Chapter 150: Is The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils a Buddhist Scripture?

Chapter 150: Is The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils a Buddhist Scripture?

9:30 PM on April 1st.

After Tang Fei and Jiang Xiaoying used Xiao Yuan's room to freshen up, the trio engaged in a session of flattery about their beauty and iconic roles before finally bidding each other an apparent reluctant farewell.

Xiao Yuan knew that Tang Fei's drama was currently a hit with a strong momentum. To avoid offending the viewers who might tune in later, she reluctantly praised her but felt disgusted by it. She had to endure her discomfort in front of the camera. After they left, Xiao Yuan crouched in the bathroom and mumbled to herself.

"Let you boast, let you boast."

"You disgust yourself."

"Why didn't I let her leave earlier? Why did I have to pretend to be polite? What could I do if others took it seriously?"

"So what if she's popular? She'll fall someday."

"Don't underestimate a poor girl; my future is promising. Her success has reached its peak."

"It will get better. She's just a shooting star, while I'll be a constant one."

"Ahh! This is infuriating!"

Forty minutes later...

Director of Team 3: "Why is Teacher Xiao taking so long? Could something have happened?"

Director of Team 3: "Teacher Xiao, how are you? Are you alright?"

Xiao Yuan: "I'm almost done, just feeling a bit queasy."

...

Tang Fei and the fragrant Jiang Xiaoying had returned to their room after their baths.

Their room was a dug-out earth cave, which hadn't been inhabited for a long time and thus lacked electricity.

Two candles flickered in the dark cave, providing very dim lighting. The production team had to use additional lighting to capture the scene properly.

Jiang Xiaoying: "No electricity?"

Director of Team 4: "No one has lived here for over forty years. The wiring is outdated and incompatible with the current system, so we can't get electricity."

With a defeated look, Jiang Xiaoying climbed onto the bed. Glancing at the ceiling camera, she made a silly face. "Can I turn off the camera while I sleep?"

Director of Team 4 shook his head.

Jiang Xiaoying pulled the blanket over her head. "I have terrible sleeping habits. What should I do? I'm doomed; the whole nation will witness my snoring."

Tang Fei, holding a candle, inspected the room. She noticed cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling, a broken water jar taken over by mold, a rusted sickle, and what appeared to be a moldy chili sauce, now unrecognizable.

The most peculiar item was an old wooden box, resembling a stationery box, severely worn by time. Upon opening it, she found neatly arranged, sharpened pieces of charcoal, some of which were wrapped in cloth, akin to a carbon pencil.

Tang Fei took one out and playfully swirled it in the air as if drawing a rune. "This is like a treasure hunt. Are these props you've prepared?"

Director of Team 1: "These belonged to the original owner. We didn't touch them, only cleaned up the place."

...

10:30 PM.

Xiao Yuan was already lying on the bed, her breaths even and steady.

In the room belonging to the Cave Duo, a series of applause echoed.

Smack!

Smack smack!

Jiang Xiaoying swatted two mosquitoes, presenting them in front of the camera. "Look at all that blood, they've been feeding on me."

Several mosquitoes still flew across the camera's view from time to time.

Tang Fei also waved a candle around to fend off the mosquitoes. "Why weren't there any during the day? They come in droves to feast at night? Let's not blow out the candle, light a few more, and aim to squish them!"

Jiang Xiaoying: "We've become their cafeteria, it seems. After forty years of hunger, they're finally getting a feast."

Tang Fei: "If they want blood, they'll have to get past me first! Come on then!"

With a swift and precise slap, Tang Fei sent one mosquito flying.

Jiang Xiaoying: "Ah, watch my Chain Eight Trigram Palm!"

Smack, smack, smack, smack... She was exhausted, slapping for more than ten times before finally hitting one.

The director, observing the monitor, earnestly provided her first voiceover: Now, in addition to the applause, there's even singing in the cave. This spirit of finding joy amidst adversity is something we should all strive to emulate.

The camera crew and other directors were laughing so hard that they were pounding the ground.

