jdhmnovel Chapter 124 The Monk's Words
Chapter 124 The Monk's Words
"That's right, one is missing!"
Realizing the problem, Lan Ying moved even closer, and her memory gradually became clearer. The painting was missing a celestial maiden scattering flowers!
Where is the shortage?
The smoke, appearing as black smoke flying in mid-air, flew directly to the spot Lan Ying pointed to. However, he hadn't paid much attention to the content of the mural before and didn't remember that there were several flower-scattering celestial maidens in this corner. He couldn't see anything wrong with it.
"Aren't these a bit normal?"
“Take another look. There’s someone missing here. I remember there was someone with their hair up in this empty space. Of all the Flower Scattering Fairy Maidens, only that one had her hair up. I’m absolutely sure I’m not mistaken.”
Lan Ying wished she could pull out a pointer and tap it on the mural. At first glance, the celestial maidens in the mural were arranged in an orderly manner and each performed their duties, and there seemed to be no problem. However, as she pondered how to destroy the mural, she, who had a deep impression of it, noticed something was wrong.
These flower-scattering celestial maidens all had similar clothes and hairstyles, all being young girls with their hair in a bun. Only one was different; her hair was tied up, and instead of scattering flower petals, she simply held the flowers in her hand.
Because of this clearly different presence, Lan Ying glanced at that part several times and made some impression, which is why she was able to find out and ask him at this moment.
How could the people in the painting disappear? No, this isn't an ordinary mural. The figures in the painting are living people on the other side. One of them is missing. Does that mean that the world in the painting is also missing a person?
"No, something's wrong..."
Based on this discovery, Lan Ying followed the positions of the flower-scattering goddesses and observed the surrounding area, discovering several places that were different from what she remembered.
In some corners, the flowers had turned to withered flowers. Where there had only been celestial maidens, there were now several people in golden armor, looking like fully armed soldiers. There were also monks who should have been sitting upright, preaching and listening to sutras. Although the scene was still, Lan Ying had a strange feeling that these monks had stopped moving and were looking elsewhere.
"That flower-scattering fairy with her hair styled in a bun has disappeared; she must have run away!"
If others can enter the mural from reality, then it's possible for the people inside the mural to escape as well. But the mural has been set up with an array, so how did that Flower-Scattering Celestial Maiden get out? Besides the two of them, there are also servants from the Yan family and members of the White Lotus Sect outside, with layers of guards. How did she manage to slip away?
Because the murals here in the capital are the best preserved, and although the temple is remote and small, it is still a Buddhist temple located within the capital. The murals are also a temple attraction, so you can find out more by asking around.
However, of the other two murals, one was covered in dust, and the temple that owned it had almost forgotten about its existence. The other was even more pitiful, having been abandoned in the ruins and forgotten by everyone. Lan Ying and the others had no way of knowing that there were murals with similar functions elsewhere.
In their view, this was the only place where one could enter another world through the murals. Although they couldn't watch over them all the time, they shouldn't let the people inside the murals escape.
"I knew I had a bad feeling. It's so annoying. Why does something always go wrong? Is it a jinx?"
Through various discussions, it seems plausible that illegal transmigrators who disrupt the world are not favored by its luck.
Just then, someone came in and reported the situation of various formations outside the temple that were meant to drive away outsiders. First, one was triggered, and then all of them were deliberately destroyed. The other party accurately found the key point of each formation and destroyed them all.
"Could it be that a powerful demon has come looking for us?"
In such a short time, the entire array surrounding the temple was destroyed. With such methods and speed, it's impossible for a human to do so. The White Lotus Sect's rampant hunting of weak monsters, which led to the defeat of the elders, is one of the foreseeable future events.
Moreover, according to the information obtained, the monster that destroyed the White Lotus Sect's demon-hunting stronghold in the north was the one who rescued its companions. Now, Lan Ying and Yan's public identities are high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect, and they returned to the capital to contact the Yan family under this identity. It is very likely that a powerful demon followed them here.
There are many spells that can control Asura Yakshas, and they are not only used by those who engage in evil and crooked practices. However, people like the White Lotus Sect, who usually pretend to be gods and ghosts to swindle money, use similar tricks a lot to achieve their goal of intimidation and extortion.
