I ignored the yellow-skinned ghost any longer.

After discarding the last handful of black charcoal, I returned to the spirit hall, closed the coffin, and continued to kneel.

A few minutes passed, and my curiosity got the better of me, so I went to the door to take another look.

The yellow-skinned ghost was still there.

And now there were more of them, tall and short!

A few yellow-skinned ghosts huddled together like a family.

I tried to scare them off, and they seemed afraid, but they just wouldn’t go far, as if they were playing a game of guerrilla warfare with me!

“Forget it, let them be!”

“They don’t eat people anyway!”

A few more minutes went by.

Suddenly, a “yi yi ya ya” sound came from behind me, as if someone was reading aloud.

I turned around and almost fell to the ground in fright!

Under the moonlight, a rat as big as a rabbit was walking on two legs, holding a book that must be “The Analects,” nodding and chanting “zhi hu zhe ye”!

Before I could react, a group of snakes slithered out of the water, a group of hedgehogs rolled out of the bushes, and several wild chickens perched on the branches, their long tails nearly dragging on the ground.

“What… is going on?”

I was completely dumbfounded.

But it wasn’t over yet!

Groups of animals surrounded the spirit hall from all directions, making it busier than a zoo during the New Year!

Within hundreds of miles, there were two great kings, one ghost and one demon.

The ghost was Granny Zheng.

The demon was the Red Chain Snake.

Now that the Red Chain Snake was killed by me, could it be that its disciples and grandchildren had come to seek revenge?

But it didn’t quite look like it…

If they were here for revenge, they would have charged in by now, so why were they hesitating and acting so timidly outside?

Some of these animals were just animals, while others could already be considered demons.

Even if they were demons, they were just little ones with a bit of spiritual power, and they still looked at me with some fear.

They were afraid of people, but they were slowly approaching and testing the waters.

At this rate, they would eventually come in!

People die for wealth, as birds die for food!

Could there be something in this spirit hall that they coveted?

I felt I was getting closer to the right answer.

So I continued to analyze calmly…

These animals all came after the Red Chain Snake died.

What changed in the spirit hall before and after the Red Chain Snake was killed by me?

A thought struck me, and I reached into my pocket.

I pulled out that strange pearl!

“Could it be for this?”

The moment I took out the pearl!

All the animals outside the spirit hall stopped moving in unison, as if they were frozen!

All their eyes were fixed on me!

Staring at the pearl in my hand!

“It’s this!”

I finally found the reason!

These animals were definitely here for this pearl!

What on earth is this thing?

At this moment, some bold animals had already approached the entrance of the spirit hall.

Even more dangerous, some wild boars and wild dogs had appeared from nowhere.

If these large animals charged in, it would really be deadly!

“Should I…”

“Throw the pearl to them and let them fight over it?”

This thought had just surfaced when I immediately dismissed it.

Clearly, this pearl was extraordinary, even though I still didn’t know its use.

Outside the spirit hall was a sea of darkness!

At that moment, an old fox stepped forward and said, “Everyone, quiet down and listen to me!”

The animals all stopped their movements.

But some were not convinced and retorted, “What good words can come from you, a cunning old fox!”

The old fox said, “Whether it’s good or not, it’s not too late to decide after listening!”

Seeing that most were not opposed, the old fox continued, “There’s only one Golden Elixir, and in the end, only one can possess it! Everyone agrees with this, right?”

“That’s right!”

“That makes sense!”

“Keep talking!”

Hearing this, many animals expressed their agreement.

Those who couldn’t speak human language could only nod desperately, making “yi yi ya ya” sounds.

The old fox said, “It’s unnecessary to get hurt over one Golden Elixir! Why don’t we be more civilized and have a competition? This way, we can determine the winner without harming our harmony!”

“A competition sounds good!”

The water snake said, “Let’s compete in swimming!”

The grasshopper said, “Let’s compete in jumping!”

The wild chicken in the tree said, “It should be flying!”

The old fox shook his head with a smile, “What you’re suggesting are niche events. For fairness, we should compete in the most standard event—running!”

Running, although not every animal was good at it, such as the tortoise, was indeed the most standard event.

Thus, the proposal was quickly accepted by most animals.

The old fox said, “The rules are simple, we start from here, and the destination is the City God Temple! The first one to reach the City God Temple gets the Golden Elixir. Do you all agree?”

As soon as the words fell, some quick-reacting animals had already started running!

Once one started, there was a second, a third…

In less than a minute!

Hundreds of animals had all run off!

This scene left me stunned!

Goodness!

When it comes to scheming, the old fox is the best!

Now that all the animals had run off, no one was competing with it!

Sure enough!

The old fox ran a few symbolic steps, then quickly turned back.

I secured the so-called Golden Elixir and said, “Impressive, impressive!”

The old fox laughed, “A bunch of fools, none of them have brains, they don’t deserve the Golden Elixir!”

“Eat…”

I took note of that.

Although the old fox was clever, it was still an animal, and it couldn’t be compared with us humans.

I said, “Now it’s just the two of us, what do you want?”

The old fox said, “I’m no match for you humans in a battle of wits! Let’s keep it simple and fair, rock-paper-scissors, one round to decide the winner!”

“Okay!”

I readily agreed.

If I won, the Golden Elixir would still be mine.

If I lost… it wasn’t too late to cheat!

I was about to make my move.

“Wait!”

The old fox interrupted me.

I asked, “Any more rules?”

The old fox said, “To prevent someone from cheating after losing, let’s put the Golden Elixir on the ground first!”

I glanced down.

If it really was placed on the ground, I feared the old fox would snatch it!

Firstly, it was faster than me.

Secondly, it was shorter.

Snatching something from the ground would always be more advantageous for it!

I was about to refuse when suddenly, I noticed many stones and bricks scattered on the ground.

In the countryside, it’s common to see bricks, tiles, bottles, and jars all over the roads.

An idea struck me, and I said, “Agreed! Watch closely, I’m putting the Golden Elixir down!”

With that, I bent down and placed the Golden Elixir on the ground.

But at the same time, I secretly grabbed a stone in my hand.

“Alright, let’s start!”

The old fox greedily glanced at the Golden Elixir but didn’t snatch it immediately.

It probably had the same thought as me just now!

It had at least a fifty percent chance of winning!

If it lost, it could still snatch it later!

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

We counted together.

When we reached “three,” we both made our move.

The old fox chose rock.

I also chose rock.

Only, its rock was the passive kind, and mine was the aggressive kind!

Bang!

With one stone down, it hit the old fox hard on the head!

With a “ji” sound, the old fox’s eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot.