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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
When I saw the temple from a distance, my heart was filled with admiration. What a resilient temple this is! Despite being in such a dilapidated state, it has not collapsed. To describe it in four words: crumbling walls and broken eaves, and I would add a nickname: the Strong Temple.
It was clear that this was an abandoned temple. However, inside this abandoned temple, there was indeed a large open space, almost as big as a basketball court. Such a large area could easily accommodate a helicopter.
There is an old saying in Star City: "You can see the house, but the journey is long and rugged." This means that in the mountains, you can clearly see the houses ahead, but the distance you must travel and the ruggedness of the path are beyond your imagination. "Walking while crying" is the most vivid interpretation of this.
Although we could see the temple from above, it still took us nearly an hour to reach the entrance.
Looking up, I noticed that the paint on the signboard had completely peeled off, making it impossible to read the name of the temple. Due to the angle, sunlight streamed down on the upper half of the temple door while the lower half remained shrouded in shadow. Surrounded by lush ancient trees, the red bricks and black tiles of this dilapidated temple looked quite picturesque.
However, I had no mood to appreciate such scenery. Without thinking twice, I pushed open the door, eager to find a place to rest. To my surprise, I found that the door was locked from the inside. Could there be someone inside?
I knocked loudly on the door and shouted, "Is anyone there?"
In the deep mountain valley, my voice immediately echoed back with several reverberations.
Is anyone there...
Anyone...
There...
There...
...
After calling out a few more times without receiving a response, I was about to lift my leg to kick the door open when I heard footsteps from inside.
Creak, creak; the sound was unusually heavy, as if an ancient giant was approaching us. With each sound, the ground beneath our feet seemed to tremble slightly. The few of us exchanged glances, unsure of what to do, when we heard the sound of a bolt being drawn back. With a creak, the door opened, revealing a thin, gaunt old monk with an expressionless face standing before me.
I stared in disbelief at this old monk. Could such heavy footsteps really belong to this frail figure? How was that possible?
My gaze shifted downward, and I saw that the old monk's robe was tattered, with the hem barely covering his knees. Because of this, I immediately noticed the pair of iron boots he was wearing. The boots were exceptionally thick and clumsy, rusted and looking like they weighed at least a hundred pounds.
So it turned out that the heavy footsteps were due to these iron boots.
Behind me came several gasps; clearly, Lingfeng and the others were startled by the old monk.
It was no wonder—an abandoned mountain, an ancient temple, huge footsteps, a ragged old monk, and those rusty iron boots all contributed to an eerie atmosphere.
The sunlight shone on the upper half of the old monk's body. He squinted his eyes and slightly curled his lips upward. In that moment, his expression changed dramatically; all I could think of was one word—lewd! Indeed, the expression on this old monk's face was strikingly similar to that of Master Roshi from Dragon Ball, utterly lewd.
Seeing my astonished look, the old monk flashed a strange smile and asked, "Are you here to burn incense?"
Burn incense? I paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "Master, our vehicle encountered a mudslide up there. We had no choice but to walk down the mountain. We're a bit tired and would like to rest here for a while."
I didn't mention parking the helicopter in his yard; it would be better to discuss that later. After all, with elderly people, a few kind words could always cheer them up.
The old monk curled his lips in a mocking expression and pointed down the mountain. "Aren't you here to burn incense? Please turn around and continue walking. If you walk for another four or five hours, you'll reach the foot of the mountain."
Just as he seemed to want to retreat and close the door, I quickly pressed against the temple door. I was about to say a few kind words when unexpectedly, a flash of light appeared in the old monk's eyes, and his right hand shot out like lightning towards my neck.
I never dreamed that this old monk would attack me, nor did I expect his speed to be so swift. This Stupid Donkey, his Kung Fu was definitely not inferior to Lou Wei.
Before I absorbed the Devouring Soul Energy, Lou Wei was the most formidable person I had ever encountered. Back then, dealing with me was as easy as blowing smoke rings for him. Now, comparing the old monk's Kung Fu to Lou Wei's made it clear that this old monk's Kung Fu was indeed very impressive.
Years of relentless training in Kung Fu finally paid off. I instinctively leaned back just in time to avoid the monk's grasp. Even so, a sharp pain shot through my throat; I didn't expect the force behind his grip to be so powerful.
Seeing that I had evaded his attack, a hint of surprise flashed in the old monk's eyes. He did not continue his assault but stood quietly at the door watching me.
I took two steps back, rubbed my neck, and behind me, Kong Xuan and Aijia Yu rushed forward to stand by my side. Kong Xuan even whispered, "Are you okay?"
I waved my hand at Kong Xuan and cleared my throat. "Master, we were just taking a break; there's no need to be unreasonable."
The old monk looked at me with disdain. "I am unreasonable. Come and hit me if you dare."
