Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 37
byA Night Visit to the Sinister Temple
In the evening, the flow of pedestrians on the road was sparse. Everyone was gradually packing up their things and heading home. Chen Jin and Wu Zeng returned with the scattered few.
“The noodles are all mushy and you’re only just getting back!” Uncle A Dong’s angry roar echoed through the Guesthouse. The three of them were back to sharing a pot of instant noodles, a peaceful routine that inexplicably made Chen Jin feel a little emotional.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we couldn’t leave?” Chen Jin stirred the noodles in his bowl, asking a question out of the blue.
Wu Zeng’s gaze darkened. After a moment, he smiled and asked, “Then are you still going to do your investigation?”
Indeed, who still remembered that Chen Jin’s original goal for coming here was to conduct his research and survey?
“What kind of joke is that! If we’re going to stay, we should find a good world to stay in. Why would we stay in this remote mountain corner? Brother Jin, you’re confused!” Uncle A Dong slurped a mouthful of noodles, mumbling indistinctly.
Chen Jin smiled. “Just kidding.”
Wu Zeng didn’t say anything more, simply scooping another egg into Chen Jin’s bowl.
After dinner, the twilight had thickened to an impenetrable density. The darkness completely swallowed Mengle Village, plunging the entire village into a great, empty silence, broken only by the occasional distant dog bark. Chen Jin and Wu Zeng’s figures merged with the street’s night colors. The two silently navigated the narrow alleys, heading straight for the mountain god temple that had appeared so suddenly.
The air in the mountains was filled with the smell of damp earth, which, like old wine that had slept for years, made one’s head feel heavy.
The path leading to the mountain god temple was neatly paved with stone bricks, which must have provided convenience for the constant stream of worshippers. However, perhaps because no incense was burned at night, there were no streetlights on either side of the road. To avoid alerting anyone, the two could only rely on the moonlight to proceed quietly.
The closer they got to the temple, the brighter the light in the mountains became. After bypassing a few low mud-brick houses, the mountain god temple finally appeared at the end of their sight. Just as they had seen from the foot of the mountain, this temple was brightly lit. Golden-rimmed lanterns hung from the eaves, and a soft, warm light enveloped the entire structure.
The main entrance of the temple consisted of a pair of heavy vermilion wooden doors, which were currently wide open. A large brass lock hung on the door knocker, gleaming with a cold, hard luster under the light, yet serving no practical purpose. In front of the door was a stone carved incense burner covered with dragons and lotuses. It was densely packed with burning incense sticks. The blue smoke curled lightly in the candlelight, and the fragrance was so soothing it felt like it could calm any anxiety. Chen Jin unconsciously took a deep breath.
Wu Zeng tilted his head toward the left side of the incense burner. Chen Jin understood the signal and followed. The two bypassed the large incense burner and entered the temple from the side.
The scent of incense was even stronger inside the temple. The entire corridor was lit with prayer lamps. These were not ordinary paper lanterns; each was an exquisitely crafted glazed lamp cover, inside which an orange-yellow candle flame burned, illuminating the entire temple brightly, a stark contrast to the deathly silence and darkness of the village.
The warm yellow glow softly spread across the stone path, revealing the temple’s interior. The ground inside the temple was unusually clean, unlike the messy, muddy roads in the village. The contours of the flying eaves and elaborate brackets looked exceptionally grand under the lamplight. Even the red wooden handles by the doors were highlighted with gold edges. The entire temple exuded an inappropriate sense of luxury.
The central courtyard was bright. The two slowed their steps, hugging the wall, trying not to make any sound. Using the shadows in the corners, they approached the corridor lined with prayer lamps. On each glazed cover, tiny gold dust traced intricate patterns. Despite the meticulous craftsmanship, the drawings mostly depicted common things, such as rice, cloth clothes, pigs, and cattle. Below each pattern was a single character—”Wang,” “Li,” “Zhou,” “Feng”—which appeared to be surnames. The calligraphy was strong and powerful, even when carved into stone, giving off an extraordinary grandeur.
This setup seemed familiar. A thought flashed through Chen Jin’s mind, but Wu Zeng interrupted him.
Following the direction Wu Zeng pointed, Chen Jin’s gaze swept across the rows of glazed lamps and suddenly fixed on the stone pillar standing in the middle of the path. It was carved with scenes of people, money, and objects intertwined, looking deeply bizarre.
At the bottom of the stone pillar, small characters were inscribed: “Affection for money and things, when will it be cleared?”
In that instant, the scene Chen Jin had witnessed earlier at Aunt San Rong’s house reappeared in his mind. These hundreds of glazed lamps were clearly identical to the box of IOUs.
Wu Zeng pressed a finger to his lips, silently signaling a “shush.”
Chen Jin shook his head. Even if there were many strange things now, it was not appropriate to discuss them on the spot. The two continued forward, almost reaching the main hall door. They saw that this door was tightly shut, firmly secured by an iron lock on the red handle. Peeking through the glass of the door window, the sight inside the temple made both men gasp.
Unlike the soft, warm yellow light created by the lanterns in the courtyard, the temple interior was dazzlingly magnificent. Dozens of intricately shaped glazed palace lanterns hung high, their candlelight illuminating the entire space through the glass. Every ornament seemed to be dusted with gold powder, glittering brightly under the light. Huge red silk curtains hung down from the high beams, still embroidered with the strange, intertwined images of people, money, and objects.
