Рай — это берег праха смертных

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Shen Caihua readily replied, "Alright, where is the secret passage?"

The old kappa looked around and said, "Our old master left through this underground palace back then. We are restricted from entering the underground palace, this secret passage..."

The kappa brothers immediately began searching around, knocking and banging. The eldest stepped on a mechanism, and with a loud "click," the stone wall suddenly opened, revealing the secret chamber.

"There's...there's a secret room!" Dudu exclaimed excitedly.

Apart from an old-fashioned wooden cart, the secret room was empty, but everyone immediately noticed the round hole in the stone dome, which was pitch black inside.

“Master, this must be the secret passage,” the old kappa said with certainty.

Shen Caihua scanned the area, but there was no trace of "Feng Hou's" remains or "Ghost Pot." There was only a broken wooden cart... However, his nose still caught the fresh scent left by Mo Mo, which continued into the dark cave.

“That girl must have come through this secret passage,” the old kappa said.

"Nizi...I want to go up." Youliang jumped onto the guide carriage first, reaching out to climb up, but he couldn't reach it no matter what he did.

"Master, we'll scout ahead." The old kappa led his kappa brothers into the secret passage one by one, and reached out to pull the anxious Yu Liang inside.

Shen Caihua leaned against the compass chariot, deep in thought. Old Master Guo and the giant cat had stayed in the earth's navel for so many years to guard the "Ghost Pot"—could this secret chamber really be empty? Otherwise, there was only one possibility: Mo Mo had taken away the so-called "Ghost Pot"...

Dudu spread its wings and flew into the cave, calling out repeatedly, "Cai, Caihua, hurry up..."

Shen Caihua remained immersed in meditation...

At that moment, his pocket suddenly moved slightly, and a small head quietly peeked out from the opening. Taking advantage of Caihua's inattention, the spirit embryo quietly climbed out, jumped onto the compass chariot, and quickly picked up a handful of the "Feng Hou" remains, which had turned to dust. Then, it returned to the pocket without anyone noticing. All of this, however, was completely unnoticed by Shen Caihua, who was lost in thought.

"Here we are." Shen Caihua sighed one last time, then, carrying the suction tube, leaped into the secret passage and followed the kappa deeper into it...

(End of Part Two)

Thank you everyone for replying for so long!

Ruler only needs two days of rest—a little wine, some fresh meat—to replenish his energy before starting to write Part Three.

Chapter 131

Pujiu Temple is located on the Emei Plateau, six li east of the ancient city of Puzhou in Yongji, Hedong. The plateau is ten zhang high, surrounded by ravines on the north, south, and west sides, with only the northeast side being flat. Pujiu Temple was originally named Xiyongqing Temple. Its initial construction date is unknown. Legend has it that during the Five Dynasties period, the military governor of Hedong rebelled. Liu Zhiyuan of the Later Han Dynasty sent Guo Wei to quell the rebellion. Puzhou was besieged for over a year, causing great suffering to the people. Guo Wei summoned the monks of the temple to ask for advice. The monks said, "If the general shows compassion, the city will be captured!" Guo Wei immediately broke an arrow as a vow, and the next day the city was breached, saving all the people. From then on, the temple was renamed Pujiu Temple.

A Qing dynasty poet wrote in his poem "Remembering the Past at Pujiu Temple": Who now seeks the tranquil Xiyong Temple, where the broken arrow was pledged to the monks? The general commanded three thousand armored soldiers, while this old monk declared he could defeat ten thousand. Who dared to fabricate such frivolous words, deceiving this madman with mere fabrication? The temple cannot wash away the shame of the ascetic; the wrathful Vajra's anger remains unquenched.

Today, after a thousand years of vicissitudes, the temple halls and monks' quarters have all collapsed and disappeared, with only a 40-meter-high, thirteen-story brick stupa (Yingying Pagoda) still standing on the earthen mound.

Yingying Pagoda is a simple and elegant square brick pagoda with multiple eaves. It is known as one of the "Four Great Echo Buildings in China" for its unique echo effect, known as the "Pujiu Toad Sound". It is also considered one of the "Six Wonders of the World" along with the Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Baolun Temple Pagoda in Sanmenxia, Henan, and the Stone Qin of the Great Buddha Temple in Tongnan, Sichuan. It is also known as one of the "Six Wonders of the World" along with the Shaking Tower in Shan State, Myanmar, the Incense Tower in Marrakech, Morocco, the Music Tower in Solnok, Hungary, the Bell Tower in Paris, France, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy.

