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墨書 Inktalez
Driving with the music on, cruising along the seaside boulevard, the clear weather lifted everyone's spirits. The morning sun was warm and bright, casting shimmering golden reflections on the sea. Bai Yujing and the other two in the car swayed along with the rhythm of the music, and even Amiya Miri quietly hummed a tune.
Li Hao was behind the wheel, playing some upbeat English songs. Bai Yujing was sorting through materials, mainly compiling information about all the shrines and temples in Fukui Prefecture. She reviewed them one by one, removing those that were more recent, deciding to visit the remaining ones.
The first stop was Kongyin Temple in Kobama City, which had legends about the Eight Hundred Nun. It was said that the place where the Eight Hundred Nun attained Nirvana was nearby, so Bai Yujing decided to check it out first.
In less than ten minutes, they arrived at Kongyin Temple. However, upon arrival, Bai Yujing looked around and felt something was off; it didn't quite match the scene depicted in one of the three pictures she had. The corresponding verse described a black pine pavilion standing tall at the entrance, welcoming snow in the morning.
The terrain and architecture here were quite different, but it could be due to changes over time.
At the entrance, there was an introduction about Kongyin Temple. This temple originally belonged to the Sakai Family, lords of Kobama Domain, serving as their ancestral temple. Behind the main hall were the graves of successive Sakai Family lords. However, this Zen temple became famous in Japan not because of the Sakai Family but because of the Eight Hundred Nun Cave inside!
"Can we really see the Eight Hundred Nun?" Amiya Miri asked excitedly upon learning about their destination.
Bai Yujing replied, "This is where the Eight Hundred Nun attained Nirvana; how could we possibly see her!"
"That’s still very exciting!" Meili said earnestly, as if she truly believed a woman who had lived for over a thousand years resided there.
The temple in Neon felt different from those in China; it lacked a Main Hall and prominent signage. It appeared somewhat desolate with only a few scattered tourists, devoid of any incense offerings.
The deity worshipped here was Guanyin. Bai Yujing and Li Hao wandered around and found the Eight Hundred Nun Cave at the foot of a hill on the left side of the mountain gate. The hill rose one and a half meters high and was two meters wide. They walked down some steps and soon found themselves amidst a grove of tea trees!
At the entrance of the cave, there were several weathered pillars and small Buddha statues about a person's height; this was indeed where it was said that the Eight Hundred Nun attained Nirvana—the Eight Hundred Nun Cave.
As they approached, Bai Yujing's Exotic Creature Hunter System emitted an alarm signal, indicating that there might be something related to their mission or clues nearby. However, judging by the terrain, it didn’t seem likely; they would know for sure once they went inside.
The cave was an ordinary rock cavern, its entrance obscured by numerous camellia trees. Pushing aside the tea trees to enter, they were immediately greeted by an expansive view inside. The cave's ceiling was open to the sky above, allowing sunlight to pour in like a beam of holy light, filling the space with a sense of tranquility and Buddhist essence.
"Wow, this place is so beautiful!" Meili jumped into the center, spinning under the sunlight.
Li Hao nodded as well, "I really start to believe that the Eight Hundred Nun passed away here!"
Bai Yujing searched for a long time and finally saw a carved name on the Buddha platform illuminated by sunlight: "When the clouds part, the sun shines, and the Buddha's light fills the hall—Takahashi Murasaki!"
Bai Yujing ran her fingers over it; the characters were very clear, possibly because the stone was quite solid or because the cave shielded it from wind and rain, allowing it to remain well-preserved for hundreds of years.
"Takahashi Murasaki? Whose name is this?" Amiya Miri and Li Hao noticed that Bai Yujing was still squatting on the ground looking at it, and Amiya Miri read aloud the name carved in a hidden spot.
Bai Yujing stood up, "It might be the real name of the Eight Hundred Nun."
Bai Yujing checked other places in the cave again but found nothing else. "It seems this might be where the Eight Hundred Nun once stayed, but it shouldn't be her place of passing; this is not our target!"
Li Hao said, "Then we can only keep searching!"
After saying that, he gestured to Amiya Miri to explain that they were about to leave. Thanks to a few days of intensive study, Li Hao could actually say some simple Japanese words now, which impressed Bai Yujing. He could handle basic vocabulary related to daily activities like eating and resting without needing Bai Yujing to translate. Especially since Meili had become his Japanese teacher, Bai Yujing thought for the first time that exchanging points for language skills might have been a bit of a loss. Maybe she should hire a beautiful language tutor for herself!
Bai Yujing took several photos with her camera, including a shot of the small inscription on the Buddha platform. This place should not be casually entered, but there were too few staff at the temple, so enforcement was not very strict, and no one came to stop Bai Yujing and her group.
Back in the car, Li Hao asked, "Where are we heading next?"
"Let's go to Eihei-ji!" Bai Yujing replied.
Li Hao nodded, "But Eihei-ji is in Yoshida County; it's quite far from Kobama!"
"According to legend, the Eight Hundred Nun originated from Wakasa Province, which at that time basically covered all of Fukui Prefecture. Anyway, there's no rush. We have so many shrines and temples to check throughout Fukui Prefecture; if we go one by one, it won't take too long. It just means I’ll trouble you two to accompany me through this boredom!" Bai Yujing explained.
Amiya Miri spoke first, "No, no, it's me who is troubling you. Mr. Bai said that the people who killed my father are also looking for this place, right?"
Bai Yujing did not expect Amiya Miri to bring this up, but he nodded in agreement, "That's right. So we are also racing against time with them; they arrived here two days earlier than us."
Amiya Miri said, "Then it’s very likely we will run into them here?"
Bai Yujing turned his head and replied, "Even if we do encounter them, you must not act rashly. These matters should be handled by the adults!"
"I am an adult too, and you two are not much older than me!" Amiya Miri still had some reservations about this trip.
"However, if you act recklessly, it will bring us danger and trouble. So even if you spot them, you must inform me or Li Hao. You absolutely cannot act alone!" Bai Yujing said seriously.
"I understand!" Amiya Miri lowered her head and accepted Bai Yujing's words.
Li Hao, while driving, said, "Do you think they might find it before us? They arrived here two days earlier; they might have already found their target!"
Bai Yujing shook his head, "That shouldn't be the case. My clues are the same as theirs. I don't believe they could find it so quickly; this place is not as easy to locate as you think. It requires my keen sense of smell and intelligence as a treasure-hunting expert, you know?"
"Whatever!"
Bai Yujing also did not believe these people could find it so easily. After all, they did not have the Radar that came with the Exotic Creature Hunter System. They would have to conduct thorough inspections and searches at every location before ruling out the possibility of that site.
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