Excessive ferocity due to caution

"Thompson, was the Taoist priest the only one who lived here before?"

Upon hearing this, Thomson turned his gaze to Edward.

"Yes, Mr. Edward."

"The Taoist priest disliked being disturbed by outsiders during his lifetime, so he lived in seclusion in the deep mountains and forests, detached from worldly affairs."

The flames in the brazier gradually subsided.

But the shadows behind them were growing larger rapidly.

晇！

Thomson picked up a split piece of dry firewood and threw it into the brazier.

As Huo Yi got excited, the dark shadow behind him shrank back again.

"However, I remember that before this nameless Taoist priest ascended to heaven, he had a disciple in the mortal world."

"I think his name is Ning Jiang... if I remember correctly."

Behind Thomson was a square offering table with some completely rotten fruit on it.

There was an altar on the left, in the middle, and on the right, but they had all fallen over.

It's unclear what kind of hungry beast once came here to cause trouble; the altar is in disarray and completely empty.

"Coming here to gather material is really dangerous..."

Thomson was helpless.

"But I've been really lacking in inspiration lately, and I suddenly remembered the Taoist priest, so I came to take a look."

This is Thomson's Cursed World.

The eight people who entered were accompanying Thomson as his readers on his research trip.

"But speaking of which, the atmosphere here is really perfect for writing suspense novels!"

Thomson began somewhat abruptly with a sentence.

Seeing that no one paid him any attention, he smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Sorry, I'm just having an occupational hazard."

At the crucial moment, Zhao Yi spoke up in agreement:

"Yes."

"The environment here is indeed very suitable for creative work."

Thomson's eyes lit up.

"Does Mr. Zhao also have creative inspiration?"

Zhao Yi smiled.

"It wasn't exactly inspiration, but the torrential rain outside, combined with the chilly atmosphere inside the house, definitely created a great ambiance."

The air was humid, and the fire in the brazier, apart from providing a little warmth, did not offer much illumination.

In places where it should be dark, it's still pitch black.

Moreover, in this old, cement-built villa, you can even hear a woman's sobbing when the wind blows.

The faces of those whose powers had been sealed were slightly stiff at this moment.

Their intuition told them that there was something wrong with this villa!

But Thomson's face only showed excitement.

If they hadn't been without paper and pen, they had no doubt that Thomson would have written the book right there on the spot.

The last person Zhao Yi had ever seen so obsessed with books was Xu Shengzhi.

But Xu Shengzhi's way of finding inspiration is completely different from Thomson's.

In terms of effectiveness, Xu Shengzhi was clearly superior.

There was a moment of silence.

Thomson began:

"There's no paper or pen here."

"But to just let inspiration disappear like that would be such a waste!"

"How about this... we each tell a scary story and play a scary story relay game, how about that?"

"Borrowing inspiration from each other will definitely result in a great story!"

Everyone looked at each other.

"However, I have another suggestion..."

Thomson said to himself:

"Our story must be based on local material!"

"Me first, me first..."

He didn't give anyone a chance to refuse, and began to speak:

"On a rainy day, an author took eight readers on a field trip, but they were caught in a downpour and had no choice but to take shelter in a dojo..."

"But the owner of this dojo ascended to heaven a long time ago, leaving only a mess here."

"The group sat around the brazier, warming themselves and telling scary stories in a relay. Halfway through, someone suddenly felt an urge to urinate and couldn't hold it any longer, so he needed to go to the toilet..."

At this point in the story, Thomson stopped and looked at everyone with excitement.

"Alright, that's all the inspiration I have for now. I'll leave the rest of the story to you all to complete..."

Several people were silent.

Although Thomson's behavior seemed old-fashioned and uninteresting, it was somewhat deliberately frightening.

However, it cannot be denied that, combined with the current gloomy environment, it can indeed create a considerable sense of immersion!

"Great writer, isn't it a bit too morbid for us to be doing this at this time?"

Xu Qing was somewhat taken aback.

She knew their goal was to break Thomson's obsession, so in the cursed world, she would try her best to satisfy Thomson.

But her keen intuition told her that if things were allowed to continue like this, they would likely meet with dire consequences!

Thomson's tone was pleading:

"Just playing around..."

"I've been so lacking in inspiration lately. Even pulling all-nighters racking my brains, I just can't seem to write a decent story. You have no idea the agony I've endured countless nights, pouring my heart and soul into crafting just a single word!"

"Help……"

Faced with Thomson's urgent request, Xu Qing remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said:

"All right!"

"Who's next?"

No one spoke.

After a moment of silence, Edward smiled wryly:

"I'll do it..."

Thomson's eyes gleamed with excitement. He patted Edward on the shoulder and said:

"Good bro, remember, it has to be terrifying enough!"

"The scarier the better!"

"It's just a story anyway..."

Edward glanced at him and coughed lightly:

"Then I'll make a fool of myself."

"Continuing from the last story, there was a person listening to the tale who needed to urinate but was too embarrassed to do so in front of everyone. He had no choice but to leave the room and find a place to relieve himself..."

The people in the room warned him to be careful, saying that although there was no one else there, there might be wild animals from the mountains.

"The man gave a few perfunctory replies, then took a piece of firewood and left the room."

At this point, Edward cleared his throat, signaling to everyone that the crucial moment was about to arrive.

The remaining people continued telling the story, but after a while, they realized that the person who had gone to the toilet earlier had not returned...

Edward's story also ends here.

He took a sip of water from his backpack and addressed the crowd:

"Okay, that's all my inspiration for now."

"The rest is up to you."

Thomson clapped his hands and praised:

"Although the story is a bit clichéd, it's really suspenseful..."

"Who's next?"

Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and said:

"I'll do it."

She cleared her throat and glanced around:

"After everyone noticed that the person who went to the toilet hadn't returned, they had a vague feeling that something was off about this dilapidated dojo, as if something was secretly watching them from the shadows..."

As soon as the words were spoken, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside the window, and the people around the brazier shivered and couldn't help but huddle closer together...

P.S.: I went out with my classmates for three days during the National Day holiday. I took leave yesterday, but I promise to update twice today and tomorrow.

Feel sorry!