At last, I finally understand how Master Aghon could appear so accurately beside the thief's hole, right behind me!
That's it!
Sinpo is able to determine my location in an unknown way. Master Aghon also did some calculations. The scriptures found Old Gong, and this artifact has found me!
Both sides can make us invisible!
Of course, Master Aggon is covering my breath, and Black City Temple cannot find me. They are looking for the person they want, right in front of them!
As we walked along the inclined path at the first bend, intuitively, we were parallel to the roof of the first temple wall. The bright gold roof showcased extreme opulence, but for some reason, under the sunlight, I couldn't see the color of the roof.
As the mountains recede upwards, the road narrows inward, and the second temple hall appears. The walls begin to show some patterns, resembling totems, neither human nor ghostly, nor animal-like. Some are calm, others fierce, with varying expressions.
I saw the patterns of the Ghost Mother. There were numerous small ghosts below the bulky ghost body, with dark crawling and excited playful actions.
This reminded me of the four Rule Mountain female disciples who died at the hands of the Black Demons. Her appearance was terrifying, with a body covered in holes and her qi completely drained. It was a sight to behold.
An overwhelming sense of oppression arose!
After three bends and three temples, we finally entered a stairway that led inward, not straight, with a very winding path.
Along the way, we encountered many monks. Some of them were kneeling on the open space, prostrating themselves five times, then bringing their hands to their sides like rowing a boat on the ground. They then stood up and repeated the motion over and over again, crawling in place and circling around.
Or, holding prayer wheels, they recited scriptures continuously, with a hissing sound that never ceased.
There were also some very elderly monks, both males and females, who walked slowly.
Everyone's expression was very serene. If someone who did not know about Black City Temple came here, they would truly think this was a Buddhist holy land!
I felt even more terrifying; the phrase 'innocuous to both man and beast' gave me a deeper understanding.
Finally, we came to a temple hall. Compared to the other places, this one was much smaller and looked like a normal house.
Suddenly, the black demon who led the way looked at me and said a few words.
A shiver ran through my heart; I couldn't understand a word of it.
At this crucial moment, if Luo Baineng gave me an explanation, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
A chill swept through my body, and I did not resist. My limbs were out of control, but I spoke in a strange tone, replying twice.
The black demon nodded slightly, gestured to Luo Baineng to enter first, and then I walked towards the side house, pushed the door open, and entered.
After entering, I closed the door and everything inside seemed very dark.
Yes, it was bright outside with sunshine, but inside the house, it was dark and terrifying. Coldness flowed around constantly and seeped into every part of my body.
After my eyes adjusted a bit, I realized that the room was very simple. Against the wall was a row of beds, which seemed to have been unoccupied for a long time, and they were very clean and tidy.
Except for a table in the room, there was nothing else.
The door and the wall had no windows, which was the reason for the darkness. Only a single transparent tile on the roof provided a weak light source.
I walked slowly to the door and peeked out through the gap.
This was not my own action; it was still Old Gong controlling my movements.
Thanks to his timely intervention earlier, I avoided a major incident.
There's no one outside my door, and looking to the side, there's no one there either by the other door.
However, are there really no one guarding it?
I had a new question in my mind.
My body shivered as Old Gong popped out of my shoulder, muttering in a very low voice, "Thank goodness I had a few of those young Luo brats to eat; otherwise, I would have capsized in the gutter and died completely."
"Master, before that old blackie said that you had no qualifications to enter the room your grandmother had entered, so you can only stay here." Old Gong explained to me again.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"Go take a look and see what's going on over there?"
Old Gong's eyeballs rolled up, and he crawled down from my shoulder to the front of the other wall, disappearing into it.
I've been standing by the door, peering out through the crack.
Just then, a person walked past outside. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, carrying two bamboo steamer baskets in his hand, heading towards the room Luo Baineng had entered.
My heart slightly calmed down. It should be fine. Old Gong is very perceptive and has a quick reaction.
Soon, the person entered the room, emerging a minute or two later and heading towards my house.
In an instant, Old Gong's head appeared at the base of the wall, and in the next moment, a chill swept over my body as he took control of me again.
I retreated two steps, and the door was pushed open. The young monk on the other side had a smile on his face, gave me a food box, and spoke some words I couldn't understand. Then he clasped his hands together in a gesture, bowed once, and left.
Old Gong only emerged from my shoulder once the footsteps faded away.
"Aiyo... Master, you don't know..." Old Gong shivered as if he had a chill, his head trembling.
"Oh, they really..." The words were cut off again.
This is the first time I've seen Old Gong this nervous.
"What's inside that room?" I asked.
"It's a very good thing, but it's not good at all, Master. You should not go there. Your grandmother doesn't know what Black City Temple will do. They might not give you an opportunity to see the Lord." Old Gong said vaguely.
"Can you find my dad?" I walked over to the table and put down the food baskets.
"Of course, you can find him if you look hard enough. You can find him, but it's not easy here; what if they send someone?" Old Gong replied.
I was silent for a moment.
"Let's eat something first. Once we're full and satisfied, we can come up with a plan. Since we're here, let's just stay calm. Black City Temple seems peaceful for now. Xinpo that little bastard, can really hold his temper." Old Gong tried to lighten the mood.
"It smells so good, Master. Don't just stand there; you've already eaten enough tsampa and dried meat. Have something warm to eat and restore your spirit."
Under Old Gong's urging, I patiently opened the food box. What I saw was an elliptical fried dish with golden color, filled with meat and fragrant oil. There was a straight, thin piece at the end that wasn't a bamboo chopsticks. This food was a whole dish.
For a moment, the scent vanished, and a sense of vomiting came over me.
"Ze... it tastes fresh." Old Gong moved his mouth and said, "Master, what's wrong with it? This thing, eat grass, eat medicine, it may not have the fragrance of Luanhou."
I was about to cover the food box when Old Gong reminded me, "If you don't eat it, they'll bring it for the next meal. They'll take away the food box, or they might think you have a problem, or that you're looking down on them. If a real Luo family member is here, they'll definitely eat it heartily."
"You can eat it; I'll have the tsampa," I shook my head, the feeling of nausea still very strong.
Old Gong's hands and feet began to function, and he brought out a few plates, muttering in admiration.
But I didn't feel like looking closely at it.
