The verdant mountains and graceful peaks were shrouded in swirling clouds and fog.
At that moment, everyone felt as though they were immersed in a splendid dreamland.
The driver couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so beautiful. How come I never knew there was such a hidden paradise in City X?”
The expressions of the people in the car slightly froze, and no one responded.
The fog gradually dissipated, revealing a weathered ancient temple with red walls and dark tiles at the foot of the verdant mountains.
There was a notification from Bai Lixin’s private chat, and he opened the system to find a message from Xia Chi.
Xia Chi: [Brother, I always feel something’s off.]
Bai Lixin: [What seems off?]
Xia Chi: [The things we’re investigating now, are they related to our main task? Our main task is to find the owner of the eyeball and the cause of their death. It’s been three days, and we don’t have a single clue. It seems like what we’re investigating is always connected to our profession’s tasks, giving me the feeling that we’re being led by the system.]
Bai Lixin: [Then let’s go along with it. When I was at the police station the other day, I discreetly asked if there had been any recent cases of eyes missing. The answer was no.]
Xia Chi: [Could the system be tricking us?]
Bai Lixin: [The system has caused trouble before, even more than once, but it wouldn’t leave us with nothing. It wouldn’t blindly have us go on an impossible task. It may not be well-intentioned, and the clues it gives us may not always be correct. What we can do is to perform a second screening within the many misleading clues it provides us with, to find the most accurate answer.]
[With clues, we at least have a 50% chance of finding the main task. Without clues, we won’t even have that 50% chance.]
Xia Chi: [I see. I’ll make sure to carefully gather clues.]
After ending the chat with Xia Chi, Bai Lixin also opened the player group chat.
The female player whose profession was a nanny hadn’t said a word for a whole day.
According to the agreement, they were supposed to communicate their discoveries every evening at 7 p.m. However, since yesterday evening, this female player hadn’t uttered a word in the group chat.
Now that an entire night had passed, and it was daytime again, there was still no sign of her.
When they had first noticed that the nanny player was missing last night, a few people occasionally asked about her in the group chat. But the cohesion and adhesive power of people who were unfamiliar with each other forming an alliance weren’t strong. Now, the group chat had been quiet for a long time, and no one had asked about the female player’s situation.
However, the system hadn’t announced her death, which might be a positive sign.
Bai Lixin scrolled through the group chat messages. Someone had asked about the nanny player’s workplace, but no one in the group could answer that question.
Just as he was about to immerse himself in the system, a slight jolt suddenly hit without warning. Bai Lixin pulled his consciousness back to reality and realized the car had come to a slow stop.
The white car in front had already stopped. Two masked and fully armed individuals had gotten out of it and arrived at their car doors.
Bai Lixin rolled down the window and waited until the two removed their masks before recognizing them as Square-Face and Long-Face.
Square-Face pointed toward the ancient temple. “Get out. Lady Yuexian’s Temple is just ahead. It’s best to wear a mask or something. Everyone is quite cautious and not too eager to reveal their faces.”
At this point, Long-Face cast a glance inside. “Why have so many of you come?”
Bai Lixin sighed deeply, his expression grave. “Sigh, it’s a long story, and they don’t want us to talk about it.”
Long-Face and Square-Face exchanged a look, and Long-Face sighed, “Yeah, we understand. Who would willingly die early if they could live a few more years? Just get out.”
The driver seemed a bit bewildered, and Shen Mo instructed the driver to wait for them. Then, Shen Mo and the others got out of the car one after the other.
Long-Face couldn’t help but advise them as they stepped out, “Remember, don’t show any disrespect to Lady Yuexian.”
Shen Mo often changed his appearance and always carried masks in the car. He gave some to the group and once they had all put on their masks, they followed the two fully armed men toward the temple.
Lady Yuexian’s Temple seemed close to where they had parked, but walking there gave a different impression.
It looked three to five minutes away on foot, but they ended up walking for over ten minutes before they reached the base of the temple.
The surroundings had once again been enveloped in dense fog. As they approached, Bai Lixin and the others noticed that there was a long line outside the temple. Everyone was wrapped up tightly, forming a pitch-black line that resembled a large black centipede at a glance.
