The old wooden wedge could no longer be used, and there were no new ones in the toolbox.

After using a nail to patch up the damaged door frame, Yin Yan got up, walked outside the temple, and came back with a sturdy piece of broken wood.

"An axe and a plane."

This time, Yu Zhen finally snapped out of his daze, immediately finding the tools and handing them over.

Yin Yan took the tools and cleanly chopped the broken wood into several pieces with single, decisive cuts. His posture was relaxed, as if he weren't chopping wood, but a block of tofu.

Yu Zhen's eyes widened slightly. He never expected that Yin Yan, who looked like a frail and noble young master, would be so strong, chopping wood with such ease.

In comparison, he felt like an idiot for struggling to chop firewood a few days ago.

After chopping the broken wood to a suitable length, Yin Yan examined the plane and began to shave the wood.

Bark and wood shavings flew everywhere. The piece of wood slowly changed shape, and as if in the blink of an eye, a new wooden wedge appeared in Yin Yan's hand.

Yu Zhen almost wanted to give him a round of applause.

After installing the new wedge, Yin Yan put down his tools, lifted the door panel again, and fixed it to the frame. He turned his head to look at Yu Zhen, "Lend a hand."

"Ah? Oh, oh."

Yu Zhen quickly pulled back the hands he was about to bring together for applause, closed the toolbox, stepped over, and reached out to hold the door panel.

He hadn't noticed while squatting, but now that they were standing close together, he realized that Yin Yan was really tall. Moreover, looking up from below, Yin Yan's features were still flawlessly handsome.

How could there be such a good-looking person in this world? His features weren't that much more outstanding than other handsome people, but he was just so good-looking. A lift of his hand, a lowering of his head—whatever he did was so attractive it was hard to look away.

This wasn't right.

Yu Zhen vaguely felt something was off with him; his reactions were as if he'd been bewitched. But after getting closer to the other person, the faint warm aura drifting from him made it impossible to concentrate on what was wrong.

"Hold it here."

The back of his hand suddenly warmed. That beautiful hand he had been staring at for so long covered his, gently taking hold of it and moving it to the upper part of the door frame. It squeezed firmly as if to secure it, then moved away with complete naturalness.

The other person's hand was pale, slender, and very beautiful. It looked like it should have been cool to the touch, but upon actual contact, he discovered the hand was very warm, so warm that he almost lost control and gripped it back.

Yin Yan went around to the back of the door panel and began using nails to secure the loosened joints.

Yu Zhen stared wide-eyed at the familiar, old-grained door panel in front of him. His gaze swept over the remnants of a yellow paper talisman on it, and he abruptly took a step back.

The warm aura receded. Coincidentally, a gust of north wind blew, dissipating some of the strange atmosphere.

His slightly blank and confused eyes slowly cleared. His muddled brain began to function normally. The thoughts, interrupted by the sudden chill, got back on track, and everything before him suddenly seemed inexplicable and comical.

A strange guest who suddenly appeared at his door, an inexplicable hug, and now this overly familiar act of fixing the door—everything was proceeding strangely, yet with a sense of it being perfectly natural and logical.

...A terrifying sense of it being logical.

He pressed his lips together, his hand holding the door panel tightening. He tried hard to suppress the trembling fear rising in his heart, took a shallow breath, and asked, "Who... who are you?"

A human or a ghost? Or some kind of demon that could bewitch people's hearts and disrupt their will?

The hammering stopped. The pale hand reached out from behind the door panel again, and under Yu Zhen's vigilant gaze, it bypassed his hand and landed on the lower part of the door, lifting it slightly.

"It's crooked."

After a few more hammering sounds, Yin Yan came out from behind the door panel with a hammer. He raised a hand to lightly brush the wood shavings off his sweater and replied, "I'm Yin Yan. The person you saved from the red sports car over half a month ago. I came here specifically to thank you."

Over half a month ago? A sports car?

Memories suddenly returned. The scene from that night appeared before his eyes: a body gradually losing its warmth, the sight of blood everywhere... and the finger that had suddenly moved.

