After lunch, the group began discussing their next moves. Beyond the necessity of visiting the temple to find a way to extinguish the curse, continuing to monitor the police network was also crucial. Meanwhile, Zero Point suggested he scout out a sniping position nearby, and the dazzling beauty Ming Yanwei expressed a desire to go shopping that afternoon, with the three university students simultaneously insisting on accompanying and protecting her.

Excluding these individuals, only Zheng Zha, Zhang Jie, Zhan Lan, and Qi Tengyi remained; this was quite different from what Zheng Zha had anticipated. Everyone seemed to have pinned little hope on the temple, as if possessing handguns and spirit-grade bullets had rendered them fearless of any ghost.

Only Zheng Zha knew that the horror of the curse surpassed anyone's imagination. Their fearlessness stemmed from ignorance. If a visible, tangible Xenomorph stood before them, they might actually know fear. But having only seen the movie, and lacking Zheng Zha’s acute senses to perceive the curse’s terror, their current courage was baseless; with only spirit-grade bullets, they had absolutely no guarantee of survival.

Zheng Zha felt a deep helplessness, but he couldn't force people to the temple. Finding a method to counteract the curse was merely his personal conjecture.

Though he hated to admit it... how would Chu Xuan act in this situation? Zheng Zha shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. At this moment, the taxi arrived in front of the third temple. The four had already checked two others. Beyond the crowds, the abbots of those temples knew nothing of curses. Aside from reciting scriptures for the group, they merely handed them wrapped packets of incense ash. Naturally, Zheng Zha felt no dissipation of the cold, ominous mark on his body; those two temples were just ordinary places of worship.

This town was clearly entering its peak tourist season. The third temple was also swarming with people. Tourists continuously entered and exited the small Kai character mountain gate, a dense mass flowing up the mountain path toward the ancient-looking temple perched at the summit.

Zheng Zha let out a breath. "Let's go. I hope this temple holds what we need... Is it three o'clock already?" The other three sighed silently. Although they hadn't held high hopes before, the feeling of utter disappointment was undeniably crushing.

Regardless, the temple had to be visited. The four mingled with the crowd, slowly heading toward the Kai gate. As they walked, Zheng Zha suddenly shuddered. He glimpsed a pale child’s figure slipping out from among the people. An indescribable chill washed over the four, and vaguely, it felt as if a hand had grasped his left ankle from below.

Swish! The talisman tucked inside Zheng Zha's inner jacket instantly ignited. This flame did not burn him; instead, a warmth spread from the point of combustion on his chest, flowing downward until it reached his left ankle. The intensely cold hand immediately recoiled. Only then did Zheng Zha violently snap out of his daze, his left foot already numb from the cold.

The three paused, seeing Zheng Zha frozen, then noticed him staggering. Zhang Jie quickly steadied him. "What's wrong? Did you twist your ankle?" Unexpectedly, the three watched as a flash of black light erupted from Zheng Zha’s left hand, and the compact submachine gun appeared there. His expression turned grave as he said, "I was just attacked. Hurry, get inside the temple! The talisman in my coat pocket is burning..." The others wasted no more time. Zhang Jie and Qi Tengyi half-carried Zheng Zha, rushing toward the Kai gate, ignoring the stream of pedestrians. Qi Tengyi, a tall, burly man from the Northeast, and Zhang Jie, hardened by several horror scenarios, possessing physical conditioning second only to Zheng Zha, squeezed together, forcing a path through the throng. They managed to burst through the Kai gate just before the talisman was consumed.

Upon entering the Kai gate, Zheng Zha immediately felt a lightness wash over him; the oppressive, chilling aura vanished. He quickly signaled Zhang Jie and the other to stop. The surrounding pedestrians began yelling curses at the four. Out of necessity, Zheng Zha led Zhang Jie and the other toward a small side path.

Once clear of the main mountain thoroughfare, Zheng Zha quickly knelt and rolled up his pant leg. Sure enough, a grayish-blue handprint marked his left ankle. Judging by the size, it belonged to a small child’s hand. He also retrieved the talisman from his inner pocket; it had burned down to ashes, yet his clothing and skin remained completely unharmed.

"I really was attacked."

Zheng Zha managed a bitter smile. "Remember the two ghosts in Ju-On? One large, one small. The one that attacked me was likely the child spirit. I was merely grabbed by the ankle, and my body instantly locked up. If the adult spirit is the same, or worse... even with spirit-grade bullets, it would be useless. We’d be dead the moment we were caught."

Zhang Jie and the other two paled, looking silently at the ash-covered talisman. Only Zhan Lan touched her forehead and asked, "Why did you stop here? Shouldn't we rush into the temple? Being attacked out here puts all four of us in danger, right?"

