TRYMBPIETM 128: When I went in the Past (10)

Fang Mingge didn’t raise any more objections.

In his mind, the only reliable person in the whole crew was Chi Qingzhou; the other actors didn’t make him feel even a little bit at ease.

But since Chi Qingzhou had said it this way, he decided to give the actors a chance.

After all, Chi Qingzhou was there, and if Yu Minfeng really had any strange movements, there would still be time to fix it.

Fang Mingge adjusted the angle of the camera, using a long shot to move from the mountains and forests outside Linghe Village to the group of actors.

However, Shen Wenxing and the others didn’t feel the presence of the camera at all.

For them, finding camera angles had become second nature. They knew how to move, cooperate, and create more presence for themselves—it was almost a daily routine.

This made them very sensitive to the camera. They could often detect whether anyone was filming nearby faster than ordinary people.

Ling Jiao pulled Yu Minfeng, who was panting heavily, and hesitated slightly. “Director Fang really filming? Apart from that staff member earlier, we haven’t seen anyone on the way, and it seems there are no camera positions nearby.”

Yu Minfeng nodded vigorously. “I don’t think I saw any drones either. Could it be that they really intend to use the footage from my camera?”

Chi Qingning instinctively replied, “Impossible. Your footage was shaking a lot earlier. Even if they wanted to use it, they probably wouldn’t find it suitable.”

Ling Jiao tilted her head and saw that Yu Minfeng was sweating heavily, so she paused for a moment.

“Then, is someone following us? But I don’t feel any cameras nearby.”

Yu Minfeng hesitated and said, “Could they be inside the mountain god temple?”

“Hm, maybe?” Ling Jiao saw that Yu Minfeng looked a little better, so she continued walking forward.

Shen Wenxing didn’t sense the camera either, but he trusted Chi Qingzhou and Fang Mingge.

Since they both said filming was happening, it was definitely happening now.

He glanced at Yu Minfeng, then smiled at Ling Jiao. “You’ve worked hard. Girls are always more attentive.”

Rather than Ling Jiao doubting Director Fang’s arrangements, it was more about her casually trying to divert Yu Minfeng’s attention.

Unlike their light travel, Yu Minfeng had to carry a camera, making the mountain path much more difficult for him.

Ling Jiao paused for a moment, then gave him a smile. “We’re all friends, it’s nothing.”

They didn’t waste energy talking any further, climbing up the mountain path for a while, and finally saw the mountain god temple located halfway up the hill.

The temple wasn’t too big, but it looked quite ancient, with red walls peeling off in places, revealing signs of age and weathering.

Ling Jiao and the others stared at the dark plaque for a while, and the memory of the last time they filmed here finally resurfaced.

Song Yuzhi’s face immediately darkened, and Yu Minfeng showed a bit of shock on his face.

He almost blurted out, “Ah, I just remembered! Didn’t Brother Song get carried out by the medical staff when we were filming here last time?”

Chi Qingning casually added, “Teacher Song fainted, I think it was from malnutrition. I followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital in the city, and I couldn’t make it back to the crew that night. I took a day off, and Director Fang scolded me.”

Song Yuzhi’s face grew even worse.

He glanced at the mountain god temple, and instead of walking in, he took a step back, physically showing his intention not to enter.

Yu Minfeng put down the camera and scratched his head. “Brother Song doesn’t want to go in? That’s fine, better not to have any more accidents.”

Song Yuzhi paused but didn’t refute Yu Minfeng.

Instead, Chi Qingning, uncertain, asked, “But my second brother asked us to come here, so we should all go in, right?”

Shen Wenxing said, “Not necessarily. I’m carrying the bottle, so I definitely can’t go in. If Teacher Song doesn’t want to enter, he can stay outside with me.”

Chi Qingning instinctively replied, “But what if we encounter an accident inside?”

Shen Wenxing answered, “Then just call me. My cousin is Shen Wenxu. Our family knows a bit about this, and with this bottle given to us by Teacher Chi, even if something happens, I can handle it.”

