My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve, tightly enveloping the dilapidated mountain god temple.

Only the bonfire in the center of the temple remained, stubbornly emitting a dim, flickering light.

It dispelled a small circle of darkness, but cast even more distorted shadows onto the mottled walls and the hideous statues.

After a day of arduous travel and a lively ghost story session in the evening, the bodyguards were now fast asleep, their snores rising and falling.

Ye Qingfeng, wrapped in the gray-blue Taoist robe he had picked up, leaned against the cold corner of the wall and had already fallen asleep.

Inside the temple, only the occasional crackling of burning firewood and the endless howling of the wind outside remained.

The first shift of night watch was carried out by a young bodyguard named Wang Ergou.

He had been forcing himself to keep his eyes on the fire, but waves of fatigue and warmth washed over him, making his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

He stood up, stretched his stiff hands and feet, and hesitated for a moment.

I decided to relieve myself outside the temple—although the temple was dilapidated, I still felt a bit uncomfortable relieving myself in front of the statues.

He tiptoed past his companions who were lying haphazardly, pushed open the half-closed, broken door, and a blast of cold air immediately rushed in, making him shiver.

The moonlight outside was dim, and the shadows of the trees loomed like countless watchful eyes. He dared not go far and hastily relieved himself beside the temple gate.

As he walked back, pulling up his pants, a gust of cold wind blew by, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

The calm yet sinister voice of Master Ye from earlier that day echoed in his mind as if possessed:

"...There should be a certain number of people, but when you count... there's always one extra."

Wang Ergou suddenly stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason.

He stood at the temple entrance, where the light from the bonfire inside cast the shadow of a person lying on the ground.

"What nonsense am I thinking!" he cursed himself under his breath, shook his head, and tried to shake the voice away.

However, as he stepped over the threshold, his gaze unconsciously swept over the familiar figures on the ground.

An inexplicable impulse, or rather, an unease, compelled him to begin counting silently:

"One, two, three... Boss (black-faced镖头)... five, six... Master Ye is in the corner... eight..."

The eighth one was a companion sleeping near the door.

He remembered clearly that the kid smacked his lips before he left.

Wang Ergou was stunned.

Were there eight people before he went out?

Including myself, there should be seven bodyguards, plus Master Ye, making eight people in total.

That's right, there are eight people.

"Phew... I was just scaring myself... How could there be ghosts these days?"

He shook his head and gave a helpless laugh.

Then they continued preparing to return to their original positions to keep watch.

But just as he took a step, he suddenly froze.

He seems to have forgotten to count himself!

So if we add the eight he just counted to himself, then there are nine!

A blast of cool air shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head, instantly making my back break out in a cold sweat!

He blinked hard and counted again from the beginning. This time he looked more carefully, even trying to distinguish each face lying on its side or back.

One, two, three… The black-faced镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was snoring loudly… Five, six… Master Ye leaned against the wall, his face covered by his Taoist robe… Eight… He led himself… Nine…

Still nine! There's one more!

Wang Ergou felt like his blood was freezing.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, trying to use the pain to prove that this was not a nightmare.

He forced himself to look for the face of the extra "person," trying to find a flaw.

The firelight flickered, the shadows shifted, and every face was familiar—he had seen them all before, yet he clearly remembered there were only eight…

An even more terrifying thought, like a venomous snake, burrowed into his mind.

Could it be... that the extra one isn't someone else... but... myself?

Am I already dead? What's returned now is my soul? So there are still eight of them, but with my "soul" added, there are nine?

This idea nearly made him lose his mind; his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

He bit his tongue hard; the sharp pain and the metallic sweetness brought him back to his senses.

No, that's not right! I can feel the cold, I can feel the pain! I'm alive!

Who is the extra one...?

His gaze darted around in fear before finally settling on the dark-faced镖头 (镖头 is a type of镖师, meaning镖师 who is a ...

Yes, boss! The boss is definitely not a ghost! He has to tell the boss!

Wang Ergou practically tumbled and crawled to the black-faced镖头's side, his hands trembling.

She pushed him forcefully, her voice barely audible but filled with barely suppressed panic: "Boss! Boss! Wake up! Wake up!"

The dark-faced head镖师 was shaken awake, and he opened his eyes groggily, looking annoyed at being woken up.

"Er Gou? Time for your shift to change? What's the rush..."

"No, it's not a shift change!" Wang Ergou's voice was choked with sobs as he leaned close to his ear, his breath coming in short gasps.

"Boss...the numbers are wrong! There's...one too many!"

"What? There's one more?" The dark-faced head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) muttered, not fully awake yet.

"It's just...it's about the number of people! Including Master Ye, there are clearly eight of us!"

But I just counted...counted again...it's nine! Really nine! I definitely didn't miscount!"

Wang Ergou's lips trembled slightly.

The dark-faced镖头's sleepiness vanished instantly.

He sat up abruptly, cold sweat silently seeping from his forehead and sliding down his tense cheeks.

He began to count silently in his mind, once, twice... his face grew paler and paler.

He remembered everyone's location, remembered that the Taoist priest was sleeping in the corner, but now, he seemed to recognize everyone!

They had absolutely no idea who that extra person was!

"Wake everyone up!" the dark-faced head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) commanded in a low voice, his voice hoarse.

Wang Ergou felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly went to wake up his companion next to him.

Soon, all the bodyguards except Ye Qingfeng were quietly awakened.

Upon learning the situation, everyone's face turned pale.

They huddled around the fire, exchanging terrified glances and stealing peeks at the people next to them.

They looked at each other, trying to figure out who might be "the extra".

But no matter how you look at them, Zhang San is Zhang San, and Li Si is Li Si; their faces are all familiar.

The voice was correct, and he even remembered the location of the holes in his clothes.

The more this is the case, the more terrifying it is—the extra one has perfectly blended in among them, and may even have altered their memory of the number of people!

"Which one...which one is it?" a bodyguard asked in a low voice, his voice trembling with tears, but no one could answer.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the campfire flickering uneasily, illuminating the pale, terrified faces.

Despair and fear, like cold vines, entwine around everyone's heart.

Just then, the black-faced head镖师 suddenly jolted, his gaze turning sharply to Ye Qingfeng, who was still sleeping soundly in the corner.

The seemingly casual ghost story about "one more person" that the Taoist priest had mentioned exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!

That's more than just telling a story!

That was clearly... foresight? Was it divine guidance? Was it a warning from a deity about the impending calamity they were about to face?

Then, recalling the stories of the heavenly palace that the other party had told before, although they were not to be taken seriously, they were told in such a realistic way.

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, how could you know it so clearly?

This Master Ye is probably not the down-and-out Taoist priest they thought he was, but a truly accomplished master!

"Quick! Quickly, invite Master Ye!" The black-faced镖头's voice trembled with excitement and hope as he practically lunged at Ye Qingfeng.

However, they dared not push or shove forcefully, and could only call out respectfully and urgently in a low voice.