Chapter 10: The Temple of the Five Manifestations (4)

Blood rushed straight up through the vessels into Liu Dashao’s head, leaving him momentarily dazed. Oh my god, those old gossips in the village were actually right! Why did he suddenly have this thought? It turned out that since the beginning of the year, their village had been unusually restless, often witnessing strange events that became popular topics of conversation. The most widely spread ghost story was closely related to the small temple they were now in.

It was said that as soon as night fell, many small lights would wander around the Five Manifestations Temple. A beggar once dared to spend the night here, but the next day, he was completely gone. At that time, Liu Dashao naturally hadn’t taken such things seriously.

However, the elders’ expressions when talking about it seemed genuine, not just idle gossip. Therefore, ordinary people would never dare to stay here alone for long, especially in the dark. Thinking about this, Liu Dashao finally felt a bit of regret for his recklessness.

Slowly, the large characters written in vermilion on the plaque of the temple began to peel off from above Liu Dashao’s head. The red liquid transformed into streams of winding tears, dripping down wherever his eyes could see, like drifting blood lotuses of Mara. The surroundings were dyed a vivid red, as if the entire temple had just been soaked in blood. The two of them involuntarily looked up to see that the full moon in the sky had turned blood-red, emitting a dazzling crimson glow.

Witnessing this scene, Liu Dashao’s heart leapt to his throat. The previous boldness had gradually faded, and now sweat began to flow down his face again.

Just as he didn’t know what to do, he suddenly caught a whiff of a pungent urine smell. It turned out that the timid Dog Egg had wet himself out of fear, his entire pants soaked and utterly pathetic. Hearing the commotion, Tian Guoqiang didn’t say a word, merely gripping the kerosene lamp tightly in both hands until his knuckles turned white from the pressure.

Perhaps the stench from Dog Egg’s urine had cleared his mind a bit, Liu Dashao’s eyes regained some clarity. Looking around fearfully, he nervously said, “Let’s go. I feel like something is really off.”

Tian Guoqiang moved closer to him and persuaded, “Those unclean things are wandering outside! If we go out now and get surrounded by those ghosts, we won’t even have a chance to escape. At least in the temple, we still have the protection of Lord Ling. If you really want to leave, there’s no rush right now.”

“This…” Liu Dashao was usually the leader, but now, how could he come up with any plan? He had already lost his composure and, after a while, trembled as he said, “Alright, I’ll follow your suggestion for now!”

“I told you not to eat the apples of Lord Ling! You had to eat one, and not satisfied with just one, you even stole another. Do you think it’s buy one get one free? Now look what’s happened! The evil ghosts have come knocking, they’ll skin you alive!” Tian Guoqiang’s face turned pale with fear, incessantly pointing at Liu Dashao while kneeling before the shrine, chanting, “Honored Five Lords above, your descendants are here tonight merely to visit you. Please protect us and ensure our safe return. We promise to offer double, no! Triple the tributes next time, and burn a good incense for you.”

At some unknown point, the flames from the red candles beside the statue had turned a bluish hue, rising several feet high. The flames seemed to have no heat at all, and the surrounding temperature had dropped significantly. Liu Dashao, watching this from a distance, was so shocked that his mouth dropped open.

Tian Guoqiang’s face was illuminated by the blue flame, appearing especially terrifying, his dull eyes emitting an eerie glow. Unaware of this himself, he continued to pray softly while bowing. But Liu Dashao’s mouth kept opening wider and wider, gradually forming an exaggerated “O” shape. Beside him, Dog Egg and Xiao Mazi clung to each other, trembling and crying out loud.

In their line of sight, the faces of the five Ling statues, made of clay, began to show expressions like humans.

It was clearly, a smile!

“Kokko… kokkokko…”

After a moment of stifling laughter, a piercing, heart-wrenching scream tore through the roof of the Ling Temple, as if even the gods and Buddhas in the heavens had been startled. The hazy sandalwood fragrance, seemingly pushed by something, appeared to possess a “human” perception, rapidly gathering and dispersing, as if trying to escape something.

Immediately after, Liu Dashao frantically grabbed the dazed Tian Guoqiang and dragged him toward the exit. His facial muscles spasmed grotesquely, and he screamed in broken sentences, “Buddha, the Ling smiled, monsters, monsters!”

Dog Egg and Xiao Mazi also came to their senses, rushing out in a panic, fearing that if they stayed a moment longer, they would be swallowed whole by the monsters inside.

“Kokko… kokkokko…” The temple echoed with an extremely terrifying laugh, seemingly carrying a hint of mockery. Looking from a corner of the room, one could faintly see the shoulders of the five Lings shaking continuously.

