Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 154: Farewell Temple Fair

“That knocking sound from earlier—what exactly is it?”

A’Shou asked casually, but her nerves were tighter than when she had been in combat.

Thinking about the Guishan Sect’s absurd plan, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Even if the Immortal Encounter E was destroyed, Zhuang Guiqu’s disciples still firmly believed he was the God of Xushan. The karmic interference remained, and the Immortal E’s in the Shrine of All E’s were still unsafe.

Taking a step back, even though Bai Shuangying and Fang Xiu were getting along for now and didn’t seem intent on destroying the world, there was still something off. It might have been an odd comparison, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Corner of Heaven’s Will had simply escaped one monster only to fall into the jaws of another.

And among all of Fang Xiu’s abnormalities, the most incomprehensible was that mysterious knocking sound.

When he heard A’Shou’s question, Fang Xiu remained silent for a long while. He just smiled at her—so much so that the ghost immortal felt a chill run down her spine. A’Shou understood: he wanted her to drop the topic.

…Damn it. If she were the type to be scared off by something like that, she never would have become a ghost immortal in the first place.

A’Shou pretended not to notice the signal and pressed on.

“Earlier, Dian’er submitted a report. We found no trace of magic. You used this same trick during the Grave-Sealing E and got those Six Ghost Remnants Immortal to obey you.”

“And just now, you used it again to find the core of the Immortal Encounter E. That thing is not weak. This isn’t something you can just explain away. What did you do?”

“Let’s talk when we get back. It’s not something I can explain in a few words.”

Fang Xiu shrugged. “The ritual isn’t over ye—ugh!”

Mid-sentence, a wave of tingling numbness spread through his skull, like a cold tongue had licked his brain.

“Oh? You want to know too?”

Fang Xiu rubbed his temple, his tone instantly flipping 180 degrees.

“Don’t be impatient. Now that we’ve reached a cooperative understanding with A’Shou Jie, I have no intention of keeping secrets. On the contrary, I need your help.”

His voice was as gentle as could be. “Once this ritual ends, I’ll tell you everything right away.”

A’Shou understood. This was his way of telling Bai Shuangying to hurry up and finish dealing with the Immortal Encounter E.

Fine then. If Fang Xiu could endure even Bai Shuangying’s questions, he likely wouldn’t bother explaining it to her either. He’d already promised, and she had existed for a thousand years. A couple of days more didn’t make much difference.

She would simply treat the rest of the time as a chance to observe a truly strange accursed evil!

Once A’Shou looked away, Fang Xiu quietly let out a breath of relief. He gently pressed his fingers against his skin, his eyes dark and unreadable.

……

When they returned to the shrine, night had already fallen. Warm candlelight flickered within. Several evil spirits had appeared nearby, setting up stalls as if preparing to trade.

Guan He stumbled through the crowd of spirits, using the ghost child’s possession to cover his movements. The moment he stepped into the shrine, he froze.

The shrine had changed.

The once-blurred plaque now clearly read “Weishan Shrine”. The deity statue had reverted to the faceless, deformed one from their very first ritual. Even the couplets on either side of the statue had returned to the ones for the God of Weishan.

As for that white porcelain statue—it was as if it had never existed.

Seeing Guan He drenched in sweat, pale-faced, and with bloodstains on his pants, Cheng Songyun grew alarmed.

“Xiao Guan, what happened to you?”

After a half-second pause, she tried to sound natural. “And… where’s Dou Dou?”

“Death taboo.”

Guan He gestured for them to look up at the statue, the taste of blood still strong in his mouth.

Grandpa Dao and his only remaining teammate stood to the side. The old man was silent. The teammate muttered an incomprehensible chant. When the chant ended, Grandpa Dao finally spoke.

“Are you sure?”

The smiling tone he usually wore was gone. His expression was unreadable.

“She exploded into pieces right in front of me. What’s there to be unsure about?”

In the distorted shrine, Guan He didn’t bother hiding his panic.

“The Mountain God… the Mountain God appeared. Dou Dou Jie attacked to protect me. The moment her red paper touched that thing, she—”

He paused, realizing his description wasn’t accurate.

He coughed twice and pointed at the altered God of Weishan statue.

“I mean that. It looked exactly like that thing. That’s the Mountain God I saw.”

Grandpa Dao’s cloudy eyes shifted slightly. He stroked his goatee.

“Young friend, what are you talking about? Ever since we discovered this place, the statue hasn’t changed.”

Guan He looked to Cheng Songyun in shock, but what he saw in her eyes was agreement—and concern.

…What’s going on?!

Next, Guan He recounted his and Dou Dou’s escape in full detail. The events were so bizarre that his current state required no acting to look sufficiently terrified.

Cheng Songyun listened patiently. When he finished, she glanced sideways at Grandpa Dao.

“So what you’re saying is, you saw a Mountain God that looked exactly like the statue. Dou Dou attacked it and instantly exploded. It was the same way her assistant died.”

“But when she threw you at it, you didn’t touch it and were fine.”

“Haa, that child Dou Dou went astray. But even she wouldn’t intentionally throw you into danger.” 

Grandpa Dao picked up the thread of the story and started acting as well. “She probably wanted to lure you away to test the taboo. I apologize, young friend. I should have watched her more carefully.”