"You didn't feel it?" Zheng Zha countered with a wry smile. "Of course. Only I could feel it. The moment we crossed that Kai gate, the oppressive coldness I sensed completely disappeared. It seems this temple has some significance. Perhaps what we're looking for is here. I even suspect the ghost attacked us precisely because we were about to enter this temple; perhaps it feared us getting inside!" Zhang Jie immediately exclaimed with excitement, "That’s great news! I didn't expect to find something here that could deal with the Ju-On ghosts. Hahaha, come on, let's hurry to the temple on the summit!" Zheng Zha could only smile bitterly again. The reason he stopped was that his entire left foot was paralyzed. Now, the other three were eagerly heading uphill, so he had no choice but to let Zhang Jie and Qi Tengyi support him as they made their way to the peak.

From its external appearance, this temple was indeed imposing. Its greatest difference from the other two was the profound sense of antiquity it exuded. Though not dilapidated, the temple conveyed an aura of great age. Qi Tengyi closely examined the surrounding walls and several main gates. Only after everyone had entered the main hall did he quietly tell the other three, "It's Tang Dynasty style. It was likely an ancient temple left by monks who traveled to Japan during that era. It looks very old; although it has been renovated, the style remains unchanged."

The group’s confidence grew. Things like ghosts and evil spirits, they reasoned, should be most effectively subdued by ancient, eminent monks or Taoists. Although in the real world, people dismissed such beliefs as feudal superstition, here, where ghosts and spirits were tangible threats, they couldn't help but trust such lore. In fact, the older something was, the greater the sense of security it offered—for instance, the runes on the spirit-grade bullets, which Qi Tengyi identified as resembling Oracle Bone Script and Contract Script, gave them immense reassurance.

The four devoutly sought out the temple’s abbot, but to their profound disappointment, the abbot reacted almost identically to those at the previous two temples. He couldn't see the curse marks on them at all; instead, he began reciting scriptures. As the sky outside rapidly approached dusk, the four were filled with despair.

A thought struck Zheng Zha, and he asked suddenly, "Venerable Master, was the first eminent monk here a famous master who traveled to Japan during the Tang Dynasty?" Qi Tengyi quickly translated this inquiry. The abbot was a kind-faced elder, who replied with a few sentences and gestured toward an ancient Buddha statue in the main hall.

"He says this ancient temple was built by the local residents when the disciple of Tang Sanzang, who traveled to Japan, was spreading the Dharma here. Legend says that this eminent monk finally achieved zuohua [nirvana/dissolution] on this very hall. That ancient Buddha statue was cast and placed according to the posture and location of his zuohua. He was a Tang Dynasty monk of peerless virtue."

Zheng Zha quickly pressed further, "Then, Master, where is his golden effigy? And has anything strange ever happened at the Kai gate?" Qi Tengyi relayed the questions. The abbot shook his head grimly, clasped his hands in prayer, recited a Buddhist phrase, and then continued.

"That monk's golden effigy was burned during the Warring States period by Oda Nobunaga, the Sixth Heavenly Demon King. It was completely reduced to ash. Nobunaga even ordered his ashes to be scattered at the mountain entrance so that all who passed by for generations would tread upon him, alas..." The abbot sighed deeply as he spoke. The four exchanged glances; they understood the situation now. The eminent monk was indeed enlightened, and even his remains could restrain malevolent spirits. However, this meant their final hope had vanished.

The four offered sympathetic sighs along with the abbot. Just as they were preparing to leave, the abbot instructed a young novice to bring a scroll containing several yellowed pages from an old sutra.

"These are pages from the Buddhist scriptures personally copied by that eminent monk. He had intended to return to the Tang Dynasty once his mission of spreading the Dharma was complete, but fate decreed he should pass away in these mountains... Since you four share a karmic connection with this great monk, you might as well take these few pages of sutra to study. Perhaps you can discover a way to break the curse."

These few pages appeared somewhat fragmented, but judging by the ancient, vigorous calligraphy, even setting aside their age, these pages of scripture were treasures worth a fortune. The abbot offered them without hesitation; this magnanimity alone commanded the four's profound respect.

Zheng Zha took the pages. A strange warmth immediately transmitted into his body upon contact. Simultaneously, he felt the curse mark on his body become incredibly faint, almost imperceptible. Since entering this Ju-On horror movie, he had never felt so comfortable.

The sutra was written in gold powder. Under the setting sun, every character seemed to come alive, glittering with golden light. A solemn, sacred feeling radiated from the text, causing the four to exchange smiling glances.

"We will definitely survive! Absolutely!"