Legend of Baima Village

Chapter 2

Should we take him to the hospital?

"No need," Bai Fang thought. "If those idiots at the hospital take a look, they'll definitely diagnose him as dead, and then he'll really be dead." She then instructed, "After you carry him back, close the door and cover him tightly with a blanket so he doesn't get chilled."

After finishing her business, Bai Fang returned to the dream she had just experienced.

What does this dream mean? Is it because I read that legend last night and then had this dream, or is this dream trying to tell me something?

Also, what I just saw... could it be that there really is a white horse under this temple?

I have absolutely no clue!

Bai Fang shook her head in frustration, feeling utterly exhausted. She guessed she'd used up too much of her inner energy and couldn't continue.

Looking at her watch, Bai Fang realized it was already 4:50 PM! Oh no, the school bus! She rushed to catch it, only to find it had already left. Because it was the weekend, the school bus departed earlier than usual.

It seems we have no choice but to stay here for the night. Bai Fang almost burst into tears.

Although I'm not afraid, staying in this place always makes me feel uncomfortable.

Dusk always falls early in the countryside. Smoke begins to rise from the rooftops of the village houses. Bai Fang, however, doesn't know where to go. She decides to take a walk outside. The cement road, baked by the sun all day, still emits steam. Southern summers are like this—humid and stifling. Something seems to cling to her skin, making her extremely uncomfortable. Bai Fang finds herself missing the cool weather of that night. Just as she thinks this, she suddenly feels a chill.

Upon closer inspection, there wasn't a single pedestrian on the street. Bai Fang thought to herself, "They ran pretty fast, huh?" So she returned to the school grounds. Approaching the White Horse Temple, the chill intensified. The trees seemed to come alive, staring coldly at Bai Fang with their eyes. Bai Fang shivered. Where were they? Weren't there still a few students in the school? Why were they all gone?

A gust of wind seemed to rise from nowhere, swirling withered branches and fallen leaves, along with a cloud of dust that stung the eyes. In the wind, Bai Fang seemed to hear some unusual noises, but she couldn't make them out.

The wind died down, and the air returned to its previous muggy heat. Pedestrians began to appear on the streets again. Bai Fang hadn't even had dinner yet. She went out again, but found the only small restaurant on the street was already closed. The cooked meat stalls were all packed up. What to do? Go hungry? In Bai Fang's mind, nothing was more important than filling her stomach. Besides, being forced to spend the night in this awful place, how could she deal with those strange events if she didn't eat? No, I have to find something to eat. Just then, the half-closed door creaked open. The proprietress, still shaken, came out. She looked outside, and when she saw Bai Fang, she seemed greatly surprised. Seeing that the wind had died down, she finally opened the door.

Bai Fang stepped inside and asked, "Are you doing business now?"

The proprietress replied, "Business, doing." "Why didn't you go home today?"

Bai Fang said that she missed the school bus and had to stay here for another night.

A bowl of plain noodles was served, and the proprietress said apologetically, "We're out of food today, so please make do with this."

After finishing her noodles, Bai Fang planned to go back to her office to browse the internet for a while and see if there was any valuable information. Just as she entered the campus, she saw Zhao Feng and several other students rushing out in a panic. Bai Fang quickly asked, "What happened?"

Zhao Feng stammered, "Just now, a strong wind blew..." and couldn't finish his sentence. A quick-witted student beside him said, "When the wind blew, a branch bent down and hit Li Wei. Li Wei is dead." "What? Dead? Quick, take me to see him!"

Bai Fang followed the students towards the dormitory. Along the way, she saw many fallen leaves, and the air was quite chilly. It seemed as if a new tree had appeared on the road. Bai Fang couldn't pinpoint where it had appeared, nor did she know how many trees there had been before or how many there were now; she simply had a gut feeling that a new tree had appeared on the road.

Upon seeing the student, Bai Fang was shocked. This student was almost identical to the one from that morning. He too was completely lifeless, with only a faint pulse remaining. A girl burst into tears, "Teacher, what happened? Teacher, we're scared!" Bai Fang mustered her courage and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Even as she said this, Bai Fang's heart was pounding. What on earth was going on? Why were two students in this condition in one day?

The girl said, "Teacher Bai, aren't you going home tonight? We'll stay with you."

Bai Fang agreed, saying, "Okay. We're all living together, there's nothing to be afraid of." She settled Li Wei in first, then had them all study together in one classroom. She went to her office to go online, very curious about what was happening. A kind of creepy yet urgent curiosity to know what had occurred.

