Lanke Chess Edge

Chapter 420: The Outsider Sees Clearest

When the fog first appeared, some of the senior monks at Daliang Monastery felt that the fog was very strange, but neither their own spiritual senses nor the temple’s variuos arrays could detect it.This made the fog seem like ordinary natural fog. Besides, it wasn’t just present at Daliang Monastery, but also around the capital city.

But some high-ranking monks then saw the strange phenomena in the fog. However, while they were astonished, they immediately found that the worshippers inside and outside the temple were still very orderly and did not feel anything amiss.

Furthermore, the strange phenomena appearing in the fog seemed to be merely strange phenomena, without causing any dizziness or vertigo. Several high-ranking monks in Daliang Monastery breathed a sigh of relief, and, after some consideration, decided not to close the temple.

The people most affected were actually the three monks meditating under the tree. However, given their current special position under the tree and their meditative state, they were no longer in control of their own destiny.

The three of them were trapped in a meditative illusion, as if they were personally present at the scene of the original debate. They were unable to escape it for the time being. However, in reality, this was definitely not a bad thing. As for how much benefit they could gain, it depended on their individual cultivation and concentration.

About fifteen minutes after the fog appeared, the abbot of Daliang Monastery and another old monk hurriedly rushed to the forbidden area of ​​the monastery.

Upon entering the courtyard, they could see Huitong and two other monks still sitting under the tree in meditation, occasionally frowning or sweating.

“Abbot, should we wake them up?”

The abbot of Daliang Monastery waved his hand and said to the monk beside him.

“Don’t wake them. This might not be a bad thing for them. At this moment, illusions are rampant, and it will be too late for us to enter meditation with them. It’s good that they can get this opportunity!”

The two monks watched the three meditators, silently protecting them at the edge of the courtyard. They also took advantage of the strange phenomenon to relive the wonderful scene of that past discussion. Back then, due to limitations in their spiritual cultivation and mindset, they dared not linger in the core area. This time, however, they were able to feast their eyes on it.

The fog had begun to appear in the morning, turning what was originally a sunny day in Tongqiu Prefecture into a cloudy one. It did not dissipate by nightfall, but instead grew thicker and thicker.

Perhaps due to the sun’s power that weakened and receded at night, or perhaps because the fog was truly thicker at night, the monks of Daliang Monastery clearly felt that the strange phenomena at night were more mysterious. Some monks even fell into illusions and could not extricate themselves. Many people were glad that there were no worshippers at night, otherwise chaos would have ensued

The next morning, the old monk who was in charge of ringing the bell woke up, dressed, and opened the door to find everything outside shrouded in white fog.

“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha! This fog hasn’t dissipated yet?”

Although he expressed his surprise, he still had to ring the bell. Soon after, the bell rang from the monastery’s bell tower as usual.

Many monks rose upon hearing the sound, but upon going outside, they found that the fog had not lifted. Fortunately, as the sky brightened, the fog thinned considerably, though it still lingered all day.

On the seventh day, the abbot of Daliang Monastery and several other monks hurriedly entered the forbidden area and channeled their spiritual energy into the backs of Huitong and two other meditating monks to wake them up. This was the appointed time, and if they were called out too late, their bodies might not be able to hold on.

Huitong shook his head to wake up, rubbed her temples, feeling a dull ache, opened his eyes to look around. Sure enough, he found that the situation was unusual.

“Abbot, what is the cause of this fog?”

Like the other monks, the abbot handed Huitong a bowl of warm water and then shook his head.

“This old monk doesn’t know either. About seven days ago, in the morning, this fog suddenly appeared and spread around Tongqiu Prefecture, and it hasn’t dissipated since.”

Huitong drank the water, stood up, and then turned to look at the large tree behind him.

“I am afraid a master must have done this!”

“Yes, I think so too, but his cultivation is much deeper than mine. I can’t see through them. Huitong, can you sense anything?”

As soon as he regained consciousness, Monk Huitong began to channel his spiritual power into his eyes, trying to see through the fog. But no matter how hard he tried, the fog seemed to remain just ordinary fog.

“No, I can’t see through it either.”

If even Monk Huitong couldn’t see through it, them basically no one in the entire Daliang Monastery would be able to eeither. The abbot also temporarily gave up on finding out the truth and could only comfort the monks.

“In any case, this fog seems to be beneficial and harmless at present. It does not harm the worshippers. Some seem to have seen some strange phenomena, but they were not frightened or made too much noise. It is also somewhat beneficial to the reputation of our Daliang Monastery.”

Daliang Temple was a worldly temple that relied on incense offerings of people, a certain degree of fame, and generous donations from philanthropists. The statues in the many of the main halls of the temple were inlaid with a gold, which all cost money.

“Let’s go, you should go get something to eat first. If anything happens that is detrimental to our temple and our pilgrims, the statue of the Mingwang Buddha in the Mingwang Buddha of Inscription Hall will surely give us a warning.”

“Indeed, if this fog is truly man-made, can that person compare to the Buddha’s Dharma?”

“Right!”

“Hm!”

