Mona Lisas blutiges Auge

Kapitel 17

I was about to explain that I was naturally excited to suddenly see so many experts when I realized that everyone's eyes were focused on us. "Master Yin Chen." A tall, middle-aged man walked over, followed by a man and a woman, both in their twenties.

"Master Cangyi, how have you been lately?" the master greeted him with a smile. Cangyi was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Master, you're still the same. Of course I'm doing very well. It's just that I spent the whole day setting up the magic array and gathering qi. This old body of mine is really not up to the task, haha."

"Is the Taoist priest mocking the wrinkles on my face?" Master Yinchen said with a smile. "The Taoist priest's face clearly looks like that of someone in their thirties or forties. If it weren't said, who would know that the Taoist priest is already over eighty years old?"

"Huh?" I exclaimed in surprise. Filtering out the bizarre scene of the old monk and the Taoist priest discussing age and skin the moment they met, I had to admit that the Taoist priest Cangyi across from me looked incredibly young. "The Heavenly Child Granny?"

Upon hearing this, the two young men behind Daoist Cangyi chuckled, but Daoist Cangyi calmly turned to look at Gu Ming and asked, "And who is this?"

"Cang Yidao, Chang'an, greetings. Gu Ming, the twenty-ninth generation successor of the Gu family." Gu Ming spoke calmly, but the group opposite him gasped in unison as if a pot had been boiled over, all looking at him with surprise and admiration. I thought to myself, is this charlatan really that amazing? Why do these people all look like ignorant young girls seeing their idols? It's really annoying.

Master Cangyi was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and asked, "How is Mr. Gu?"

"Uncle is fine, thank you for your concern, Daoist Master." Gu Ming smiled, his calm demeanor just like the charlatan he usually was.

"Yes, good, good. I met Mr. Gu by chance thirty years ago, and I have always thought of him." Daoist Cangyi said with a smile, then turned to look at me behind Gu Ming, "And this is?"

I smiled apologetically and straightened up. Before I could even introduce myself, Daoist Cangyi stared at me with wide eyes as if he'd seen a ghost, pointing at me, "You...you...could it be...really, you...could it be..."

I frowned as I watched him, who seemed to have facial atrophy and was speaking unclearly. "Hello, my name is Lin Xiaomo."

The Taoist priest suddenly stopped looking, took a deep breath, and glanced at Master Yin Chen and Gu Ming. Master Yin Chen nodded and smiled slightly. The Taoist priest's eyes immediately lit up a hundredfold. He then stepped forward, looked at me as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, he knelt down with a thud and said loudly, "I am Cang Yi from Bailu Mountain. I am honored to meet you in this life. Please accept my bow!"

As he spoke, he placed his hands on the ground and kowtowed deeply. I was so frightened that I grabbed Gu Ming and jumped in front of him. Gu Ming put his arm around me and patted my head comfortingly. After kowtowing, Daoist Cangyi respectfully stood up and then instructed the young man and woman behind him, "Go and pay your respects to the master quickly."

The young man and woman stared at my forehead, then suddenly seemed to realize something and stepped forward, kneeling down in unison. "Cang Yue and Cang Yu, the forty-first generation disciples of White Deer Mountain, pay their respects to Master." They kowtowed heavily, the sound so powerful it took me a while to recover. I shrank back towards Gu Ming. Just as I was about to ask Gu Ming if they had mistaken me for someone else, I noticed the dozens of people opposite me also approaching, their eyes filled with worship and gratitude. They all knelt down, naming their respective sects, and kowtowed to me. I was almost in tears; this was more terrifying than seeing a ghost! Trembling, I grabbed Gu Ming, "They...what's wrong with them? They've mistaken me for someone else! Tell them they've mistaken me for someone else..."

Gu Ming sighed and shook his head, "You deserve this bow."

When I heard that, my mind went blank. What was going on? I suddenly felt like I was surrounded by a group of patients who had escaped from a mental hospital. It was more bizarre than the most outlandish plot in a TV series.

"I'm leaving." I grabbed Gu Ming and tried to run away. I'm done playing. I need to get to the police right away. It's so dangerous for such a large group of patients to be left unattended...

