“Is it so hard to indulge me when I’m feeling a little artistic?”
Wen Ling pouted, her cheeks puffed up in protest.
“Other people act artistic to show off their literary skills, but you just expose your lack of cultural literacy.”
Jiang Yin rolled his eyes.
“Come on, if you don’t have the talent, there’s no need to highlight your obvious flaws.”
“Being a pretty face isn’t so bad either. At least you’re kind.”
Wen Ling: (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)
***
The case was complicated, but it had nothing to do with Jiang Yin.
Within the Bureau, the role of a Magical Girl was always that of a fighter and bodyguard. Investigating was Zhang Feng’s headache.
All she needed to do was synchronize information, occasionally suggest ideas, and most importantly, protect Wen Ling.
“I always feel like letting you work at times like this is a bit too…”
Investigators and Police Officers were different.
They didn’t have as many restrictions and rules when handling cases, since they had to deal with bizarre monsters and all sorts of crazy cult tricks. So their working style was pretty wild.
But Jiang Yin never imagined it could be this wild.
Just last night, Wen Ling was ‘cursed’, and today they let her out to work again.
Even though there was a Trainee Magical Girl by her side for protection…
“You trust me that much? I’m just a regular Investigator, you know?”
“Life has to go on. Besides, if the case drags on, I can’t live in the Bureau forever, right?”
Wen Ling herself didn’t mind at all. On the contrary, she preferred it this way.
“Also… Jiang Yin, don’t you want to try luring out that bastard who scared us last night?”
“So that’s your plan.”
Jiang Yin sighed.
“Since we know he’s not a monster, of course I want to punch him in the face!”
Wen Ling waved her soft pink fist, her face full of indignation.
“How dare he scare the beautiful Wen Ling! He’s crossed the line!”
“Yes, yes…”
“Our beautiful lady, what do you plan to do?”
“I want to keep investigating.”
Wen Ling’s expression turned a little somber.
“I want to know what really happened back then.”
She took out a Notebook from her bag.
“This was left by Senior Zhuo Xun. Zhang Ge already made a copy. Do you want to see?”
“If everything Senior Zhuo Xun recorded is true…”
The air inside the car fell silent.
Jiang Yin opened the Notebook. There wasn’t much written, but as she skimmed through, she could feel how the man named ‘Zhuo Xun’ seemed normal at first, but became increasingly deranged toward the end.
Jiang Yin considered her words, then decided to speak plainly.
“Is it possible that ‘Zhuo Xun’ also… used methods to incite grievances?”
“Ning Jie mentioned that possibility to me.”
Wen Ling was quite calm.
She might be a little simple, but she wasn’t stupid.
The sudden wealth of Senior Zhuo Xun, his illness at the end, and those burly men guarding outside the ICU Ward…
How could she not have considered that Zhuo Xun might also be an outside member of the Yuan Ming Cult?
“Maybe… during that trip, all the seniors obtained the same thing, but some ignored it, some were wary, some believed it, and some actually acted on it.”
“Senior Zhuo Xun could have been tempted too.”
“So?”
“So I want to find out what they really got back then.”
Wen Ling spoke resolutely.
“The next stop for the program team is the very place we went back then.”
***
Temple of Self-Inquiry.
No one knew how many temples in Huaxia shared this name. This one was once a bit famous locally, but over time it decayed, then revived in the Internet era due to legends about weird people, becoming a minor attraction.
It wasn’t even an official tourist spot, since its claim to fame was a bit unsavory.
Like those rumored Ghost Villages, many locals earned money from curious tourists and Spirit Investigators, forming an alliance to protect this source of income. When they arrived, it actually felt quite lively.
The temple was on a mountain.
Judging by the mountain and the temple, it had the creepy atmosphere of a Ghost Temple from a horror movie.
But from the foot of the mountain…
“Hey kid! Want a protective talisman? There are dirty things up there. Wear this and you’ll be safe!”
“Fortune telling, fortune telling! If it’s not accurate, it’s free!”
“Yang-qi Bodyguard Wine! One cup, and evil spirits won’t dare come near you!”
A whole marketplace had sprung up at the mountain’s base thanks to the locals!
“I suddenly admire those Spirit Investigators. How did they film such a spooky vibe in a place like this?”
Jiang Yin wiped her face.
She’d never been to this kind of ‘haunted spot’ popular online. Before coming, she watched a few videos to get the idea.
Honestly, the videos were so eerie, with a strong atmosphere and carefully crafted details that made your skin crawl. They almost convinced even a Magical Girl like her that there were real ghosts here.
She never expected it to be this lively in reality.
“I bet they’d be great at filming horror movies.”
Wen Ling sighed.
“It wasn’t like this three years ago when I came…”
“Back then, this place was just starting to get popular. We were among the first groups to explore here.”
“That’s why I said you guys were the Travel Team of Death.”
“Jiang…”
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop, I’ll stop.”
Seeing Wen Ling’s cheeks turn red with anger and her hand about to swing, Jiang Yin immediately surrendered.
“But the grievances here really are strong.”
Her Hand Ring felt hot, a sign that a lot of grievances had gathered nearby.
Jiang Yin looked up at a particularly lush and thick willow tree.
“I’ve heard since I was a kid that willows attract yin energy. I didn’t expect it to be true.”
“Could it be that many people died here before?”
“Legend has it.”
Wen Ling suddenly spoke.
“In the 1930s, there was a massacre here. More than a dozen monks from the temple were killed by bandits, and that’s when the decline began.”
“So that’s the origin of the Ghost Temple? Then why did it suddenly get popular online?”
“At first, it was because of a weirdo, too. Someone claimed to have encountered something like a monster here, and their photos had such a chilling atmosphere that they went viral.”
“Then a semi-famous Spirit Investigator came, wandered around, and after returning, quit the internet entirely.”
“After that, rumors spread online that he saw something unclean.”
Wen Ling plucked a leaf, playing with it in her hand as she walked and explained.
“After that, our story began.”
“If I had known…”
She sighed.
“Jiang Yin, do you think this is fate? None of the groups who came before us encountered anything like this…”
“I don’t know.”
Jiang Yin’s fate was even more bizarre.
At least Wen Ling’s experiences could be explained with real-world logic, but for a Magical Girl like herself, even magic was hard to rationalize.
So she could only give the best answer.
“But we can give the departed souls some truth, even if it’s only enough to comfort our own hearts.”
“Yeah.”