Bai Fang hurried along the unlit path to her office when she suddenly noticed a boy standing in the corner, wearing a beige jacket and seemingly holding a book. Bai Fang thought, "He's really diligent." Suddenly, she felt something was off. Why would a student be reading here? She quickly stepped back to the corner where she had seen him, but there was nothing there. Bai Fang was startled and almost tripped. She quickly reassured herself, "It's probably just the shadow of the tree, crisscrossing in the corner, making it look like a person. Besides, I only caught a glimpse; I couldn't have seen him clearly."

She turned on her computer and dialed up to the internet, but found nothing unusual. There were no messages on QQ either. Bai Fang started searching for relevant theological forums. Good heavens, a whole bunch of results appeared as soon as she typed in her name. However, most of them were useless. Bai Fang quickly browsed through them and selected those she thought were meaningful.

Several hours passed before they knew it, and the girls, growing impatient, came to find Bai Fang. Bai Fang said, "You can all sit in the office for a while; I need to look something up." At that moment, Bai Fang thought she saw one of the girls smile, a rather mysterious smile. But upon closer inspection, everything seemed normal. "Looks like I was just imagining things," Bai Fang thought to herself with a self-deprecating laugh.

Just then, she suddenly saw an article about Baima Village. Bai Fang was extremely surprised. Baima Village, such a small place, could actually be found online? Just as Bai Fang was about to open it, the girl who had been laughing strangely earlier came over and urged, "Teacher, let's go back. I'm scared." The power suddenly went out. Bai Fang had no choice but to give up and said, "Okay, you can all sleep in my dorm tonight."

Walking together, the group seemed to embolden themselves. There were seven of them in total, heading towards Bai Fang's dormitory. They introduced themselves: Wang Qing, Ma Qin, Li Li, Guan Ping, Zhu Hong, and the girl named Liu Hong.

The road was pitch black. Everyone walked hand in hand. No one dared to utter a sound. Suddenly, a scream rang out, "Ah! Who touched my neck!" Bai Fang felt a chill on her neck, as if a hand had touched it as well. Everyone quickly pulled their hands back to check the back of their necks. When they reached the light again, they discovered that one person was missing. It was Liu Hong. When asked, everyone said they had been touched. At this point, everyone was holding hands, meaning that except for Bai Fang and Liu Hong, everyone else's hands were being held by someone else. They asked again who had screamed. No one answered.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

Everyone stared blankly at Bai Fang. Bai Fang said, "How about this, you all stay here, I'll go down and look." No one agreed. Bai Fang then said, "Then, let's all go down and look together." Zhu Hong burst into tears, "I don't want to!" Everyone else's eyes were looking elsewhere; no one dared to go down into that deep darkness again. Bai Fang was actually trembling with fear inside. At this moment, she really wished she were Sun Wukong, with nine heads and six arms, unafraid of any demons or monsters. But no. She was still herself; she hadn't grown monkey hair out of fear. However, if she had grown monkey hair, she wondered how terrified these girls would be. Bai Fang asked again, "Does anyone have a cell phone?" Guan Ping took out a small cell phone from her ever-present makeup bag. Bai Fang asked again, "Do you know Zhao Feng's cell phone number? Call her." Guan Ping said, "Zhao Feng doesn't have a cell phone, but there's a public phone downstairs; we can call him."

Bai Fang called Zhao Feng to inquire about the situation. The two students were still not better, and it was pitch black outside. Bai Fang had originally planned to ask Zhao Feng and the others to come over, but she was worried about leaving the two unconscious students behind. She hesitated, unsure whether to take the girls herself, seeing them trembling with fear. Just then, the wind outside picked up again. The shadows of the trees swayed violently, like predatory beasts ready to pounce. The girls huddled against Bai Fang, their sobs merging into a chorus. Bai Fang began to regret her poor decision. Wouldn't it have been much more convenient to have the students all together?

There are just so many trees here. They block out the sky. Walking on campus, you're always under their shade, barely able to see the sky. Bai Fang's three-story building barely peeks out from the trees. Looking out the window, all you can see are trees, layer upon layer, with not a single patch of open space.

