Cloud Dragon Temple

The dial shattered and dispersed. Su Wu closed his eyes, recalling everything that had happened.

The simulation had confirmed that the Gang Cave was indeed effective against the Shadow Fiend. In fact, it was powerful enough to tear the Shadow Fiend open and carve out an escape route for him.

But the Gang Cave itself was also an exceedingly sinister object.

Once it combined with the Shadow Fiend, it would likewise drive Su Wu into a corner. Either way, he would die; the only difference was sooner or later.

Since the Gang Cave had not been damaged in the simulation, it had returned to Su Wu's hand when he left.

Su Wu looked down at the copper-bound Gang Cave with its drilled holes, now utterly certain that it could not have come from a yak. It was far more likely to be a human bone!

What Buddhist temple would use human bones to make ritual implements?

It was downright sinister!

But...

Su Wu gripped the Gang Cave, hesitation in his eyes. Throwing this ritual implement away would feel like such a waste.

It was the only thing he had that worked against the Shadow Fiend.

Discarding the Gang Cave would not improve his situation, but keeping it would give him a slim chance of survival when he faced the Shadow Fiend.

After considering it for a moment, Su Wu decided to keep the ritual implement.

Before the supernatural upheaval began, the Gang Cave was merely an "ordinary" bone handicraft. Even after the upheaval began, he had to blow it to activate its supernatural properties.

The simulation had confirmed all of this.

He had run down several flights of stairs while holding the Gang Cave in the simulation without incident.

Only when he blew it had something supernatural happened. That was probably the Gang Cave's trigger mechanism.

The simulator's earlier assessment had been, "The path to survival is already before you." Did that mean he could have escaped the Shadow Wraith's range of influence almost as soon as he left the apartment building?

Had his decision to head out along the alley on the right been correct?

Another simulation would tell him whether it had been or not.

Before that, however, he needed to find another ritual implement as a second layer of insurance.

Cloud Dragon Temple lay hidden among the rural hills of Mingzhou. Apart from the local villagers who came to offer incense during festivals and holidays, it usually received few worshippers.

It was Monday, when few people had time to spare, yet a devotee had arrived at Cloud Dragon Temple.

The young Daoist watching over the Hall of the Three Pure Ones sat in a round-backed chair, scrolling on his phone. Seeing someone approach the hall to offer incense, he did not get up to greet him, but drawled, "There are incense sticks, candles, and joss paper in every hall. Help yourself.

"The fortune-stick cylinder is right on top of the donation box. Shake it yourself.

"The interpretation book is there too. Once you've drawn a stick, just look it up yourself."

With that, the young Daoist began swiping across his phone screen again.

Su Wu smacked his lips but did not disturb him. Following his directions, he took some incense sticks and offered them to the Three Pure Ones and the other deities in the hall.

Small Daoist temples like Cloud Dragon Temple often housed a motley assortment of deities.

For instance, the Three Pure Ones naturally occupied the center of this main hall, but on either side stood two deities with fleshy protuberances covering their heads. Weren't those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?

They had been moved into the Hall of the Three Pure Ones to serve as companions too.

Su Wu was no longer surprised by such things.

He had once attended a relative's funeral in the nearby countryside. The Daoist hired for the funeral had worn exactly the same cassock and ceremonial crown as the monk Tang Sanzang in the television series Journey to the West, yet performed a shamanic spirit-summoning dance. It had certainly been an eye-opener for Su Wu.

After offering incense, Su Wu approached the Daoist with a smile. "Master."

The young Daoist looked up at Su Wu in puzzlement. "Aren't you drawing a fortune stick?"

"No." Su Wu shook his head, pulled up a stool, and sat beside the Daoist. His expression grew somewhat solemn. "Master, I've been feeling constantly uneasy these past few days. I keep feeling as though there's something in my home..."

The Daoist's expression tightened, and he sat up straight. "Then you need to visit the psychiatric department at a hospital!"

"..."

"Nowadays, we follow science. Believing in this stuff won't cure an illness." The Daoist lectured Su Wu with such earnestness that Su Wu actually began to feel ashamed of himself.

"My master can prescribe herbal medicine. If he were here, he could probably give you something to calm your nerves.

"But he's not here today." The Daoist smacked his lips. "He went fishing before dawn. Said if he went early, the fish would just be waking up, and baiting the spot then would make them easier to catch..."

"Your master's right." Su Wu nodded repeatedly. "Especially around four in the morning. Once you've baited the spot, those fish-"

He abruptly cut himself off.

I didn't come to Cloud Dragon Temple to discuss this!

The young Daoist clearly looked like a novice fishing enthusiast too and had been listening with relish. When Su Wu stopped, he looked at him in confusion. "Why'd you stop? I've been fishing lately too, but I haven't even seen a fish yet!"

"Master, I came to consult you about something serious..."

"I know. I can't help you. You can only go to the psychiatric department at a hospital."

"..."

After Su Wu's persistent efforts to persuade him, the young Daoist finally nodded helplessly and said, "Fine. Wait here for now. I'll go see what I can find for you."

"Thank you, thank you. How much is it? I'll pay," Su Wu said hurriedly.

"No need. Just wait a bit." The young Daoist tucked his phone back into his pocket and headed straight for the rear courtyard, apparently unafraid that Su Wu might be some criminal who would carry off every statue in Cloud Dragon Temple.

Su Wu sat in the round-backed chair, sipping warm tea and looking around. The place felt secluded and refined, peaceful and pleasant.

A thought occurred to him: if he stayed at Peaceful Garden Apartments, he would inevitably encounter the Shadow Fiend in the future.

Could he move somewhere else instead?

Would that greatly reduce the pressure he would face in the future?

Perhaps the danger posed by the Shadow Fiend would resolve itself without him having to do anything!

After a brief hesitation, Su Wu's eyes flashed, and he called out inwardly, Simulator!

An enormous dial floated before Su Wu's eyes, plunging his surroundings into utter darkness. An electronic voice rang out: "Welcome to the Perfect Life Simulator!"

"Your wallet balance is 7 Origin Jade. A personal life simulation costs 1 Origin Jade. Proceed with payment?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to spend Origin Jade to bring real-world items into the simulation?"

Five options appeared on the dial:

Option 0: Your body.

Option 1: A wallet containing personal identification, bank cards, and credit cards.

Option 2: A mobile phone.

Option 3: A set of keys.

Option 4: A somewhat worn notebook.

These were all the belongings Su Wu had on him.

None of the objects inside or outside the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, where he currently sat, appeared among the options.

From this, it was clear that Su Wu could only bring things he owned from reality into the simulation.

He skipped this choice outright.

"Loading talents..."

"Loading simulation..."

A screen appeared before Su Wu's eyes. On it, he knelt inside the Hall of the Three Pure Ones with all three doors wide open, facing the Three Pure Ones with his back to the Su Wu outside the screen.

Outside the hall, ancient trees towered overhead, their spreading branches covering the upturned eaves and the ornamental beasts along the roof ridges.

The sky was dim, with dusk closing in.

The scene conveyed a majestic grandeur, yet also carried an eerie quality he could not quite describe.

A sense of foreboding rose in Su Wu's heart.

In a sudden blur, his consciousness was drawn into the screen.

The electronic voice rang out: "Your future life has loaded successfully!"