Chapter 126 Haunted Countryside
The morning mist had not yet dissipated when Lu Yao sat in the courtyard, slowly sipping her millet porridge.
"Your Excellency, Imperial Advisor!"
Youqing's voice came from afar, startling several sparrows under the eaves.
The girl, carrying a bamboo basket, had morning dew still clinging to her hair and her cheeks flushed from running. "Xu Qianqian is filming a variety show in Qixia Village! She's right at the village entrance!"
Xu Qianqian?
Lu Yao thought for a moment. Xu Qianqian was one of the popular contestants in the Star Awakening competition, and You Qing was her fan.
That variety show was a scheme orchestrated by actress Su Man under the guise of creating stars, but in reality, it was a scheme to steal the lives of young girls.
Lu Yao broke the formation, Su Man was arrested, and the variety show was naturally canceled.
The remaining contestants scattered like birds and beasts.
Fortunately, Xu Qianqian was popular and had a large company backing her, so other variety shows soon extended offers to her.
The variety show filmed in Qixia Village is called "Rural Food Time Chronicles," which focuses on rural cuisine and time, conveying a healing sense of life rituals.
"Did you get the autograph?" Lu Yao smiled slightly, pursing her lips.
"Oops!" You Qing slapped her forehead in annoyance. "I was so busy watching the fun!"
Then they perked up again, "But they're going to be filming for a week!"
Lu Yao shook her head, her gaze unconsciously drifting down the mountain.
Jinglan Mountain remains tranquil, but Qixia Village at its foot has become bustling.
For some reason, she always felt that there was an unusual atmosphere lingering in that lively scene.
As night fell, the filming studio at the village entrance was brightly lit.
Xu Qianqian rolled up her sleeves and was busy around the earthen stove with several guests.
On the stove, an old iron pot was bubbling away, steam rising from the golden chicken soup, on which floated a few wild mushrooms, emitting a rich and enticing aroma.
“The spring water here truly lives up to its reputation,” Xu Qianqian scooped up a spoonful of clear soup and gently blew on it. “Even the stewed chicken soup tastes exceptionally sweet.”
She took a small sip, her eyes squinting contentedly like a satisfied cat.
Under the light, the soup surface shimmered with an amber luster, and a few tender yellow ginger shreds trembled slightly with the steam.
The photographer couldn't resist giving a close-up shot. In the lens, Xu Qianqian's profile was faintly visible in the steam, like a traditional Chinese ink painting.
"I heard that this spring water is drawn from an ancient well on Jinglan Mountain," the local guide, Lao Li, interjected. "Since my grandfather's generation, the villagers have used this water to boil tea and cook..."
Before he finished speaking, the lights inside the shed suddenly flickered violently, and a gust of cold wind swept through the room.
Xu Qianqian felt a strange chill run down the back of her neck.
Startled, she dropped the soup ladle into the pot with a clatter, splashing a few drops of scalding soup.
"What happened?"
Xu Qianqian subconsciously clenched the Guanyin jade pendant on her chest.
This is a talisman given to her by her boyfriend, who is also her boss, Yan Zekai.
"It's my fault." The man's voice in my memory was low and hoarse, filled with rare regret.
He put it on her wrist himself, tying the red string of the jade pendant into a tight knot behind her neck. "If I had known Su Man was so heartless, I would never have let you participate in that program."
Every night after the incident at "Starry Eyes Awakening", Xu Qianqian would wake up from nightmares, and this blessed jade pendant became her only comfort.
It is said that the master offered this jade pendant before the Buddha for eighty-one days and wrote a secret mantra with cinnabar at midnight, which can ward off all evil spirits.
The cameraman looked around and said dismissively, "It's just that the electricity in the old village is unstable."
Xu Qianqian forced a smile, but she always felt something cold was breathing against her back.
Late at night, the wooden bed in the guesthouse creaked.
Xu Qianqian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Ever since experiencing the nightmare of "Starry Eyes Awakening," she had become exceptionally sensitive to this inexplicable palpitation.
“Kai…” she dialed the phone, her voice tinged with grievance, “When are you coming to visit the set? Something just doesn’t feel right here.”
A low chuckle came from the other end of the phone, "Coward, I'll fly over to be with you tomorrow, hmm?"
"Really?" Xu Qianqian curled up in bed, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant. "Don't lie to me..."
"When have I ever lied to you? Unlike you, you're always throwing tantrums..."
Just as Xu Qianqian was about to complain coquettishly, she caught a glimpse of a white shadow flashing past the window out of the corner of her eye.
She froze, and the jade pendant suddenly became icy cold.
"Ah!" With a scream, the phone slipped and fell to the ground.
Xu Qianqian crouched down, trembling, trying to retrieve her phone, but her fingertips touched a cold, sticky patch of skin first.
With the help of the dim light, Xu Qianqian could see clearly.
A woman in white, stained with blood, lay on the ground, and what he touched was her blood-soaked hand.
The fingers were as pale as paper, with dark red bloodstains embedded in the nail crevices, and a hideous wound on the wrist was still oozing blood.
The woman slowly raised her head, revealing a pale face amidst her disheveled long hair.
Her lips moved as if she were saying something, but Xu Qianqian could only hear her own heart pounding.
A dizzying sensation struck, and Xu Qianqian fainted.
She didn't know how much time had passed when Xu Qianqian was shaken awake by someone pinching her philtrum.
It was Cheng Lin, the female guest who lived in the next room, who heard a thud and rushed over to check.
"Qianqian! Why are you sleeping on the floor?" Cheng Lin's voice was filled with obvious worry.
The others also came out of the room and approached with concern.
Xu Qianqian sat up abruptly, her eyes scanning the ground anxiously.
Xu Qianqian immediately looked at the ground to the side, but there was nothing there. There was no trace of the woman in white. The ground was clean, without a trace of blood.
She paused for two seconds, then suddenly realized that the camera was pointing at her and filming.
A wave of embarrassment and annoyance at being mocked washed over me.
"Is this funny?" Xu Qianqian shoved Cheng Lin away abruptly, her voice trembling slightly with anger. "Playing such a low-level prank?"
She stood up, straightened her disheveled clothes, and coldly swept her gaze over the staff present: "You, you've gone too far. I'm going to call President Yan immediately."
The group looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.
Cheng Lin frowned: "Qianqian, what do you mean by that? Who played a prank on you?"
The director rushed over, looking serious: "Our production team has never arranged any prank segments."
He turned to the staff and said, "Go and retrieve the surveillance footage."
Xu Qianqian then realized her lapse in composure, her ears burning slightly: "I'm sorry, Director, Sister Cheng Lin..."
Her voice trailed off, "I was really scared just now."
She took a deep breath and recounted what she had seen and heard.
Everyone present unconsciously held their breath; the air seemed to freeze.
The surveillance footage was quickly retrieved, and only Xu Qianqian was in the shot.
She was on the phone when her phone suddenly fell to the ground, and she subsequently fainted.
Throughout the entire process, she was the only person in the room; there was no woman in white.
Xu Qianqian's face turned pale, and she subconsciously touched the jade pendant around her neck, but the touch felt slightly off.
She looked down and was shocked to find a thin crack, as fine as a hair, on the compassionate face of the Jade Guanyin.
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