Chapter 111 Lies: He's not a god, he's a ghost, a vengeful ghost!
"who?!"
Su Jinmu suddenly sat up, grabbed the candlestick with one hand, and shone it forward.
As the flames drew near, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before my eyes, like wisps of black smoke that dissipated in an instant.
...Gone?!
Su Jinmu was stunned for a moment, then blinked. Was she seeing things?
Thief? Or dreaming?
He held the candlestick up and waved it around in the candlelight to examine it carefully, but there was indeed nothing there.
Li Xin remained seated by the bed, the candlelight and the jade-white hand flickering against his chest, burning and aching.
A long-lost warmth.
Why can't the little Taoist priest see him?
Li Xin raised his hand and tapped the young Taoist's brow again.
Su Jinmu sat down in front of Li Xin, feeling a cool sensation on her forehead and a slight chill in her eyes, which swept over her entire body.
Li Xin stared intently, but Su Jinmu still didn't react. The two were so close, yet the person opposite couldn't see him at all. It was strange.
Su Jinmu felt the cold coming in waves, which was really strange. She threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went to her suitcase, rummaging through it for a while.
He turned around, gave a push, and with a snap, a giant flashlight shone, instantly illuminating the entire side hall as if it were daytime.
The temperature here is so strange; it doesn't feel like a draft, it feels like a haunted place. As he thought this, a dark figure vaguely appeared.
However, whether this is a scientific world or a Taoist temple, it is impossible for this place to be haunted, regardless of whether it is considered scientific or superstitious.
*Whoosh*—A figure flashed by and then disappeared.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Su Jinmu's vision blurred, and she blinked hard, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Um?
Um? ?
Was he so hungry from not eating dinner that he was dizzy and seeing stars? I think there's a figure in there?
Su Jinmu stretched out her hand, shining a bright flashlight on it, and aimlessly rubbed it in the air in front of her.
Li Xin stood there, and for a brief moment, he and the young Taoist priest made eye contact, but it was too short. Now, all that remained was the other man's hand touching his neck and chin.
It's warm and cozy.
Li Xin smiled.
Some people are born with strong intuition, but they don't believe in ghosts and gods, so even if they are right in front of them, they can't see them.
Surprisingly, this young Taoist priest didn't believe in ghosts.
Li Xin leaned forward and pressed his cheek against the little Taoist's palm.
It's soft and warm.
Su Jinmu touched the cool air, made sure there was nothing there, paused for a while, and went back to bed.
The next day at dawn, after washing up and eating something, he went to the main hall to offer incense. Outside, the sky was bright and the smoke was faint. Su Jinmu looked around and once again confirmed that he must have been starving last night.
My eyes feel normal now that I've eaten a full meal.
Su Jinmu clicked her tongue.
He wiped the altar in the main hall and tidied up a bit. The door was open, and perhaps because the sunlight was getting brighter, the tall and majestic statue in front of him was also faintly lit up, golden and solemn.
Su Jinmu watched for a while, then took out her phone to take a picture as a souvenir.
The statue gleamed with golden light, seemingly materializing in the air. A ray of light flowed towards it, blurring into a figure before revealing itself.
He suddenly appeared alive on the spot.
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu held up her phone, looked at the screen, then looked up at the person who had suddenly appeared in front of her.
……Um? !
Li Xin was dressed in white, surrounded by golden light. His dark eyebrows and deep eyes were captivating, and he smiled slightly.
"It's been a long time since I've seen the disciples guarding the mountain. Are you the young Taoist priest who came to guard it this year? I'm very pleased."
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu remained motionless, holding her phone up, staring at the young man, her lips pressed tightly together. "Who are you?"
Li Xin smiled under the light, "Having served me for so many years, you don't even remember who I am? How old are you this year, little Taoist?"
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu tapped her finger lightly behind the screen and dialed 110.
He needs the police's help; there seems to be someone here who steals idols or scrapes gold powder off them.
I'm quite pleased. You're quite the storyteller, aren't you? You're even putting on airs under a little light.
He gave me some pointers.
Surprisingly, the phone didn't respond at all, and he couldn't dial 110. It wasn't that there was no signal; rather, the screen in his hand suddenly became like an old television set, displaying static and a silent crackling.
A slight chill emanated from it.