In the center of the main hall stood a tall, unknown god statue, entirely gilded and solemnly majestic. The incense burner in front of the platform was filled with thick incense sticks, the size of a forearm, with wisps of blue smoke rising. Fresh flowers were clustered, offerings were abundant, and countless small god statues were placed around, ready for people to invite a god. The flickering candlelight made the interior look incredibly prosperous with incense, and even the scent of incense leaking through the door crack was intoxicating.
Yet, in the center of this magnificent hall, a huge coffin was placed—undoubtedly where Aunt San Rong was located. The coffin was pitch black, its surface absorbing all the light, making it stand out sharply. It lay quietly on the floor covered with a luxurious embroidered carpet. Unlike during the day, the area around the coffin was empty, with only the lingering blue smoke, wrapping around the coffin body in wisps, as if a grand funeral was underway, but the guests had yet to arrive.
Wu Zeng pulled at the door lock. The keyhole was tightly secured, and opening the door would not be easy.
“Bang!” A loud noise came from the courtyard.
The next second, an extremely subtle sound of something cutting through the air came from the side and rear. Wu Zeng reacted quickly, sidestepping while violently pushing Chen Jin backward.
“Shhh!” A black streak grazed Chen Jin’s forehead.
“Get out of the way!” Wu Zeng shouted, immediately retreating a few steps.
Chen Jin rolled behind a flower platform before abruptly turning back. He saw that two familiar figures had appeared where they had just been standing. They were dressed entirely in white, their faces painted stark white, with only the corners of their mouths smeared with red clay and elongated—they were clearly Sister Li and Uncle Liao, the pallbearers from the daytime. Now, they stood frozen like mindless puppets in front of the temple. Their cloudy eyes were motionless, and only their wrists, holding long sticks with copper bells, shook continuously, yet they made no sound.
Before Chen Jin could catch his breath, Uncle Liao lunged at him like a ghost. His left fingernails instantly elongated, black and sharp, resembling Aunt San Rong’s coffin, aiming straight for Chen Jin’s face. Chen Jin quickly dodged to the side.
The courtyard was clean and new; there was nothing readily available to use. What should he do?
Almost simultaneously, Sister Li lunged at Wu Zeng. A bizarre, maniacal smile was plastered on her face, her mouth stretched open, the red lips and white teeth chillingly eerie. This time, Wu Zeng did not dodge. He raised his leg and kicked the “fake Sister Li” in the abdomen. With just one kick, Sister Li fell straight to the ground, but her face remained expressionless. The long stick and copper bells fell with her, making a jingling sound.
Without pausing, Wu Zeng stepped forward, grabbed the back of Uncle Liao’s collar with one hand, and pulled back fiercely. The next second, a bone-jarring crack sounded—the sound of Uncle Liao’s tailbone hitting the ground—yet his expression still did not change.
The momentum of Uncle Liao and Sister Li’s attack was broken by Wu Zeng’s heavy blows, but the two were still trying to rise from the ground in an awkward, scraping posture.
Wu Zeng and Chen Jin exchanged a look. “Go!”
They headed toward the back courtyard. The back courtyard was hidden behind the main hall and completely dark, but compared to the white-clothed monsters under the bright lights, the darkness seemed safer. Chen Jin no longer cared about acting discreetly. He used his phone to light the way for them—what was called the back courtyard was actually just a narrow path, three people wide.
They quickly moved along the base of the stone wall. No other sounds followed them. It was as if entering the dark back courtyard had swallowed the frenzy of Uncle Liao and Sister Li as well.
The back wall was considerably lower than the front courtyard, but climbing over it would still not be easy. Fortunately, not far ahead, they saw a corner where miscellaneous items were piled up. Wu Zeng quickly crouched down, crossing his hands over his knees, signaling Chen Jin to step on them.
Without hesitation, Chen Jin used the leverage to push off, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and carefully flipped over the wall.
Outside the wall was a different world. This was a small, walled courtyard. The surrounding empty spaces had been tilled for planting vegetables. Hoes and water buckets were casually placed outside, making it look more like a typical village temple. The only strange thing was the small pool in the center of the back courtyard. Eight stone pillars around the pool held eight iron chains that extended into the water, as if suppressing something.
“Ding-ding…” The sound of copper bells rang out from beyond the wall, but Wu Zeng had not yet appeared. Chen Jin anxiously shouted, “Wu Zeng!”
Perhaps the shout worked, as Wu Zeng quickly flipped over from the opposite side. Through the bright moonlight, Chen Jin clearly saw the lacerated wound on his shoulder and the two white-clothed figures relentlessly pursuing him.
“Wu Zeng!” Chen Jin’s eyes were bloodshot. An unprecedented sense of panic and fury instantly overwhelmed him. He spun around, grabbed a hoe leaning against the wall, and as Uncle Liao and Sister Li landed, he swung it straight at their foreheads.
Chen Jin charged forward in anger. As he passed Wu Zeng, Wu Zeng couldn’t even grab him. “Xiao Jin!”
The thick smell of blood mixed with the air entering his nostrils. Before he could unleash his fury, the familiar feeling of dizziness struck. Chen Jin felt the world spin. As he fell, Wu Zeng reached out and steadily caught him, but only one thought remained in Chen Jin’s mind: “Did I get injured?”