Guided by Square-Face, they joined the end of the line. He checked his wristwatch and muttered, “The gates will soon open. We’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
Before his words had even finished, more people joined the line behind them.
Xia Chi became alert.
As they walked here, there hadn’t been anyone around for several meters, so where did these people suddenly come from?
He discreetly sized up those individuals with completely concealed features, shivering internally.
‘Damn, could it be ghosts?’
Time ticked away, and just as Xia Chi was becoming impatient, a creaking sound, like that of an old wooden door, came from the distance. Then, the crowd began to move forward.
People in the front walked while those in the back pushed. There was hardly any opportunity for thought. Following the crowd, they entered the temple.
The temple wasn’t particularly large and lacked any courtyards. Upon opening the door, they directly entered the main hall for worship.
The ground was an aged black concrete, and the red paint on the door had worn away, making it look shabby. The walls were peeling like eczema, revealing a mix of bricks of varying shades.
When Xia Chi looked up at the corner of the wall, his gaze paused for a second.
In that corner, spiderwebs crisscrossed haphazardly, untouched for who knew how long.
As he was still observing, a soft rustling sound filled the air. He looked more closely and realized that the people who entered the temple automatically positioned themselves neatly, standing in rows one after another or kneeling on the ground.
He hesitated for a moment, sweeping his gaze around. He noticed that Bai Lixin and the others had also knelt and without further thought, he quickly imitated their actions and knelt down. He then continued to observe the decaying ancient temple.
Despite the many worshippers, the room was pervaded with an old, decrepit smell. He could even faintly detect a musty odor.
In the center of the temple, there was a raised platform covered in red cloth. However, even the platform couldn’t hide the shabbiness of the table. The wooden legs were somewhat worn, trembling as they stood on the dark concrete floor.
On the altar were offerings of various fruits. At the center of the altar was a golden incense burner, emitting thin white smoke from three slender incense sticks.
Above the highest platform was a stone statue that looked somewhat aged. It was unclear whether the statue had once been painted or whether it had always been carved with only its features and form.
But what was presented before Xia Chi was a gray stone statue with features that were blurred, even its face was difficult to discern.
Although he couldn’t see the face clearly, from the graceful curves and elegant clothing of the statue, he could tell that it depicted a female figure.
With a frown, Xia Chi gazed at the face of the statue. For some reason, the more he tried to see the face clearly, the blurrier it became.
He kept his gaze intently focused on the statue’s face, not even aware of how his eyes had turned distant at this moment.
Suddenly, a mild tingling sensation surged through his head.
As Xia Chi snapped back to attention, a voice rang in his ears.
“Lower your head!”
A low command sounded beside him.
Following the voice, Xia Chi’s eyes met those of Square-Face, who was staring at him with a hidden sense of panic.
“Don’t raise your head to look at Lady Yuexian’s statue. Doing so would be disrespectful to Lady Yuexian. Quickly lower your head!”
Square-Face repeated the command.
Though skeptical, Xia Chi obediently lowered his head and refrained from looking upwards.
There were approximately a hundred people around him, all kneeling on the ground with utmost piety and reverence.
Xia Chi opened the private chat window.
Xia Chi: [Brother, I was so captivated by the statue just now. It seems like it has some sort of enchantment.]
Bai Lixin: [I’ve sensed it. Don’t look into her eyes.]
Xia Chi: [Okay, brother.]
After the short advice to Xia Chi, Bai Lixin silently observed his surroundings.
The temperature inside the temple was significantly colder than outside. From the moment they stepped into the hall, a chilly breeze seemed to emanate from beneath the ground.
Despite the freezing gust, the people around seemed oblivious.
People’s faces were either masked or veiled, with some even using oversized hoods to conceal themselves entirely.
They all knelt quietly, as if awaiting something.
When the last person entered the hall, the decrepit door behind them eerily shut on its own.
Simultaneously, a cold wind swept through the sealed hall, and the candles on the altar lit themselves.
At the same time, the metal braziers hanging in the corners of the hall also ignited.
