Exploration

When the music ended, the Puppet in the Old Man's hands gave a graceful bow, bringing the puppet show to a close. It had been a feast for the eyes. Lu Li didn't understand the lyrics or the story being told, but beauty was universal.

"It's breathtakingly beautiful. Even a goddess from the heavens couldn't compare. You truly live up to a lifetime spent performing!" Lu Li applauded. The Old Man had performed puppet shows his entire life. Anyone who devoted their life to a single pursuit deserved respect. Perhaps it was precisely that lifelong perseverance and love for his craft that made the show so captivating.

"Thank you for the praise, young master." Though the Old Man spoke humbly, his eyes shone with confidence in his craft. He had spent his whole life mastering one thing; how could he not feel proud? But then he gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and fell silent. Returning to the fire, he seemed to sink into his memories.

Seeing that the Old Man wasn't in the mood to talk, Lu Li could only shake his head and inspect the ruined temple again. In the Dream of Delusion, the Puppet had said that everything there had meaning. Yet Lu Li hadn't seen the ruined temple in the Dream of Delusion, which suggested that the temple itself was meaningless. But the Headless Buddha statue inside it had transformed into a terrifying monster.

After the Headless Buddha died, the effects had even carried over into reality. In the Dream of Delusion, cracks had appeared in the Puppet's body, but when Lu Li had just examined the Puppet in the Old Man's hands, he'd found no cracks. This was different from what had happened with the Headless Buddha.

If the Headless Buddha wasn't the problem, then something was wrong with this temple. The Corpse Ghosts had even surrounded it, making the temple seem all the more suspicious. So Lu Li began searching it thoroughly.

The ruined temple wasn't large. Aside from the Headless Buddha statue, there was nothing else in sight. Seeing that the Old Man was still lost in his memories, Lu Li went over to the altar and examined the statue's cracked body. He climbed onto the altar and pushed it. Though it was covered in cracks, its structure was still sturdy enough that it wouldn't collapse right away. Lu Li went around behind it and found some damage there, as if something had struck it and left a dent.

Looking at the dent, Lu Li had an idea. He planted a foot in it and pushed hard, bracing his back against the wall behind him. Now the statue's battered neck was right in front of him. Lu Li could even picture the scene: the thief had hidden behind the statue and chipped away at its neck with a chisel and a small hammer, bit by bit. Then he'd bent it backward and taken the Buddha Head in his hands.

Though he'd found traces of the thief who'd stolen the Buddha Head, they didn't help with Lu Li's goal. He needed to discover what made the temple special. After looking around again, he turned his attention back to the altar—or rather, what lay beneath it.

With the restriction gone, Lu Li shoved the statue to one side. It was already full of cracks, and stones fell away as soon as he pushed it. The noise caught the attention of the Old Man, who had been lost in his memories. He watched Lu Li's actions with some surprise but said nothing.

Lu Li pushed again, and the statue tipped to one side, leaving only a little of its base behind. Falling stones sent up clouds of dust, but Lu Li paid them no mind. He continued clearing stones from the base. Fortunately, the statue was cracked into pieces instead of being one solid block. Otherwise, this wouldn't have been easy.

Before long, Lu Li had cleared the statue from the altar. He jumped down and wiped away the dust where it had stood, but found nothing. Then he knocked on the surface with his hand. Knock, knock. A smile appeared on Lu Li's face. It was hollow!

After knocking several more times, Lu Li determined the hollow section's boundaries. He picked away a layer of mud-like material around the edges, the same color as the altar, and opened the compartment. Inside was a small box made of some unknown material, with a letter resting on top.

Lu Li took the letter and opened it. It was filled with hastily written archaic characters. Then he noticed a new prompt appear in the corner of his eye:

[Obtained the key item for the side quest, Source of Corpse Ghosts. Translating...]

[To whoever finds this: Whether you are a monk from the temple or a thief come to steal, please heed my words. The thing inside this box is the source of all evil, an ill-omened object. I wished to destroy it, but feared the wisdom of our forebears would be lost. Greed also took root in my heart. So I built this temple and placed a Buddha statue here to suppress it. If you find this, and your heart is good, please destroy it. If your heart is wicked, please keep it safe. Signed, a sinner who leaves no name!]

[Obtained the side quest, Source of Corpse Ghosts]

[Quest Description: Someone once obtained a treasure. He feared its danger, yet coveted its power, so he suppressed it beneath a Buddha statue. But the Buddha Head was stolen, and an accident happened afterward, changing everything...]

[Quest Objective: Find the 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 exists in the Dream of Delusion.]

[Quest Reward: You will receive 500 Game Points when you obtain the treasure, provided you can get it.]

Lu Li set down the letter and opened the box. As expected, it was empty. The so-called treasure had once been stored here, but it wasn't here now. It existed in the ruined temple in the Dream of Delusion. Thinking of some of the Puppet's actions, then looking at the information revealed in the letter, Lu Li felt he understood a few things. He turned to look at the Old Man, who seemed completely bewildered, and grinned.

"Young master... did you find something?" the Old Man asked cautiously.

"Nothing. It's just an empty box." Lu Li smiled. Then they heard a series of noises outside, along with the terrifying howls of the Corpse Ghosts. After thinking it over, Lu Li picked up the empty box, went to the temple entrance, and opened the door a crack. He hurled the box far away, then shouted, "That thing isn't here! You can leave now!!!"

There was another commotion outside, with even more furious roars. Lu Li walked back to the fire, pulled out a piece of firewood, and threw it out the door. Only then did the commotion slowly subside. Lu Li and the Old Man waited for a while. When they no longer heard anything outside, they quietly opened the door to check. All the Corpse Ghosts had disappeared. Lu Li could still sense something watching him in the darkness, and those hostile gazes hadn't vanished completely, but at least the obvious threat was gone.

The Old Man let out a sigh of relief and tightened his grip on the Puppet. Then he returned to the fire and sank into his memories once more. Lu Li checked the remaining firewood and realized they seemed to be running low...