txolops Chapter 23 The Trump Card
Chapter 23 The Trump Card
"Brother Fahai, was that thing that appeared during the day really a dragon?"
As night deepened, the ordinary people in the reed marshes finally couldn't resist and retreated one after another.
Although there were still boats searching for the so-called "real dragon" on the river, they were merely decorations in the pitch-black night, and could not compare to the grand scene during the day.
But at this moment, a group of people went against the grain and came to the reed marshes; it was the people from Jinshan Temple.
The leader was Fahai. After he came out of seclusion, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the abbot, then selected a few warrior monks and went to the riverbank to investigate.
After searching for a while, they found nothing.
Fahai remained unfazed, but the few martial monks couldn't help themselves and approached him to ask questions.
"Senior brother, what if it is a real dragon?"
Fahai was fiercely opposed to demons and aloof towards his own junior brother, but he wasn't entirely unapproachable.
He explained casually:
"Even if it is a real dragon, its unauthorized appearance and disturbance of the people is still a violation of the Heavenly Court's rules. It should be reported to the local Dragon King so that he can punish it."
"Besides, I see a strong demonic aura here, how could it possibly be a real dragon? It's clearly a monster posing as a dragon!"
Fahai spoke with such conviction that the warrior monks nodded in agreement.
One of the monks said, "What my senior brother said makes sense."
"But what should we do if we can't find the monster here? Should we ask the local prefect for help and request him to send troops to conduct a large-scale search?"
As soon as these words were spoken, someone objected:
"I'm afraid that won't work. That monster is nothing in front of my senior brother, but it still has a lot of magical power."
"Even if we borrow troops from the prefect, it's unlikely we'll find any trace of the monster."
Fahai listened quietly, remaining silent.
He spoke only after all the monks had spoken:
"It's getting late, let's head back to Jinshan Temple first, we can talk about it later."
He led his men back to the temple, passing by Lin Xuan's restaurant on the way. He only glanced at it curiously and didn't pay it any mind.
In the abbot's eyes, Lin Xuan was just a spoiled young master. His conflict with Jinshan Temple was completely due to his ignorance of the immensity of heaven and earth.
As for the demonic aura around Lin Xuan, it probably means that some minor demons have their eyes on Lin Xuan's vital energy.
There's no need to tell Fahai about such a trivial matter.
Therefore, after Fahai emerged from seclusion, the abbot did not mention this matter.
The monks behind Fahai wanted to offer a reminder, but they didn't say anything when they saw Fahai pass by the restaurant. They just glanced at him and didn't dare to say anything more.
After the group returned to Jinshan Temple, Fahai bid farewell to the warrior monks and, upon arriving at the abbot's thatched cottage, his expression finally turned serious. He said in a deep voice:
"Abbot, that dragon that appeared today is no ordinary creature!"
"I can tell that its magical power is average and its cultivation level is not particularly high, but its bloodline is extremely strange, like a dragon, but not quite."
"The sudden appearance of such a monstrous creature is definitely not a good thing!"
Fahai was indeed extraordinary; even without seeing Lin Xuan's true form, he still sensed something amiss.
This level of insight alone is far superior to that of Yun Hezi, whom Lin Xuan destroyed.
The abbot's expression changed upon hearing this, and he asked in a deep voice:
"If that's the case, then this monster is quite formidable. Are you confident you can defeat him?"
Fahai smiled smugly.
"Master, do not worry! In my hands, I not only possess the golden alms bowl you bestowed upon me, but also the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Scripture!"
"Moreover, my Jinshan Temple is protected by dragon energy; how could we fear a mere dragon?"
After hearing this explanation, the abbot's expression gradually softened.
Fahai's words make a lot of sense.
That purple-gold alms bowl was no ordinary object; it contained immense spiritual power.
Legend has it that when the golden alms bowl appeared in the world, the future Buddha gave a prophecy that this object was destined for Buddhism and would eventually fall into the hands of a virtuous monk, thus glorifying Buddhism.
After Jinshan Temple received the purple-gold alms bowl, it immediately treasured it and passed it down through generations.
The abbots of Jinshan Temple throughout the ages have conducted experiments showing that even if held in the hands of an ordinary person, it is enough to drive away wandering ghosts.
In Fahai's hands, it became an extremely powerful magic weapon.
The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon True Scripture is also an extremely powerful method. As long as one calls upon its name, one can borrow the power of the Heavenly Dragon Buddha.
In the Spirit Mountain, the Eight Heavenly Dragons are not considered powerful figures, but in the mortal realm, they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Even if it's just borrowing some Buddhist power, it can suppress a great demon.
As for the dragon energy of Jinshan Temple, it is even more extraordinary. It is not the energy of the dragons who are now serving the Heavenly Court, but is related to the ancient dragons.
The abbot nodded and said, "That's good."
"It seems that the sudden appearance of this monster is not a bad thing, but a good thing."
"Fahai, you can use it to practice and gain experience for suppressing more powerful monsters in the future."
"But that monster is elusive; how will you find it?"
Fahai scoffed dismissively.
"Master, don't worry. The demon's swaggering through the streets today is not so simple; it has a deeper meaning."
"I don't think he'll stay still; he'll reappear sooner or later, and then I'll take care of him!"
The abbot hesitated and said, "Demons have long lifespans. What if he delays appearing for three to five years?"
Fahai's expression remained resolute.
"Then I'll wait! Not just three to five years, but even thirty to fifty years, I'll wait!"
