"Ah, Young Master Gou, don't harm yourself and others. Put the apple back. The elders in the village say these Five Spirit Officials are very efficacious and grant any wish!" Tian Guoqiang rebuked, as he dug through the incense table beneath the statue and pulled out three burnt remnants of sandalwood.

He feigned three bows before thrusting them into the earth ash of the bronze censer. Who would have thought that the moment these three sticks were inserted into the censer, they all snapped midway, their upper halves softly rolling onto the table, scattering apart and startling Tian Guoqiang, who hadn't time to react. "What in the world is happening?" Tian Guoqiang frowned.

"Heh heh, trying to flatter the old Bodhisattva but stepping on its tail, eh? It clearly doesn't care for your tricks!" Young Master Liu burst into gleeful, stomach-clutching laughter. "Buzz off!" Tian Guoqiang shot him a look, muttering about bad luck inwardly.

Still, subconsciously, he blamed the brittle quality of the incense. With just a slight force, it had proved unreliable. He then painstakingly searched again, producing three carefully selected sticks of sandalwood.

After checking them several times, he cautiously inserted them, bit by bit, into the censer. This time, the three sticks burned safely. In barely ten seconds, wisps of smoke, fine as silk thread, coiled and spun, blurring the statue's features until it seemed both real and illusory.

"Alright, let's play cards. We finally snuck out for once; don't waste any more time," Young Master Liu impatiently pushed up his sleeves, revealing two stark white arms. Tian Guoqiang nodded, found a few prayer cushions belonging to the temple keeper, dusted them off, and tossed one to each person.

They sat down in a square formation, and the flames of two kerosene lamps were turned up, illuminating the central playing area from the left and right. "Young Master Gou, the door opened again. Go shut it and find something to prop it with!

Otherwise, we won't get any rest!" Tian Guoqiang plopped down onto his cushion, laid out two decks of cards, and spoke. "Always finding fault!" Young Master Liu, having just sat down, was naturally reluctant to get up again. However, the wind whistling behind him truly sent shivers down his spine, forcing several spasms of cold.

Considering this, Young Master Liu reluctantly stood up, taking two steps where one would suffice, and hurried to the temple entrance. He pulled the two wooden doors, which had been blown open again, closed. His small eyes darted left and right for a moment before he hooked a large stone with his toe, wedging it against the closed doors.

The room instantly grew much warmer. But because the three people sitting on the floor were all buried in shuffling their hands, no one noticed that the instant the doors clicked shut, a draft of icy air snaked through the crack and sharply extinguished all three burning incense sticks! "Young Master Gou, hurry up!

We're one short, it's down to you!" Tian Guoqiang, done shuffling, couldn't contain his impatience and called out. "Damn it, you're the one who told me to close the door, and you're the one complaining I'm slow! If you're so capable, why don't you do it!" Young Master Liu cursed, clearly annoyed, before taking his seat and immediately picking up his hand.

"What the hell, a Three of Spades? Which bastard shuffled these cards? Are you playing me for a fool?" Young Master Liu, who had hoped for a winning start, stared at the cards in his hand, unsure whether to place them or discard them, utterly dumbfounded.

"We're all playing fair and square, don't go spitting slander!" Tian Guoqiang smirked slyly, clutching the Big Ghost card in his hand tighter: "It's just that you're facing the God of Misfortune today; you didn't check the almanac before leaving." That’s not right! Looking at Tian Guoqiang’s cunning, world-weary smile, and the knowing glances exchanged by the other two youths, even the dullest person like Young Master Liu could sense something was amiss. Moreover, he was quite perceptive.

"Tian Guoqiang, you scoundrel, let me see your hand! What are you holding?" "Not giving it," Tian Guoqiang shook his head repeatedly. "Why should I show you my hand?" "Are you giving it or not?" Now, Young Master Liu was absolutely certain that Tian Guoqiang was behind all this mischief; the boy never shied away from dirty tricks.

"Not giving it!" Tian Guoqiang pouted, tucking the card closer to his chest, his tone turning obstinate. "Fine, I'll just take it!" With that, Young Master Liu lunged forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey... "Damn it, you’re too venomous!

You take the Big Ghost for yourself and deal me a Three of Spades? What grudge do I have against your ancestors that you have to desecrate their graves!" "Don't, don't, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..." Tian Guoqiang, his cards exposed, pleaded with a pained expression. "A misunderstanding?

Do you think I don't know your character? They say true brothers would stab each other in the ribs for loyalty, but you, you bastard, not only refuse to stick up for me, you actually try to stab my ribs!" The two started grappling again. After a while, Tian Guoqiang and Young Master Liu were finally restrained by the joint efforts of Gou Dan and Little Mazi, and the fighting ceased.

The second round of shuffling was done by Gou Dan under everyone's watch, so Tian Guoqiang couldn't cheat anymore. He could only clutch his cards, occasionally grinning and occasionally grimacing, unsure if he had a good hand or if the cursed Three of Spades had landed with him again. Time flew by quickly when they were playing cards—much faster than the agonizing feeling of days stretching into years when studying in school.

