Chapter 110 Xiawei Temple is so gentle, so dazzling
Those were Tibetan phrases, and Yu Naixin didn't know their meanings, but she could recognize that many of them were identical repetitions.
Yu Naixin did not signal the headless stone ghost to linger here, as it was only a matter of a moment before the headless stone ghost crossed the screen wall.
However, this was enough for Yu Naixin to count; there were a total of 109 Tibetan phrases above.
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When Yu Naixin and the headless stone ghost arrived at the backyard, the lotus moon ritual performed by the butter flower monk had already ended.
The viewers in the live stream were finally able to see the remaining parts of Xiawei Temple.
Wow, there's such a large area behind the temple!
[The three guests took quite a while to walk from outside to the front yard, so they must have crossed the entire backyard to spend so much time.]
At least there were a few trees and a stone table and benches in the front yard, but the backyard is so empty. There's nothing there except a small pond; you can see all the way to the other side. It's all paved with bluestone, and not even a blade of grass grows there.
[But there are so many lotus flowers blooming in this pond, they're so beautiful.]
[The snow outside the temple is almost waist-high, yet the lotus flowers inside are blooming so profusely? Shouldn't there be such illogical anomalies within the same program segment?]
The ceremony was held in the lotus pond. The Buddha statue in the very center was still shrouded in thick layers of gray fog, making it impossible to see what it looked like. All that could be seen was that it was very tall.
Beneath the Buddha statue, the three incense sticks and two plates of offering fruit on the altar had been replaced with new ones, and a monk NPC was kneeling in front of the altar, praying with his eyes closed.
Yu Naixin recognized the NPC; it was Monk B, whose ID she had, and the delivery guy who had given her takeout at the beginning of the last simulation.
Along the outer edge of the lotus pond, there were also a few monk NPCs, sweeping the ritual site with brooms.
These two NPCs were quite far apart, and Yu Naixin had never seen them before.
The butter-flower monk, who presided over the Lotus Moon Ritual, was not present at this time.
Looking at this lotus pond, Yu Naixin recalled the time when she clashed with the butter flower monk on that jade platform.
Yu Naixin found it strange at the time that the vegetarian meal that enabled the butter monk to meet the hunting conditions was so effective. Clearly, if the Bodhi tree leaves and lotus pond water were consumed individually by the guests on the show, they would only cause a three-minute paralysis effect. However, if the guests consumed the two items together, they could cause a full six hours of paralysis and drowsiness.
Even if there is a three-hour incubation period after taking the medicine, the six-hour coma of the guest on the show allows the other guest to do too much, which is tantamount to giving away one's flesh and blood and life for nothing.
Now Yu Naixin can answer this question.
The reason why the butter monk added Bodhi leaves and lotus pond water to the vegetarian meal was not to take Yu Naixin's life. On the contrary, the butter monk felt that it was safest to keep Yu Naixin asleep in the lotus pond.
This passive sleep allows the guests to completely conceal their presence, which can help them avoid being detected by the headless stone golem to some extent.
In the last simulation, the headless stone ghost only came to the door after Yu Naixin had fully regained consciousness. When it first appeared in the front yard, the headless stone ghost seemed to be in a state of not being completely sure where Yu Naixin was, which is why it was so silent and did not take any unnecessary actions.
In order to help the program guests, the butter flower monks will have much more authority, and the combined effect of Bodhi tree leaves and lotus pond water will become quite powerful.
As for why the butter flower monk tried to freeze and detach Yu Naixin's little finger, it was purely an experiment. He didn't do it to hunt Yu Naixin; he had other motives.
After discovering Yu Naixin's resistance, the butter flower monk did not persist.
The headless stone ghost was not as quiet as he was at night when he walked in the daytime; each of his steps was quite powerful, and the sound could be heard from quite a distance.
The two monk NPCs who were cleaning the area around the lotus pond were the first to notice the strange commotion. They looked up at Yu Naixin one after the other, and when they saw the headless stone ghost, all four of their eyes widened in surprise.
Just how familiar the Butter Flower Monk was with his old neighbor, the Headless Stone Ghost, is how terrified the nine monk NPCs who followed him were of this unusually powerful giant.
In the chaotic years before "Xiawei Temple" was released, many monk NPCs were indiscriminately killed by headless stone ghosts.
