NHWSG chapter 56

On the other side, Sheng Zhao didn’t want to go with Hu Huanyang to the Fox Immortal Temple to see the excitement, so he temporarily left the tourist group, saying he wanted to wander around nearby and wait for them to come out.

Zhang Jian always found it difficult to refuse Hu Huanyang’s requests. Hesitating between the two of them for a moment, he reluctantly agreed to Sheng Zhao’s suggestion, half pushing and half agreeing.

“The back mountain is not overly developed, mostly dirt roads in the mountains, rugged and difficult to walk. Be careful.” Zhang Jian cautioned, “You can go wherever you want in this area, but be careful not to get lost.”

“Okay.” Sheng Zhao waved his hand with a smile and said, “I’m not a minor, no need to worry—I’ll give you a call if I don’t see you after you two come out.”

This is the good thing about modern society, with advanced technology. Zhang Jian nodded upon hearing this and didn’t pay much attention.

In Zhang Jian’s eyes, Sheng Zhao was much easier to handle than Xing Yingzhu. He was a bit clever, not arrogant, never misbehaved, humble and polite, never meddling in things he didn’t understand, and was a very sensible young man.

Zhang Jian wasn’t worried at all about Sheng Zhao wandering around. Within the confines of Longhu, apart from the forbidden areas, most critical areas were protected by formations or illusions. Even inner disciples needed permission from the Tianshi master to enter, let alone Sheng Zhao, just an ordinary person here for leisure.

“We’ll go ahead then.” Hu Huanyang couldn’t wait any longer and grabbed Zhang Jian, casually saying, “Xiao Zhao, don’t wander too far.”

Sheng Zhao stood still, smiling, waved to them, and then headed in the other direction.

Normally, given Sheng Zhao’s personality, he wouldn’t recklessly wander in such a special place without Xing Yinzhu present. But for some reason, since entering Longhu, he had felt an inexplicable fondness for this place. His mood had remained at a subtle level of joy, slightly more excited than usual.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked down a stone path for about ten minutes before realizing he had lost track of his location. This was an undeveloped natural spot, and fearing he might lose his way, he estimated the time and decided to turn back.

Just as he was about to put away his phone and head back, he suddenly heard an extremely faint bell sound.

“Ding Ling—”

The sound was clear and distant, seeming to come from the other side rather than nearby. He froze in his tracks after hearing it once.

“Ding Ling—”

The bell, mixed with a faint breeze, seemed to twist into an unseen thread, subtly entwining him without his awareness.

“Ding Ling—”

Sheng Zhao’s heart skipped a beat as he felt an uncanny familiarity with the bell sound, as if he had heard it somewhere before… a thousand times over.

Hearing bells in the deep mountains and forests was eerie, but Sheng Zhao didn’t feel a hint of panic. Instead, he felt an intense familiarity. Subconsciously, he changed his direction, leaving the path down the mountain and heading towards a narrow trail.

The bell’s sound was gentle and continuous, leading Sheng Zhao for about twenty minutes until he passed through a narrow bridge and felt the ethereal feeling in the sound diminish significantly.

Free from the echoes of the valley, Sheng Zhao gradually began to orient himself.

The mountain paths were rugged, but he walked confidently, never hesitating at the forks in the road. Strangely, he felt very familiar with this route. Often, before he could even think, his feet instinctively chose the correct path.

After another ten minutes, he followed the bell sound to its source, only to find a small, quaint ancient building.

The building had only three floors, resembling a tower, with closed but unlocked doors and windows. Several ancient bronze bells hung from the eaves, ringing in the wind.

Standing in front of the building, Sheng Zhao looked up at it, feeling a complex mix of emotions. It wasn’t entirely joyous; there seemed to be a subtle hesitation and uncertainty.

Most surprising was the unmistakable sense of relaxation he felt standing there, as if he had returned home after a long absence.

“What place is this?” Sheng Zhao wondered.

He wanted to ask Zhang Jian, but despite being there, his body seemed unresponsive. His mind was filled with conflicting feelings of tension and relaxation, leaving him standing in a daze in front of the building.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a rustling sound from nearby bushes startled Sheng Zhao out of his trance. Suddenly snapped back to reality from his previous dreamlike state, he shivered.

Turning to look at the bushes, he saw a snow-white fluffy ball struggling to emerge. After a moment’s effort, it squeezed out from a gap in the bushes.

