There are six paintings waiting for players to explore. Yue Ya observed these six paintings and was attracted by one of them.

This painting is only the size of a book and is framed by a golden frame. In the center of the picture is a ferocious lion with blood-red eyes, black and gold lines all over its face, bones under its feet, and a raging fire behind it. It looks both fierce and majestic.

The painting was very detailed, and Yue Ya also saw a burning temple in the flames. These elements combined together created a sense of mystery. Yue Ya immediately decided: "I want to enter this painting."

"Is this a painting of a lion dancing?" Zhuang Yan frowned. "Lions dancing have always represented auspiciousness, but the lion dancing in this painting is not only unlucky, but also a bit ominous. Yuezai, be careful when you enter the painting."

Yue Ya smiled and said, "I am a Pixiu, why should I be afraid of evil spirits?"

Zhuang Yan: "That's right, your current appearance is so deceptive, I almost forgot you are a Pixiu."

Yun Yu: "You didn't forget it when you opened the blind box to get the lucky buff just now."

"Sister Yun, don't tear people apart when they are in trouble!"

Yue Ya smiled and shook her head: "I'm going in, you guys should also pay attention to safety."

Yueya touched the drawing paper and was sucked into the painting by a force.

After opening his eyes, he found himself in a small town that looked like a paradise. There were birds singing and flowers blooming, and the streams were all around. People were walking leisurely, and they would stop to exchange a few words with acquaintances. This harmonious environment seemed to have nothing to do with the sinister painting.

Judging from the NPCs' simple clothing, this place is quite old. Maybe it really is a paradise of unclear age.

Soon, someone spotted Yueya: "Hey? Whose child are you? You are so pretty."

This sound attracted the attention of people nearby. Everyone stopped and looked at Yue Ya at the same time.

"I've never seen this child before. Such a beautiful child. If I had seen him, I would definitely have an impression of him."

"If my child was that handsome, I would definitely take him out for a walk every day."

Yue Ya: “…” That’s not necessary.

There were too many people watching, and if they saw Mini Feifei, they would have to explain again, so Yueya temporarily let Feifei stay in the player's backpack.

The people in this small town seemed to be particularly enthusiastic. They gathered around and talked about Yue Ya in a buzzing manner. Soon, the small street was blocked with people.

"Kid, you're not from our town, are you? The clothes you're wearing are a little weird."

"Why are you alone? Are you lost?"

Facing so many concerned eyes, Yue Ya was a little overwhelmed. He showed a timid look that he only used when dealing with elders, and said nonsense: "Yes, I am lost."

"Where is your home?"

Yueya blinked: "Can you take me in for a few days?"

Yueya's clothes were soiled in the studio, and her face was pale from working on the strategy copy, and she did look a bit pitiful.

The townspeople asked a few more questions, and Yue gave vague answers, vividly portraying the role of a homeless and lost boy.

"I don't know anything about this. What should I do?"

"Poor kid, I don't know what happened to him. Let's not push him. Let him eat something and have a good rest first, then notify the mayor and let him handle it."

The matter was decided. A young man volunteered to inform the mayor, the two aunts were responsible for taking Yueya to dinner, and the others dispersed and did what they had to do.

The two aunts took Yueya to a noodle restaurant. After asking him about his taste, they ordered a bowl of pork rib noodles and two plates of snacks for him.

The two elders watched Yueya eat noodles without blinking, and touched his little head from time to time. Yueya was really a little overwhelmed and quickly diverted their attention.

"Aunts, are there any scary rumors in this town?"

The two aunts looked at each other and lowered their voices tacitly.

"Why are you asking about this, kid?"

"Yeah, aren't you scared?"

"Don't be afraid, I want to hear ghost stories." Yueya put down his chopsticks and looked at them eagerly.

Auntie: "Can you still eat after hearing this?"

Yueya nodded.

"Child, your taste is really...special."

"It's okay to talk about it. There are always some strange things these days. My two kids are about the same age as him. They have heard about the Lion Dance Temple a long time ago," said the young aunt. "I lied to them that if they don't sleep at night, they will be caught by the ghost lion, but they are not afraid."

The eldest aunt nodded and said, "It's better to tell the children, so that they don't know anything and don't know to escape when they encounter danger."

Yueya pricked up his ears: "What Lion Temple?"

The majestic and ferocious lion in the oil painting appeared in Yueya's mind again. Is it the waking lion that the two aunts mentioned?

Seeing that he was truly not afraid, the two aunts spoke boldly.

"In the past, our town was called 'Awakening Lion Town', and the Awakening Lion Temple was the only temple in the town. A few years ago, the Awakening Lion head enshrined in the temple became a demon and ate people everywhere, so we burned the temple down," the aunt said mysteriously, "but recently strange things have happened in the town again, and everyone says that the Awakening Lion Demon has come back to life!"

Yueya: "What's strange?"

"Someone heard crying in the dilapidated temple. Two days later, a headless corpse appeared at the entrance of the dilapidated temple!"

The younger aunt pushed the older aunt and said, "Don't go into so much detail. What if you scare the child?"

Yue Ya: "Can you explain it more clearly? Why is there only one head missing from the corpse? Was it eaten by the Awakening Lion Demon? Does it only eat the head?"