Chi Qingning didn’t fully believe him. “Are you sure? You’re not going in, and you’re so far from us. Can you really react in time?”

Shen Wenxing shook the bottle. “If I can’t react, we still have this thing that Teacher Chi sent.”

Chi Qingning frowned, still unconvinced.

Song Yuzhi, however, became focused on the bottle, staring at it for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “Do you all really think this bottle can trap whatever’s inside?”

Fu Wenan glanced around. “What do you mean?”

Song Yuzhi explained, “It’s nothing, just that I think the thing in this bottle doesn’t need Teacher Shen to do anything—it’s enough to provide protection for everyone.”

He turned to look at Shen Wenxing. “My feeling should be right, right?”

Shen Wenxing nodded. “As expected of someone with a connection to Han Lai, Teacher Song’s intuition is sharp. Yes, this bottle is just a container. If there is real danger, it will be activated.”

Shen Wenxing briefly explained what the ghostly energy in the bottle was and assured them that since Chi Qingzhou had arranged for them to come, he would surely find a way to protect their safety.

Except for Yu Minfeng, the others recalled the things Chi Qingzhou had done in Scenery Along the Way and, although still a little afraid, decided to suppress their unease and follow Chi Qingzhou’s instructions.

After all, they were just outsiders who didn’t know much, and Chi Qingzhou was the most reliable person.

Chi Qingzhou had arranged the path, and if they didn’t follow it, they would truly be fools.

During the discussions, Yu Minfeng tried several times to interject, but was conveniently interrupted by different people each time.

Watching the atmosphere gradually improve, with everyone’s mindset shifting towards a more positive direction, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows in private.

Had he known it would turn out like this, he should have participated in Wanxiang’s promotion, maybe he could have met Chi Qingzhou earlier.

Who would have thought that the small artist, who had so many conflicts with Chi Qingning and was being bashed online at that time, would now become the backbone for so many people?

But now it was too late for regrets.

The arrow had left the bow, and there was no turning back. Yu Minfeng gripped the camera tightly and vented his frustrations in another way.

The stranger the events in the crew became, the more he dared not reveal the things he had done. When the filming finally wrapped up, he ran off without attending the wrap party.

He swallowed nervously, and once the discussion was over, he anxiously asked, “So, are we going in now? Just to clarify, I absolutely will not make any wishes inside. I’ll just pretend, but if there are any lines about making wishes, don’t even think about asking me!”

Chi Qingning, who was considering Chi Qingzhou’s intentions, impatiently responded, “Who said anyone wants to make a wish in there?”

Yu Minfeng froze.

Ling Jiao quickly intervened, trying to smooth things over, “I don’t want to make a wish either. But we probably don’t need to actually make a wish, right? Normally, we would require live sound, but since the situation is special, we haven’t seen any filming equipment, so maybe post-production dubbing will be enough.”

Yu Minfeng laughed a couple of times, repeatedly agreeing.

Chi Qingning ignored him, and Fu Wenan merely glanced at him before pulling Chi Qingning into the Mountain God Temple.

Ling Jiao sighed helplessly and followed them inside, waving to Yu Minfeng.

Yu Minfeng awkwardly adjusted his camera, then hastily followed them into the temple.

The interior of the Mountain God Temple was dimly lit, with an eerie and oppressive atmosphere, unlike the solemn and dignified aura of most temples.

The dark floor didn’t reflect any light, and the wooden beams above were a deep red, resembling coagulating blood, making it very uncomfortable to look at.

Ling Jiao and Chi Qingning had been here more than once, and even now, the sight still unsettled them.

Fu Wenan was here for the first time, and couldn’t help but frown.

Only Yu Minfeng seemed calm on the outside.

But inside, he was far from calm.

He tightened his grip on the camera, took a few deep breaths, and silently called upon the Mountain God Temple’s owner.

