As dusk fell, a faint carmine glow drifted across the sky over Manggu. Dim lights flickered to life near the Infant Spirit Tower, casting a thin, pale yellow light over the courtyard and revealing dozens of blurry ghostly figures.
Under the window stood over a dozen expressionless ghosts huddled together.
They were of all shapes and sizes, having died in various ways, and the clothes they wore did not belong to the same era.
Some had been decapitated, their heads hanging by a thin flap of skin, with maggots crawling out of their rotting wounds.
Others had been shot right between the eyes, half of their faces virtually blown apart, their eyeballs dangling near their mouths, and their pitch-black eye sockets filled with pure malice.
Some were drowned ghosts, water dripping constantly from their clothes, their bellies bloated and stuffed with crawling frogs visible inside their translucent bodies.
Car accidents, hangings, starvation, illness, fatal falls...
Ghost after ghost mechanically and numbly reenacted their deaths over and over, following the memories of their past lives.
It was like a silent horror pantomime.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Seeing Qin Yue standing by the window, pairs of pale, pupil-less ghostly eyes locked onto her, staring unblinkingly.
This was no temple of a deity.
This was a nest of ghosts!
They had moved right into the monsters' headquarters!
Qin Yue's face remained completely impassive, though a thin layer of sweat broke out on her palms as she closed the bamboo window, pretending to notice nothing.
As the sky grew darker, the air outside the room became increasingly cold and damp, a faint, biting chill seemingly penetrating deep into their bones.
“Did you see them?”
Nan Zhi sat in the room, flipping through an introductory brochure, and let out a mischievous laugh.
“No wonder the air in Manggu is so clean. It turns out all the ghosts and monsters have been drawn here by the aura of the secret realm. The great exorcist Sashu must be trying to use the power of these yin spirits to suppress the Kuman Thong inside the Infant Spirit Tower.”
It was a very clever design.
The mastermind first used the power of the infant spirits to strengthen themselves and suppress the newborn ghosts of Manggu, then utilized the power of those ghosts to suppress the Infant Spirit Tower in turn.
As these two forces waxed and waned, maintaining a balance required intentionally feeding these yin spirits with human lives so they could counteract the immense resentment of the over two thousand Kuman Thong.
“Then what about the people who died? Wasn't it the ghosts who killed them?”
Qin Yue sat down, finding the whole situation increasingly bewildering.
“You could look at it that way. The mastermind probably wanted to pit the wolves against the tigers, but with his strength, he couldn't kill the tiger or drive away the greedy pack of wolves. So, he used the power of the Ba Yan God to hold both factions in check, letting them wear each other down and suppress one another. But doing this is no different from digging one's own grave. The resentment of the Kuman Thong in the Infant Spirit Tower deepens over time, and as the yin spirits taste blood, their strength will gradually grow as well—once either side breaks free from control, all of Manggu will turn into a living hell.”
Nan Zhi pondered for a moment, then explained further:
“Yin spirits cannot kill people by physical touch like tangible entities. They can only slowly influence and bewilder a person's mind from the sidelines, tempting them to commit suicide.”
This process takes forty-nine days in total.
During the first seven days, the yin spirits will do everything they can to enter the living person's home.
As time passes, the living person will become irritable, quick-tempered, and anxious. They might even experience a streak of bad luck, with their career and personal life taking a downturn.
Then, they will develop an aversion to sunlight, refusing to leave their room. They will prefer to eat at night, constantly feeling ravenous and unable to satisfy their hunger.
Next, these yin spirits will spend seven days attaching themselves to your body, seven days walking hand-in-hand with you, and another seven days standing foot-to-foot with you...
By the time the living person and the yin spirit completely overlap, they will have virtually no yang energy left, leaving them on the brink of death.
This is also why so many people have died in the slums without anyone noticing.
It is stealthy and quiet, leading most to believe they were just accidents.
If not for the statistical data, no one would have detected any anomaly.
“The day we met Basong, the Ba Yan God must have already targeted us. If I'm not mistaken, it plans to lure us in and devour us.”
