Chapter 259: Desire
Upon hearing the words "noodles," Happy's expression stiffened. He couldn't help but recall the Madwoman from earlier.
The Madwoman had been mumbling about noodles before. Recalling her chilling expression and terrifying laughter, he couldn't help but shiver.
"No, no, thank you, Old Farmer, but I have things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Happy dropped these words, rose, and bolted out of the house. From behind him came the Old Farmer's anxious voice.
"Young man, you absolutely must not go to that Broken Temple on the mountain. Especially at night, do not go near it. Something bad will happen."
"I know, Old Farmer, I won't go there. It's getting late, I'm heading home now. I'll come visit you another day."
Rural paths were difficult to navigate, especially in such sparsely populated areas. The way was often choked with weeds, making it hard to distinguish solid ground from empty space; one wrong step and you could tumble into the rice paddies on either side. At night, with visibility so low, accidents were even more likely.
Fortunately, Happy had grown up in the countryside and was intimately familiar with such rural paths. He had a certain amount of experience in this regard, knowing precisely where to step and where not to.
Trotting along, Happy stopped when the sky finally darkened completely. Even though he was accustomed to country roads, he still needed illumination after nightfall. Moreover, he wasn't familiar with this area; navigating in the dark without falling to his death would be a stroke of luck.
There was no moon tonight, and the sky was dark. Looking at the imposing mountain before him, Happy felt a profound sense of oppression and insecurity.
He checked his phone. The popularity in his live stream had increased slightly, but it wasn't particularly noticeable. Happy knew that if he didn't offer up something more substantial, his viewers would likely dwindle away, until he eventually hit a dead end.
He felt a flicker of fear, but with the arrow already on the string, he had no choice but to shoot. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve: tonight, come what may, he had to go up the mountain and check out that Broken Temple.
Regardless of whether the Old Farmer's words were true or false, given the current situation, he had no choice but to explore the Broken Temple. Unless, of course, he wanted to abandon this profession entirely and leave the circle for good.
Happy, naturally, wouldn't do that, so he made what he believed to be the most correct choice.
Taking out his headlamp and then his power bank to charge his phone, Happy then spoke into the screen: "Alright, folks, I'm sure you all heard what the Old Farmer just said. I've now reached the foot of the mountain, and I'm going up to see if that Broken Temple is really as eerie as the Old Farmer claims."
As his words fell, Happy unleashed his full power and sprinted up the mountain.
"To some, this mountain might indeed seem large, but in my eyes, it's not that big. Our home is also surrounded by mountains, and I often climb them, so I have some experience in how to ascend quickly."
Happy continued to speak as he raced up the mountain. This not only kept the live stream engaging but also helped him divert his attention from the fear gnawing at him.
"If we want to climb the mountain in the shortest possible time, we have to avoid taking detours as much as possible. It's dangerous, but it saves a lot of time."
"To let all you buddies see the Broken Temple as quickly as possible, I, Happy, am truly going all out. No danger is worth mentioning to me right now."
After running for a while, Happy was panting heavily. He stopped, used a stick to probe the bushes in front of him, and once he confirmed there were no issues, he plopped down.
"Folks, I'll catch my breath and have some water first. It's still early for midnight, and they say ghosts usually come out at midnight. If we can reach the Broken Temple before midnight, we might just find an unexpected reward."
He pulled a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, drank more than half of it in one gulp, then capped it and put the water back in his bag.
"Folks, I told you before, this is the most authentic ghost hunting you'll find, absolutely no faking it. So I hope you all can support me more, spread the word for me. The main show is about to begin soon. If you have any friends who enjoy the supernatural, you can invite them into my live stream. Let's all witness together whether there are really ghosts in that Broken Temple on the mountain."
Happy spoke as he used his phone and headlamp to illuminate his surroundings.
"As you can all see, I'm alone. Absolutely real, absolutely reliable. Alright, no more rambling, let's continue climbing."
As his words fell, Happy indeed stopped rambling, stood up, and continued towards the mountaintop.
Along the way, Happy didn't encounter anything strange, which left him feeling both secretly delighted and deeply disappointed—a contradictory mix of emotions.
He was secretly delighted because he hadn't encountered anything strange or dangerous; he was safe, hence the quiet joy in his heart.
And the disappointment stemmed from the very same reason.
The journey had been too uneventful, with no odd occurrences. This meant his live stream would become bland and fail to capture the audience's interest, leading them to likely leave. As a streamer, he understood this perfectly, which was why disappointment began to bloom in his heart.
He checked his phone, and sure enough, the number of viewers in his live stream hadn't just stagnated—it had significantly decreased. This made him feel like he was going to go crazy.
He had mustered the courage to climb the mountain, yet instead of the expected surge in popularity, his viewership had actually dropped considerably. Naturally, he was quite displeased.
Although displeased, he was helpless. He could only continue his live stream, and he couldn't even let his true emotions show.
"Alright, folks, after my tireless efforts, I've finally reached the mountaintop! This summit is much larger than I imagined. Now, I'm going to search for the Broken Temple the old man mentioned."
Happy initially wanted to sit down and rest. After all, mountain climbing was physically demanding, and he had expended a considerable amount of energy on the way up.
However, the dwindling number of viewers in his live stream meant he dared not rest. If he were to sit down now, there was a high chance his viewership would drop even further. So, gritting his teeth, he took a sip of water and began searching for the Broken Temple the Old Farmer had spoken of.
It wasn't long before he found his target. Yet, the sight before him sent a shiver down his spine.
There was indeed a dilapidated shack ahead, but he couldn't be certain if it was the Broken Temple the Old Farmer had mentioned. That wasn't the main point, however. The crucial detail was that light was emanating from inside the shack.
Happy halted, his heart involuntarily quickening its pace. In this situation, he quickly aimed his phone's camera at the shack, while his face remained directed at the phone screen.
"Folks, do you see that? There's light coming from inside that house ahead! I don't know if it's the Broken Temple the Old Farmer talked about, but. . . but right now, I'm feeling a little weak in the knees. " Happy swallowed, his voice trembling slightly.
As these words left his mouth, the bullet comments instantly flooded the screen.
"What are you afraid of? You're a streamer, and your guts are so small, why are you doing ghost hunting?"
"It's clearly inhabited! That rustic farmer never said no one lived on the mountain!"
"Don't be scared, Happy! Let the gifts fly! Use gifts to defend yourself, not even bullets can pierce through!"
Among the bullet comments were those who scorned and cursed Happy, thinking he was too timid. To be so frightened by mere light emanating from a dilapidated house meant he simply wasn't qualified to be a ghost hunting streamer.
Others thought Happy was completely overreacting. The light coming from the house indicated someone was living on the mountaintop. After all, the air was fresh up there, so it wasn't strange for someone to reside on the mountain.
Still others were completely captivated by the scene before them, their curiosity piqued. They simply wanted to know what was inside the house—human or ghost? To encourage Happy to continue, some offered verbal support, while those with fatter wallets directly sent gifts.
Watching the fervent bullet comments on his phone screen, whether they were cursing him or supporting him, they all provided him with considerable motivation.
Especially those individual gifts; they gave him even more drive. Since he started streaming, he had never received any gifts, but now, he was not only receiving them, but in quite a substantial quantity.
"Folks, I've come all this way, I definitely won't let you down. If I encounter any danger, please call the police for me."
In the end, desire triumphed over his inner fear. Happy took a deep breath and cautiously approached the dilapidated shack, step by careful step.
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