Three dead, one gone mad!

In just a few days, this result is chilling. If this continues, we will all go insane.

Laogu's laughter is like a knife, cutting at our nerves repeatedly: "Hahaha! We will all die! None of us will make it back alive! None of us!"

Laogu's maniacal laughter sends shivers down our spines. Fatty, somewhat annoyed, takes off his stinky socks and walks over to cover Laogu's mouth. Laogu widens his eyes and can only make muffled sounds.

We didn't bring anything with us this time, only a few exorcism talismans in our pockets.

I didn't even bring the Soul-summoning Gourd. I was worried about losing it during our wilderness trip, but I never expected something like this would happen. It seems that nowhere is safe these days. I should always carry the Soul-summoning Gourd with me.

Zhang Yuxin clings tightly to me, afraid. "Yang Cheng, do you think there are... ghosts inside Youlan Temple?"

I nod, afraid to scare Zhang Yuxin, so I don't say there are ghosts but rather unclean things.

Fatty complains to Long Shaoye, blaming him for being a jinx, as his story about a female ghost in the temple sucking men's yang energy has actually come true.

Long Shaoye is also feeling wronged. When we first entered Youlan Temple that night, he told us a ghost story about a female ghost in the temple, but he didn't expect it to be so coincidental. After Long Shaoye finished telling the ghost story, such a horrifying event did occur in Youlan Temple.

Long Shaoye says with a bitter face, "How can this be my fault? I was just joking, and I never expected... I never expected to actually encounter a ghost!"

Juanzi says, "Stop arguing, you two. Arguing won't solve anything!"

Fatty shuts his mouth, and so does Long Shaoye.

Xu Wenbo looks at me and says, "Yang Cheng, I heard that you have some knowledge about this kind of thing. Can you come up with a way to get us out of here?"

Fatty praises me, saying, "You don't know, Yang Cheng is famous in our village for being capable. This little problem shouldn't be difficult for him!"

Hearing that I am known as capable in the village, everyone looks at me with hopeful eyes. They have placed their hope of survival on me, making me feel like a savior.

The sky outside gradually brightens. The morning light shines through the wooden window, and I secretly vow in my heart that tonight, we must find the monster hidden in the temple.

I walk back and forth in the front yard of the temple, hands behind my back, recalling the contents of the "Book of the Three Pure Ones" in my mind, hoping to find a solution.

To deal with the monster in the temple, we need to find its traces first. Unfortunately, this time we didn't bring any cow tears.

So how can we find the monster?

I look around and notice several tall pine trees growing outside the broken walls of the temple, like guards protecting Youlan Temple, lush and upright.

Ah, I've got it!

Looking at these pine trees, a plan instantly forms in my mind—a simple and effective plan.

I climb up the tree and pick many pine needles, then I mobilize Fatty and the others to join me in plucking pine needles from the trees.

It takes us the whole morning, and we gather a small mountain of pine needles in the courtyard.

Fatty curiously asks me what we're going to do with these pine needles. I raise my chin and say, "A wise man has a trick up his sleeve!"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I light a fire beneath the pile and burn all the pine needles into ashes. Smoke swirls, filling the air with a faint scent of pine needles.

The fire burns brightly, and soon, there's a big pile of pine ash in front of us.

I organize everyone to work together, scattering the pine ash in various corners of the temple—the front yard, the Buddha hall, and the backyard—covering the stone floor with a layer of pine ash.

By the time we finish, it is already afternoon, and everyone is panting from exhaustion.

They don't understand what I plan to do and are curious. I explain to them that this method is called "Revealing Ghost Imprints with Pine Ash."

As long as we scatter pine ash on the ground, if a ghost passes by, the ghost's footprints will appear on the pine ash. Based on these footprints, we can find the ghost's location.

Actually, the effect is similar to using glutinous rice. If we scatter glutinous rice on the ground, it will also reveal the footprints of ghosts.

But we don't have glutinous rice now, so we have to use pine ash instead. Luckily, there are still plenty of pine trees in this forest.

Some people seem excited, while others appear nervous. Surprisingly, Juansi is the bravest among them.

When she hears that we're going to catch ghosts tonight, Juansi is even a little excited and can't wait to ask me what to do next.

I tell her, "Wait!"

Finally, night falls, and we light a bonfire in the Buddha hall, sharing the last bit of our dry rations.

Liu Qiang shakes his backpack vigorously but nothing comes out.

Liu Qiang says with a bitter face, "Everyone, tonight is our last meal. We have run out of food!"

The time we spent at Youlan Temple these past few days has exceeded our planned wilderness trip duration. The things we brought with us have already been consumed.

It seems that tonight's mission must succeed; otherwise, we will starve to death.

I touch the exorcism talismans in my pocket—only four left.

I tell them that these are exorcism talismans, and I need a few brave people to step forward and help me catch the ghost later.

When they hear about holding exorcism talismans to catch ghosts, everyone is scared, and no one volunteers.

Fatty indignantly says, "Real men should not be so afraid of death!"

Fatty's statement is quite compelling, and I thought he would bravely take one of the exorcism talismans. However, after saying those words, he grabs Haofeiji by the collar and lifts him up. "Haofeiji, you're big and strong. You should be the first to step forward in this situation!"

A person can be shameless to the extreme. I admire Fatty, bowing down to him in admiration.

I walk over and stuff an exorcism talisman into Fatty's hand. "Stop looking for this and that. It's your turn!"

Fatty furrows his brows, his face full of mourning. "Brother, I have bad luck. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle this responsibility entrusted to me!"

"Stop with the nonsense!"

I kick Fatty, then ask the remaining people who dare to step forward.

Long Shaoye and the others all keep their heads low, avoiding ghosts like ordinary people fear. To make them step forward and help catch the ghost seems to put them in a difficult position.

Fatty angrily points at them and curses, "Cowards! You're all cowards! It's one thing for the three girls not to step forward, but how can you big men remain indifferent?"

As soon as Fatty finishes speaking, Juansi suddenly steps forward. "I'll do it!"