Could it be them laughing? What were they laughing at?

Birds on the old tree were frightened and flapped their wings to fly away, shrieking as they fled.

In the deathly silent night, amidst the damp air of the valley, a nauseating stench of blood suddenly surged.

“Dog Egg, you little bastard, why are you pulling me? You’re almost twisting my arm off!” At the temple gate, Tian Guoqiang, who had been stunned by hitting his butt on the threshold, finally regained a bit of consciousness, rubbing his sore spot and cursing.

Liu Dashao’s face darkened, merely gesturing for Tian Guoqiang to look into the temple. As Tian instinctively turned his head, his eyes rolled back, his heels kicked, and he nearly fainted again.

“Ghosts!”

A cold wind blew, the laughter pierced through walls into the room, circling in their ears, no matter how hard they tried to block it, they couldn’t stop it.

Greenish ghost lights floated uncertainly left and right, seemingly far away yet close at hand. The four of them screamed out loud, not caring about anything anymore, fleeing in panic down the stone path. The sight was more spectacular than an army of hundreds of thousands discarding their armor and fleeing.

“Ouch, I’m scared to death, scared to death.” Finally down the mountain, Liu Dashao gasped for breath after a long pant. Just as he was about to call out to Tian Guoqiang and the others, he discovered that these three guys had somehow disappeared, running off who knows where.

Damn, could it be these little bastards finally had a moment of conscience, staying behind to draw the attention of the evil ghosts to cover my retreat? Liu Dashao, who had read too many war comics, couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional, but he also knew that the chances of this happening were even slimmer than an old maid finding a husband. So, using the moonlight, he lowered his head to scan the ground.

In a patch of sandy ground, three rows of footprints were clearly visible. Judging from the direction of the shoe tips, they were obviously heading toward the village, with two shallow and one deep track. Without a doubt, the deep one was the work of Dog Egg, the heavenly marshal.

Although he didn’t know if the five old monsters from the temple had followed them, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it, when it really matters, they all run faster than me!”

Cursing aside, he still had to go back. Defeated and dejected, Liu Dashao gritted his teeth, vowing to expose all the misdeeds of these three kids when he returned. Thus, while walking in the dark, he began listing the major crimes committed by the leading comrade, Tian Guoqiang.

After counting the fingers on his left hand, he moved to his right. After counting all his fingers, he even started counting his toes, but it still didn’t seem enough.

“Peeping at widows bathing…”

“Tricking the blind to hit walls…”

Blood surged through his veins straight to his head, leaving Liu Dashao momentarily dazed. “Mother!” he thought. “What those old folks in the village said was true after all!” Why had this thought suddenly crossed his mind? It all started earlier this year when their village became unsettled, with strange occurrences happening frequently, and the most widely circulated ghost story was closely related to the small temple they were now in.

It was said that as soon as it got dark, small lights would wander around the Wuxian Lingguan Temple. Some brave beggars who tried to spend the night here would vanish without a trace by the next day. Back then, Liu Dashao naturally dismissed such tales.

But the way the elders spoke about it didn’t seem like mere hearsay or baseless rumors. Therefore, most people dared not linger here alone for too long, let alone in the pitch dark. Reflecting on this, Liu Dashao finally felt a twinge of regret for his earlier recklessness.

Slowly, the vermilion-painted, thin-gold calligraphy on the temple’s plaque began to peel off from above Liu Dashao’s head. The red liquid transformed into winding teardrops, dripping and splattering everywhere, like scattered blood lotuses. The surroundings were dyed a vivid red, as if the entire temple had just been soaked in blood. When they looked up, they saw the moon in the sky had turned blood-red, emitting a dazzling crimson light.

At this sight, Liu Dashao’s heart leaped into his throat. The boldness he had felt earlier gradually faded, and sweat began to trickle down his face again.

Just as he was at a loss, a pungent smell of urine hit his nose. It turned out that the timid Gou Dan had wet himself, his pants completely soaked, a pitiful sight. Tian Guoqiang, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, remained silent, his hands tightly gripping the kerosene lamp, his knuckles turning white from the strain.

Perhaps the smell of Gou Dan’s urine snapped Liu Dashao back to his senses. He glanced around nervously and said in a shaky voice, “Let’s get out of here. Something feels really off.”

Tian Guoqiang moved closer to him and advised, “Those unclean things are still lurking outside! If we go out now and get surrounded by those ghosts, we won’t even have a chance to escape. At least in the temple, we have the protection of the Lingguan. If you really want to leave, it’s not urgent right now.”

