Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 96

His disappointment was, of course, because he couldn't find a way to save Fujika inside me.

I admit that, faced with Fujika's vegetative state, the only better solution than sending her to the hospital for intensive medical treatment was to look after her. If I'm looked down upon for this, then so be it.

"I know that if there is a way, even if it's only a one in a billion chance, I will do my best." Clearly, I was once again deceived by some of the appearances of the Japanese monk in front of me. Even Japanese people who speak Chinese are not necessarily friends of the Chinese.

The flames gradually subsided, and the Heavenly Dragon Monk collapsed forward, his body burned into a charred mess.

Having witnessed bizarre events of human bodies being "weathered" by strange rays inside the pyramids before, the "self-immolation" of the monk before me was somewhat unsurprising. The indifference of the onlookers suggested that such strange events had occurred countless times before, and everyone had become strangely numb.

"You seem to have a way... Please note, it's 'seems'... but you need external support... young man... being friends with the Japanese... will bring unexpected benefits..."

Hearing what Kamekawa said, I angrily shook my hand off, breaking free from the suction in his palm. I spun around three times and quickly retreated.

Deep down, I hate nothing more than the "charity" bestowed upon me by others, especially the small favors from neighboring Japan. It's important to understand that Japan's rapid post-war recovery and high-speed development were absolutely inseparable from China's exemption of them from hefty "war reparations" at the end of World War II.

Now, the increasingly wealthy Japanese often display their arrogant and pot-bellied richness in front of the Chinese, which disgusts me.

"Benefits? Mr. Kamekagawa, you should think more about the enormous benefits that China gave to Japan at the end of World War II! You can leave your benefits to someone who is destined to receive them; I don't need them!" Judging from what he just said, he is not worthy of the title of "master" at all.

Kamekawa realized his slip of the tongue and laughed awkwardly, "No, no, young man, you've probably misunderstood. What I meant was... the Emperor promised that whoever can save Princess Fujika will be her future husband. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to marry such an outstanding girl like her?"

I snorted, turned and left the living room, loudly replying, "I am Chinese, and from birth to the next three generations, I will never marry a Japanese woman. Please save your trouble!" Then I turned around and quickly walked back towards the pagoda along the path I had come from.

If it were simply to save time, I could also scale the wall and escape, but firstly, I don't have Zhang Baisen's exquisite skills, and secondly, I'm afraid these ignorant Japanese monks would laugh at me, saying, "Chinese people are only good at running away." A series of thumping footsteps sounded behind me; it was Heiji, who had calmed down slightly and whose face was covered in blood, following behind.

As I rounded the first corner, Bing quickened his pace and approached me, calling out, "Mr. Feng, something's strange about the pagoda. You'd better not go near it. Sigh, you're a tourist introduced by Miss Xiao. She repeatedly told me to guarantee your safety—" His foot seemed to be injured as well; he limped and grimaced in pain.

Hearing his words, my heart suddenly warmed: "I just rudely rejected Xiao Keleng's call. Sigh, she cares about me so much, I don't know how to repay her?"

I dislike owing favors to others the most; it makes me restless and unable to eat or sleep.

As I reached into my pocket to turn on my phone, I casually asked, "What is 'Divine Tide'? And what is 'Nameless Fire'? Why are there more and more strange things in Maple Temple?"

The phone beeped as it turned on. I twirled my fingers slightly, pulled out three hundred-dollar bills, and handed them to Bingjian.

Money makes the world go round, and in many parts of the world, the US dollar is a foolproof special pass.

A gust of wind blew by, and the banknotes made a pleasant "snap-snap" sound. This is the music that the poorest people in the world love to hear, and Bingjian is no exception, because his eyes are gradually brightening and his hunched back is gradually straightening.

Although we had just clashed a few hours earlier, and I had knocked him to the ground, leaving him bleeding from the head—for the sake of the US dollar, I wouldn't hesitate to have him swear an oath of brotherhood with me now. The Japanese "money worship" is more realistic and intense than that of any other nation on Earth.

Part 3: Ghostly Villa

— Chapter 1 - From the Tide of God to the Savior 3 —

From 1 God's Tide to 3 Saviors

(Note: Dear readers, due to revisions during the publication process, there are some chapter errors. Therefore, chapters one through three of Part Three are being posted here simultaneously. We appreciate your feedback.)

“Mr. Feng, many strange things have happened at Fengge Temple these past few months. Water keeps gushing up from the ground next to the pagoda, sometimes filling the courtyard where the pagoda is located. Even more bizarrely, every time the water rises, a monk inexplicably catches fire and burns to ashes…”

After receiving the US dollars, Bingjian blurted out everything he had to say, almost like pouring beans from a bamboo tube. He stayed close to me, moving quickly through the winding corridor.

From this spot, one can see the pagoda's upper four stories; its milky-white body remains clearly visible even in the dim light of night.

"Really? Was the self-immolation of the Heavenly Dragon Monk just now also due to this situation?" I frowned, took out my phone, and called Xiao Keleng back.

"Yes, yes, that must be it! This inexplicable flame has terrified the fellow disciples in the temple, who are most afraid that one day it will burn them. The senior uncles have consulted the scriptures in the library and received some strange revelations. It turns out that this kind of heavenly fire killing people has been going on for a very long time. It is said that after the 'wrath of the sun god' caused turmoil underground, the nameless evil fire had nowhere to vent, so it could only surge up through the 'water veins.' Whoever encounters it is unlucky—"

Such an explanation is pure nonsense that misleads people. Water and fire have been incompatible since ancient times, so how could fire possibly spread through water veins?

Xiao Keleng's call connected, and she pounded her chest loudly on the other end: "God! You finally called back! When are you coming back? Did you see Senior Zhang Baisen? He came to Xunfu Garden and met with Wang Jiangnan and Guan Baoling—"

Whenever Guan Baoling is mentioned, her voice carries a strange, sour tone.

Under her barrage of questions, I was completely baffled and could only smile wryly and ask in return, "What exactly is Zhang Baisen's purpose in coming to Fengge Temple? Is he a friend or foe?"

As we were talking, we rounded another bend, and the sound of rushing water was so clear it was as if it were right next to our ears.

Xiao Ke paused, then said, "What? Friend or foe? Sigh, he's a friend of the tycoon, and the tycoon is close friends with Mr. Scalpel. In a sense, he won't have any conflict with us. But the child he was holding was very strange, asking several questions about the villa's layout in a pretentious manner. Did you see them? Also, whatever you do, don't stay overnight at the temple, whatever you do, never..."

The reason she couldn't stay overnight was, and could only be, that she suspected the presence of a monster like the "Fanged Demon," a creature only found in ghost stories and myths, in Maple Temple.

"Ouch—" The soldier behind him cried out in surprise, his body swayed, and he crashed into a stone pillar on the side of the corridor with a thud.

I glanced back at him; in the darkness, he was clutching his chest in agony, rubbing it desperately.

Xiao Ke asked urgently, "What's wrong, Mr. Feng? Is something wrong?" Her deep concern was evident in her words, which truly warmed my heart.

I had no idea what Bingjian was up to. With his martial arts skills, a collision like that wouldn't be a problem at all. I ignored him and continued striding forward. This situation couldn't be explained in just a few words, so I could only briefly tell Xiao Keleng, "I won't stay overnight at the temple. I'll return to the villa no matter how late it is. However, a lot of groundwater has gushed out from beneath the 'Tower of the Dead,' and an old monk was suddenly burned by heavenly fire. Also, Masters Guijianchuan and Bumenlu have appeared..."

Xiao Keleng responded with "Oh, oh," but after saying so much all at once, she must have been a little dizzy and overwhelmed.

"Mr. Feng, wait a moment, can you hear a summoning sound? Listen... there's a summoning sound..."

The soldier cried out again, leaping and bounding after me, grabbing my arm, and pointing in terror at the spire of the pagoda. His current behavior was completely different from the calm, composed, and dignified monk he had been at the beginning. I seriously suspected that the successive injuries had damaged his brain nerves.

