Chapter 373: Asuka

The Yin-Yang ghosts complied, emerged from the umbrella sword, and swiftly headed towards the black mist.

The water monster’s anguished roars sounded from the immensely dense mist. It was clearly enraged by the actions of the umbrella sword, and put up a fierce struggle.

After a moment, the umbrella sword reappeared, along with Hei Haowen, who was clinging onto the prayer beads, covered in blood and heavily injured. He was still smiling, however, seemingly unfazed by his wounds.

Ye Wenxin couldn’t bear the smell of blood, as it would trigger her bloodthirsty instincts. She had Gu Xiangsi lower the Phoenix Fire, and after Hei Haowen jumped into the sea to wash off the blood, Ye Wenxin began urgent treatment and bandaging.

When she looked back, Ye Wenxin saw that the Yin-Yang ghosts were eating something that had a fresh, raw smell, likely the water monster’s tentacles. Although she couldn’t clearly see what it was, she guessed the water monster was an octopus. Not particularly fond of raw food herself, she crouched down and asked the Yin-Yang ghosts if the food was tasty.

The Yin-Yang ghosts were too engrossed in their meal to pay Ye Wenxin any mind. However, the black and white furballs eagerly ran over, one carrying a token and the other a letter. Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but appreciate how useful her furball daughters were.

“Come, let me see what spoils you’ve found.” Currently, Ye Wenxin’s fondness for the furballs beat her like towards the Yin-Yang ghosts. The furballs let go, and Ye Wenxin took the token.

The token was made of pure gold, heavy and inscribed with an incomprehensible symbol. Curious, Ye Wenxin asked the others if they had seen something like it before, but everyone shook their heads, an obvious sign they didn’t recognize the token’s origins.

With the first clue leading nowhere, Ye Wenxin turned her attention to the letter. It was a will, bearing a seal and written in blood. It told of a ship’s voyage, and the dangers they had encountered. The crew was still inside the water monster’s stomach even now, and would likely be digested at any time.

[If by chance someone is reading this letter, please deliver the token to Teacher Asuka at the Cosmos Academy.]

Cosmos Academy, having provided numerous talents to various dynasties, and being the best place for noble children who couldn’t cultivate, was renowned throughout the world.

Ye Wenxin, seeing everyone curiously staring at the letter in her hand, passed it around for them to read. Gu Xiangsi, with a tinge of regret, mentioned that the dean was an outstanding figure in the literary world.

With the dean’s fall, another talent was lost.

“Did you see any survivors when you went inside earlier, Furballs?” Ye Wenxin felt a slight stir in her heart, not for Cosmos Academy, or the token, but for this person named Asuka.

This name naturally made her think of people from Earth’s Area 11¹, and she wondered if she might meet a foreign friend in this world. If she could save this dean, the gratitude and reward would be substantial, and she could see if this so-called Asuka had any connection to Earth.

Furball made a gurgling sound, and Ghost Mother interpreted: “The people on the ship had starved to death about a month ago.”

After hearing this, Ye Wenxin didn’t ask any more questions. She put away the letter and the token, planning to find the location of Cosmos Academy at the first opportunity, and deliver the dean’s last words to the teacher named Asuka…

The next morning, the sea was all quiet again. The journey went extremely smoothly that day, and there were no more encounters with the water monster.

Ye Wenxin, curious, asked Ghost Mother, who explained that Sword Ghost had cut off the water monster’s tentacles. Thanks to the ghost race’s effects, the water monster couldn’t regrow its tentacles for a few days, which was why it didn’t come out to cause trouble today.

Just like that, they crossed the coast, and the tranquility made Ye Wenxin feel somewhat bored. At the same time, their imminent arrival at the Southern Dipper Temple filled her with more anticipation. She wondered if the opportunities she missed in Yangzhou City, could be found at the Southern Dipper Temple.

After traveling for another day, they arrived at their destination…

The Southern Dipper Temple was located atop a mountain peak, exuding an ancient charm. Upon arrival, they saw a monk busily sweeping the ground outside. Hei Haowen immediately approached him and said, “Martial Uncle, these people are esteemed guests that Master has invited. Please allow them to pass.”

The sweeping monk had golden eyes, giving him a somewhat intimidating appearance. He turned to Ye Wenxin and the others, his golden eyes glowing.

Known as ‘Discerning Eyes’, this was a basic method for Buddhist disciples to identify the supernatural. The fact that the monk’s eyes were a bright gold indicated he had reached the pinnacle of mastery. Ye Wenxin felt a bit nervous, worried that her Bone-shrinking Technique might be exposed.

However, the monk’s focus was on the umbrella sword. He put down his broom, looked at the sword, and continued, “So, this is the lost umbrella sword. How did it become so filthy?”

Hei Haowen, feeling awkward, briefly explained how they had found the umbrella sword in a secret realm. The sweeping monk nodded slightly, and then looked at Ye Wenxin. “This person is quite good; she may proceed.”

The sweeping monk’s meaningful look unnerved Ye Wenxin. Something felt off, but she reassured herself that Buddhist disciples couldn’t marry, and that their way of cultivation completely differed from that of the demon sect Shura Hall. Her peach blossom luck wouldn’t be effective here, so she smiled naturally.

The sweeping monk grinned as well. “Very good, very good… You may enter.”

Ye Wenxin was about to ask what the sweeping monk was hinting at, when she heard the sound of large doors creaking open, and a golden wall quickly parted before her eyes. Golden light enveloped the entire temple. This was clearly the Southern Dipper Temple’s defensive measure against external elements, while Hei Haowen’s martial uncle was the gatekeeper.

He was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, making Ye Wenxin realize that the Southern Dipper Temple was far stronger than she had imagined. She also found it curious why the temple was now so heavily guarded, so she pressed: “The Southern Dipper Temple’s defensive array is quite special. It feels like even a fly couldn’t get in.”

The sweeping monk seemed to have a favorable impression of Ye Wenxin, and continued grinning as he replied, “A thief once broke into our sutra library. We built this wall to keep her from coming back, but unexpectedly, she never returned.”

Ye Wenxin’s heart stirred, recalling her own experience of sneaking into the Southern Dipper Temple to steal books. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the monk was referring to her. However, if the defenses were truly meant for her, then this golden wall was useless. After all, she was now openly entering the Southern Dipper Temple.

Not wanting to appear too smug, she further inquired about the book thief. The sweeping monk’s grin grew even brighter.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. This is a reference to the anime Code Geass, where Japan, after losing its rights, freedom and name, became known as Area 11 under Britannian rule. ↩︎