Those who practice legitimate cultivation prefer to summon dignified-looking warriors because their primary need is to exorcise demons from enemies. Over time, the common spells used by the righteous and evil factions have become distinct. The outer formation was triggered first and then destroyed. It is estimated that the other party saw what the formation summoned and determined that it was the White Lotus Sect, so they followed the clues to seek revenge.
"Regarding the mural, I'll go and question that old monk again. You keep trying. If we still can't get in, we'll have to break down the wall."
Lan Ying turned back and gave an order to the black smoke floating beside the wall, then left without looking back. They didn't know if smashing the wall would harm the world on the other side, and directly destroying the main body of the wall was only a last resort.
The main purpose of using formations to erode spiritual energy is to restrict the flow of spiritual energy within the murals themselves, preventing the celestial soldiers and generals depicted within from jumping out to rebel. The murals are enormous in size, and the figures range from ordinary monks to gods and bodhisattvas. Even if they are not the true deities in heaven, destroying such a small world would be a major event.
Once they find a way in, everything will be simple. The old monk in the temple has been locked up by them. This guy clearly knows the special nature of the murals, but he's pretending to be crazy.
After listening to the whole story, Jian Feidao hesitated for a moment, but still chose to follow Lan Ying, who was going to interrogate the old monk. The murals hadn't been invaded yet, and judging from the other party's appearance, it might take some time. They had to go and rescue the person who was imprisoned first.
After leaving the main hall, Lan Ying turned her head with some suspicion and glanced at the roof above, but there was nothing there.
"...a terrible premonition."
The cursed insects she created were tools for gathering intelligence. Lan Ying was more perceptive than others in terms of reconnaissance. After leaving the main hall, she felt as if she was being watched by something and began to feel inexplicably apprehensive.
This terrible feeling is like having a ghost watching you from behind, or a wolf lurking in the shadows waiting to strike, with the person being watched as the prey about to die.
Or... like the last time in the capital, when my cursed insect was captured by the enemy, and they came to my door, chasing me all over the city like a cat chasing a mouse.
There is a sword hanging overhead, ready to behead anyone below at any moment. The person being targeted can do nothing but run away.
Fortunately, the chilling feeling that gave Lan Ying the creeps quickly disappeared. Although she had her doubts, there was nothing unusual around her. Apart from instructing her men to keep an eye on their surroundings, she couldn't say anything else and went straight to the room where the old monk was being held.
"Discovered?"
In the unseen blind spot, Jian Feidao stopped using his Double Eyes. He recognized Lan Ying and knew that she had some strange insects that could act as surveillance agents. He was using his Double Eyes to investigate as an extra layer of insurance.
Unexpectedly, the other party was able to detect his probing. Thinking back, of the two illegal travelers who were chased all over the city, it seemed that this woman was indeed faster at dodging attacks and had a more acute reaction.
That one glance was enough for Jian Feidao to assess the situation. Since there were no strange insects around the other party, he could follow with peace of mind.
"boom!"
The door was kicked open roughly, interrupting the chanting inside. Lan Ying walked in and got straight to the point.
"The mural is missing a celestial maiden scattering flowers."
The temple itself was not large, the rooms were not spacious, and there were very few monks' quarters. The place where the old monk was supposedly imprisoned was actually his own room, which was unlocked.
The monk was very old. He had been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures for many years. He was not fat, but rather somewhat thin. Such an old man could not go very far without anyone stopping him.
Moreover, the temple was already completely surrounded by the Yan family and the White Lotus Sect. He couldn't leave the temple and had no ability to resist, so he could only stay in the room and wait for interrogation.
However, during the interrogation, he was not very cooperative. Whenever asked about the murals, he would give ambiguous and evasive answers, making it seem as if the old monk had gone to the Taoist sect to learn Tai Chi.
At most, they might say that the murals depict illusions, and then they come up with an extremely idealistic theory.
"Didn't the master say that the world depicted in the murals was just an illusion? Now that there's one less person in the painting, could this also be an illusion?"
In terms of physical condition, the person opposite him was just an ordinary old man, which is why Lan Ying and the others couldn't even use torture to interrogate him, as they could easily kill him if they made a mistake.
Currently, the only person who knows the truth is this old monk in front of them. If he dies, it will be difficult to get any more information. Moreover, they cannot actually kill him. He is a monk with a legitimate ordination certificate in the capital. Killing him would cause a lot of trouble, and the Yan family would not agree. Right now, the Yan family is surrounding the temple, and if the monk inside dies, the Yan family will definitely have to take the blame.
