As the blood-red hints gradually faded away, Su Xiao crouched in the waist-high wild grass while Bobowang lay on the ground. Behind them, Matou Sakura didn't need to crouch due to her short stature.
In this setup, Matou Zouken, who was emitting black smoke all over his body, stood out conspicuously. Su Xiao walked slowly towards him and kicked him down with one foot.
"Sakura, make him kneel."
Su Xiao looked at Matou Sakura. Among the team members, only Matou Sakura could control Matou Zouken.
"Kneel down?"
Matou Sakura tilted her head, and after a moment of hesitation, Matou Zouken, shrouded in black smoke, ultimately chose to kneel down.
Having reached the vicinity of Ryuudou Temple, Su Xiao had to be cautious. Even before finding the temple, he had sensed the malice emanating from it, especially after encountering the old priest. The feeling had become more prominent.
In the midst of the waist-high grass, Su Xiao lowered his body and looked towards Ryuudou Temple in the distance.
The temple was built on the top of a mountain, while Su Xiao was at the base. Due to the distance and the dim light, he could only vaguely see the temple's main gate.
Two square lanterns were hanging in front of the main gate. Typically, lanterns were white or red, but these two emitted a golden light, giving the temple a sense of sanctity.
Su Xiao had seen a detailed map of the temple. After entering through the main gate, a semi-enclosed courtyard resembled a traditional Chinese courtyard house. This was the Great Hall of Ryuudou Temple. Passing through the Great Hall and going deeper into the temple led to the Dharma Hall, which was like the centre of the temple. Continuing further led to the Main Hall, equivalent to the temple's backyard.
Ryuudou Temple could be divided into three areas: Great Hall → Dharma Hall → Main Hall.
Despite its seemingly modest size, the temple actually covered an area the size of a football field, with dozens of buildings of various sizes. The three mentioned areas were just the main ones; smaller sections were not open to the public.
It wouldn't have become a local landmark if the temple wasn't substantial.
Su Xiao's goal was to enter the temple. The question was whether to do so openly or stealthily. It depended on the content of the second stage of his Talent Awakening Task.
Just as Su Xiao was preparing to approach the mountain where Ryuudou Temple was located, a prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Prompt: The Hunter has entered the boundary of Ryuudou Temple. The first stage of the Talent Awakening Task has been completed.]
[The second stage of the Talent Awakening Task has been activated.]
[Talent Awakening Task (Second Stage): Soul Lamp]
Difficulty Level: Lv.21
Task Brief: Enter the deepest part of Ryuudou Temple, the Main Hall, and find the Soul Lamp inside.
Task Information: The Main Hall is located at the deepest part of Ryuudou Temple and is heavily guarded.
Task Deadline: 1 natural day
Task Reward: None
Task Penalty: Deduct one Talent Awakening opportunity; no more Talent Awakening tasks can be accepted in this world.
...
"Soul Lamp?"
Su Xiao wasn't sure what a Soul Lamp was. The task information didn't provide any visual aid, only text.
If it was about finding something, openly attacking the temple wouldn't be suitable. Sneaking in would be the way to go.
"Bobo, take the two of them and wait at the foot of the mountain. If enemies discover you, you can choose to sell one to save the other."
Bobowang made a light sound, conveying, "Master, understood. If there's danger, I'll sell Matou Zouken and Matou Sakura to protect her. I'll take her to you to form a Servant Contract."
"Alright, that's the plan."
Su Xiao removed the "Dragon-Slaying Flash" from his waist and stored it in his storage space. He adjusted his black windbreaker and, guided by the cover of darkness, moved toward Ryuudou Temple.
Navigating through the waist-high wild grass, Su Xiao's gaze occasionally turned towards the temple on the mountaintop. After a series of preparations, he had finally arrived here. But arriving wasn't the main point; he still needed to find a way to infiltrate the temple.
Swish~
A few pieces of grass were trampled, and a figure dashed out of the wild grass. Su Xiao had arrived at the mountain base where Ryuudou Temple was.
A staircase leading straight to the mountaintop appeared. It was designed for tourists to climb up to the temple. Usually, this would be no issue, but at this moment, Su Xiao wouldn't ascend this staircase.
Just as Su Xiao was about to detour around the staircase and use the cover of trees to climb the mountain from the side, a young monk in grey robes descended from the staircase.
The grey robe the young monk wore was somewhat tattered, with the most severe wear around the knee area. There were also traces of mud and grass stuck to it.
Su Xiao was about to step into the wild grass, but the young monk suddenly turned his head and looked at him.
Their eyes met. The young monk seemed to freeze momentarily, cold light flashing in his eyes. However, that cold light disappeared briefly, replaced by an expression of puzzlement, which then turned friendly.
"Traveler, it's dangerous in the wilderness at this hour. There are wild animals on this mountain that don't appear during the day but often come out to hunt at night."
The tone of the young monk was gentle, but what puzzled Su Xiao was the multitude of scars on his head.
While Su Xiao wasn't well-versed in identifying scars, there were at least a dozen scars near the young monk's forehead, densely packed. Not to mention the ones above his head. Roughly estimating, this 'monk' had dozens of scars on his head.
Moreover, these scars were crimson, faintly emitting light in the darkness. Although this 'monk' smiled mildly, Su Xiao felt that the smile could only be described as eerie.
"Traveler? Traveler?"
The young monk noticed that Su Xiao hadn't spoken and had descended the stairs.
"Seems like you're lost, traveller. Ryuudou Temple isn't open to the public at the moment. There's an internal ceremony taking place. I advise you to turn back. It will be open to the public in a few days."
As he spoke, the young monk had already descended the staircase. Normally, this wouldn't be alarming, but just a few seconds ago, the distance between the young monk and Su Xiao was at least several dozen meters.
"Ancestor of Ryuudou isn't here, right? He lives in Ryuudou Temple, doesn't he?"
Su Xiao spoke up. Upon hearing Su Xiao's question, the young monk nodded.
"It's true that Ancestor Ryuudou isn't here. He left Ryuudou Temple a month ago. Since you're Ancestor Ryuudou's friend, I'll escort you back to Fuyuki City."
At this point, the young monk had approached within ten meters of Su Xiao. However, Su Xiao was still getting closer.
"Thank you, but I know the way down the mountain. No need to trouble yourself."
Su Xiao turned around and was about to enter the wild grass. When he turned around, the corner of the young monk's mouth curled up.
Squelch.
A bone spur burst out from one of the scars on the young monk's head, with blood streaks visible on the bone spur.
"No, I must escort you to the Eternal Life Pool. The road back to Fuyuki City is too long. Let's go to the Eternal Life Pool."
Squelch, squelch, squelch...
Bone spurs continued to emerge from the scars on the young monk's head, and blood ran down his cheeks. This 'monk' was no monk at all. Even if he were a monster, he would turn and flee upon seeing his appearance. No, even monsters, when they saw this 'monk,' would likely be scared away.