As the braziers blazed, everyone simultaneously bowed in reverence toward the stone statue, chanting in unison, “We respectfully welcome Lady Yuexian.”
At this point, Square-Face and Long-Face dared not speak. They exchanged glances with Bai Lixin, the general sentiment being to follow suit.
Bai Lixin subtly lifted his head, using his peripheral vision to sneak a glance upwards.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but the statue seemed to be hanging in mid-air, and it also seemed to have undergone some slight alteration in its form.
The cold wind once again blew within the room, even more forcefully than before.
Cloth strips with incomprehensible Sanskrit writing hanging on the wall fluttered quickly with the wind, producing a series of swishing sounds.
The thick cloth flapped violently against the wall, the sound resonating from all directions, shaking the entire hall like a fierce storm.
Unlike the melodic and melodious sounds often found in regular temples, here the noises were somewhat jarring and tumultuous.
Bai Lixin felt his ears buzzing, his eardrums tingling and even a sense of irritability creeping in.
Frowning, he glanced at Square-Face and Long-Face beside him, only to discover that they weren’t bothered by the cacophony. On the contrary, their expressions seemed to revel in it.
It wasn’t just these two; everyone whose faces could be vaguely seen had expressions of fascination.
As Bai Lixin continued his observation, a pair of icy hands unexpectedly clasped his ears.
The instant he instinctively turned his head, he felt something soft entering both his ears.
When the objects were placed in his ears, the piercing sound of the bells immediately lessened.
He cast a glance at Shen Mo, only to find Shen Mo calmly withdrawing his hand.
Shen Mo lightly brushed his earlobe with his fingertip, the slightly coarse sensation tickling, making Bai Lixin shudder involuntarily
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Shen Mo’s face.
He retracted his hand, placing his index finger to his lips as a gesture to remain silent. Then, he glanced at Bai Lixin and subtly tilted his own ear, revealing a white filling.
It was an earplug.
Shen Mo pointed at his ear and then at Bai Lixin’s.
Bai Lixin immediately understood; Shen Mo had just inserted earplugs into his ears.
He glanced at Xia Chi and Young Yama, and noticed earplugs in their ears as well.
With the sounds blocked, the irritability in Bai Lixin’s mind gradually faded.
After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he found himself running out of patience.
From the start, it had been all tricks and illusions. Even though they knew nothing, whether it was the fog, the cold wind, or the ringing, the people behind the scenes seemed to be dragging their feet in showing themselves.
Hesitating and dawdling.
Just as Bai Lixin’s patience was about to snap, a black mist slowly emanated from the mouth of the stone statue as the bells rang. Subsequently, a dreamlike voice, muffled by the earplugs, began to resonate in his ears.
“My devoted followers, I have heard your desires.”
“Under the moonlight, the land is desolate.”
“I am willing to offer myself to fulfill your wishes.”
“I have fushi water here. After consuming it, your wishes will be granted.”
“May illnesses be far from you.”
“May the good men and faithful women have peace year after year.”
“May the thoughts within the hearts of the believers all come to fruition.”
“I can grant your wishes. Are you willing to offer your devotion and sincerity?”
Everyone promptly knocked their heads to the ground three times and once again chorused in unison, “The believers are willing!”
In the moment of uttering the word “willing,” Bai Lixin noticed a strand of white light emerge from everyone’s foreheads.
These strands of white light floated lightly, converging in mid-air before uniformly approaching the black mist.
In an instant, the white light, like a spider’s web, spread over the entire expanse of the hall’s ceiling.
Bai Lixin cast a glance at Square-Face and Long-Face; their expressions showed no abnormality. They remained kneeling on the ground, their gaze both devout and unfocused.
As if sensing something, the action of the black mist absorbing the white light paused for a moment.
“You don’t want to?”
It didn’t specify who didn’t want to; the black mist lacked a physical form so Bai Lixin had no way of knowing where the other party’s “eyes” were.
Yet, he somehow knew that this statement was directed at the four of them.
Following the voice of the black mist, the heads of all those present turned towards them simultaneously, their once-devout eyes suddenly taking on a hostile edge.
