When he pushed open the gate, Feng Bujue expected there to be a wooden creak or a shower of dust, but the gates opened surprisingly smoothly. When the axle of the doors turned, there was no sound at all like they were well-oiled. The scene inside was not one that was covered in cobwebs and dust. Beyond the gate was a prayer hall. There was no other door or room. Sunlight filtered through the windows, and the players could see around clearly without the aid of flashlights. The room had four columns and two beams. The floor was covered in green ashy tiles, and the walls were made from wooden planks and bricks.
On both sides of the hall sat two rows of bronze racks painted red. There were four layers to the racks, and each layer was filled with white candles, but none of them were lit. Facing the door was a buddha statue that was enshrined inside the temple, but strangely enough, it had no head. The statue stood upright. The fingers of the right hand were joined together to form an outstretched palm. The left arm was missing just like the head.
“Hmm… From this stature alone, it is hard to tell what kind of deity this is.” Feng Bujue walked forward as he talked to himself. “This is a Jia Zhu statue[1]. Is it something from the Yuan Dynasty?”
Suddenly, Passing Rain’s hand fell on Feng Bujue’s shoulder to pull him back. At that moment, a billow of black smoke appeared not far in front of Feng Bujue. Earlier, Feng Bujue’s attention had been completely focused on the statue. He had not been paying attention to where he was stepping. If not for Passing Rain, he would have stepped on the thing. The black smoke rose but did not dissipate. Then a human figure strode out from it. The person who appeared from the smoke was an old monk wearing a cassock. His skin was purple, he had a white beard, and his pupils were dark. He had a scary appearance, but there was a sense of dignity and justice to his face, not like that of a bad person.
“Who are you? Why have you come to the Temple of the Hidden Bell?” the strange monk asked.
“We are merely passing,” Feng Bujue answered. “We heard that there is a stray spirit running amok here, so we came in to take a look.”
“Just passing? Hmm…” the monk said. “I can see that two of you have some mastery of spiritual energy. You are not common folk, are you?”
“I see that you have purplish skin and a demonic air. You are not even a living folk, are you?”
“Hahaha…” The monk guffawed. “That was a new counter.”
The windows in the temple were shrouded by a black smog at that moment, blocking out the sunlight completely. But this darkness did not persist for long because the surrounding candles were all lit the next second, and they radiated a crystalline light. In this flash of light and darkness, the monk changed drastically. He had turned into an Asura-like demon. His height grew until he was several meters tall, and his wiry muscles stretched out his clothes. The hair and beard turned red. His face was harsh with demonic possession as he glared angrily at Feng Bujue.
Seeing that, Passing Rain immediately raised her sword for the confrontation, but Feng Bujue blocked her and turned his head around to give her a look as if saying, Lower your sword for now.
“Are you like that tree monster, turned into this form by a girl who was called ’Ling Er’?” Feng Bujue asked.
“So what if that’s true?” The monk’s voice changed again. The tone could no longer be described as harsh. It was auditorily ’brutal’.
“I’m just wondering, is it out of your own volition that you stay in this form?” Feng Bujue asked. “Or are you under her control, forced to attack everyone who dares hike up the mountain?”
“If I were under her control, do you think you could stand there to converse with me?” the monk asked back.
“Then you willingly turned into a monster to cause chaos among the living?” Feng Bujue asked.
“Indeed, the form that I take now has plenty to do with the girl’s resentment. Unless her resentment is resolved, I… and all the ghosts on this mountain will be trapped here forever, deprived of our chance at reincarnation,” the monk answered. “But… killing the villagers from Chang Ling Town is something that I am glad to do.”
“Is it because the people from Chang Ling Town unjustly murdered Ling Er?” Feng Bujue tossed out the question probingly.
“Humph…” The monk scoffed. “You are the people hired by them to cleanse the ghosts here?”
“Of course not. If I were, do you think you could still stand there to converse with me?” Feng Bujue replied haughtily.
“Hmm?” The monk was taken aback by this reply. He leaned forward. “Child, you sure talk a big game.”
“I have no time to chat with you. Just answer my question.” Feng Bujue prodded. “Perhaps I can help you all.”
“Who do you think you are? Hahaha…” The monk laughed again. “Do you know why this place is called the Temple of the Hidden Bell?”
“Why?” Feng Bujue really did not know the answer, so he played along for now.
The monk turned around and used his arm that was as thick as one’s leg to point at the headless statue behind him.
“This place used to be a Lou Han dojo, and the temple is the place where the treasure of Buddhism is enshrined—the Bell of Jin Gang.” He put down his arm to glare at Feng Bujue. “And I am the only monk here.”
At this point, he seemed to go down memory lane, and a trace of fear appeared on his angry face. “But now? Look at me, what have I become?”
“Oh? Is that Bell of Jin Gang very powerful?” Feng Bujue crossed his arms and put on a nonplussed expression.
“A swindler like you naturally will not know the power of the Bell of Jin Gang!” The monk fell for the trap and started to tell the story. “The bell of Jin Gang is a Vajrayana treasure. It can match the power of many talismans… Illusions, summoning, voodoo, blessing, weather manipulation, curing disease, calming the natural calamity… chasing away ghosts, it can even turn one’s bad luck around, dispel negative karma, help one achieve nirvana; change one’s Fu Xing, Yin Hang, and Ba Zi; and change their destiny.”
“So, where is it now?” Feng Bujue’s face did not show anything, but in his heart, he was thinking to himself, I am going to claim that bell no matter what!
“What? You wish to fight for the bell?” the monk asked. When the question was asked, Feng Bujue had ninety percent confidence that this was part of the mission!
He turned around to look at Passing Rain. The latter understood it immediately. She did not reply but nodded lightly to give her approval.
“Yes!” Feng Bujue replied determinedly.
As they expected, the system rang immediately, and the main quest in the menu changed.
“Main quest updated. Enter the Realm of the Bell to search for Ling Er’s soul.”
“You said you wish to help me. Let me see whether you are a man of your word or not,” the monk said with a laugh. As he spoke, he stomped on the ground. It sounded like the mountain was crashing. The tiles on the ground cracked and collapsed instantly to reveal a gap about two meters wide. One could hear wailing coming out from it, but looking down, there was nothing but darkness.
“If you wish to claim the Bell of Jin Gang, go and ask the child for it yourself,” the monk said as extended his palm. Sitting inside it was a bell that looked similar to the one that they had taken from the tree monster. “Take this bell and jump down.”
Feng Bujue did not allow Passing Rain to get it. He extended his hand to take the item himself, and then he passed it to Passing Rain. He turned politely to the giant monster before him and said, “Thank you for the direction, master.”
“Don’t waste time with me. There have been many that came before you, but none returned but… the bell. It always returns.”
Feng Bujue felt like the event was about to be over, so he turned to ask Passing Rain, “How about… we come up with a slogan then jump down together?”
“As long as it is not ’you jump, I jump’,” Passing Rain said bluntly.
“Tsk…” Feng Bujue looked like his wicked scheme had been exposed. “Then on the count of three.”
[1] Jia Zhu is a method of statue making involving layering clay before the inside is hollowed out.