Bai Fang was almost in despair. Although she vaguely felt that Liu Hong's sudden disappearance was suspicious, she couldn't just let go and investigate to find out the truth. Her heart was burning like fire. Fire! Bai Fang's eyes lit up. Fire is a yang element; nothing is immune to fire. Thinking of this, Bai Fang hurriedly ordered them to find something to start a fire. But since they were all girls, none of them smoked, and there were no matches or lighters around. What could they do? Bai Fang looked around, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She had an idea—the gas stove. Gas stoves are self-igniting. She could use it to light the collected books and newspapers, and also a candle.

Just as she was about to light the stove, the power went out again. The entire room was plunged into darkness. All that could be heard was a cacophony of wailing and howling; the girls' screams were completely out of tune. Bai Fang pressed a button on her phone, using the faint light from the screen to turn on the gas. The gas flame was blue, insufficient for illumination, but enough to light a candle.

Because of frequent power outages, there were quite a few candles in the room. When Bai Fang lit the candles, she noticed that all the girls had unusual expressions and were staring at her intently. Bai Fang was startled and took two steps back, asking in a trembling voice, "What's wrong with you all?"

"Hehehe," a sound otherworldly came from the mouth of the girl who had just been so sweet and gentle. Bai Fang immediately realized that something unusual had happened in the room. She just couldn't understand why she was the only one unharmed. At this moment, the girls, whose eyes had been fixed on the floor, began to foam at the mouth, their eyes glowing white, and they lunged at Bai Fang. In a moment of panic, Bai Fang, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, seized an opportunity and rushed out.

Reaching the doorway, Bai Fang spotted another girl with a blank stare and a white glow—none other than Liu Hong, who had mysteriously vanished earlier! Bai Fang immediately reached out to push her away, but before her hand even touched Liu Hong's body, she felt a twitch between her brows, and golden light emanated from her hand. Liu Hong collapsed limply as if electrocuted. Bai Fang hesitated, unsure whether to help her up or not. While she hesitated, several girls from inside the room chased after her. Bai Fang looked at her own hand and tried the same method. Sure enough, after touching Bai Fang's hand, these girls all collapsed limply, their complexions regaining their color. Bai Fang had no choice but to laboriously drag them back to bed one by one, panting heavily as she sat on the edge of the bed. Just then, Guan Ping's phone rang sharply and urgently again. Guan Ping was still half asleep, so Bai Ping picked up the phone, but there was no caller ID. Thinking that something might have gone wrong with Zhao Feng, she answered the call.

At first, there was no sound from the phone. Then, there was a hissing sound, and suddenly, that eerie voice came through: "I'm here to keep you company."

Bai Fang shuddered, dropping her phone. The sound lingered in the air. Only then did Bai Fang realize that it wasn't a sound from a dream, but something real! However, Bai Fang was now unsure whether she was dreaming or in reality. Only the sound remained, floating in the air.

With a soft cry, Liu Hong slowly woke up. Bai Fang dared not move rashly, observing Liu Hong's movements. Only after confirming that she was no longer acting strangely did she dare to approach.

Unexpectedly, Liu Hong's fingernails suddenly grew long and she gripped Bai Fang's neck tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh!

Daylight finally broke, and when Bai Fang woke up, she found several girls lying haphazardly on the bed or on the floor, while she herself was sitting on the floor with her back against the foot of the bed. Bai Fang looked around, but Liu Hong was still nowhere to be seen. Looking in the mirror, if it weren't for the choking marks still visible on her neck, she would have doubted whether everything that had happened the night before was real.

Shaking her head again, she was still a little dizzy. She vaguely remembered a woman appearing when she was about to collapse. The woman's figure seemed somewhat familiar. Before she could even see who she was, she fainted. Who was this woman? Why did she look so familiar? Bai Fang was completely baffled. Right, she seemed to have dreamt of this woman just now. But as soon as she woke up, she had completely forgotten. What should she do? Should she go back to the dream? She had exhausted herself these past two days; if she rashly went back, she feared she wouldn't be able to escape and would be forever lost in that boundless dream.

At this moment, the girls also woke up. They exclaimed, "Oh dear, how did I end up sleeping on the floor? It's filthy!" Bai Fang smiled. "You were lucky to survive last night, and you still have the nerve to complain about the dirt?" However, seeing that they seemed to remember nothing, she didn't want to point it out, fearing that such memories might be harmful to them.

Strangely, no one asked where Liu Hong was. Bai Fang asked, "Where's Liu Hong?" "What Liu Hong?" The girls were all confused. Bai Fang had a bad feeling. "Don't you know a girl named Liu Hong?" "No. There's never been a girl with the surname Liu in our class." Bai Fang then remembered that she hadn't seen Liu Hong during the day; Liu Hong had come to the office with these girls in the evening. It seemed that this Liu Hong was the problem from last night!