The two aunts saw Yue Ya's eager eyes, then looked at the food on the table and were stunned: "Child, you have a really strong taste."

Yue Ya: “…” It’s not that I don’t have it, I just wanted to get some information.

Fortunately, Auntie didn't continue to worry about Yueya's taste. She answered Yueya's previous question: "The Lion Demon only eats human brains. We knew this a few years ago."

"Aunt, can you tell me what happened a few years ago?" Yue Ya didn't have time to investigate slowly, and asking the NPC was the fastest and most convenient way.

"A few years ago, the Lion Dance Temple was a popular temple in the town. One day, a headless body appeared at the temple gate. No one could find the murderer, so everyone suspected that it was caused by an evil spirit. The mayor invited a master to perform a ritual for ten consecutive days, and the lion dance team also performed lion dances for ten days. However, the evil spirit did not leave, and even killed one person every day as a demonstration."

"Later, an old man who lived near the temple said that he saw the lion head eat a human head with his own eyes. Only then did we know that the lion head in the temple had become a demon."

"I feel terrified when I talk about that experience," said the aunt. "If an exorcist hadn't passed through the town and asked us to burn down the Lion Temple, our whole town would have suffered!"

Yueya thought for a moment and said, "The temple has been burned down, how can the Awakening Lion Demon be resurrected?"

The auntie said softly, "The dozen or so people in the lion dance team back then..."

"Ahem!" The younger aunt interrupted the older aunt with a cough. She seemed to have just woken up from a dream and said, "I'm not sure either. Let's wait for the exorcist to find out first."

No matter how much Yue Ya asked, the two refused to remind the Lion Team again.

The "Lion Dance Team" seems to be a taboo that cannot be mentioned.

Yue Ya had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and asked a different question: "Is the exorcist who saved the town back then still in the town?"

When the exorcist was mentioned, the two aunts smiled.

"Yes, our town's patron saint is gone, so it's easy for evil spirits to come to town. At our request, the exorcist agreed to stay, and he has stayed until now."

"To thank him for his selflessness, we changed the name of the town to Exorcist Town. Since then, the weather in the town has been good, there are no worries at all, and everyone is smiling every day."

Yue Ya looked around. The townspeople seemed gentle and welcoming, and the atmosphere was indeed good.

Yue Ya retracted his gaze and asked again, "Has only one headless body been found recently?"

The eldest aunt shook her head: "Two."

"Aunt Li!" A loud shout came from the front, and the young man strode over: "The mayor is presiding over the Liu family's funeral and can't get away. He told us to take the children to his house to rest first."

Yueya stood up and said, "I want to go to the funeral."

The three townspeople were shocked by his words.

It was the eldest aunt who reacted first: "According to the custom of this town, the body of the deceased must be kept for three days. I have already told you what the body looks like. Are you sure you want to go?"

The young aunt was more direct: "My son, a funeral is not a place to hang out. I'll take you there to have fun."

Yue Ya said without blinking: "I want to burn some incense for the innocent dead."

When these words were spoken, the eyes of the townspeople became moist.

The eldest aunt wiped her eyes and said, "What a sensible child. You are so thoughtful at such a young age. Come on, I will take you there."

The young aunt reminded: "Finish your noodles first!"

[The welfare copy "White Skeleton Lion Awakening" has been triggered. 】

[Background of "White Skeleton Lion Dance": Lion Dance Town has a nearly 100-year-old lion dance culture. The townspeople believe that lion dance can connect heaven and earth, drive away evil and protect their homeland. But a tragedy a few years ago overturned the townspeople's cognition.]

【Hint: Seeing is believing? 】

[Players please find the exit passage as soon as possible, the countdown begins——]

Yue Ya saw the familiar blood-red countdown in mid-air. Even though the area of this copy was many times larger than the previous one and the story was relatively more complicated, he still only had 24 hours.

Yueya pulled on her aunt's sleeve and said, "Aunt, let's go faster! I want to go burn incense quickly."

The aunt was chatting with others and walking slowly. When she saw Yue Ya's pitiful eyes, she immediately said, "Why don't we borrow a car?"

"What car?"

"Ox cart."

Yueya: "I think walking is good."

Aunt: "As you wish."

After about ten minutes, Yueya heard the sound of suona.

The aunt pointed to the house in front with a white silk cloth hanging on the door and said, "That's Lao Liu's family. His son is the first victim. I heard that Lao Liu has been a little emotional recently. If you're scared, you can hide behind me."

Yueya: "I can't be afraid."

A lot of people came to the funeral, and the aunt took Yueya into the yard.

Yue Ya was observing his surroundings calmly when a middle-aged man in sackcloth rushed over with red eyes!

Yueya couldn't dodge and was hugged. The middle-aged man burst into tears: "Son! You're back!"

Yueya: "Who are you, uncle?"

The uncle cried and said, "How come you don't even recognize your father?"

Yueya: "Don't take advantage of me."

Yue Ya wanted to break free, but the uncle held her too tightly. Yue Ya had no choice but to bear the humiliation and looked at the aunt for help: "Who is this person?"

The uncle emphasized: "I am your father!"

The aunt suddenly woke up: "Lao Liu, let go of the child quickly, this is not your son!"

Old Liu asked blankly: "What about my son?"

The aunt pointed to the mourning hall in front and said reluctantly: "In the coffin."