Chapter 82, "The Little Taoist Priest": You are the lotus flower of the Bodhisattva. ...
Things are getting stranger and stranger. How did Xiaomei end up with a twin sister?
The truth of the case is truly elusive. They thought the first victims and the real culprits had been identified, but the disappearances of Furong Dan and Antique Zhang, and the loss of children in the town, have triggered even greater panic. What is the Curious Treasure Pavilion? What is the Unboxing Game? The rules announced by the system sound quite contradictory!
Bang.
A wooden sign, from who knows where, fell from mid-air, passed through a row of unlit white lanterns, and landed in the center of the room, stirring up a layer of dust.
Before Jian Dieda could even pick it up, a notification from the system immediately appeared in his ear: "Triggering a key item! Picking it up will unlock the investigation into the disappearance of the Nine Schools' successors!"
Bai Xiaosheng: "These are Furong Dan's belongings!"
He then hurriedly began recounting the unfinished story of the strange events at the circus.
"That day, we were strolling down the street when we suddenly saw a figure in red from behind at the entrance of an alley. Remembering that Mrs. Zhao's testimony mentioned a woman in red, we gave chase! But who knew—"
A strange look appeared on Bai Xiaosheng's face. His mental state was terrible, and the pupils behind his thin-rimmed glasses were dilated, like those of a dying person.
But what was even stranger was the scene he described next: the three of them chased the man in red, and unknowingly left the bustling city center and entered an unfamiliar, ancient alley, eventually arriving at the magnificent, multi-talented building filled with strange treasures. Bai Xiaosheng remembered that it was him who knocked on the door, but there was no answer from inside. As the door opened, a woman's soft, ghostly voice came from inside.
"Welcome to the final level."
"This is a spectacular circus performance that no mortal can resist. Once you see it, you'll be addicted, go crazy, and unable to leave. This is precisely the purpose of the Curiosity Treasure Pavilion—to unearth the most fervent desires within your heart—"
As he finished speaking, Bai Xiaosheng's face suddenly turned grim. He glanced down at the small wooden plaque again, his eyes red, and said to Jian Dieda, "From beginning to end, Furong Dan and Gu Dongzhang haven't harmed anyone... If something happened to them... if they died at the Strange Circus... I really don't know how I'll explain it to my family..."
"Then don't bother explaining, accept my condolences." Jian Dieda wanted to say this to all the protagonists in movies who court death. He originally had another sentence after that, he really wanted to say that if it didn't work out, he could stay with them, but Zhong Ding stopped the little Taoist from being mean by tugging at the hem of his clothes.
Zhong Ding: "Brother, may I have a few words with you alone? Just one sentence."
Jian Dieda glanced to the side. He was initially quite annoyed by this side story that disrupted his plans. Unexpectedly, the person he mainly needed to keep an eye on also spoke up at this moment. However, Zhong Ding meant something different to him, so he didn't ignore Zhong Ding's words and immediately glanced at Bai Xiaosheng out of the corner of his eye.
Bai Xiaosheng was still frowning, which annoyed him. Jian Dieda took the initiative to back down, then walked to the side and looked at Zhong Ding's face, asking, "Why did you pull me over here?"
“No, I know you’re worried about me. Is it because of me? Have you been in a bad mood since earlier?” Zhong Ding said something frightening. He was completely unaware that what Jian Dieda was most afraid of was that he had discovered the truth.
Jane Dieda suddenly fell silent: "..."
Zhong Ding disregarded whether Jian Dieda was angry with anyone, took off a string of beads from his wrist, lifted Jian Dieda's hand, and gently persuaded him, "I'm really fine. If it's because of me that you've been distracted from the investigation, I'll feel guilty. But in the end, I don't think my little Taoist priest needs to listen to anyone's arrangements. He's very opinionated, a true man, and a Taoist who fights against demons and protects the righteous path."
Human eyes can speak. They don't know how to say "I love you," but the longing that they couldn't express was so noisy and clamorous in the eyes of the bell and tripod.
Zhong Ding pressed his fingers against the beads on the bracelet that were pressed against his flesh, and said with a smile, "Alright, you are like the lotus flower of the Bodhisattva, the most peaceful and calm. We won't be angry anymore."
This little system is really going to kill Jian Dieda this time. He is indeed very good at acting and never messes up when he enters the script to play other people. However, Zhong Ding's appearance, voice, and the background of this villainous boss with a very tragic life are too difficult to judge.
“If you still don’t want to investigate, we’ll go to the authorities. I’ll go find some water for Bai Xiaosheng. He looks terrible and his breathing is labored. If this continues, we might have to find someone to collect his soul. It’s not really their fault; they’re quite pitiful.” Zhong Ding treated everyone equally. He never morally blackmailed anyone, nor was he a philanthropist who cared for everyone. His love and respect were substantial, reserved solely for Jian Dieda, and he always maintained a perfect sense of boundaries in their relationship.
If Zhong Ding were to turn evil, would he be able to bring himself to do it?
He doesn't care; even without a history of successfully seducing someone, he wants this person to live.
