A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

The black smoke from the direction of Qingshi Temple shot straight into the night sky.

Unlike a fire.

It doesn't resemble a forest fire at all.

The plume of smoke was thin, straight, and a deep, dark black.

It's like someone lit a stick of incense on the back mountain to guide the dead.

Chen Bufan stood outside the Wenxuan Hall, and after just one glance, his face darkened completely.

"Walk."

Lin Wanqing immediately followed.

Zhang Shouyuan also struggled to his feet and walked out.

He had just been struck by the Black Fate Mark; his face was pale, and his steps were noticeably unsteady.

The old Taoist priest Qingyang reached out and helped him up.

"Old Zhang, are you still going?"

Zhang Shouyuan looked up at the black smoke rising from the back mountain.

"Chen Laojiu is inside."

"The people I brought out."

"I have to go."

Chen Bufan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Lin Wanqing had already taken out her phone.

After the sealing formation was broken, communications were restored.

She quickly dialed the number.

"Requesting backup."

Location: Qingshiguan, behind Yunding Mountain.

"Chen Laojiu is suspected of being illegally detained, and there may be a dangerous mystical formation at the scene."

"Notify fire department, emergency medical services, and mountain search and rescue."

"Also, control all entrances and exits of the Xuanmen Association."

"All personnel related to Yan Shouyi and Bai Yunhe in the Wenxuan Hall have been brought back for investigation."

The person on the other end of the phone responded immediately.

After hanging up, Lin Wanqing looked at Chen Bufan.

"The fastest support will take at least twenty minutes."

Chen Bufan said:

"I can't wait."

Lin Wanqing nodded.

"I know."

She checked the gun again and put the magazine back in.

"Walk."

Just as the group was about to leave, they suddenly heard footsteps behind them.

The old Taoist priest Qingyang caught up with them.

Behind him were several older members of the Xuanmen sect.

These people had just stood up and spoke up for Zhang Shouyuan in the Wenxuan Hall.

Among them were a tall, thin old man, a middle-aged female talisman master, and two Taoist priests in blue robes.

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"What are you doing here?"

The old Taoist priest Qingyang said in a deep voice:

"Qingshi Temple is a former temple under the name of the Xuanmen Association."

"With such a thing happening in the Wenxuan Palace today, we old folks can no longer pretend we didn't see it."

The middle-aged female talisman master also spoke up:

"Strictly guard the soul of the fetus."

"The white crane brings disaster."

"The association also has black talismans for changing one's fate."

"If we don't investigate Qing Shi Temple thoroughly tonight, the Xuanmen sect will truly have no face to show in public."

Another tall, thin old man whispered:

"We're not here to cause trouble."

"The old formations at Qing Shi Guan are complex; we can offer some assistance."

Lin Wanqing looked at Chen Bufan.

Chen Bufan said calmly:

"Follow if you want."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"But once you're inside, don't act like a senior."

"Don't talk about江湖 (jianghu) rules."

"And don't touch anything without permission."

"This is not a place for philosophical discussions."

"It's a trap."

Qingyang the old Taoist smiled bitterly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen."

"If we still can't distinguish between good and evil after today, we've lived for decades in vain."

Chen Bufan didn't say anything more.

The group followed the stone steps behind the cultural park, heading deeper into Yunding Mountain.

The night grew deeper.

The mountain breeze rustled through the forest.

The black smoke continued to rise straight up in the distance.

It's like giving them directions.

After leaving the Taoist Culture Park, the streetlights gradually disappeared.

There was only an old stone road ahead.

The weeds on both sides of the stone path are very tall.

It's obvious that no one has walked here for a long time.

Zhang Shouyuan walked ahead, his voice a little hoarse.

"This road is called the Old Incense Road."

"Back when the incense at Qing Shi Temple was still burning, believers would go up the mountain from here."

"Later, Qing Shi Temple was abandoned, and this road also fell into disrepair."

Lin Wanqing asked:

Why was it abandoned?

Zhang Shouyuan remained silent for a moment.

"Because that place was used to ward off evil spirits."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"What did you suppress?"

Zhang Shouyuan did not answer immediately.

Qingyang the old Taoist's expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"Old Zhang, you can't be talking about...?"

Zhang Shouyuan nodded.

"A life coffin."

Lin Wanqing paused slightly.

"A coffin of death?"

Zhang Shouyuan said as he walked:

"In the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), coffins do not necessarily only contain dead people."

"Some coffins are used to store evil spirits."

"Some coffins contain souls."

"Some coffins are for debts."

"The coffin of life contains life itself."

Lin Wanqing's face darkened.

"The life of a living person?"

"It could also be the remaining life of a dead person."

Zhang Shouyuan said.

"The coffin at Qing Shi Temple is said to have been left over from many years ago."

"No one knows exactly who left it."

All I know is that the coffin can't be opened.

"If it opens, people will die in the temple."

