While I was talking to Wei Shengnan, I saw the monk appear in front of me and my expression changed drastically. I instinctively stepped back, but my foot tripped on a tent peg and I fell backward.
Wei Shengnan reacted quickly, grabbing my arm: "What's wrong?"
I steadied myself and looked back at the spot where I had been standing. Seeing that it was empty, I shook my head and said, "It's nothing, I just lost my balance."
"You're lying! Your actions just now clearly showed that you were frightened!"
Wei Shengnan stared into my eyes and asked seriously, "I sensed something was wrong when you were able to find the Demon Monk's Tomb so accurately before, Duan Shenxing. Tell me the truth, what exactly happened to you last night?"
I didn't tell anyone about what happened to me, partly because I didn't want to disrupt morale, and partly because I didn't want to reveal that I had met the fake Wei Shengnan.
I thought that since everyone was gathered together tonight, nothing unexpected would happen, but I didn't expect to see those strange monks again.
Although the ghost temple hasn't appeared yet, this place already makes me feel uncomfortable.
I hesitated for a moment, then simply told Wei Shengnan everything that had happened last night. I continued, "I know you won't believe me, and others think what happened to me was a hallucination, but last night that filthy thing that was pretending to be you bit me, and the teeth mark is still there!"
As I spoke, I rolled up my sleeves, wanting to testify for Wei Shengnan.
As a result, they were quickly stunned on the spot.
The teeth marks on my arm have disappeared, but around those marks, a lot of stiff, stubble-like hairs have grown.
It's like having a piece of skin from an adult man's chin transplanted onto my arm.
I had been trying to hide this from everyone, and I hadn't even checked it myself.
Could it be that the severe pain in my arm before was because these things pierced my skin?
In the pitch-black valley, I saw something growing out of my body. I reached out and tugged at it, and it was like body hair, firmly attached to my body.
Wei Shengnan grabbed my arm and examined it: "When did this start?"
"I don't know. I haven't checked my arm. I thought that since the teeth marks didn't break my skin, it should be fine."
I shook my head blankly: "I just saw the monks from the ghost temple appear again. This place is really eerie. I suggest we leave!"
"It's too late! The thing that bit you must be a Nightmare Demon!"
Wei Shengnan saw the thing on my arm and explained, "Nightmare is a Buddhist term. Legend has it that it is a kind of ghost that can take over people who are asleep. It is said that this thing will appear during the excavation of many ancient temples. People who are possessed by Nightmare will grow manes on their bodies, and the manes will quickly spread all over their bodies. Once the manes grow to an inch, the person is beyond saving!"
“I know what you’re talking about. It’s recorded in the Judge’s Record. My great-grandfather even analyzed that this so-called bristle is actually a kind of toxin.”
After Wei Shengnan's reminder, my expression also became serious: "It is said that the Nightmare Ghosts are marmosets raised by ancient temples. They are given special food and training to awaken their intelligence and make these guys guard the temple for generations! But what I saw yesterday was not a monkey, but a person?"
"This is the first time I've encountered something like this, and I can't explain it to you. Perhaps it's the influence of the mandala that's causing you to have more severe hallucinations... Come with me!"
Without saying a word, Wei Shengnan grabbed my wrist and led me toward her tent.
In our team, Wei Shengnan was the only girl, so her tent was set up separately.
After she led me into the tent, she turned around and lowered the curtain, then immediately began to take off her clothes.
Seeing Wei Shengnan's actions, I suddenly remembered the scene from last night, and then I perked up and placed my hand on the hilt of the Two Realms Blade.
Did I fall into some kind of hallucination after seeing that monk?
When Wei Shengnan saw me staring at her, she whispered sharply, "What are you looking at? Turn around!"
I looked at Wei Shengnan warily: "What exactly do you want?"
"I'll save your life!"
Wei Shengnan replied, "I know what you're thinking. We're right next to the Demon Monk's Tomb, everyone's together. Even if you're hallucinating, others can still see you, and it's impossible for anything to get close to you. You don't need to worry about me!"
After listening to Wei Shengnan's words, he hesitated for a moment, then turned around, but his hand remained firmly gripping the hilt of the knife, ready to fight to the death at any moment.
Wei Shengnan's room only had one chandelier. Although I had my back to her, the shadow of her taking off her clothes was cast right in front of me, revealing her perfect figure.
After experiencing so much, I no longer have the energy to overthink things and remain highly vigilant.
After Wei Shengnan took off her clothes, I heard the sound of a box being opened and metal clanging behind me.
I was curious about what Wei Shengnan was doing, so I kept staring at her shadow, but she had already avoided the light, so I couldn't see anything.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, I saw the shadow of a monster with horns on its head appear in front of me, and I turned around abruptly.
What a scare!
The person standing in front of me was still Wei Shengnan, but she had changed into a shaman's robes and a crown with deer antlers.
Her outfit consisted of a leather robe, complete with a shawl, bronze mirror, bells, shoulder birds, and embroidered patterns of wild animals, birds, sea, and clouds.
As Wei Shengnan took a step, her straight, slender legs and delicate feet were revealed.
Wei Shengnan took out a leather drum from the box and hung the rope with copper coins on it on her body: "Sit in the middle and close your eyes. As long as I don't wake you up, you must not open your eyes!"
After I sat down in the middle of the tent, Wei Shengnan mumbled some incantation and lit a special incense stick, filling the room with the scent of herbal plants.
Then, she began to hum a tune similar to that of folk kilns. Although it was a song without lyrics, her melodious voice was like a call from ancient times, which gradually calmed my tense mood.
"Thump!"
Suddenly, a drumbeat reached my ears, waking me from my drowsiness.
"Knock knock knock!"
The drumbeats accompanied Wei Shengnan's singing, and it felt as if my heart was beating in sync with the drumbeats.
Just as I was lost in the moment, I suddenly heard a child crying beside me. I was about to open my eyes instinctively when I suddenly remembered Wei Shengnan's words.
Immediately afterwards, the drumming and chanting gradually faded away, and in addition to the children's cries, I could hear the sound of chanting scriptures, as well as the wails and roars of adults.
These heart-wrenching sounds sent an unbearable chill through my body, as if they were screaming right next to my ear, trying to reach out and grab me.
Just when I was about to give up, Wei Shengnan's voice came to my ear: "Shenxing, open your eyes!"
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