Einstein’s relativity with that big flowery beard actually had some merit. After several rounds, Tian Guoqiang’s mouth was so tight it looked like it could hold a spout, while Young Master Liu’s luck had completely turned around. Even if he occasionally drew a low card like a sequence of three, he could quickly assemble a full house.

As for Gou Dan and Little Mazi, they had lost every bit of their pocket money from months past, nearly to the point of tears. Tian Guoqiang won a few measly coins, but all the rest was raked in by Young Master Liu, filling his pile to the brim. "Haha, when we go back, we’re heading to Big Head’s stall.

This Young Master is treating everyone to melon seeds and candy!" Young Master Liu said with a beaming smile as he counted his winnings. "The arrogance of a petty victor!" Tian Guoqiang muttered darkly while gathering his cards. A moment later, he exclaimed, "Wait a minute, why are there several extra cards!" "Extra?

Are your eyes playing tricks on you?" Young Master Liu chuckled evasively, his voice softening slightly. "Oh, I know! You cheated!" Tian Guoqiang suddenly realized, grabbing Young Master Liu's arm and cursing.

"Give me back my money!" "Give your sister back! Which eye of yours saw this Young Master cheating? How could someone as pure as me do such a wicked thing?" Young Master Liu said without the slightest blush.

"No way, this isn't over today!" Tian Guoqiang shook Young Master Liu's shoulder violently, thoroughly enraged. However, perhaps because his movements were too large, a playing card slipped out of his trouser pocket and drifted down into view of everyone. "Damn it, hiding cards!

You villain, playing the accuser first!" Young Master Liu seized the evidence on Tian Guoqiang, his eyes blazing as if powered by an unstoppable force; he was suddenly energized. "It fell out, it must have slipped out when I was tidying up..." Tian Guoqiang argued with a wry smile, though he knew his defense was only making things worse. "Do you believe him?" Young Master Liu turned to look at Gou Dan and Little Mazi.

The two simpletons looked at each other, then back at Tian Guoqiang. After a moment of hesitation, they both nodded: "We believe him. Brother Tian’s heart is truly black." "I'm not paying for the treats either; let him do it," Young Master Liu sneered, pointing at Tian Guoqiang.

But just then, a distinct thud echoed from outside the door, sounding like a stone hitting the wall. In the profound silence of the night, that sound was truly chilling. Gou Dan, sitting closest to the door, let out a sharp cry, nearly collapsing to the ground, and Young Master Liu’s impending sarcastic remark died in his throat.

"Wh-what was that sound?" The question came out halting and trembling from his mouth, sounding remarkably weak. Alas, the only reply was the occasional, mournful chirp of crickets. In the dark night, everything was quiet, still, without a trace of sound.

"Huu..." Seeing no response, the knot in Young Master Liu’s throat finally loosened, and he let out a breath of relief. He turned to Gou Dan: "What was that just now? Are you alright, fatty?" Seeing everyone gathered around, Gou Dan found a bit more courage and pointed toward the door: "Just now...

it looked like someone was over there!" "Someone? In this desolate place, in the dead of night, how could there be anyone? Maybe it was a ghost!" Young Master Liu scoffed disbelievingly, casually grabbing the kerosene lamp beside him and speaking with forced bravado.

Yet, the mere mention of the word 'ghost'—the most dreaded thing in the dark night—caused him to shiver uncontrollably, his handsome face turning pale and visibly uneasy. He glanced back at Tian Guoqiang and Little Mazi; their expressions weren't much better. "Don't fret, let old me go take a look!" At this point, Young Master Liu had no choice but to grit his teeth, kick the stone away, and yank the door open.

He stared vigilantly into the vast, inky darkness outside, shouting fiercely, "Who's there! Show yourself!" Nothing but the wind answered... Only the echoes of "Come out...

come out..." circled back and forth, lingering long after. All around was as desolate as the morgue in the town hospital. Just as Young Master Liu was about to slam the door shut, a gust of wind swept through, strong enough to make the old locust tree outside the temple sway violently.

Unseen things rattled and cracked all around. This wind arrived without any warning, momentarily blinding Young Master Liu with swirling sand and grit. Just as he was about to move to shelter from the wind, the strange gust abruptly ceased.

Young Master Liu rubbed his eyes, spitting out the sand that had blown into his mouth, cursing the odd wind. When he turned back, he saw Gou Dan beside him was so pale that the blood vessels were visible beneath his skin, his eyes fixed in terror on the space outside the temple entrance, unblinking. "Gou Dan, you're such a coward; even a mere gust of wind can scare you like that." This time, Young Master Liu felt a surge of amusement.

But Gou Dan was too terrified to speak. He only extended a trembling hand and pointed forward. Following the direction of Gou Dan's finger, he saw what looked like a sudden marketplace arising on the faintly visible slope of the hillside—a dense mass of bright dots.

These lights shifted erratically; if they were Will-o'-the-wisps, they weren't flickering. The moon had risen halfway, casting an extremely eerie light over the cluster of glowing spots. Blood rushed straight to his head, and Young Master Liu's mind went blank.

Heavens, what the village elders said was true! Why did this thought suddenly surface? Since the beginning of the year, their village had been anything but peaceful, frequently experiencing strange occurrences that became the talk of the town.

And the most widespread version of the ghost story was intimately connected with this small temple where they were currently sitting.