Yu Zhen's face instantly turned deathly pale. He let go of the door panel without hesitation. Looking at Yin Yan's face, which was so white under the sun it was almost transparent and completely bloodless, his heart clenched into a ball. He first took a cautious step back, then turned and ran into the Taoist Temple, slamming the door shut.

Click.

He even locked it.

"Immeasurable Longevity Buddha, Founding Ancestor, protect me. Heavenly spirits and earthly spirits, may ghosts and monsters disperse."

He clasped his hands in front of his face, leaning his back against the door panel, chanting phrases he had heard from his grandfather and on TV. His fear and nervousness were infinitely magnified, and he was so panicked he was on the verge of crying again.

He still hadn't figured out the strangeness of the peach branch, and now a guy who seemed to have come back from the dead had appeared. What should he do? What should he do?

"Grandpa, save me."

He looked at the memorial portrait on the wall and, thinking of something, quickly let go to fumble in his pocket, trying to take out the Peace Bead, but found nothing. Stunned for a few seconds, he scrambled forward, found incense and candles, lit them, and began to pray to the portrait and the statue of the Founding Ancestor on the altar table.

Knock, knock.

"Yu Zhen, open the door."

The cool voice came through the door panel. Without the influence of his appearance from a face-to-face encounter, the voice suddenly sounded familiar.

"Don't cry."

"Wait for me."

"Stop."

"Don't go any further."

Memories he thought he had forgotten surfaced all at once. Yu Zhen trembled as he knelt on the cushion in the main hall. What little courage he had was completely scared out of him. His thoughts were in a jumble, and he began to mindlessly recite socialist core values.

"Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice... There are no ghosts. There are no ghosts in this world. It's all lies, it's fake, it's all fake."

He chanted in self-deception. His gaze passed through the thin smoke rising from the incense and met the eyes of the Founding Ancestor's statue in the hall. Suddenly, he felt that the statue he had looked at since childhood had changed, its body now faintly shrouded in a hazy golden light. He let out a startled cry, dropped the incense, and scrambled to his feet, running towards the backyard.

Yin Yan stopped knocking and sighed softly. He suddenly reached out and pushed the door open directly, as if the lock on it didn't exist at all.

"Still so timid."

"Brother! What happened? Why did he run away?"

Yin Le ran over quickly, completely bewildered.

One moment, the two of them were fixing the door together in a harmonious atmosphere, and the next, his future sister-in-law had abandoned them and run back into the house without even a word.

"He got scared." Yin Yan stretched out an arm to stop Yin Le, who was about to step into the house. He turned his head towards the half-repaired courtyard gate and said in a low voice, "Someone's coming."

"Huh?"

Yin Le stopped and also turned his head to look at the courtyard gate.

The village director, Old Huang, had heard from the village children who went up the mountain to catch wild rabbits that there seemed to be someone moving around the old Taoist Temple. Guessing that Yu Zhen might have returned from the provincial capital for the New Year, he didn't want to miss him, so he quickly prepared a subsidy package and headed towards the temple.

When he reached the gate of the Taoist Temple, he saw that it was indeed open and felt a surge of joy. Then he saw a black car parked outside the gate, a look of confusion in his eyes. He sized up the car as he stepped through the gate.

Why is there a car? Did that kid Yu Zhen buy a car?

"Little Yu, the village is giving out a little subsidy for the New Year. You're alone—"

There weren't many formalities in the countryside, so he started shouting as soon as he entered. But when he turned his head, he saw a well-dressed man in his thirties with gold-rimmed glasses standing not far from the courtyard gate. Startled, he took a step back and asked, "Who are you?"

After asking, he noticed two even younger men standing at the doorway, both well-dressed and exuding an air of wealth. They looked like people from a big city. He unconsciously became a bit reserved. Remembering the car at the gate, he lowered his voice and said politely, "You must be Little Yu's guests, right? I'm the director of his village, here to give him something. Where is he?"

As he spoke, he subtly sized them up, suddenly regretting this trip a little.

