Chapter 47: The Secret of Linhu Village 18

Article 3 of the Chui Ling Temple Rules: The temple will provide free incense and candles to every pilgrim. If the color of the incense and candles is black, do not light them, put them back in their place quickly, and ask the temple keeper for new ones.

Article 4 of the Rules for Entering Chui Ling Temple: The temple keeper is responsible for all matters of the temple. Guests should not bother the temple keeper unless there is something urgent. During their stay, they can rest quietly in the dormitory, or worship Buddha and recite scriptures.

The candles that the temple keeper had just given them were black, and it was impossible for Su Qingyun and Xu Xinghe to ask for new candles. The two did not communicate, but both put down the candles and went into their own dormitories.

Su Qingyun first checked the furnishings in the dormitory. There was no bed, only a mat placed in the corner. There was a low table next to the mat, but it was empty.

There wasn't even a cup for drinking water.

Su Qingyun thought Xu Xinghe's room should be like this.

What to do next, meditate and chant until dawn?

Of course not. Their purpose of coming here was to look for clues, and doing nothing would just be a waste of time.

What's more, Article 4 of the Chui Ling Temple's accommodation rules only states that guests can rest and worship Buddha, but it does not force them to stay in the room. They can go out and walk around.

Su Qingyun walked out of the dormitory. The moment she came out, she suddenly remembered that she had questioned Xu Xinghe why he did not follow the rules.

What is she doing now?

She had been too conservative before, and she really needed to learn to adapt when facing different copies.

Su Qingyun felt like she had been taught a lesson.

On the other side, Xu Xinghe also walked out of the dormitory. He had put down his backpack and changed into a new shirt, a gray windbreaker, just like Su Qingyun.

He is tall and has a straight posture, and he wears his windbreaker like he is walking on a fashion show.

Su Qingyun zipped up her jacket again, almost covering half of her face.

However, she did not put down her cross-body bag, nor did she take off the black stick on her back.

Su Qingyun planned to check the temple. She opened the door of the dormitory and was about to go out. Xu Xinghe held her back and pointed to one side of the dormitory.

There was a very inconspicuous little door there, hidden behind a sweet-scented osmanthus tree. If Xu Xinghe hadn't signaled Su Qingyun, she might not have found it.

Su Qingyun closed the door of the dormitory and went over to take a look. The small door was bolted and could be opened from the inside.

But she didn't go to open the door. Xu Xinghe found the door. She took a step back and made a gesture of invitation to Xu Xinghe.

"Are you scared?" Xu Xinghe thought Su Qingyun didn't dare to open the door.

Su Qingyun grinned, "It's only evening now. Strange things won't appear in the weird dungeon until after 10pm. I'm not afraid, I'm just observing etiquette and not asking for the first credit."

Xu Xinghe smiled. His face was clear and refreshing, and there was some humanity in his smile.

He went over and opened the door, behind which was a path.

Su Qingyun stood behind Xu Xinghe and looked at the path with her head tilted, thinking that it should not lead to the temple hall.

She went over the rules in her mind again, and after confirming that there was no taboo in the ten rules that prohibited opening the side door of the dormitory, she followed Xu Xinghe out of the small door with peace of mind.

The path winds up to a small hill. The hill is not high and the top can be seen at a glance. The hill is covered with lush trees and a pagoda stands on the top. Su Qingyun guessed that the bell sound they heard before might have come from the pagoda.

So, this pagoda should be a bell tower.

As if to confirm Su Qingyun's idea, a bell sounded from the mountain, dang-dang-dang, the bell sounded loud and clear.

Xu Xinghe walked up the mountain, while Su Qingyun took out his cell phone to check the signal.

The area where the signal is clearly indicated is marked with a cross.

She put away her phone and followed him.

The hill was not high but steep, and the steps were narrow and small. When Su Qingyun stepped on it, her entire heel was hanging outside, making it very difficult for her to climb the steps.

Xu Xinghe walked very fast. He had long legs and took big steps, almost three steps at a time. In a short while, he left Su Qingyun behind.

Su Qingyun did not ask Xu Xinghe to wait for her. She was not a squeamish person. She thought that she and Xu Xinghe were not even friends, and she did not have the right to ask him to wait for her.

She walked leisurely, but she had to walk leisurely. The steps were really difficult to climb and slippery. Su Qingyun was afraid that she would fall accidentally. The mountain was not high enough to kill her, but it would be difficult to recover if she got injured.

In the second half, she took out a black rattan stick as a crutch and took one step at a time.

Twenty minutes later, when she reached the top of the mountain, Xu Xinghe was nowhere to be seen.

Su Qingyun looked around. The top of the mountain was not big. In addition to the bell tower, there was also a small house built on the slope. The whole view of the house could not be seen clearly due to the woods, but it was certain that there was no human figure.

"Fell down?" Su Qingyun looked to the other side. The sun was setting in the west and the sky was already turning dusk. She didn't see anything.

Could he have entered the hut? Su Qingyun wondered in her heart, but she did not rush towards the hut.

She began to examine the bell tower.

The bell tower is made of pure wood, without any bricks or stones. On the eaves and brackets is a carving of a mythical beast that Su Qingyun does not recognize. The beast has its mouth wide open, and a copper wind chime is embedded in its mouth. When the evening breeze blows, the wind chimes on the four corners make pleasant sounds.

But the ringtone is not loud, and people have to get closer to hear it.

The bell, which should be made of bronze, is more than one meter wide and ten feet high. It is placed in the bell tower, with a bell pestle also made of bronze hanging next to it.

Su Qingyun knocked on the bell with his hand, but no sound came out. It was heavier than knocking on a stone.

Finally she concluded that the bell tower was not worth exploring.

But she didn't dare to ring the bell rashly. Although there were no taboos about bell towers, bells in places like temples should not be rung casually.

However, after she arrived here, she heard the bell ring twice. One was around 5:50 when they were burning incense in front of the temple, and the other was just now. She suspected that this was the bell tower, and then the bell rang.

The time should be around 6:20.

Su Qingyun raised her wrist to check the time. It was six forty-five.

If the bell tower chimes every half hour, who is ringing the bell?

Where is the bell ringer now?

He probably didn't go down the mountain. Not to mention that she didn't meet him, just looking at the distance, if he rang the bell three times and then went down the mountain, he would probably have to go up again before reaching the temple.

Su Qingyun's gaze turned to the hut. The bell ringer lived in the hut!

Su Qingyun looked at the time again. It was six forty-eight, and there were two minutes left before the bell rang.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the sound of a door creaking open.

Su Qingyun's heart tightened, and she retreated to the side of the clock tower, instinctively wanting to hide.

The next second, someone covered her mouth again.