"Want to leave? I haven't agreed yet." A voice suddenly broke the brief silence. My hand trembled, and I turned around abruptly to see a face I knew all too well. This was the person who had been with me through junior high, high school, and university. I was overjoyed and, ignoring the group of lunatics behind me, I ran across the street, shouting, "Bi Xiaofeng, where the hell have you been?"

My foot lifted but was pulled back by a force. Turning my head, I saw Gu Ming holding my hand with a complicated look in his eyes. He said, "Xiao Mo, don't go over there."

"Xiao Bi, it's Xiao Bi! It's Xiao Bi!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't go over there." Gu Ming held my hand tightly. "We can't go over there."

I was taken aback. Seeing Gu Ming's serious expression, I realized that everyone else was also on guard. Everyone gripped their magical artifacts tightly and glared at the other side, as if there were some ghosts or monsters on the other side.

"Hahahahahaha..." A series of sharp laughs rang out, like ghosts in the cold night. I turned around and saw Xiao Bi laughing wildly in the darkness, his hair billowing in the wind, his arms outstretched, and I felt a sudden sense of unfamiliarity.

“Xiao Bi?” I stared at her blankly.

Her eyes suddenly gleamed, and she laughed eerily, "Little Bi? Bi Xiaofeng? Hahahahahaha..."

"Xiao Bi... what's wrong?"

"Hahahaha, Lin Xiaomo, don't you understand? You idiot, go to hell with your bullshit Bi Xiaofeng, I am Fu Yi, the Fu Yi who rebuilt his body, hahahaha..."

"Husband...Husband Yi?" My heart sank suddenly, filled with mixed pain. "Xiao Bi, stop joking. Come here, let's go back to school."

Xiao Bi stared at me and smiled, a smile so unfamiliar it sent shivers down my spine. She raised her hand, and suddenly the lake surface made a splashing sound, as if something was churning in the water. Gu Ming gripped my hand tighter. I turned my head and saw countless heads emerging from the lake, more and more, growing colder and colder. Xiao Bi laughed maniacally, screaming, "I'll make you all suffer a terrible death, hahahahaha..."

No, I must be dreaming. How could Xiao Bi let me die? How could that incredibly brave female bandit let me die?

Shaking my head, I backed away step by step. Gu Ming grabbed my hand and placed me behind him. The lake surface made a splashing sound, and the owners of those heads slowly emerged from the lake. They were groups of living dead people exuding a cold aura, each with a blank stare, occupying the entire lake surface.

Suddenly, Daoist Cangyi shouted and leaped out of the crowd, brandishing a long sword and pointing it directly at Xiao Bi's face, "Demon, take this!"

A streak of red light shot from the sword tip, darting towards Xiao Bi like a small snake. I covered my mouth, watching as Xiao Bi was about to be injured by the red light. Suddenly, with a loud bang, two dark figures appeared from the sky like ghosts. A long whip cracked, emitting a white whistling sound, forcefully blocking the red light emanating from the Taoist priest's sword. After the loud noise subsided, the two dark figures stood directly in front of Xiao Bi, their eyes coldly fixed on Taoist priest Cang Yi and the people behind him. My body trembled, I bit my lip, and stared blankly at the two dark figures, unable to stand any longer. Gu Ming reached out his other hand to support my waist. My heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and I murmured, "Why? Why? Why is it you? I beg you, tell me why?"

The two people opposite me looked at me coldly, while Xiao Bi laughed arrogantly behind them, "Deng Fei, Jia Yanyu, you're here too, hahahahaha."

It was truly laughable. I looked at the three people opposite me, all dressed in black. Their faces were all too familiar, yet their eyes held a strangeness that made me tremble. One was Xiao Bi, whom I trusted most; another was Deng Fei, who treated me like an older brother; and the third was Jia Yanchang, who had greeted me with a beaming smile and loudly called me "beauty" in college. All I knew was that Xiao Bi had suddenly disappeared, Deng Fei had disappeared while searching for her, and Jia Yanchang had died a month ago. I had watched him turn to ashes with my own eyes. Yet these three people had appeared before me at this moment, in this way, and in these identities. I really wanted to knock myself unconscious, or suddenly wake up and find that this was all a dream.

