Xiao Wei was set down by Tang Shifu, her legs going weak.
She nearly lost her balance on the ground.
Looking up, she saw Mu Bai before her, her entire body radiating a holy white light.
“We need to go, the shadows are about to catch up,” Mu Bai handed the strong flashlight to Mo Cha and grabbed Xiao Wei’s hand without waiting for a reply.
“Xiao Wei, stay close to me. As long as we’re within the white light, we’re safe.”
“Oh, okay…”
Xiao Wei obediently followed.
She could still feel Mu Bai’s concern for her.
Things had come to this point.
Words of regret were already stuck in her throat.
The shadows’ spreading speed wasn’t fast.
Mu Bai and the others only needed to jog at a steady pace to maintain a safe distance.
The reason they didn’t just run away was that if they lost the shadows’ aggro, the shadows would simply respawn from the next intersection, putting them even closer and increasing unnecessary risk.
Whoosh!
Another slender black shadow was sent flying, instantly turning into white smoke.
The white smoke couldn’t be absorbed by Weapon Strike Fist, so Mu Bai’s group didn’t pay it any mind.
But Xiao Huang, for some reason, actively charged forward and pounced into the plume of white smoke.
For a moment, the gradually dispersing smoke seemed to be drawn in, all of it converging toward Xiao Huang, passing through his fur and entering his body.
“Xiao Huang!”
Xiao Wei cried out in alarm.
That white smoke clearly looked wrong.
She didn’t understand why Xiao Huang, who was usually so smart, would do something so dangerous.
But Xiao Huang turned around as if nothing had happened, shook his body, and returned to the group.
Whether it was an illusion or not, those dark, bright eyes now held a trace more of a human-like glint.
The entire group came to a brief halt.
Xiao Wei quickly knelt down to check if Xiao Huang was okay.
“Xiao Huang, how are you… He won’t be hurt, will he?”
The latter half of her question was directed at Mu Bai.
“Probably not. That kind of white smoke is actually a good thing for us, it’s just that we can’t absorb it for some reason… Xiao Huang is smart. He must have his reasons for doing this.”
Mu Bai was also puzzled.
But she still comforted Xiao Wei.
Xiao Wei let out a small sigh of relief.
She felt a warm, wet sensation on her hand.
Seeing it was Xiao Huang licking her fingers, acting just like normal, she finally relaxed completely.
In that short moment, the shadows had closed the distance again.
The four of them sped up for a stretch, then steadily advanced toward the stone bridge.
As their route became clearer, the minor monsters in the town grew more frantic.
The Hands in the Wall were manageable; just staying away from the walls avoided being grabbed.
But the number of slender black shadows kept increasing, appearing endlessly on the path ahead.
This made Mu Bai even more certain that her decision to enter the Mountain God Temple at night was correct.
The presence inside the Mountain God Temple must be controlling these minor monsters, and it clearly did not want them to reach the temple.
The more the enemy tried to stop them, the more it proved they were doing the right thing!
Mere Remnant Soul-level minor monsters, no matter how many, were just a matter of one Weapon Strike Fist each.
Every time a black shadow was defeated, Xiao Huang would rush forward to absorb all the white smoke.
The others stopped worrying, though his eyes grew more and more spirited.
It seemed the energy from this white smoke was a kind of nourishment for him.
Even though they still weren’t sure what was possessing Xiao Huang, the various special abilities it displayed proved its existence was the key to breaking this Station.
Bringing Xiao Wei along had been the right decision.
Xiao Wei had inevitably felt afraid at first, but being led by the hand by Mu Bai and enveloped within the white light’s range, her mindset inexplicably stabilized.
She was no longer swayed by negative emotions like regret or panic.
Witnessing Mu Bai and Tang Shifu single-handedly crushing the ghosts gave her a sense of security she’d never felt, even in her most peaceful sleep.
Perhaps… they really could eliminate the source that had turned the town into this state…
***
They reached the edge of the town, crossed the twenty-meter-wide stone bridge, and arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The elongated black shadows no longer appeared.
The air fell into a brief silence.
There was something different about this mountain.
Upon arriving here, Xiao Huang’s expression actually became somewhat complex.
If before, Xiao Huang’s “intelligence” could still be compared to that of highly intelligent breeds like Border Collies, remaining within a reasonable range… the emotions he was displaying now had clearly crossed the boundary of what was reasonable.
But Mu Bai and the others weren’t surprised.
Anything could happen in a Station.
They had already foreseen Xiao Huang’s special nature when they spoke with Xiao Wei during the day.
Xiao Huang suddenly rushed forward a few steps, taking the lead at the front of the group.
He seemed incredibly familiar with this mountain and began leading the way.
They proceeded unhindered.
***
Mountain God Temple, before the main gate.
The moment Mu Bai’s group followed Xiao Huang through the door, they saw a figure sitting on the ground, leaning against a pillar.
Mo Cha shone the strong flashlight over.
The instant everyone saw clearly, Mu Bai immediately covered Xiao Wei’s eyes.
It was a corpse.
Gaunt as a dried skeleton, its facial features hollow, wearing a faded Taoist robe.
A wooden sword turned to charcoal lay horizontally on the ground beside it, and a dust whisk covered in dust rested on its legs.
It had clearly been dead for many years.
There were no living beings in the Mountain God Temple at night.
The body, untouched by decay, had been perfectly preserved until now.
But this appearance was far more terrifying than ordinary bleached bones.
It was truly the kind of thing that would scare children.
It was only then that Mu Bai realized: the Taoist Priest never left.
He had died unexpectedly in the Mountain God Temple while trying to solve the town’s troubles.
‘This Mountain God Temple… it couldn’t be more dangerous than we imagined, could it?’
Mu Bai pushed Xiao Wei toward Mo Cha, asking her to block Xiao Wei’s view.
She herself took a few steps forward to examine the corpse, and Ye Yin followed.
Getting closer, they indeed saw a yellow paper note placed in front of the body, held down by the dust whisk.
Mu Bai was just about to bend down to pick it up when Ye Yin stopped her.
The next second, Ye Yin handed the yellow paper note to her.
Unfolding the page, they saw lines of characters written in what seemed to be cinnabar ink.
Returning to the group, Mu Bai read it word by word under the flashlight’s beam.
“This humble Taoist, passing through this place, sensed by chance the mountain spirit’s energy running rampant, and thus ascended the mountain to investigate. Upon reaching the summit, I realized it was not the Mountain God that was in trouble, but that a foreign god had seized the mountain god’s position. The true Mountain God’s divine power is sealed within the mountain’s treasure. The treasure is most likely there.”
But… that place is also most likely the boss room.
To safely investigate, one must find someone willing to sacrifice themselves.
How could such a convenient thing exist?
“Xiao Wei? That child doesn’t seem like one with great love either…”