Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 221 The Terrifying Cleaner

Day two.

Huikong yawned as he swept the fallen leaves in front of the Mahavira Hall.

At that moment, the commotion coming from the direction of the temple gate made him look up in surprise—the usually deserted Lanruo Temple had more than a dozen worshippers arriving today.

"Strange... What day is it today?" Huikong muttered to himself, leaning on his broom.

He remembered his senior brother Huiming saying that Lanruo Temple was never very popular, and sometimes they wouldn't see a single outsider for an entire month. Why were there so many people here today?

However, the large number of people lessened Huikong's fear considerably.

"Huikong!" At this moment, Huiming hurried over, his face unusually serious. "There are quite a few worshippers here today. I'm reminding you to clearly remember the face of every female worshipper. When you see a female benefactor, remember... whether she is a worshipper who came from the temple. If she is, then there's naturally no problem. If not... stay as far away as possible!"

Huikong was taken aback, nodded as if he understood, and turned his gaze to the group of "pilgrims" who were burning incense.

Although these people were dressed in the clothes of ordinary citizens, their behavior always exuded an inexplicable strangeness.

“These people…” Huikong was about to say something when Huiming stopped him with a look.

"Go get to work," Huiming patted him on the shoulder. "Remember what I said."

Huikong kept his head down and continued sweeping, but his peripheral vision kept an eye on the worshippers, making sure he could see the faces of the female worshippers.

He noticed that although these people were pretending to worship Buddha, their eyes were constantly scanning various parts of the temple.

The group of worshippers led the way and were a man and a woman.

The man looked to be under forty, with a resolute face, wearing a simple gray jacket, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. The woman was thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a beautiful face but a worried expression, and her black clothes made her look even more haggard.

This woman's face is the most memorable because she is exceptionally beautiful; her appearance and demeanor are unforgettable after just one glance.

“Captain Fengya,” the woman whispered to the man, “this temple is indeed strange; my senses have been completely suppressed.”

The man called Fengya nodded slightly: "No wonder even the Black Sparrow Pavilion attaches so much importance to this terrifying instance, going so far as to send witchcraft reincarnators here to explore it. However, Madam Ye, why did you come here personally? It's too dangerous."

Lan Li—Ye Xiu's wife—smiled bitterly: "I had to come. When Mo Xiu kicked me and Yinghuo out of the team, I knew that it was better to rely on myself than to ask others for help..."

She clenched her fists: "Besides that beast Li Yuanxiu... and that bitch Di Nanyin! I will personally tear them both to pieces and feed them to the dogs!"

Feng Ya sighed softly and took out a small wooden box from the space in his wristwatch.

Upon opening it, inside were several strange, already stiffened insect corpses—the Gu worms he had collected.

“The Gu worms will die if they enter the temple, just like the rumors say.” Feng Ya closed the box. “However, Commander Ye was poisoned by Lady Pustuca’s natal Gu poison, which is probably more potent than this.”

Tears welled up in Lan Li's eyes: "That day should have been the happiest day for Ying Huo... Who could have imagined that Li Yuanxiu would make a move at the wedding, bringing Di Nanyin with him, and using Lady Pustuca's Gu poison to kill my husband..."

Feng Ya closed the wooden box containing the Gu worms, his gaze sweeping over Lan Li's face, which was twisted with hatred, and he sighed inwardly.

He considered himself to have seen countless people, but he had never imagined that Li Yuanxiu was such a wolf in sheep's clothing, capable of doing such a crazy thing.

At this moment, he knew that any comfort would be futile. Only by finding clues to the cure here could he ease the mother's heartache.

He was originally a Hunter LV4 Rule Hunter, which would have prevented him from entering this instance. However, he had a special method to temporarily suppress his class to LV3, demoting him to a Forbidden Zone Hunter, which allowed him to enter the [Lanruo Temple] instance.

“Madam Ye,” Feng Ya interrupted her vengeful whispers softly, “since we’re at the Buddhist temple, why don’t we offer incense first? Perhaps… it might be of some use?”