Gu Ming patted me gently, as if to comfort me. Master Cangyi was already locked in a fierce battle with Xiao Bi, while his disciples Cang Yue and Cang Yu were also fighting Deng Fei and Jia Yan. But in just a few seconds, Master Cangyi and his two disciples were sent flying by a single palm strike from Xiao Bi and the others, coughing up a mouthful of black blood, their chests filled with a thick, piercing aura. Seeing this, the crowd rushed out to fight the three. In an instant, countless streams of air swirled around the lake, and various colored lights flashed and intertwined. Some people unleashed magical artifacts; longswords, lanterns, and other implements emitted several streams of righteous energy that swirled above the crowd. Xiao Bi and Deng Fei, however, coldly snorted. It was unclear when they attacked, but a flash of white light appeared, magical artifacts fell to the ground, and everyone collapsed, unable to stand. Yin energy appeared on their faces, and blood gradually covered their bodies.

I stared blankly, then suddenly realized that only Master Yin Chen and Gu Ming were still standing there quietly. Xiao Bi's eyes flashed, and he raised one corner of his mouth and smiled, "Old monk, if you don't want to die, get out of here."

"Amitabha, put down the butcher's knife and turn back to the shore." Master Yinchen said with a smile to Xiao Bi and the other two. I was stunned. Even in this situation, I was shocked by the old monk's words. I thought to myself, what time is it and he is still saying such nonsense? If they could put down the butcher's knife, they would have done so long ago. Why do you need to say it?

"Hmph!" Jia Yanyu snorted coldly, and only then did I see clearly that he was holding a short knife in his hand, which was faintly glowing with a bluish light and looked extremely cold.

"Sigh! I've already advised you, but you wouldn't listen, and there's nothing I can do about it." Master Yinchen, even more talkative than Tang Sanzang, said from the side, "Such good children. If only they could cultivate with me, that would be wonderful. The food in our temple is delicious. Let's bring more people, and we can all exchange cooking skills. It's more fun than fighting..."

Gu Ming shook his head helplessly and said in a low voice, "Just because of those words, those three can't lay down their butcher knives."

As they were talking, the bell rang; it was already one in the morning. Xiao Bi and the other two paused upon hearing the bell, then burst into laughter. Suddenly, the living dead in the lake began to peel away their skin and flesh from their heads downwards, leaving only bones that fell into the water along with the pieces of flesh. Wisps of wailing aura surrounded each of the living dead. In the blink of an eye, all the flesh vanished, and countless eerie green ghosts floated densely on the lake's surface. A gust of wind blew, and I felt my body almost freeze.

"The time has come. I'm going to rebuild my body, hahaha." Xiao Bi laughed loudly. I suddenly remembered what Gu Ming had said about ten thousand ghosts gathering evil spirits. My heart sank. I couldn't help but think that it was over. It really was over. I really had encountered the end of the world.

"Light the lamp!" Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from the side. Master Yinchen conjured an old, worn lamp from his hand, from which a deep Buddhist scripture flowed. The lamp slowly rose into the sky and lit up naturally. The flame was actually seven-colored, emitting infinite light layer upon layer. The three people on the other side suddenly cried out, their faces contorted as if they were terrified of the light. Xiao Bi shouted, "You two go and block it. The time has come. I'm going to activate the magic array."

Deng Fei and Jia Yanyu lunged forward, one wielding a short knife that transformed into a black, skull-shaped monster, while the other lashed out with a long whip that emitted a tremendous howling sound, both thrusting at Master Yinchen simultaneously. The master stood motionless, merely chanting Buddhist scriptures, and the seven-colored ancient lamp instantly transformed into a large, seven-colored net, blocking their attacks. Where they collided, white smoke hissed, and the clanging sounds seemed to indicate that hundreds of people were fighting. In a short moment, Jia Yanyu's short knife snapped in two, and Deng Fei's long whip was also shattered into several pieces. My heart pounded, worried that both of them might be harmed, and also worried that the master might be injured. I could only clench and unclench my fists repeatedly.

