TRYMBPIETM 129: When I went in the Past (11)

Chi Qingning was reminded of his memories from the hospital and the term “Wan Ying Temple.” He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

Like a flash, images of people injured by spirits flashed through his mind, finally settling on the face of his assistant. A powerful surge of energy suddenly erupted within him, instantly granting him a speed he had never achieved before.

Although he was dragging Fu Wenan and Ling Jiao along, he moved like the wind, brushing past Yu Minfeng, who was trying to stop him, rushing toward the exit of the Mountain God Temple.

Yu Minfeng reached out in vain, but grabbed nothing, and a murmur escaped his throat. “Hey.”

He, too, was startled by Chi Qingning’s scream, his mind muddled, not understanding why Chi Qingning reacted so strongly.

“What’s going on? Is it really that serious…”

He muttered to himself, turned his head, and a cold wind blew from behind, an eerie, chilling sensation stabbing into his back.

Yu Minfeng’s face changed abruptly.

The memories of being tortured by nightmares and the cold suddenly resurfaced, and he realized what Chi Qingning was running from!

Damn! Did something from the Mountain God Temple appear?

Why didn’t he see it??

Yu Minfeng was struck with fear and, without thinking much more, gripped his camera tightly and ran after the three ahead toward the Mountain God Temple’s exit.

Ever since the strange occurrences had started, Yu Minfeng had increased his workout time, even adding a running course.

He knew too well that with his current abilities, it was impossible to fight against whatever was in the Mountain God Temple. If danger arose, as long as he could outrun the others, he could survive.

With this mindset, he approached running with unprecedented seriousness.

By now, in terms of speed and explosive force, no one in the crew, except Chi Qingzhou, could match him.

At this moment, though he was the last one rushing toward the door, he overtook Chi Qingning and the others in just a few seconds.

And on his shoulder, he was even carrying that camera!

“Ahhh—!!”

Yu Minfeng screamed even louder than Chi Qingning, the wind-like force sweeping past them as he raced out of the Mountain God Temple’s main gate.

He collided head-on with Shen Wenxing, who was rushing forward holding the glass bottle.

Yu Minfeng reflexively looked toward the bottle.

The black ghostly energy surged inside it, and in the chaos, it seemed unusually orderly.

It didn’t look like it was trying to break free of the bottle’s seal, but for some reason, Yu Minfeng felt that it was itching to break free, eager to confront the presence in the Mountain God Temple.

Fear surged from the deepest parts of his heart, like tiny bubbles rising from the depths of a pool, bubbling up and shaking his sanity.

He wanted to scream but found that he had lost his voice.

Crawling and stumbling to the side, Yu Minfeng’s mind was almost blank, with only his body’s instinctive reactions to guide him.

Shen Wenxing gave him a puzzled look, his gaze measuring Yu Minfeng in a way he didn’t notice.

The thick ghostly energy suddenly burst from the bottle and descended upon the ground, engulfing the rushing Chi Qingning and the others, blocking their sight.

The visibility dimmed.

Something let out a mournful wail, reverberating in their eardrums, causing them to briefly lose their sanity.

By the time they recovered from the howling, the cries of suffering had merged into one continuous sound.

Chi Qingning trembled uncontrollably: “What is that sound? Could it be that something really is in the Mountain God Temple, like in the Wan Ying Temple?”

No one answered him.

Everyone stared at the Mountain God Temple ahead, their hair standing on end.

They didn’t know when, but the temperature had dropped significantly.

Fog rose from the Mountain God Temple, with frost hanging on the floor, the pillars, and the decorations on the walls.

In the thick fog, countless black shadows pressed together tightly, resembling the scene they had encountered during the first episode of Scenery Along the Way.

The long black shadows danced in the mist, hurriedly retreating into the temple, but were blocked by even more shadows trying to escape, forcing them to melt in the encircling ghostly energy.

And despite all the prior warnings, the spirits in the Mountain God Temple seemed to have lost all reason, relentlessly charging toward the people outside.

More and more spirits dissolved into the ghostly energy, and chaos erupted within the temple. The cries and pleas for mercy were endless, causing those outside to gape in shock.

Isn’t this too exaggerated?

Even Shen Wenxing, who understood the situation, had a hesitant look on his face.

They couldn’t understand why the spirits were acting so foolishly, never realizing that the prayer Yu Minfeng had offered to the spirits had actually had a deceiving effect.

