Chapter 99 Xiawei Temple, Two Watches Combined
Yu Naixin turned her head slightly and looked up, and saw the face of the butter monk filled with tension and worry.
The butter-flower monk seemed to have rushed over; there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his breathing was somewhat uneven, with a slight panting.
But the hand he held Yu Naixin's was steady and strong, ensuring that Yu Naixin would not touch the rusty lock.
[Where did this butter flower monk come from? Wasn't he injured and unconscious? When did he wake up?]
[It was probably when the female guest threw the grenade and it exploded; the noise was so loud that it could be heard even from the lotus pond area. I was watching from the perspective of the Butterfly Monk; he just twitched his finger and then opened his eyes.]
[The lotus pond must have been this male guest's domain, providing a powerful boost. He only stayed there for such a short time, and while he was still unconscious, he recovered like this.]
[But overall, his recovery is still very limited. Only the huge bloody hole in his chest has disappeared; he's still quite weak, covered in blood that hasn't been cleaned off, and his complexion is at least one shade paler than before.]
[So, this male guest just woke up from fainting, and while he was still exhausted, he discovered the female guest was in danger and rushed over without stopping? Oh my god, he really... I'm so upset!]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 9 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "Pure Love Never Gives Up"!]
[This is the first time I've seen a guest performer from a supporting role suffer such a serious injury... The guest performer clearly had a huge advantage in terms of knowledge of the show's location and information, as well as their own abilities; it's hard for them to suffer such a superficial setback... I can't find a more reasonable explanation than that they truly love this female guest.]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 3 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "What If"!]
As the person involved, Yu Naixin could completely sense the change in the butter monk's attitude towards her.
From the moment he met the monk who made butter flowers, this male guest had always been "amiable" and even "kind" to her.
He would take her hand and lead her to a relatively safe room where she wouldn't be attacked by the headless stone demons. He would also prepare vegetarian meals for her that contained extremely subtle spiritual energy to ensure her normal physiological functions, showing his thoughtfulness and care.
However, Yu Naixin was also very clear that the relationship between her and the butter monk was by no means "friendly".
They were not only separated by a layer of estrangement from each other, who had never met before, but also by a layer of natural wariness and hostility between the show's guests and the co-hosts, like an undercurrent surging beneath a calm surface, maintaining only a fragile and hypocritical balance on the surface.
The monk who added ingredients to Yu Naixin's dinner with Bodhi leaves and lotus pond water was the same monk who took Yu Naixin to his territory in the middle of the night while she was unconscious and tried to kill her.
Even if the hunting conditions were ultimately not implemented successfully, and Yu Naixin even turned the tables and cut off one of his fingers, what happened has happened.
Yu Naixin will never forget these things.
The superficial balance between the two of them was ultimately shattered at the slightest touch. Instead of taking the opportunity to break ties with her, the butter monk seemed to have completely given up, no longer doing anything that a guest should theoretically do for a guest on the show. Instead, stimulated by the appearance of the headless stone ghost, he single-mindedly wanted to protect her.
This protection, like the butter monk's act of killing Yu Naixin to fulfill the hunting conditions, is full of a sense of routine. It's as if the butter monk felt he should do it, so he took action, and it actually has little to do with Yu Naixin as a specific person.
The butter monk would have done the same for any other guest on the show.
But now, the attitude of the butter monk suddenly became very clear: he rushed over so anxiously because of Yu Naixin.
The most obvious contrast is that even when the butter flower monk earnestly pleaded with Yu Naixin "never to leave the lotus pond," he did not take any corresponding measures against her. When Yu Naixin wanted to move around on her own, he completely let her do as she pleased.
Now, the butter flower monks directly obstruct Yu Naixin, and their stance is quite firm.
Yu Naixin looked into his eyes, and those eyes no longer held that template of gentle smile, nor that deep sorrow that seemed to have arose from nowhere; instead, they were filled with a somewhat flustered worry.
Just like the backyard revealing its true face after the thick fog dissipates, the butter monk finally showed her a more personal and emotional side.
As for why the butter monk changed like this, there's no need to guess; it's definitely because he knew she saved him.
Although his injuries were very serious, before he completely lost consciousness, the butter flower monk still remembered that he was not near the lotus pond.
The culprit, the headless stone ghost, wouldn't pay any attention to the butter flower monk, and the nine NPC monks in Xiawei Temple wouldn't interfere when the guests were fighting. The only one who could take him to the lotus pond to recover from his injuries was Yu Naixin, who specially offered her help.
