Exploration

As the melody ended, the Puppet under the old man's hands gave a graceful bow, marking the conclusion of the puppet show. It was a visual feast; even without understanding the script or the story being told, the beauty of the performance was universal.

"Truly breathtaking. Even the celestial goddesses of heaven could hardly compare. You've certainly earned your reputation after a lifetime of practice!" Lu Li applauded in praise. The old man had performed puppet shows his entire life, and anyone who could dedicate themselves to a single craft for a lifetime was worthy of respect. Perhaps it was precisely this lifelong dedication and passion that made this puppet show so incredibly captivating.

"You are too kind, young master." Though the old man spoke with humility, his eyes brimmed with intense confidence—the pride of a master who had perfected his craft over a lifetime. How could he not be proud? Yet, a moment later, he offered a bitter smile, shook his head, and fell silent, retreating back to the fireside as if sinking into his memories.

Seeing that the old man was in no mood to talk, Lu Li shook his head and began to carefully examine the dilapidated temple once more. In the Dream of Delusion, the Puppet had said that everything within it held meaning. However, Lu Li had not seen this temple in the Dream of Delusion, which suggested this physical temple might be meaningless—yet the Headless Buddha statue inside had transformed into a terrifying monster within that realm.

The death of the Headless Buddha had actually reflected back into reality. In the Dream of Delusion, the Puppet's body had developed cracks, but when Lu Li observed the puppet in the old man's hands just now, he found no such cracks. This was different from the case of the Headless Buddha.

If the Headless Buddha wasn't the issue, then the temple itself must be. Coupled with the fact that the Corpse Ghosts had surrounded the temple, it only made the place seem more suspicious. Thus, Lu Li began a meticulous exploration of the ruins.

The entire temple was small; at a glance, there was nothing to see besides the Headless Buddha statue. Seeing the old man still lost in his memories, Lu Li approached the altar. He looked at the cracked body of the Headless Buddha, climbed onto the altar, and gave the statue a push. Despite the cracks, the structure was sturdy and showed no signs of immediate collapse. He moved behind the statue and discovered some damage, as if something had been used to smash a hole into it.

Looking at this hole, a thought struck Lu Li. He stepped into the depression, braced his feet, and leaned his back against the wall. Before him lay the jagged, chiseled neck of the Buddha. Lu Li could almost visualize the scene: the thief hiding behind the statue, using a chisel and a small hammer to slowly chip away at the neck until it was ruined, then snapping it back to claim the Buddha's head.

Although he had found traces of the thief, it did nothing to further his goal. He needed to find what made this temple special. Scanning the temple again, he focused his attention back on the altar—or rather, inside it.

Dropping all restraint, Lu Li pushed the Buddha statue to the side with all his might. It was already riddled with cracks, and stone fragments began to fall away. The noise startled the old man, who looked at Lu Li with surprise but remained silent.

Lu Li pushed harder, and the statue toppled over, leaving only the base. The falling stones kicked up clouds of dust, but Lu Li ignored them, continuing to clear the debris from the base. It was fortunate that the statue was already fractured rather than a single solid piece, or the task would have been far more difficult.

Before long, Lu Li finally cleared the statue from the altar. He jumped down, wiped the dust from the spot where the statue had stood, and found nothing. He reached out and tapped the surface. Thump, thump. A smile appeared on Lu Li's face—it was hollow!

After tapping repeatedly to determine the boundaries of the hollow space, he pried away a layer of mud-like material that matched the color of the altar. Once opened, he found a small box of unknown material inside, with a letter attached to the lid.

He took the letter and opened it to find it filled with scrawled, archaic script. Suddenly, a new notification appeared in the corner of his vision:

[Obtained key item for Side Quest: Source of Corpse Ghosts. Translating...]

[To those who follow: Whether you are a monk of this temple or a thieving rogue, heed my words. The object within this box is the source of all evil, an ominous thing. I wished to destroy it, yet feared the loss of ancient wisdom, and greed took root in my heart. Thus, I built this temple and set the Buddha statue to suppress it. If a successor finds this, and your heart is kind, please destroy it. If your heart is evil, keep it safe. Signed, The Nameless Sinner!]

[Side Quest: Source of Corpse Ghosts obtained.]

[Quest Description: Someone once obtained a treasure. Fearing its danger yet greedy for its power, they suppressed it beneath a Buddha statue. But the Buddha's head was stolen, and subsequent accidents caused the situation to change...]

[Quest Objective: Find that treasure; it is the cause of the Corpse Ghosts' formation.]

[Quest Hint: You don't still think the treasure is inside the box, do you? That thing resides within the Dream of Delusion.]

[Quest Reward: Upon obtaining the treasure, you will receive 500 Game Points, provided you can actually acquire it.]

Lu Li put down the letter and opened the box. Sure enough, it was empty. The so-called treasure had once been stored here, but it was no longer present; it existed within the temple inside the Dream of Delusion. Recalling the Puppet's actions and the information revealed in the letter, Lu Li seemed to understand something. He turned back to look at the bewildered old man and flashed a grin.

"Young master... have you discovered something?" the old man asked cautiously.

"Nothing at all. It's just an empty box." Lu Li smiled. Just then, they heard a commotion outside, accompanied by the terrifying roars of Corpse Ghosts. Lu Li thought for a moment, picked up the empty box, walked to the temple entrance, cracked the door open, and hurled the box far away. He shouted, "The thing isn't here! You can leave now!!!"

There was a stir outside, followed by angry bellows. Lu Li returned to the fire, pulled out a piece of firewood, and tossed it out the door as well. The commotion slowly died down. Lu Li and the old man waited for a while, and seeing that the noise had ceased, they quietly opened the door to check. The Corpse Ghosts had all vanished. Although Lu Li could still feel something watching him from the darkness and the malicious gazes had not entirely faded, the immediate threat had at least disappeared.

The old man let out a sigh of relief, clutched his puppet tighter, and sat back down by the fire, once again lost in his memories. Lu Li checked their supply of firewood and realized they were running low...