Although NPCs do not have memories of their "past lives," the nine monks' fear of the headless stone ghost was deeply ingrained in their bones, and the butter flower monk often taught them to stay away from the headless stone ghost as much as possible.
Upon suddenly seeing the headless stone ghost approaching, the two monks were so frightened that they trembled on the spot. Their faces remained blank for a while before they remembered to scream, threw their brooms aside, and began to stagger away into the distance.
Monk B, who was on the jade platform in the lotus pond, reacted much slower. By the time he snapped out of his prayers and turned to look at Yu Naixin with a blank expression, the headless stone ghost had already reached the edge of the lotus pond.
Yu Naixin took a quick look around and realized that the positions of the monk B and the headless stone ghost were almost exactly the same as the positions of herself and the berserk headless stone ghost back then.
Monk B clearly didn't have the same mental fortitude as Yu Naixin back then. Even though the headless stone ghost didn't release any murderous intent, Monk B was almost scared to death.
His face was as white as if it had just been painted with a thick layer of paint. His whole body went limp and he almost collapsed to the ground. Monk B stared at the headless stone ghost with shock and fear, his body trembling like a leaf after losing his soul.
[...I was momentarily stunned by the NPCs' reactions; why were they so afraid? Then I remembered that the Headless Stone Ghost was, after all, a guest character in the dungeon. His innocent and harmless demeanor in front of the Great Demon King was due to the Great Demon King's abilities. Not to mention these NPCs, even the other dungeon guest, the Butter Flower Monk, was quite intimidated by him.]
[He's incredibly ruthless to everyone else, but docile only towards the female guest. Isn't this headless stone ghost even more adorable?]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 6 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "叮叮哒哒"!]
Yu Naixin was actually quite interested in how these monk NPCs crossed the water areas of the lotus pond.
In order to cross from the jade platform to the ground outside, she specifically went to the system's regular store to buy a waterproof jumpsuit to go into the water. The NPCs didn't have these items, and their monk robes were dry. Did they have some special way of walking?
However, seeing that even Monk B was so frightened, it wasn't a good time to ask questions or make observations. Yu Naixin patted the headless stone ghost's shoulder and said, "Mr. Stone, let's go look somewhere else."
The headless stone ghost immediately obeyed, no longer approaching the lotus pond, and turned to walk further north towards the backyard.
Yu Naixin turned back and gave Monk B a reassuring smile. She didn't provoke him any further and left, sitting on the headless stone ghost's shoulder.
Monk B: "...?!!"
After a while, Monk B finally realized that the terrifying giant headless stone demon was no longer in front of him.
Gasping for breath, Monk B truly felt like he had survived a calamity and had been given a second chance at life.
However, in the monk's mind, the most vivid image was not the headless stone ghost's oppressive body, but rather...
It was the smile that appeared on the headless stone demon's shoulder from the exquisitely beautiful female benefactor, who resembled a celestial being.
So gentle, so dazzling...
The NPC who was so charmed by Yu Naixin in the last simulation that he didn't dare to bring food again, had the same result when he met Yu Naixin in this simulation.
A very small number of viewers in the live stream adjusted their view to behind Yu Naixin and saw that Monk B's pale face had been replaced by a blush, and he was clutching his left chest, his heart pounding like a drum.
Wow! This NPC has been won over by the female guest!
[What did the female guest do to him? Why did he suddenly become so flustered and unable to control himself?]
The little witch smiled at him! If a sweet girl with that level of looks smiled at me, my heart would flutter too!
What an innocent-looking monk! So cute!
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We strolled around the backyard of Xiawei Temple with the headless stone demon, and before we knew it, it was 10:00 AM.
Midway through, they met the butter-flower monk in the west wing of the backyard. He was preparing to make a vegetarian meal for Yu Naixin, but Yu Naixin said that it was no trouble for him, so the butter-flower monk gave up.
With Yu Naixin's current spiritual energy reserves, she could go through the entire "Xiawei Temple" without eating or drinking without any problem. The butter flower monk would consume his own spiritual energy to prepare vegetarian meals or tea for her each time, so there was no need for him to do so.
Moreover, the vegetarian food didn't taste very good.
I think I'll just skip it.