After breakfast, Bai Fang was about to take a bus back to the main campus, and the students were all in a flurry, eager to leave. Bai Fang thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. But you won't have anywhere to stay when you get back to the main campus. How about this, you can rent a room at a nearby farmhouse first, and you won't have to stay on campus. This way, it will be easier to take care of those two students."

After making the arrangements, Bai Fang got up and returned to headquarters.

No cars passed through this area; it was a long walk to catch a passing minibus. Finally back in the city, Bai Fang felt much lighter. Who could she call? Bai Fang called Xiao Zhu, but Xiao Zhu was out. She could only return to her dormitory and rack her brains. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind—she knew why the woman's figure looked familiar. When she was three or four years old, she had woken up suddenly in the middle of the night and saw a woman sitting there. Knowing it wasn't her mother, but too scared to see clearly, she cried out, "Mommy, why aren't you sleeping? Why are you sitting by the bed?" Her sleeping parents woke up with a start and scolded, "Why aren't you sleeping? Your mother is asleep!" Hearing their scolding, Bai Fang knew they were awake and felt much relieved. She looked back at the spot, but there was nothing there anymore. From then on, her mother was always sick. Only Bai Fang secretly connected the two events, and the woman she saw last night was the one she had seen in the middle of the night when she was a child!

Why was that woman appearing before her again? And it seemed she was the one who saved her last night. And who was Liu Hong? Why was she impersonating a student to harm her?

Liu Hong, Liu Hong, Liu Hong, Bai Fang thought blankly. What was the meaning of this name? She had only heard of peach blossoms and willows, but how could a willow be red? Suddenly, it dawned on her—peach and willow are both trees! Yesterday, she felt an extra tree had appeared, and she also felt that the campus was a world of trees. Could it be that this tree really had a problem? Thinking of this, Bai Fang began to feel uneasy. If all the trees on campus really had a problem, what should she do? She couldn't fight against it with her meager strength alone. Just look at what happened yesterday; the entire Bai Ma Village was extraordinary. And she was just one person, without any extraordinary powers, and without a capable helper. What could she do? Frustrated by these thoughts, Bai Fang couldn't help but think of the novels she had read before. Buddhism and Taoism, weren't they all capable of exorcising demons? Perhaps she should go out and investigate. Where should she go? Thinking of this, Bai Fang chuckled to herself. This area is far from famous mountains and rivers; by the time she gets around to exploring, things will probably be out of control. Then Bai Fang thought, "Isn't it said that a minor hermit lives in the wilderness, while a major hermit lives in the city?" So, she decided to head to the bustling city center to see if she could encounter a master.

Walking through the city center, amidst the jostling crowds, Bai Fang didn't encounter any experts, except for being jostled a few times. She barely saw anyone taller than herself. Suddenly, she spotted a fortune-telling stall by the roadside. The old man had a two- or three-inch-long goatee, dressed in tattered clothes, and was filthy. Bai Fang thought, "Could this be the expert?" and walked over. Seeing someone approaching, the goatee quickly greeted her, "Come have your fortune told!"

Bai Fang said, "I'll tell your fortune." The man with the goatee said, "Your birth date and time." After Bai Fang gave him her information, the man with the goatee pulled out a small notebook from his pocket—the kind you can buy anywhere at a street stall—and started looking up the year, month, and day. Then he said, "Oh, you have a good life!"

Bai Fang was both amused and exasperated. Regardless of her own fate, she was definitely not looking for this expert. Bai Fang said, "I'm not going to have my fortune told," and got up to leave. The man with the goatee got impatient, "You have to pay even if you don't tell me! Four yuan!" Bai Fang reluctantly threw down the money and left. There was an old man watching her with an inscrutable expression. Bai Fang approached him, hoping for the best.

The old man looked Bai Fang up and down. "What an honorable person! Miss, you have such a blessed appearance!"

Bai Fang laughed and said, "I want to have my fortune told."

The old man said, "Miss, you are destined for greatness. A reading will cost fifty." Bai Fang thought, "So expensive? He doesn't seem to be a very skilled person," and tried to leave.

The old man quickly said, "Miss, you look troubled. Is there something troubling you? Tell me, and I'll help you figure it out."

