Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 229 Well Water
Meanwhile, the evening prayers in the Buddhist hall finally came to an end.

Huikong walked out of the main hall with the crowd. His eyes were empty and his steps were unsteady, like a shell whose soul had been taken away.

Whether it was Nie Xiaoqian's terror or the abbot's formulaic words... everything was overwhelming him, pushing his cognition to the brink of collapse.

At this moment, Master Mingjing appeared beside him without him noticing, her face showing the same concern as always: "Huikong, you look unwell and seem distracted. Have you encountered any obstacles in your cultivation?"

Huikong nodded mechanically, then shook his head, unable to speak.

Master Mingjing seemed oblivious to his unusual behavior and continued, "I see that you get along very well with Huiming. Has he ever advised you to drink the water from the ancient well?"

"Reporting to Uncle-Master, Senior Brother Huiming didn't mention this to me."

"It seems Huiming has forgotten for a moment. The third rule of the temple states that if the ancient well reflects the waning moon, one may drink the water. However, the rules do not mention that this can cleanse the mind and bring enlightenment. The water in the temple's ancient well is gathered from the mountain spring's spiritual veins, and is extremely sweet and clear. Drinking it is very helpful for cultivation. Why don't you try it, junior brother? But remember, as the rules say, when the well reflects the full moon, do not touch the well, and even more so, do not drink the water."

Huikong's mind was in complete chaos. He nodded mechanically, then unconsciously and unsteadily left.

Watching Huikong's departing figure, Master Mingjing turned around and walked back to the shadows of the Buddhist hall, where Abbot Mingxin was standing quietly.

“Junior brother, Huikong has just joined the sect. He is different from ordinary second-generation disciples. After all, he has not yet truly adapted.” Master Mingxin spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion. “His heart and his understanding are in a very chaotic stage. He seems to listen to what I say, but in reality, he has not accepted it deep down.”

Master Mingjing clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer, but his tone was icy cold: "Amitabha. It seems that he is deeply entangled in demonic obstacles and burdened by karma. If he cannot change this and cannot reconcile with Lanruo Temple, then I'm afraid... he will ultimately not be able to stay."

Upon hearing the word "compatible," Master Mingxin's expression became complicated. He remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "Alas... Junior brother, I still feel a pang of conscience. This child is quite intelligent... What a pity, what a pity, that he chose to enter Lanruo Temple..."

“Abbot Brother,” Mingjing interrupted him, her voice completely calm, “Although we have left home to cultivate, we are still mortals. Even with compassion, human strength has its limits. After all, you and I… have only adapted to ‘contamination,’ not the true path to Nirvana.”

Master Mingxin fell silent, closing his eyes. After a long while, he let out a long sigh, seemingly containing endless complex emotions: "Amitabha..."

Meanwhile, Jiang Jin led Gao Gongwei through the intricate corridors of Lanruo Temple and finally arrived at Yu Tianlun's residence.

When Jiang Jin solemnly announced Feng Ya's death, Yu Tianlun's body stiffened abruptly, and a look of disbelief and shock flashed in his eyes.

"Feng Ya... is dead? Killed by the sorcerers of the Old Core?"

Yu Tianlun knew Feng Ya's strength all too well; both of them had once been peak LV4 experts. As the leader of a branch of the Holy Temple team, Feng Ya possessed immense experience, strength, and resources.

Jiang Jin nodded heavily and gave a detailed account of the thrilling battle, especially the scene of Gu Poshan unleashing the Flying Head Curse and the black arrow piercing his heart before his death.

He still finds it hard to accept: "I don't understand... Captain Feng is a Level 4 powerhouse, how could he..."

After all, he himself is a hunter. Could it be that he might still face this situation when he advances to LV4? Are sorcerers somewhat effective against hunters? But in terms of the priority of curses, the priestess class should be the most terrifying.

Yu Tianlun remained silent for a moment, the shock in his eyes gradually turning into a deep solemnity.

“Jiang Jin, you haven’t been a Reincarnator the longest yet. There are some deeper things that you may not have fully grasped compared to higher-ranking Reincarnators.” Yu Tianlun’s voice deepened. “What do you think makes a Level 4 Reincarnator so powerful? Is it just their class skills?”

He paused, and before Jiang Jin could answer, he said, "No. True power lies in the understanding and application of 'rule pollution.' Whether it's his and your hunter career path, or my shaman career path of merging with the Dao, at the high level, the core essence of power is to drive, adapt to, and even control the memetic power of 'rule pollution.' Memetic pollution itself is incredibly powerful, but it also comes with extremely high risks."

“Like Fengya,” Yu Tianlun continued to explain, “he can temporarily ‘downgrade’ his strength to LV3 level. This is an extremely sophisticated rule-based skill used to circumvent certain high-level restrictions or to disguise himself. But the essence of rules is equivalent exchange, and risks are inevitable. The price he has to pay is that during that period, his defense and resistance to rule corruption will indeed drop to the LV3 level.”

Yu Tianlun then added, "And a Level 3 sorcerer, especially one who has chosen the extreme path of 'flying head sorcery,' faces risks and pains that are unimaginable to ordinary people when they advance."

Takamiya Yui, standing to the side, seemed somewhat bewildered but impressed. In fact, as a Japanese person, he had no idea what the profession of sorcerer was all about, otherwise he wouldn't have cut off the neck of a flying head sorcerer.

Yu Tianlun continued to explain: "Jiang Jin, you must understand that choosing to become a sorcerer, especially to attempt the LV3 Flying Head Curse, is not as simple as allocating skill points in a game. It's about truly cutting off your own head, gambling on the edge of life and death, betting on your understanding of the corruption of rules, on whether you can communicate with the evil rules in the dark, and refine your head into a flying head. If you fail, you will naturally die. But if you succeed, the ability to corrupt rules that they gain is extremely bizarre and powerful. The curse they utter before death, at the cost of eternal damnation, is unimaginably vicious and penetrating. This ebb and flow is what led to the fall of Captain Feng."

“So,” Yu Tianlun concluded, his eyes sharply fixed on Jiang Jin, “Jiang Jin, you also need to learn from this lesson. Never just look at the level on paper. The more powerful a profession seems, the more terrifying the ‘rule pollution’ you have to adapt to and bear. Many times, powerful reincarnators do not die at the hands of terrifying ghosts, but from the backlash of their own power, or from some seemingly insignificant but strange curses that happen to target their weaknesses.”

"The ghosts in all the horror dungeons are, in a sense, manifestations of some kind of rule curse, and they cannot be killed." Yu Tianlun's voice carried the warning of someone who had been there. "The only thing that can counteract the curse is another kind of curse, or rather, a 'power' that is deeper and more in line with the rules."

Jiang Jin remained silent. Yu Tianlun's words had opened a new window for him, giving him a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the Reincarnators. Gao Gongwei listened from the side, his face growing even paler, clearly deeply moved as well.

"However, I'm still considering whether I can really accept Feng Ya's skull key. Would it be more appropriate to return it to the Temple team?" Jiang Jin was hesitant. He didn't have much of a connection with Feng Ya. If he really took it, others might think that he, Jiang Jin, had stolen the skull key and kept it for himself.

"You decide this yourself." Yu Tianlun didn't want to give Jiang Jin advice on such an important matter. How precious was Fengya's Skull Key? Countless people would risk their lives to seize it. This was related to Jiang Jin's future path of strengthening, and even involved life and death. How could Yu Tianlun make a decision so easily?

"Whatever you decide, I will support you."

……

When Huikong returned to the monks' quarters in a daze, he found that Ning Caichen had not yet returned. Exhausted, he didn't have time to think and collapsed onto the bed fully clothed, trying to numb his almost exploding brain with sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard light footsteps outside the door, and immediately heard Ning Caichen push the door open and walk in. He saw that Huikong was awake, nodded, and sat down on his own.

As if he had found an outlet, Huikong suddenly sat up and said, "Benefactor Ning!"

"Huh? You're still awake?" Ning Caichen asked, puzzled.

Huikong said anxiously, "I might have really seen an evil spirit!"

"How to say?"

Then, disregarding all taboos, Huikong lowered his voice and told Ning Caichen in detail about his encounter with the woman who called herself "Nie Xiaoqian" in the evening, and how he escaped death by reciting the Diamond Sutra according to the temple rules!

Ning Caichen listened, his face showing surprise and solemnity. He pushed up his glasses and said, "There really is... a 'Nie Xiaoqian'?"

"But...but I can't remember what she looks like at all!" Huikong said, clutching his head in anguish. "It's like...that memory of her appearance was forcibly ripped out! I only remember her name! I went to look for that Benefactor Feng, but Benefactor Feng seems to have disappeared!"

"what?"

Ning Caichen inquired about several details in detail, such as the environment in which the woman appeared, the characteristics of her voice, the specific process of reciting the scriptures, and the strange noises she heard.

Huikong answered each question in turn, trying his best to recall the answers.

After listening, Ning Caichen fell into deep thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, his eyes flickering as if he were engaged in some complex calculations and deductions. "Benefactor Ning, have you thought of anything?"

"Not yet," Ning Caichen replied. "The situation seems more complicated than expected."

Soon, the night deepened and all was quiet; it was time to go to bed.

Huikong habitually took out a black cloth, preparing to cover the small mirror in the room. This was his nightly ritual, and also a requirement of the fourth rule of the temple.

However, Ning Caichen, standing to the side, looked at the mirror with a thoughtful expression, seemingly developing an unusual interest in it. Instead of immediately helping, he stared at the mirror for a long time.

After covering the mirror, the two lay down. Huikong was exhausted, and her consciousness soon began to blur.

But after an unknown amount of time, he was suddenly awakened by an extremely faint rustling sound.

He squinted and, by the faint light from the window, saw that Ning Caichen had silently gotten up!

Ning Caichen quietly lit the lantern on the table, then surprisingly, he took the lantern, pushed open the door, and went out!
It's so late... what's he doing? And the direction he went wasn't towards the toilet.

Huikong's heart leaped into his throat. Recalling Ning Caichen's unusual behavior before, and his strange reaction tonight after hearing about the "Nie Xiaoqian" incident, a terrible thought arose in his mind.

Driven by intense fear and curiosity, Huikong quietly got up, held her breath, and cautiously followed them out.

The night was deep, and the temple was deathly silent.

Ning Caichen carried a lantern, his steps unhurried, yet seemingly heading in a clear direction.

Huikong's heart was pounding faster and faster. He followed at a distance, using the pillars to hide himself.

Following him, Ning Caichen turned a corner in a narrow corridor.

Huikong waited a few seconds, then walked close to the wall before cautiously peeking over—

The next second, his blood almost froze!

At the end of the corridor at the bend was a tall, mottled wall!

This is a dead end!

The walls are towering and smooth, with no footholds to step on, making it impossible to climb over!
And Ning Caichen... just vanished into thin air!
"Where...where is he?" Huikong felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! How could a living person simply vanish into thin air in a dead-end alley?!

Extreme fear gripped him instantly! He dared not stay any longer and turned to run back to the monks' quarters.

However, Huikong ran around in a panic for a while, but instead of returning to the monks' quarters, he found himself wandering around to the vicinity of the strange ancient well in the backyard!
What made his scalp tingle even more was that there was a figure standing by the ancient well—it was Senior Brother Huiming!

He saw that his senior brother Huiming had his back to him, facing the deep, ancient well opening, and spoke in an unusually calm voice:

“Fellow practitioners, fellow disciples… your cultivation was not refined enough, your concentration insufficient, and you ultimately failed to overcome the demonic obstacles, and have now fallen asleep here… This humble monk, Huiming, has come to chant sutras to guide you to rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss…”

Then, Huiming began to chant the Rebirth Mantra in a low voice.

But his chanting was unlike the solemnity and reverence of the usual Buddhist hall. Instead, it carried an indescribable coldness and mechanicalness. Every word was enunciated with exceptional clarity, yet devoid of emotion, as if he were not performing a ritual for the deceased, but rather completing some kind of... fixed procedure.

During this process, Huikong hid behind the trees. He had a vague intuition that he should hide!
After Brother Huiming finished reciting the Rebirth Mantra, he looked at the well again and said, "Tonight is not a full moon, so I will drink from this well with my fellow disciples as a way of expressing our grief."

Then, Brother Huiming picked up the wooden bucket by the well and skillfully drew up half a bucket of well water.

Then, he looked up at the sky, then at the bucket, seemingly trying to confirm that the reflected moon was indeed a waning crescent rather than a full moon.

Then he put down the bucket, picked up a ladle, scooped up a ladle of well water, and drank it down with a "glug glug"!

After a while, Huiming suddenly dropped the water ladle in his hand to the ground!
He pointed in horror at the bucket of well water in front of him, then looked up at the sky and said in a trembling voice, "How... how did it turn into a full moon!"

Huikong was astonished. He looked up and saw... there was no full moon in the sky at all.
But the next second, something even more terrifying happened!
Suddenly, the skin on Brother Huiming's neck began to twitch abnormally! Then, strands of thick, black, asphalt-like substance began to seep out from his pores!
These black substances spread rapidly, covering his gray monk's robe like living things, dyeing it a pure, pitch-black color that seemed to devour light!

At the same time, Brother Huiming's skin began to lose moisture at a visible rate, becoming dry, wrinkled, and grayish in color!
The entire process continued quietly and eerily. Brother Huiming's body began to twitch and twist slightly, as if something inside was struggling to break free from its outer constraints!

finally--

"Shoot-"

A very faint, yet chilling tearing sound rang out!

Suddenly, a large tear appeared in the back of Huiming's monk's robe and skin! A "new" Huiming, like a cicada shedding its skin, struggled and crawled out of that tear little by little!

That process is extremely similar to an insect molting!
The old outer skin (including skin and monk's robe) lost all vitality, limply and completely peeled off, piling up at Huiming's feet like a discarded human-shaped sack, and Huiming's original facial features and body outline could still be vaguely discerned!
The "new" Huiming, emerging from the old skin, still wore the same gray monk's robe. He looked at the skin on the ground, took a few steps back, and then quickly left along a path.

However, the terror was far from over!
The pile of Huiming's "old skin" on the ground, which should have lost all vitality, suddenly began to swell and stand up rapidly, like an inflated balloon!
The withered skin became plump again, and the dark black monk's robe bulged again... In just a few breaths, it transformed into a black-robed, sinister-looking man exuding an ominous aura—Huiming!
After the black-robed monk, formed from the "old skin," took shape, he stood frozen in place for a moment before leaping headfirst into the ancient well before him!
poof...

After a very faint splash, the area around the well fell into complete silence.

Only Huikong remained, hiding behind a tree in the distance and witnessing the entire process.

His legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering wildly, making a "clattering" sound. Extreme fear overwhelmed him from head to toe, and he lost even the strength to scream.

Shedding skin... well water... black-robed monk...

He began to recall the third and fifth rules of the temple...

The third temple rule: The water in the ancient well in the backyard is drinkable. However, if the water reflects a full moon, do not touch the well. If it reflects a waning moon, you may scoop up a ladleful and drink it.

Fifth temple rule: All monks in the temple wear gray robes. If you encounter a monk wearing a white robe, you may ask him for directions, but do not follow him. If you encounter a monk wearing a black robe, do not make eye contact with him. If the monk bows to you first, kneel down immediately and declare that you are dead.

So that's how the black-robed monks in the rules came about!
(End of this chapter)