At this moment, Deng Fei and Jia Yanyu suddenly looked at each other, changed their hand gestures, and a series of unknown notes came from their mouths. Then, a scene that left me speechless appeared. I saw Deng Fei and Jia Yanyu's figures begin to sway, as if there were superimposed images. Then, the two of them suddenly moved and collided with each other, turning into one person, no, one... one disgusting monster.

"Food Soul?" Gu Ming suddenly said, "No, it's only a part of the Food Soul."

"What? What is that?" I asked Gu Ming as I watched the monster open its mouth and exhale strange wisps of breath.

"Those two were actually part of the Soul Eater. Presumably, when the two high monks injured Nafuyi back then, they also injured the Soul Eater. Those two must have been transformed from the essence of the Soul Eater left behind back then. No wonder there has been no news of the Soul Eater for thousands of years."

When I heard this, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. My three best friends, one of whom is some kind of Fu Yi, and the other two have become part of the Soul Eater. It's too absurd.

As we stared blankly at the monster charging towards us, the seven-colored lamp seemed to be affected by the monster's intense screech, becoming extremely unstable. The monster began to violently crash into the net formed by the lamp, one crash after another, and the net seemed to begin to break. Master Yinchen's chanting of Buddhist scriptures began to accelerate, but with another impact, the seven-colored net suddenly exploded, transforming back into the ancient lamp with a bang. In the blink of an eye, the lamp shattered into countless fragments that fell to the ground. I cried out and saw Master Yinchen stagger back a few steps before finally collapsing, clutching his chest, and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Gu Ming, hurry, hurry and help Master Yin Chen!" I shouted in a panic as the monster continued to rush towards Master Yin Chen, but Gu Ming did not move and just stared at the lake in a daze.

"What's wrong with you? Hurry up, Master is in danger!" I shook Gu Ming's arm vigorously, and then, seeing that the monster was about to bite Yin Chen, I blurted out, "Deng Fei, Jia Yanchang, stop right there!"

The monster suddenly paused, then opened its mouth again and exhaled a breath of screech at Master Yin Chen. The breath transformed into an arrow that pierced the master's heart. The master smiled slightly, sat cross-legged, and was no longer breathing. I covered my mouth, and tears streamed down my face. But in the same second, the master's body disappeared. I only saw a seven-colored pearl appear out of thin air, and then it flew away in the blink of an eye. The arrow formed from the screech of screech naturally missed its target.

"Gu...Gu Ming?"

“Master Yinchen has passed away,” Gu Ming said calmly.

"Dead...dead? Really dead?"

"No, he ascended to heaven. The master had already calculated the time of his death and specifically instructed me not to interfere. He was going to become a god in heaven and, incidentally, check if the kitchen in heaven was still usable."

"Huh?" I watched the flying, multicolored bead gradually disappear, and Gu Ming's words stopped my tears. Finally, I realized something—in this vast place, only Gu Ming and I were left standing. What...

Suddenly, turning his head, he saw that the monster split into two people with a bang, and it was Deng Fei and Jia Yanji again.

"Gu Ming, what are you doing here? Are you just going to stand here like an idiot?"

"I'm waiting."

"Wait to die?"

"Almost, life and death hang in the balance."

"Nonsense!" I pulled him hard. Deng Fei and Jia Yanji were already looking this way. If you only looked at their eyes, they were definitely not two friends I knew. Just as I was about to ask Gu Ming if we should just stand here and wait to die, we suddenly heard a sharp shriek. Deng Fei and Jia Yanji turned their heads, not even looking at Gu Ming and me, and hurriedly flew towards the lake.

“Time’s up.” Gu Ming frowned, conjured two talismans from his hand, stuffed one into my hand, and lit the other and slapped it on my head. “Remember, if we fail, you have to burn the remaining one and swallow it.”

After saying that, he took out a purple stone the size of a copper coin from his pocket and hung it around my neck. "Don't take it off."