Lan Li took a deep breath, barely suppressing the hostility in her eyes: "Commander Feng is right."

The two left their guest room and walked along the bluestone path toward the main hall complex.

The first place we arrived at was the Hall of Heavenly Kings.

The hall houses the majestic statues of the Four Heavenly Kings:
The Eastern Heavenly King, Dhritarashtra, holds a jade pipa; the Southern Heavenly King, Virudhaka, wields a blue-light sword; the Western Heavenly King, Virupaksha, has a red dragon wrapped around his arm, radiating golden light; and the Northern Heavenly King, Vaishravana, spins a jeweled umbrella in his right hand.

Lan Li subconsciously took a half step back: "These Buddha statues seem to be alive."

Feng Ya narrowed his eyes. As a hunter of rules, he could see the flow of spiritual energy that ordinary people could not see—but he could not see anything unusual from these four Heavenly King statues.

When the two were burning incense and kneeling in worship, Feng Ya specially placed three incense sticks in the center of the incense burner.

Passing through the Hall of Heavenly Kings, we arrived at the Great Buddha Hall.

This place enshrines the Three Buddhas of the Three Worlds—Shakyamuni Buddha in the center, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha on the left, and Amitabha Buddha on the right. On both sides are statues of the Twenty Guardian Deities, each one lifelike.

The two knelt on the prayer mats, bowing in a very standard posture.

"Amitabha." Senior Brother Huixuan appeared in the hall at some point. "You two benefactors sincerely worship the Buddha. Well done, well done."

Feng Ya immediately seized the opportunity: "Master, you've come at just the right time. My sister-in-law has been feeling confused lately, and I wonder if you could enlighten her?"

Huixuan clasped his hands together and said, "Please speak, benefactor."

Feng Ya said, "Buddha teaches compassion, but if someone harms your closest relatives or hurts your beloved, should you repay evil with kindness or repay blood with blood?"

Lan Li looked up abruptly upon hearing Feng Ya's words.

Huixuan remained unfazed: "The Diamond Sutra says, 'All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.' When will this cycle of revenge end? It's better to let go of attachments and be reborn in the Pure Land."

"Rebirth?" Feng Ya pressed on, "If someone is already deeply poisoned, unable to live or die, how can they be reborn?"

Huixuan frowned almost imperceptibly: "The Buddha has 84,000 Dharma gates, there is always a way to liberation."

"Can one truly find liberation? I'm afraid some wandering souls will find it difficult to find release," Lan Li suddenly said at this moment, "For example... Nie Xiaoqian?"

Feng Ya's heart skipped a beat. Women are just too emotional! How could he possibly alert the enemy so easily?
Huixuan suddenly stepped forward, his monk's robes fluttering even without wind: "Where did you hear this name, female benefactor?"

Just as tensions were about to rise, Master Mingxin's voice came from outside the hall: "Huixuan, after the two benefactors have finished their worship, bring them to see me."

"Yes, Abbot."

Feng Ya and Lan Li exchanged glances.

The reincarnators around them also gathered around and started discussing with Feng Ya.

"It's hard to tell whether this abbot is a human or a ghost," Li Ping said to Feng Ya. "Commander Feng, shouldn't we be careful?"

Feng Ya, being both highly skilled and daring, said, "It's alright, I'd like to go and see what they're capable of."

Not long after, Feng Ya and Lan Li, guided by Hui Xuan, headed to the abbot's meditation room.

Not long after, Huixuan arrived at the door, his voice suddenly becoming unusually hollow:
"Please, esteemed benefactors."

Inside Master Mingxin's meditation room, the old master knelt on a futon, with three cups of freshly brewed tea in front of him.

"Please have a seat, benefactors." Master Mingxin gestured for Feng Ya and Lan Li to sit opposite him. "Are you two interested in discussing Buddhist teachings?"

Feng Ya took out a thick envelope from his pocket and pushed it over: "No, no, we didn't dare. Actually, we mainly came to the temple to make an offering; it's just a small token of our appreciation. We hope the master will accept it."

