The Port Mafia is worthy of being the long-term cooperation partner of Sojiji Temple. As the leader of the Port Mafia, Mori Ogai, who brought his two children out, naturally did not need to squeeze in line at the door like ordinary tourists.
As soon as they got off the bus, people dressed as monks came to greet them and took them to a quiet place at the back to rest for a while. After they had recovered from the fatigue of the journey, an older monk took them on a smooth tour.
The reception room is located near the monks' meditation rooms. The higher the rank of the monk, the better the place they live in. As a reception room, it is of course the most luxurious house in the room and is also closest to the abbot's residence.
Mori Ougai and the other accompanying personnel might not feel anything, but the Haiyin Temple tour with the help of the little king's perspective discovered some clues.
The host's residence turned out to be the place that made him feel the most subtle.
But before they could take any further look, the elderly abbot walked towards them.
The abbot named Myoho is now over a hundred years old, which is considered quite long-lived. Mori Ou shook hands with the old man politely, but he discovered some clues.
Compared to the last time they met, the old man's spirit was obviously much worse, but most older people don't have the same experience as before, which made Sen Ou sigh a little, but he didn't care too much.
But for some reason, he always felt that there was a lot of cold and slippery liquid on the old abbot's hands, like cooling sweat, which made him feel a little nauseous. Mori Ogai twirled his fingers without leaving any trace.
But what caught people's attention the most was that there was a strong smell of incense lingering around the old man, as if he was hiding something. This was not Abbot Miaofa's usual style.
Polite greetings are essential.
"Are these two your children? They are really of excellent quality."
The old man's smile, tone of voice, and adjectives all seemed so disgusting.
That cold and sticky gaze slid across Alice and Michelle Ender, causing the blonde girl to hide behind Michelle Ender immediately, not forgetting to step hard on Mori Owl like a bully.
Although it is not advisable to speculate on other people's preferences, this change still makes Mori Ogai a little concerned. However, it is somewhat inappropriate to talk about this matter in the current situation. He just smiled and asked indirectly: "Master Miaofa, do you like incense recently? I didn't expect you like this too."
When the monk named Miaofa heard the question, he slowly turned around.
His movements were obviously not as agile as the last time Moriogai saw him. He was like a machine that was about to exceed its service life. Every joint was covered with rust and he could only move slowly.
But the only thing that has not changed is the old man's eyes. Those eyes with more white than black are hidden under wrinkled eyelids, like two hidden guns hidden behind a roller shutter. Perhaps because he is not in a good mental state, the abbot always squints his eyes, no longer as gentle as before, and looks a little fierce and scary.
Mori Ou could feel that the old man seemed to raise his eyes and glance at him, but his squinting eyes did not reveal any change in emotion.
As expected, the old abbot did not have any special reaction, as if this was really an old man trying new things when he was bored. Mori Ougai could only keep his doubts in his heart for the time being, and everything seemed normal.
But the little king standing beside Mori Owl was different. When the old abbot seemed to want to touch him to show affection, he expressed his likes and dislikes without any concealment.
"Tsk, it's all marinated well."
The blond boy frowned, took a step back, and easily dodged the old man's hand. He looked very impatient.
[Suddenly I can feel what it tastes like]
[Next time I have money, I will definitely buy a phone that can smell something. I suddenly wonder what that smell is]
[It sounds a bit rude]
[However, the old abbot’s words before were indeed uncomfortable. His Majesty the King has restrained himself./bush
[Nonsense speculation: there is no possibility that the old resident has a problem]
[Of course there is. It might be a big problem.]
[Speaking of which, the little king seems to have a particularly bad attitude towards ghosts and gods, as evidenced by the killing of Lady Hachisha before.]
[So, maybe the little king has discovered something?]
The tour to Haiyin Temple did reveal something. From the moment I met the old abbot, all the twisted and weird things about this temple seemed to have reached their peak here.
The old abbot seems to be the root of everything. He is like a mother tree that has grown here for hundreds of years, extending its dirty roots and branches in all directions.
[Wait, everyone, look at the old abbot's clothes. They look dirty. Zongji Temple wouldn't let the abbot wear dirty clothes, would it?]
[Don't tell me, it's true]
[Why does it feel a bit like...]
[Like what? The one in front of you, don’t just say half of the words.]
[I'm just making an unreliable guess. It feels a bit like the five decays of the gods. Think about it, after all, it needs strong incense to cover it up. Isn't this the feeling of putting air freshener in the toilet?]
[Hiss, that makes sense]
When seeing the "Five Deteriorations of Heaven and Man" mentioned in the bullet screen, Haiyin Temple Suyou was immediately enlightened. Indeed, the bullet screen may not be able to feel it, but the little king saw it clearly.
Whether it was dirty clothes, sweaty armpits or smelly body, you could tell from the old abbot's appearance.
But just speculating this is not enough. Why the old abbot is in this state, and why the incident at Sojiji Temple caused Tanizaki Naomi to disappear, are all unknown.
I vaguely grasped something during the journey back to Haiyin Temple. Now, as long as I understand the old abbot's motives, everything seems to be solved.
“Tourists are not allowed.”
When he and Tanizaki Junichiro quietly headed in the direction indicated by the hand, they were suddenly stopped by an elderly monk.