Yu Naixin did not forget the promise she made to the headless stone ghost yesterday. Today she would go to the snow mountain outside Xiawei Temple to pick a fresh Rehmannia glutinosa flower, then take it to the cave near the top of the mountain, water it with special snow water, and then give it to the headless stone ghost.
However, Yu Naixin doesn't plan to involve the headless stone ghost in this matter.
"I'm going to prepare a gift for you, so I definitely want to surprise you," Yu Naixin explained to the headless stone ghost, trying to reassure him. "If you watch the whole thing, there won't be any surprise! Didn't I pick them all by myself yesterday?"
The headless stone ghost thought for a while and realized that Yu Naixin was right, so it stopped trying to stick to her.
The headless stone ghost was easy to deal with, but the butter flower monk was not so easy to fool.
Seeing that Yu Naixin did not choose to go around through the front gate of Xiawei Temple, but went straight to the back gate, the butter flower monk insisted on going with Yu Naixin.
He gave Yu Naixin a deep look, then lowered his voice so the headless stone ghost wouldn't hear: "Benefactor Yu, you should know that there may be dangers there."
Yu Naixin did not refuse this time.
She just wanted to avoid the headless stone ghost; the butter flower monk didn't care.
The two walked together to the northernmost part of Xiawei Temple, where Yu Naixin finally saw what the main hall on the north side of the temple looked like.
The main hall is over 100 meters long, over 10 meters wide, and over 5 meters high, making it a truly grand structure.
Unfortunately, apart from the front walls and doors and windows which were relatively intact, the inside was a complete mess. The tables, chairs, furniture, beams and pillars were all in disarray and badly damaged.
Especially the central altar, you can see that there used to be three statues of gods and Buddhas here, but the entire altar is dilapidated. The sculptures on both sides are almost broken into pieces, and it is impossible to recognize their original appearance. The sculpture in the central position is completely gone, leaving only a half-broken base.
[Holy crap... What happened here? Did they break in? This wouldn't have happened without some fighting, smashing, looting, and burning!]
This looks so tragic!
This must be the most dilapidated part of the entire Xiawei Temple. Didn't the butter sculpture monks bother to repair it?
Wait, look closely at that main Buddha statue. Isn't its size... about the same as the sculpture in the middle of the lotus pond outside?
[That's right. I was wondering why this should be the main sacrificial hall, but the NPCs were worshipping over at the lotus pond. I guess the butter monks moved the Buddha statues from here to the lotus pond.]
In the northwest corner of the main hall, there is a small, rickety door; this is the back door leading out of Xiawei Temple.
Standing in front of this door, Yu Naixin glanced at the butter-flower monk standing next to her: "Master, you've escorted me all the way here, so I should be able to rest assured now, right?"
The monk with the butter sculpture glanced between the door and Yu Naixin, making sure nothing unexpected had happened, before putting his hands together and bowing slightly to Yu Naixin: "Amitabha. This humble monk takes his leave."
Then, the butter-flower monk turned around and left through the main entrance of the main hall without any hesitation.
[…? What kind of riddle are these two guests playing now?]
[The butter monk was so determined to be with the female guest just now, why did he leave at the door?]
The female guest and the monk carrying the butter sculpture came directly from the west wing of the backyard. This house is probably the only unusual place along this route. Is there anything dangerous inside?
[There's too little information for effective analysis, but since neither of the two guests encountered this, any potential danger is likely probabilistic.]
[The female guest pushed open the door and went out! Sigh, seeing this vast expanse of white snow outside again is still quite a novel experience; the temple inside looks like summer.]
After leaving Xiawei Temple, Yu Naixin immediately summoned the sacrificial folding fan and headed towards the snow-capped mountains in the direction she remembered.
The distribution of Rehmannia glutinosa flowers on the snow mountain is not dense, but the overall number is definitely not small. Yu Naixin easily picked a plant at the foot of the mountain, then went up the mountain to find the dark cave, stuck the Rehmannia glutinosa flower in her hand into the snow next to it, and waited for the flower to bloom with even stronger vitality than before before picking the Rehmannia glutinosa flower again.
Returning to the back gate of Xiawei Temple, this time the butter flower monk did not come to pick up Yu Naixin again, so Yu Naixin was happy to search the entire main hall by herself. The priest's folding fan and the paper dog also obeyed their master's orders to help.
Unfortunately, despite such a meticulous examination, no noteworthy information was found inside the main hall.
