Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

In a distant country, a highly respected Taoist priest completed the sacrificial ceremony for the city lord of a neighboring country and eagerly embarked on the journey back to the Taoist temple.

However, he never expected that this journey home would be full of extraordinary encounters.

The solemnity of the sacrifice seemed to still echo in his heart, but in a flash, two towering mountains stood in front of him like a barrier.

The long and difficult journey forced him to rest at an inn along the way.

When we set off, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, and everything seemed particularly pleasant.

However, the return journey became extremely difficult, and every step seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

When the last ray of sunset was about to disappear in the sky, the Taoist priest found that he was still one-third of the way to the Taoist temple.

As a cultivator, he had no followers or mounts, and walked alone on the vast reed plains.

The surroundings are filled with a silent and mysterious night. The barking of wild dogs in the distance seems to be telling the loneliness and danger of the night.

If you sleep outdoors here, you will inevitably be harassed by wild dogs, and the consequences will be disastrous.

Just as he was hesitating, a dilapidated house suddenly came into view, like a ray of light in the darkness.

He hurried forward and knocked on the door, his heart filled with anticipation and anxiety.

The door opened gently, and a young couple appeared in front of him.

The Taoist priest recounted his predicament, his voice filled with pleading and helplessness.

He begged them to allow him to take shelter for the night in a corner of the warehouse to avoid the impending danger.

The young wife had a kind look on her face and a warm glint in her eyes.

She warmly welcomed the Taoist priest and prepared a simple but warm dinner for him.

Her husband looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, his eyes revealing a bit of wariness and suspicion.

The Taoist priest was short of money and had only a small amount of travel expenses, but he did not feel inferior or uneasy because of this.

The couple did not neglect him because of his poverty. Instead, they treated him as a guest and laid out soft bedding for him.

The Taoist lay on his blankets with gratitude, his mind racing as he pondered how he could repay their kindness.

Finally, he decided to recite scriptures to express his gratitude, and began to chant the familiar and mysterious Taoist scriptures.

When he recited the scriptures, he was always focused and absorbed in the text.

However, tonight seemed different.

The noise outside made him uneasy and unable to fully immerse himself in the world of scriptures.

The rustling of the reeds in the wind and the ringing of bells in the distance are intertwined, as if telling an unknown secret.

The ringtone was clear and pleasant, yet it also carried a hint of indescribable weirdness and mystery.

The Taoist priest wondered in his heart, where did this bell sound come from?

Is it the chirping of insects? Or the whispering of people?

He listened while reciting the scriptures, and finally realized that the bell sound was actually a human voice.

The wife and husband were talking in low voices. Although the Taoist priest could not hear the content of their conversation, he could feel the husband's indifference and the wife's uneasiness and anxiety.

An inexplicable fear and uneasiness surged in his heart, as if something ominous was about to happen.

However, he knew that it would be difficult to continue chanting if he interrupted it.

So he suppressed the fear and anxiety in his heart and continued to recite the scriptures.

Just as he was hesitating, the paper door was suddenly pulled open and a woman rushed into the house with a hatchet.

She searched everywhere for the Taoist priest, with a fierce light flashing in her eyes.

However, she didn't notice that the Taoist priest was hiding in the shadows in the corner.

The woman left in a hurry, leaving behind a strange figure lingering in the house.

The Taoist priest heard the bell ringing again, followed by a creepy chewing sound.

The voice seemed to come from the abyss of hell, making people shudder.

The Taoist's heart beat faster. He didn't know what the woman was trying to do, but a strong sense of uneasiness and fear surged in his heart.

Finally, when the chewing sound stopped, the Taoist priest mustered up the courage to walk out of the house.

He did not say goodbye to the young couple, but in a quick glance he saw the light brown insect wings scattered on the ground.

Those wings seemed to be the remains of innocent lives, telling an unknown tragic story.

The Taoist priest felt a surge of compassion in his heart and prayed silently for those innocent lives.

Then he continued to chant until the sky turned pale and the first ray of sunlight penetrated the darkness and shone on the earth.

In another corner, Lin Zhiruo was surrounded by people. She was well aware of the skills and charm of storytelling.

Normally she was always childish and innocent, but when she was telling the story, she seemed like a different person.

Her face, illuminated by the firelight, was mysterious, as if carrying some unspeakable power.

Lin Zhiruo glanced to the side casually and saw Hu Lan'er looking at her with a smile.

Hu Lan'er blew gently and the candle in her hand went out.

After she had packed up the lamp oil and wick, she said to Lin Zhiruo with an innocent smile, "It's your turn next."

Lin Zhiruo nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.

Now that she has come to this gathering, she naturally has to tell a story to share with everyone.

However, she has always been a person who does not believe in evil or ghosts, so she couldn't think of any good story for a while.

In desperation, she had to tell the story about will-o'-the-wisp that her father had once told her.

"That was decades ago. I heard there was a cemetery where strange lights would flicker from time to time."

Lin Zhiruo's voice was low and mysterious, as if it carried some kind of magic.

Upon hearing this, Susu couldn't help but leave Lin Zhiruo's side, wrapped herself tightly with cloth, and only showed two frightened eyes to look at her.

"A group of brave young people felt that there must be something fishy going on, so they decided to find out the truth behind the strange fire."

Lin Zhiruo continued.

However, Susu pursed her lips into a slit, obviously not interested in or satisfied with Lin Zhiruo's story.

Lin Zhiruo thought to herself that if she was really scared, she could just cover her ears and not listen. Why was she so nervous?

However, Lin Zhiruo's story did not develop into a thrilling ghost story as everyone expected.

"It's nothing to be afraid of. It's just that a man from the same town lit a torch while walking through the cemetery. Someone mistook the flickering light for a will-o'-the-wisp and spread the rumor."

Lin Zhiruo said lightly as if she was talking about a trivial matter.

“Oh my god!”

Su Su breathed a sigh of relief, a look of disappointment on her face, as if she was dissatisfied with Lin Zhiruo's dull story.

"That man is just doing some shady things in the cemetery!"

Su Su suddenly said and then her forehead slammed into Lin Zhiruo's shoulder.

Su Su stared at Lin Zhiruo as if she wanted to see through her.

"You mean he's robbing graves?"

Lin Zhiruo asked in surprise.

"Yes! That person seems to be obsessed with a strange curse. He grinds the liver of a person who is said to be able to cure all diseases into mud and smears it on his body..."

There was a hint of eeriness and terror in Susu's words, as if they brought everyone into a dark and mysterious world.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Su's forehead hit Lin Zhiruo's forehead again.

Lin Zhiruo rubbed her forehead and said with a helpless smile: "Okay, okay, the story is over."