While Atobe was gathering information from Mu Yang Yin and Xiao Tan as well as Laughing Soul were exploring the underground tunnel, they heard the quest update on the system. Even though this was just a system update and they had limited information, based on the key terms ’Realm of the Bell’ and ’Soul’, they could grasp a brief understanding that this scenario was more complicated than a simple wuxia scenario.
“This Realm of the Bell,” Xiao Tan said as he walked, “could it be something similar to the Realm of the Vessel and the Realm of Tian Su in the Xuan Yuan Sword series?”
“If that’s the case, this scenario has evolved from a mere wuxia story to a Xianxia plus supernatural scenario,” Laughing Soul replied. “Then again, with the giant croc we encountered, this scenario has entered the realm of supernatural already, so this is nothing surprising.”
“Hmm… No matter what, at least we know something about the main quest. Perhaps when we leave this place, Brother Jue and Sister Rain will have cleared the scenario already.”
“In your dreams…” Laughing Soul splashed him with cold water. “From the initial introduction, it is clear that no matter what kind of layers this scenario might possess, the plot involves the fight between the two great swordsmen. It is just that we have not seen the connection for now. As we explore the plot further, it will eventually point us toward that battle.”
“Er… Behind the fight of every hidden expert,” Xiao Tan added, “there is a big conspiracy.”
“Bingo. The two could have found any location or place to have a fight. Why would they purposely come to this godforsaken place and pick the night of full moon. It would be strange if there was no conspiracy.”
While they spoke, the tunnel reached its end. Before them was a dead end, a firm, airtight stone wall.
“This can’t be it…” Laughing Soul mumbled. “I thought you were the lucky one.”
“Huh?” Xiao Tan was baffled. “Is that why you told me to pick?”
“What do you think?” Laughing Soul said weakly. She was feeling tired because the journey from the junction to this wall was long. It had taken half an hour to reach this place. Facing this dead end meant that they would have to exhaust more time and stamina.
Since falling into the pool, Xiao Tan and Laughing Soul had swum swam to the shore, explored, run into a monster, turned back, fought, progressed again, and continued the exploration…
Along the way, they had finished half of their Stamina Points. Even though they could rest at any moment to recover for as long as they wanted, Laughing Soul knew very well that if they wasted time there, it would be a hidden threat for the team. If they did not return to the inn by sundown according to plan, it would affect their teammates’ following move, and that might lead to a series of unforeseeable risks and changes. Therefore, leaving the cave as soon as possible was their main goal.
“Hmm…” Xiao Tan appeared to be influenced by Laughing Soul’s dampened mood, and he frowned in thought. “Eh? Perhaps this stone wall can be unlocked like that metallic object earlier?”
He then used his hand to touch the wall, thinking perhaps the window like before would appear again. Laughing Soul sighed. “Unlockable system objects are very obvious. It is clear that we have reached a dead end…”
Before she finished, the stone wall had a surprising change. This was indeed not a system item that would provide hint for players, but once Xiao Tan’s hand landed on the wall, the surface layer of the wall started to peel, and a circular indentation appeared in the middle of the wall. The indent was about fifty centimeters wide, and the inside wall was smooth and slick. With the sun shining, one could see the sign of Tai Chi carved on it.
“Side quest triggered. Search for the stone plates of Yin and Yang to open the stone door.”
“No way…” Laughing Soul was lost for words. Once the mission was triggered, she understood everything. They probably had to take each of the paths that led off the junction earlier. There would be a stone slate at each of the left and right paths while the middle one would lead to this stone door.
“Therefore, there is no giving up before giving it a try. Perhaps a good thing might happen,” Xiao Tan said with a smile.
“You really should go and be a motivational speaker,” Laughing Soul replied with a narrowed gaze. “Stop smiling. We need to go back to look for the stone slabs. Objectively speaking, we have still wasted one hour walking back and forth on this one path.”
Xiao Tan touched the miner’s hat and walked around Laughing Soul to head in the other direction. “Objectively speaking, it was you who told me to take a guess, and the result… Ouch… Fine, I’m wrong!”
The two took the way back and came back to the junction. This time, they chose the left path. Thankfully, the path did not reach too deep into the tunnel. They only walked for five minutes before reaching a rather large cave. At the junction, Laughing Soul had considered splitting up so that they could each go and retrieve one of the slabs, and that would save some time. However, she had soon vetoed cancelled that thought. She was too worried about leaving Xiao Tan alone, afraid that it might be a one-way journey for him.