【I’ve returned to fulfill my vow. You see, I’ve brought the offerings. These three people are the price I’ve paid, you should be satisfied, right?】

【If you want to do something, go find them. They’re here to fulfill the vow.】

【Don’t come after me! Don’t come after me!】

Not sure if it was just his imagination, but after repeating these words a few times, Yu Minfeng felt the coldness that had been pressing on him slowly fade away.

A surge of relief washed over him, and his eyes glinted with a trace of joy.

Finally!

The troubles that had been haunting him for months were finally going to be resolved!

Excited but careful not to reveal his emotions, he could only lower his head and fiddle with the camera.

Yu Minfeng had actually studied photography.

At that time, before his career went downhill, he had taken a photography course for a role as a photographer.

He thought this role would be his chance to rise, but his luck was bad. Several main actors were arrested for drug use and pimping, and the entire crew disbanded. His months of studies led to nothing.

He wasn’t very popular to begin with, and after months away from the screen, most of his fan base had disappeared.

Many of his former fans had switched allegiances, and even his rivals couldn’t be bothered to mock him, as it would only boost his profile.

In just a few months, he had fallen from the heights of fame to the depths of obscurity.

He had lowered his expectations, but no one wanted to hire him for any more roles. When he finally found work, it was depleting his image and reputation.

Caught in a vicious cycle, he became more and more irrelevant.

Just as Yu Minfeng was about to give up on acting and open a pancake stand in a small town, he heard about the casting for “Wanxiang.”

After some effort, he managed to get the casting requirements, and when he saw that photography skills were a requirement, he felt a spark of hope.

He had studied photography, wasn’t that exactly what they were looking for?!

However, he hadn’t practiced acting properly in years, so he was worried he wouldn’t pass Director Fang’s screening. In his desperation, he came up with a devious plan—

Through his father, he learned that the filming location for “Wanxiang” had a particularly effective Mountain God Temple, and secretly went there to light incense.

At the time, he just wanted to get into the right mindset, and with little time to prepare his acting, he resorted to this unconventional method.

Who would have thought that after making a wish, the role would actually fall into his lap!

Now that Yu Minfeng thought back to the audition, it still felt surreal.

His two biggest competitors were one who had been in a car accident and broken his arm, and another who had poor performance due to a stomach issue.

Meanwhile, the audition scene he drew was one of his best, allowing him to outshine the competition and get noticed by the director and scriptwriters.

Yu Minfeng was ecstatic and, with the company’s support, spent two months quietly taking acting lessons.

Once he joined the crew, things went smoothly.

For the occasional scenes he didn’t fully understand, he would somehow find the right way to act.

Director Fang and the assistant director were very pleased with him and had privately remarked that his talent was good, but he had been delayed by the past few years.

When Yu Minfeng heard this evaluation, he knew his long-awaited opportunity had come.

As long as he seized this chance, he would rise to fame again, and the company would start paying attention to him once more!

Excited and worried, Yu Minfeng couldn’t sleep for days. Taking advantage of the crew’s downtime while filming at the Mountain God Temple, he made another wish.

He thought his wish would come true quickly, but what he didn’t expect was that from the day he made his second wish, strange events started happening in the crew.

At first, it was just staff members hearing something calling their names, but soon, people started inexplicably falling into water.

Different rooms would have knocking sounds late at night, but if the door was opened, no one would be there. The next morning, the person who opened the door would often be found in the grass outside the dormitory building.

To resolve the matter, Director Fang stayed up several nights and eventually caught the culprit.

After the knocking noises stopped, only a few days later, various props and costumes were damaged. The sounds of women and babies crying echoed through the set, and broken props and costume pieces were scattered everywhere.

Some staff members were injured, and Director Fang was overwhelmed, eventually having to hire a master to handle the situation.

Yu Minfeng was terrified and didn’t dare to go near the trouble spots.

Since the strange occurrences started in the film crew, his body also began to show signs of being off.

