"Master, how much does this exorcism talisman cost?" Xu Anran asked the young Taoist priest of the most famous century-old Taoist temple in Feng Province.

The young Taoist priest had rosy lips and white teeth, and his smile was very endearing. He said with a smile, "Layman, we have two kinds of exorcism talismans: the Evil-Slaying Talisman and the Earthly Fiend Talisman. The prices are the same. The one drawn by the Taoist priest Youyi costs one thousand yuan, the one drawn by the ordained Taoist priest costs ten thousand yuan, and the last one drawn by the Taoist priest Jijiu is too expensive and extremely precious, so it is not for sale."

Xu Anran considered for a moment and said, "Then, Daoist Master, I need 50 of each of the Youyi Daoist's Evil-Slaying Talisman and Earthly Fiend Talisman, and 10 of each of the two types of talismans from the ordained Daoist."

After leaving, Xu Anran and Luo Xi met at a bubble tea shop. While drinking bubble tea, they talked about their day.

In the past two days, Luo Xi visited about a dozen temples of varying sizes in Feng Province, obtaining numerous amulets, prayer beads, ritual implements, and Buddha statues. It has to be said, this is incredibly expensive; the effects are still unknown, yet he has already spent several million.

Xu Anran's situation was similar; she mainly bought talismans, as well as some copper coins and amulets.

For the next month, Xu Anran went to the Taoist temple every day to study scriptures and do morning prayers; Luo Xi went to the Buddhist temple to study.

Yi Yi and Ya Ya were each put in a bag and taken away. Fortunately, they were quiet and could understand what was being said. They usually did nothing but eat and sleep, and no one needed to worry about them.

The sky was pitch black, not a single ray of sunlight could be seen. The whole world was shrouded in darkness; the sun, hidden behind the black mist, could not shine even a ray of light.

There were no pedestrians on the streets, all the shops were closed, and the whole world seemed empty.

A strange suona sound came, alternating between joyful and sorrowful, converging from the east and west sides towards the middle of the road.

The figures from the east gradually approached, each with a smiling face—or rather, each paper figure. They led the way, playing musical instruments, while four strong paper figures carried a sedan chair in the middle, forming a long procession.

Several rosy-cheeked, festive girls with red paper pasted on their faces were laughing and scattering lucky money around the sedan chair.

And then a girl sang: "Her eyes, her eyes, are like stars shining, seeing them makes my heart flutter..."

The other group of people also came over. They were a group of weeping ghosts dressed in white mourning clothes. One of them was playing a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) in front of them, while the ghosts behind them were wailing. The wailing was melodious and gentle, forming an eerie tune. They all had sad and distressed faces.

Cries, music, and songs mingled together.

They intersected with each other, then each went their separate ways in different directions.

In a residential area, a girl was playing with a ball. She bounced it and bounced it until it fell to the ground and rolled under a tree. The girl picked up the ball and looked closely. It wasn't a ball at all; it was clearly a little boy's head.

The little boy kept yelling, "It hurts! It hurts! I don't want to play anymore!"

Inside the room, a woman felt intensely itchy, but no matter how much she scratched, she couldn't stop the itch. She scratched her entire body until it bled, leaving patches of red welts, some festering, some bleeding, and others already scabbed over.

Hidden in the hair behind the woman's head was a human face, a face with a crying expression. Every time the woman scratched her body, the face would smile.

The bride's procession continued until it reached the temple, where they intended to enter. Many people had come to the temple seeking refuge, and it seemed that the bride's destined husband was among them.

The maids arrived at the door and knocked, "Beep beep beep beep... beep beep beep beep..."

Those inside the gate stood ready, and the monks, led by the abbot, gathered together to chant scriptures and fight against the strange forces outside.

But the female ghost was filled with resentment, and red mist emanated from the sedan chair, enveloping the entire temple. The monks were no match for her; the abbot couldn't catch his breath and vomited blood.

Seeing that they were no match for the enemy, they sent everyone to hide in the main hall, leaving behind only the few with the highest magical power, armed with magical artifacts, to prepare for battle.

A paper figure carried the bride to the door. The bride was dressed in a red wedding gown, with a graceful figure. Her face was not clearly visible under the red veil; only through the swaying gaps could one see her pale face with her bright red lips curving upwards.

The door opens, the bride enters!

The paper figures rushed in laughing, and they entangled the monks. The bride was going to find her ideal husband.

But just as she was about to enter the main hall, the golden statue of Buddha in the hall suddenly shone brightly, and with a shrill scream, the female ghost was burned.

Seeing that she was no match for the enemy and would likely be reduced to ashes here, the female ghost quickly flew back into the sedan chair and left the place.

The other mourning procession also arrived at the Taoist temple and fought with the Taoists. In the end, the Taoists were no match for them, and half of them died. The people hid in the Sanqing Hall.

Finally, the wooden coffin extended a hand, sucked some people from the Taoist temple inside, and then left satisfied. Why it only captured these people remains unknown.

Xu Anran woke up from her dream and knew that the disaster that was about to happen would be terrible, and she could lose her life if she was not careful.

She first asked Luo Xi to help her pack her things so they could go to live in the temple from her dream—Daquan Temple, the most famous temple in Feng Province.

The two women came to the temple and donated 100,000 yuan for incense money, requesting to practice Buddhism there. Because they were both female guests, the temple arranged for them to stay in the outer courtyard.

Yi Yi and Ya Ya are now four years old and no longer fit in bags. They put hats and sunglasses on the two little ones and whitened their faces with foundation to make them look like normal children.

After making the arrangements, Xu Anran learned from her experience in the previous world. She bought an anonymous mobile phone, posted on it, created a group, and directly informed everyone about the disaster in the announcement.

She didn't say much else. As for how to fight the supernatural beings and where to take refuge, they would find that on their own. She didn't need to say anything more. What she needed to do now was figure out how to ensure her own survival.

After posting the announcement, she decided not to use her old identity to speak in the group anymore. Instead, she used another phone to view the group messages as an ordinary passenger.

Then they smashed and burned everything on the anonymous phone.

In the days that followed, they studied scriptures, recited them, participated in morning prayers, meditation, and so on in the temple.

Xu Anran really likes some of the ideas of Taoism, and she sometimes looks at them in her room at home.

Besides these, whenever they have free time, they also consult the temple about supernatural and eerie things.

With each passing day, disaster drew ever closer...

From a dry well, mist slowly rose and spread, growing thicker and thicker. At first, it was gray, but as time passed, it became increasingly dark, with rustling sounds emanating from within...