Heartless Bell

Cheng Yi and Chen Mu walked out of the Library side by side, Cheng Yi doing his best to suppress the unease in his heart.

Soon, soon. Once we enter the Ancestral Master Hall, I'll be able to suppress this Malevolent Spirit.

"Master Cheng Yi, are you hungry? How about we have a vegetable pancake before we go? It won't take much time anyway," Chen Mu suddenly said.

Cheng Yi's heart skipped a beat. He quickly came back to himself and said, "All right, let's eat first."

The two turned and headed toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Daoist He was washing dishes absentmindedly.

Cheng Yi had instructed them earlier that morning. The Daoists of the temple had risen exceptionally early today.

After breakfast, Cheng Yi had sent all of them to practice martial arts in the square before the Ancestral Master Hall.

On one hand, it would stimulate their qi and blood to protect themselves; on the other, it would block the entrance and keep the Malevolent Spirit from escaping.

I wonder whether that Malevolent Spirit has already been suppressed, Daoist He thought. When he looked up, he saw a figure with a pale face and dark eye sockets.

Daoist He was so frightened his heart nearly stopped.

"We're here to eat!" Cheng Yi hurriedly spoke first.

Daoist He's hand trembled. He quickly prepared food for the two of them.

Chen Mu wolfed down his food, swallowing his two vegetable pancakes in a few bites and nearly pouring the bowl of Thin Porridge straight into his mouth.

After finishing, he stared without blinking at Cheng Yi's vegetable pancake.

"I'm not that hungry. You eat it." Cheng Yi's eyelid twitched.

"Sure!" Chen Mu happily took Cheng Yi's vegetable pancake and began chewing in huge bites.

Cheng Yi hastily finished his own Thin Porridge and sat beside him with feigned ease, though the corner of his eye remained fixed on Chen Mu.

Watching Chen Mu finish his vegetable pancake as well, Cheng Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This should do it. As long as I lead this fellow into the Ancestral Master—

"Could I have another bowl of porridge? It's stuck in my throat." Chen Mu looked miserable.

"Fine!" Cheng Yi resisted the urge to grit his teeth and waved at Daoist He.

With a sorrowful face, Daoist He served Chen Mu another bowl of porridge.

If we let this Malevolent Spirit eat and drink its fill, how are we supposed to fight it?!

But if we don't feed him, what if he goes berserk?

Daoist He bitterly served Chen Mu his porridge. Watching him drain it in one gulp and even let out a satisfied burp, Daoist He was so nervous his whole body itched.

"Young Master Chen, can we go now?" Cheng Yi asked, struggling to steady his uneven breathing.

"Let's go, let's go. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish." Fully satisfied, Chen Mu followed Cheng Yi to a towering Main Hall.

At that moment, seven or eight Daoists in short training clothes were practicing martial arts with great fervor in the small square before the hall.

Chen Mu stood at the edge of the square, watching the Daoists train with keen interest.

Cheng Yi was anxious inside, but he did not dare urge him too much, afraid the Malevolent Spirit would notice something was wrong.

Only after watching for a full quarter of an hour did Chen Mu finally enter the Ancestral Master Hall reluctantly.

Seeing Chen Mu enter the Ancestral Master Hall, Cheng Yi could not help letting out a long breath.

"No matter what kind of Malevolent Spirit you are, with the Heartless Bell suppressing you, death is certain!" Cheng Yi immediately regained his composure. Glancing at his junior brothers practicing with shouts of "hey" and "ha," he followed Chen Mu into the Ancestral Master Hall with a relaxed expression.

"Young Master Chen, please look. The scripture is right here." Smiling, Cheng Yi pointed at the eastern wall of the Ancestral Master Hall.

"Unaware of the inverted within the mystery, how could one know lotuses thrive in fire? Lead the White Tiger home to raise, and birth a bright pearl round as the moon..."

The entire wall was a single enormous slab of stone. A profound scripture had been carved upon it in bold, dancing strokes.

The calligraphy was elegant and majestic, the scripture profound and strange. Merely looking at it gave one the sense of an immortal's mystery and stirred longing within the heart.

"Fine calligraphy. I'll begin copying it now." Chen Mu found a table and laid out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Fine calligraphy? What would a Malevolent Spirit know about calligraphy? He still wanted to muddle through!

"I'll trouble you, Young Master Chen." Cheng Yi's smile deepened. His eyelids lowered, and a cold gleam flashed within them.

While Chen Mu was not paying attention, he quietly approached the Offering Table before the Ancestral Master Hall.

