494. Tour Guide 【2/40】
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It was already seven in the morning.
The sun had peeked out, and the rays were getting increasingly hot. However, the moment Wu Jiaming stepped onto the mountain path, his skin felt a rush of coolness.
The sudden chill sent goosebumps racing across his arms, leaving him utterly puzzled and a bit freaked out. Cautiously, he scanned his surroundings, feeling like something was off.
Sure, the shade from the trees meant it could be cooler in the mountains, but it wasn’t like the temperature could drop three to five degrees in an instant, right?
Could it really be a ghost?
He recalled that burst of fire he saw last night. At the time, he thought nothing of it, even wanting to poke fun at Lin Nan for her nervous demeanor. But here he was, glancing around nervously, starting to wonder if ghosts were real!
He turned to see Lin Nan ahead of him and asked, “Do you feel like the temperature just plummeted when we stepped into the mountains?”
“Really?” Lin Nan, with her magic, was completely oblivious to the temperature change.
“Yeah, at least three to five degrees!”
Upon hearing this, Lin Nan hesitated and frowned slightly.
Wu Jiaming raised a hand, feeling the chilly wind blowing from who-knows-where and said, “This wind is super cool, like air conditioning…”
Got it! That meant someone installed a massive air conditioner on the mountain!
Lin Nan couldn’t help but chuckle at her own imagination.
But she quickly put on a serious face, straightened up, and continued toward the biggest grave on the back mountain.
The grave was halfway up the slope, surrounded by a wall about two meters high. It wasn’t large, but since it was so close, after about ten minutes, Lin Nan could spot the grave among the dense bushes.
She paused, jumped down from the path, and headed straight through the thicket toward the grave.
“Aren’t we supposed to be hiking?”
“Just checking, didn’t this grave glow last night?”
Lin Nan didn’t feel any fear from the temperature drop, while Wu Jiaming, who had confidently claimed the glow was just a glow stick, was now feeling rather chicken.
He stood still on the path, hesitated, and watched as Lin Nan walked further away. Finally, he touched the hundred yuan bill in his pocket to reassure himself.
Gotta believe in science, there are no ghosts.
He jumped down from the path and followed the trail Lin Nan had left. However, after a few steps, he looked up and realized Lin Nan had completely vanished.
“Lin Nan?!” he called out and waited, but there was no response.
Panic set in, and he moved forward restlessly. Unfortunately, the thicket was too thick, and he tripped over a tree root, tumbling headfirst into the bushes.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan had reached the entrance of the grave.
The grave even had a small courtyard; the gate was a hefty iron fence, at least two meters high, but with the slope nearby, climbing in wasn’t too difficult.
The issue was climbing out.
She peeked through the bars and noticed several clear footprints on the dusty, leaf-laden concrete floor.
Her heart temporarily stopped, and a chill ran down her spine. She bit her lip tightly, trying to convince herself these were just footprints left by kids exploring last night.
But those footprints were a tad too large, clearly adult-sized.
“Lin Nan!” Wu Jiaming’s voice called from nearby. Lin Nan turned to see a tree blocking her view of him, though they were no more than ten meters apart.
Just as she was about to reply, there came the sound of footsteps from within the grave.
Instantly, Lin Nan’s hair stood on end, her heart raced, and she froze, a chill creeping from the top of her head to her toes.
Her eyes widened, pupils dilated, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead as she stared into the grave, feeling icy despite the sun shining brightly above.
That was the effect of magic, but right now, it only deepened her panic.
The footsteps grew closer. Moments later, three oddly-haired young men sporting short-sleeved shirts and denim shorts emerged from a corner of the grave.
They looked exhausted, disheveled, and at first glance, they could’ve passed for worn-out street urchins.
“Finally made it,” grumbled the lead blonde guy. “You were supposed to pick us up last night! You’re at least four hours late!”
Lin Nan took a step back, trembling. “Are you human or a ghost?”
“Human. Lady Lina asked us to come for a tour.”
“???”
The three youths leaped effortlessly over the wall, glancing curiously at Lin Nan’s panicked expression while exchanging puzzled looks. “Why are you so scared? Didn’t Lady Lina explain?”
So they’re not ghosts?
She started to piece things together.
Behind her, Wu Jiaming finally emerged from the thicket, looked up, and saw Lin Nan surrounded by three oddly-haired delinquents.
Lin Nan looked alarmed, ghostly pale, her big eyes full of fear, while those three guys clearly looked like trouble.
Determined to protect her, Wu Jiaming rushed forward, shoved the nearest blonde guy away, pulled out his phone, and demanded, “What are you doing? I’m calling the cops!”
These hooligans towered over him, even the shortest standing at 1.8 meters. They didn’t look overly muscular, but it was clear they had some muscle tone.
One-on-one, Wu Jiaming didn’t stand a chance!
He shielded Lin Nan, backing away while continuing to threaten them with his phone. “I’ve called the police! They’ll be here any moment! Behave yourself.”
The sudden appearance of this courageous hero left everyone dumbfounded. Lin Nan’s thoughts were jumbled, and the three young men were bewildered, not understanding what had just happened.
“What’s wrong with people in this world?” one of them groaned.
The collective of three huddled together. The blonde guy murmured first, “I’m hungry.”
The brown-haired guy clutched his belly, looking despondent.
The guy with the conspicuous blue hair suggested, “Maybe they think we’re bad guys? After all, with our hair color, we look odd compared to their black-haired Saintess.”
“Do we have any food?”
“But the Saintess told us not to use magic here. That tour guide should be that girl; she has a magical aura.”
The blonde guy slapped the back of the brown-haired guy’s head, grumbling, “Food, food, food! All you think about is eating! We’re here to tour, not to eat!”
Wu Jiaming was about to make a mad dash for it, but just as he turned, Lin Nan grabbed his arm. “They’re my friends.”
“What?”
She finally pieced everything together: what Li Na’s shop was about, where the three youths came from, and why her cousin had been acting so weird.
She thought she’d be working part-time as a waitress at Li Na’s shop, but apparently, she was the tour guide? The welcoming committee?
And bringing three guys back to her grandfather’s house? Wouldn’t she get killed for this?
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The monthly votes are probably going to drop below twenty, getting worse by the day!