I suddenly felt a familiar sensation emanating from the stone. I was about to speak when I saw Gu Ming's resolute gaze. Before I could ask, a strong wind rose over the lake, and thousands of ghosts began to struggle and fly towards the center of the lake. Above the center of the lake, Xiao Bi was floating. In the pitch-black night, Xiao Bi's blood-red lips curled into an eerie smile. Deng Fei and Jia Yanyu were emanating a chilling aura that reached towards Xiao Bi. Suddenly, Xiao Bi opened her mouth, and the ghosts on the lake screamed as they were sucked into her body. I suddenly felt like vomiting.

"Fu Yi, you pervert!" Gu Ming shouted, jumping up with words that were completely at odds with his serious expression. I only saw a black shadow flash by and fly towards the center of the lake.

"Fly...fly over there..." I opened my mouth and uttered these words. Gu Ming...he...can fly...

Standing by the lake, I saw Gu Ming's black dot suddenly emit a dazzling golden light. Xiao Bi shouted, and all the ghosts on the lake surface accelerated towards the center of the lake, instantly forming a huge eerie green sphere. Gu Ming's golden light was no longer extinguished. I stared blankly as the green sphere grew larger and larger, and fear crept into my heart.

Failure? If I fail, I'll burn the remaining talismans and swallow them. Watching the last wisp of golden light vanish without a trace, my heart suddenly feels empty, and my whole body feels cold. Is this what failure is? Where is Gu Ming? Is he gone? What should I do?

With trembling hands, he took out the talisman and burned it. Yes, burned it, burned it…

After a long while, I was still staring at the talisman because I suddenly realized that I didn't have a lighter at all...

"Ah ...

April 8, 2005, Sunny

Headache!

I woke up at noon, the sun was shining brightly, it wasn't the end of the world.

With no one around, Gu Ming, Xiao Bi, Deng Fei, and Jia Yanji all seemed like a dream. When the dream ended, they naturally disappeared.

My head is throbbing badly, and it feels like something is burning on my forehead. I think I've caught a cold.

Close your eyes and sleep a little longer...

April 9, 2005, a warm day

I heard people arguing in my sleep, it's so annoying!

With a dissatisfied grumble, I turned over, wanting to go back to sleep, but felt soreness in my arms and neck, probably from being pressed down while sleeping. With a slight movement, the arguing stopped, and a cold sensation ran down my face. Someone said, "Idiot, are you awake?"

Rubbing my sore eyes, a magnified smiling face appeared above me—it was Xia Canyue, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, dressed in a flamboyant red dress. I was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered what had happened and hurriedly asked.

Xia Canyue brought me a bowl of millet porridge, sat down on the edge of the bed and handed it to me, saying, "Everyone is fine, don't worry."

I sighed, ate a spoonful of hot porridge, and looked up at her again. I felt that something was different about her, something was off.

Xia Canyue seemed to notice my gaze, smiled, stood up, and spun around. "Did you notice anything different about me?"

I looked her up and down, and when my gaze fell on her feet, I exclaimed, "My God! Xia Canyue, you can walk!"

Xia Canyue rolled her eyes and looked at me with disdain. "What are you talking about? It's like I used to be disabled."

"No, I mean you're leaving."

"What's the difference between this sentence and what you just said?"

"No, I mean you've stopped floating, you're walking on your feet now."

"That's more like it." Xia Canyue smiled with satisfaction, spun around again, and then jumped up and down. "How about it? My new body is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" A new body? I vaguely felt that my thoughts had touched on something.

"I managed to snatch the body that Fu Yi had rebuilt, and it's really not bad." Xia Canyue said, moving her shoulders and arms. "Healthy, smooth skin, well-proportioned figure, it's practically made for me, and I can change it into whatever I want."

My mind went blank. Fu Yi's body was the body that Xiao Bi was going to rebuild, so why has it become Xia Canyue's body now? What exactly happened that night? Where is Gu Ming? Where are the others?

"Hey! Xiao Mo, what's with that expression?" Xia Canyue sat down and looked at me with a laugh.