Whether it's an illusion or not, it's all up to your imagination.
The old monk, whose eyes were lowered and who was being questioned, remained calm. Although his chanting was interrupted by the uninvited guest, he continued to move his prayer beads, the soft clinking of the beads mingling with his answer.
"Illusions arise from the human mind. What lies behind the mural depends entirely on your thoughts and ideas before the painting. If you wish to search for it, you should of course use this as your guide."
He had already explained how to get to the world in the painting, but whether people could understand it or were willing to listen was beyond his ability to answer.
"What, do we need to be able to make our wishes come true just because we want to go?"
It was that stream-of-consciousness idealism again. Lan Ying was utterly fed up with these ambiguous, riddle-like people. This old monk in front of her was like that, and so was that strange Asura King.
“What you benefactors desire is destruction, but what Heaven desires is life.”
The old monk sighed softly to himself, completely ignoring the wide-eyed astonishment of the person opposite him.
"What do you know?!"
Lan Ying grabbed the old monk who was meditating by the handle and pulled him up, forcing him to look her in the eye. Normally, Lan Ying would deliberately show some "gentleness" in front of others. This would allow her to weaken her presence appropriately in combination with her female identity, so that the enemy would take her lightly and she could better take him by surprise in the future.
But now, she doesn't intend to put on airs anymore. The old monk's words carry a subtle hint: does this "heaven" refer to the heavenly palace depicted in the murals, the sky in reality, or simply the Way of Heaven?
The frail old monk in front of me knew a surprising amount of information.
"You won't talk, huh? Don't worry, I have plenty of ways to handle this."
Seeing the old man remain silent, Lan Ying grabbed his collar and stared intently at him. Her eyes were wide open, and her tone was no longer irritable, but very flat, revealing no outward emotion.
She now resembled a venomous snake about to devour its prey. A rustling sound emanated from her; it was from a strange little insect emitting black smoke.
Her spells aren't limited to insects; it's just that the larger the target, the more effort it takes. Also, she usually uses this ability to gather intelligence, and it's inconvenient for targets that are too large.
But if she wanted to and was willing to invest, it wouldn't be impossible for her to put the method of creating cursed insects onto a person.
"As long as you tell the truth, using a spell isn't out of the question..."
"Bang! Bang!"
A loud crash suddenly came from outside, as if something had fallen to the ground and then shattered into pieces. Startled by the sound, Lan Ying released the old monk's collar and frowned as she went out to investigate.
Not far from the entrance, there was a pile of things that looked like broken tiles.
"what happened?"
"Suddenly, tiles fell from the roof."
That's what the people guarding outside said. Since they didn't see anything on the roof, they assumed it was a cat jumping on the roof and stepping on it. Lan Ying didn't think so. She frowned, picked up one of the fragments, and examined it carefully.
Some of them were indeed roof tiles, but others were clearly not. She looked up at the location of the fragments but didn't see anything unusual. She felt something was wrong, so she turned her head slowly along the eaves.
Then she saw further away, where a piece of the eaves of a house had been cut off. The slice was unusually smooth, as if it had been drawn on a piece of paper and then cut off.
The part that was cut off ended up here, possibly due to interference from another force, perhaps an unusual gust of wind, or perhaps the person who did it used a lot of force.
What could be so sharp, cutting through iron like mud... a weapon... a knife or a sword, wait, a sword?
In a daze, some unpleasant memories flooded her mind. Lan Ying felt as if she could see those sharp sword energies that had descended from the sky before. No, they really were there!
"!"
The familiar sword energy suddenly descended, and Lan Ying hurriedly dodged to the side. The sword energy ultimately struck the stone slab beneath her feet, leaving a deep mark.
"How did I get here! Something's not right!"
As if she had thought of something, Lan Ying hurriedly turned around and went back into the house. There was no longer any monk in the house. Where the old monk had been sitting, there was only a wooden fish and a sutra that had not yet been closed.
The sword energy was all too familiar, the elusive nature of the sword was all too familiar, and the thing that destroyed the formation was not a monster at all. The sudden chill she felt earlier was not an illusion, and the bad premonition she had from the beginning, as well as the frequent replays of her previous encounter in the capital, all pointed to one answer.
Their true enemy, the "Sword Immortal" who had chased Lan Ying and Yi Yang through the sky, was still in the capital. Before they knew anything about it, the two sides had already crossed paths.
"...This is really troublesome."