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Chu Yiran was not born at full term and was weak and sickly from a young age. Chills, fever, abdominal distension, and vomiting were common occurrences. At that time, there was an unspoken secret among the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital: if a child in the family was sickly and medicine was ineffective, they could be sent to the mountains to "borrow luck".
What it "borrows" is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and what it "transfers" is the blessing of the immortals.
That winter, Princess Anning carried five-year-old Chu Yiran to the Taixu Temple.
Little Chu Yiran, wrapped in a snow fox fur coat, had a face so pale it was almost transparent. He coughed, leaning on Zheng Shuyi's shoulder, his thin fingers clutching his mother's clothes like a weak young animal.
Master Jingyang of Taixu Temple stood in the main hall, his white beard reaching his chest, his eyes piercingly bright. He glanced at him only once, then clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "This lad possesses innate talent and is fit to become my disciple!"
At the time, Zheng Shuyi only wanted to go up the mountain to offer incense and pray for her son. Upon hearing this, she hesitated and said, "Daoist Master, my son is weak and may not be able to endure the hardships of solitary cultivation..."
"Not so." Master Jingyang bent down, his wrinkled fingers gently touching Chu Yiran's brow. "He's lacking the spiritual energy of the mountains in his destiny. Stay in the temple for three months, and this old Taoist will guarantee that all his ailments will be cured."
Chu Yiran suddenly reached out and grabbed the Taoist priest's whisk, her glassy eyes reflecting the snowy light: "Is there any candy here?"
The people around burst into laughter, but the boy standing behind Jingyang pursed his lips, stepped forward, and pulled a paper packet from his sleeve: "Osmanthus candy, I made it myself."
That was the first time Chu Yiran met Shen Zheyu.
The twelve-year-old boy wore a worn Taoist robe, with a green bamboo hairpin in his hair. His fox-like eyes were slightly upturned, and his features were clear and bright, like distant mountains after the rain. His fingertips were stained with incense ash and medicine, but his palm held a bag of crystal-clear candy, with a whole golden osmanthus flower wrapped inside.
Later, Chu Yiran learned that Shen Zheyu was an abandoned baby that Master Jingyang found during one of his travels down the mountain.
And what Master Jingyang said was true. When Princess Anning came to pick up Chu Yiran three months later, she saw her son jumping around and sweeping fallen leaves behind Shen Zheyu. His rosy little face showed no sign of illness.
From then on, Chu Yiran formally became a disciple of Master Jingyang, and every year he would spend three months going up the mountain with the master for quiet cultivation.
Chanting scriptures to cultivate the mind, collecting herbs to identify poisons, practicing arts and astrology... Chu Yiran learned a lot from Master Jingyang.
When Master Jingyang began teaching Chu Yiran how to observe the stars, Shen Zheyu was already able to perform divination for worshippers and was earning money for divination in private.
"Senior brother is lying." Chu Yiran squatted beside the fortune-telling stall, pouting. "You said that merchant was destined to have a son, but his wife clearly can't—"
Shen Zheyu quickly covered his mouth, and only whispered after the person had gone far away, "His concubine is already three months pregnant, but the main wife doesn't know yet." Seeing Chu Yiran's eyes widen, she flicked his forehead, "The five arts of metaphysics, 'mountain medicine, fate, divination, and physiognomy,' what your master taught you was the righteous path. These tricks of the martial world..."
"I want to learn this!" Chu Yiran's eyes lit up dramatically. "It's much more interesting than reading that 'Eastern Peak Great Life Repentance Sutra'!"
Helpless, Shen Zheyu said he wouldn't teach him, but secretly slipped a book called "Eight Hundred Questions of a Wandering Sorcerer" under his bed while he was asleep.
Looking back, that was the most carefree time Chu Yiran had ever experienced.
From the age of five to fourteen, when he would doze off during morning chanting, his senior brother would stuff candy into his mouth to keep him awake. When he was punished by copying books and sweeping, his senior brother would suffer the punishment with him. No matter what, Shen Zheyu would always be there to help and accompany him at the first opportunity.
——
Chu Yiran's fingers trembled slightly as he pulled off Shen Zheyu's blindfold.
Looking at the familiar face before him, he almost blurted out "Senior Brother," but reason told him that Shen Zheyu might not be his senior brother from his previous life.
Just as Chu Yiran was in a daze, Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi stepped forward to greet him.
"Hey, what brings you here too!" Zhao Lingyi punched Shen Zheyu in the chest.
Lin Wanxing also asked, "Has your movie wrapped up filming?"
Shen Zheyu is a veteran in the industry; he has worked with Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi on many projects.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Zheyu looked at Chu Yiran beside him: "And this is..."
“Oh,” Lin Wanxing patted Chu Yiran on the shoulder, “He is Chu Yiran.”
—A frequent topic on trending searches recently.
Shen Zheyu had heard of him to some extent. He extended his hand, his fox-like eyes narrowing into slits: "Hello, I am Shen Zheyu."
