Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 225 Nie Xiaoqian

Jiang Jin took a deep breath and carefully took out an item from the Reincarnator's Watch.

A small, palm-sized wooden raven, entirely black, is carved with lifelike detail, with every feather clearly visible.

Blood-eating crows!
"Go, and see what kind of demons and monsters are hiding in this temple."

Jiang Jin whispered, and then the Blood-Eating Crow transformed from the wooden carving into a living creature, fluttering up and disappearing into the view outside the window.

Jiang Jin closed his eyes and concentrated, his vision instantly sharing that of the Blood-Eating Crow.

The scale of Lanruo Temple was fully revealed from his "bird's-eye view".

This ancient temple was far larger than he had imagined. Built against the mountain, it was layered and progressive, with halls, monks' quarters, pagodas, courtyards, vegetable gardens, and the back mountain... covering an area of ​​probably no less than three hundred acres!
This is far beyond the scale expected of a conventional temple, and its spatial structure even subtly reveals a sense of disharmony and incongruity.

The Blood-Eating Crow glided silently, its eyes scanning the temple grounds. Jiang Jin controlled it, focusing on searching for anomalies mentioned in the rules, especially figures wearing monks' robes of a special color.

However, after going through the whole process, the results were both alarming and perplexing.

There were neither white-robed monks nor black-robed monks.

Similarly, there are no cats.

As far as the eye could see, all the monks were dressed in ordinary gray robes, and their behavior was normal.

In the crow's view, the entire temple, apart from being excessively large and silent, seemed... abnormally normal.

"Looks like he's not active in the 'Mysterious Layer'." Jiang Jin observed through the crow's perspective, muttering to himself, and began to lower his SAN value. There were simply too many ways to lower SAN.

But the scenery of the Lost Layer didn't change much.

He instructed the crows to repeatedly survey the area where the "lake in the water" appeared. However, at this moment, the area was empty, with only ordinary temple gardens and a stone path; there was no lake or pavilion to be seen.
It was as if the previous terror was just a crazy delusion caused by the decrease in SAN value.

At that time, he fired a shot at the dwelling in the water, but the bullet completely disappeared into the sea.

The meme contamination of this temple is far more profound than imagined!
"Even with the same SAN value (50%), I can't see it?" Jiang Jin's doubts and apprehension deepened. "Could it be that it's not just a manifestation of the deep contamination spatial layer, but also... a 'time layer' involving deep contamination? That it only appears at specific points in time?"

The deeper concept of meme contamination is very complex; it doesn't mean there's a fixed spatial dimension of the contamination layer. Under powerful rule-based contamination, the amount of resentment ash absorbed into the body is limited, and so is the understanding of the rules. Therefore, subjective perception and control of the contaminated spacetime layer is extremely difficult.

This was also one of the main reasons why Commander Yu's Dawn team suffered heavy casualties in the [Night Parade of One Hundred Demons] dungeon.

Recalling his decision to fire at the eerie pavilion without hesitation, Jiang Jin felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

That seemingly decisive shot now appears to have been incredibly reckless and dangerous.

This Lanruo Temple is far more bizarre and terrifying than any of the dungeons he's experienced before! It's like a huge, complex, rule-based maze full of unknown dangers, or rather... a living, malevolent cursed entity.

He began to re-examine and infer the known information.

"Nie Xiaoqian"... "Grandma"... what exactly is the relationship between these two? Is it still as depicted in Tsui Hark's original film, where female ghosts, under Grandma's control, lure men to be killed and devoured? But in this eerie temple, all of this seems to be given a more distorted and indescribable meaning.

Just as his mind raced, a mix of speculation and vigilance, the Blood-Eating Crows had already flown close to the area near the back mountain.

The trees here were denser, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive. Outside a rather secluded meditation room, a crow keenly spotted two figures peeking through a window.

It landed silently on the eaves and peered inside through the window cracks.

Inside the meditation room, Abbot Mingxin was sitting opposite an elderly monk with white hair and beard.

Between the two was a sandalwood chessboard, on which many black and white pieces were already laid out.

Master Mingxin, playing black, had just placed a piece, but his position seemed somewhat hesitant, which was not his usual calm and experienced style.

White's previous move, the "small knight's move to the corner," was light and agile. Black's response, the "pointing top," would have been the usual approach. However, Mingxin's subsequent "extend" was somewhat sluggish and failed to put effective pressure on White. Instead, White easily secured a two-space extension.

In the center, Black's several strong positions did not seem to exert their due power, and the connections between the pieces were somewhat loose.

The monk Mingjing, sitting opposite him, frowned slightly, placed a white stone in a "square" position, and probed a group of black stones that were not yet fully formed. At the same time, he said, "Abbot, your playing style today is sluggish, and you seem unsettled. This is not your usual level."