Damn it, this old man! Just because others aren't burning incense doesn't mean he can lay hands on them. Isn't that extortion? Luckily Fatty isn't here; otherwise, he would pull out a gun and fire a few shots to see whether your fists are faster than bullets.
I clasped my hands together in salute. "I am Zhong Zhengnan. I apologize for any offense caused by my words earlier. How about this: can we go inside and burn some incense?"
A strange expression appeared on the old monk's face. "Zhong Zhengnan? What an ugly name. You want to burn incense? Welcome to Thunder Sound Temple."
He finished, pushed open the temple door, and stepped aside, adopting a posture of waiting for the esteemed guest to arrive.
A group of people followed the old monk into the temple. The first thing they saw was a lawn the size of a basketball court. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that this lawn was originally paved with Bluestone Slabs, but after years of neglect, the wild grass growing in the gaps had reached over a foot high. If it weren't for the sound of the old monk's iron boots clattering, which affected my mood, I would have definitely taken a picture of this scene and posted it on my WeChat Moments, surely getting thirty-two likes.
Along the way, I asked the old monk about the incense offerings. The old monk replied calmly, "There are three different packages. The 88 yuan Arhat Package includes three Fragrances and one lottery exchange voucher, which allows you to draw once for free; the 888 yuan Revelation Package includes thirty-three Fragrances, one lottery exchange voucher, and a Vegetarian Meal for up to two people; the 8888 yuan Tathagata Package includes ninety-nine Fragrances, one lottery voucher, a Vegetarian Meal for eight people, free access to roam and visit within the temple, and a luxurious room available for rest."
Listening to the old monk's detailed explanation, my companions and I were stunned. In my eyes, this old monk should be a transcendent figure detached from worldly affairs, yet here he was suddenly pitching sales like... like if Billionaire Zong Qinghou were to say to you, "Hey, why not buy a bottle of Wahaha? Free shipping..." It felt so bizarre; old monk, did you used to work in marketing?
The old monk cleared his throat: "What package would you like to purchase?"
I paused for a moment and laughed: "I don't have that much cash on me. How about we go for the 888 yuan Revelation Package..."
In truth, I had about a hundred thousand in cash inside my Mustard Seed Pendant, but I didn't want to take it out. Why should I spend 8888 yuan just to buy some incense and have a meal without any flavor?
The old monk smiled slightly: "I have a PS Machine! Or you can also transfer money online. Although I don't have Wi-Fi here, I can connect to mobile internet. I'm on the Dynamic Zone zero yuan plan with 00 megabytes of data each month; transferring money is completely stress-free."
Damn, this is quite something.
A few of us huddled together and whispered for a while before deciding to buy the 8888 yuan Tathagata Package because Lingfeng didn't want Li Xinyan to trek another four or five kilometers uphill; it was better to wait here for the helicopter. As Lingfeng said, any problem that can be solved with money is not really a problem.
Entering the dilapidated main hall, half of the head of the Tathagata Buddha on the Altar Table was missing. The old monk seemed unfazed as he casually picked up a PS Machine from the nearly collapsing Altar Table, entered the amount, then asked me for my password. After swiping my card, I curiously asked, "Master, what is your name?"
"The old monk's Dharma name is Six Deities!" The old monk tossed the PS Machine onto the table as if his mood had greatly improved and cheerfully invited us to offer incense.
Six Deities Ah, may I ask how effective your mosquito repellent is? I cursed inwardly, knowing this guy was definitely using a fake name, but there was nothing I could do about it. I could only say, "By the way, Master Six Deities, where do you charge your PS Machine?"
I was quite curious about this question because I noticed there was no Power Cord plugged in anywhere.
"You're Zhong Zhengnan, right?" Six God Monk asked me out of the blue, looking at me thoughtfully. After I nodded, his expression gradually shifted to one of disdain: "Haven't you heard of a diesel Diesel Generator and a battery? I even have a refrigerator in my room; would you like to take a look?"
"Hehe, that's not necessary. I'm just curious, and besides, what kind of Vegetarian Meal can you prepare for us all by yourself?" I laughed.
"Are you all hungry already? It's only eleven in the morning!" Six God Monk pulled out a large-screen phone from his chest and checked the time. "Since you are esteemed guests of the Tathagata Package, you can eat whenever you want!"
After we each finished our incense offerings, Six Deities led us into a private room with an Eight Immortals Table in the center, surrounded by four long benches. Compared to other rooms, this private room wasn't particularly shabby; at least the benches were usable. After we sat down, Six God Monk went out and brought in a plate of cucumbers while reciting some ancient lines: "Cucumbers grow in the southern lands; when spring comes, they sprout several stalks. May the ladies gather them more; this item evokes longing the most."
Old beast, is this your Vegetarian Meal? I had an ominous feeling in my heart: "So where do we rest? Where's the nice luxury room?"
"Hehe, our entire Thunder Sound Temple only has this one room intact. Compared to other rooms, this is considered a luxury room; you can rest here!"
With that, the old monk laughed heartily and left.
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