“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha!”

The monks left the forbidden area together, but none of them noticed the Old Dragon still standing under the tree.

At this moment, the Old Dragon was gazing at the sky in a daze, sometimes puzzled, sometimes indifferent, and sometimes even smiling.

“What a pity! It’s a pity that one side is largely constrained by Buddhist teachings, and it’s also a pity that I wasn’t there at the time. But even just this glimpse is enough to make me feel great!”

…

The foggy scenery in Tongqiu Prefecture lasted for half a month during the New Year period. On the morning of the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, after the morning bell of Daliang Monastery rang, a group of monks, including Huitong and the abbot of Daliang Temple, were having breakfast in the dining hall.

Suddenly…

A strange sound, clear and distant but not particularly loud, rang out within the monastery grounds, causing many monks to pause in surprise before instinctively searching for the source of the sound.

The sound lasted for about two or three breaths before gradually fading away with a faint echo until it disappeared completely. Even then, the lingering sound seemed to still resonate in everyone’s minds and ears.

“What was that sound just now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did it sound like some kind of chanting?”

“No, no!”

“Was it from inside the temple?”

“No way, it felt like it came from outside, and it didn’t sound like any animal.”

The monks whispered amongst themselves. The old abbot held a bowl of rice with pickled vegetables and chopsticks in his hand. He turned to look at Monk Huitong, who suddenly seemed to understand.

“Huitong, do you know the source of this sound, and why it occurred?”

Monk Huitong put down his bowl and chopsticks and replied to the abbot.

“This humble monk has heard a similar sound before; this sound must be a dragon’s roar!”

“So that means…”

“Indeed, this humble monk believes that the fog that appeared half a month ago must have been caused by the owner of the roar just now. It seems that he has gained something and has already left. I suspect the fog will dissipate soon!”

As he spoke, Huitong stood up, clasped his hands together in a slight Buddhist gesture towards the forbidden area.

Sure enough, the sky cleared up that day, and the sunlight gradually dissipated the fog inside and outside Tongqiu City.

The Old Dragon had been spectating for so long, and not only did he thoroughly enjoy it, but he also discovered some points where Ji Yuan and the old monk Fo Yin couldn’t continue their discussion. His observations from the sidelines gave him something to ponder, which made the Old Dragon even happier.

‘Hey, next time I see Ji Yuan, I can talk to him about it. That’s what they call an outsider’s perspective!’

…

In Dazhen, the Capital Prefecture.

The morning court session had resumed at the palace. Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing went there every day to handle state affairs. Although Hu Yun wanted to sneak in and observe, Ji Yuan’s words prevented him from accompanying Yin Qing.

After all, this wasn’t like going to the academy all those years ago; the nature of the situation was different. Moreover, Dazhen was at a critical juncture of prosperity and development, and the royal family was protected by the aura of royalty of the Purple Star. If Hu Yun, a monster, were to enter the palace, he might eventually disturb the purple aura, potentially causing some minor accidents.

Since it concerned the Yin family’s future and the affairs of the mortal world, Ji Yuan’s words allowed Hu Yun to distinguish the importance of the matter. He stopped causing trouble for Yin Qing, and instead focused on working on that mask.

That afternoon, Ji Yuan was playing chess against himself in the courtyard of the guesthouse when he suddenly heard a scream.

“Hahaha! I finally got it done!”

Needless to say, this was Hu Yun’s voice. Fortunately, Yin Zhaoxian had given instructions beforehand that no servants were allowed to enter or leave the guesthouses except for Chen Ayuan. Otherwise, the scream might have frightened people or even led them to discover a fox in the mansion.

“Hahahaha… Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, please take a look at what I’ve made! This mask!”

Hu Yun held the mask in its two front paws and ran on tiptoe with its two hind paws, rushing all the way to Ji Yuan’s side. Ji Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at this sight.

“Mr. Ji, look what I made! I did this all by myself, isn’t it amazing!”

Ji Yuan took the bright red fox mask from Hu Yun. Compared to the one he had just bought, it was longer and more like a fox’s face, except for the two holes in the eyes. If someone wore it, it would surely scare people in dim lighting.

“Hmm, not bad. What’s the purpose of this mask?”

Ji Yuan deliberately started a conversation, and Hu Yun immediately replied smugly.

“Hehe, this mask of mine is amazing. It has some of my supernatural powers. Once someone wears it, they can imitate another person using their imagination. It can deceive the eyes of ordinary people. If you really think about it, it can be compared to a kind of transformation technique!”

Ji Yuan examined the mask from top to bottom and nodded.

“Hmm, not bad. Many foxes are skilled in the art of illusion, but yours is exceptionally flexible. It’s quite good, a real gem!”

This mask reminded Ji Yuan of the Painted Skin Mask in his possession. Of course, Hu Yun’s mask was not as refined as that Painted Skin Mask,1 nor was its concealment ability as strong, but its functionality was no less impressive.

At least in Ji Yuan’s opinion, Hu Yun had really created a treasure. Perhaps even the fox himself hadn’t realized it.

See ch. 264

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