When Huixuan took the envelope, his fingers felt a slight heaviness, indicating that the "incense money" inside was quite substantial.

Master Mingxin didn't even glance at the envelope; his gaze remained fixed on Feng Ya and Lan Li.

“You have an aura of bloodlust about you,” Master Mingxin suddenly spoke. “Have you taken any lives recently?”

Feng Ya remained unfazed: "Master is joking. We are all law-abiding citizens."

"Which school of law are you upholding?" Master Mingxin took a sip of tea. "Heavenly law? Earthly law? Or... the law of reincarnation?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ya burst into laughter: "Master, you truly have discerning eyes. Let's be frank then—one of our brothers is afflicted with a Gu poison. I wonder if your temple possesses any treasures that can cure it?"

Since we've already torn off all pretense, let's just be frank and speak our minds.

“If the abbot can save my husband,” Lan Li said anxiously, “I will definitely donate a large sum of money to your temple to rebuild the golden statues of the Bodhisattvas!”

Master Mingxin turned his prayer beads and said, “The Buddha saves those with affinity. But I cannot grant your request. I remind you two that you must not go any deeper into the temple. Otherwise, you will have no hope of being reborn in the Pure Land.”

Feng Ya remained silent for a moment. At this moment, he really couldn't figure out what kind of person this mage was.

There is no reference to the original film.

He suddenly stood up and bowed deeply: "To be honest, we are a dozen or so pilgrims who would like to stay here for a few days. We have heard that the Buddhist teachings at Lanruo Temple can purify evil spirits and benefit my sister-in-law's body and mind." Master Mingxin sighed: "Since you insist... Huixuan, take them to the guest rooms in the east wing."

After leaving the meditation room, Lan Li asked in a low voice, "Commander Feng, he seems to know everything..."

Feng Ya's expression was solemn: "I'm not sure what he's relying on right now, so let's stay here for now and see what happens."

Huiming and Huikong led more than ten reincarnators to the east wing and arranged rooms for them one by one.

It was unusually deserted here; it looked like no one had lived here for a long time.

Huiming put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, please rest, everyone. We will call you for dinner. Oh, by the way, if you two want to stay here for a long time, you must abide by the temple rules."

“I know,” Feng Ya said. “I know every single one of the ten temple rules.”

After the monk left, Feng Ya entered his room and immediately took out several instruments from the Reincarnator's Watch.

A compass-shaped device started spinning wildly as soon as it was turned on, and finally burst into smoke and became unusable with a "pop".

“This…” Feng Ya’s face turned ugly.

Then, he took out a stack of yellow talismans and pasted them on the doors and windows.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Lan Li took out a photograph from her bosom and gently stroked it.

The photo shows a family of three—the handsome Ye Xiu, the smiling Lan Li, and their daughter Ye Yinghuo.

No one could have imagined that the daughter's wedding would end with the groom assassinating his father-in-law.

At this moment, inside the abbot's meditation room.

Master Mingxin slowly moved the prayer beads, his lips moving as he recited the text of the Diamond Sutra.

Suddenly, a violent cough interrupted the chanting. The old monk bent over abruptly, and dark red blood splattered onto the scriptures in front of him, blurring the words "All phenomena are illusory."

"Cough cough..."

Master Mingxin wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, only to find that the more he wiped, the more blood appeared.

He reached for the water glass, his hand trembling, but his vision began to blur.

Just then, from the shadows in the corner of the meditation room, a strange dog, completely red and hairless, silently appeared.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jin, through the "Ghost Eyes" he obtained after advancing to Ghost Hunter, was sharing vision with his beloved dog, Deathstroke.

“Something’s wrong with the old monk.” Jiang Jin ordered Deathstroke through the mental link, “Get closer, I need to see clearly.”

The death knell moved forward silently a few steps and stopped less than two meters behind Master Mingxin.

From this angle, you can clearly see the monk's profile—his pupils are dilating, and his eyes are hazy and misty.

“Wait, wait a minute… Strange…” Master Mingxin suddenly muttered to himself, “This is Lanruo Temple? Wasn’t this place abandoned long ago? Besides, I should have escaped Lanruo Temple and left Guobei County by now…”

Jiang Jin suddenly sat up straight in the distance.

