Chapter 109 Yinyuan Temple: It felt as if something cold and ethereal was pressed against his back, making him shiver.

The chill of early March lingers at Yinyuan Temple.

Led by her senior brother, Su Jinmu walked along a quiet path to the depths of the back mountain.

An ancient palace came into view.

Tall and solemn, its deep black hue, imbued with a serene and majestic aura, has been refined by time.

A gust of wind blew in from who-knows-where, making Su Jinmu's hair stand on end, a chill enveloping her.

The senior brother seemed completely oblivious, turning back with a smile, "Junior brother, we've arrived. This is the back mountain temple. It looks deserted because it's far from people, but it's not that hard to live there."

Su Jinmu looked up at the towering eaves of the temple. They were so high that they blocked the sunlight, making the temple appear eerie.

Because Yuanguan has been passed down for thousands of years, this tradition of guarding the temple on the back mountain has remained unchanged.

The time was too long, and the ancient books did not say what the guardian was. It was only passed down from generation to generation. Every year, disciples were sent to live in the temple in the back mountain for a month, and they could come out after a month.

Every year it's the same, and the disciples guarding the area don't need to do anything; they just treat it as a month of quiet cultivation. This year, it's Su Jinmu's turn, the youngest disciple.

Su Jinmu was carrying a suitcase containing a few changes of clothes and some books. She nodded and said, "Thank you, senior brother. I'll go in now."

The senior brother smiled and said, "There is a kitchen in the side hall. Every week, vegetables and meat will be delivered to the outermost part of the side hall. You will have to come out and get them yourself. If you can't finish them, you can put them in the cellar and they won't spoil for a week. You can cook your own meals."

Su Jinmu nodded and asked, "Are there any precautions? For example, are there any forbidden areas we can't go to?"

The senior brother sighed, "It's just a traditional retreat. Last year it was me. There were no taboos. Just don't starve to death."

Su Jinmu nodded and said, "Thank you, senior brother."

His senior patted him on the shoulder and walked away cheerfully. Su Jinmu felt a chill on his shoulder after being patted twice, as if he were being watched by something. He gently moved his shoulder and pushed open the door to go inside.

The statues in the main hall were extremely tall, so tall that even looking up, one could not see their features; they were very majestic.

The light seemed to be shut out from the door, and once inside, it was dark everywhere, not quiet, but rather a bit cold.

Su Jinmu pursed her lips, suppressing her chaotic thoughts. An ancient temple with a history of thousands of years could at most be a bit desolate, but it couldn't possibly be described as cold and gloomy.

Su Jinmu looked around and, sure enough, there were no lights or electricity. Things weren't like before; the dojo had complete electrical circuits and all sorts of appliances like refrigerators. But her senior brother said that only the shrine on the back mountain lacked electrical wiring, and she wondered why.

Su Jinmu reached out and touched the dark altar table; it was very clean, without any dust.

...Strange, I haven't heard of any disciples being arranged to clean the temple.

Su Jinmu lowered her eyes and listened to her senior brother say that usually the temple would be cleaned up a little during the first month after the disciples entered, so that it would be convenient for them to live there. After that, the temple would be almost deserted for the next eleven months.

After listening to her senior brother's "strategy for defending the town," Su Jinmu even wore a mask to avoid too much dust when cleaning.

...Did my senior brother help me?

Won't.

If my senior brother helps with the cleaning, he will definitely tell him.

Su Jinmu took out her phone, but there was no signal. She went back to the front door, but it was already locked.

Previously, some disciples would ostensibly enter the mountain to guard it, but were later caught red-handed at the food street at the foot of the mountain. Since then, after the disciples guarding the temple enter, other disciples would lock the door from the outside to prevent them from sneaking down the mountain.

Su Jinmu pulled on the door, but it was locked tightly, and the rattling sound of the chains when she pulled on it was almost inaudible.

Su Jinmu clicked her tongue, turned around and went inside, dragging her suitcase around.

The main hall only contained statues of gods and an offering table, so Su Jinmu went into the side hall.