Chu Yiran grasped his hand in return, forcing a stiff smile: "Hello."
Shen Zheyu acted as if she had never met Chu Yiran before, chatting only with Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi throughout the entire conversation. Occasionally, she would politely throw out a topic to Chu Yiran, but that was about it.
That's fine, Chu Yiran thought, at least Shen Zheyu in this life won't have to die because of him again.
After the four reunited, they had to go to the next meeting point to pick up their teammates. The program team's new task card made them pair up and cross a log bridge. Chu Yiran and Shen Zheyu were drawn as one pair, and Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi were drawn as another pair.
A huge log bridge made of rubber stretched out in front of them, with soft mats and foam blocks underneath. After putting on their safety equipment, the four set off. Chu Yiran and Shen Zheyu walked steadily and quickly. When they were about to reach the finish line, Shen Zheyu slipped, and Chu Yiran quickly caught him.
"Thank you." Shen Zheyu smiled at him and withdrew his arm.
Chu Yiran was somewhat lost in thought: "...You're welcome."
Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi, who were standing to the side, were not so quick. They stumbled and fell several times, and had no choice but to start over.
Chu Yiran and Shen Zheyu stood side by side at the finish line waiting for them. Chu Yiran casually asked, "Teacher... does Teacher Shen's name have any meaning? It sounds very classical."
“This is not my real name. When I was little, my parents took me on a trip, and an old Taoist priest in the mountains gave me this name.”
"On the mountain..." Chu Yiran paused, then asked, "Which one—"
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi walked over, panting.
"I'm exhausted!" Lin Wanxing complained. "I never want to be paired with this clumsy idiot again!"
Zhao Lingyi shouted, "Who do you think wants to be in a group with you?!"
After the topic was diverted, the four of them went directly to the next meeting point.
As soon as the door opened, a man and a woman were seen sitting back to back, blindfolded, with their hands tied to the chairs together.
"What kind of lousy escape room is this? Is there even any air conditioning? It's unbearably hot!" The man kept squirming. "If my fans knew I was suffering like this, they'd be heartbroken!"
"Hey, can you please stop moving around like that!" the woman said impatiently. "You're pulling on my wrist and it hurts!"
Zhao Lingyi's face darkened: "Why did the production team invite these two living ancestors as well..."
Lin Wanxing sighed: "Cheng Zixuan, Zhou Xiaoxiao, can't you two be a little more mindful of your image!"
After rescuing Cheng Zixuan and Zhou Xiaoxiao, the production team issued a new task card. Shen Zheyu read it aloud: "Congratulations to all players for passing the challenge. Next, you will enter the century-old [Yuhe Village] as folklorists. There is a custom here: any unmarried man who dies must be married in a 'ghost marriage' to rest in peace. Ten years ago, the village chief's son died suddenly on his wedding night. The villagers buried him in a coffin in the ancestral hall. However, since then, strange things have been happening in the village. Recently, someone claimed to hear crying coming from the coffin in the ancestral hall at midnight. All players must complete the ceremony and leave the village before midnight (11 PM), otherwise..."
After reading the task card, everyone fell silent.
Zhou Xiaoxiao rubbed her arms: "The production team did a pretty good job..."
The door in front of them opened with a thud, and Shen Zheyu said, "Let's go."
The cameraman filming them stopped outside the door. The following footage would be broadcast live from a fixed camera position that had been installed in advance in the secret room. The production team also took the opportunity to air a few commercials between the cuts, which completely boosted the show's popularity and anticipation.
The six entered the first secret room side by side. Shen Zheyu and Chu Yiran took the lead, followed by Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi. Cheng Zixuan and Zhou Xiaoxiao, who were the two most timid, clung tightly to the clothes of the people in front of them and shrank back to hide.
The room was set up like a mourning hall, with only a few pale lights seeping in through the torn window paper, barely outlining the scene inside. Faded wooden furniture was placed around the room, and a carved altar table and two armchairs were placed in front of it.
In the very center of the room, a pitch-black coffin rested silently. The coffin was heavy, its surface gleaming with a dark luster. On the carved altar in front of the coffin stood a memorial tablet, inscribed in vermilion: "The Seat of My Son Zhao Tian."
Several plates of dried-out offerings were placed in front of the memorial tablet, and two white candles stood on either side of the tablet, their wax solidified into twisted shapes, as if they had been burning for a long time.
Looking at the white curtains hanging all around, Cheng Zixuan swallowed hard: "The production team didn't have to be so realistic..."
Zhou Xiaoxiao, who had kept her eyes closed the whole time, asked nervously, "What is it? Why are you all silent? I feel so cold..."
The moment all six people stepped into the room, a sudden gust of cold wind blew in, and the few lights that had been shining into the room went out instantly, plunging the entire room into complete darkness.
From the coffin in the very center came the sound of fingernails scratching, followed by a woman's soft sobs: "Save me..."
"Aaaaaah—!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao screamed, which triggered a chain reaction, causing others to scream as well, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.
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