Their expressions grew cold, and their gaze brimmed with a murderous intent. If one could kill with their eyes, they would probably have died multiple times already.
At this critical juncture, a clear, melodious silver bell rang out.
Although it was another bell sound, there were countless bronze bells around, yet only one silver bell.
But the silver bell seemed like an arrow that pierced through a target a hundred steps away, instantly shattering the cacophony of bronze bells and neutralizing the sound of the bronze bells like an acid-base reaction.
In an instant, the expressions of everyone present froze, and their gazes became vacant.
The action of the black mist absorbing the white light abruptly halted; it hung suspended in mid-air, just like that young wolf pup from before, motionless.
Xia Chi tentatively asked in a low voice, “Did you catch it?”
Young Yama lifted his chin slightly. While the question was addressed by Xia Chi, his eyes were on Bai Lixin. “Of course. I, Yama, am invincible; everything is within my control.”
“Did you see that, papa? Hurry up and praise me!”
Xia Chi looked up at the black mist and then at Young Yama, then back at the mist before finally asking with uncertainty, “Um… so, is was it your doing when the black mist entered the statue’s mouth?”
Young Yama’s entire body stiffened. He suddenly looked up at the statue but only caught the vanishing tail of the black mist.
Everyone turned their gaze towards Young Yama in unison.
Young Yama chuckled awkwardly, “As Sun Tzu’s Art of War says, ‘To capture the enemy, you must seize his treasured aspirations.’ It’s just another one of the thirty-six strategies.”
Xia Chi ruthlessly exposed him, “So, it ran away, right?”
Young Yama: “…”
‘Shut up.
Don’t you understand the concept of strategic language?’
———————–
In the live broadcast room
[Hahaha, Master Tuanzi’s live car rollover scene. I originally intended to show off to Papa, but ended up throwing a stone at my own foot.]
[So, it seems this cloud of black mist is stronger than the previous wolf pup. When the silver bell rang, the wolf pup couldn’t move. But the black mist managed to escape, showing strong counter-surveillance abilities.]
[After all, they’re not on the same level creatures.]
————————–
The verdant mountains and graceful peaks were shrouded in swirling clouds and fog.
At that moment, everyone felt as though they were immersed in a splendid dreamland.
The driver couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so beautiful. How come I never knew there was such a hidden paradise in City X?”
The expressions of the people in the car slightly froze, and no one responded.
The fog gradually dissipated, revealing a weathered ancient temple with red walls and dark tiles at the foot of the verdant mountains.
There was a notification from Bai Lixin’s private chat, and he opened the system to find a message from Xia Chi.
Xia Chi: [Brother, I always feel something’s off.]
Bai Lixin: [What seems off?]
Xia Chi: [The things we’re investigating now, are they related to our main task? Our main task is to find the owner of the eyeball and the cause of their death. It’s been three days, and we don’t have a single clue. It seems like what we’re investigating is always connected to our profession’s tasks, giving me the feeling that we’re being led by the system.]
Bai Lixin: [Then let’s go along with it. When I was at the police station the other day, I discreetly asked if there had been any recent cases of eyes missing. The answer was no.]
Xia Chi: [Could the system be tricking us?]
Bai Lixin: [The system has caused trouble before, even more than once, but it wouldn’t leave us with nothing. It wouldn’t blindly have us go on an impossible task. It may not be well-intentioned, and the clues it gives us may not always be correct. What we can do is to perform a second screening within the many misleading clues it provides us with, to find the most accurate answer.]
[With clues, we at least have a 50% chance of finding the main task. Without clues, we won’t even have that 50% chance.]
Xia Chi: [I see. I’ll make sure to carefully gather clues.]
After ending the chat with Xia Chi, Bai Lixin also opened the player group chat.
The female player whose profession was a nanny hadn’t said a word for a whole day.
According to the agreement, they were supposed to communicate their discoveries every evening at 7 p.m. However, since yesterday evening, this female player hadn’t uttered a word in the group chat.
Now that an entire night had passed, and it was daytime again, there was still no sign of her.