A smile played on Nan Zhi's face.
“Tomorrow's wedding ceremony is bound to be quite a show—”
“That is an evil spirit, and we are currently on its home turf where our every move is monitored. How can you still laugh?”
Qin Yue rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“How are we supposed to smuggle a living person out right in front of so many yin spirits? What if...”
What if the entrance to the secret realm isn't even in this temple?
“Don't worry, this master has a plan.”
Nan Zhi snapped her fingers and said with a smile, “Now, let's go save her.”
...
The next day, the ceremony for the Ba Yan God's wedding to his bride began smoothly without a hitch.
The air was stiflingly hot, especially around the Ba Yan Temple, where waves of heat rolled in one after another, making it feel like a giant steamer basket.
The wedding started at dusk and would last until late into the night.
Local reporters and media outlets were invited to document this sacred ceremony in its entirety.
Normally, when a bride in Tailande gets married, monks are invited to be present.
But this wedding between a deity and a mortal was exceptionally unusual.
As night fell once more, the bride, Sariya, dressed in a traditional Chakkri wedding outfit, was wrapped in veils like a zongzi and lay upon a massive bamboo sedan. She was surrounded by piles of fresh fruit, various traditional pastries, and rows of vibrant, beautiful flower garlands.
She didn't look like a bride getting married at all.
She looked more like food.
Sariya lay completely motionless, wrapped in veils, with only the faint rise and fall of her chest proving she was still alive.
The temple believers carried betel nut trays, wedding rings, pastries, and elevated platters laden with banana stalks and sugarcane. They hoisted the bamboo sedan where Sariya lay and circled the Infant Spirit Tower three times.
Joy filled the faces of the believers. Some beat elephant leg drums, while others did somersaults and danced at the front of the procession, creating a festive atmosphere.
Once night completely swallowed the day, the straw effigy representing the Ba Yan God was finally carried out.
The Ba Yan straw effigy, soaked in crow's blood, had facial features carefully drawn on its head, and a sparse string of human finger bones hung around its neck.
A dozen jars filled with different insects were neatly stacked beneath it, followed by a freshly carved strip of meat.
The great exorcist Sashu, who conducted the ceremony, was a sinister middle-aged man whose face was covered in densely tattooed incantations.
His gaze was cold and gloomy, radiating a chilling aura.
The temple was surrounded inside and out by soldiers armed with firearms.
General Basong naturally attended the scene to participate in this extraordinary wedding.
Wrapped entirely in her wedding attire, the bride's face was completely hidden.
She was carried to the front of the Infant Spirit Tower and placed alongside the straw effigy representing the Ba Yan God.
Every believer wore a joyful smile.
They seemed firmly convinced that believing in the Ba Yan God would lead them to the Divine Kingdom.
Under the camera lenses, the faces of the believers were filled with fanaticism.
Generals, reporters, scholars, soldiers, teachers, drivers, wealthy merchants, tour guides, artists, casino owners...
Regardless of their status, everyone chanted the name of the Ba Yan God, praying for protection.
They believed so deeply that a Divine Kingdom truly existed in the world.
...
“WTF, this pack of hopelessly ignorant fools is absolutely insane. They are actually worshiping a powerful, evil creature. That poor girl—someone just told me she's still a minor! Can you believe it?!”
Harley, disguised as a reporter, couldn't help but curse as she witnessed this scene:
“Damn evil creature, this is an outright atrocity! We should stop this evil carnival! They're going to summon demons!”
“I thought you Voodoo practitioners didn't object to sacrifices. I mean, is it not like you guys have never done human sacrifices before?”
Sergey sneered from the side. “She's just a foreign girl. What we need to do is far more important than saving a minor.”
The witch was angered, her pupils turning pitch-black for a split second:
“Sacrifice is sacred and inviolable! It is meant to be offered with one's entire body and soul to the great Voodoo god! How dare you insult the great—”
“Shut up!”
Martin, their leader, impatiently cut off the exchange. Suddenly sensing something, he blurted out:
“Hey! Where did those Huaxia people go?!”
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