Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 30: Don't Go Into That Temple!

Night fell like an ink stick slowly saturating water, silently staining through the last trace of rosy glow at the horizon.

The mountain path became rugged and indistinct, and the friendly chirping of insects from the daytime now carried a somewhat mournful tone.

"Su Ming... how... how much further?" Zhao Rui's voice was clearly breathless, the box of hibiscus cakes in his hand almost crushed out of shape by his grip.

His legs felt like they were filled with lead, each step lifting sending protests of soreness and numbness from his thighs.

Su Ming's condition was slightly better, but the heavy cloth bundle also weighed down on his shoulders, making them ache.

He glanced back at Zhao Rui's pale face and slowed his pace. "Almost there. Once we cross that mountain ahead, we should be about halfway. We'll find a place to rest soon."

"Disciple, letting your little friend suffer a bit more is beneficial." Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, carrying a hint of laziness. "Jade must be carved to become a vessel. The shocks this kid has received these past few days are more than he's had in the past year. His temperament is being reshaped. Let him walk more at night, temper his character. He might even become a useful helper in the future."

Su Ming acknowledged in his heart but said nothing aloud.

He knew his master was right. The experiences of these past few days were a vivid lesson for both Zhao Rui and himself.

Suddenly, Zhao Rui seemed to have discovered something. He stopped, pointing at a dark silhouette in the mountain hollow ahead, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement."Su Ming! Look! Over there! Is that a temple? And there's firelight!"

Su Ming followed his pointing finger. Indeed, under the deep night sky, the outline of a dilapidated temple was faintly visible. More noticeable was a faint, warm, orange-yellow flicker of firelight escaping from a broken window of the temple, gently swaying in the night breeze.

"Great! It must be traveling merchants or pilgrims resting inside! Let's hurry over. At least we can find shelter from the wind, maybe even beg for some hot water!" Zhao Rui's fatigue vanished instantly, as if he had come back to life, grabbing Su Ming's arm to pull him that way.

Just as Su Ming was about to step forward, alarm bells blared in his mind.

"Halt!"

Lin Yu's voice, for the first time, was so serious, carrying an unquestionable chill.

"Master?" Su Ming's foot froze mid-step, rooted to the spot.

"Disciple, what is the first principle of my 'Way of Survival True Scripture'? Recite it."

"Safety first, think thrice before acting, anything unusual must harbor evil." Su Ming answered swiftly in his mind.

"Good!" Lin Yu's voice softened slightly but remained grave. "Now, use this principle to analyze the current situation."

Lin Yu's inner thoughts were a raging storm.

"Oh my god! This is deadly! Desolate mountains, ancient temple, midnight, ghostly fire! Isn't this the standard plot of 'exit the newbie village, turn right, straight to the mass graves'? Is this Zhao kid afraid he's lived too long? Beg for hot water? More like water from the Yellow Springs! My pension plan can't have just paid the down payment and then get cut off!"

Su Ming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and begin the analysis.

"This place is remote, not an official road. Ordinary merchants wouldn't come here. The temple is dilapidated, clearly long abandoned, making the presence of pilgrims even less likely. So, that firelight..."

hand. "Disciple, think. If they were decent folk, lighting a fire in this wilderness, would they make it

chill ran down Su Ming's spine. "It means the people inside don't want to be discovered! They

teachable student!" Lin Yu praised. "Either debt-dodging gamblers, fugitives chased by the authorities, or at worst, highway robbers who kill for money! Two half-grown kids like

this analysis, a cold sweat broke out

like the single

Su Ming grabbed Zhao Rui, who had already taken a

they'll be

we cannot go." Su Ming's tone was calm but carried a firm

"Su Ming, have you gone stupid from walking at night? There's a building and you don't want to

is so broken, clearly no one lives there. Why would someone light a fire inside for no reason? And that fire

been happy earlier and hadn't considered any

an

lowered his voice. "We just came back

face instantly turned pale as a

Clerk Qian's vicious face at the County School office, of the possible traps his uncle-in-law Zhou Kang might have set. If the town

night wind blew past, rolling up a few fallen leaves, making a rustling sound

instinctively moving

do we do?"

around." Su Ming said decisively. "We'll keep our distance, cut through that grove over there. It's a longer walk,

this time, nodding like a chick pecking

mind. "Problems that can be solved with words, never use force. Crises that can be solved with feet, never get close. This is called 'strategic risk avoidance,' one

Ming led Zhao Rui, turning away from the mountain path and plunging into the

path through the woods was even harder. Underfoot was a thick layer of rotting leaves, soft and spongy, making each step uncertain. Tree shadows loomed,

heavily, sticking close behind Su Ming, glancing back now and then, afraid

for the time it

gone around by now?" Zhao

also stopped to catch his breath, looking up

he pushed aside a bush in front of him, his

mountain hollow, the dark silhouette of that

orange-yellow firelight, visible through the swaying branches, was aimed

cracked. "Weren't we walking forward? How

panic. It's too dark, maybe we circled in the woods." Su Ming forced himself to sound calm, but

sense an extremely faint energy fluctuation, very similar to a

wall?" Su Ming's

with little killing power. But its very existence means there is definitely something strange in that broken temple!" Lin Yu's inner monologue was scrolling rapidly. "We're done for! I knew it! Horror movie laws don't lie! Great, we've switched from 'active suicide'

the nearly paralyzed Zhao Rui, choosing a different direction, and setting

used a stone

half an hour later, when they stopped, utterly exhausted, the trunk bearing his mark appeared right before

temple still clung to their line of sight like a persistent maggot,

"Ah—!"

on the ground, his face devoid of color, lips trembling

ghost! Su Ming! We're haunted! By the