always contain a lot of loose silver and copper coins.
That money is something they can really use!
They didn't interfere too much with the plot; the group simply managed to send some people out to procure clean food, water, flint, and other miscellaneous items.
Then he hid in the shadows and watched as the scholar Ning, as the plot had predicted, went to collect the debt. However, because the account book was soaked by the rain, he lost the voucher and was kicked out by the shopkeeper on the spot. In the end, he stood on the street looking lost and dejected, asking around for directions.
"In this situation—should we take this opportunity to help him out and improve his character's favorability?"
"No, it's best not to do that. Lanruo Temple Ning Caichen will only have the most reasonable course of action if he can't collect his debts, has no money, and is desperate."
One of the two Daoist priests rejected the proposal.
"If you stand up for him now and lend him a hand, it will only indirectly affect this development."
"Let's go, everyone, let's wait for Ning Caichen outside the city gate."
"Also, Oliver, this is already within the scope of the main quest. If you and your henchman want to continue working with us, you'll have to pay extra."
A little over half an hour later, the "chance encounter" outside the city gate went without saying.
A group of people who had just separated not long ago were all acting like drama queens, either lamenting that they were about to die because they didn't have money to stay at a hostel, or they simply kept quiet with gloomy faces.
Even the scholar, who had failed to collect the debt, could only sigh, "We are both in the same boat, it is fate after all," and then they walked away together into the distance.
---- Seemingly aimless, but actually with a very clear goal.
Seven or eight people walked along the outskirts of the city. The traces of people gradually disappeared. As the sun gradually slanted westward, even though it had not yet set, the last bit of warmth was gradually swallowed up by the chill rising from the mountains and forests.
The howls of wolves could be heard gradually rising from the dense forest, but perhaps seeing their superior numbers, the beasts did not reveal themselves.
Treading on the withered branches and fallen leaves, amidst the overgrown miscellaneous trees, Ning Caichen could only wearily move forward, step by step, following the few remaining stone slabs laid by his predecessors in this desolate wilderness.
When he left the city, he took out the last few copper coins he had and exchanged them for a hard, coarse flatbread, which he had long since eaten, leaving him with a rumbling, hungry stomach.
If it weren't for the few "benefactors" around him who often said strange things, seemingly suffering from delusions, and who, seeing his gloomy expression, offered him some food on the way, it would have been extremely difficult to endure.
After a long while, the group finally came across a stone carving by the roadside that was almost unrecognizable. Only after clearing away the weeds and wild trees on it could they see that it was the ancient character "Lanruo Temple" covered with deep and shallow rain marks and blurred into shape.
It's finally here.
Apart from the two "outsiders" who were willing to pay, and Ning Caichen, who was still unaware of what awaited him on the road ahead, everyone else had mixed feelings.
"Since you're already here, and the child is still young, especially during the Lunar New Year—cough cough, sorry for switching channels."
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, the Hunter made a joke, but unfortunately, three of the people present didn't understand his "joke," and the others weren't really in the mood for a joke, so they just silently rolled their eyes at him.
But everyone could still understand what this person meant.
"Let's go, we're already here, why should we wait outside?"
The man in the gray short-sleeved shirt stretched his neck, letting his joints crack softly, and looked up ahead.
"We're not going to die, why are you all so serious? Let's go up the mountain, everyone, Lanruo Temple is waiting for us."
He went in first.
Seeing that someone was taking the lead, the others rushed forward, intentionally or unintentionally dragging Ning Caichen along as they quickly walked inside.
Judging from its appearance alone, this Lanruo Temple must have been a very popular place of worship with many believers in its heyday, or perhaps its ancestors were wealthy.
Putting aside everything else, the cost of building such a magnificent temple in these deep mountains and forests alone must have been considerable.
Even though the temple is now deserted, the main halls and pagodas, as well as the dilapidated bell and drum towers, still retain some traces of their former grandeur and solemnity.
Unfortunately, that's all in the past.
Although it can no longer be called ruins, it has been abandoned for many years, with tangled weeds and birds chirping in the cold.
As dusk approached, in the increasingly desolate and gloomy environment, they ignored the dimly lit, dilapidated halls and pavilions whose interiors were obscured. After glancing around, the group headed straight for the houses to the south, where the doors and furnishings were still intact and appeared to be in relatively good condition.
As they walked, the Hunter among them deliberately spoke loudly with Ning Caichen for a while, making a lot of noise. The others knew his intention and did not stop him.
"Do you think he can lure Yan Chixia out like this?"
"It's hard to say."
"I'm not sure if we can lure Yan Chixia out, or even if Yan Chixia's here at all, but I think tonight is going to be quite lively."
In the distance, amidst the dilapidated courtyard, the man in short clothes could vaguely make out the shadow of a tall, dark tree that was too large to see in its entirety. He could only make out the faint outline of what appeared to be an old tree. He smiled cruelly.
"Gentlemen, get your weapons ready and sharpen your eyes."
Night fell.
After quickly cleaning a room, and even prying open the wooden planks at the bottom and above to confirm there were no corpses or anything like that inside, the group didn't hesitate to light candles around the room, and the whole group cautiously stayed together.
They didn't even mind the two "Black and White Impermanence" figures who had a strong body odor, and sat down in the room as well.
Ning Caichen was no exception.
The instinct to huddle together for warmth in the dark and the tendency to be attracted to light are inescapable human instincts.
What puzzled the scholar was that although these gentlemen had cleaned the house, they didn't seem to want to rest much; they just urged him to get some rest.
This made him even more hesitant to fall asleep easily.
What if these benefactors are actually homosexuals? No, no, no, I must be overthinking it!
Seeing Ning Caichen, who was huddled in a corner of the room with his eyes wide open like an old toad, and who had not closed his eyes to sleep, the others who were planning to take turns resting were somewhat surprised.
Only "Hunter" suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and as if possessed by a genius, he held up a finger, "Wait, I have a great idea!"
He got up and moved closer.
"Brother Ning, the night is long and I can't sleep. Let me tell you a ghost story—cough cough, how about a bedtime tale to liven things up?"
"This story is called 'A Chinese Ghost Story'."