The old monk stopped the two of them, but suddenly stopped talking and just paced slowly around them. He casually passed by Tanizaki Junichiro, and when he saw Kaionji Temple, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The dry muscles on the old monk's face were pulled, and he seemed to be trying hard to show a kind smile, but in the end it was just a weird smile, which made people feel timid. Such a smile made Tanizaki Junichiro look away uncomfortably.
But the boy standing next to Tanizaki Junichiro was different. Instead, he met the old man's gaze and accepted the scrutiny.
But after a few minutes, the old man suddenly trembled strangely, like a quail in the rain.
"You are the destined one, please come with me."
A pair of skinny hands stretched out toward Haiyin Temple, but stopped in the air with forbearance, but still trembled unnaturally, as if a hungry hunter saw delicious prey, but had to suppress his appetite and slowly lure the prey into his stomach.
Knowing that one cannot gain tiger cubs without risking the tiger's den, Haiyin Temple did not refuse the offer. Moreover, the little king's vest was nearby. If the emergency really came, he could just pretend that his wish had come true.
But when Tanizaki Junichiro wanted to follow in, he was stopped by the old man.
He wanted to force his way in, but was held down firmly by those hands that looked like they could easily break free, like a weak cub being held down by the claws of an eagle.
"Sorry, you're not invited."
It was as if he had been enduring something. The excessive suppression of his nature seemed to have changed the tone of the old monk's voice. His brief words were spoken one word at a time, and were dragged out into a strange long sentence.
"My special ability should be able to fool them. I will just follow quietly from behind."
Kaionji Suyou discussed with Tanizaki Junichiro for a while, and the old man had no intention of stopping them. He just stood there blankly, like a puppet that needed a fixed program to be activated.
Although the old man seemed to be incredibly strong, they still had a chance of winning when they were two against one. However, in order not to alert the enemy, Kaionji Suyou and Tanizaki Junichiro decided to avoid conflict for the time being.
As the old monk led the way to the inner part of Kaiinji Temple, Junichiro Tanizaki followed with the help of his special ability disguise, and as expected, he was not discovered.
This is not the bustling front part of the temple, nor does it have many ancient temple buildings. It is just the residence of the monks.
But the further we went toward Haiyin Temple, the more unbearable the sound of the old monk's footsteps became.
At first, the old man's footsteps were still brisk, and there was almost no friction sound between his feet and the smooth stone pavement, as if he was a floating ghost.
But gradually, the old man's footsteps became more sticky and sharp, like fingernails rubbing against glass, making a sharp and piercing sound that made people tremble from their eardrums.
While walking, I found that the walls around Haiyin Temple seemed to become more and more mottled, with some traces of corrosion on the walls.
But that was not caused by ordinary weathering, it was more like it had been washed by acid rain or acidic substances. It looked extremely worn out, and even the relief on it could not show any traces of its original appearance.
From somewhere came a gurgling sound, like the mellow sound of bubbles bursting and forming in the water, and it was getting louder and louder.
Kaionji Suyou didn't know whether Tanizaki Junichiro had the same feeling. The young man's special ability made him unable to detect Tanizaki Junichiro's reaction for the time being.
They finally stopped in front of a red temple.
Blinding red.
He was in a daze for a moment as he traveled along the path leading to Haiyin Temple before he could see the original appearance of the temple, but just this one glance was enough to take his breath away.
It is alive.
The temple was alive; it was like a red, blood-filled organ beating vigorously in the upper-middle left area marked on the Zongjiji Temple map.
Like a dirty heart.
The gurgling sound became louder and closer, so close that it seemed like it was right next to my ear.
Haiyin Temple Suyou suddenly looked in the direction of the old monk.
The old man was melting, and that strange gurgling sound came from there.
It's like the food in the stomach is wrapped and dissolved by the warm stomach acid.
When I was walking along the Haiyin Temple, I suddenly realized that this was not only the heart, but also the digestive organ of this horrible monster.
He watched the old man disappear bit by bit, blending into the soil like vomit, and his face became heavier and heavier.
Only then did Tanizaki Junichiro lose his special ability. The young man looked at the place where the old man disappeared, his eyes full of confusion and fear.
"Just, just disappeared like that?" The young man's voice sounded a little stumbling.
Kaionji Suyou did not answer him. As expected, Tanizaki Junichiro should have only seen the disappearance of the old monk, and did not notice or was unable to notice the abnormality of the temple.
Looking around, the road I came from has disappeared. The surrounding environment seems to have formed some kind of closed loop. No matter where I go, I will return to this place. It is like falling into a fly trap. No matter how hard I struggle, it will be fruitless.
The temperature around seemed to be rising slowly, and soon it became scorching hot at the edge of this barrier-like place. Kaionji Suyou and Tanizaki Junichiro had to return to the side of the temple. Only this place was still relatively cool.
Their skin felt as if it was burning, as if something like digestive fluid had actually come into contact with them.
This condition can only be relieved by getting closer to the red temple.
Kaionji Suyu and Tanizaki Junichiro looked at each other and saw a certain determination in each other's eyes.
They all walked into the red temple at the same time.
The moment the two stepped into the red temple, the walls covered with murals suddenly moved.
A bulge appeared, a vague face that seemed to want to break through the restraints of the wall. A closer look revealed that it was the face of a young girl.
Then, one face after another quietly emerged from the wall, and without exception, they all had their mouths wide open.
It's like a silent cry.
It's like trying in vain to stop others from entering.