Chapter 20: This Monk Will See You Off
The blood-like prompt gradually faded. Su Xiao crouched in waist-high wild grass, Bubu Wang also lying flat on the ground. Behind them, Matou Sakura didn't need to crouch at all—her height made that unnecessary.
In this situation, Matou Kariya, who was emitting black smoke from his entire body, stood out conspicuously. Su Xiao slowly approached him, then kicked him down with one swift motion.
"Sakura, make him crouch."
Su Xiao looked at Matou Sakura. Only she could control Matou Kariya in their squad.
"Crouch down?"
Matou Sakura tilted her head. Matou Kariya, wreathed in black smoke, hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to squat.
Having already arrived near Ryūdō Temple, Su Xiao had to be cautious. Even before finding the temple, he had sensed malice emanating from it, especially after his encounter with the old priest—that feeling had become even more pronounced.
Su Xiao kept low in the grass, his gaze fixed on the distant Ryūdō Temple.
Ryūdō Temple was built atop a mountain, while Su Xiao was at the base. Due to the distance and dim lighting, he could only vaguely make out the temple's main gate.
Two square lanterns hung before the main gate. Ordinary lanterns were usually white or red, but these two emitted a golden glow, giving the entire temple a sense of sanctity.
Su Xiao had studied a detailed map of Ryūdō Temple. Entering through the main gate led to a semi-enclosed courtyard, somewhat resembling a quadrangle layout—this was the temple's Great King Hall. Passing through the Great King Hall and heading deeper into Ryūdō Temple was the Dharma Hall, which served as the temple's central area. Continuing further back was the Main Worship Hall, equivalent to the temple's rear courtyard.
Overall, Ryūdō Temple could be divided into three zones, from front to back: Great King Hall → Dharma Hall → Main Worship Hall.
Though it might not seem large, Ryūdō Temple actually spanned the size of a football field, with dozens of buildings of varying sizes. The three areas mentioned were just the main sections; some smaller areas were not open to the public, so Su Xiao couldn't learn about them.
If Ryūdō Temple weren't this expansive, it wouldn't be a local historical landmark.
Su Xiao's goal was to enter Ryūdō Temple—whether by force or stealth depended on the second part of his talent awakening quest.
Just as Su Xiao prepared to approach the mountain where Ryūdō Temple stood, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Prompt: The Hunter has entered the barrier within Ryūdō Temple's domain. Talent Awakening Quest Part 1 is complete.]
[Talent Awakening Quest Part 2 has been activated.]
[Talent Awakening Quest (Part 2): Soul Lamp]
Difficulty Level: ★★★★★
Quest Brief: Enter the deepest Main Worship Hall of Ryūdō Temple and find the Soul Lamp within.
Quest Info: The Main Worship Hall is located at the deepest part of Ryūdō Temple, heavily guarded.
Quest Time Limit: 1 Natural Day
Quest Reward: None
Quest Penalty: Deduct one talent awakening opportunity. Cannot accept talent awakening quests in this world again.
...
"Soul Lamp?"
Su Xiao had no idea what the Soul Lamp was. The quest info didn't even provide an image—only text.
If he was searching for something, a frontal assault on Ryūdō Temple was clearly unsuitable. Stealthy infiltration was the way to go.
"Bubu, take the two of them and wait at the bottom of the mountain. If you're discovered by enemies, you can choose to sacrifice one to save the other."
Bubu Wang let out a soft bark, meaning: "Understood, Master. If there's danger, I'll sell out this fool Matou Kariya and protect Matou Sakura. Then I'll immediately take her to find you and sign the Heroic Spirit contract."
"Mm, that's the idea."
Su Xiao unclipped Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist and stored it in his inventory. He tightened his black trench coat and, under the cover of night, moved toward Ryūdō Temple.
Weaving through the waist-high wild grass, Su Xiao's gaze occasionally drifted to the temple atop the mountain. After a series of preparations, he had finally arrived here. But arriving wasn't the point—he still needed to find a way to infiltrate Ryūdō Temple.
Swoosh~
Several blades of grass were trampled as a figure burst out from the undergrowth. Su Xiao reached the base of the mountain where Ryūdō Temple stood.
A staircase leading straight to the summit appeared, designed for tourists to climb to the temple. Under normal circumstances, taking this path would be fine, but now, Su Xiao would never use this mountain stairway.
Just as Su Xiao prepared to bypass the stairs and ascend using the trees on the side for cover, a young monk in gray cloth robes descended from the stairs.
The young monk's gray robes were somewhat tattered, with the worst wear at the knees, where mud-stained grass clippings clung.
Su Xiao was about to duck back into the grass when the young monk suddenly turned his head and locked eyes with him.
Their gazes met. The young monk was visibly startled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. But after a moment, the glint faded, replaced by a look of confusion. His expression softened into one of kindness.
"Benefactor, it's already this late. The wilderness is dangerous. There are wild animals on this mountain—they don't appear during the day, but they often come out to hunt at night."
The young monk's tone was gentle, but what puzzled Su Xiao was the sheer number of scars on his head.
Su Xiao wasn't very familiar with monastic scars, but this monk had at least a dozen scars clustered near his forehead, densely packed. That wasn't even counting those on the top of his head. Roughly estimating, this monk had at least several dozen scars on his scalp.
Moreover, these scars were red, faintly glowing in the darkness. Though the "monk" smiled warmly, Su Xiao found the expression utterly eerie.
"Benefactor? Benefactor?"
Noticing Su Xiao's silence, the young monk slowly descended the stairs.
"Benefactor must be lost. Ryūdō Temple is currently closed to the public for an internal ceremony. Please return another time. It will reopen in a few days."
As he spoke, the young monk had already reached the bottom of the stairs. That wouldn't have been unusual, except that just a few seconds ago, he and Su Xiao had been at least several dozen meters apart.
"Is Ryūdō Issei not here? He lives at the temple, doesn't he?"
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing the question, the young monk nodded.
"So Benefactor is here to see Issei. He left Ryūdō Temple a month ago. Since Benefactor is a friend of Issei's, this monk will escort you back to Fuyuki City."
By now, the young monk was within ten meters of Su Xiao and still closing in.
"Thanks, but I know the way down the mountain. No need to trouble yourself."
Su Xiao turned as if to enter the grass. The moment he turned, the young monk's lips curled upward.
Pfft.
A bone spike burst through the skin from one of the scars on the young monk's head, the pale white spike still streaked with blood.
"No, this monk must see you off, Benefactor. The road back to Fuyuki City is too far. Better to go to the Eternal Life Pool instead."
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
One by one, bone spikes erupted from the scars on the young monk's head, blood streaming down his cheeks. This was no monk—calling him a demon wouldn't be an exaggeration. No, even a demon, upon seeing this "monk's" appearance, would flee in terror.