Chen Bufan said coldly:

"If it can't be opened, why not destroy it?"

Zhang Shouyuan sighed.

"It can't be destroyed."

"Several senior members of the Xuanmen Association tried it back then."

"It can't be burned."

"It can't be split open."

It sinks in water but doesn't sink.

"It's uneasy to be buried in the ground."

"Later, the only option was to suppress it under the well at Qing Shi Guan."

Lin Wanqing immediately grasped the key words.

"Down in the well?"

Bai Yunhe also said this before he died.

Qingshi Temple.

At the end of the old incense path.

Below the well.

Don't go down the well.

Chen Bufan's gaze grew even colder.

"Therefore, Chen Laojiu is very likely imprisoned in the well."

Zhang Shouyuan nodded.

"Very likely."

Lin Wanqing asked:

"Is the coffin related to the Chen family?"

Zhang Shouyuan looked at Chen Bufan and remained silent for a few seconds.

"It might be related."

Chen Bufan said:

"explain."

Zhang Shouyuan said:

"After the Chen family's incident twenty years ago, Qing Shi Temple was briefly closed once."

"At that time, the Xuanmen Association claimed it was for renovations."

"But I heard that someone sent something to Qing Shi Temple."

Chen Bufan asked:

"What is it?"

Zhang Shouyuan shook his head.

"have no idea."

"All I know is that things started going wrong at Qing Shi Temple after that."

"Someone heard a coffin being knocked on from down the well at night."

"Three of the caretakers at the Taoist temple went insane within a month."

"Later, the association simply abandoned Qing Shi Guan."

Lin Wanqing whispered:

"Abandoning it is just a public statement."

Zhang Shouyuan nodded.

"It now appears that someone has been using it privately all along."

Chen Bufan recalled Bai Yunhe's dying words.

Chen Daoyuan is now addressed as "Mr."

Chen Laojiu at Qingshi Temple.

Below the well.

Don't go down the well.

A life coffin.

Twenty years ago, after the Chen family was wiped out, some items were sent to Qing Shi Temple.

All the clues are like a net, tightening more and more.

And the person in the center of the network is very likely Chen Daoyuan.

After walking for about ten minutes, the mountain path suddenly narrowed.

The trees on both sides became denser.

A faint smell of paper ash began to waft in the air.

Lin Wanqing stopped in her tracks.

"Can you smell it?"

Chen Bufan nodded.

"Paper money".

A few steps further on, scattered white papers began to appear on the ground.

It's not ordinary paper.

They are pieces of paper cut from the paper figure.

The old Taoist priest Qingyang looked grim.

"This isn't right."

"Qingshi Temple has been abandoned for many years, how come there are so many new papers here?"

The middle-aged female talisman master squatted down and picked up a piece of white paper.

She glanced at it, and her fingers trembled violently.

"There are life lines on it."

Chen Bufan took the blank paper.

The edges of the paper have very faint black lines.

It's not a complete black life mark.

It's more like a fragment of a talisman.

Chen Bufan crumpled the paper into pieces.

"Chen Daoyuan's things."

Zhang Shouyuan looked solemn.

"Did he set up a paper doll formation at Qing Shi Temple?"

Chen Bufan said:

"This is not an ordinary paper doll formation."

"These pieces of paper are for guidance."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"Lure us?"

Chen Bufan looked up and gazed ahead.

"Um."

"He knew we were coming."

The group continued forward.

Soon, a dilapidated Taoist temple appeared at the end of the mountain road.

Qingshi Temple.

The signboard is crooked.

The paint is peeling off.

The stone steps in front of the door are covered with moss.

The lanterns on both sides are all white.

A breeze blew, and the white lanterns swayed gently.

There was no fire.

It was as if countless eyes were watching the newcomer from the shadows.

The black smoke was rising from inside the temple.

Chen Bufan stopped in front of the mountain gate.

The gates of the Taoist temple were wide open.

It was pitch black inside.

But under the lintel, there were countless white paper figures hanging.

One.

two.

ten.

Hundreds.

The paper figure was suspended by thin threads.

Swaying gently in the wind.

Each paper figure has a pair of black eyes drawn on its face.

The eyes do not have pupils.

They all turned towards the door.

It was as if they had been waiting for them all along.

Lin Wanqing raised her gun.

The criminal police officers immediately went on alert.

Old Taoist Qingyang gasped.

"This is not a welcome."

"This is a funeral procession."

Zhang Shouyuan's face turned pale.

"Qingshi Temple didn't have these things before."

Chen Bufan looked at the white paper figures inside the door.

Suddenly, the corner of one of the paper figures' mouths slowly split open.

It looks like a smile.

Immediately afterwards, all the paper figures shook at the same time.

A hoarse voice came from the wind.

It's very light.

But it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Young Master."

"You've finally arrived."

Chen Bufan's eyes instantly turned extremely cold.

That sound.

It's Chen Laojiu.