“Benefactor Yu,” the butter-flower monk calmed his breathing slightly, then continued speaking at a much faster pace than usual, “You should have already read that booklet. What I said is true; there is great danger and peril in the west wing.”
After a pause, the butter-flower monk revealed more information: "Inside here... the hatred and resentment are too thick and heavy. If you come into contact with them, it will surely endanger your life."
[Huh? What's this monk saying? There's resentment in this room?! I'm stunned. Aren't the resentments in "Heartbeat 1000%" only present when someone is truly on the verge of death? They're usually generated by guests who can't complete the game. The rose in this female guest's previous episode, "Swan Castle," is a typical example. But "Xiawei Temple" is a challenging dungeon, so where would the resentment come from?]
[When a guest in a dungeon is dying with resentment, they can generate a lot of resentment. One dungeon guest is equivalent to at least ten TV guests. Many of those cursed special artifacts originate from this. However, dungeon guests are very difficult to kill. The vast majority are eliminated and erased through repeated cleansing processes. The process is very slow, like boiling a frog in warm water, so there are no conditions for resentment to form.]
[Let alone the guests from both sides, even NPCs might not die during a raid.]
If we can't find the answer within the program's internal structure, then we can only consider external factors. I remember that if the guests from outside the program have committed too many acts of killing, they would bring the resentment of those beings into "Heartbeat 1000%".
【!! It's true! My God, so the Butter Flower Monk was a bloodthirsty criminal before he was captured by the production team?! I thought he was the kind and compassionate guy who acted so merciful in this episode, not the kind of ruthless killer he is...】
[Heh, I told you long ago, this monk is a real actor. What good could a guest on a side story possibly be?]
Yu Naixin was also taken aback when she heard this.
As for the origin of resentment, Yu Naixin learned from the priest's explanation that it can only be formed when a fully existing life is filled with resentment and bitterness before death.
...Many people died before the show "Xiawei Temple" was officially launched for its guests?
Before she could think about it, Yu Naixin suddenly realized that the headless stone ghost was charging towards her again.
The headless stone golem seemed to have finally realized that it was impossible to restore the shattered armor to its original state by clumsily piecing it back together with its two hands. After a brief moment of confusion and helplessness, it was followed by a visible rage.
A deep, hoarse growl, filled with sorrow and resentment, echoed from the irregular cut on his neck.
The headless stone demon suddenly stood up, and the few remaining bluish-black stone fragments on its body all slid off, piling up with the many other fragments scattered on the ground.
Ignoring the fragments of armor, the headless stone goblin grabbed the massive stone sword, which had been blasted open in several places, and roared as it charged toward the culprit behind all this, Yu Naixin.
[?! Can the Stone Demon be this fast?!]
[Holy crap, I thought the headless stone ghost chasing the female guest was already going all out, but now the firepower can be increased several levels?!]
The headless stone golem is really going crazy... Could that layer of armor be its Achilles' heel?!
[That speed is terrifying! Could the female guest's fan possibly outrun it?!]
The butter flower monk was slightly slower than Yu Naixin, but he also noticed the headless stone ghost's movements immediately.
Butter Monk: "...!!"
His pupils suddenly contracted.
Before the complete version of the program "Xiawei Temple" was formed, the butter flower monk had quite a few interactions with the headless stone ghost, the only living being, in the incomplete version's setting.
The headless stone demon was mentally unstable and had a violent temper, easily getting angry and losing his temper. But this was the first time the butter flower monk had ever seen him so enraged.
Even the monks who made butter sculptures were momentarily bewildered.
What did you do, Benefactor Yu, to provoke the headless stone ghost like this?
As the headless stone ghost drew closer and closer, its murderous aura materializing and hurtling towards the west wing, the butter-flower monk immediately released Yu Naixin's hand, just as he had done before, and tried to step forward to stop the headless stone ghost.
[The butter monk definitely has feelings for the female guest! How many times has this happened? He's been doing everything he can to protect her!]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 5 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "Falling Flowers Still Seem"!]
[You two should just keep taking turns saving each other, all lovey-dovey~]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 8 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "Maybe Romantic Allergy"!]
However, this time, the butter flower monk's physical condition was already very worrying, and the headless stone ghost's anger was far beyond imagination. The butter flower monk did not even stop the headless stone ghost for a second before being fiercely swept away by the headless stone ghost with its stone sword.
