Bat Prince, roaming the heavens

Night falls on Mount Song.

The bells of Shaolin Temple had long since fallen silent, and the vast temple was immersed in the boundless night.

The bustling scene of pilgrims and monks coming and going during the day has long since vanished, leaving only the sound of the wind whistling through the pines and cypresses.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the glazed tiles of the palace, giving them a cool, silvery glow.

The meditation room area was quiet, with only a few rooms still lit by candlelight.

After evening prayers, most of the monks had returned to their rooms to rest. Occasionally, a monk on night patrol would pass by with a lantern, his steps light and hurried, and he would soon disappear into the depths of the night.

Xinjian's meditation room was in a remote location, and few people came there.

There is an old locust tree in the courtyard, its branches gnarled and twisted, casting dappled shadows in the moonlight.

A night breeze rustled through the branches, making a soft whispering sound, like someone whispering to each other.

Xin Jian, carrying a lantern, walked briskly along the corridor.

Because of the recent theft from the library, he was summoned by the abbot for questioning after evening prayers, which delayed him for about half an hour.

Although he, as the culprit, answered fluently, he did not arouse any suspicion from Abbot Xinhu.

But for some reason, he felt uneasy today, and his right eyelid twitched all day, as if something big was about to happen.

"Master, you're back." The young novice guarding the gate came forward and took the lantern from his hand.

Xin Jian waved his hand, signaling him to step back, and then pushed open the door to the meditation room and went inside.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the window paper, casting long, thin shadows on the blue brick floor.

He didn't light a lamp, but groped his way to the table by the moonlight, and was about to sit down.

His hand froze in mid-air.

In the corner of the meditation room, on the chair he often sat, sat a person.

The man was dressed in a black robe, almost blending into the darkness.

Suppressing his shock, Xin Jian asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Shaolin meditation room!"

He spoke with a fierce tone but was actually quite weak, his voice kept very low, as if afraid of disturbing the monks next door.

If it were an ordinary monk, upon seeing someone break into his meditation room at night, his first reaction would definitely be to shout for help and summon his fellow monks.

Ke Xinjian dared not, for he did not know the man's identity, nor whether his late-night intrusion was related to his theft of the scriptures.

If one were to raise a loud warning at this point, it would only backfire and cause trouble for oneself.

While keeping the man in black steady, Xin Jian quietly shifted his body, and the moonlight slowly fell on the man's face.

Those eyes were gray and vacant, empty and desolate, unfocused and lifeless, but when those eyes "looked" over, Xin Jian felt that all his secrets had been seen through.

Xin Jian's eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his body moved backward uncontrollably, as if he had seen a ghost.

He recognized that face.

Bat Prince, originally followed by the clouds.

He would never forget what happened on Bat Island!

Upon hearing Xin Jian's excitement, Yuan Suiyun immediately knew that this person must be Shan E, who had been to Bat Island back then, and also one of the Seven Wonderful People of this world, the Seven Wonderful Scholar.

"Shan E, it really is you."

Yuan Suiyun's soft words struck Xin Jian like a thunderclap.

"Bat...no, Young Master Yuan, are you a human or a ghost?!" He finally managed to squeeze out those words, his voice sharp and almost cracking.

Seemingly finding it amusing, Yuan Suiyun smiled knowingly and said, "What do you think?"

Xin Jian's knees buckled completely.

"Young Master Yuan, the person who killed you back then was Chu Liuxiang, oh no, it was Jin Lingzhi! If you want revenge, you should go after them! You have the right to know, you have the right to know!"

As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.

Xin Jian has clearly done too many bad things, and he is truly afraid.

Xin Jian knelt on the ground, hands clasped together, forehead pressed to the ground, trembling like a leaf: "All these years I've been eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, copying sutras daily, and repenting nightly, all for the sake of helping your spirit find peace! I truly haven't done anything to wrong you!"

While Xin Jian's words may be largely exaggerated, his decision to become a monk back then may indeed have been influenced by the Bat Island incident.

Yuan Suiyun had a faint smile on his lips. Being able to listen to such a good show was well worth the time he spent pretending to be Wu Zhu.

Shaolin Temple has always maintained a well-ordered lineage and has maintained a long-standing friendly relationship with Wuzheng Villa.

To avoid being recognized by anyone in the temple, Yuan Suiyun deliberately covered his eyes with a black cloth when he went into the temple this morning to gather information, disguising himself as an ordinary blind man who came to offer incense.

The monks were compassionate, and a young monk, seeing that Yuan Suiyun had difficulty seeing, took pity on him and specially led the way for him.

The young monk, being naive and inexperienced, was easily persuaded by Yuan Suiyun. Furthermore, Yuan Suiyun spent a lot of money to offer a stick of incense, so Yuan Suiyun made an exception and took him to visit the meditation room to experience the "Buddhist atmosphere".

Yuan Suiyun was originally a materialistic young man who did not believe in gods or Buddhas, but now that he has transmigrated, he has no choice but to believe.

When you come to someone else's territory to "learn from their experience," you still have to do your part in some "human relations."

In the young monk's eyes, Yuan Suiyun was nothing more than a blind man who wouldn't be able to see anything even if he entered the Sutra Repository.

Little did he know that this "blind man" had ears sharper than an eagle's eyes, and had overheard the entire layout of the meditation room along the way.

Only after confirming Xin Jian's meditation room did Yuan Suiyun take his leave.

As night fell, Yuan Suiyun easily evaded the patrolling monks and successfully made his way into Xinjian's meditation room.

"Rest assured, I am not here to take your life," Yuan Suiyun said. "I only wish to borrow the Yi Jin Jing that you stole to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Xin Jian became even more frightened.

There was no way anyone else, except for Bai Xiaosheng, who conspired with him, could have known that he stole the scriptures.

If the Bat Prince in front of him wasn't a ghost, how could he possibly know?

Xin Jian's mind was in complete disarray.

He was already convinced that Yuan Suiyun was the vengeful ghost, so he didn't dare to delay for a moment. Without saying a word, he got up from the ground, staggered to the old wooden cabinet in the corner, opened the cabinet door with trembling hands, reached into the hidden compartment, took out an oil paper package, held it with both hands, and respectfully handed it to Yuan Suiyun.

"Young Master Yuan, this is the *Yi Jin Jing*. Please take a look..."

At this point, Xin Jian wanted to slap herself.

Knowing full well that Yuan Suiyun was blind, why did he still say he had "taken a look"?

If the old man gets upset, he might turn into a vengeful ghost and demand his life, leaving the old man speechless with despair.

But after becoming a ghost, will my eyes recover...?

Lost in thought, Xin Jian sensed something was amiss.

If Yuan Suiyun is truly a ghost, why would he want to read the Yi Jin Jing? And why would he just take it directly instead of waiting for me to return?

However, before Xin Jian could regain his senses, Yuan Suiyun, who had obtained the scriptures, immediately struck his pressure points.

Yuan Suiyun even kindly picked him up and put him on the bed.

"Get a good night's sleep."

This was the last thing Xin Jian heard before he fell into a deep sleep.