With such wealthy-looking friends, Yu Zhen must be doing well in the provincial capital. He probably wouldn't care for the little bit of oil, rice, and pastries he brought. But that kid Yu Zhen was also careless. How could he just leave his guests standing in the courtyard instead of inviting them inside to sit? It was so improper.

Yin Le and Weng Xiping didn't speak, both looking at Yin Yan.

Yin Yan's gaze swept over Old Huang's kind and reliable face. He then glanced at the wide-open back door of the Taoist Temple's main hall and the partially visible backyard behind it. An idea struck him. The aura around him suddenly became much more amicable as he walked towards Old Huang.

...

"Hey! So you're here to thank him. You're welcome, you're welcome. That kid Yu Zhen is a bit timid. It's all his grandpa Old Man Yu's fault for always telling him spooky stories and scaring him. You all wait here, I'll go get him."

After hearing Yin Yan's explanation, all the reservation and politeness vanished from Old Huang's face. He enthusiastically invited the three of them to sit at a square table on the side of the main hall, then turned and headed for the backyard.

"I can't believe someone living in a Taoist Temple would be afraid of ghosts," Yin Le muttered under his breath, finding it utterly incredible. "Besides, Brother, what part of you looks like a ghost? You're obviously so handsome..."

Yin Yan shifted his gaze from the cold Peach Blossom Congee on the table, looked up at him, and explained, "I was unconscious the night of the car accident, and I was covered in blood. It's perfectly normal for Yu Zhen to misunderstand."

Yin Le's mouth hung open in a daze. He hadn't expected him to seriously explain a casual mutter, and his words were even protective of Yu Zhen. He couldn't help but step on Weng Xiping's foot under the table.

Weng Xiping straightened his back in pain and turned his head to look at him, bewildered.

Yin Le gestured wildly with his eyes.

Weng Xiping was completely clueless.

What a useless teammate!

Yin Le ground his teeth. He had to set himself up, pretending to casually follow the topic, "So, after formally meeting him this time, what do you think of this Yu Zhen, Brother? Do you still... like him?"

Yin Yan watched him quietly without speaking.

"...Cough, I just wanted to confirm again, I didn't mean anything else."

Yin Le would never admit he wanted to gossip. He guiltily avoided his gaze, coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment, and continued, "Since you like him, then Brother, it's not that I want to pour cold water on you, but from Yu Zhen's reaction just now, your chances of winning him over are a bit... And we're about to go back to B City. What are you going to do next? Come back after the New Year to continue pursuing him?"

Yin Yan still didn't speak. He suddenly stood up, picked up the now-cold Peach Blossom Congee from the table, and also turned to walk towards the temple's backyard.

???

Yin Le was stunned and quickly called out, "Brother, where are you going? Brother?"

"Sit still," Yin Yan ordered without turning his head.

Yin Le's butt, which had just lifted, immediately dropped back down. He sat properly, and after two seconds of obedience, he suddenly realized what he had done. He couldn't believe he had been so cowardly, but he didn't have the guts to follow.

In the backyard, Yu Zhen, who was scared stiff, was coaxed out of the room by Old Huang. After repeatedly confirming that it was really Old Huang standing in front of him, he slightly loosened his grip on the Peach Wood Sword in his hand and forced an ugly smile, replying, "Uncle... Uncle Huang, there's no need. I'm not short on food or drink. You... you should give the subsidy to the lonely elderly in the village."

"Why are you being so polite, child? There's more subsidy, we're not short of your share. And isn't this Peach Wood Sword your grandpa's prized possession? Why did you take it out?"

Old Huang affectionately grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the front house while chuckling, "Look at how timid you are. Saving someone is a good thing, what are you afraid of? Not to mention he's still alive and well, but even if he were really dead, as the person who saved him, he wouldn't come back as a ghost to harm you. Come on, go to the front house and talk with the guests. Treat them well."

Hearing this, Yu Zhen shook his head frantically. He reached out and hugged a pillar on the porch tightly, his teeth chattering. The chill and fear wrapped around him, tangling him up so much he couldn't even speak a complete sentence. His hand gripping the Peach Wood Sword was so tight his knuckles turned white, silently expressing his resistance.