Master Mingxin gazed at the chessboard, remaining silent for a long time before letting out a slow sigh, his voice filled with endless weariness: "Amitabha. Junior brother, your insight is keen. As the saying goes, Zen and chess are interconnected. It seems that I... my cultivation is still insufficient. My mind is burdened, hence the chess pieces appear heavy."

He picked up a black stone, pondered for a moment, and instead of directly responding to the white stone's "point," he chose to defend the corner with a "large knight's move" elsewhere. This move seemed a bit conservative.

He continued, "The temple is now rife with karmic obstacles. I'm afraid... my Lanruo Temple is about to face an unprecedented calamity."

Master Mingjing's hand, holding the white chess piece, paused in mid-air, his expression turning serious: "The great calamity that Abbot Brother refers to, is it... is it those suspicious benefactors who have recently entered the temple? Or is it the passing of Huizhen?"

He did not make a move immediately, but looked at Mingxin.

Master Mingxin nodded heavily, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard: "These people are shrouded in malevolent energy, burdened with the sins of killing, their karma as heavy as the sea. Most of them... probably won't be able to leave this Lanruo Temple."

His tone was calm, yet carried a chilling certainty.

He paused, his voice even carrying a barely perceptible hint of sorrow: "It's not just them. Me too. The cycle of cause and effect, karmic retribution is coming. Before long, I'm afraid this old monk will also... pass away here."

"What?!" Master Mingjing was shocked. The white chess piece in her hand fell to the ground beside the chess jar with a "thud." Her face was filled with disbelief and panic. "Senior brother! What do you mean by that?!"

Master Mingxin slowly raised his hand, stopping him from speaking.

He raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the meditation room, looking into an endless, profound, otherworldly space beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and murmured, "We can't escape it...we can't escape it. This is both calamity and...destiny."

The blood-eating crows outside the window took in everything. Inside the room, Jiang Jin's brows were tightly furrowed.

……

As evening fell, Huikong sat alone on the stone steps outside the Sutra Repository, holding a scroll of the Diamond Sutra in his hands, and softly recited in the last rays of the setting sun: "...All forms are illusory. If one sees all forms as non-forms, then one sees the Tathagata..."

The power of the scriptures seemed to soothe his tense nerves somewhat. But most importantly, he had to be prepared at all times, constantly reciting the scriptures to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.

Suddenly, two figures blocked the light in front of him. Huikong looked up and saw a man and a woman standing in front of him.

"You are……"

“Young monk,” the man said, his voice gentle yet carrying an imposing aura, “I’m sorry to disturb your chanting.”

"Oh, I remember now, you are the benefactor Feng who donated incense money to our temple!" Huikong quickly closed his sutra, stood up, and returned the greeting with his hands clasped together: "Amitabha. Please speak, benefactor, I will answer whatever I know."

Feng Ya smiled slightly, a smile that made people unconsciously relax: "We've been staying at your temple for a few days and have discovered some...unusual rules, which have piqued our curiosity. For example, no music can be heard inside the temple, no one can leave their room at midnight, and there's that warning about 'Nie Xiaoqian'..."

Feng Ya mentioned it casually, but his eyes were carefully observing the changes in Hui Kong's expression.

Huikong's heart skipped a beat; they had indeed come to inquire about the rules.

But seeing that Feng Ya's attitude was sincere and did not seem to have any ill intentions, and considering that he had been frightened and confused for days and really needed to talk to someone about it, he sighed and said, "To be honest, benefactor, I know very little about these temple rules. I only know that they must be strictly followed, otherwise there may be disaster."

"Oh? It's that serious?" Feng Ya began to feign surprise and concern. "Little Master, could you explain in detail? For example, what happens if I break the rules?"

Huikong hesitated for a moment, recalling the terrifying experience in the dining hall and the horrifying moment with the black-robed monk, and lowered his voice to say, "At best... you'll see things you shouldn't see, at worst... there might be bloodshed."

Feng Ya nodded thoughtfully: "Saw something you shouldn't have seen? Could it be that there really is something unclean in this temple? Could there really be ghosts?"

His question was very clever.

“It shouldn’t be… a simple ghost.” Huikong recalled Huiming and Huijue’s words and couldn’t help but say a few more words, “My senior brothers said it’s ‘demonic obstruction’ or ‘pollution’ that distorts perception. What we see may not be false, but… it may not be the truth we usually understand.”

He tried hard to express that paradoxical fear.

Feng Ya listened intently, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. The woman behind him remained silent, but her gaze seemed to flicker slightly as well.

“Distorted cognition…pollution…” Feng Ya repeated these words, as if savoring them. “Little Master, in your opinion, what is the source of this ‘pollution’?”

