At that time, the cameras in China were not so advanced, with domestic brands like Seagull being commonly used. The photos came out fine, but when the distance was too far, the focus couldn't be adjusted and the images would come out blurred.
Zhuzi's photography skills were quite limited, and the photos were taken at night, so the whole photo was pitch black, with only the pair of glowing eyes standing out.
"What is this picture? Two light bulbs?" the fat guy joked.
"The photo isn't very clear, let me explain. This was taken on the third night after you went to Nuerhutiger Mountain. It was around 10 o'clock at night and I was just coming to scout. I hadn't been there long when I heard a noise outside the temple. It sounded like a whimper, which I found suspicious, so I hid at a distance. After a while, I saw a dark object walking in from outside. It walked very slowly, with a slight swaying gait, as if it were a wild cat. But the feeling it gave me was different from that of a wild cat. Although it looked small and delicate, its approach felt like that of a tiger."
Zhuzi's account was indeed peculiar. Although it looked like a wild cat, its walk resembled that of a tiger, and the whole story sounded strange.
"A ground beast?" the fat guy couldn't help but ask.
"Perhaps. It was very dark at the time, so I secretly took a few pictures. The stray cat got too close to me afterwards. I was afraid that the sound of the shutter would expose me, so I didn't dare to continue taking photos. It walked into the temple yard and stopped about two or three meters from the well, then started emitting a threatening growl towards the well, looking very fierce and seemed to be hostile towards the well."
As Zhuzi added a few more details, I became even more intrigued. The well of the Xuanming Temple was supposed to connect to an underground river, and there must be other strange creatures inside. Even though it looked like a wild cat, these creatures were very clever and had a keen sense of danger. If they didn't have the strength, they would stay away from danger. In other words, the wild cat dare growl at the well, then it must be quite extraordinary itself.
"What happened next?"
I kept pressing for more details.
"After that, there were strange noises coming from the well, as if something was continuously banging on the well wall. The wild cat also became nervous, and both sides confronted each other for a long time. Then, a hand suddenly reached out from the well, and the wild cat, screeching strangely, ran away. I still remember the appearance of that strange hand; it looked like a claw, with a very large palm and extremely long, sharp nails that scraped off a large piece of stone powder from the well wall. I dared not move at the time, held my breath, and waited for a while until the hand slowly retracted back into the well. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and slowly leave..."
Zhu's account was very genuine, and I believed there wasn't much exaggeration. It also confirmed my suspicion that after we killed the pale strange person, a new monster would emerge from the well.
"The situation is rather complicated. Let's go back first and discuss it with Gu Yu after three days."
In fact, I had made up my mind from the beginning to make Gu Yu and them our cannon fodder and pathfinders. And, I believe Gu Yu and them must have the same idea as us.
Three days quickly passed. It was overcast, and it had rained heavily the previous night, leaving the ground still damp. It was windy outside Xuanming Temple, and the three of us arrived outside the temple and saw a blue truck parked by the road.
"Oh, you're a bit late."
Gu Yu waved at us when he saw us and shouted.
"This guy talks too much nonsense."
Fatty muttered under his breath, but I laughed and said, "You're not much different."
When we arrived at the outskirts of Xuanming Temple, we saw several thick and very long golden threads laid on the ground, surrounding the perimeter of the temple. There were also two black barrels placed at the gate, sealed with a strip. I couldn't tell what was inside.
"What's this all about?"
Luo Qiong asked curiously. I shook my head and reminded them to be careful before stepping forward.
"The timing is perfect. Let's get ready to cast a spell, Anzi!"
Gu Yu shouted back, and both Duan An and Wei Changping went to the side of the two big barrels.
We stood behind Zhu, and Fatty asked in a low voice, "What are we doing here?"
Zhu replied in the same hushed tone, "Gu Yu said there's still Buddha light shining on the temple, and many of their methods can't be executed inside. We need to block the Buddha light for a while. I think these tools are for that purpose."