To the right was a small side hall for living, and to the left was the kitchen. Extending outwards from both sides were many other rooms, all with their doors closed. Su Jinmu walked through several rooms on the right side, one floor at a time.

An empty library, a repair tool room, a heavily curtained warehouse—one after another, seemingly without end.

The wheels of the suitcase rattled on the stone floor, seemingly echoing, creating an eerie feeling in the empty, dimly lit room.

Su Jinmu felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end even more, and the shoulder that her senior brother had just patted felt even colder.

That's weird.

Su Jinmu felt a little uneasy. He was the youngest disciple of Yinyuan Temple, but not the latest to join. He was picked up by his master and grew up in the temple.

Although Yuan Temple is not a large temple, it still has a steady stream of worshippers. The master can perform divination, but he can only find the key and determine the direction. I have never seen him perform any exorcisms or ghost exorcisms.

According to my master, in this technological age, we don't believe in gods and ghosts.

Therefore, although Su Jinmu was a minor Taoist priest, he was a materialistic Taoist priest.

Since no one was around, Su Jinmu stopped, still holding the suitcase handle with her right hand, and simply pulled open her collar with her left hand to check what was wrong with her right shoulder.

The skin on my shoulders was smooth and delicate, without any bumps or bruises, neither red nor purple. It felt even cooler when exposed to the air, but there was nothing unusual about it.

...Maybe you feel cold simply because the temperature here is low?

Su Jinmu frowned and pulled the clothes back.

The moment my gaze shifted away, before my clothes were even properly pulled up, the skin on my shoulder sank slightly, revealing a slender handprint.

*Slap slap*

I patted it twice silently.

So tender.

Su Jinmu pulled her collar back up and rolled her suitcase back to her residence in the side hall.

The room was simple, with a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. The table was similar in shape to an altar, with candlesticks and flint on it. Su Jinmu lit the candles.

The faint flame, its orange-red color should have been gentle and soft, but the light here was dim and the space was large, making the glow of a single candle far too weak.

Trembling and precarious, it seemed about to collapse.

Su Jinmu returned to the bedside, took out the things from her suitcase and tidied them up, then took out a calendar and hung it by the bedside, and also prepared a pen.

He brought his phone and power bank, but the battery was definitely not enough for a month. He couldn't play games without a signal, so he simply turned it off to save power.

There were very few things in the room. The "Guardian Strategy" my senior brother gave me said that the bed was a stone bed with only a mattress but no bedding, so I brought a set of thin bedding in advance. After laying it out and tidying it up a bit, I nodded and felt that it was about right.

Su Jinmu opened the window, and the afterglow of the sun had officially sunk below the horizon, leaving the surroundings a tranquil, deep blue.

It's already this late?

I came in around mid-afternoon, tidied up a bit, and then it was evening?

Su Jinmu first went outside the palace to bring in the vegetables, meat, and noodles, and put them in the cellar below the kitchen.

Su Jinmu had no appetite today, so she ate a tomato and planned to go to sleep.

No electricity, no lights, forced to rest at sunset—it's actually quite healthy.

Su Jinmu thought aimlessly, crossed today off the calendar, lay down on the bed, covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes.

He was prepared to have trouble sleeping, but to his surprise, he felt drowsy and began to drift off within seconds.

……cold.

It's very cold.

Su Jinmu unconsciously wrapped the thin blanket around himself tighter. It felt as if something chilling was pressed against his back, making him shiver.

Su Jinmu rolled over, curling up her arms and legs, trying to use her limbs to create distance between herself and the cold ice block, but her waist and abdomen were directly exposed to the cold.

"drop--"

The sound of water droplets.

A chill ran down my neck, slipped into the blankets, cool and penetrating, yet gentle, touching my waist and abdomen.

So soft.

An invisible hand appeared, pulling open the collar to reveal the shoulder.

*Slap slap*

Give it two light pats.

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Ghost: I want to film too! [orange heart]

The little Taoist priest and the vengeful ghost are here! [Cat emoji][Cat emoji]