"What's that calling sound?" I tried to break free from him, but his hand gripped my sleeve tightly.

“A call from the Tower of the Dead—it’s the gods from the underworld calling… I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die yet…” His hand pointed aimlessly forward, because the top of the tower was empty, there was nothing there, only the neat eaves and brackets on each floor.

I didn't hear anything except the constant sound of flowing water.

"It's the call of death, listen... listen... death is singing... a death dirge..." He became increasingly incoherent, his eyes straining to open, his teeth grinding together, and his Adam's apple trembling comically, showing that the terror in his heart had reached its peak.

I had absolute faith in my hearing; if I hadn't heard anything, then any sound must have been his hallucination. In a moment of panic, I forcefully flung his arm, shoving him staggering away. At the same time, I took three or four quick steps, rounded the last bend, passed through the moon gate, and entered the courtyard where the pagoda was located.

In an instant, the strange sight before me made me forget the phone in my hand. I quickly rubbed my eyes hard twice and looked down at the ground again.

The ground was dotted with countless stars, their light utterly captivating. Upon closer inspection, the stars were reflected in the water, which was now completely filled with clear water, rising to the four sides of the courtyard. The pagoda was also in the water, at least half of its first floor submerged, its reflection mirrored there, gently swaying with the ripples.

Xiao Keleng kept calling out, "Hello, hello, hello..."

I gripped the plastic casing of the phone so tightly it rattled, and the sight before me sent chills down my spine.

The water, carrying a chill, shimmered like a giant, strange mirror. Where did it come from? The gaps between the paving stones in the square were extremely fine, and the foundation should have been very solid. How could such a large amount of water suddenly surge up?

I was already standing by the water, and not far away, on the roof of a Japanese-style pavilion, stood Zhang Baisen, holding Master Xianyun, expressionlessly. The roof of the pavilion was grayish-brown, which matched their clothes perfectly, almost blending into one.

No one could explain the strange phenomenon before my eyes, especially when I squatted down and scooped up a handful of water, I smelled the sweetness of ordinary well water, instead of the wet, salty smell of seawater.

"This is even stranger. All the clean drinking water near Muwanzan relies on underground pipes to be transported from a pure water treatment plant in Hokkaido. Could it be... that an underground pipe has burst somewhere? This is even more strange, such a large area of water, several hundred cubic meters..."

Bingjian walked slowly to the Moon Gate, sighing, "It's always like this, every time. I don't know where the water comes from, it surges up at dusk and doesn't recede until tomorrow morning. Thankfully... thankfully the Heavenly Dragon Monk has already immolated himself, at least tonight we don't have to worry about anyone else losing their life to the demonic fire..."

His hand was still pressed against his chest, as if he were in unbearable pain. It was hard to imagine that such a dignified man could be so selfish, caring nothing for the deaths of his comrades as long as he himself survived.

I struggled to explain what was happening before me: "Xiao Xiao, a lot of water is gushing out from under the tower, creating a vast expanse. You can only truly appreciate how extraordinary this spectacle is by coming up here in person..."

Looking closely under the water, countless tiny bubbles are floating up from the cracks in the rocks, which is enough to prove that the water source is underground.

Xiao Keleng exclaimed in surprise, "Really? I've never seen anything like this before! But, is there any danger...? If possible, you should return to Xunfu Garden first, and we can discuss everything after dawn."

I replied with a wry smile, "Alright, but the water has blocked the way. I'll take a detour out of the temple and be back soon."

Since he couldn't wake Fujika, staying here and watching these increasingly strange things happen one after another, while he was powerless to intervene, was pointless to delay any longer.

Just as I was about to hang up the phone and order Bingjian to take me away from Fengge Temple via another route, I suddenly heard Zhang Baisen roar from his dantian, a roar like a dragon's cry and a tiger's howl, which shook the water in the courtyard. He quickly rose up and leaped forward. Although he was carrying a person weighing seventy or eighty pounds in his arms, he did not feel burdened at all. He lightly leaped forward ten meters, his toes touching the water with a very slight "squeak". He calmly rose up again and landed on the railing of the second floor of the pagoda.

His lightness skill is at least among the top ten in the martial arts world. If it weren't for Master Xianyun in his arms, he could probably cross such a distance in a single leap.

At this moment, countless gleaming bald heads peeked out from the gray walls on all four sides of the courtyard, all looking into the courtyard with curiosity and trepidation. Behind me and Bingjian, the sound of clothes rustling in the wind rang out one after another. Guijianchuan and Master Shenbi arrived with the three monks, Elephant, Lion, and Tiger, and immediately filled the two-meter-wide moon gate.

According to information published in newspapers, Kamekan was already a 130-year-old monk, but the momentum he displayed when running was like that of a strong and vigorous man of only around 40 years old. He spoke with a clear mind and showed no signs of old age.

"Mr. Feng, do you have any thoughts on this strange phenomenon?" He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his expression unusually serious. Although it wasn't a freezing winter night, the temperature was probably close to zero degrees Celsius, yet he had run out shirtless and showed no signs of shivering from the cold.

"Me? What could I possibly think? These are probably secrets kept by Fuuki-ji Temple, aren't they? How come I've never seen them published in Japanese travel magazines?" I hate the Japanese for their dishonesty, even more so for their rudeness towards the Chinese. The situation is so bizarre, and they don't truthfully report the situation to tourists and tourism authorities. (Provided by Qi*Shu*Wang - Organized*Cloth*Provided*) If a tourist were to die, that would be utterly inhumane.

"Feng, do you want to come up to the tower?" Zhang Baisen waved to me. The two of them stood on the second floor of the tower, holding onto the railing and looking down, as if they were standing on the gunwale of a cruise ship at sea.

It was obvious that Xiao Keleng was unaware of Zhang Baisen's intentions. During the winter tourism slump, I had reason to believe that anyone appearing at Fukichi-ji Temple in Hokkaido had only two purposes: the underwater tomb and the wrath of the sun god.

I shook my head. If we really wanted to see what was going on, we should climb to the top of the pagoda and look down from there; perhaps we could discover something then. Just as I thought this, Master Xianyun and Guijianchuan exclaimed almost simultaneously, "Why don't we go up to the top of the pagoda and take a look—"

They spoke at the same time, and their actions happened simultaneously.

Gui Jianchuan darted past me, using the "Floating Water Crossing" lightness skill. His toes rapidly tapped the water's surface, making a series of "chirping" sounds. When he was still three meters away from the pagoda, he straightened up, leaping beyond the height of the third story. He placed his hand on the eaves, let out a shout, and soared up again. He repeated this relay-style ascent twice, finally landing gently on the top of the pagoda.

Master Xianyun had arrived long ago, but his ascent was thanks to Zhang Baisen's lightning-fast footwork. They were originally on the second floor, but they covered the remaining five flights of stairs in just three seconds, getting ahead of Guijianchuan to the top of the tower.

Their view must have been incredibly expansive by now, overlooking the vast, white ocean below. One wonders what they were thinking. Since the water had already reached the Moon Gate, the deepest part in the middle was definitely over two meters deep—a truly terrifying number. But the most terrifying part was yet to come—

Bingjian cried out again, twisting his body and pressing his hands tightly to his chest, his face showing an expression of unbearable pain. He was of a very low seniority, and Master Shenbi impatiently scolded him, "Hey, Bingjian, what are you doing? Get out of here!" As the abbot, Master Shenbi's temper was far too volatile; such a rude monk was truly rare.

Bingjian's pain was not feigned. He staggered forward a few steps and then plunged into the water with a splash, submerging up to his calves.

"My heart...my body is so hot...so hot..." He started taking off his clothes, and soon his upper body was naked.

"Hot...hot...hot..." he shouted, pounding his fists hard on his chest, making eerie "thump, thump" sounds.