Su Jinmu paused, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Is this some kind of ghost?
Or should we see God?
Li Xin smiled gently, took a step forward to get closer to Su Jinmu, and raised her hand to press the phone that the little Taoist priest was holding up.
"Is it broken? Mortal things break very easily."
Li Xin absorbed the other person's warmth through the phone, feeling the real warmth, and was satisfied. It was worth it for him to come up with the idea of showing up directly.
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu felt as if she were holding a block of ice, then let go, saying, "If you like it, you can have it."
Li Xin looked over with his dark eyes and smiled, "I'm very pleased."
Su Jinmu felt uneasy under his gaze, as if his soul was being gripped by the other person, and a dark, damp shadow was speaking to him rather than his phone.
"Young Taoist priest, do you have nothing to say to me?" Li Xinrou asked gently.
"Yes." Su Jinmu pursed her lips, raised her finger and pointed to the statue, "Please leave."
Li Xin: "..."
Li Xin smiled, "No rush."
Su Jinmu: You're not worried, but I am.
What is this thing?!
Su Jinmu took a deep breath. "Then you go ahead with your work."
He left his phone behind, turned around, hurriedly returned to the side hall, closed the door, opened the window, and jumped out with a somersault.
"Thump."
There was a sound of something colliding. Su Jinmu's forehead bumped against a cool chest, and a hand gently stroked the top of his head, the voice warm and gentle.
"Little Taoist priest, be careful."
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu closed her eyes tightly and straightened up. "Thank you."
He felt a sudden heaviness in his heart, thinking that he probably wouldn't be able to leave easily.
This thing has its eye on him.
"May I ask your name and honorific title?"
The main hall door was closed; it was unclear how this thing had gotten out. Li Xin looked through the door toward the statue in the main hall, his gaze distant, as if recalling something, and responded slowly.
“Su Mu, call me, Su Mu.”
Su Jinmu: "??"
Sappanwood?
It sounds familiar.
Su Jinmu blinked and took a few steps back. "Please do as you please. I'll go now."
He was certain that this thing didn't want him to leave. He didn't know if the other side was a god or a ghost, but it wasn't human. He couldn't get out, so he simply stopped trying to avoid provoking it.
He casually returned to the side hall and continued walking inside, wanting to get as far away from this thing as possible.
Next to the side hall was a study, which was now empty except for a set of tables and chairs and an empty bookshelf. Su Jinmu sat there for a while to calm herself down and ponder the non-human thing of uncertain origin.
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a rectangular object propping up the table leg—a book. He picked it up and flipped through it.
It turns out to be a short journal entry.
It dates back a long time and records a story from a thousand years ago.
When the evil spirit was born, Su Mu, a disciple of Yuan Guan, fought against it for several years. During this time, he was bewitched by the evil spirit in every way, but he held firm to his mind and remained unmoved.
Finally, he used his own body as a savior to suppress the evil spirit on the back mountain of Yinyuan Temple.
After that, Yuan Temple developed the habit of sending its disciples into the mountains for quiet cultivation every year. The purpose was threefold: to clean, to offer sacrifices, and to keep an eye on the place where the evil spirits disappeared, to see if they had truly vanished into thin air.
But over the centuries, things have changed, and the new generation of Taoist priests no longer know why they enter the temple in the back mountain; they are simply following old customs.
I had heard of Su Mu's story, but it wasn't famous. In the Yuan Temple, it was just a little story to listen to, and the temple on the back mountain became a simple place for quiet cultivation.
Surprisingly, a person managed to emerge from the statue and claim his name was Su Mu!
Su Jinmu licked her lips and flipped through the booklet in her hand again.
This was probably left by the Taoist elders who guarded the area for the first few years, and it also contains a description of Su Mu's appearance.
The description of Su Mu is that she has a beautiful appearance, a clear mind and elegant bearing, and that seeing her brings joy.
Su Jinmu: "..."
That Su Mu today was quite good-looking, but I didn't see any refined elegance... instead, she had a ghostly, alluring beauty.
"Squeak."
The old window was opened, letting in the sunlight and air, which was then mostly blocked by the shadows of people standing in front of it.
Li Xin chuckled, "It's better to read in bright light."
Su Jinmu stared at the shadow in his eyes and nodded stiffly, "Thank you... Su Mu."