Yingying Pagoda, formerly known as the Hedong Puban Relic Pagoda, is the first pagoda in Central China recognized by the Buddhist community as containing the true relics of the Buddha. In ancient Sanskrit, relics are called "sarira," which translates to spiritual bones, body bones, or remains in Chinese. They are the crystallization of the merits of cultivating precepts, meditation, and wisdom, and are often preserved after the cremation of eminent monks. Relics come in countless shapes and colors, including single-color or multicolored ones such as white, black, green, and red. White relics are from bones, black relics from hair, red relics from muscle, while green or multicolored relics are from internal organs. After the Buddha Shakyamuni entered Nirvana, he produced one stone and six pecks of relics, which were distributed among eight kings of ancient India, each building a pagoda in their respective territories to enshrine them. During the Mauryan Dynasty in India, there was a king named Ashoka, who was once very tyrannical and frequently waged wars, but one day he suddenly attained enlightenment and began to wholeheartedly promote Buddhism. He opened seven of the eight stupas containing Buddha's relics, retrieving a total of 84,000 relics, and built stupas throughout the world. According to the *Bodhisattva's Womb Sutra*, when King Ashoka distributed the relics and built stupas, "the entire land of China received nineteen." The Buddhist text *Dharma Garden Pearl Forest* specifically lists the names and locations of the 19 stupas built by King Ashoka in the Central Plains to enshrine Buddha's relics, with the Hedong Puban Pagoda, also known as the Yingying Pagoda, being the fourth.

When tourists clap their hands together at the foot of Yingying Pagoda, they can hear a croaking sound coming from the pagoda, which is puzzling and is known in local chronicles as the "Croaking Toad Sound".

Zhang Junrui, a talented scholar from Luoyang, was on his way to the capital to take the imperial examination. On the way, he was caught in the rain and took shelter at Puji Temple. There, he met Cui Yingying, who was staying at the temple while escorting her father's coffin back to his hometown. The two fell in love at first sight, and a touching and tragic ancient love story unfolded.

The Tang Dynasty scholar Yuan Zhen adapted it into the legendary novel "The Story of Yingying". The Yuan Dynasty playwright Wang Shifu further adapted it into the zaju play "The Story of the Western Wing" based on Dong Jieyuan's "The Story of the Western Wing" from the Jin Dynasty. Thus, Puji Temple became famous throughout the world as the setting of the story.

As dusk fell that day, a light drizzle fell, and the fields and paths were shrouded in a misty haze. The farmers had already finished hoeing and gone home, and there were no tourists on the road.

Before the Yingying Ancient Pagoda, weeds grow wildly, and a rusty iron lock hangs on the dilapidated pagoda gate. The wind blows through the mottled door panels, making a heartbreaking "thump, thump..." sound. The ancient temple's chanting is no more, and the timeless love story that once unfolded beneath the Yingying Pagoda has long been lost in the drizzling rain of dusk.

Inside the narrow secret passage of the "Feng Hou Tomb," the navel of Guanzhong, Nizi followed the big black cat "Xiao Cui'er" as she laboriously climbed up the sloping stone path. It was pitch black all around, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Perhaps due to being sealed for thousands of years, the air was filled with a stuffy, decaying smell.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared ahead. Nizi's heart suddenly surged with excitement; the light meant they were almost at the ground. She crawled forward with all her might, finally reaching the end of the passage. The light shone through a narrow crack in a blue brick wall, which completely sealed off the secret passage. "Meow..." the big black cat let out a desperate wail.

It's over... Nizi suddenly deflated, her limbs went limp, and she lay between the cold, narrow cracks in the stone, not even having the strength to retreat back into the underground palace.

After a long while, Nizi squinted and peered through the crack. It turned out to be another stone chamber, with several pieces of yellow fluorite embedded in the walls, emitting a faint yellow light. It turned out that it was still underground...

No, Nizi can't die here. Nizi still needs to find her mother, and she still needs to seek revenge on that Grand Master Mengla Chaweng Kunba... She reached out and scratched at the brick wall with her fingernails, some brick fragments falling between her fingers. Due to its age, the blue bricks had become soft and brittle.

Nizi leaned against the stone wall, gathered her strength, and with a flick of her arm, unleashed the third move of the "Five Forms of Bodhidharma," "Severed Arm Standing in the Snow." With a muffled "thud," a large pile of debris fell from the blue brick wall. Feeling a glimmer of hope, Nizi swung her arm again and again, until finally, with a deafening "boom," a large hole was smashed through the brick wall…

"Meow..." The excited "Little Cui'er" jumped in first, and then Nizi also climbed in and stood in the stone chamber.

This is the underground palace of Yingying Tower, about the size of a room. On the west wall is a stone niche with three incense burners. On the ground are rotten cotton cushions. Several pieces of fluorite are inlaid on the surrounding walls, emitting a cold, yellowish light. Apart from these, there is nothing else.