The monks' gazes were immediately divided into two groups. One group stared curiously at Zhang Baisen, Master Xianyun, and Guijianchuan at the top of the tower, hoping they would make a discovery and find the secret of "divine water and heavenly fire." The other group all frowned as they watched Bingjian jumping around in the shallow water.

I just tried it; the water is very cold. Even in the sweltering heat of summer, it's impossible to use it as bathwater. But Bingjian's intention is to take off all his clothes and soak in the water to cool down and relieve his internal heat. No one stopped him; they watched it like a clown's boring performance, and many even showed disdain on their faces.

Just as Bingjian bent down to take off his white monk's trousers, a bright flame suddenly burst out above his head.

In that instant, I believe everyone's thoughts were the same as mine—stunned by the flames, and everyone forgot to warn him. Bingjian's back was bent, and his action of pulling down his pants stopped abruptly. He stared nervously at his reflection on the water. The flames reflected on the water's surface, like a water curtain painting at a New Year's Eve party, burning vividly and brilliantly, gradually enveloping his shoulders and above, exactly like when the Heavenly Dragon Monk set fire to the "Marrow Cleansing Hall" earlier.

"Ah—help—" Bing cried out, unable to hide his terror. In the instant he reacted, he lunged forward, splashing the smooth, mirror-like water to both sides with a "whoosh."

Water can extinguish fire; this is a physical principle known to everyone on Earth. Even in the Chinese Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, there is a clear indication that "water overcomes fire."

Seeing that Bingjian reacted so quickly, he should have been able to save himself before suffering severe burns. The water where he was standing was more than half a meter deep, enough to extinguish the fire. However, the flames were not extinguished but continued to burn in the water, completely unaffected by the immersion. The excruciating burning pain made Bingjian, like a frog with nowhere to run, paddle his limbs and swim to deeper water.

Master Shenbi murmured in grief and indignation, "Evil fire, evil fire... Where does this evil fire come from? Is Heaven trying to wipe out Fengge Temple?"

The soldier, writhing in flames like a strangely shaped tropical fish, swam forward until he crashed headfirst into the base of the pagoda. The flames had reached his waist. He groped his way into the first level of the pagoda, found the stairs leading upwards, and began his unsteady ascent.

This human tragedy caused many of the temple's servants to quietly turn away.

There was no way to stop Bingjian's death. When he emerged from the second floor of the pagoda, his whole body was engulfed in flames. He stumbled to the railing, stood silently for a moment, then slowly leaned forward and fell to the ground with a thud, splashing up a spray of tiny waves.

Nearly three hundred pairs of eyes watched as Bingjian suddenly set himself on fire, watching him slowly burn out two meters underwater, the flames turning from raging to faint, and then slowly extinguishing. A living human life ended just like that.

Master Shenbi and the three monks, Elephant, Lion and Tiger, chanted a compassionate sutra in a low voice. Such "natural disasters and heavenly fires" are beyond human control; all that can be done is to pray for the deceased.

A sudden, inexplicable fire, a vast expanse of water that appears and disappears without a trace—all seem to originate from this mysterious "Tower of the Dead." If such bizarre and sudden events continue to occur, the monks in the temple will surely be filled with unease and all sorts of rumors.

As rumors spread and become more widespread, the truth will forever remain unknown.

I took a step forward and stepped into the water, because I wanted to retrieve the skeleton of the soldier and see what was so strange about it.

"Don't act rashly!" Master Xianyun pointed from afar, and suddenly a huge wave, chest-high, rose on the water, blocking my way.

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but every word was delivered clearly into my ears: "There are some things I'll only say to you; no one else can hear them. The 'arrow piercing the heart' layout of Xunfu Garden is just a facade. The original builders were incredibly ingenious; they could never have created such a 'suicidal' layout. I don't understand your relationship with the builders, but I know that you possess an indescribable and immense power. Those ancient prophecies—you understand them, I understand them, many people understand them. Heaven's revelations are fair to all those with the right destiny; it's just that everyone's timing for enlightenment is different."

I looked up at the top of the tower, and his figure blended into Zhang Baisen's, making it impossible to see clearly.