A Bronze Dharma Bell, mottled with traces of verdigris, rested upside down before the Incense Burner on the Offering Table.

Cheng Yi bowed reverently, then swiftly picked up the Copper Bell after straightening.

The bell was palm-length and fitted with a handle. The tip of the handle was sharp as a spearpoint.

Human-faced patterns were incised into its surface, while verdigris and rust adorned it, lending it an ancient, weighty air.

When he turned the Copper Bell over, he could see straight through it. There was no clapper inside.

Cheng Yi turned to look at Chen Mu, who was diligently copying the scripture against the wall, and sneered. "Putting on an act!"

Using the pointed tip of the handle, Cheng Yi viciously stabbed into his left palm. He then held his bleeding hand over the mouth of the Copper Bell.

An invisible suction force arose. The wound in his palm became like a faucet twisted open, fresh red blood rapidly flowing out and pouring into the Copper Bell.

After only five breaths, Cheng Yi's face had turned incomparably pale.

The blood floated in midair inside the Copper Bell, swirling and gathering into a crystalline bead of blood the size of a peanut.

"When the Heartless Bell rings, reveal your true form at once!" Cheng Yi glared at Chen Mu's back and viciously shook the Copper Bell.

The crystalline blood bead served as the clapper, smashing apart against the bell wall in a single strike.

Clang!

A distant bell chime abruptly rang out.

An invisible ripple rapidly spread outward from the Dharma Bell. It was then refracted and reflected by the walls of the Ancestral Master Hall, endlessly echoing and gathering throughout the hall without ever spreading outside.

Chen Mu, who had been copying the scripture attentively, shuddered all over and instantly froze in place.

Haha! Let me see what sort of thing you Malevolent Spirit really are!

Cheng Yi stared eagerly at Chen Mu.

"Urp..." A long, drawn-out burp came from Chen Mu's mouth.

Cheng Yi: "..."

How could it not work?

The Heartless Bell had clearly been activated.

Could its power be insufficient?

Gritting his teeth, Cheng Yi pierced his left hand again, poured in more blood, and violently shook the bell once more.

Clang!

The distant chime rang out again.

Chen Mu's body froze once more.

Cheng Yi clenched his left hand into a fist!

It worked!

"Daoist, keep ringing it. That bell sounds rather nice." Chen Mu, rigidly frozen in place, suddenly turned around and said.

Cheng Yi: "..."

"You don't feel any discomfort?" Cheng Yi asked cautiously.

Chen Mu frowned in thought. "My stomach just feels a little bloated."

Cheng Yi: "..."

"Keep shaking it. The bell goes well with the scripture." Chen Mu scratched his head and smiled.

"Heh..." Keep ringing it? You probably want me dead!

Holding the Copper Bell, Cheng Yi approached Chen Mu and leaned over to inspect the words he had copied.

The structure was balanced, and the handwriting was elegant. It was basically identical to the writing Chen Mu had shown the first time they met, except it was even more beautiful now, carrying an added touch of ethereal charm.

Could I have guessed wrong?

Did the Malevolent Spirit flee last night after being startled by the Heartless Bell?

The Heartless Bell was an inherited treasure of Qingfeng Temple. It was said to have come from the Ancient Chunyang Dao and specifically countered all manner of wandering ghosts and Malevolent Spirits.

This person showed no reaction whatsoever to the Heartless Bell. That meant his spirit and flesh were united as one—he was not possessed by a Malevolent Spirit at all.

At that thought, Cheng Yi felt dizzy and lightheaded.

The Heartless Bell was formidable at seizing souls and overcoming evil, but its consumption was equally formidable. It required a great quantity of human blood to activate.

He was a Burly Man who practiced martial arts year-round, his qi and blood abundant, yet after activating it only twice, he had been drained pale.

The key was that it had not even worked. It was like he had unleashed a barrage at empty air, only for absolutely nothing to happen!

The more he thought about it, the more heavy-headed and light-footed he felt.

No, no. I need to hurry and take some medicine.

After putting away the Heartless Bell, Cheng Yi left the Ancestral Master Hall in a sorry state. He was afraid he would faint here.

Watching Cheng Yi hurry away, Chen Mu could not help curling his lip.

I only asked you to shake the bell a couple of times. Why are you running?

That bell really did sound pleasant, though.

He raised his head and looked at the translucent gray wall before him.

Writing: 135/10000/Second Tier;

Why had it popped up on its own like a notification?

Hmm, his experience had gone up again.

Whatever. He should hurry and copy the scripture.