It's just about visible that he's an old monk, one who must be in his seventies or eighties.
I didn't continue to walk, neither did he. The two of them fell into an eerie and quiet embrace, staring at each other.
I don't know how long it took, but the old monk turned around and left.
I stood alone in the original spot.
I waited for a few more minutes before I left, heading towards the direction of the main hall earlier.
It's not that I don't find the old monk following me, tempting me curious, but curiosity kills the cat.
He definitely has something up his sleeve, something I'm unaware of.
Since he has already targeted me, he will definitely come looking for me again. I don't need to take the risk.
Just then, when I returned to the front of the main hall, the position where Huāyíng and Lao Chǔ stood earlier was empty.
More tourists have arrived, and under the bright sunshine, smoke wafts in thin strands. In front of the main hall above, visitors stream in one after another. Many people have entered the hall as well, and the time for the monk to recite sutras and perform rituals is also over.
Where are Huāyíng and Lao Chǔ? Have they already gone to inquire?
I took out my phone and called Huāyíng, only to find out that it wasn't in the service area.
My expression changed immediately. I dialed Lao Chǔ's number again.
The result was still not in the service area…
A sense of gloom instantly descended.
A thin sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead. My eyes swept sharply left and right, but my heart was incredibly restless when someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
I turned around abruptly, and it was indeed Huāyíng behind me.
Huāyíng panted heavily, yet her demeanor showed a slight sense of panic.
I heaved a huge sigh of relief.
The next second, my heart hung by a thread again.
"Where's Lao Chu?"
Huāyíng stood alone, and Lao Chǔ was nowhere to be found.
"Lao Chǔ…"
Huāyíng bit her lip, and there wasn't much color on her face.
Suddenly, she shook with a start, looking towards a certain direction and revealing a look of fear.
I realized something was off and looked over, only to see an old monk standing silently by a side pavilion.
The old monk was extremely familiar. Wasn't he the one who tempted me just now?
He must have been eyeing Huāyíng.
"Lao Chu... He's grabbed him... I almost didn't make it out... Thank goodness I did."
"Huāyíng drew back slightly, almost close enough to touch me. "This temple… There's something wrong with it."
"Before you left just now, Lao Chu said someone was watching us… Without any explanation, he started walking towards that direction… I could only follow quickly. It didn't take long before I saw him…"
"He asked if we were looking for someone, and then we followed him into a side hall where there was no one else…"
Clearly, the one she referred to was the old monk in front of us.
Huāyíng usually speaks and acts in a logical manner, but now her words were somewhat disorganized.
"Was he already watching you just now?" My expression changed slightly, and my heart twisted.
"Yes..."
Suddenly, there were glances coming from several directions at the same time.
I glanced around, noticing about five monks among the crowd. They seemed to be walking casually towards us without much attention.
"Go out... Move!"
Huāyíng's face changed again, and she grabbed my hand, quickly heading towards the entrance of the Gao Tian Temple.
My brain was buzzing at the moment, because of the strange things Huāyíng had just said.
She said the old monk appeared after I left.
But clearly... I was chasing that old monk the whole time...
Can it really be a ghost? Two identical people in broad daylight?
We quickly arrived at the entrance of Gao Tian Temple, and the old monk had disappeared. So had the other monks who had been approaching from all directions.
I stopped at the exit, not going out.
Huāyíng didn't go out either, looking back with a lingering sense of fear.
The reason for wanting to leave suddenly was fear, but the reason for not leaving now is even more so because of Lao Chu and the Ghost Golden.
This place is indeed strange, but why did the Ghost Golden come in first and leave without a trace, and then Lao Chu disappeared as well?
Is that just how Lao Chu is left behind?
"Could everyone please make way?" The staff called out to me and Huāyíng. We only realized and stepped aside to let other tourists pass.
Just as we cleared a path, there was a vague sensation of being watched again.
Huāyíng looked frightened, and I furrowed my brow.
She must have encountered something, causing her to become so nervous and suspicious.
There was no choice, so I had to first get her out of the Gao Tian Temple.
Once we were outside the temple, and had moved a safe distance back, Huāyíng's face finally looked better. It was then that she recounted the rest of what happened earlier, looking back in terror.
After hearing the old monk enter that side hall, Huāyíng and Lao Chu thought they could finally meet Yang Gui Jin.
As she imagined, Yang Gui Jin climbed into the Gao Tian Temple yesterday, and he was only temporarily sane. Perhaps he was going mad, and someone took him in. They had not yet reported to the police.
However, they did not expect the side hall to be very dark, with many statues standing inside.
At first glance, they appeared to be gods, but upon closer inspection, they were actually human bodies covered in mud.
After the old monk followed in, he didn't say a word and picked up a staff to hit people.
Lao Chu stood his ground and directly charged in, only to be knocked down by a single blow of the monk's staff. Huāyíng was slightly more alert, sensing something was off earlier, so she positioned herself and managed to escape in time.
After hearing this, I felt a chill run down my spine and told Huāyíng about how I was led away.
Huāyíng's face went stiff, and she murmured, "How is that possible? It's broad daylight, not a ghostly place, nor a hell. Two identical people… Could there be twins?"
Huāyíng's analysis may sound absurd at first, but it is the only logical answer.
However, what is not normal is how a large temple could have mummified human bodies displayed as statues.
And why did the old monk deliberately split us up and act so harshly?
By all accounts, we had just arrived at Gao Tian Temple. It just couldn't be, could it?
Even if Yang Gui Jin had entered the temple at night and caused some reaction…
When I thought about this, I shivered involuntarily.
If…
If... let's say that the tomb-digging incident all those years ago was a cover-up, and when my parents and the others left because of what happened, they also startled the people at Gao Tian Temple.
Then in fact, there has been a grudge between the two!
They must have recognized Yang Gui Jin, as well as my parents!
If Yang Gui Jin was recognized entering the temple, they would certainly investigate!
The big fish can't beat the local big shot, especially when we aren't even the big fish; we're just fumbling around in Hanoi Village.
Gao Tian Temple is not a simple local big shot.
They can easily find out that we entered the village together with Yang Gui Jin...
While it may seem like we were inexplicably targeted, in reality, this was meticulously planned by the other side...
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this could be the case.
We should never enter Gao Tian Temple again...
I suddenly remembered Old Gong's smile to Lao Chu last night...
I had thought that not entering Gao Tian Temple last night would have avoided Lao Chu's misfortune, but it seems it has fallen on today?
"Have you thought of anything?" I didn't speak for a moment, and Huāyíng asked me cautiously.
I just gave my own hypothesis.
Huāyíng bit her lip, and the unease on her face was palpable. She nodded.
"I have an unwelcome thought, but now, we have no choice but to do it this way..." Huāyíng said unnaturally afterwards.