Bai Fang thought that what he said made some sense, so she sat down again to listen to the old man's ramblings.

Unexpectedly, aside from the first few sentences that captivated her, the old man's entire practice was identical to his goatee-like manner. He would calculate something, then begin reciting offhand. Even if only one out of ten sentences was correct, Bai Fang would merely listen with a smile. "Sigh," she thought, "it seems true masters don't use this kind of fortune-telling." Disappointed, she put down her payment and left.

As Bai Fang passed through the square in the center of the market, someone bumped into her. Just as she was about to get angry, she looked up and was surprised to see that it was you!

Bai Fang had a classmate named Jin Yan in college. They were in the same year but different departments. They met during their graduation internships, got along well, and had a good relationship. Later, after graduating from university, Bai Fang joined the army and served in a unit in Xuzhou. For some reason, he suddenly appeared here. Upon seeing each other, they were overjoyed. It was almost lunchtime, so they found a fast food restaurant, sat down, and ate and chatted.

It turned out that this was Jin Yan's hometown. He had taken a month-long leave to visit his parents and had just arrived home yesterday. He was out for a stroll today when he unexpectedly ran into Bai Fang. He asked Bai Fang, "What are you doing here?" Bai Fang smiled and said, "When I graduated from university, the job market was bad, so I had to give up my plans to return to my hometown and came here instead. Now I work as a teacher at a school. I chose this place partly because of the circumstances, and partly because it's my mother's hometown."

Seeing Bai Fang's troubled expression, Jin Yan asked, "Old classmate, have you run into any trouble lately?" Bai Fang sighed and said, "Finish your meal first. We can talk in detail after you've eaten."

After finishing their meal, the two found a bench in the square and sat down. Bai Fang told Jin Yan everything that had happened. Jin Yan's expression turned serious as he listened. He asked, "Are you sure you're not dreaming?"

Bai Fang sighed and said, "I wish I were dreaming! That would be so wonderful, all my worries would be gone." She added, "Now I realize how wonderful it is to be able to quietly read a book and stroll around town!"

Jin Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "I have an uncle who used to associate with a Taoist priest. Among the people I know, he's the only one who knows a bit about magic. Why don't I take you to find him?" Bai Fang said, "Okay, take me to see him. It'll be worth a try."

Jin Yan added, somewhat embarrassed, "There's one thing you need to be prepared for."

Bai Fang asked, "What?"

Jin Yan said that the uncle was from the branch of my great-grandfather's brother. So although he was my uncle in terms of seniority, he was actually very young, only in his early twenties.

Bai Fang said, "It's already this late, let's go and see what's going on! Someone who knows a little is better than the two of us who know nothing."

Upon seeing Jin Yan's uncle, Jin Hong, Bai Fang couldn't help but be extremely surprised. This was clearly still a child, with an innocent and childlike face, and the light in his eyes was kind, pure, and passionate. He was thin and not tall, probably just over 1.7 meters, completely different from Jin Yan's robust build. Bai Fang felt somewhat disappointed, but at this point, she figured she might as well try anything and ask.

After explaining his purpose, Jin Hong hesitated. "I only learned a few things from the Taoist priest across the street when I was staying in the countryside. I can only draw some simple talismans and chant some simple incantations. It's as serious as you say; I'm afraid I can't help much." Bai Fang was extremely disappointed. Seeing Bai Fang's disappointment, Jin Hong seemed to feel a little sorry for her and said, "How about this? I happen to be free today. Let's go to Baima Village together."

The mere mention of returning to Baima Village sent a chill down Bai Fang's spine, but remembering her heavy responsibility and the two demon-slaying heroes making cameo appearances, she mustered her courage, and the three of them headed to Baima Village together. Bai Fang noticed that Jin Hong wasn't carrying any magical implements, which piqued her curiosity. Jin Hong seemed to read her mind, saying, "Those magical scenes on TV have corrupted you too much! These things are useless against truly powerful things."

The three hitchhiked to the border with Baima Village, but there were no more vehicles available. They continued on foot. The further they walked, the worse Jin Hong's face became. After walking the entire street, Jin Hong almost collapsed to the ground. Jin Yan and Bai Fang, still unaware of what had happened, hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Jin Hong asked in a heavy tone, "Have you heard the legends of White Horse Village and Phoenix Mound?" Jin Yan, who had grown up here, was naturally familiar with the story of Phoenix Mound, and asked, "Is this the White Horse Village from that story?" Jin Hong nodded. It seems another great calamity is about to strike!