Shen Wenxing didn’t enter the Mountain God Temple with the bottle. This already weakened the presence of Chi Qingzhou’s ghostly energy to some extent. Additionally, Yu Minfeng had previously made a contract with the ghostly entities inside the temple, further diverting their attention.

In Yu Minfeng’s promises, their greed clouded their judgment. When they saw Chi Qingning and the others running out of the Mountain God Temple, they didn’t hesitate to pursue them.

They couldn’t bear to let go of the opportunity, and this intense emotion was considered negative for them.

Therefore, as soon as Chi Qingzhou’s ghostly energy arrived, the curse mixed within it instantly solidified.

At that time, Chi Qingzhou had used a similar method to heal his soul.

This curse came from bloodline. As long as it hadn’t dissipated, it would continuously try to find a host with the same bloodline.

The emotions of the ghostly entities blocked it, but even though it had no cognitive abilities, it still tried to break through the obstruction.

Under the combined influence of Chi Qingzhou’s ghostly energy and the curse, the ghostly entities, driven by greed, surged out of the Mountain God Temple one after another.

Even though brief pain brought some of the ghostly entities back to their senses, the outcome had already been sealed.

This wasn’t even a trap; Chi Qingzhou had simply casually targeted the things in the Mountain God Temple, and it was enough to trap all the ghostly entities in an inescapable fate.

Chi Qingzhou’s ghostly energy devoured most of their power, and the curse that had been handled by Xing Shuangzhan barely tore through the tangled emotions, carrying a large amount of incense that the ghostly entities couldn’t yet digest, and “without hesitation” rushed towards Chi Qingzhou.

In this entire Linghe Village, the only one who could respond to the bloodline now was Chi Qingzhou. It only choice was Chi Qingzhou.

Fang Mingge watched as the curse returned, his expression complicated and hard to read.

“A curse born from bloodline… this is how it’s used?”

This was too strange!

Who would keep a curse after removing it?

Chi Qingzhou pinched the squirming curse without specifically pulling out the incense, directly stuffing it into the shadows.

He turned his head, looking at Fang Mingge innocently: “Isn’t this how it’s done?”

Fang Mingge: “Uh… it’s not that it can’t be done, it’s just that no one’s done it this way before.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled and said, “That’s probably because they didn’t need to use such small tricks.”

Small tricks?

Fang Mingge had a thousand complaints to make but eventually suppressed them.

Most people wouldn’t have the ability to withstand a second curse. Chi Qingzhou’s doing this clearly had his own reasons, so there was no need to investigate further.

He was silent for a few seconds, then turned his gaze toward the distance, his tone becoming more direct.

“Teacher Chi, may I ask, now that the curse has returned to find you… should we still continue searching for Mrs. Chi?”

Chi Qingzhou glanced at him, his expression unreadable.

Fang Mingge understood, and didn’t ask any further.

Of course, Chi Qingzhou must have tested it before using the curse to handle the Mountain God Temple. Since the curse had no reaction to Fan Tao before, it was clear that Fan Tao had little chance.

The mountain stone quieted again.

Fang Mingge felt guilty and awkward for speaking out impulsively, hesitated a few times, and finally controlled the camera to continue pushing toward the Mountain God Temple.

The shot was zoomed in, yet the clarity was unnaturally high.

In the frame, Chi Qingning’s face was filled with fear, his legs so weak he could hardly stand.

He watched as the ghostly entities inside the Mountain God Temple melted away, muttering repeatedly, “Did my second brother hear my call for help? I knew he was the best brother in the world!”

Ling Jiao: “…”

Song Yuzhi: “…”

Shen Wenxing: “…”

Is that what you said before?

The others awkwardly chuckled and turned their gazes away.

Ling Jiao, trying to change the topic, asked, “What’s the Wan Ying Temple that Qingning just mentioned?”

“Oh, that.” Shen Wenxing explained the customs and origins of the Wan Ying Temple, concluding, “This type of temple is rare in the inland. To know if a temple is a Wan Ying Temple, you can just check the banners or the merit boxes. If they have ‘all wishes will be granted’ written on them, it’s a Wan Ying Temple.”

“Is that so?”

Ling Jiao recalled that the merit box in the Mountain God Temple did indeed have the words “all wishes will ne granted.”

“So Qingning saw those words and ran out.”

She looked a little frightened and gratefully glanced at Chi Qingning.

“Many evil things appeared in the temple earlier. If Qingning hadn’t reacted quickly… Qingning, thank you.”