“This…” Liu Dashao, usually the leader, was now at a loss for what to do. His composure had already crumbled. After a moment, he stammered, “Alright, let’s follow your plan for now.”

“I told you not to eat the Lingguan’s apples, but you just had to! One wasn’t enough, you even stole another! Did you think it was buy one, get one free? Now the evil spirits are here to skin you alive!” Tian Guoqiang’s face was pale as he scolded Liu Dashao incessantly. Then he knelt before the altar, muttering, “Oh great Lingguan lords, we’re just here to pay our respects tonight. Please protect us and let us return safely. We’ll double—no, triple—your offerings and burn the finest incense for you.”

At some point, the flames of the red candles beside the statues had turned a ghostly blue, rising several feet high. The flames seemed to emit no heat, and the temperature around them dropped significantly. Seeing this, Liu Dashao’s mouth fell open in shock.

Tian Guoqiang’s face, illuminated by the blue flames, looked especially terrifying, his eyes glowing with an eerie light. Unaware of this, he continued to pray and kowtow. Meanwhile, Liu Dashao’s mouth widened into an exaggerated “O.” Gou Dan and Xiao Ma, trembling and clinging to each other, burst into tears.

In their vision, the faces of the five Lingguan statues, molded from clay, seemed to come alive, their expressions unmistakably human.

They were smiling.

“Giggle… giggle…”

After a moment of suffocating laughter, a heart-wrenching scream pierced through the temple roof, as if even the gods in the heavens above were startled. The faint scent of sandalwood, seemingly pushed by an unseen force, gathered and dispersed rapidly, as if trying to evade something.

Liu Dashao frantically grabbed the dazed Tian Guoqiang and dragged him outside, his facial muscles twitching grotesquely as he stammered, “Bodhisattva, the Lingguan is laughing! Monsters, monsters!”

Gou Dan and Xiao Ma also snapped out of their stupor, scrambling to escape, terrified that they might be devoured by the monsters inside if they were even a second late.

“Giggle… giggle…” The temple echoed with horrifying laughter, tinged with a hint of mockery. From a corner of the room, one could vaguely see the shoulders of the five Lingguan statues shaking.

Were they laughing? What were they laughing at?

The birds in the old tree were startled, flapping their wings and fleeing with strange cries.

In the dead silence of the night, amidst the dampness of the valley, a nauseating stench of blood surged forth.

“Dog boy, why the hell are you dragging me? You’re about to wrench my arm off!” Outside the temple, Tian Guoqiang, who had bumped his butt against the threshold and seemed to have lost his senses, finally regained a bit of consciousness, cursing as he rubbed the sore spot.

Liu Dashao, his face dark, simply gestured for Tian Guoqiang to look back into the temple. Tian Guoqiang instinctively turned his head, and his eyes rolled back as he nearly fainted again.

“Ghosts!”

A chilling wind swept through, and the laughter seemed to penetrate the walls, swirling around their ears, impossible to block out no matter how they tried.

Greenish ghost fires floated left and right, sometimes seeming miles away, other times right at their fingertips. The four of them screamed, abandoning all caution, and fled headlong down the stone path. The scene was more chaotic than an army of hundreds of thousands in disarray.

“Ugh, I’m scared to death, scared to death!” Finally reaching the foot of the mountain, Liu Dashao gasped for breath, about to call out to Tian Guoqiang and the others, only to find that the three of them had disappeared without a trace.

“Damn it, did those bastards actually have a moment of conscience and stay behind to distract the evil spirits so I could escape?” Liu Dashao, who had read too many war comics, felt his eyes well up with tears. But he knew the likelihood of that happening was even lower than an old spinster finding a man. So, under the moonlight, he lowered his head and scanned the ground.

In the sandy soil, three sets of footprints were clearly visible. The direction of the shoe prints was unmistakably toward the village, with two shallow and one deep set. Needless to say, the deep one was undoubtedly the handiwork of Gou Dan, the “Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy.”

Though he didn’t know if the five old monsters from the temple had followed them, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it, in a crisis, they all run faster than me!”

Cursing aside, he still had to return. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth, vowing to expose the shameful deeds of those three once he got back. As he walked in the dark, he began counting on his fingers the major crimes committed by the ringleader, Comrade Tian Guoqiang.

After counting on one hand, he moved to the other. When he ran out of fingers, he realized that even if he included his toes, it still wouldn’t be enough.

“Peeking at the widow while she bathed…”

“Tricking the blind man into walking into a wall…”

“Wearing a foreign watch, encouraging the corrupt habits of the village cadres’ children…”