Stunned as if struck by lightning, Bai Fang didn't react for a moment. Jin Yan nudged her shoulder, and Bai Fang came to her senses. She then said, "Let's go back into the school and take another look!"

Jin Hong agreed, "Let's go in and take a look before making a decision!" After examining the entire school layout and the location of the White Horse Temple, Jin Hong seemed speechless. Only Jin Yan remained oblivious to the unusual situation, chatting and laughing. At this moment, they reached a side gate. Jin Hong asked, "What's this place?" Bai Fang shook her head. "It's too secluded here. Nobody ever comes here normally."

Pushing open the door, they saw two rows of old houses inside. The brick floor was overgrown with long, thin, withered weeds, creating a desolate atmosphere. Looking through the window, they saw it was empty, completely bare. Long spiderwebs hung from the red beams. Then, with a cry of surprise, an unknown bird flew out of the open window. The three gasped. Jin Hong urged, "Get out of here quickly!"

The three had just reached the side gate when they heard a loud crash, and the two rows of houses behind them all collapsed. Bai Fang thought to herself, "That was close!"

Jin Hong's face was ashen, while Bai Fang seemed somewhat better off. The only one unharmed was Jin Yan. Jin Hong said, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go back to the city first."

Bai Fang asked, "Then, what about all these people here...?"

Jin Hong smiled bitterly; these people were no longer in danger here.

The three returned to the city and sat down at Jin Hong's house. Only then did Jin Hong recount what he had seen. Upon entering Baima Village, they noticed that the roads and buildings had been extensively altered. In the legendary story of Phoenix Mound and Baima Village, although the white horse was eventually subdued by the phoenix, the phoenix, after imprisoning the white horse underground, was too exhausted to return to heaven. Thus, the phoenix was reborn on earth. The master had heard from the grandmaster that every 1200 years, the phoenix would undergo its tribulation. At this time, the phoenix's primordial spirit, which it left on the white horse as a seal, would be extremely weak, and the white horse would stir restlessly underground. Two thousand two hundred years ago, a great calamity had occurred, causing widespread suffering. The phoenix, in an attempt to avert this catastrophe, was reborn here. A thousand years ago, the white horse tried to break free of its confinement, but fortunately, a highly skilled Taoist priest, with his own power and the help of the phoenix's primordial spirit, managed to help it survive the tribulation. In another two hundred years, the phoenix could return to heaven. But just then, due to large-scale human construction, the original constraints set up by the phoenix were broken, and it seemed that the white horse might break free of the constraints ahead of schedule. At that time, not only would White Horse Village be reduced to ashes, but the entire Phoenix Mound, and even the entire province, might be devoid of life!

At this point, Jin Hong drew a map. "Look, this is a topographical map of Baima Village. It's a lifelike horse's head. The original road was like a bridle around the horse's mouth, firmly controlling its movements. This location is Baima Temple." Bai Fang and Jin Yan exclaimed in shock, "The horse's eye?!" Yes, the phoenix imprisoned the white horse here, at the horse's eye. At the same time, it ordered a temple to be built at the horse's eye to seal the white horse's spirit. Unexpectedly, for nearly a century, China has been plagued by constant wars, especially the famous Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign, where the command post was located here. The fallen soldiers are buried less than a hundred meters from Baima Temple. And look, the layers upon layers of trees around Baima Temple amplify the yin energy to its peak. Now, the road is destroyed, the phoenix is at its weakest, and the white horse has absorbed so much yin energy from the dead; its power is probably much stronger than before! Even if the phoenix were at its strongest, it probably couldn't control the situation.

After saying that, Jin Hong looked dejected, a stark contrast to his previous confidence and high spirits.

Jin Yan, however, remained skeptical. The story of the white horse was just a legend! Besides, how could there be so many strange and unusual things in the world? If ghosts really existed, where would these people go?

Bai Fang sneered, "So you think everything I said was just your imagination? I don't have time to joke with you yet."

Jin Yan quickly explained, "That's not what I meant!"

Bai Fang rolled her eyes at Jin Yan, then pressed Jin Hong for an answer: "So, we have no other options at all?"

Jin Hong counted on his fingers and said, "In another week, it will be the fifteenth of July. The fifteenth of July is the day with the strongest Yin energy of the year. If nothing unexpected happens, the white horse will definitely choose this night to break through the ground!"