There must be a secret exit, otherwise, where would the people who built the walls have left from? Thinking this, Nizi began knocking and searching everywhere. She searched all four walls but found no hollow sounds. Then she turned her gaze to the ceiling, and sure enough, there was a narrow, square crack in the top of the stone chamber—that must be the exit!

"Meow..." The big black cat "Xiao Cui'er" jumped onto the stone niche and beckoned Nizi over.

Nizi approached the stone niche and found a small rectangular stone box enshrined on it. The base was surrounded by auspicious cloud patterns in relief, and five relief Buddha statues were carved on the sides. The main Buddha in the back was either sitting cross-legged or in a chair, with different expressions. The main Buddha had a flame halo behind him, and the monks and bodhisattvas on both sides had halos above their backs. The patterns were exceptionally exquisite.

What's inside that stone box? Nizi wondered curiously.

Nizi reached out and picked up the small stone box, examining it carefully for a long time without finding a way to open it. Then she shook it near her ear and heard a slight rattling sound inside. What could be inside? Nizi couldn't guess. In the end, curiosity led her to decide to put the pretty little box away, so she stuffed it into her other pocket.

“Alright, ‘Little Cui’er,’ we have to go now,” Nizi said to the big black cat.

"Meow..." the big black cat called out affectionately.

With a flick of her left arm, Nizi's faint shadow shot upwards, and with a "crack," she lifted the square stone slab at the top of the secret chamber, revealing an opening. Although it was still pitch black inside, a faint light seemed to have appeared. This time, Nizi was wary. She grabbed "Little Cui'er" with one hand, put the other hand above her head, and then used "Crossing the River on a Reed" to leap diagonally into the opening.

This was a side room in the Yingying Tower, with a tall, square wooden window. Twilight streamed in through the lattice, and the damp, fresh air felt incredibly invigorating. After being underground for so many days, Nizi was finally able to see the light of day again. Unable to contain her excitement, she stepped forward and pushed the door. The wooden door to the side room was locked from the outside. Nizi took two steps back and then delivered another powerful "Severed Arm Standing in the Snow" strike, smashing the door open with a loud crash.

As dusk fell, a light rain fell, a cool breeze blew, and wormwood carpeted the ground before Yingying Pagoda, a scene of utter desolation. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the iron lock flew open, and a ragged girl, clutching a large black cat, burst through the door…

Emei Plain is surrounded by ravines on three sides. She walked down the gentle northeast slope with faltering steps. Looking around, she could only see high mountains rising on the eastern horizon in the twilight. That must be the Five Old Peaks, Nizi thought.

It was completely dark. Nizi's braids had long since come undone, her messy hair draped over her shoulders, and she was soaked to the bone, shivering from the cold. Yet, rain was still falling softly from the night sky. Barefoot, she clung tightly to "Little Cui'er," stumbling along the muddy country path, her feet sinking deep into the mud.

At this moment, Nizi was freezing and hungry, her clothes were tattered, and she was covered in mud and water, looking like a little beggar. Her body temperature was dropping rapidly. She staggered to a country dirt road and sat down in a mud puddle, unable to walk any further.

After some time, a farm tractor rumbled by, its headlights illuminating the girl standing by the roadside.

The tractor stopped, and the driver, an old man in his fifties, jumped off and came to Nizi.

"Meow..." The big black cat looked at the old man pitifully and whimpered.

"Hey, little girl, why are you sitting here all alone? Which village are you from? Where are your parents?" the old man asked, bending over.

Nizi was now in a daze, her eyes were unfocused, and her lips were trembling; she was completely unable to speak.

"Sigh...this child is about to freeze to death." The old man sighed, picked up the girl, put her in the driver's seat, and drove towards his village.

Chapter 132

As night deepened, the rain subsided slightly, a cool breeze blew gently, and the Yingying Pagoda was hidden in the darkness.

The Kappa family emerged from the tower gate, followed closely by Hakka Granny, Taoist Master Xufeng, Youliang, Xiong Dahai, and Shen Caihua.

"Great! Finally... I can soar freely!" Dudu excitedly flapped its wings and flew into the air, circling twice on the Yingying Tower.

"This is the Yingying Pagoda of Pujiu Temple, the place where Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying pledged their love. It's a pity the temple was destroyed a few years ago," Master Xufeng sighed.

The Hakka woman frowned and said thoughtfully, "It's hard to believe that a little girl could break through the wall. Youliang, do you know what kind of martial arts Nizi knows?"

“My sister doesn’t know any martial arts,” Youliang affirmed.

"That's strange. Could there be someone else with her in the secret passage?" the Hakka old woman said, puzzled.