It was a small rabbit with red eyes, looking no bigger than Sheng Zhao’s fist, with long ears and a coat of white fur tinged with pink veins. It had a few dry leaves stuck to its fur, giving it a comical and adorable appearance.

Sheng Zhao was charmed by the little creature, tilting his head to observe it for a while.

Unaware of his presence until then, the rabbit finally noticed him. It instinctively turned its head and made eye contact with Sheng Zhao.

Then, as if startled, it took a couple of hops backward, sat down on its hind legs, and lifted its front legs as if… bowing to Sheng Zhao.

Sheng Zhao was stunned for a moment, unsure whether to marvel at the spirituality of this holy place, or wonder why the rabbit was bowing to him.

However, perhaps due to spending so much time with Xing Yinzhu, Sheng Zhao’s tolerance for such unusual situations had increased significantly. He tilted his head, pointed to himself, then at the rabbit, and made a curious gesture with his head.

Alas, poor Sheng Zhao, a materialist born in a new era under the banner of materialism, had already been influenced by Xing Yinzhu. Faced with such a rare sight, his first reaction was not to run away or take out his phone to record a video for social media, but to attempt to “communicate” with the rabbit.

It goes to show how terrifying habits can be, even affecting one’s cognition.

Most speechless of all, the rabbit seemed to understand his gestures, nodded, crossed its front paws, and gave him a bow.

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Sheng Zhao was utterly bewildered, unsure where he resembled a cadre or leader. He lowered his head to examine himself, finally thinking that it might be because of the pendant hanging around his neck.

Xing Yingzhuo was experienced and knowledgeable, perhaps even the blood drawn from him had some identifying characteristics, which was why these spiritual animals revered him. It wasn’t surprising.

Feeling that his logic was sound, Sheng Zhao relaxed and awkwardly tucked the pendant back into his collar in front of the little rabbit.

To his surprise, the rabbit looked confused. Thinking that Sheng Zhao was unsatisfied, it hesitantly bowed to him again.

Sheng Zhao: “…?”

A question mark slowly appeared above Sheng Zhao’s head as he began to realize that something was amiss.

He wanted to stop the little rabbit and ask for clarification, but the creature was more timid than a needle, darting away like an arrow the moment he approached. In an instant, it vanished, leaving behind only a precarious clump of dried bushes.

Sheng Zhao punched the cotton where the rabbit had been, the question mark on his forehead growing bigger as he was almost overwhelmed by confusion.

Before he could dwell on it further, a gust of wind blew, causing the wind chimes on the nearby eaves to ring again with a clear sound.

However, this time, Sheng Zhao heard something else in the chimes.

He heard a tune, albeit fragmented and incomplete. It was more like a short melody with only a few phrases, lasting no more than three to five seconds in total.

The sound was neither from a string instrument nor a flute, seeming to come from a slow and deep instrument. Sheng Zhao couldn’t identify it, but it felt very familiar.

Turning towards the small building, he noticed that the tightly shut front door had been opened slightly, revealing a dark corner inside. It was almost as if it was inviting him to come in with a sign that read “come in” almost being plastered on the door.

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Gradually emerging from his almost instinctive emotional state, Sheng Zhao’s rational emotions regained control.

“Forget it.” he spoke seriously to the crack in the door, “My boyfriend doesn’t allow me to wander around. Thank you and goodbye.”

Joking aside, he thought to himself, it’s better to be cautious. People who know how to swim are drowned by their stubbornness. All horror movies start with protagonists lacking common sense and wandering around aimlessly. He was just an ordinary office worker; it’s better to value life.

With that, Sheng Zhao turned and walked away, briskly and decisively, without looking back… But unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. Just as he took two steps forward, he felt a sudden tremor under his feet, and the entire mountain peak swayed twice out of nowhere, causing him to stagger back a few steps.

Reacting instinctively, Sheng Zhao waved his arms to grab something to maintain his balance. Unfortunately, his right hand landed on the door panel of the small building.

Immediately after, he watched in horror as the door panel suddenly lit up, and a faint green light flashed outside the building. Subconsciously avoiding the dazzling light, he could only vaguely hear bursts of giggles in his ears.

In the last second before disappearing in front of the building, Sheng Zhao’s mind only had one fleeting thought.

“Can you still sue someone for this?!”