Excessive ferocity due to caution

Da da da—

Da da—

The torrential rain pounded on the eaves, splashing countless droplets that drifted into the depths of the soil in the twilight.

Even amidst the cacophony, the piercing screams emanating from the main hall could still be heard. Zhao Yi and his companions' rooms were not far from the main hall, only a few hundred meters away. Hearing the noise, he got up, went to the window, and pushed it open. Outside, the heavy rain showed no signs of stopping, but he could see many candles flickering in the distant corridor…

These are all monks holding lamps.

Zhao Yi carried the candle from inside the room, covered it with a glass dome, and went outside. The wind outside was cold, blowing his flowing hair into a middle part.

The candlelight in my hand, thanks to the glass dome, emitted a fairly bright glow in the darkness.

"Clap clap clap..."

"Slap slap..."

As I passed by next door, the young couple inside were still playing a game of clapping, completely oblivious to what was happening outside.

About ten meters ahead in the corridor stood a hunched, dark figure.

She had long, black hair and was barefoot.

Zhao Yi's evil eyes could only see her character information; this hunched old woman was the sorceress who had come up the mountain from the foot of the mountain.

Without stopping, Zhao Yi walked past her.

"young people……"

The fortune teller suddenly spoke.

Zhao Yi stopped in his tracks.

"Um?"

The sorceress appeared silently behind Zhao Yi, her voice chilling:

"Why burn the old woman's hair?"

Zhao Yi turned around and glanced at the fortune teller.

The other person's face was deeply lined, making him look more like a ghost than a human, and more like a human than a ghost.

Why put hair in food?

The two stared at each other for a moment, then the sorceress slightly raised her eyelids, a chilling smile appearing on her lips:

"young people……"

"It's not too late to leave now."

Zhao blinked and said:

"You'd be more suited to say that to the young couple next door."

After saying that, Zhao Yi took a candle and headed towards the main hall.

The sorceress gazed at Zhao Yi's retreating figure, her eyes filled with profound meaning.

The night wind kept lashing at her face with raindrops, but the sorceress seemed oblivious. Only after Zhao Yi opened his bamboo umbrella and disappeared completely into the distance did she push open her door and step into the dark room…

...

Inside the main hall, a large number of monks were gathered.

They lit candles, and the hall was immediately brightly lit. The candlelight dispelled the chill of the rainy night. When Zhao Yi arrived, he shook the rain off his umbrella and saw the monks, their faces pale, carrying out a strange corpse...

The corpse was gruesomely killed, covered in green hair, its expression twisted in terror, as if it had witnessed something extremely horrific before its death...

A putrid, musty stench emanated from the corpse.

The monk Huijue, who had previously dined with Zhao Yi, came to Zhao Yi's side, put his hands together in prayer, and said to Zhao Yi:

"I'm sorry... Benefactor Zhao, I've disturbed you."

Zhao Yi watched as the monk's body was carried away and asked:

"Who died?"

Huijue's expression was slightly solemn:

"It is my junior brother, Huipu."

"How did he die?"

"This humble monk does not know."

Zhao Yi glanced at the main hall and asked:

"Can I go in and take a look?"

Huijue looked troubled:

"this……"

Just as he hesitated, the abbot's voice came from behind him:

"Huijue, please let Benefactor Zhao in."

Huijue immediately stepped aside, making way for him.

Zhao Yi placed the umbrella outside, wiped the water off his shoes on the steps, and then walked into the main hall. The candlelight cast shadows on his face.

Greetings, Abbot.

Zhao Yi also clasped his hands together and bowed to Huifa.

Huifa sighed:

"I'm so sorry, Benefactor Zhao, the temple may not be very safe lately... It's been raining heavily in the mountains for another month or two, so you won't be able to leave."

"This old monk will send someone to protect your safety. Please, Mr. Zhao, refrain from wandering around these days to avoid any unforeseen events..."

Zhao Yi thanked Huifa, then suddenly sniffed the air and said:

"How strange..."

"Even though Master Huipu's body was already taken away, why is there still such a strong, musty stench in the air?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall looked at each other in surprise, realizing the problem.

"Yes, Master... why is there still such a strong musty smell in the hall?"

The young monks who had been in charge of chanting sutras at night with the deceased Huipu looked puzzled. They looked around and sniffed, trying to find the source of the smell.

Zhao Yi looked at the coffin in the center of the hall and said:

"The smell seems to be coming from there."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes were focused on the coffin. Abbot Huifa frowned and couldn't help but step forward to examine it. After a brief inspection, his expression changed slightly!

But soon, Huifa's expression returned to normal.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with Master Hongmu's body."

"It's probably the damp air that's causing the smell from the coffin."

He said it calmly.

Then, in a stern tone, he addressed the other monks:

"From this day forward, all of you responsible for reciting the scriptures must not slacken in the slightest!"

"You can only rest after the monks take over the shift tomorrow morning. This concerns the very survival of the entire temple, so there can be no slackening whatsoever. Do you understand?"

The monks immediately agreed.

Zhao Yi wanted to go forward and examine the body himself, but Huifa stopped him, saying:

"Benefactor Zhao, a terrifying evil spirit is sealed within Master Hongmu's golden statue. Please do not approach, lest something untoward happen..."

Although he spoke politely, his body resolutely blocked Zhao Yi's path.

Then he said to the young monk Huijue:

"Huijue, please escort Benefactor Zhao back to his room to rest."

"These next few days, you will stay by Zhao's side and protect his safety!"

Huijue accepted the order, walked to Zhao Yi's side, and gestured with his sleeve:

"Please, Benefactor Zhao."

Zhao Yi glanced at Huifa, thanked him, and then turned and followed Huijue out of the main hall.

As the two walked back to their room, Zhao Yi suddenly spoke up and asked Huijue:

"Huijue, was Huipu the only one who died inside the main hall?"

Huijue was taken aback upon hearing this, and then said:

"Yes."

"According to the descriptions of the other fellow disciples in the main hall, a terrifying gust of cold wind blew into the hall. Immediately afterwards, half of the candles in the hall went out. Then, Junior Brother Huipu started muttering something in place, and his voice grew louder and louder until it became a roar. His body began to swell, rot, and grow green mold..."

"And then... he died."

Zhao Yi recalled the furnishings inside the main hall.

Three hundred candles were lit all around, and the corpse of Master Hongmu lay in the center.

A night breeze blew, just enough to extinguish half of the candle flame.

Then Huipu died.

It seems... there's nowhere left with any clues.

However, judging from Abbot Huifa's expression when he saw Master Hongmu's body in the coffin, the body was probably covered in green hair as well.

Although the musty smell on the redwood corpse wasn't as strong as the smell on the dead Huipu, it was still very noticeable.

What does this mean?

Has the strange power sealed within Master Hongmu's body... been revived?

PS: This is the second update. This story has more details and is quite interesting.

If the next update isn't out by 11 PM, everyone should go to sleep.

Goodnight, my darlings.