Chi Qingning absentmindedly responded, “You’re welcome,” tightening his grip on Fu Wenan’s clothes.

Fu Wenan lovingly supported him, softly comforting him.

Chi Qingning casually responded a few times, then suddenly turned to ask the others, “ When we were filming here last time, was there ‘all wishes will be granted’ written on the merit box? Why don’t I remember it at all?”

Ling Jiao quickly replied, “I don’t remember either. If Teacher Shen hadn’t explained, I wouldn’t have noticed that the words on the merit box were wrong.”

Song Yuzhi thought carefully and said, “I do remember the words ‘all wishes will be granted’ on the merit box last time. I recall feeling uncomfortable when I saw those words, and before I could react, I fainted.”

Chi Qingning and Ling Jiao widened their eyes.

Does this mean Song Yuzhi had noticed something last time?

Song Yuzhi chuckled wryly and murmured, “I didn’t think much of it before, but looking back, it’s likely that Ah Lai helped me.”

Last time, Chi Qingning and the others had no memory of what happened when they were safe, while Song Yuzhi, who fainted, retained important memories. It was hard not to suspect that fainting was a protective mechanism.

The masters his family knew were average, so this kind of protection made him think of his fated one.

Perhaps it was indeed Ah Lai who protected him?

But the dream from yesterday…

Song Yuzhi looked troubled. Chi Qingning and Ling Jiao were also frightened seeing his expression.

They looked around but didn’t see anyone from the crew, making them even more uneasy.

Chi Qingning cleared his throat and raised his voice, “Second brother, are you there? Is it really safe for us to continue filming like this?”

Ling Jiao also called out, “Director Fang, can we pause filming for now? This village really feels dangerous!”

Their voices echoed through the mountains, but no one responded.

Fu Wenan’s face turned sour: “Why aren’t they answering? Don’t tell me the crew abandoned us.”

Chi Qingning’s legs grew even weaker as he leaned on him, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

Ling Jiao frowned. Song Yuzhi was still lost in thought, considering matters related to Ah Lai, while Shen Wenxing, watching the ghostly energy disperse in the Mountain God Temple, slowly answered Fu Wenan’s question.

“The crew didn’t abandon us.” He pointed to the increasingly red beams in the Mountain God Temple. “Look, there are many words on the beams. On the right side, do you see your names?”

The group was stunned, following Shen Wenxing’s finger and quickly spotting the names “Chi Qingning, Ling Jiao, Yu Minfeng” written on the beams.

Song Yuzhi’s name was also there, but it was heavily crossed out with two thick lines, showing just how reluctant the ghostly entities were to remove his name.

Song Yuzhi pursed his lips.

Chi Qingning and the others broke into a cold sweat. “This, this!”

Shen Wenxing calmly said, “It would have been truly dangerous if you hadn’t come to the Wan Ying Temple. Now that Teacher Chi has dealt with the danger, your lives will be safe.”

Chi Qingning, Ling Jiao, and Yu Minfeng instantly showed expressions of relief, while Fu Wenan was both shocked and happy.

Fu Wenan, slightly annoyed, said, “Even so, why didn’t he tell us earlier? Seeing us worried, is he happy?”

Shen Wenxing snorted. “Is that so? Are you sure you wanted him to tell you earlier?”

Chi Qingning immediately covered Fu Wenan’s mouth. “That’s not what he meant! Wen Ge means that if Second Brother had told us earlier, we would have started thanking him much earlier! Of course, we’re already very grateful to Second Brother now. Second Brother is truly the kindest person in the world!”

Fu Wenan: “…”

Ling Jiao wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, while Song Yuzhi, who had no such qualms, mockingly teased Fu Wenan and Chi Qingning.

Fu Wenan grew even more irritated, but Chi Qingning pretended not to hear.

What a joke, Chi Qingzhou must be watching here. If Chi Qingzhou hears that, it will be a big deal!

Chi Qingning gave Fu Wenan a warning glare without hesitation.

Fu Wenan had no choice but to shut up.

Yu Minfeng grinned, ignoring what they were saying, and laughed foolishly.

If he had known that Chi Qingzhou could handle this kind of thing, he should have given Chi Qingzhou a helping hand. 

That way, not only would he gain Chi Qingzhou’s gratitude and protection, but he would also be able to suffer less for a few months. 

“It’s not even dark yet, and someone has already started dreaming.” 

A cold voice came from behind, interrupting Yu Minfeng’s fantasy. 

“Are you worthy ?”