My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The bodyguards listened, mesmerized, as if through his narration they had glimpsed a glimpse of the magnificent, golden, and ethereal celestial realm.

They were even more amazed when they heard that Sun Wukong had stolen peaches from the Heavenly Palace and drunk imperial wine.

A bodyguard named Chen Qi couldn't help but ask.

"Master, those peaches of immortality... are they really as the stories say, that eating them can instantly make one an immortal, living as long as heaven and earth?"

Ye Qingfeng smiled slightly and continued the conversation: "Legend has it that there is indeed a peach orchard at the Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool."

There are 3,600 peach trees in the garden. The first 1,200 of them have tiny flowers and fruits that ripen once every 3,000 years. People who eat them will become immortals and attain spiritual enlightenment, becoming healthy and light-hearted.

The middle 1,200 trees ripen once every 6,000 years. If a person eats them, they will ascend to heaven and live forever.

The following 1,200 plants, with their purple veins and fine kernels, ripen once every nine thousand years. Those who eat them will live as long as heaven and earth, and be as old as the sun and moon.

This detailed and nuanced description made the bodyguards breathe a little faster.

It was as if the peaches, which ripen only once every nine thousand years and have purple veins and fine pits, were right in front of me, radiating an alluring luster.

Immortality, living as long as heaven and earth! This is the dream of countless emperors, generals, and chivalrous heroes!

The dark-faced head镖师 stared intently at Ye Qingfeng, his tone filled with even deeper inquiry.

"Master Ye... you know so much about the secrets of the Heavenly Palace and the Queen Mother's treasures? Could it be...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning in his eyes was clear—this Taoist priest probably really had some background.

Ye Qingfeng inwardly cursed, "It's been made up," but remained calm on the surface and waved his hand.

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings. You jest, layman. These are merely strange tales compiled by our predecessors and passed down orally."

I overheard this by chance, and I'm sharing it with you all to amuse you. Don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously at all.

"A fabricated story?" Chen Qi scratched his head, looking completely confused.

"But it sounds... plausible, not like it was made up out of thin air."

The description of the peach orchard, its age and efficacy, was as if they had actually seen it...

Ye Qingfeng smiled but said nothing, and simply picked up the water pouch and took a sip.

The more nonchalant he appeared, the stronger the sense that "this Taoist priest is probably not simple" became among the bodyguards.

If it were truly made up, how could such a well-structured, magnificent, and realistically detailed "heavenly" event be fabricated?

At this moment, another bodyguard seemed to want to break the somewhat delicate silence and brought the topic back to the more "down-to-earth" fear.

"Hey, that's too far in the future, let's talk about something closer to home."

I heard that a few years ago, boatmen kept disappearing on the Blackwater River. It was later discovered that there was a water ghost that had been living underwater for years looking for a replacement…”

"What's a water ghost?" someone immediately chimed in.

"My hometown is really strange. There's an abandoned old house where you can always hear a woman crying and getting married in the middle of the night."

They say she was a girl who died of illness before getting married, and became a ghost bride who would drag passing men to her wedding ceremony, then disappear without a trace afterward…

The bodyguards started vying to tell all sorts of ghost stories they had heard, perhaps because of Ye Qingfeng's "heavenly" remarks earlier.

I always felt that these stories of river demons, mountain ghosts, and wandering spirits suddenly seemed to have a much smaller scope, lacking the shock and impact that comes with being frightening.

As they talked, everyone's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Ye Qingfeng, who was listening quietly.

The black-faced镖头 (bodyguard/escort) said, "Master Ye, you are very knowledgeable. You must have some insights into these matters of gods and ghosts."

In your opinion, Taoist priest, what kind of ghost or demon is the most terrifying in this world?

Ye Qingfeng was listening to those old-fashioned ghost stories and was somewhat distracted when he heard this, so he came back to his senses.

He looked around at the dilapidated temple, its light flickering in and out of the firelight. The decaying statues stood silently in the shadows, and the wind howled outside the temple like a mournful cry.

A classic horror idea, more suitable for the situation, came to mind.

He put down his water bag and slowly scanned the faces of everyone sitting around the campfire.

The firelight danced in their eyes, casting flickering shadows behind them that seemed ready to come alive at any moment.

His voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange penetrating power, drowning out the wind outside the temple and the crackling of the firewood:

"What you all speak of—the water ghosts that steal lives and the haunted brides who claim lives—is indeed terrifying, but it has form and traces, and can ultimately be prevented. In my humble opinion..."

He paused, making sure everyone was focused, before speaking slowly in an almost whispered yet incredibly clear tone:

"...The most terrifying thing is never the cruelty of ghosts and monsters that takes lives, only to make you realize that one of them is missing."

The temple fell silent instantly; even breathing seemed to subside.

Ye Qingfeng's gaze deepened, as if looking into some void beyond the crowd, his voice carrying a chill that seemed to rise from the ground:

"But... when you think everything is normal, with family and friends gathered around, the lights are warm and inviting, you count the number of people with peace of mind, and you feel at ease."

But for some reason, a thought crossed your mind, or perhaps it was just subconscious, and you counted a second time…

With each sentence he spoke, his pace slowed, and the light of the campfire seemed to dim accordingly.

"...Only then will you realize with a chilling realization—"

His gaze abruptly shifted, sharply sweeping across the suddenly stiff faces of each bodyguard, before finally uttering those chilling words:

"The number of people is not right."

"You know exactly how many people there should be. But now... there's one extra."

"It sits right among you, wearing familiar clothes, with a familiar face, and even a familiar voice and memories."

You look at everyone and feel that it's him, yet you also feel that it isn't.

You can't tell who shouldn't be here, or... whether you yourself even belong to the group that should be here.

The words fell.

"hiss--"

Someone gasped in surprise.

The campfire suddenly flickered, bursting into a string of slightly larger sparks, and then the light seemed to dim considerably.

The shadows in the four corners of the temple took the opportunity to expand and writhe, as if something was quietly taking shape in the darkness.

All the bodyguards, including the black-faced head bodyguard, felt an indescribable chill creep up their spines.

It instantly covered my entire body, making every hair on my body stand on end!

Almost instinctively and stiffly, they turned their necks to look at their companions, their eyes filled with astonishment and barely suppressed fear.

The fright from those stories of water ghosts and the ghost bride.

Compared to the sinister questioning of "existence" itself and the foundation of "cognition" implied by this "one more person," it seems like child's play!

Chen Qi's face turned pale, his teeth chattered slightly, and he couldn't help but count in a low voice: "One, two, three..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through the count, as if afraid of uttering a number he shouldn't have.

Inside the temple, you could hear a pin drop; the only sounds were the restless flickering of the flames and the sudden, intense, yet desperately suppressed, heartbeats and breaths of the people.

The previous excitement and discussion about the story had completely vanished, leaving only a heavy, sticky fear weighing on everyone's hearts.

Seeing the instant pallor of everyone's faces and the panicked looks in their eyes, Ye Qingfeng knew that his "story" had been incredibly effective.

He never expected that a casually uttered classic horror joke from his past life could have such power in this specific environment.

Or perhaps there was too little information transmission in this ancient society. In my previous life, there were only these kinds of horror stories, which have been made to death in various movies!

He was about to say something to ease the tense atmosphere.

The dark-faced head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) coughed dryly, his voice strained, breaking the silence.

"Alright, alright! This story, Master, is truly fascinating."

"But it's really getting late, and we have to travel tomorrow, so everyone should get some rest! Don't scare yourselves unnecessarily!"

The other bodyguards, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, vaguely agreed and hurriedly wrapped themselves in their bedding.

They lay down with their backs to the fire and their companions, as if this would shut out the terrifying possibility of "one more person appearing."

No one dared to talk anymore, and the temple quickly fell into a deathly silence.

Only the campfire continued to burn tirelessly.

It illuminated several faces, still shaken and with their eyes tightly shut, as well as the darkness that descended upon them.

Ye Qingfeng touched his nose, looking at the crowd who had instantly fallen silent, and felt a little amused and exasperated.

That's enough to scare you? He hasn't even started to describe the chilling atmosphere in detail yet.

Well, at least my stomach is full, my weakness has subsided considerably, and my life is temporarily saved.

He found a corner not too far from the fire, against the wall, wrapped himself tightly in the Taoist robe he had picked up, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him as he fell into a deep sleep.