To me, it just looks like an ordinary, dilapidated temple building...
[Actually, I don't quite understand why the female guest insisted on checking the area when neither of the two male guests was present. I know it's most convenient for the guests to act alone, but in this particular episode, both male guests were quite friendly towards her. Even if they weren't going to do anything for her, they certainly didn't try to stop her from doing anything. Even if the monk thought the area was dangerous, he only accompanied her. The female guest could have searched the area earlier; having the monk there would have been safer and would have increased the margin for error.]
[Perhaps it's because the other party is still a guest on the show, but I think this female guest's behavior pattern is quite consistent. She can be soft-hearted, but she still lets reason take the lead. No matter how kind she is to the butter monk and the headless stone ghost, she is still very clear about her own and their positions. It is indeed better to be cautious when searching in such a key place.]
Yes, I really love the little witch's charm; it's so rare to find someone like that on "Heartbeat 1000%"!
Having ended her exploration of the main hall empty-handed, Yu Naixin showed no disappointment or discouragement. Holding the Rehmannia glutinosa flower, she went to find the headless stone ghost in a rather good mood.
The headless stone ghost was still waiting at the place where Yu Naixin had said goodbye. It was clear that even after so much time had passed, it hadn't moved an inch, standing motionless in the direction Yu Naixin had left, guarding her.
"Thank you for waiting for me!" Yu Naixin held the rehmannia flower high with both hands and smiled as she presented it to the headless stone ghost. "Here you go, your flowers for today!"
Upon receiving Yu Naixin's gift for the second time, the headless stone ghost was no longer as awkward and slow as before. Instead, it quickly reached out and took the flower in its hand, its entire stone body radiating a visible joy.
[It's so cute that this huge stone golem is holding such a tiny rehmannia flower like it's precious!]
So, does the headless stone ghost actually have kidney deficiency?
[The Demon King is so clever! "Today's flowers" is practically a euphemism for tomorrow's! Waaaaah, I really want to receive flowers from the Demon King too!]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 10 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "Just Charge Forward!"]
[I really want to add some pink flower blooming effects around the headless stone golem, it would be so perfect, hahaha!]
[One is adorable, the other is adorable; these two standing together are so heartwarming!]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 15 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "I am still searching for the light"!]
It was already past 1 p.m., and Yu Naixin spent the rest of the afternoon by the side of the headless stone ghost.
The butter monk still had things to do, and Yu Naixin could see him coming and going from time to time. Occasionally, Yu Naixin would ask the butter monk some questions.
However, no special information was obtained.
At 4:30 p.m., the butter flower monk presided over another lotus moon ritual ceremony, and Yu Naixin was finally able to watch the details of the ceremony from the side.
All nine monk NPCs were present. Yu Naixin had already controlled the headless stone ghost to keep it from getting too close, but there was nothing in the backyard of Xiawei Temple that could provide any cover, so the NPCs could still see the headless stone ghost not far away.
Fortunately, thanks to the experience from the morning, the explanation from the butter flower monk, and the reassurance from Yu Naixin, the nine monk NPCs, although still inevitably trembling with fear, were able to coexist peacefully with the headless stone ghost and did not affect the completion of the Lotus Moon Ritual.
Just as the monk himself said, the entire ritual was rather unremarkable, with no information of any use to the guests on the show.
Yu Naixin felt a little sleepy when the movie ended. After the butter flower monk and the nine NPCs left, Yu Naixin got off the headless stone ghost's shoulder and flew to the jade platform in the center of the lotus pond.
Last time, she wore a waterproof jumpsuit specifically to search for anything hidden in the lotus pond. This time, Yu Naixin just wanted to perform a simple movement, gathering a little spiritual energy under her feet to take off.
Standing in front of the altar, Yu Naixin looked up at the blurry-faced statues of gods and Buddhas, her mind racing.
As of now, the only basic information about Xiawei Temple provided by the system is that the "wish made three years ago" is still completely blank for Yu Naixin.
She asked the monk who makes butter sculptures, but he knew nothing about it. He could only tell her that all the sacrificial ceremonies at Xiawei Temple are held at the Lotus Pond, and suggested that Yu Naixin could start from this point.
This indirectly let Yu Naixin know that the wish-making setting was purely added by the production team of "Heartbeat 1000%".
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