Chapter 8: Bell
Because of one sentence from Daoist Master Qin, Xuan Xia turned back to the Daoist Temple again.
A bunch of people gathered at the temple gate.
Not only her employee’s employees, but also that Little Fatty who gave her directions and ended up leading her into a pit.
Especially upon seeing Little Fatty, Xuan Xia felt complicated emotions.
Little Fatty was the first to come up, chattering away: “I called out to you before, but you ignored me. You wandering around scared me to death.”
“Hmm?”
Luckily he was quick-witted and hurried back, running into Daoist Master Qin halfway.
He finally brought her back.
Xuan Xia roughly understood. It turned out Daoist Master Qin appeared in the Illusionary Scenery because Little Fatty had gone to get help.
If it weren’t for Little Fatty, she didn’t know how long she’d have to stay in the Illusionary Scenery, or even if she could leave.
By that calculation, Little Fatty was her lifesaver.
No need to dwell on the past. Xuan Xia thanked him for getting help in time: “Thank you.”
Little Fatty was embarrassed by the sudden thanks, his chubby face flushing red as he fidgeted and said: “No problem.”
Daoist Master Qin was instructing the two bodyguards on something. Once finished, he looked over at the two talking.
He then came to Xuan Xia’s side and said to her: “Go wash up first.”
Uncle Zhong nearby also hurriedly came to escort her to the backyard.
Little Fatty looked at them in confusion, probably thinking it wasn’t time for dinner first?
But Xuan Xia knew a bit more than Little Fatty.
At a time like this, the best thing was to wash up to dispel the residual baleful energy.
Otherwise, ordinary people would fall ill.
–
After Xuan Xia finished washing up and came out refreshed, the sky outside had already darkened, with a few stars sparsely dotting the night sky.
It was the time when birds returned to their nests and all sounds fell silent, but smoke wafted from the backyard kitchen, creating a bit of lively atmosphere.
Xuan Xia went over and saw Uncle Zhong bustling energetically in the kitchen alone.
As expected of a master chef; his setup was different, and the aroma from the dishes in the pot was enticing, making one’s mouth water.
This made Xuan Xia, who usually ate at the cafeteria, unable to stop swallowing.
Uncle Zhong turned his head and saw her, smiling as he called: “Miss Xuan, come sit quickly. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Once Xuan Xia entered, he said proudly: “The pajamas fit perfectly, right? Looks like I bought the right size.”
It turned out the pajamas were prepared by this Uncle Zhong.
Xuan Xia had only noticed when she went to the room to wash up that all the necessities for a girl were fully prepared. Her great grandfather’s room had actually been completely transformed inside into a girl’s bedroom.
Including the en-suite bathroom.
No wonder she felt the bedding in the room didn’t match the overall style.
It turned out the person moving in was her.
“Smells so good.” Xuan Xia’s gaze swept over the dishes, and she casually asked: “Uncle Zhong, where’s Daoist Master Qin?”
Uncle Zhong said indifferently: “Gone to retrieve something.”
Retrieve something…
Did he go to retrieve that woman?
Xuan Xia lifted her gaze from the dishes, recalling that Daoist Master Qin had only said the woman came from the pond and nothing more.
She couldn’t help but connect it to her earlier suspicion: could that woman’s bones be at the bottom of the pond?
Could they retrieve that themselves? Shouldn’t they call the police?
Just as she thought that, voices came from the backyard entrance. The group who went to retrieve something had returned.
Xuan Xia turned to look and saw that except for Daoist Master Qin, everyone was fully equipped.
Who wouldn’t say they looked like a professional salvage team?
She wondered if they did this kind of thing often.
Xuan Xia wanted to go up and ask about the situation, but Daoist Master Qin raised his hand from afar to stop her: “Don’t come near after washing up. We’ll look later.”
“Oh.”
But she hadn’t wanted to look at any bones.
……
Soon, she realized she was wrong.
There definitely were no bones.
What Daoist Master Qin and the others brought back was a bell the size of a walnut.
No one knew how long this bell had been buried in the pond silt. Daoist Master Qin washed it many times with well water, but the bell still looked covered in green rust, its color aged.
However, after the ninth wash, Daoist Master Qin stopped and instead placed it on a sheet of yellow talisman paper before heading into the temple.
Xuan Xia thought for a moment and followed.
Daoist Master Qin went to the side hall, the one enshrining the Spirit Official Statue.
Then, he placed the yellow talisman paper with the bell together on the enshrined altar table.
Xuan Xia glanced over, couldn’t resist stepping forward two steps, and seeing Daoist Master Qin didn’t stop her this time, she carefully examined the bell.
The surface of the bell was carved with intricate patterns, like floral designs or some special talismans.
Besides that, she couldn’t make out anything else.
“This bell is that woman?” Xuan Xia looked back at Daoist Master Qin in disbelief, seeking confirmation.
Daoist Master Qin gave her an affirmative answer.
No matter how incredulous Xuan Xia was, she had to accept it and examined the bell again.
She hadn’t noticed before, but now looking closely, it did seem a bit eerie.
After a while.
Xuan Xia asked uncertainly again: “Is that woman stored inside this bell? Is it okay to just leave it like this?”
It wouldn’t drag someone into the Illusionary Scenery again, would it?
Daoist Master Qin said: “The Spirit Official is watching it. She won’t dare act up.”
Fine then.
Soon Xuan Xia thought of something else: “You said she was kept by someone. Is the person who kept her the owner of this bell?”
“The totem on the bell looks quite unique. Daoist Master Qin, take a look—might the totem have clues about the bell’s owner?”
Daoist Master Qin hummed and said: “The bell is engraved with restraint talismans. But this kind of talisman is very common; many in the Mystic Sect know it, so it can’t be pinpointed to who it belongs to.”
Xuan Xia frowned. So that’s how it was.
Daoist Master Qin was silent for a few seconds, then said: “Tomorrow I’ll have the scenic area pull nearby surveillance footage to see if we can find anything.”
Xuan Xia nodded. That was a good idea.
The Spirit Official statue glared fiercely, one hand holding a whip, the other forming a hand seal. As Xuan Xia nodded, she suddenly glanced and remembered Daoist Master Qin had also formed this hand seal in the Illusionary Scenery.
But compared to the original on the statue, Daoist Master Qin’s version felt slightly different.
While studying where the Spirit Official’s hand seal differed, she suddenly heard Daoist Master Qin ask her: “Are you afraid?”
Xuan Xia didn’t turn her head: “In what way?”
Daoist Master Qin: “……”
“The Illusionary Scenery just now.”
“Oh.” She thought he’d ask if she was afraid to stay in the temple.
Xuan Xia thought about it. Probably because the stories in the notebook had laid the groundwork, she felt: “It’s okay.”
Her tone was relaxed.
Daoist Master Qin gave her an extra look.
It made Xuan Xia feel a bit baffled.