"Damn, even the Buddha light can be blocked? This guy has quite the nerve."
Fatty was immediately amazed, and Zhu shrugged and said, "I've heard about this. Some experts in the Taoist community, because the spells they use are not orthodox, will use evil methods to conceal the Buddha light and Taoist light for their convenience. This Xuanming Temple has been without incense for many years, so the Buddha light must be very faint. Since Gu Yu said it can be blocked, let's just watch."
I didn't interject, but I was very curious. It was the first time I had heard of blocking the Buddha light.
At that moment, Gu Yu was standing outside the golden line, while Duan An and Wei Changping were inside the lines, forming a triangle. Gu Yu joined his hands and made a strange hand seal, closed his eyes, and chanted a spell, but after a while, there was no movement. Fatty even yawned, getting a bit bored.
"What are they doing? It's more entertaining to watch a shaman dance."
Fatty grumbled, starting to complain.
It was nearly 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was getting darker, and it looked like it might rain again. A cold wind blew from a distance onto the front of the Xuanming Temple. It seemed to have cooled down. While I was thinking about other things, I suddenly heard Duan An and Wei Changping shouting at the same time.
"Hey!"
Two loud shouts rang out. Wei Changping and Dai An acted in complete unison, lifting their hands high and fiercely slapping the lid of the large urn next to them. With a "bang bang," the lid of the large urn was shattered. At the same time, Gu Yu, who had been continuously reciting incantations, suddenly opened his eyes and his voice, which had been quietly reciting the incantations, increased several times in volume and speed, becoming very loud and alarming.
"Quick, look!" Luo Yong pointed ahead and shouted. I focused my gaze and saw two strong plumes of black smoke drifting out from the large urn and spreading in the sky.
"Is there burning firewood in the large urn? Why is there such thick black smoke?"
Luo Yong could only see black smoke.
"Nonsense, there seems to be something in this black smoke. What kind of eyes do you have that you can't see it?"
The chubby one could vaguely see that the two plumes of black smoke contained something.
"That is not smoke, but gas, very terrifying resentment. I can hear the continuous cries in the wind, they want to use resentment to forcibly seal the Buddha's light in the temple!"
Zhuzi was after all a senior figure in the Daoist community and could see and feel more than the chubby one and Luo Yong. What I saw was not much different from what the chubby one saw, but slightly clearer, as if I could see the constantly emerging faces in the resentment, one by one, like vengeful spirits, fierce and terrifying.
"I know! This is the Golden Thread Technique, yes, the Golden Thread Technique!"
Zhuzi seemed to remember something and suddenly shouted out loudly.
"The Golden Thread Technique?"
The three of us looked over in curiosity.
"This is a kind of sorcery from the western region, it uses two tools one is golden thread, the thick gold thread spread out on the ground is what we see. This golden thread is made from the funeral clothing worn by people aged 80 or older after they die. Generally, there is less resentment on the bodies of people who die after 80, and in some cases, they even carry blessings. To outsiders, the funeral clothing is considered inauspicious, but when worn by people with blessings, it can bring good fortune. The golden thread sewn with the blessings can isolate resentment, like an insurmountable barrier. It can protect the outside world from being harmed by resentment!"
As Zhuzi spoke, the three of us could still understand what she was saying. Upon hearing it, Luo Yong asked curiously, "What about the other two urns? What are they?"
"Those are ghost urns." Zhuzi shivered slightly, her voice also seemed a bit cold in the cold wind. "Originally, I thought no one would do this nowadays, but I didn't expect to encounter genuine ones today. It was also my failure to see through it before. So these three people are raising ghosts, no wonder I always felt a sense of gloom around them."
The more Zhuzi said, the more mysterious it became. While we were talking, the two resentments had already gathered above Xuanming Temple, but instead of dispersing, they condensed together, forming a large black curtain that covered the entire Xuanming Temple!