Unclean Refuge

　　"Say, do you think Guang Xiu will chase us here?"

　　Liu anxiously glanced back at the door behind them.

　　His worry wasn't without reason.

　　The Guang family had always held a deep hatred for the Ruan clan. 

　　Now that Guang Xiu was free from the temple, his first priority was likely seeking revenge against the Shaman!

　　"I think Guang Xiu might not be the only thing we need to worry about…"

　　Reminded by Liu's words, Ning's face suddenly turned grave. 

　　He glanced around, as if searching for something…

　　"Ning, what's wrong?"

　　Bai also noticed Ning's unusual behavior.

　　Ning slowly spoke, revealing a chilling fact that sent shivers down their spines.

　　"When we followed your instructions and found the book in the Shaman's bedroom, just as we were about to leave, the Shaman returned. What followed was an intense chase throughout the house…"

　　"When we escaped, the main gate of the Shaman's residence should have been open. She wouldn't have had the time to close the door before chasing us, not when she was so focused on getting that book back."

　　"And the villagers generally avoid this place."

　　"So, during the time we were away from the Shaman's residence… who else could have entered?"

　　As Ning's voice fell, the hairs on their necks stood on end.

　　They too looked around at the surrounding darkness with vigilance, as if something might suddenly jump out from those inconspicuous corners!

　　"No matter what, let's get out of here first!"

　　The three immediately left the Shaman's residence.

　　On the way, Bai learned about the Shaman's death. 

　　She turned to the two and said,

　　"Let me see the eyeballs that the Skinless Ghost gave you."

　　Ning and Liu didn't refuse, directly handing over the two eyeballs to Bai.

　　After the events of the past few days, they had built a high level of trust in each other.

　　Bai carefully examined the Skinless Ghost's eyeballs for a moment before suddenly saying,

　　"It shouldn't be a ghost artifact."

　　"Ghost artifacts are usually independent and can't be disassembled into parts."

　　Liu asked, puzzled,

　　"Not a ghost artifact?"

　　"Doesn't that mean these things are useless?"

　　Bai shook her head and said seriously,

　　"That's not necessarily true. Items that aren't ghost artifacts just can't be taken out of the Blood Gate. However, these eyeballs should serve a very important purpose; otherwise, the female ghost wouldn't have given them to you before leaving."

　　"And since they're special items given to you by the female ghost, only you can use them. They're useless to anyone else."

　　He returned the eyeballs to them. 

　　Ning held the eyeball in his hand, carefully observing it, lost in thought.

　　Soon, they returned to the guesthouse, the former [Misty Rain Temple].

　　"Do we really have to go back to this ghostly place?"

　　"Didn't they say this place is unclean? Should we… just spend the night in the canteen?"

　　This was their first time standing in the open space at night, looking at their lodgings.

　　It was a strange feeling.

　　The three of them felt that the place where they lived was terrifyingly eerie.

　　Those dark windows felt like mouths that wanted to swallow them whole.

　　"The bespectacled man and the others haven't come back either…"

　　That man's room wasn't far from theirs. 

　　Ning looked towards his window and found that there were no lights inside, and the curtains and windows hadn't been touched at all.

　　He guessed that either the bespectacled man and his companions had been killed by Guang Xiu… or they had discovered something and left this place.

　　"Let's not go back, it's not safe inside."

　　Ning took out the blood jade. 

　　The closer he got to the [Misty Rain Temple] guesthouse, the brighter the red light emitted from the blood jade became!

　　Clearly, there was something unclean inside the guesthouse!

　　"Let's go to the canteen. The others should be there."

　　By now, night had completely fallen, and strange things were wandering around the village. 

　　It wouldn't be safe to continue wandering outside, so the three decided to go to the canteen, the former guest reception area, to spend the night.

　　When they arrived at the canteen, they saw a light on from afar.

　　This sliver of light added a rare touch of life to the otherwise dead and empty canteen.

　　Upon entering the canteen, they went into the lit room and saw the bespectacled man and the timid girl, Fang, sitting in silence, staring at each other.

　　"Bai!"

　　Seeing Bai appear before him, safe and sound, the bespectacled man was pleasantly surprised.

　　 He hadn't seen her for some time, and in this precarious situation, an extra pair of hands was always welcome!

　　Moreover, Bai was sharp, calm under pressure, and a valuable asset to the team!

　　"Tell me about your situation first."

　　Faced with Bai's question, the bespectacled man nodded, his face slightly pale.

　　"He's dead…"

　　"When that terrifying ghost chased us down the mountain, we each fled for our lives. No one could help him. Later, when we returned to the guesthouse, we waited for a long time, but he never showed up. Instead, we encountered a small ghost, its body burnt to a crisp, with only half of it remaining…"

　　As they recounted their experience at the [Misty Rain Temple] guesthouse, the bespectacled man and Fang trembled slightly, clearly still shaken by the terrifying experience.

　　Fortunately, the ghost hadn't shown much interest in killing them.

　　 Its primary goal seemed to be wandering the building, searching for something. 

　　Otherwise, they would already be dead!

　　"The situation is very clear now. With the Shaman's death, the ghosts that were suppressed in Qiyu Village are now free from their restraints… They can no longer hold back and are ready to unleash a terrifying massacre upon Qiyu Village!"

　　Hearing Bai's words, tears immediately streamed down Fang's face. 

　　She tightly covered her mouth, trying her best not to make a sound!

　　Despair spread through everyone's hearts.

　　"Does that mean we're doomed?"

　　Liu slumped onto the bench like a puddle of mud, his eyes filled with despair.

　　"Not necessarily..."

　　Bai crossed her arms, her next words bringing a glimmer of hope to everyone.

　　"The time limit for the mission behind the Blood Gate is seven days. This means that the ghosts in this world will definitely be bound by the Blood Gate's rules within these seven days. They can't just go on a rampage and kill us all."

　　"Otherwise, with Guang Xiu's abilities and resentment, we wouldn't have survived until now."

　　"The current problem is how to find the lost skull of the monk [Compassionate One] as quickly as possible, and return it to him!"

　　"Only when [Compassionate One] has his skull back will he be able to restore peace to the village!"