"Get out!"
Yan Shouyi used the Buddhist Lion's Roar technique for this shout.
Of course, he only used ten percent of his power. Otherwise, Brother Yang, who was closest to him, would have had his eardrums burst and fainted on the spot.
But even with this ten percent of his power, Yang Ge shivered in fear.
"Y-you have such a loud voice?" Yang Ge asked, trembling.
Yan Shouyi didn't answer. He stared at the伥鬼s behind the truck.
These 伥鬼s were so weak that Yan Shouyi felt reluctant to make a move. However, when they combined their strength, they could still push the truck.
Under Yan Shouyi's ten percent power Buddhist Lion's Roar, the 伥鬼s all scattered in fear, covering their heads.
Like living people seeing ghosts in broad daylight, these 伥鬼s dared not continue their mischief.
Seeing the dark shadows scurrying into the woods, the truck's speed noticeably decreased.
Seeing this, Yang Ge's expression eased considerably. While stepping on the brakes, he shouted:
"I-it worked! Keep shouting!"
Although the truck's speed had decreased, there was still a force pushing it forward. Yan Shouyi peeked out again and found that there were still a few daring 伥鬼s stubbornly lingering at the back of the truck.
You're pushing your luck!
Yan Shouyi was furious, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"I gave you a chance, but you're useless!"
He took a deep breath and let out another Buddhist Lion's Roar, this time using twenty percent of his power.
In an instant, those ungrateful 伥鬼s all covered their heads, their souls scattered by the shock!
"Ah..."
A faint scream was heard, and the truck finally stopped before a sharp turn.
Yang Ge breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow with trembling hands.
The truck was heading towards a cliff dozens of meters high. If it hadn't stopped, he would surely have met a terrible end with the truck destroyed.
"I-I think I heard a scream just now. Do you know what happened?" Yang Ge asked weakly.
Yan Shouyi smiled faintly, "Brother Yang's method worked."
"You... you this..."
Yang Ge's face, which had just relaxed, became tense again.
He said his method worked, which meant there really were some unclean things bothering them just now?!
"Did you see the unclean things?" Yang Ge asked nervously.
Seeing Yang Ge's emotional state, Yan Shouyi didn't want to scare him further, so he deliberately shook his head and said, "I didn't see anything. I just shouted twice as you said."
Yang Ge slumped back in his seat, still shaken but also a little smug:
"See, living a few more years than you does have some advantages. We really encountered some unclean things just now. If I hadn't had the experience, no matter how good you are at fighting, you couldn't fight ghosts!"
"...Yes, Brother Yang is mighty."
Yan Shouyi praised Yang Ge silently, which made Yang Ge swell with pride, and his fear vanished.
The two got out of the car to inspect it. Yan Shouyi walked ahead and found many dark handprints on the rear door of the cargo compartment, left by those 伥鬼s earlier.
While Brother Yang wasn't paying attention, he reached out and wiped away all the handprints. Otherwise, the superstitious Brother Yang would probably wet himself again from fear.
After Yan Shouyi's roar, the leading 伥鬼s had their souls scattered. The remaining ones were timid and wouldn't dare to come out and cause trouble for a while.
Yan Shouyi quietly noted the location. He planned to have Wang Ji dispatch people to deal with these 伥鬼s once he could contact the Folk Customs Research Association.
To avoid being tracked, Yan Shouyi didn't even bring his phone, which was one reason why he was so penniless...
After confirming there were no other issues, Yang Ge certainly didn't want to linger in the mountains. They drove a stretch of mountain road, found the nearest highway entrance, and got back on the highway.
...
In the latter half of the night, the weather turned unpleasant, and a torrential rain began to pour.
Yang Ge turned the windshield wipers to the highest setting, but he still had difficulty seeing the road.
The heavy rain continued until the afternoon. By then, the truck had driven to the northern part of Anhui Province. In another day, they would reach Jinling.
As per their agreement, the dog Taoist priest would meet him in Jinling with Long Feicheng.
However, just moments ago, the two unluckily received news that the highway ahead had been washed out by a mudslide and would not be passable for at least two days.
Yang Ge didn't want to delay things, so he got off the highway early, planning to take the provincial road instead.
The disadvantage of taking the provincial road was that it was slower than the highway and lacked service areas for rest.
The advantage was that they could pull over to rest anytime and occasionally eat at roadside restaurants in villages, which were delicious, cheap, and affordable.
Sometimes Yang Ge would intentionally take the provincial road, finding it more cost-effective in the long run.
After the incident last night, Yang Ge had developed more trust in Yan Shouyi, chatted more along the way, and often talked about his daughter.
Yan Shouyi listened more and spoke less, spending most of his time with his eyes closed, resting.
In the evening, they passed a small town called Qianlü Town. Brother Yang originally just intended to stop and buy a pack of cigarettes, but he suddenly glimpsed a temple at the entrance of the town and felt the urge to go in and pay respects.
Yan Shouyi glanced at the temple and asked curiously, "Brother Yang, do you believe in Buddhism?"
Yang Ge shook his head.
"Then do you know what Buddha or Bodhisattva is enshrined in this temple?"
Yang Ge shook his head again.
Yan Shouyi was puzzled, "Then why do you still want to worship?"
"Oh, we common folk aren't that complicated. Whether it's a Buddhist temple or a Taoist temple, as long as we pass by, we pay our respects. There are gods three feet above our heads. If they bless us, it's a great gain; if not, there's no loss," Yang Ge said with a smile. "In my heart, there's only one deity in this world, and that's the God of Wealth!"
Apart from the God of Wealth, everything else was feudal superstition!
Saying this, Yang Ge pulled out a bundle of incense from under the seat and walked into the temple under an umbrella.
Yan Shouyi was speechless for a moment, but Yang Ge's words, though crude, were not unreasonable. Most common people were like this.
No matter what deity it was, only the one that answered prayers was a true deity; everything else was ghosts and monsters!
If Yan Shouyi had to name any belief, it would be in Lu Ban. Therefore, he had no mood to burn incense and worship Buddha today, choosing instead to sit in the car and observe the temple.
Temples nowadays were not built just anywhere. Having a temple was not enough; it also needed eminent monks to preside over it.
And these eminent monks mostly came from some more famous temples and were later invited to preside over smaller temples.
This meant that despite Qianlü Town's small temple, the monks there might have backgrounds from ancient temples.
The temple before them was named Sidé Temple. It looked quite old, and it was unclear which ancient temple it was affiliated with.
However, regardless of Sidé Temple's background, Yan Shouyi did not want to provoke it. If he were recognized, trouble would follow.
He got out of the car, holding an umbrella, and after a slight adjustment of direction, he walked into Qianlü Town.