Li Xin paused for a moment, stunned to hear the name again after so long, then smiled and turned to leave.
The sunlight bathed him, making him even more golden, almost as if he were shining, as if the sunlight and positive energy were drawn to him.
But the light was not gentle.
He seemed to be wrapped in a small mirror, reflecting all the sunlight.
It was so bright it hurt.
Su Jinmu looked out the window. He hadn't gone far; he was just a short distance away. He touched the wall, the ground, the well, and the windowsill.
It looked like they were observing with curiosity.
Finally, he entered the main hall.
When that person opened the window to let in light, the door inside the room also opened by itself. Now the study, the small side hall for rest, and the main hall are all connected and clearly visible to each other.
The young man entered the main hall, raised his hand, and floated lightly into the air, touching the face of the tall statue in the main hall with a deep gaze.
Su Jinmu: "..."
Su Jinmu stared at his empty feet, clicking her tongue in amazement. Could someone please save his scientific understanding?
Su Jinmu was, after all, a Taoist priest. Although he believed in science, he was also quick to accept unscientific ideas. He took a few deep breaths to calm down before closing the door to block the view.
The young man touched the golden statue's face all day. That night, when it was time to go to sleep, Su Jinmu closed the doors and windows and went back to bed.
He pondered the young man's origins and purpose, thinking he wouldn't be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Since we can't get out anyway, and we can't win a fight, what's the point of not sleeping?
Su Jinmu fell asleep, her long eyelashes drooping down, obscuring her shimmering eyes.
……squeak.
The door opened without any wind.
A thick, inky black shadow appeared, standing by the bed, then gently sat down, staring intently at the face of the person on the bed.
No wonder this young Taoist priest looked familiar; it turns out... he has descendants?
Li Xin's gaze turned colder, dark and chilling.
He raised his hand, his fingertips pressing against the young Taoist's cheek, lingering on it inch by inch.
They look so alike.
A chill seeped out continuously. He had been suppressed for a thousand years without any life force, and half of his soul had been melted by the other party's scalding power, leaving him lifeless. He had been suppressed for a thousand years without any life force.
Until he finally devoured the other's divine power, until he saw the statue and the little Taoist's face.
Exactly the same.
An inexplicable surge of anger welled up within him.
Li Xin lowered his eyes, a cold glint in his dark pupils. He raised his hand, his pale fingers pressing against his neck, gently tightening his grip.
It didn't penetrate the skin and flesh, but grasped the soul directly. The dark light in the palm of his hand pierced downwards, as if to carve out a brand.
Carve a seal, and when this little Taoist priest stands before his divine ancestor with the mark on his head, ha, that scene will definitely be very interesting.
Li Xin's lips curled into a smile, his scarlet lips twisted in a sinister and menacing manner, and his hands clenched even tighter.
"...Hmm."
Su Jinmu groaned softly as her neck was gripped tightly, her skin stiff and cold, yet her body felt strangely hot inside.
As the temperature fluctuated, a faint golden light burst forth from the depths of the soul.
Bang--
The finger bones in his neck were flicked away.
Li Xin raised an eyebrow, momentarily surprised, then leaned closer for a closer look. This was...
He leaned down, his nose almost touching the little Taoist priest on the bed. The ghostly aura mingled with the living aura beneath him, a sweet fragrance spreading through the air, as he stared intently.
Their gaze almost pierced through the flesh and stared into the soul.
Li Xin reached out, his ethereal arm probing into the young Taoist's chest, touching his heart and then his soul.
...The same.
The same soul as that so-called little Taoist priest's divine ancestor.
Did Su Mu die back then in order to suppress him?
Li Xin withdrew his hand, touched his face, and gazed at him with a deep and lingering look.
This time, it was a real touch on his face. The icy cold temperature instantly woke Su Jinmu up. He tried to open his eyes, but he seemed to be in a nightmare and couldn't move.
The points of light in my consciousness coalesce and slowly form a portrait.
The person in the painting has pale skin, scarlet lips, and dark eyebrows and eyes, and is smiling faintly.
His name was written on the paper—Li Xin.
He is neither Su Mu nor a deity.
It's a ghost.
A vengeful ghost!
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The vengeful ghost: He drew my portrait! He loves me so much! [Starry eyes]
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