When he was about to leave, he put the merit box back on the offering table:

"Dao Ancestor, this meat isn't anything special, so I'll offer you a big gold bar instead—wait, that's not right."

The merit box shook; he sensed the weight was off. For a wooden box supposedly filled with gold bars, it felt a bit too light.

So he opened the merit box.

The shiny big gold bar was gone!

In its place was a silver note, with "Redeemable for ten taels of silver" written on the front, and over a dozen flags on the back...

Samuel was stunned.

What the hell!

Chapter 004: The Money Trap

What the hell?

This must be some kind of ghostly trick!

The gold bar he had personally verified had turned into a silver note...

Even if Samuel tried to think with the greasy chicken tail in his hand, he knew something was seriously wrong.

He didn't touch the merit box again, but quickly analyzed the situation:

The gold bar was given by David Carter.

David Carter said he came to the temple this time specifically to donate incense money.

Donating incense money is common, but giving a whole gold bar at once is extremely rare.

Way too generous!

Even if someone were that generous, they would usually donate in person—why have a friend donate on their behalf?

So, what if this gold bar wasn't real gold, but a problem in disguise?

He remembered a joke he'd heard in his previous life.

It was about someone who found a cursed coin controlled by an evil spirit—whoever spent it would die. Once the person learned the truth, they immediately donated the money to a temple...

Samuel realized that the joke seemed to have come true.

He also recalled how David Carter would rather risk traveling home at night than stay at the temple—could it be that this guy knew something bad would happen at the temple tonight, and that's why he insisted on leaving?

In other words—

David Carter didn't refuse to stay at the temple.

He didn't dare!

Because he knew the truth about the gold bar he gave. The "friend" he mentioned was probably himself!

Thinking this far, Samuel muttered to himself, "So I was right to feel something was off. I just felt there was something wrong with him, but he distracted me with chicken, fish, and meat."

"He must have panicked, thinking I'd seen through his trick and realized there was something wrong with the gold bar he donated!"

"That bastard, so cunning, so bold—he actually dared to mess with the Dao Ancestor!"

He glared angrily at the statue of the Dao Lord, about to complain to the Dao Ancestor.

But, whether it was his imagination or not, he felt the expression on the Dao Lord's statue had changed:

The clay Dao Lord's brows were slightly furrowed, lips pressed down, looking even angrier than he was.

Samuel felt something was wrong.

The Dao Lord's statue used to have a dignified, imposing look, not a truly angry expression...

But now...

Now night had already fallen.

The night wind blew.

The torn window paper rustled.

The incense in the censer was almost burned out; in the curling smoke, a single dim red ember glowed alone.

Samuel looked at the Dao Lord's statue, then glanced at the incense burner, and suddenly noticed that two of the three sticks of incense had already burned out—only one was still struggling to stay lit.

A thought flashed through his mind:

People fear "three longs and two shorts."

Incense is taboo if there are two shorts and one long.

As everyone knows, "three longs and two shorts" refers to an open coffin.

A coffin is made of six planks: four long ones for the top, bottom, left, and right, and two short ones for the front and back—so in total, four longs and two shorts. If the lid is opened, it becomes three longs and two shorts.

And once a coffin is opened, it usually means someone is about to die.

Likewise, everyone knows that the three sticks of incense offered to the gods have meaning—they represent Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Only when Heaven, Earth, and Man are all present is there harmony. If there are two shorts and one long, it usually means Heaven and Earth have dissipated, leaving only Man behind.

And without the nurturing of Heaven and Earth, how long can Man survive?

Now, the three sticks of incense Samuel had burned for the Dao Lord were two short and one long, and the two short ones had burned out completely!

Without hesitation, he shoved the merit box into the Dao Lord's arms, grabbed his wine and meat, and ran.

He wasn't running away to escape, but to fully arm himself.

In the days since arriving at Simu Temple, he'd turned the place upside down looking for food. While he hadn't found anything edible, he had found quite a few other things.

For example, a peachwood sword polished to a shine.

For example, a horsetail whisk with a bronze handle.

Earlier that evening, his encounter with the pulley-head ghost had been a surprise attack, leaving him no time to use these weapons.

Now, with no monsters yet appearing, he had time to prepare for battle.

He slung the peachwood sword over his back, tucked the whisk into his belt, and even found several Daoist scriptures.

The moon rose.

Stars dotted the sky.

Night had fully arrived.

After finding the scriptures, he stood at his bedroom door and looked at them by moonlight. The covers of several books bore their titles:

"The Supreme Clarity Great Cavern True Scripture," "The Supreme True Scripture of the Eight Essences," "The Dragon and Tiger Dual Cultivation Health Scripture," "The Mysterious Lady's Bedroom Yang-Locking Scripture," "The Great Joy of Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Union"...

Seeing the titles clearly, Samuel was overjoyed.

The past few days, he'd been focused on finding food, so when he found the scriptures and realized they weren't edible, he hadn't studied them closely.

But now, it seemed the temple held some truly extraordinary treasures!