“Be careful of your surroundings,” Laughing Soul reminded softly behind Xiao Tan. After entering the cave, she became more alert.
“Ah… Okay.” Xiao Tan also knew that based on the system design, there had to be some kind of test for players there. It would either be a monster or a riddle. As expected, once they moved ten meters away, they saw a wisp of light in the cave. Then a flaming monster slithered out. The monster was impossibly fast and reached the spot not far from the players in the blink of an eye. It leaped high into the air like it was not under the influence of gravity to grab at the cave ceiling. It hugged a stalactite and looked down on the two players from above, making this hissing sound from its mouth.
“Is that some kind of Digimon?” Xiao Tan murmured as he looked at the monster. At the same time, he took out the rifle.
“Be careful when you’re shooting. Don’t let it get to you when you’re reloading.” At that moment, Laughing Soul ignored Xiao Tan’s comment and seriously gave a command. Xiao Tan stopped joking and trained his focus on the battle.
The monster before them was 1.6 meters tall and was shaped like an ape. Its face was like a red ruby, formed from a crystalline material. The hair covering its body was golden red, and the body was covered in a layer of flame. There was a whip like fiery tail that curled behind it, and at the end of the tail was a red gem.
The fire ape showed up in a unique way, and with this strange appearance, it should be considered a mini boss. With another growl, the fire ape flung its body to the side and moved on the wall. It leaped around a boulder, and from that moment, the fight officially started.
…
Feng Bujue and Passing Rain held a bell each as they jumped into the gap on the ground. After who knew how long, the darkness that covered them like velvet disappeared. When they came to, they were standing in a beautiful field side by side. The sun was hanging high in the sky, and the clouds were white. Underneath their feet was the green grass, and it undulated like an emerald ocean. In the clouds, there was a ring of mountains. Their tips reached into the atmosphere like the earth reaching up.
Turning around to look, a few dozen meters away from the two was like the end of this world, and the other world began. The slope steeped downward to an abyss. Clouds and fog covered up the fall so that they were unable to see what was at the bottom. About ten meters away from them stood a stone plate. The plate itself was like that of a small mountain and stood proudly on its end. There were large words carved on it—Realm of the Bell.
“This is quite interesting.” Feng Bujue looked at the distant plate and commented with a smile, “The handwriting looks familiar.”
“Chang Lin Town?” Passing Rain added. She did not know much about handwriting research, but she could guess what Feng Bujue was hinting at.
“That’s right. Looks like there’s a reason Chang Ling turned into Chang Lin,” Feng Bujue said while facing Passing Rain. Suddenly, his eyes changed, and a smile reached his lips. “Hey, there’s a beauty.”
Passing Rain averted her gaze. “What are you talking about? Do you think this kind of unwarranted compliment will make me happy?”
“Er… I was talking about her…” Feng Bujue titled his head to the side, and his gaze moved past Passing Rain’s brow. He raised his finger to point behind her.
Passing Rain turned to look and realized a woman was heading their way at a reasonable pace. The woman was in a green garb, and a sword was tied to her waist. Her gait was strong and her movements graceful. Even though she was quite a distance away, from the initial recognition of her looks, it was clear that she was a beauty.
“Humph…” Passing Rain scoffed as she turned to face the person who was heading their way.
“Even though that look says ’I won’t be happy even if you compliment me’, I realize even if I don’t compliment you, you aren’t happy,” Feng Bujue said with a smile.
“Do you take me for someone so juvenile?” Passing Rain replied coldly.
“This is not the question of whether you are juvenile or not,” Feng Bujue said. “You should have read this in the second-rate detective and the cat… Women need food, water, flattery, and a pair of shoes that go with anything.”
“I have, but I can’t say I agree,” Passing Rain replied. “This kind of sexist statement has no basis in logic and reality at all.”
“Ah… that’s why, in this month’s script, I have written… And man only needs a woman’s approval to survive.”
While they chatted, the woman reached them. She glanced at Feng Bujue and Passing Rain and then clasped her fist in greeting. “I am Falling Plum Blade, Lu Qingning. I’ve accidentally entered this place. I’m sorry, but do you know what place is this? How do I return to Chang Lin Town?”
“Falling Plum Blade…” Hearing that, Passing Rain mumbled to herself and soon recognized that this lady was one of the Six Blades.
“Oh? You’re Lin Chang’s junior sister?” Feng Bujue said directly.
To their surprise, when Lu Qingning heard the name Lin Chang, her gaze instantly took on the color of hostility, and she lifted her blade in offense. “Were you sent here by Lin Chang?”