When they had first noticed that the nanny player was missing last night, a few people occasionally asked about her in the group chat. But the cohesion and adhesive power of people who were unfamiliar with each other forming an alliance weren’t strong. Now, the group chat had been quiet for a long time, and no one had asked about the female player’s situation.
However, the system hadn’t announced her death, which might be a positive sign.
Bai Lixin scrolled through the group chat messages. Someone had asked about the nanny player’s workplace, but no one in the group could answer that question.
Just as he was about to immerse himself in the system, a slight jolt suddenly hit without warning. Bai Lixin pulled his consciousness back to reality and realized the car had come to a slow stop.
The white car in front had already stopped. Two masked and fully armed individuals had gotten out of it and arrived at their car doors.
Bai Lixin rolled down the window and waited until the two removed their masks before recognizing them as Square-Face and Long-Face.
Square-Face pointed toward the ancient temple. “Get out. Lady Yuexian’s Temple is just ahead. It’s best to wear a mask or something. Everyone is quite cautious and not too eager to reveal their faces.”
At this point, Long-Face cast a glance inside. “Why have so many of you come?”
Bai Lixin sighed deeply, his expression grave. “Sigh, it’s a long story, and they don’t want us to talk about it.”
Long-Face and Square-Face exchanged a look, and Long-Face sighed, “Yeah, we understand. Who would willingly die early if they could live a few more years? Just get out.”
The driver seemed a bit bewildered, and Shen Mo instructed the driver to wait for them. Then, Shen Mo and the others got out of the car one after the other.
Long-Face couldn’t help but advise them as they stepped out, “Remember, don’t show any disrespect to Lady Yuexian.”
Shen Mo often changed his appearance and always carried masks in the car. He gave some to the group and once they had all put on their masks, they followed the two fully armed men toward the temple.
Lady Yuexian’s Temple seemed close to where they had parked, but walking there gave a different impression.
It looked three to five minutes away on foot, but they ended up walking for over ten minutes before they reached the base of the temple.
The surroundings had once again been enveloped in dense fog. As they approached, Bai Lixin and the others noticed that there was a long line outside the temple. Everyone was wrapped up tightly, forming a pitch-black line that resembled a large black centipede at a glance.
Guided by Square-Face, they joined the end of the line. He checked his wristwatch and muttered, “The gates will soon open. We’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
Before his words had even finished, more people joined the line behind them.
Xia Chi became alert.
As they walked here, there hadn’t been anyone around for several meters, so where did these people suddenly come from?
He discreetly sized up those individuals with completely concealed features, shivering internally.
‘Damn, could it be ghosts?’
Time ticked away, and just as Xia Chi was becoming impatient, a creaking sound, like that of an old wooden door, came from the distance. Then, the crowd began to move forward.
People in the front walked while those in the back pushed. There was hardly any opportunity for thought. Following the crowd, they entered the temple.
The temple wasn’t particularly large and lacked any courtyards. Upon opening the door, they directly entered the main hall for worship.
The ground was an aged black concrete, and the red paint on the door had worn away, making it look shabby. The walls were peeling like eczema, revealing a mix of bricks of varying shades.
When Xia Chi looked up at the corner of the wall, his gaze paused for a second.
In that corner, spiderwebs crisscrossed haphazardly, untouched for who knew how long.
As he was still observing, a soft rustling sound filled the air. He looked more closely and realized that the people who entered the temple automatically positioned themselves neatly, standing in rows one after another or kneeling on the ground.
He hesitated for a moment, sweeping his gaze around. He noticed that Bai Lixin and the others had also knelt and without further thought, he quickly imitated their actions and knelt down. He then continued to observe the decaying ancient temple.
Despite the many worshippers, the room was pervaded with an old, decrepit smell. He could even faintly detect a musty odor.
In the center of the temple, there was a raised platform covered in red cloth. However, even the platform couldn’t hide the shabbiness of the table. The wooden legs were somewhat worn, trembling as they stood on the dark concrete floor.
On the altar were offerings of various fruits. At the center of the altar was a golden incense burner, emitting thin white smoke from three slender incense sticks.
Above the highest platform was a stone statue that looked somewhat aged. It was unclear whether the statue had once been painted or whether it had always been carved with only its features and form.
