"Tens of thousands of years ago, this place was probably a sect too. Its legacy may have involved puppets." Jing Fanyu looked at Wu Fei and suggested, "Why don't we explore elsewhere first and see if we can find a way to deal with these puppets?"
At his words, Wu Fei nodded slightly.
Just as they were about to leave, Jing Fanyu suddenly paused and raised his hand a little. "Senior Brother Wu Fei?"
Only then did Wu Fei seem to realize he was still holding Jing Fanyu's wrist. Looking slightly startled, he released it and lowered his eyes. "Sorry."
Yet as he withdrew his hand, his fingers rubbed lightly together several times beneath the cover of his Buddhist robe's sleeve.
Jing Fanyu shook his head, then asked, "Does something seem to be troubling you, Senior Brother Wu Fei?"
They spoke as they walked toward another area.
After a moment's thought, Wu Fei asked, "Junior Brother Jing, do you know of Demon Venerable Yin Fan?"
At the words "Demon Venerable Yin Fan," a dark gleam flashed through Jing Fanyu's eyes, but his expression remained gentle. "The current Demon Venerable of the Northern Region, Yin Fan? I've heard he slaughters people without number, is cruel and tyrannical, and has a fearsome reputation far and wide."
Wu Fei's gaze paused almost imperceptibly. As expected of the protagonist. He didn't hold back even when bad-mouthing himself...
A hint of amusement lingered in his eyes, but his voice held a faint sigh. "I simply felt, all of a sudden, that perhaps rumors shouldn't be believed in full."
"What do you mean, Senior Brother?" Jing Fanyu's gaze gradually deepened.
"I've met Demon Venerable Yin Fan a few times. He didn't seem as brutal and bloodthirsty as the rumors claim."
As Wu Fei finished speaking, they arrived in front of a great hall surrounded by several side halls.
"I see..." Jing Fanyu's expression turned strange for an instant, then returned to normal. "You're right, Senior Brother Wu Fei. The rumors may be mistaken. With things in this world, only by seeing them with your own eyes can you know whether they're true or false."
They found some treasures in the halls, but too much time had passed, leaving them unusable. Some even crumbled into sand at a touch.
Only a familiar-looking tray sat in the very center of the main hall, with a black iron token resting on it.
Wu Fei picked up the black iron token to examine it. It was black all over, without any inscriptions or patterns.
Just then, Jing Fanyu came over and took out an identical black iron token. "I found this in a hall just after entering the ruins."
They exchanged a glance, feeling that these black iron tokens might prove very useful.
After spending some time exploring the entire ruins, Wu Fei and Jing Fanyi had eight black iron tokens between them. Apart from these eight tokens and the medicinal garden they had seen earlier, there was nothing else useful in the ruins.
But how were they supposed to use the black iron tokens...
Wu Fei examined them carefully, his lowered eyes concealing his gaze, then offered a reminder. "They seem somewhat familiar."
The book had explained in detail how to use these eight black iron tokens, but Wu Fei couldn't say it outright. He could only offer a small hint.
Jing Fanyu froze briefly at his words. As he studied the eight black iron tokens, inspiration suddenly struck. "That teleportation array!"
That was right-it was that teleportation array. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about it, but closer inspection would reveal the pattern of an eight trigrams diagram hidden beneath it.
The two swiftly returned to the spot where they had entered the ruins.
The eight black iron tokens flew out one after another, fitting precisely into the eight positions of the eight trigrams diagram beneath the teleportation array. A faint white light shone, and the yin-yang fish at the center of the diagram began to rotate, spinning faster and faster.
At the same time, the entire ruins suddenly began to tremble. Standing in midair, Wu Fei and Jing Fanyu saw a solemn, imposing hall suddenly rise from what had been an empty clearing ahead.
The hall was extremely spacious and empty, with only a tall humanoid statue standing at its very center.
Jing Fanyu said, "This statue's eyes..."
Wu Fei raised his head slightly. The statue was jade-white all over, but its eyes were an ominous red.
After they stared at them for a while, a red gleam suddenly flashed in those eyes. Before they could react, it enveloped Wu Fei and Jing Fanyu and pulled them both into the statue.
Inside the hall, Wu Fei and Jing Fanyu vanished. The statue's eyes abruptly brightened, then suddenly dimmed, turning grayish-white.
This was a place like a secluded paradise, with an elegant bamboo house and a pond so clear its bottom was visible. Wu Fei surveyed the place, a trace of puzzlement in his heart.
Jing Fanyu had been separated from him. That was within his expectations. Unless something unexpected happened, Jing Fanyu should be receiving the inheritance somewhere else, but this place was...
The bamboo house's door suddenly opened on its own. After a moment's consideration, Wu Fei stepped inside.
A mustard seed
space
, with a world within.
The bamboo house looked small from outside, but its interior was extremely spacious. In the middle of the room stood a stone game table, cracked as though weathered by wind and rain, yet the board atop it remained as steady as Mount Tai.
A figure in Daoist robes sat upright before the game table. On closer inspection, the figure was as insubstantial as mist and clouds, as though he might dissipate at any moment.
"Sit," the figure said without looking up.
Wu Fei sat opposite him and lowered his eyes to study the board on the table. "Senior, who might you be?"
"Merely a nameless wandering ghost." The figure pointed at the board. "Can you discern anything?"
Wu Fei slowly rolled his prayer beads with one hand. "The game is difficult to unravel."
"Hahaha..." The figure suddenly threw back his head and laughed, looking deranged. His face was exactly the same as that of the statue in the hall.
"The game is indeed difficult to unravel. I waited tens of thousands of years before finally seeing a glimmer of hope of breaking it..."
"What do you mean, Senior?" Wu Fei asked, but his gaze never left the board, as though held fast by it.
The figure's expression suddenly changed. With a sweep of his sleeve, he knocked Wu Fei out of the statue. "I've given the inheritance to the person who came with you. Remember, there is only one chance to break the game."
There was only one chance to break the game... What did that mean?
Wu Fei's brows drew tightly together. He kept feeling that some hidden significance lay in those words. That senior must have pulled him into the statue because he had something to tell him, yet he had suddenly knocked him out again. It was almost as though... he was afraid something would discover him?!
The game... breaking the game... Could it be the Heavenly Dao?