The butter-painted monk, dressed in a dark red robe, floated up like a deep red fallen leaf, then crashed heavily onto the bluestone floor more than ten meters away.
Crimson blood spurted from the monk's mouth. He clutched his left chest with trembling hands, struggling to stand up, but he couldn't even sit up.
The butter monk stared intently at Yu Naixin, his eyes wide with fury: "Yu, benefactor...!!"
[Damn! How come the butter monk is so useless! Even holding on for a few seconds would have given the female guest time to escape!]
[It's good enough that he can even put on an act; what real work can you expect from him? He probably tried to win over the female guest before to trick her into letting him "hunt" her, which is why he put in so much effort. Now that he's realized this female guest isn't so easily fooled, he's probably just too lazy to waste his energy anymore.]
No, from the perspective of the butter monk, he really doesn't seem to be faking it...
[Aaaaaaah! The headless stone demon has swung its sword! It's about to attack the female guest!!]
[What's wrong with the female guest?! Why is she just standing there like an idiot, not even trying to get out of the way?!]
Almost instantly, the headless stone ghost that had swept aside the butter flower monk rushed in front of Yu Naixin.
The headless stone demon's murderous aura and rage mingled together, splattering all over Yu Naixin's face and bringing waves of cold, stinging pain.
Despite facing such a terrifying and perilous situation, Yu Naixin's expression remained unchanged, and she was unmoved.
Just as the headless stone demon's stone sword was about to touch Yu Naixin's head, Yu Naixin's figure suddenly disappeared and then reappeared a few meters away.
She just spent 180 Sweet Coins to buy a "Teleportation Scroll" in the system's special shop.
Its function is to instantly move the user to any location within a 10-meter radius of the original coordinates.
The 3 points of spiritual energy consumed are negligible for Yu Naixin now. This effect, where even the user is unsure of where they will be teleported, might have many drawbacks under normal circumstances, but in this situation, it is the perfect choice.
Yu Naixin's movements were too fast, and the teleportation scroll was as swift as its name suggested. The headless stone ghost didn't even have time to react before it was thrown against the door of the side room, which was only inches away, by its momentum.
That's exactly what Yu Naixin's goal is.
She waited until the very last moment to make her last-second dodge, just to ensure that the headless stone golem could make contact with the door.
To deal with the headless stone demon, this simplest and most brutal method will suffice.
It's a good opportunity to have the headless stone golem clear a path for her, so she can see what will happen after touching this door.
The headless stone demon's stone sword, with several notches, struck the lock squarely, breaking the rusty lock in half and shattering it into pieces of varying sizes.
The headless stone demon itself crashed into the door in the next second, smashing open the old wooden door and revealing a crack.
Suddenly, a thick, cold aura seeped out from the crack in the door.
Despite the intense killing intent emanating from the headless stone demon that was practically touching her face, Yu Naixin was able to circulate her spiritual energy for simple defense and remained unaffected. However, the chilling aura that was several meters away sent shivers down her spine.
She finally understood why the butter monk had been so nervous when she tried to open the door.
The resentment here is far more terrifying than the endless sea of blood-red roses and bright moonlight in Neuschwanstein Castle combined!
...Just how many lives, filled with dying resentment, are contained within this place?!
"Bang!!!--"
A violent explosion rang out, and Yu Naixin watched helplessly as the headless stone ghost's entire body seemed to be bound by something, frozen in its forward-rushing posture in front of the room's door, before exploding in the middle and shattering into dust.
【What?! What's going on?! What happened?! My eyes can't take it all in!】
[The little witch's reluctance to dodge was indeed intentional. Didn't the butter flower monk say that this west wing was dangerous? The little witch decided to let the headless stone ghost test the waters.]
[This is a really big disaster... My goodness! The headless stone ghost didn't even properly open the door, just pushed it open a crack, and it died on the spot?!]
Regardless of whether the Butter Flower Monk exaggerated his claims, he said his spiritual power coefficient was 144. The Headless Stone Ghost, as a guest on the same show, must have had a spiritual power coefficient exceeding 100, right? A three-digit spiritual power coefficient is like paper in front of him, crumbling into dust at the slightest touch?!
[What's the deal with this house?! Its power is so overwhelming and unreasonable! It feels like it's already a rule of its own; touching it means certain death!]
The dust filled the air and gradually disappeared into the sky.
The headless stone ghost remains in the most intact part of the venue, namely the fragments of armor in front of the east wing opposite.