But what was presented before Xia Chi was a gray stone statue with features that were blurred, even its face was difficult to discern.
Although he couldn’t see the face clearly, from the graceful curves and elegant clothing of the statue, he could tell that it depicted a female figure.
With a frown, Xia Chi gazed at the face of the statue. For some reason, the more he tried to see the face clearly, the blurrier it became.
He kept his gaze intently focused on the statue’s face, not even aware of how his eyes had turned distant at this moment.
Suddenly, a mild tingling sensation surged through his head.
As Xia Chi snapped back to attention, a voice rang in his ears.
“Lower your head!”
A low command sounded beside him.
Following the voice, Xia Chi’s eyes met those of Square-Face, who was staring at him with a hidden sense of panic.
“Don’t raise your head to look at Lady Yuexian’s statue. Doing so would be disrespectful to Lady Yuexian. Quickly lower your head!”
Square-Face repeated the command.
Though skeptical, Xia Chi obediently lowered his head and refrained from looking upwards.
There were approximately a hundred people around him, all kneeling on the ground with utmost piety and reverence.
Xia Chi opened the private chat window.
Xia Chi: [Brother, I was so captivated by the statue just now. It seems like it has some sort of enchantment.]
Bai Lixin: [I’ve sensed it. Don’t look into her eyes.]
Xia Chi: [Okay, brother.]
After the short advice to Xia Chi, Bai Lixin silently observed his surroundings.
The temperature inside the temple was significantly colder than outside. From the moment they stepped into the hall, a chilly breeze seemed to emanate from beneath the ground.
Despite the freezing gust, the people around seemed oblivious.
People’s faces were either masked or veiled, with some even using oversized hoods to conceal themselves entirely.
They all knelt quietly, as if awaiting something.
When the last person entered the hall, the decrepit door behind them eerily shut on its own.
Simultaneously, a cold wind swept through the sealed hall, and the candles on the altar lit themselves.
At the same time, the metal braziers hanging in the corners of the hall also ignited.
As the braziers blazed, everyone simultaneously bowed in reverence toward the stone statue, chanting in unison, “We respectfully welcome Lady Yuexian.”
At this point, Square-Face and Long-Face dared not speak. They exchanged glances with Bai Lixin, the general sentiment being to follow suit.
Bai Lixin subtly lifted his head, using his peripheral vision to sneak a glance upwards.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but the statue seemed to be hanging in mid-air, and it also seemed to have undergone some slight alteration in its form.
The cold wind once again blew within the room, even more forcefully than before.
Cloth strips with incomprehensible Sanskrit writing hanging on the wall fluttered quickly with the wind, producing a series of swishing sounds.
The thick cloth flapped violently against the wall, the sound resonating from all directions, shaking the entire hall like a fierce storm.
Unlike the melodic and melodious sounds often found in regular temples, here the noises were somewhat jarring and tumultuous.
Bai Lixin felt his ears buzzing, his eardrums tingling and even a sense of irritability creeping in.
Frowning, he glanced at Square-Face and Long-Face beside him, only to discover that they weren’t bothered by the cacophony. On the contrary, their expressions seemed to revel in it.
It wasn’t just these two; everyone whose faces could be vaguely seen had expressions of fascination.
As Bai Lixin continued his observation, a pair of icy hands unexpectedly clasped his ears.
The instant he instinctively turned his head, he felt something soft entering both his ears.
When the objects were placed in his ears, the piercing sound of the bells immediately lessened.
He cast a glance at Shen Mo, only to find Shen Mo calmly withdrawing his hand.
Shen Mo lightly brushed his earlobe with his fingertip, the slightly coarse sensation tickling, making Bai Lixin shudder involuntarily
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Shen Mo’s face.
He retracted his hand, placing his index finger to his lips as a gesture to remain silent. Then, he glanced at Bai Lixin and subtly tilted his own ear, revealing a white filling.
It was an earplug.
Shen Mo pointed at his ear and then at Bai Lixin’s.
Bai Lixin immediately understood; Shen Mo had just inserted earplugs into his ears.
