Chapter 260: I Swear I Won't Do Anything Improper
Happy moved cautiously, for he had no idea what the situation inside the hut was, and thus dared not make the slightest sound.
He didn't dare approach the hut head-on. Instead, he turned off his flashlight and circled around to the side. This way, if anything went awry, he could make a swift escape.
The closer he got to the hut, the faster his heart pounded, and his lips began to chap.
Finally, he reached the hut. Happy touched it with his fingers, discovering it was a wooden structure. Though just a wooden hut, its seal was remarkably tight; not a single crevice was visible in any of its four walls.
Concerned about being exposed, Happy had chosen not to approach from the direction of the main door or windows, but rather from the back of the hut. Because of this, he couldn't see anything inside through the windows or door cracks. He could only press his ear gently against the wall, hoping to hear some useful information, even just a faint sound.
The night was terrifyingly quiet. It was precisely this profound silence that allowed Happy to hear a faint sound from within the hut.
It was very subtle. City dwellers might not recognize the sound, but for Happy, who grew up in the countryside, it was intimately familiar: the crackling of dry firewood burning in a stove.
"Someone's cooking!"
As this thought surfaced in his mind, he caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma. This sudden scent made him involuntarily swallow, and only then did he suddenly remember that he hadn't eaten dinner yet.
Before he could ponder further, a sudden gust of wind swept across the mountaintop.
The wind howled, trees swayed, and weeds bent low. A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a thunderous crack.
Startled by the thunder, Happy's body trembled. He involuntarily glanced up at the sky, where electric snakes of lightning writhed continuously through the clouds, and the rumbling and cracking of thunder echoed without end.
Splash, splash, splash, splash!
The torrential rain arrived without warning, pouring down in sheets. Happy, caught unprepared, quickly protected his phone and pressed himself as tightly as possible against the wooden wall.
Even so, he was drenched, for the wind was simply too fierce.
Summer had long passed, and Happy hadn't expected such weather, so he had no umbrella in his backpack.
Watching the downpour, Happy's heart grew anxious. He wasn't thinking of similar scenes from horror movies; he was worried about his phone. If this continued, his phone would be ruined.
A waterlogged phone was as good as a waterlogged brain; once it got wet, it could only be looked at, not used.
His live stream was currently booming. If his phone broke, he wouldn't be able to continue streaming. It wouldn't matter whether he found the Broken Temple tonight or not; it would all be over, because the live stream was for his audience, and he had no intention of enjoying it himself.
To save his phone, the best solution right now was to enter the hut and shelter from the rain.
Inside, he could hear the sound of burning firewood and a fragrant aroma. Although Happy couldn't identify the source of the scent, these two points indicated that someone inside was likely preparing dinner.
In his opinion, lighting a fire and cooking were human activities, not something a ghost would do. Since it wasn't a ghost, what was there to fear?
Having cleared his thoughts on this point, Happy's courage swelled considerably. He no longer trod cautiously; instead, he bolted along the wooden wall towards the main door's location.
The hut wasn't large to begin with, and in just a few quick strides, Happy reached the door. Then, without a second thought, he knocked.
"Open the door! Friend inside, please open the door!"
His phone was already soaked by the downpour, and Happy's voice inadvertently betrayed his anxiety. This phone was his lifeline; his entire fortune, his one shot at turning his life around and getting rich, hinged on it. If this phone broke, he genuinely had no money to buy another.
"Who is it?"
A woman's voice came from inside. It was pleasant to listen to, devoid of fear, yet full of caution.
Upon hearing a woman's voice, Happy's fear significantly diminished. After all, it was just a woman; even if she truly had some issue, he, a grown man, wouldn't be afraid of a mere woman.
However, this thought was merely a fleeting spark in his mind. Immediately, his mind began to conjure images from various movies: mountain female ghosts, man-eating demons, many of whom used a woman's identity to lure men into a trap.
With this thought, his slightly relaxed heart clenched again, and he became extremely vigilant.
"I'm just passing by, and I'd like to come in to shelter from the rain," Happy quickly explained.
"Passing by? You're trying to fool a ghost, aren't you? This is a mountaintop! What path are you taking on a mountaintop? Are you going to heaven?"
The woman didn't open the door; Happy's words only made her more wary.
Yet, her vigilance was, for Happy, a good thing. The more cautious she was, the more normal she seemed.
"I really am just passing by. I came up the mountain to find a temple, but then it suddenly started pouring. I don't mind getting wet, but I can't let my only piece of equipment get soaked, that's why I want to come in and shelter," Happy quickly explained.
"If you want to shelter from the rain, go under a tree! What are you doing here? I don't welcome strangers here; hurry up and leave! " The woman still didn't open up, and impatiently urged Happy to go away.
The woman's attitude allowed Happy to relax his tense heart once more. In his view, for a woman to be so cautious, she shouldn't be some wicked and vicious individual, nor should she be a ghost or monster described in movies or novels. She was likely a normal person, who for some unknown reason, lived on this mountaintop.
It was precisely because of this that he not only didn't leave, but he desired even more strongly to enter the wooden hut to shelter from the rain.
If he could just get inside the hut, not only would he be able to escape the rain, but he might also learn something about the Broken Temple from her. And if she was beautiful, this chance encounter in the rain might even help him shed his single status.
"Beautiful lady, if I go under a tree, I'll be struck by lightning! Please be kind and do a good deed, let me in to shelter. As soon as the rain stops, I'll leave immediately. Really, I won't lie to you. I just want to shelter from the rain, I absolutely won't do anything improper! " Happy quickly promised.
"Who believes men when they say they won't do anything improper? They say they won't, but when do they not? You're trying to fool a ghost, aren't you? " the woman retorted.
"Really! Just trust me! If I do anything improper, you can call the police and have me arrested, okay? Besides, if I truly had ill intentions, this wooden door wouldn't stop me! " Happy unleashed his trump card.
The woman inside fell silent; she seemed to be considering.
After about ten seconds, the woman's wary voice came from inside again.
"I can let you in to shelter for a while, but I'll only give you one hour. After one hour, whether the rain has stopped or not, you must leave."
Happy agreed without a moment's hesitation. He was the one begging, not the other way around; he had no right to bargain.
"Good, good, good! One hour it is! Thank you, beautiful lady, thank you!"
The door creaked open, and the woman standing before him stunned Happy into immobility. He completely forgot that he was still caught in the raging wind and pouring rain.
The woman was dressed simply and plainly, with no makeup on her face. Yet, it was precisely this face, utterly untouched by artifice, that was beautiful to an indescribable degree.
Though the weather was gradually turning colder, the woman wore a thin, loose, plain robe. While this plain robe was somewhat loose, it could not conceal her voluptuous figure.
It was just an ordinary plain robe, but on her, it didn't make her seem ordinary; instead, it made her appear even more captivatingly beautiful, like an ethereal fairy untouched by worldly dust.
Happy had never encountered a truly beautiful woman in his life, but he had seen all sorts of beauties on television. However, none could compare to the woman before him.
To this day, he had never seen a woman so stunningly beautiful.
There were no elaborate decorations, no exquisite makeup, and no alluring poses; she merely stood there, and Happy felt as if struck by lightning, completely forgetting who he was.
Watching Happy stand there dumbfounded, staring directly at her, the woman frowned slightly, a look of distaste appearing on her face. She asked impatiently, "Are you coming in or not?"
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