Bai Fang felt inexplicably anxious. These things weren't just her problem; it was strange that she was so flustered just because she was the first to notice the anomaly, but Bai Fang didn't dwell on it. Jin Yan suddenly asked, "You said a woman saved you last night? Who was she? What did she look like?" Bai Fang shook her head, "I can't remember anything." Jin Hong said, "If it's really as you say, then this woman must be extraordinary. Dealing with the willow tree, which has the strongest ghostly aura, isn't something ordinary magic can do. You must find a way to remember her." Bai Fang said, "I do remember dreaming about her, but I can't remember the details of the dream."

Jin Hong was so anxious he kept spinning in circles. He spun to the left, then to the right. Seeing Jin Hong spinning, Bai Fang laughed again. Jin Hong exclaimed, "You still have the mind to laugh!" Bai Fang said, "Just now you looked like a great sorcerer, and now the way you're spinning looks like a little donkey pulling a millstone. How can I not laugh?" Jin Hong and Jin Yan also burst into laughter. The atmosphere became much more relaxed. Bai Fang suddenly remembered that last night when she saw that story, Liu Hong had cut off the power. Was there any insight in that story?

Upon hearing this, Jin Hong said, "That makes sense. We can try checking again." Bai Fang said, "It's very likely she's already deleted it. But regardless, we should try!"

When she checked the relevant webpage again, sure enough, the story had vanished. As Bai Fang reached for the mouse, she suddenly felt a strange sensation, like a current of air washing over her palm. It was warm and quite comfortable. However, the current was extremely weak; she wouldn't have been able to sense it at all unless she was in a relaxed state.

Seeing Bai Fang's strange expression, Jin Hong and Jin Yan quickly asked, "What's wrong?" Bai Fang snapped out of her reverie; she couldn't sense the energy flow anymore. She truthfully explained, "I sensed an energy flow just now, but you guys distracted me, and now I can't feel it anymore." Jin Hong asked urgently, "An energy flow? Have you ever practiced qigong?" Bai Fang replied, "I haven't specifically practiced it. There was a period when I felt unwell, and to help, I practiced with a girl in my dorm. I only participated in one activity and read one of her books." "What, is this... serious?"

Jin Hong clapped his hands and laughed, "That works! You can find your dream again." Bai Fang said, "I have thought about this, but I've felt short of energy these past two days." Jin Hong said, "I've done some research on this too. I can give you some energy and help you find the connection." After saying that, he found a quiet room, had Jin Yan stand guard at the door to prevent unauthorized people from disturbing them, and Bai Fang lay flat on the mat, stretched out her arms, closed her eyes slightly, and began to relax. Jin Hong stood beside her, first putting his hands together in meditation, and then making circles with his hands behind his back, moving them up to Bai Fang's lower abdomen. In less than two minutes, Bai Fang felt a warmth in her dantian and quickly guided her energy to circulate through the microcosmic orbit. Normally, practicing the microcosmic orbit without reason would be very harmful to the body, but under these circumstances, Bai Fang and Jin Hong had no choice but to circulate it to absorb the true energy of the universe. Bai Fang felt her true energy initially circulating like sparks in her microcosmic orbit, then gradually transforming into a small fireball. After several cycles, it had become a large fireball. When the large fireball reached Baihui (GV20), Bai Fang was drenched in sweat, her face contorted in pain, and she cried out. Seeing the situation was dire, Jin Hong quickly stopped, preventing the true energy from entering Bai Fang's body. Jin Yan, hearing the commotion, rushed in, only to find Bai Fang unconscious! It turned out that attempting to circulate her microcosmic orbit without proper control could lead to qi deviation! Bai Fang and Jin Hong had taken a risk to avert this imminent disaster, but this had resulted in Bai Fang's unconsciousness. Bai Fang's teeth chattered, her face was ashen, and her breath was weak, as if she were on the verge of death! Jin Yan couldn't help but blame Jin Hong, "Why did you have to replenish her qi? Look at her now! The mystery hasn't been solved, and she's in this state!" Jin Hong also panicked and shouted, "Why are you yelling! If we can't find that woman and don't know what she left behind, we're all doomed! You're anxious, but am I not?"

The two of them paced around the room helplessly. Seeing that Bai Fang's breathing was getting weaker and weaker and her body temperature was dropping, Jin Yan panicked and said, "Let's get her to the hospital right away!"

"The hospital? Can the hospital save her?" Jin Hong asked rhetorically.