His performance was every bit as good as Dou Dou’s, brimming with complex sorrow that practically reached the tip of his beard. He muttered a quiet prayer and continued,

“She’s returned to the mountain. Please don’t blame her too harshly. There are only four of us left now. We must work together.”

Guan He forced out a sound of agreement and glanced at Cheng Songyun for help.

She understood immediately.

“Then the final death taboo… could it be ‘Do not offend the God of Weishan’?”

She had no idea who or what that newly appeared “God of Weishan” really was. The best she could do was offer a hypothesis based on past experience.

“It’s possible. If the young friend saw correctly, that entity could appear and vanish in an instant. Attacking it triggering a taboo would make sense logically.”

Grandpa Dao didn’t press the issue about Dou Dou.

“But as for someone’s body mutating into the Mountain God—that part still has no solid explanation. It seems we’ll have to face Old Man Fu together.”

Night deepened. Suddenly, opera music could be heard from outside. Through the shrine windows came the glow of red light, the sounds of shouting, and the shrieks and laughter of children. Amid the rush of voices, one could hear sharp pops and crackles.

Fireworks.

Countless human silhouettes danced on the windows. Compared to the temple fair they remembered, this crowd was even larger.

Guan He reflexively turned to look at the statue of the God of Weishan. The overwhelming sense of dissonance chilled his limbs. His heart began to contract painfully.

This wasn’t good. Fang Xiu still hadn’t returned. He and Cheng Songyun would have to survive on their own.

The final death slot was a murder near the graveyard. He had to be ready. Just as he took a deep breath, Cheng Songyun grabbed his arm.

She only smiled and shook her head, saying nothing.

In the flickering candlelight, a glint of something sharp flashed in her hand.

With that, the four of them quickly gathered themselves and pushed open the shrine doors.

“What the…?!”

Guan He and Cheng Songyun hadn’t reacted yet when Grandpa Dao exclaimed in shock.

Across from the shrine, a grand opera stage had been erected on flat ground. Orange-red light lit up half the sky. Every seat in front of the stage was filled. In the center sat a distorted version of Old Man Fu, standing out starkly among the crowd.

It showed them only its back. There was no invitation, no greeting, no gifts. Even stranger, those around it didn’t appear to be spirits. They looked more like living people.

Everyone smiled as they watched the performance. The actors wore bright, clean costumes and energetically performed “Xiao Qiao’s First Marriage”. The audience clapped and cheered in unison at the best parts.

Farther back, people performed lion dances with enthusiasm, while magicians drew crowds of children. Wrapped roses shimmered in decorative plastic. Skewers of candied hawthorn glistened on straw sticks. Countless food stalls steamed with hot snacks.

Beneath the sky filled with fireworks, more “living people” strolled the streets, chatting and laughing. There were a few twisted spirits mixed among them, but they were easy to ignore.

The red lanterns were still the same red lanterns. Once terrifying in the ghost festival, they now radiated warmth and festivity.

In the middle of this lively temple fair, no one noticed the four sacrificial participants stepping out of the shrine.

They stared, dumbfounded, at the spectacle before them, unsure whether to call it “unbelievably abnormal” or “ridiculously popular”. They didn’t move for a long time.

A few steps away, Fang Xiu passed by wearing his signature red T-shirt. Guan He’s eyes lit up, and he was the first to rush into the crowd.

“…Is this really okay?”

A’Shou looked back at Guan He.

Fang Xiu had no intention of regrouping with Guan He. According to the plan, they were only meant to provide a mental shock. The rest depended on how far Guan He and Cheng Songyun could carry it.

But A’Shou waited and waited, and Fang Xiu never answered.

He just walked silently, side by side with two figures.

Neither of those two was Bai Shuangying. A man and a woman, both with striking features, but clearly ordinary humans judging by their aura.

They walked quietly beside Fang Xiu, smiling gently. From time to time, they’d say things like “Look over there” without much substance.

But Fang Xiu was utterly silent. He had never been this quiet.

He kept a slight distance, his shoulders slightly hunched. His long bangs cast shadows over his eyes. For the first time, A’Shou saw something like “nervousness” in this fearless human.

A’Shou scanned the scene again and seemed to realize something.

“The Immortal Encounter E? The Corner of Heaven’s Will is using it to recreate a story?”

She had assumed Bai Shuangying was clutching that accursed E because he intended to refine it. But clearly, that wasn’t it at all.

There was no doubt now. Bai Shuangying was adapting things based on the “Weishan Ritual”. Without altering the plot’s main direction, he had embellished the temple fair segment to the extreme.

But the festival here felt far too modern. So the source of the impressions… Where had they come from?

“Xiu Xiu, are you tired?”

The middle-aged man slowed down and looked toward Fang Xiu. His gaze was slightly off-center, falling near Fang Xiu’s chest.

“If you’re tired of walking, Daddy can carry you on his shoulders.”

The man smiled gently. In that smile, there was a resemblance to Fang Xiu—about four or five parts.

“That’s right. Our son loves temple fairs so much. It’d be a shame to go home early.”

The woman smiled too, her eyes full of warmth.

“Let’s have fun today until we’re too tired to keep our eyes open, okay?”

“Okay?”

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