He glanced at Xia Chi and Young Yama, and noticed earplugs in their ears as well.
With the sounds blocked, the irritability in Bai Lixin’s mind gradually faded.
After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he found himself running out of patience.
From the start, it had been all tricks and illusions. Even though they knew nothing, whether it was the fog, the cold wind, or the ringing, the people behind the scenes seemed to be dragging their feet in showing themselves.
Hesitating and dawdling.
Just as Bai Lixin’s patience was about to snap, a black mist slowly emanated from the mouth of the stone statue as the bells rang. Subsequently, a dreamlike voice, muffled by the earplugs, began to resonate in his ears.
“My devoted followers, I have heard your desires.”
“Under the moonlight, the land is desolate.”
“I am willing to offer myself to fulfill your wishes.”
“I have fushi water here. After consuming it, your wishes will be granted.”
“May illnesses be far from you.”
“May the good men and faithful women have peace year after year.”
“May the thoughts within the hearts of the believers all come to fruition.”
“I can grant your wishes. Are you willing to offer your devotion and sincerity?”
Everyone promptly knocked their heads to the ground three times and once again chorused in unison, “The believers are willing!”
In the moment of uttering the word “willing,” Bai Lixin noticed a strand of white light emerge from everyone’s foreheads.
These strands of white light floated lightly, converging in mid-air before uniformly approaching the black mist.
In an instant, the white light, like a spider’s web, spread over the entire expanse of the hall’s ceiling.
Bai Lixin cast a glance at Square-Face and Long-Face; their expressions showed no abnormality. They remained kneeling on the ground, their gaze both devout and unfocused.
As if sensing something, the action of the black mist absorbing the white light paused for a moment.
“You don’t want to?”
It didn’t specify who didn’t want to; the black mist lacked a physical form so Bai Lixin had no way of knowing where the other party’s “eyes” were.
Yet, he somehow knew that this statement was directed at the four of them.
Following the voice of the black mist, the heads of all those present turned towards them simultaneously, their once-devout eyes suddenly taking on a hostile edge.
Their expressions grew cold, and their gaze brimmed with a murderous intent. If one could kill with their eyes, they would probably have died multiple times already.
At this critical juncture, a clear, melodious silver bell rang out.
Although it was another bell sound, there were countless bronze bells around, yet only one silver bell.
But the silver bell seemed like an arrow that pierced through a target a hundred steps away, instantly shattering the cacophony of bronze bells and neutralizing the sound of the bronze bells like an acid-base reaction.
In an instant, the expressions of everyone present froze, and their gazes became vacant.
The action of the black mist absorbing the white light abruptly halted; it hung suspended in mid-air, just like that young wolf pup from before, motionless.
Xia Chi tentatively asked in a low voice, “Did you catch it?”
Young Yama lifted his chin slightly. While the question was addressed by Xia Chi, his eyes were on Bai Lixin. “Of course. I, Yama, am invincible; everything is within my control.”
“Did you see that, papa? Hurry up and praise me!”
Xia Chi looked up at the black mist and then at Young Yama, then back at the mist before finally asking with uncertainty, “Um… so, is was it your doing when the black mist entered the statue’s mouth?”
Young Yama’s entire body stiffened. He suddenly looked up at the statue but only caught the vanishing tail of the black mist.
Everyone turned their gaze towards Young Yama in unison.
Young Yama chuckled awkwardly, “As Sun Tzu’s Art of War says, ‘To capture the enemy, you must seize his treasured aspirations.’ It’s just another one of the thirty-six strategies.”
Xia Chi ruthlessly exposed him, “So, it ran away, right?”
Young Yama: “…”
‘Shut up.
Don’t you understand the concept of strategic language?’
———————–
In the live broadcast room
[Hahaha, Master Tuanzi’s live car rollover scene. I originally intended to show off to Papa, but ended up throwing a stone at my own foot.]
[So, it seems this cloud of black mist is stronger than the previous wolf pup. When the silver bell rang, the wolf pup couldn’t move. But the black mist managed to escape, showing strong counter-surveillance abilities.]
[After all, they’re not on the same level creatures.]
————————–
