Chapter 57 : The Booklet

To be honest, when Jiang Yin walked into this ruined temple, she didn’t feel cold or strange at all.

Instead, she had a déjà vu, like the classic scene in old martial arts films where the protagonist seeks shelter from a rainstorm in a broken temple by the roadside.

At this point, what would appear next would be an escort group, an old blind man with a little beggar, a young couple or a single mother with a baby in swaddling clothes.

With all the characters gathered, it would become the classic story of bandit robbery, revenge, love, and hate in the jianghu.

It wasn’t that her imagination was running wild, but the temple was really that rundown.

Among the people wandering near the ruined main hall, there truly was a group that looked like tall, strong men who came as a tourist team, an old man with his grandson, and a young couple with children…

“…We probably won’t discover anything.”

There really were a lot of people…

Just think about it.

For a scenic spot that can support a small market at the foot of the mountain to operate for a long time, how much daily visitor traffic must it have?

Even though their arrival with the program crew wasn’t on a weekend—already a time when tourists were scarce—there were still groups of three to five, not much different from a temple with some local fame, except the environment was more desolate and dilapidated.

But compared to those splendid temples with golden Buddhas and jade thrones, this sense of decay felt more authentic, providing a novel experience.

It’s like knowing that ancient buildings are restored for safety, but if they’re renovated too much, the antique charm is lost.

The paint is still shining!

Moreover, many scenic routes are meticulously planned, with every attraction and photo spot deliberately set up.

All the views look the same, and if you randomly check photos from two tourists, even your phone might recognize them as duplicate images and ask if you want to delete one.

The Temple of Self-Inquiry feels just right—ruined, but not too ruined—and you can freely explore within safe limits.

The uniqueness bred by nature is beautiful, stimulating a desire to explore.

It’s like the pure joy of climbing over walls to search for treasures in a dilapidated house during childhood.

Besides, while the temple’s wishes might not be effective, maybe its curses work better…

—Maybe that’s why there are so many tourists.

And more tourists mean the local authorities must provide basic safety measures.

Not to mention, fire prevention in the mountains and fencing dangerous areas are mandatory—especially since this site became popular as a ‘ghost spot.’

Routine patrols by Bureau investigators are also essential.

Anyway, Jiang Yin saw two people who were obviously not tourists, dressed in plain clothes, quietly clearing away resentful energy in every hidden corner.

“It wasn’t like this when we first came…”

Wen Ling was a little frustrated too.

She realized their trip would likely end in vain.

There were no fateful coincidences, no special NPCs jumping out to deliver clues as if waiting for them to trigger a conversation, and definitely not a Conan-like scenario where a group gathers and someone screams as the murderer is revealed.

They could only maintain their smiles for the camera, share discoveries during breaks, and search for solutions independently.

“You handle the live stream for now.

I’ll go ask around.”

“Ask…who?”

“Secret.”

Not to be mysterious, but because it really was confidential.

Jiang Yin turned and slipped to a small path behind the temple, slapping her hand onto the shoulder of a young investigator who was shining a flashlight on a stain in the corner.

“Do investigators have special hobbies?

Why is it always burning poop or airing out urine?”

“Wow—!”

The guy jumped in shock.

If he hadn’t restrained himself, he probably would’ve pinned Jiang Yin to the ground—don’t be surprised, some investigators are former soldiers, but most come from formal police academies, especially the young ones, and they’re all skilled.

Though, he definitely couldn’t restrain someone as abnormal as Jiang Yin.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Jiang Yin waved her ID in front of him, and when she saw his body tense up as if about to salute, she quickly pressed him down.

“I’m just here to ask something.

Relax.”

“How long have you been patrolling the temple mountain?

When did it start?

Any unusual incidents?”

“Two years now.

At first, a few investigator colleagues were infected by resentment and got sick, but after magical girl treatment, they recovered quickly.

Other than that…”

At least he was professional—the young investigator answered quickly.

“There’s something strange, though.”

“The speed at which resentment grows here is abnormal.

Normally, we clear places like this once a month to ensure no monsters are born.

But here, we have to clear it weekly.

To prevent problems, we’re now stationed here in shifts.”

“The magical girls on your side didn’t notice anything?”

“Probably not.”

The young investigator shook his head.

“It’s just speculation, but this place might have been an abandoned mass grave, later activated as a ‘curse site’.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Jiang Yin nodded, handed over a pack of cigarettes in thanks, and wandered back to Wen Ling.

None of this was classified, so there was no reason for the guy to lie.

But if what he said was true…

The so-called ‘curse site’ was actually called ‘land of yin sha’ in the past.

The term was changed for standardization and international alignment.

Such sites usually formed because someone—or a monster—committed murders here, accumulating heavy resentment.

Those corpses remained in the soil, so even if you couldn’t sense them, the resentment would continuously seep from the bones through the surrounding buildings and plants.

The result was certain areas stayed cold and the resentment couldn’t be completely cleansed.

Over time, if ignored, low-level monsters would emerge.

Like ‘little ghosts’ and such.

But based on the state of this temple…

That investigator guy might not have known, or maybe he only hinted out of caution, but from the existing information, you could roughly deduce what happened.

“If my guess is right…”

By evening, after the day’s live stream ended, Jiang Yin shared her deductions with Wen Ling.

“There were definitely members of the Yuan Ming Cult hiding here before.

They used the resentment generated here for some purpose, but stayed concealed and didn’t expose themselves.”

“Once the Temple of Self-Inquiry gained fame on Monster Bar, and more adventure-loving monster fans started coming, they realized something was wrong and withdrew.”

“And the seniors you mentioned…probably encountered those about to leave, or maybe received pamphlets intentionally left behind to spread faith or record methods of using resentment.”

“You mean…”

Wen Ling confirmed her own suspicions, feeling even more powerless.

“Those things only happened because we were unlucky enough to be there?”

Jiang Yin sighed.

“Think about it.

Anyone wanting to go down a dark path can always find a way.

Our problem now is who ended up with the possible pamphlet.”

“Do you remember who first suggested visiting here?”