Before Bai Nian reached the ancient temple, the steps in front were cracked, with weeds growing thickly from the crevices.
She looked up and saw a plaque hanging above, covered in cobwebs, slanting under the eaves as if it might fall off at any moment.
The light was too dim for Bai Nian to make out what was written on the plaque.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy doors.
The courtyard was overgrown with waist-high weeds.
The bluestone path was filled with grass sprouting from every gap.
Not far ahead lay a fallen Incense Burner, weathered by countless years of wind and rain.
Her gaze followed the path to the end, where the Main Hall stood.
Its walls were blackened and peeling, the wooden lattice door rotted, but a faint light still shone through the window…
Wait, light?!
Bai Nian’s heart skipped a beat.
The surroundings were unnervingly silent and desolate, and the sudden appearance of a light brought no warmth to her at all.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped into the temple.
The rustling of her pants brushing against the weeds echoed, and the crisp sound of her sneakers on the bluestone path rang out clearly.
Tread, tread!
Among Bai Nian’s footsteps, she thought she caught another sound—someone deliberately matching her pace.
Her sharp senses immediately detected it.
For the next step, she lightened her footfall, pressing down with barely any force on her left foot, so as to make no sound.
Tread!
A clear footstep rang out.
Bai Nian spun around sharply, but found nothing behind her.
She quickened her pace.
The footsteps behind her also sped up.
The two sets of steps seemed to be syncing, and at the same time, she felt colder than before.
This was definitely not a good sign.
Her heart raced as she hurried toward the Main Hall.
Bang!
She shoved open the wooden door and entered.
The dim yellow light inside enveloped her, offering a faint sense of warmth.
The footsteps behind her abruptly stopped.
Bai Nian looked around.
Before her stood a massive Buddha Statue.
Its gold paint had peeled away, revealing mottled black and gray clay beneath.
It sat cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, eyes wide and glaring fiercely, as if staring directly at Bai Nian, the intruder.
On the floor lay three meditation cushions.
On the center cushion knelt a figure facing the Buddha Statue.
He was thin and motionless, dressed in workwear—clearly a tunnel worker from the mountains below.
Bai Nian’s heart sank.
There was no doubt—the man was dead.
On the table lay shattered plates, an incense burner filled with ash, and a thick Red Candle about the size of a baby’s arm and twenty centimeters long, quietly burning with a dim yellow glow.
Other than that, the room was empty.
More terrifying than what she could see was the invisible fear lurking in the air.
Leaning against the doorframe, Bai Nian quickly calmed herself.
“How could there be a candle still burning in a place abandoned for so long? Does someone come here every day to replace it?”
She stepped forward and examined the corpse, hoping to find clues.
“Monsters, leave quickly. Monsters, leave quickly…”
she silently recited a Candle Spell and reached toward the body.
The moment her hand touched it, the man collapsed like a disassembled toy.
Bones clattered as they slipped from the work clothes, and his skull rolled quietly to Bai Nian’s feet.
The empty eye sockets seemed to meet her gaze.
Startled, Bai Nian kicked the skull away and squatted to search the man’s clothing for any clues.
Unfortunately, there was nothing.
“This fifty thousand isn’t going to be easy to get.”
Bai Nian sighed.
Her mission was to conduct a True Investigation.
Since there was nothing here, she couldn’t linger any longer.
Otherwise, if the rest of the team finished the quest without her findings, it would all be for nothing.
“I need to hurry.”
She glanced around the hall one last time and then turned to leave.
The spot where she had entered was the Forecourt of the temple.
Apart from the Main Hall, there was nothing else here.
Most of the buildings were concentrated in the Back Courtyard—the living quarters where the monks once resided.
Bai Nian followed the narrow path along the side of the Main Hall and soon arrived at the Back Courtyard.
This time, no footsteps echoed behind her.
The layout of the Back Courtyard was simple and clear.
A row of connected single-story buildings greeted her—blue tiles, red walls, wooden doors, and lattice windows that let the wind in.
These houses formed a large quadrangle.
Years of wind and rain had peeled the paint away, fading the once-vibrant red into black.
At the center of the courtyard stood a sturdy Locust Tree, its branches lush and full.
Beneath it lay a sealed Ancient Well.
A breeze rustled the leaves, their sound whispering softly.
Bai Nian felt a chill run down her spine, as if a woman’s voice whispered in her ear:
“Help me… please save me…”
She froze in place for a long moment.
The wind died down, and the whisper vanished.
She stared deeply at the Locust Tree and steeled herself to approach one of the side rooms.
Though a professional, her abilities were useless for combat or for the present scene.
“Damn it, once I make enough money, I’ll never come to this cursed place again.”
Bai Nian cursed as she pushed open a long-sealed door.
Cobwebs snapped, dust fell, and a musty smell hit her.
By the moonlight, she swept her gaze around and saw a body curled up quietly in the corner by the window.
From his clothes, it was clear he was another predecessor.
“Strange, why can’t I see any monks?”
Bai Nian muttered as she stepped inside.
She suddenly felt the temperature plummet, making her shiver uncontrollably.
With her prior experience, she was no longer so afraid of corpses—or rather, skeletons.
She went straight to the body and began searching its clothes for anything useful.
In the corpse’s pocket, Bai Nian found a yellowed booklet and a Copper Mirror.
Flipping open the booklet, she saw it was written in traditional characters, looking like a diary kept by one of the temple’s disciples.
“It’s been two and a half years since I joined Nan Yi Temple. I have already learned everything within the temple. Senior Brother says I am about to become the Master’s direct disciple.”
“One day, a mother and child suddenly arrived outside the temple. I don’t know what they said to the Abbot, but the Abbot agreed to let them stay.”
“Ever since that mother and child came, brothers in the temple have started disappearing one after another, causing great fear. Some juniors say the mother and child brought a monster? Such nonsense cannot be spoken in the sacred grounds of Buddha…”
“The Master went down the mountain to perform a ritual; Senior Brother is in charge of all temple affairs. Today, another brother has gone missing. That makes five missing disciples. What is really happening…”
“The brothers all say the mother and child are demons in disguise and want to drive them out of the temple. Senior Brother stopped them, saying they should wait for the Master to return before making a decision.”
“Today’s missing person is… Senior Brother. I have searched all of Nan Yi Temple and cannot find him. I have decided to lead all the disciples to expel this mother and child…”