"Could this be the altar of the Beast God?" Cheng Shuang was good at grasping the key points.
"Yes, this Ying Sheng Middle School is it. Because they were about to lose control of the restlessness of the beast souls, they chose a different location. Those who knew the inside story were afraid that the beast souls would track them down, so they changed the school's name."
"Are those students also candidates for human sacrifice?" The young girl had never seen a school where almost all the students were good-looking. At a glance, at least none of them were ugly; it seemed as if they had been carefully selected.
Cheng Qing looked at Cheng Shuang with complicated emotions. His younger sister had never been so sensitive before. It seemed that losing him, her only family member, had made her mature a lot.
He sighed softly, “Although the selection criteria for Yingsheng Middle School are strict, it is backed by Baiyun Mountain, a place where famous schools have gathered since ancient times, which is very suitable for busy parents. Also, because it is not far from the big county town, many parents are willing to send their children here. The offerings used to be sent once every ten years. Twenty-five years ago it was Teacher Zhou who was unaware of it, fifteen years ago it was Xiaomin, and five years ago it was Atian. Since a year ago, darkness has been appearing from time to time in the corners of Yingsheng. Two students and a teacher died violently, so they decided to send the offerings in advance.”
"I saw lots of pictures of myself on the desk!" The little girl patted her schoolbag, tilting her head in confusion. "And why is my brother here?"
Because he had been searching for his sister...
Cheng Qing sighed deeply, her brows furrowed with sorrow.
"Time is chaotic here. These documents represent the past, present, and future, and I... am just a thought in your heart."
Cheng Shuang's face tightened, and her keen intuition pointed out the reason, "You came out of the girls' school alive? You entered the altar to find...me?"
If time is confused, the Cheng Qing she sees should be a remnant of the past. Thinking that 'Cheng Shuang' and her brother have always just missed each other and never met, the little girl can't help but feel a sense of sadness—sister!
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and asked sincerely on behalf of 'Cheng Shuang', "Brother, is there any way to get you out?"
Cheng Qing was stunned. He saw his sister's eyes were red, and her stubborn and unyielding little face was familiar and heart-wrenching. He rubbed her head and said, "Shuangshuang, you have to understand, your brother is dead."
Cheng Shuang stared blankly, muttering to herself, "If a ghost leaves the place where it died, will it completely disappear?"
"Although the Beast God has fallen, the shackles still remain. When a ghost leaves its old place, it self-destructs. So once the shackles are gone, the ghost will be freed. Shuangshuang, you have been sensible since you were little, and you should understand the seriousness of the matter. There are far more ghosts and monsters in Baiyun Mountain than you have seen."
This is another vicious cycle.
Cheng Shuang bit her lip.
Her mind was a bit confused.
Cheng Qing noticed the girl's vacant eyes and felt annoyed. He wanted to tell his sister everything he knew so that she could take precautions early, but he forgot that she was still young and could not withstand too much cruel reality.
To distract her, Cheng Qing tried to hold her sister's hand, only to find that in addition to the animal repellent powder, she was also holding a brown teddy bear under her arm.
"Shuangshuang, this bear..." Since arriving at the altar, Cheng Qing, who had developed an extreme aversion to all animals, said against his will, "It's quite cute! Who bought it for you?" Could it be some brat trying to trick the innocent Shuangshuang?
The little girl suddenly picked up the teddy bear, her eyes lit up, and with a "Wow!" she hugged the bear and began to affectionately rub her face against it.
Cheng Qing revealed a sinister smile: "...I'm not angry, jealous, or sad. It's just a toy, hehe!"
"Brother, I have something for you, though I don't know if you'll need it."
The soft, sweet voice brought Cheng Qing back to her senses. When she looked again, she saw several talismans in front of her.
"A peace charm?" he asked instinctively.
"No, it's a Taoist talisman."
"Taoism? What is Taoism?"
Cheng Shuang paused slightly, lowering her eyes to look at the yellow talisman in her hand. "I don't know how to explain it, brother. I only have a very basic understanding of Taoism. Taoism is based on the Tao, and all things in the universe originate from the Tao. The Tao Te Ching says, 'The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.' These talismans, the four on the left, have the effect of suppressing ghosts, and the four on the right have the effect of delivering souls. The effectiveness is not high, but it can be learned by oneself. I see a lot of chemical raw materials here, so there should be cinnabar too, right? I'll copy down a method for making talismans for you later."
"I've never heard of such a mysterious religion!" Cheng Qing exclaimed. He hadn't delved into it, only assuming that his sister had had some extraordinary encounter, which was why she hadn't been devoured by the beast soul for so long. But Cheng Shuang knew best, because she wasn't Cheng Qing's real sister.
Perhaps Cheng Shuang perished the moment she entered the altar, which is why the two of them missed each other!
What exactly is the Land of Death?
At this moment, Cheng Shuang was extremely puzzled.
The previous gate of reincarnation was a completely occupied world, where humanity was extremely rare, resembling the end of the world.
In this world, while humanity reigns supreme, it is also fraught with peril. They have unleashed the savagery of the beast god, but in doing so, they have also released the greatest demon, meaning that this world will inevitably follow the path of destruction sooner or later.
Cheng Qingyuan was about to decline, feeling that his sister needed the talisman's protection more than he did.
But looking into Cheng Shuang's clear and calm eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say anything in refusal.
My sister should be able to leave in peace!
Seeing that Cheng Qing accepted it, Cheng Shuang took out paper and pen and copied down the method for making talismans that Zhang Bao had written for her. She also wrote down a little bit of her knowledge of Taoism. She couldn't do much, but she hoped to do her bit.
She originally thought that the fourteen-year-old Cheng Shuang was a character created by the Gate of Reincarnation, and that there was no such person, and naturally there was no Cheng Qing, but the truth was quite the opposite.
The shared language and script reminded the little girl of many people's speculations about parallel worlds.
After learning that the timeline had become chaotic, Cheng Shuang had been wondering if Cheng Qing really didn't know that she wasn't his sister.
Perhaps the moment he had "witnessed" his sister stepping onto the altar more than once had already vanished, yet he still clung to illusions. Of course, there was another possibility: the Cheng Qing before him was merely a fleeting image, just as he had said, he was her lingering thought...
A series of faint sounds came from nearby, as if something was moving around.
Cheng Shuang stopped writing, looked around, and seeing nothing amiss, handed the paper to Cheng Qing. Cheng Qing took it, her smile both sorrowful and gentle, and softly said, "Shuangshuang, it's time for you to wake up!"
The last word, like a sharp blade slicing through metal, was piercing and abruptly exploded in Cheng Shuang's eardrums, reaching straight to her brain, causing her to suddenly open her eyes and instantly clear her mind.
Cheng Qing was nowhere to be seen. She was still lying among the filing cabinets, surrounded by darkness. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
Once her eyes adjusted to the dim light, the little girl looked down at the ballpoint pen in her hand and the teddy bear in her arms, and pursed her lips with mixed feelings.
This is not a dream!
Before she could react, the rustling sound came again, very close, almost within reach.
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