Realm of the Night God

Upon hearing the words "noodles," a stiff expression appeared on Kuai Le's face, involuntarily recalling the crazy woman from before.

The crazy woman had been muttering about noodles, and the memory of her eerie expressions and terrifying laughter sent shivers down Kuai Le's spine.

"No, thank you, old man. I've got things to do; I'll be on my way."

Leaving these words behind, Kuai Le got up and quickly left the house, hearing the anxious voice of the old farmer behind him.

"Young man, don't go to that dilapidated temple on the mountain, especially at night. Stay away from there; trouble awaits!"

"I understand, old man. I won't go there. It's getting late; I'll head home now. I'll come by another day to check on you."

The rural path was challenging to navigate, especially in sparsely populated areas where the road was overgrown with weeds. It was hard to distinguish between solid ground and open space, and one could easily stumble into the nearby rice paddies, especially at night when visibility was low.

Fortunately, Kuai Le grew up in the countryside, making him familiar with such rural paths. He had experience in knowing where to step and where not to.

Jogging along, when the day completely turned dark, Kuai Le stopped. Despite his familiarity with rural paths, he needed illumination after dark. Moreover, he was in an unfamiliar place, and navigating in the dark could be perilous.

With no moon tonight, the sky was dark. Looking at the mountain ahead, Kuai Le felt a sense of oppression and insecurity.

Glancing at his mobile phone, the live stream's popularity had increased slightly, but not significantly. Kuai Le knew that if he didn't provide more exciting content, viewers might gradually lose interest.

Though fearful, Kuai Le felt he had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind. Tonight, he would venture up the mountain to explore the dilapidated temple, regardless of whether the old farmer's warning was true or false. If he wanted to continue in this line of work, he had to face such challenges.

Kuai Le would not back down. Considering it the right choice, he retrieved a flashlight, connected his phone to a power bank for charging, and spoke to the screen, "Hey, guys. You all heard what the old man said. I'm now at the foot of the mountain, and I'm heading up to see if that dilapidated temple is as mysterious as he claims."

As his words echoed, Kuai Le sprinted uphill.

"Some might see this mountain as big, but to me, it's not that significant. There are mountains around my home, and I often climb them. I have some experience in climbing quickly."

Speaking while running, Kuai Le not only prevented the live stream from becoming dull but also diverted his attention from the inner fear.

"To reach the mountain top quickly, we need to avoid detours as much as possible. It's dangerous, but it saves time."

"To let you guys see the temple as soon as possible, I'm giving it my all. No danger is too much for me now."

After running a distance, Kuai Le was out of breath. He stopped, probed the grass ahead with a stick, ensuring it was safe, and then sat down.

"Guys, let me catch my breath and have some water. It's still early before midnight. Supposedly, ghosts like to come out around midnight. If we can reach the temple before then, maybe we'll have some unexpected discoveries."

Taking out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, Kuai Le took a big gulp and then put the bottle back in his bag.

"Guys, as I've mentioned before, this is the most authentic spirit exploration. No fakery at all. I hope you all can support me and spread the word. The real show is about to begin. If you have friends who are into paranormal stuff, invite them to my live stream. Let's witness whether there are ghosts in that temple on the mountain together."

While talking, Kuai Le used his phone and flashlight to scan the surroundings.

"You all see, it's just me. Absolutely real, absolutely reliable. Alright, no more chit-chat; let's continue climbing."

With that, Kuai Le didn't waste any more words. He stood up and continued heading towards the mountain top.

So far, Kuai Le hadn't encountered anything strange on his journey. This left him both relieved and disappointed, a conflicting mix of emotions. Relief came from the absence of weird occurrences or danger, ensuring his safety.

However, disappointment arose for the same reason.

The journey had been too smooth, devoid of any strange occurrences. This made his livestream dull, failing to captivate the audience's interest. They were likely to leave, and as a streamer, he was well aware of this, hence the disappointment.

Checking his mobile phone, as expected, the number of viewers in the livestream not only didn't increase but had significantly decreased. This gave him a feeling of frustration.

Despite summoning the courage to climb the mountain, not gaining the expected increase in popularity made him quite unhappy. Although displeased, he had no choice. He had to continue the livestream, concealing his emotions.

"Hey, guys, after relentless efforts, I've finally reached the mountaintop. It's much larger than I imagined. Now, let's search for the dilapidated temple the old man mentioned."

Kuai Le initially wanted to sit down and rest, climbing a mountain being physically demanding. However, the decrease in popularity made him reluctant to rest. If he sat down now, it was highly likely that the viewership would further decline. Therefore, he gritted his teeth, took a sip of water, and started searching for the dilapidated temple on the mountaintop.

Not long into the search, he spotted a target. However, what he saw made him feel a chilling sensation.

There was indeed a rundown house in front of him, but he couldn't be sure if it was the dilapidated temple the old farmer mentioned. The crucial point, however, was that there was light emanating from inside.

Kuai Le halted his steps, his heart rate involuntarily quickening. Under these circumstances, he quickly pointed the camera on his mobile phone towards the dilapidated house, keeping his face directed towards the phone screen.

"Guys, did you see that? There's light coming from that house ahead. I don't know if it's the dilapidated temple the old farmer spoke of, but... but at this moment, I feel a bit uneasy." Kuai Le swallowed, his voice trembling.

As he spoke, the barrage of comments started flowing.

"What are you afraid of? You're a streamer! With such a small courage, why bother with spirit exploration!"

"It's obvious someone lives there! That old farmer never said there was no one on the mountain!"

"Kuai Le, don't be afraid! Send some gifts! Gifts are like body armor; even bullets can't penetrate them!"

The barrage included both disdainful comments berating Kuai Le for being too timid and others who thought he was exaggerating. Some believed Kuai Le was making a big deal out of nothing, reasoning that a light in a house on the mountain wasn't particularly strange.

Others were genuinely curious, purely wanting to know what was inside the house—whether it was a person or a ghost. To keep Kuai Le going, they either supported him verbally or directly sent gifts, with some more financially capable viewers generously swiping their wallets.

Watching the lively barrage on the mobile phone screen, whether they were criticizing or supporting him, it gave Kuai Le considerable motivation.

Especially those gifts, they provided him with even more incentive. Since starting his livestream, he had never received any gifts until now, and the current quantity was not insignificant.

"Guys, I've made it here, and I won't let you down. If I encounter any danger, please call the police for me."

In the end, desire triumphed over the fear in his heart. Kuai Le took a deep breath, carefully and cautiously approaching the dilapidated house!