Guobei County!
This is the location of Lanruo Temple from the original movie!

At that moment, the air in the meditation room suddenly froze.

The smoke from the sandalwood incense stood still in the air, and the drop of blood that had fallen from Master Mingxin's lips stopped halfway down.

The entire space seemed to be paused, including the death knell.

The space in the corner of the meditation room began to undergo a strange change, as if a large number of color blocks and pixels filled with mosaics were emerging!
Next, the mosaic pixels transformed into a janitor wearing an orange janitor uniform and a black mask that completely covered his head!
The cleaner's mask has a precise structure, like chemical protective gear, and fits perfectly with the high-necked work clothes without leaving a single gap.

The cleaner was carrying a silver-white metal box.

It walked up to the frozen old monk, opened the box, took out a helmet covered with electrodes, and put it on Master Mingxin's head.

A tablet computer was connected to the back of the helmet, and its screen glowed with a faint blue light.

[Record: 37th memory calibration in the history of the Lanruo Temple containment instance.] The cleaner typed commands on the tablet, his fingers moving so fast they left afterimages. [Coordinates: Lanruo Temple instance, material layer depth 82%. Target: Mingxin (ID: MONK-007).]

Jiang Jin stared intently at the tablet screen through Deathstroke's eyes.

A large amount of data is scrolling rapidly above:
[Historical memory fragment detected: The escape incident in Guobei County (during the Chongzhen era)]

[Abnormal perception detected: Lanruo Temple in a state of disrepair (incorrect timeline)]

[Initiating Overlay: Current Timeline Setting (Hong Kong Island, 1987)]

The cleaner's fingers flew across the screen: [Injecting narrative anchors: 'I have always been the abbot of Lanruo Temple,' 'I have never left Hong Kong Island']

This scene horrified Jiang Jin.

Then, the data stream on the tablet continued to scroll:

[Begin Deep Memory Reconstruction]

[Covering the following key nodes:]

[Remove any abnormal information related to 'Guobei County']

[Strengthen the absoluteness of the 'temple rules' (to prevent the 37th calibration from failing)]

[Add a firewall to the concepts of 'Nie Xiaoqian' and 'Grandma' (to prevent the spread of cognitive contamination)]

The cleaner's finger paused for a moment, as if receiving some instruction. Then it entered a line of special code:
['Following the rules ensures safety']

After all the procedures were completed, the cleaner began the final confirmation process.

A three-dimensional model of Master Mingxin's brain was displayed on the tablet screen, with dozens of light spots lighting up in different areas:

[Hippocampus: Memory overwriting completed]

[Prefrontal cortex: Cognitive shackles installed]

[Pine gland: Dimensional perception shielding complete]

[Edge System: Emotional Reactor Calibration Completed]

[37th memory calibration: 100%]

The cleaner removed the helmet and put it back in the metal box.

It checked Master Mingxin's vital signs one last time and entered the following on the tablet:
[Target state: Stable]

As the sentence was entered, the cleaner and its equipment began to become transparent, and finally disappeared completely.

The freeze in time and space was lifted—the sandalwood incense continued to swirl, blood droplets fell to the ground, and coughing resumed.

Master Mingxin coughed violently and subconsciously reached for his teacup.

"Strange..." Master Mingxin muttered to himself, "What just happened? It's like I've forgotten something..."

He tried to recall what had just happened, but all he remembered was chanting scriptures, and then vomiting blood...

And then... and then it's now.

There is a completely blank period in my memory, like a section of a cassette tape has been erased.

The old monk shook his head and began chanting the sutra again. But for some reason, the sutra was recited exceptionally smoothly today, and many sentences that were originally obscure suddenly became clear to him.

At this moment, Jiang Jin's expression changed drastically.

As a lawyer specializing in deception, he was able to witness all of this through Deathstroke's eyes...

Now he finally understood why time freeze occurred in the [Water Pool Evil Spirit] instance...

(End of this chapter)