Tang Fei and Jiang Xiaoying were a hilarious pair. The second most amusing was Song Li, who was currently dragging Team Two to stop cars on the roadside.

In the cave, it had turned into a two-person revelry. Tang Fei started with a song, followed by Jiang Xiaoying, who then joined in after singing her part.

Clapping served as their rhythm.

Tang Fei: "If you're feeling happy, clap your hands!"

Smack, smack!

Jiang Xiaoying: "Everyone, clap your hands together!"

Smack smack!

Jiang Xiaoying: "From now on, I'm Mosquito Slayer Jiang Xiaoying!"

Tang Fei: "Then what should I be called? The Merciless Mosquito Butcher, Tang Xiaofei!"

Jiang Xiaoying: "Our team name is Mosquito Annihilators. We can debut now!"

Tang Fei: "Debut right here and endorse mosquito repellent, how about that?"

Hahaha...

...

At three in the morning, after their tiring mosquito-hunting session, Tang Fei and Jiang Xiaoying finally fell asleep. At this moment, Song Li had just hopped into a ride-share. She kept thanking the driver with tears in her eyes, on the verge of breaking down.

Song Li curled up, hiding her face to sob quietly, "I miss Little Treasure."

Director of Team 2: "Teacher, who's Little Treasure?"

Song Li froze for a moment before suddenly realizing her situation. She was on a reality show with cameras everywhere, and microphones attached to her. She hastily wiped away her tears and said, "I'm quite an emotional person, and I apologize for causing trouble. Xiao Bao was a golden retriever I used to take care of, but unfortunately, he's no longer with us. Today, I just couldn't help but think of him."

...

By the time Song Li reached the village entrance, it was already four thirty in the morning. The production team had arranged a warm bowl of noodles for her before sending her to her room to rest. With her score at minus ten, she should have been assigned to live in a cave. However, everyone was exhausted, so they decided to sleep first and deal with it later.

It wouldn't be practical to wake up Tang Fei and Jiang Xiaoying, who had just fallen asleep.

At seven in the morning, the production team woke everyone up on schedule. Tang Fei and Jiang Xiaoying felt like their arms were about to fall off from swatting mosquitoes all night; they could barely lift them. Jiang Xiaoying's arms hung limply as she walked zombie-like.

Tang Fei, still half-asleep, stepped onto the ground and heard a clear, echoing thud.

At first, she didn't pay much attention, but after taking a few more steps, she noticed that the sound was different from other areas.

She deliberately stepped hard on the spot where the sound originated, and it resembled the sound of a drum.

There must be a space beneath this!

Tang Fei exclaimed, "Little Ying! There's something valuable here!"

Jiang Xiaoying, still rinsing her mouth, mumbled, "Is it really a treasure hunt?"

Tang Fei turned around to fetch the rusted sickle and began to dig into the ground. "There's an empty space beneath. Let's pull out this brick and see what's inside. It might be today's task, and if we finish it early, we'll get extra points."

Tang Fei lifted the floor tile, revealing a hole with a small, 0.2 cubic meter square space. Inside was a plastic-wrapped bundle.

Excitedly, Tang Fei pulled it out. "Ah! We've completed today's task ahead of time!"

She unwrapped it. The first layer was covered in charcoal powder. Beneath it were the real items: there seemed to be thirty or forty books inside.

Upon seeing the book covers, Tang Fei froze as if someone had struck her with a paralyzing technique. Dozens of handwritten books, their pages already yellowed, contained words written in pencil. The handwriting was ugly, dense, and small, with pinyin for obscure characters scattered throughout.

They appeared insignificant, but they stirred up a storm within Tang Fei's heart.

As Jiang Xiaoying walked over, applying lipstick, she noticed something was off with Tang Fei. Curious, she leaned in. "What did you find on your treasure hunt? Wow, so many books!"

Jiang Xiaoying read the title of the top book, printed on its cover. "The First Volume of The Demonic Cultivation Technique - is this a Buddhist scripture?"