Chapter 33 The Fox
The group had already started getting used to Li Ang’s occasional joking around, and even if they grumbled inwardly, they showed no expression on their faces.
After laying the mines, the task force stepped out of the cellar to see Li Ang take out an electric motor, a welding machine, and a heap of steel pieces, quickly assembling a vacuum cleaner. He used it to suck up dust from the ground and then spray it back into the cellar to cover their tracks.
Next, the team went to other locations within the Solitary Cold Temple and set up various types of hidden mines. The day of the banquet for the monsters was approaching, and the temple would soon be filled with all sorts of creatures, so these mines were to be triggered remotely to avoid accidental detonation.
Then, based on the intelligence provided by Chai Cuiqiao, combined with the terrain of the Solitary Cold Temple, the task force formulated a plan to ambush the Mountain Demon, which also included strategies for dealing with monsters that had attended in previous years.
Time passed. Another five days went by without incident, everything as calm as usual.
On the sixth night, with battle preparations in place, each member of the task force went back to their assigned rooms to rest.
In the middle of the night, Li Ang was lying in bed chatting with Chai Cuiqiao, discussing the world as seen by ghosts.
Li Ang asked, "After people die and become ghosts, are there not emissaries from the underworld, like the Black and White Guardians of Hell, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, tasked with taking the ghosts away?"
Chai Cuiqiao replied, "Under normal circumstances, that’s correct. However, just like how government officials can’t cover every area, the Black and White Guardians also have blind spots. Some lone ghosts who have died unexpectedly remain uncollected for a long time. Fed by resentment and malevolent energy, they either become Fierce Ghosts that torment the living, ascend to great ghosts or Ghost Kings, or get preemptively liberated by roaming Taoists and Monks."
Chai Cuiqiao paused, seemingly afraid that Li Ang might misunderstand, and explained further, "Of course, there are also ordinary ghosts whose resentment isn’t so overwhelming, merely because their bones are buried in a Blessed Land with flowing yin energy, unable to dissipate. These ghosts coexist peacefully with the living, not interfering with each other. In special cases, ghosts may even help the living."