what my life might be like in the next few decades.No, perhaps a hundred or even a thousand years.No matter what path we take, in the end we are only together in this small chamber, huddled for warmth...After spending enough time in a certain circle, you develop an intuitive sense of its atmosphere.

Although the God of Fortune is a minor deity, he still needs a shrine to protect his domain.

Inside the Qingyu Taoist Temple, there are offerings to benevolent and righteous gods. This place should all be under the protection of the same benevolent and righteous god. There shouldn't be any other deity statues here anymore.

A thin, wispy wind blew. A small, diminutive ghost official appeared beside me.

"My Lady, these are perilous times in the human world. Lord of the Land has taken several Yin soldiers to patrol the mountains and fields, ordering me to report back..." He bowed deeply.

I bowed in acknowledgement and replied softly, "It's no trouble at all. Thank you for making this trip. Is there really a secret passage in this closed-off observatory"

"This is my first time coming to this place in forty years... haven't heard of any secret paths, though... things in the world... are hard to say..." The ghost official bowed slightly, a look of displeasure on his dark green face.

He watched the chubby man rolling down the slope in the grass, whimpering and groaning along with a woman's sharp curses. All the creatures around were disturbed.

This mountainous forest is home to many creatures that prefer damp environments. I heard a grass snake rustling through the undergrowth, as if it had disturbed some kind of presence.

"My Lady, no one outside knows what happened behind closed doors. About a hundred years ago, this place was deserted, with neither people nor gods. In my forty years here, I've never seen anyone else. Who are these two outsiders Why are they so familiar with the Closed Gate Monastery" The Ghost Official was curious.

I'm also curious, this place wasn't exactly bustling with people to begin with. Plus, with the care and protection of generations of owners, the Closed Door Observatory was just a dilapidated hut in the mountains. Why were these two able to find their way here

It seems like I need to find an opportunity to pry something out of these two.

These days, talk of ghosts and spirits has dwindled. Everyone believes in science, and I believe in science too, but placing absolute faith in anything is never a good idea.

For example, this sudden chill in the air, as if it had triggered some mechanism, caused all the creatures living nearby to flee frantically.

"Little Lady, shall we go forward any further" the ghost official asked me in a low voice.

I nodded, and he quickly said: "Then the young one will return to his senses. Please send Yin soldiers to guard us."

"No, no, it's alright." I waved my hand hurriedly.

The god of fortune, Fukdek Zhengshen, is merely a minor deity. In places with abundant incense and bustling crowds, he usually deploys some Yin soldiers to assist in surveying local sentiments.

But there are some remote mountains and wilderness areas where, perhaps for a hundred miles around, there is only the Earth God accompanied by one subordinate, or at most the Earth God and Earth Goddess together. Where could they possibly find so many people to dispatch

If there's anything Jiang Qiyun can check out the qi field up front, just let me know and he'll be here quickly.

"Little Madam, why are you following these two people here..." The Ghost Official didn't quite understand.

“I wasn’t following them… I was commissioned by the Qingyu Dao Guan to check on the situation at the secluded retreat. There's a sense of foreboding here, something feels amiss. I saw these two making a ruckus as they walked up the mountain, heading towards the secluded retreat too, so I followed along to see what was going on… The Emperor is currently inspecting the energy field in the front mountains and will join us shortly.”

I patiently explained, and the petty official was stunned, his voice trembling with excitement: "Even the Emperor has come!"

"...Will he come or not Can't you feel it"

"Your Majesty the Celestial Emperor is a divine being of unparalleled power. If Your Divine Self does not wish for us to know, these humble spirits with our meager cultivation would never be able to find out... Even if Lord Land God knew, he wouldn't dare to rashly confront Your Majesty! This lowly one, this lowly one shall go and report—"

The ghost official didn't wait for me to speak, turned and disappeared into the night.

A small snake darted quickly at my feet, as if startled and frightened, fleeing frantically forward.

The eerie aura in front became even stronger, I was worried that these two might be in danger, so I quickly walked up from behind.

Jiang Qiyun went around to the front mountain, and the barrier also weakened. I made a big movement and startled that group of men and women.

"Who!" The woman held up a flashlight, shining it cautiously towards me.

The overweight man, who was rolling down the hillside in pain, gritted his teeth and pulled out a small electric baton for self-defense.

"Who are you How did you get up here in the dark" I raised my hand to shield my eyes, trying to make it clear that I wasn't carrying any weapons.

The woman heard my voice: “What... It's a woman... Hey, who are you Could it be a rival stealing business from me…”

"Who are you with... " I muttered to myself, then replied aloud, “I’m here on patrol. With the recent surge in cases, I haven't been able to make it out this far. Just wanted to take a look today.”

I was indeed sent here to inspect. I didn't lie about that.

That fat man put down the electric baton in his hand and mumbled, "What... a forest ranger"

I neither confirmed nor denied, stepping forward to take a closer look. The two of them weren't seriously injured, just the fat one rolled down and was scraped up with some scratches from his equipment.

"What are you doing here It's hard to treat the wounded deep in the mountains, hurry down the mountain." I advised gently.

"No! We're live right now! This is our job, leave it alone!" the woman frowned, trying to shoo me away.

"I have some portable iodine here, do you want it" I pulled out the small bottle of medicine and offered it to Fatty.

The fat man said thank you and took it.

The woman relaxed her vigilance towards me slightly, pouting and saying, "It's all your fault for being so fat! You're too clumsy!"

"How could I possibly be immobile! This wasn't just a sudden trip, look at that stone—" The fat man pointed towards the bushes.

The grass was trampled down, revealing several square bricks forming the wallhead and a small half-broken stele, kicked over by the fat man, exposing a tiny pit.

"This must be the stele of the land temple!" The woman took a small iron rod and was about to dig up the earth.

"Don't move!" I exclaimed anxiously, "This is the deep mountains and old forest, you don't even fear digging up some wild grave or startling something!"

As soon as I spoke, a chill wind blew past me.

The woman screamed and jumped behind the fat man: "… You're such a jinx!"

"Crow's Mouth I turned back, a faint black qi emanating from the small pit, quickly merging with the night wind and dissipating.

"

I nervously reached into my small bag, preparing to draw out the talisman, but no ghosts or demons appeared.

It's like a mass of inexplicable, resentful energy.

After the anger subsided, the woman nervously whispered a reprimand: "Don't talk nonsense! Don't you know what place this is! It's a closed-off, legendary haunted place!"

Aren't you still talking about ghosts You think they can't hear you just because you're speaking softly

I don't believe in ghosts or anything like that. This place is within the visible range of Qingyudao Temple. How could Qingyudao Temple allow a haunted place to stand here

So I pretended not to know and asked, "Where are you from I'm patrolling here and didn't know this place was haunted. Where did you hear about it Don't believe those internet rumors."

The woman widened her eyes, pouted her red lips, and said to me with disdain, “You don’t understand! We have guidance from a higher being!”

Expert

I was puzzled. I scrutinized the two of them carefully. The cultivator's eyes were deep and serene, but these two radiated a worldly restlessness. They didn't seem like cultivators at all. Where could they have possibly received guidance from a master

"Looking at your clueless face..." the woman muttered with a sneer, "You probably don't even know what a 'plumbing pipe' is, do you"

"What pipe It doesn't sound like anything good." I pretended to be indifferent.

The woman was provoked by me and spat angrily: "Country bumpkin, you have no taste! Let me tell you—" that, I’m buried in a tomb. Where would I know what happens outside Besides, witchcraft and sorcery are secret arts passed down through generations; outsiders have no way of knowing.” The Corpse King...