He constantly felt cold and started experiencing hallucinations, hearing different people roar at him, demanding that he pay the price for his wish.

Yu Minfeng thought that as long as he left Linghe Village, he would be safe, but he didn’t expect that even after returning to the city, he still felt cold all over and suffered from continuous nightmares every night.

Each time he woke up in the middle of the night, he could hear a faint voice calling his name, urging him to return to the mountain temple to pay his dues.

He couldn’t eat or sleep properly, and soon became haggard.

Other artists from the same company noticed his state and suspected he had taken something, even secretly reporting him.

Although nothing abnormal was found in the investigation, he still felt overwhelmed.

Just when he didn’t know what to do, his father noticed something was wrong with him.

He confessed everything he had done, and his father remained silent for the whole night. The next day, he said it was all fate.

It was then that Yu Minfeng learned that his ancestors were from Linghe Village.

His father had told him that the mountain temple was spiritually effective, something he had heard from his great-grandfather a long time ago.

He couldn’t accept that his father had tricked him and questioned why he had recommended that place. His father, avoiding his gaze, said it was because other places were unsure of their spiritual efficacy and required specific offerings.

“But the mountain temple is different. Your great-grandfather made a wish there, and look, he went on to marry and have children, didn’t he?”

“Actually, getting rid of the mountain temple’s pursuit is very simple. You didn’t clearly say who would have to pay for the wish, right? You have so many colleagues, oh, and those annoying celebrities. You could easily take them along to fulfill the vow.”

Yu Minfeng hesitated for two days before making up his mind because of the nightmares that tormented him day and night.

But he still couldn’t find the right time.

After all, Wanxiang had just finished filming, and the crew had all left Linghe Village to run around for promotion.

During filming, strange things had happened repeatedly, and almost everyone had avoided them.

If he directly proposed returning to the village, everyone would surely think he was crazy and refuse him outright.

Tormented by recurring nightmares, he racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a suitable way to bring people back to Linghe Village.

His body grew weaker, and his mind more exhausted. He even entertained the thought of tricking a few assistants into going to fulfill the vow.

Just before he could no longer bear the torment and acted on this idea, Chi Qingzhou went from being blacklisted to becoming popular, and Wanxiang decided to reshoot.

Yu Minfeng finally saw the perfect opportunity. He eagerly agreed to the reshoot and had already selected the people to be used to fulfill the vow.

It was just a pity that Ding Yuan, who played the fitness coach, got into a car accident and couldn’t come. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have to target someone like Chi Qingning, a young master.

Compared to Ding Yuan and Ling Jiao, who had ordinary backgrounds, if Chi Qingning really died, it would lead to a lot of trouble later.

Yu Minfeng sighed mockingly in his heart, glancing outside and wondering if anyone else in the crew had also made a wish at the mountain temple.

The dark energy in that bottle resembled what he had seen in his nightmares, and he suspected that the reshoot had been prompted by someone who had made a wish.

Could it be Director Fang Mingge?

Yu Minfeng fiddled with the camera, his eyes full of mockery.

Fang Mingge had intentionally kept his distance. Was it really to clear his name in front of the police?

Various dark thoughts swirled in Yu Minfeng’s mind. He smirked and was about to mutter again about how the offering had been brought, hoping it would stop bothering him, when suddenly a scream erupted from the front.

He was startled, looked up, and saw Chi Qingning screaming in horror while retreating frantically. His facial muscles trembled, and his eyes were filled with fear, as if he had seen something terrifying that he couldn’t accept.

Fu Wenan and Ling Jiao were stunned by the scream and instinctively went forward to support him, but he violently grabbed them and dragged them toward the mountain temple’s exit.

“Help! Help! Brother Shen, help me! Second Brother, help me!”

Chi Qingning cried out continuously, tears streaming down his face.

“The merit box in this temple says all wishes will be granted! I don’t want to die, Second Brother, where are you? Am I not your most obedient brother? Save me! Save me!”