Imperial Bell

Su Wu opened his eyes and looked at the Three Pure Ones seated majestically in the dim main hall, then at the somewhat forlorn-looking Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on either side.

Candlelight flickered along both sides of the hall, the flames glowing softly.

Standing there, he inexplicably felt a chill lingering around him.

He lowered his head and surveyed his surroundings. In the dim light, the hall seemed to be shrouded in night. All its furnishings remained unchanged, but the Taoist priests of Cloud Dragon Temple were nowhere to be seen.

What time was it now?

Su Wu felt around in his pockets and found his phone and a palm-sized notebook.

Ever since experiencing the simulator, he had become even more committed to his habit of taking notes. Determined to keep up this good habit, he never went anywhere without his notebook.

It seemed that his future self had retained the habit.

Su Wu felt a little reassured.

Through the notebook, he could learn what he had experienced recently and what had happened in the outside world.

Just as he was about to open the notebook and read a little, crimson light suddenly shone through the main hall's three open doorways, enveloping the clay statues and Su Wu, who was kneeling on a cushion.

What was that?

Had the lanterns outside lit up?

Su Wu raised his head and suddenly noticed that, beneath the crimson light, the paint on the clay statues' faces had "melted"...

Drops of thick, multicolored liquid slid down the clay statues' faces.

Every clay statue had a single pitch-black eye on its face beneath the peeling paint.

Those eyes seemed to writhe as they slowly turned their gazes toward Su Wu.

A shudder ran through him. Abandoning any thought of reading the notebook, he grabbed it and turned to run-

The instant he rose, layers of darkness as thick as mud spread from beneath the clay statues, smothering the crimson light and flooding toward him!

He suddenly froze in place.

Half-turned, he saw blood-red "lanterns" rising into the dark sky beyond the temple gates. Like a river of stars, they enveloped the low mountain on which Cloud Dragon Temple stood.

They covered Mingzhou, whose brilliant lights were faintly visible in the distance.

It wasn't safe outside either!

One final thought flashed through Su Wu's mind.

The thick darkness swallowed the entire main hall, and the sound of bones being chewed echoed within it.

"You died."

"This simulation has ended."

"Rating: none.

Comments: if you don't court death, you won't die.

Reward: none."

"The following items can be taken out of this simulation. You may spend a certain amount of Origin Jade to take out selected items."

Option 0: fortune-stick container.

Option 2: fortune interpretation book.

Option 3: incense, candles, and paper money.

Option 4: donation box.

...

"Skip."

Su Wu exited the simulator, a trace of shock and doubt still lingering in his eyes.

He had thought that starting a simulation somewhere else would give him a different-and perhaps better-starting point in the future.

He had never expected the future simulated inside Cloud Dragon Temple to be even more terrifying!

In that simulated scene, the clay statues in the hall had felt dozens of times more sinister than the Shadow Fiend.

If he really chose to stay in Cloud Dragon Temple until the world underwent its uncanny transformation, he would probably die without even knowing what had killed him.

And outside Cloud Dragon Temple, those "red lanterns" drifting through the sky, seemingly covering all of Mingzhou, were no harmless things either.

Which was more terrifying-the "red lanterns" or the statues inside Cloud Dragon Temple?

In the simulated future, he was already close to finding a way to survive in Peaceful Garden. He had better stop courting death by experimenting everywhere.

Time for a sip of tea to calm my nerves.

A whole day spent in the simulator amounted to only two or three minutes in reality.

Only after Su Wu had finished the entire cup of tea did the young Taoist priest finally return, carrying a long brocade box.

He casually handed the box to Su Wu. "Here!

"Keep it with you for a while. Once you feel better, just bring it back."

"Of course, of course!" Su Wu hurriedly accepted the somewhat worn brocade box and opened it, revealing a bronze bell resting on red silk.

The bronze bell was covered in green patina and clearly had some age to it.

This bronze bell was a ritual implement-the Imperial Bell-that Su Wu had obtained from the young Taoist priest only after a great deal of persuasion.

The Imperial Bell, also known as the Three Pure Ones Bell, was an important Taoist ritual implement. Taoist priests generally used it to exorcise evil, subdue demons, worship deities, and summon holy beings.

Of course, people no longer paid much attention to such things. The young Taoist priest had brought it over because Su Wu wanted to buy a ritual implement from Cloud Dragon Temple that could soothe his mind.

Whether it actually worked was something Su Wu would have to verify by taking it into the simulator.

"This came from my master's chest. It hasn't been used in a long time. Be careful with it, and bring it back after a while," the young Taoist priest instructed, though his expression suggested he did not particularly care.

Though he did not care, he had done Su Wu a tremendous favor.

Su Wu could not simply disregard that.

Recalling what he had experienced in the simulator, Su Wu offered a warning as a way of repaying him. "Taoist priest, I think your temple is a little too isolated. It feels rather eerie.

"You and your master live here, so you should be careful."

The young Taoist priest looked at Su Wu with amusement. "Are you going to give me a lecture on feng shui, then?"

"I wouldn't know how to explain any of that." Su Wu shook his head, took out his phone, and displayed the QR code for joining the Fishing Guys group. With a smile, he said, "Let's go night fishing together in a few days. Why don't you join the group?"

"Night fishing? Sure!" The young Taoist priest's eyes lit up. He immediately scanned the QR code, and as soon as he joined the group, he said, "Hey, my master's in this group too!"

Su Wu was a little surprised. "Really? Then we must have quite a connection.

"The three of us should go night fishing together in a few days."

"Sure, sure." The young Taoist priest readily agreed.

Su Wu said goodbye to the Taoist priest and took a taxi back to Peaceful Garden.

It was Monday, and he was supposed to be at work, but he had simply skipped it. He had also blocked his supervisor and all his coworkers, then left the work group without hesitation.

His salary for the previous month had already been paid anyway. He could do without seven or eight days' wages.

For now, he had more important things to do than go to work.

Seated at his desk, Su Wu opened the simulator.

The instant the dial appeared, an electronic voice rang out in the darkness. "Welcome to the Perfect Life Simulator!"

"Your wallet balance is 6 Origin Jade. A personal life simulation costs 1 Origin Jade. Proceed?"

"Yes."

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

Items appeared one after another around the dial.

Option 0: your body (because your personal talent has improved, choosing to experience the simulation in person will cost 12 Origin Jade).

Option 1: mysterious copper-clad bones.

Option 2: ancient Imperial Bell.

Option 3: Orpha infrared night-vision goggles.

...

"Bring options 1 and 2 into the game." Su Wu selected the two items directly, without letting his gaze linger on anything else.

His Dark Walker (green) talent already allowed him to see in the dark, with results much the same as wearing infrared night-vision goggles.

Taking the night-vision goggles into the game as well would only waste Origin Jade.

As for other items, such as the remote for the sound-activated light and the key to the main electrical panel, his future self's room already had them. There was no need to bring them deliberately.

During the last simulation, Su Wu had found no sign of the Gang Cave in his room. To be safe, this time he chose to bring that ritual implement along, as well as the Imperial Bell, which was similar in nature.

"Selection successful."

Two screens appeared before Su Wu.

On the first screen, he sat at his desk, frowning at his empty palm. This was the future he had simulated several times before.

The second screen was completely black. It represented the past of the Gang Cave relic's owner and required 500 Origin Jade to unlock.

Su Wu focused his gaze on the first screen.

In a brief daze, his consciousness was drawn into the screen.