Huikong shook his head, a bitter expression on his face: "This humble monk does not know. Perhaps... in the Buddhist hall? Perhaps... everywhere?"

He paused, then mustered his courage and looked at Feng Ya, "Benefactor Feng, you...you seem to be very knowledgeable. Do you believe that such a thing exists in this world? A power that can cause people to collectively experience the same terrifying hallucinations?"

Feng Ya thought to himself: I've seen too much of this, so much that I'm about to throw up.

He didn't answer directly, but looked at him meaningfully: "The world is vast and full of wonders. Sometimes, the most terrifying thing is not a hideous monster, but those incomprehensible beings that can quietly change all the 'rules'."

The two, one eager to learn and the other filled with fear, talked for a long time about the strange rules of Lanruo Temple and the truth that might be hidden behind them.

Feng Ya discovered that although the young monk was fearful, he was also observant and his thinking was not rigid. He had an instinctive and intuitive understanding of some extraordinary phenomena.

As Feng Ya and Hui Kong were talking at a crucial point, his expression suddenly changed, and his brows furrowed sharply!

Without warning, a golden light emanated from his arms, and then a yellow talisman with intricate cinnabar runes floated out automatically, ignited without fire, and then vanished into ashes, scattering in the air.

"Something's wrong!" Feng Ya exclaimed. "Something's happened... Don't move around, wait for me to come back!"

Huikong was taken aback, only to see Fengya quickly take off and disappear in the blink of an eye at the end of the deep corridor next to the Sutra Pavilion, his speed exceeding that of ordinary people.

Huikong was stunned by this sudden turn of events and stood there dumbfounded for a long time.

Feng Ya had only been rushing in the direction the talisman was sensing for a short while when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

He got lost!

“The Lost Layer…” Feng Ya’s heart sank, but he didn’t panic. The Lost Layer was nothing to a Level 4 like him!
He tried to find his way back using his memory and sense of direction, but found himself as if he had stumbled into a huge maze. With each step he took, the scenery around him seemed to undergo subtle but unsettling changes.

He forced himself to calm down, carefully moved forward, and took out his hunting rifle!
After walking for an unknown amount of time, he found himself in a familiar place—the ancient well!
However, the ancient well at this moment was completely different from what he remembered. A chilling aura permeated the wellhead, and the stone railing around the well was covered with damp, sticky, dark moss.

What sent chills down his spine was that what was reflected in the well was a full moon that was extremely pale and emitted an ominous halo!
A full moon reflected in the well?! According to temple rules...

Just then, something even more terrifying happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that in the shadows around the ancient well, which had been empty before, one withered, dark figure after another had silently appeared!

One, two, ten... They appeared out of thin air, standing stiffly and silently around the ancient well, subtly surrounding him!

These mummies bear a striking resemblance to those in the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story"—their skin is clung tightly to the bones, completely covered in charcoal, their eye sockets are empty black holes, and their mouths are wide open to an unbelievable degree, revealing stark white teeth, as if they had experienced extreme fear and pain before their death!
They still had tattered pieces of clothing hanging on them, some of which could be vaguely identified as monks' robes, while others were secular attire.

They remained motionless, yet exuded an overwhelming resentment and deathly aura, their empty eye sockets staring intently at Feng Ya.

Just as Feng Ya was preparing to retaliate, bullets, like lightning tearing through the night, suddenly shot towards him from his diagonal rear!
The bullets struck the mummified corpses beside Feng Ya with pinpoint accuracy. The corpses instantly let out a mournful, silent howl and vanished into wisps of black smoke.

Jiang Jin appeared not far away, holding a mournful hunting rifle with phosphorescent flames still rising from the muzzle.

Time passed second by second, the night grew darker and darker, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the eaves.

Huikong felt a chill run down his spine, but Fengya was gone forever, as if he had sunk into the sea.

His heart began to race, and an ominous premonition gripped him.

His unease reached its peak, and in an attempt to break the suffocating silence and fear, he forced himself to make conversation, speaking in a dry voice to the female benefactor before him:
"Female...female benefactor, I...I still don't know how to address you?"

The woman finally turned her head slowly. She looked at Huikong, and then a light, ethereal voice, carrying a hint of melancholy, clearly entered Huikong's ears:

"My name is... Nie Xiaoqian."

Almost at the same moment, Feng Ya hurriedly explained to Jiang Jin, "Mr. Jiang, I just went to find that monk named Huikong alone to ask him some questions, and then the talisman..."

On the stone steps of the Sutra Repository, Huikong stood facing the woman who called herself "Nie Xiaoqian" with an icy expression.

He finally realized a terrible truth—he had not remembered the faces of all the female worshippers!

(End of this chapter)