The door to the west wing slowly closed, shutting down the narrow gap that was barely a finger's width, and concealing everything inside once again.
Yu Naixin: "..."
Yu Naixin's eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment.
She was not only shocked by the power of the door, which could instantly obliterate the headless stone ghost, but also shocked that even after paying the price of her life, the door was still far from being able to be opened.
Yu Naixin could sense from the fluctuations in energy emanating from that crack that at least one more life would be needed to fulfill the conditions for opening the door.
When asked about the frequency of these requests, Yu Naixin immediately thought of the number that appeared most frequently throughout the entire Xiawei Temple: three.
Whether it requires two lives to enter before the third life is needed, or three lives to enter before the fourth life is still unknown.
The solution to this problem is not hard to find: use substitute straw men. There is no limit to the number of substitute straw men you can buy; as long as you have Sweet Coins, you can buy as many as you want.
However, each surrogate straw doll costs 1,000 Sweet Coins. When Yu Naixin started this simulation, she only had a balance of 5,000 Sweet Coins. After spending some, she only had a little over 4,000 left, which was enough to buy four at most.
This information also suggests that what was hidden in the west wing was not actually particularly necessary.
After all, the "Heartbeat 1000%" program team designs program segments according to certain rules and procedures. Its purpose is to cleanse the segments rather than kill the program guests. The segments opened to the program guests must have a way to survive.
Even Yu Naixin, a show guest who is very good at earning "sweet coins," could only barely scrape together enough capital to unlock this door's restrictions, let alone most show guests.
There might be some clues here, but they're not crucial, and certainly won't affect the show's guests' ability to successfully complete this challenge.
"Cough, cough, cough!" The butter monk coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood. He pressed one hand against the ground and finally managed to support himself little by little.
The butter sculpture monk hadn't had time to clean the bloodstains that covered his body before, and now a lot more had been added, staining his dark red robes in patches of light and dark.
He tried to steady himself, but he could only stagger to the door of the west wing and walk to Yu Naixin's side.
The butter-flower monk looked at the ground where the headless stone ghost had just stood, at the now clean and empty bluestone slab, and opened his mouth, seemingly in surprise, yet also with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or nostalgia).
"Headless, cough! Headless Stone Ghost..." The butter-flower monk placed his right hand on his chest and uttered "Amitabha," "and he has died just like that..."
[Huh?! Really dead?! I still can't believe it! A guest from a reality show actually died in a dangerous situation set up within the show's scenario?! The guest from that scenario was supposed to know the scenario best!]
This house isn't made of stone, so it doesn't belong to the headless stone demon's domain. The headless stone demon itself doesn't have much of a brain; it just charges around recklessly. So, it's actually quite reasonable that it's like this...
[Wait a minute, wait a minute, so now the only guest in the "Xiawei Temple" instance is the Butter Flower Monk?! I remember the instance would mutate in this situation, right?!]
Yes, there are three types of mutation instances: fusion, proliferation, and reduction. The mutation reduction instance is when one of the two instance guests dies, leaving only one instance guest. However, the mutation won't happen now; it will only occur after the female guest leaves.
After a moment of silence, the butter-flower monk turned his gaze to Yu Naixin.
“Benefactor Yu…” the butter-flower monk lowered his eyelids and called out in a deep voice, “This humble monk has a request that I hope Benefactor Yu will grant.”
His tone was very slow, almost as if he were speaking one word at a time, and his voice was extremely humble, like a pleading cry.
This has never happened before.
Yu Naixin looked at the butter sculpture monk and had a vague premonition.
"Please, Benefactor Yu..." The butter-flower monk bent down, bowed deeply to Yu Naixin, and said, "Kill this humble monk."
【What the heck?!】
[Was I misheard, or has this male guest gone mad? He asked the female guest to kill him?!]
[It's true that he's the only guest left, which is a good time to play the victim for the female guests, but does it have to be this serious?! He doesn't even seem to be joking; he seems genuinely serious!]
“This humble monk, a ‘guest in a copy,’ cannot commit suicide,” the butter sculpture monk said mournfully, still bowing. “I can only turn to you for help.”
"The headless stone ghost is dead. If this humble monk dies as well, the entire Xiawei Temple will be wiped out."
"At that time, Benefactor Yu, you will be able to clear the dungeon on the spot, leave this place, and receive the settlement reward for the successful completion of this dungeon."
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