Bai Xiaosheng finally saw the faces of the two people who had agreed on the plan. Jian Dieda, who had initially been in a bad mood, changed his mind, but he also had a condition: if they couldn't win, they had to retreat immediately. They couldn't use their own sacrifice as the price for saving people, and he would absolutely not bear any responsibility for anyone's actions.
"Saving people is a favor, not saving them is also my duty." That's just his personality.
Bai Xiaosheng is not actually an unreasonable or muddle-headed person.
"Okay...and thank you, thank you so much."
He also had an insurmountable fear in his heart. Jian Dieda and Zhong Ding's help at least alleviated some of it, so Bai Xiaosheng quickly agreed. They also finished talking about the last part of what they hadn't finished earlier.
“We got the small wooden plaque after entering the Treasure Pavilion,” Bai Xiaosheng said. “After entering, we suddenly had this in our hands, and then a strange… Western circus performance began.”
For many children, the bizarre circus is a nightmare. Jane Dieda also recalled visiting a "free show" one afternoon.
His parents originally wanted to take him to the Children's Palace.
But that day, the swimming pool at the Children's Palace was closed, and they came up empty-handed. They planned to come back the next day, but a man in a suit suddenly claimed to be the curator and stopped the three of them. He said that the reason the venue was closed today was because the most popular children's exhibitions from all over the country were being staged inside, and they were free and very helpful in cultivating children's sentiments.
So his parents, who believed him, left him there. Strangely enough, it seemed only Jane Dieda thought the curator's face was too pale, and there was a line on either side of his mouth.
After following the curator into the corridor, little Jane Dieda asked bluntly, "What can I see inside? I recognize all the insects and snakes on the market, but I want to see alien specimens."
The curator's broad, tall back stopped abruptly. Little Jian Dieda, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt with his hands in his blue jeans, coldly asked again, seemingly unmoved, "Uncle, I want to see aliens." Immediately, a foul, nauseating gust of wind blew towards his face. The curator's white face was pressed against his nose. This enormous man, with a twisted, rope-like expression, told him with a grin, "Little friend, there are no aliens in the circus, only spectacular performances that will make you never want to leave. There are no parents, no homework, no exams. Come on, tell me, do you want to see a circus performance?"
That's just ridiculous. Jian Dieda loves his parents very much, and his grades have always been top-notch. Does this curator even consider whether there are children in the world with excellent academic performance and healthy families? Although he has a cold personality, he wasn't born headfirst. For the sake of his own life, little Jian Dieda replied with a single sentence.
"Then I'm not going to watch anymore. I'm going back to do my homework. Goodbye, curator. I'll come again next time there are aliens."
The brat said this and walked back without looking back.
But whether it was the empty exhibition hall behind him or the eerily silent curator, both cast a chilling, static gaze at his back.
A few days later, a horrifying news broke in City A: hundreds of children's skeletons were unearthed in the basement of the Children's Palace, along with evidence of them eating each other's flesh and feces. Moreover, the autopsy results indicated that the children's ultimate cause of death was suicide.
This became an unsolved mystery. After a long period of research, Jian Dieda suspected that the curator he had met at the beginning might have been a supernatural being.
The circus performance he described was likely a form of brainwashing. From the moment they entered, normal people were hypnotized, and everything they saw was an illusion. This is similar to a cult tricking people into entering a dungeon; it ultimately exploits people's herd mentality and desire to fit in. Sure enough, the circus in front of them followed the same pattern. Moreover, Bai Xiaosheng and his group had clearly encountered a boss of a much higher level than the monsters they were facing.
Jian Dieda touched the bracelet; the feel was both warm and cool, like the body temperature of a bronze vessel, which inexplicably calmed his heart.
He has a face that matches his high intelligence, but he didn't go out much in the past, so people often overlooked the fact that he was a genius who got into university at the age of 16.
"Bai Xiaosheng, now describe to me everything you see. Then, the three of us will look at this wooden sign as much as possible and try to imagine the scene."
Jane Dieda took the wooden plaque. No one in the game knew that he was skilled in hypnosis and was an experienced paranormal phenomenology enthusiast with extensive experience in completing the game.
Zhong Ding and Bai Xiaosheng did as instructed.
Jian Dieda held up the wooden sign. Just by standing there, he seemed to be far removed from the normal world. A desolate blackness enveloped him, like a cold, silent blue flame. The paleness on his lips was just right, like a character from a novel.
Bai Xiaosheng felt inexplicably nervous, so he took a deep breath.
This nightmare began when the lights came on and a group of people started talking.
"Please remain quiet during the circus performance."
"The tables and chairs are still."
"Please remember your raft number."
The voices speaking didn't sound human, and at the same time, there was a sickeningly loud rattling sound of wooden planks being screwed in. From inside the shrine, a red sleeve waved, and a group of beautiful fairy puppets, as beautiful as celestial beings, hung down from the silk threads. The puppets had completely black, dilated pupils, and their cheeks were as red as peaches. In the darkness, a cracked puppet string could be seen at the corner of their mouths.
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