Almost simultaneously, at the Lin residence.
Lin Xuan, wrapped in a thick quilt and holding a bowl of ginger soup, chatted with Bai Suzhen while plotting in his mind.
"Today, I used the allusion in reverse, and sure enough, I drew out Fahai. From then on, time was on my side."
"But I don't intend to keep dragging this on. I need to find another way to conquer this Jinshan Temple instance as soon as possible. But what should I do?"
"The serpent clan possesses many magical treasures, but with my current cultivation level, I simply cannot unleash their full power."
"Unfortunately, the snake race doesn't know how to refine pills. Those pills are of little use; even if I consume them all, they'll only be enough for me to level up one more time."
Lin Xuan frowned slightly.
Beside him, Bai Suzhen kept her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Xuan.
Seeing her husband frown, Bai Suzhen assumed he had caught a cold and immediately became anxious, saying:
"Husband, where do you feel unwell? Should I go and find you some medicine?"
Lin Xuan's heart stirred, and he deliberately coughed twice, causing Bai Suzhen to worry again.
"Cough cough, I do feel a bit unwell. My wife, could you go to the pharmacy in town and get me some medicine?"
Bai Suzhen dared not delay and rushed out like lightning. If she hadn't been concerned about other people's gazes, she would have actually flown away.
Not long after, she carried several large bowls of medicinal soup into the house.
"Husband, please drink these medicines quickly. The pharmacy staff said that you will get better immediately after drinking them."
Lin Xuan glanced at the several large bowls of medicine and thought to himself, "Bai Suzhen is so worried that she's been fooled by the pharmacy staff."
Although he himself was not knowledgeable about pharmacology, he knew that a common cold and flu did not require such a large-scale mobilization.
The pharmacy must have seen that Bai Suzhen was anxious and upset, so they exaggerated the story.
But Lin Xuan was too lazy to care about these details.
Anyway, he's not an ordinary mortal; his true form is a dragon. Even if he drinks these several bowls of medicine together, there won't be any problems. He doesn't need to worry about any conflicting effects or side effects.
Lin Xuan opened his mouth wide and gulped down several bowls of medicine before seemingly casually remarking:
"It tastes so bitter! I've heard that immortals also have medicinal herbs, I wonder if the herbs we mortals use taste the same."
Bai Suzhen casually said:
"How is that possible? Immortal herbs are rare and precious materials. Once consumed, they automatically transform into vital energy and have virtually no taste."
"Even if it does, it's just a divine fragrance."
A glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, and he nodded, saying:
"That makes sense! But I wonder where such a miraculous medicine can be found? I wish I could catch a glimpse of it."
Bai Suzhen assumed Lin Xuan was confused due to a fever and wanted to hear a story, so after hesitating for a moment, she said:
"I remember... I heard that there is a garden of immortal herbs at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, which contains many precious medicinal herbs."
"Like the legendary Ganoderma lucidum, it has very special effects. Immortals will have other wonderful benefits from taking it, but even ordinary people can prolong their lives and even bring the dead back to life."
"I heard that even a certain great immortal from Heaven often goes to the Immortal Herb Garden to pick spiritual herbs."
"However, that place is extremely dangerous and cannot be approached easily."
She recounted the story of the Immortal Herb Garden to Lin Xuan in detail.
In Bai Suzhen's eyes, her husband was just an ordinary mortal, and it was useless for him to know these things.
Anyway, she wasn't talking about the real Kunlun Mountain, but the ancient Kunlun Mountain.
Ordinary people wouldn't even be able to see it, let alone get close, so naturally they wouldn't risk gathering herbs.
But Bai Suzhen didn't know that after she finished speaking, Lin Xuan immediately heard a prompt in his ear.
【Ding! 】
You have obtained information about the "Immortal Herb Garden".
【Immortal Herb Garden: A sacred place at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, protected by a powerful array】
[WARNING: The Herb Garden is extremely dangerous. Do not approach!]
Lin Xuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile. I knew this trick would work!
In the original Jinshan Temple storyline, Bai Suzhen was tricked by Fahai and revealed her true form, which ended up scaring Xu Xian to death.
At this point, Fahai stood idly by, killing without burying, forcing Bai Suzhen to intervene and rescue Xu Xian by stealing the Ganoderma lucidum from the Immortal Herb Garden.
Lin Xuan already knew the strategy; the Immortal Herb Garden in the Jinshan Temple instance was not a separate scene, but rather borrowed from another instance.
Once you enter that instance and get the map to the Immortal Herb Garden, you can take advantage of the Jinshan Temple instance.
Even if the scene that scares Xu Xian to death hasn't been triggered yet, you can still enter the Immortal Herb Garden ahead of time.
Lin Xuan was unable to enter any other dungeons at this point, which seemed to be a dead end, so he could only wait patiently for the plot to progress.
Or they might actively seek out a way to suffer serious injuries.
But Lin Xuan was too lazy to go through all that trouble, so he took the initiative to test Bai Suzhen.
He had long ago discovered that although the world he had transmigrated to was intricately connected to the game "Civilization," it was also a real world.
Not everything needs to be done according to the guide and procedures.
As expected, Lin Xuan was right.
With a little guidance, he learned the location of the Immortal Herb Garden from Bai Suzhen.
Lin Xuan opened the system, clicked on "Immortal Herb Garden", and a map appeared in front of him, depicting the location of the Immortal Herb Garden.
The map also carries an air of mystery, enough to guide him to the real ancient Kunlun Mountains.