“Senior Granny, in my humble opinion, there is no trace of anyone else in the secret passage,” said Master Xufeng.

The Hakka woman nodded, then turned and asked, "Caihua, can you still sense Momo now?"

Shen Caihua sniffed the night air and pointed northeast, replying, "She went that way."

"Then let's hurry and catch up," the Hakka woman said hastily.

At this moment, the old kappa stepped forward and respectfully said to Shen Caihua in his mind, "Master, we will take our leave now and return to our hometown."

"Where is your hometown?" Shen Cai asked telepathically.

"The Peach Blossom River by Dongting Lake," the old river boy replied.

"The journey to Dongting Lake in Hunan is long and arduous, especially considering your unusual appearances. I'm afraid you'll face many hardships along the way..." Master Xufeng said with great concern.

"No matter how far the journey, my desire to return home remains unwavering," the old kappa replied with unusual determination.

Shen Caihua nodded, and said reluctantly, "Take care on the road. Dudu and I will come to visit you when we have time."

The Hakka woman then added, "There are many people from the mainland, so you'd better hide during the day and travel at night, specifically going to remote and deserted places."

Shen Caihua silently watched the kappa gradually disappear into the darkness, feeling a pang of melancholy in his heart. He also longed for that carefree life in nature.

Shen Caihua led the way, with the others following closely behind. They shone their flashlights along the country path, and soon they came to the country gravel road. They suddenly stopped, and the dark atmosphere completely ceased there.

“I can’t smell Momo anymore…” Shen Caihua shook his head and said dejectedly.

“This should be Yongji County. Let’s stay in the county town first. Tomorrow morning, I can go to the county public security bureau and ask them to help us find Nizi,” Master Xufeng suggested.

After thinking for a moment, the Hakka woman said helplessly, "There is no other way now, this is the only option."

At dawn, the Hakka grandmothers and their group finally arrived in Yongji County, exhausted. They checked into a small inn and planned to try to find Nizi again after daybreak.

The ruler had too much to drink, which caused a typo! The paragraph upstairs has been rewritten!

The following is a direct quote from the author!

(This is the revised first paragraph of Chapter 132, replacing the original paragraph which was a mistake made while drunk. We apologize for any inconvenience. If any moderator sees this, please delete the update on page 564, post #56347. Thank you.)

Chapter 132

The secret passage was pitch black. The old kappa led the family in the front, with Ryo and Dudu in the middle, and Chen Caihua carrying the suction tube at the rear. The group crawled forward along the narrow stone path. After an unknown amount of time, the old kappa finally transmitted a thought: "Master, there is a secret room ahead."

As Shen Caihua crawled through the hole in the blue brick wall, the kappa were communicating and discussing with each other using their minds.

“Master, there is a stone niche and an incense burner in this secret room…” The old kappa, who was knowledgeable, pointed to the stone niche on the west wall and said in a mental voice.

Shen Cai leaned closer and carefully examined the incense burner using the faint yellow glow on the wall. The ash inside had solidified into a hard shell, indicating that it was quite old.

“This is a stone shrine, which should be used to enshrine a Buddha statue. The strange thing is, why is there no Buddha statue?” Youliang said with a puzzled look. He had lived in the temple for a long time and knew the rules.

Dudu flew onto the stone niche. In the dim light, the macaw's eyesight was far sharper than that of a human. "There's... a rectangular mark here, an imprint, it looks like something was recently... taken away," it exclaimed in surprise.

Shen Cai touched it with his hand. The small mark was clean inside, but there was a thick layer of dust around it. He nodded in surprise and said, "Could it be Mo Mo?"

"Nizi... let's hurry and catch up with Nizi!" Youliang urged anxiously, stamping his foot.

"That woman must have come from up here," the old kappa thought, pointing to the square opening above his head.

With one hand holding the suction cup and the other grabbing Youliang's belt, Shen Caihua darted into the hole in the roof with a "whoosh." Of course, he also secretly let out a small, muffled fart in his pocket.

When Shen Caihua and Youliang rushed out of the side room and the broken gate of Yingying Tower, it was already dark outside. Although the rain had stopped, a cool breeze was blowing, and all around was quiet except for the rustling of the grass in the wind.

Inside the side room, the old kappa covered the cave entrance with a thick stone slab again. It did not want the secret passage to be discovered and lead to the navel, because that was, after all, the mystery and mechanism that its old master had painstakingly set up.

Shen Caihua sniffed the air, then pointed northeast and said, "Mo Mo should have gone that way."

Behind him, the old kappa stepped forward and respectfully said to Shen Caihua in his mind, "Master, we'll take our leave now and return to our hometown."

"Where is your hometown?" Shen Cai asked telepathically.