Alibuda Chronicles Part 1: Volume 8, Chapter 6

Chapter Six Pure Mind Meditation Meeting

"Master, what should we do now?"

"Well... since it's related to the Palace of Light, and Brother Fang has treated us well, let's investigate for him. Maybe we can find clues related to the Southern Barbarian incident."

Because this sounded like a good deed of eliminating evil, Ah Xue's eyes lit up with excitement. She quickly nodded, called to Violet who was sleeping on the ground, and prepared to set off. However, Mao Yan'an, standing beside her, was quite oblivious.

“Nephew, would you really be so kind? Actually, you're just planning to double-cross them and pull off a heist in that village, aren't you?”

“Uncle, do you know that the sacred scriptures of the Cihang Jingdian state that people who are too honest in life will have their tongues pulled out in hell after death?”

“Hey, Uncle, I just converted to the Jingnian Chan Society. Those guys said that followers of their leader can achieve Nirvana after death, transcending birth and death, and reaching the Pure Land!”

Now, I'm seventy percent certain that this Jingnian Chan Society is highly problematic. Even someone like me knows that for a low-level member of an organization to promote such a beautiful, effortless dream, it's either a pyramid scheme or a cult.

The group hurried towards Wugu Village. The fog was thick, slowing their progress. The uncle also took the opportunity to tell us that Wugu Village was actually quite well-known among the Treasure Trackers.

Due to its topography, Fog Valley Village is shrouded in dense fog for three-quarters of the year, its yin energy so strong that it attracts the spirits of people and beasts from the nearby mountains, who then harass the area.

"Behind Fog Valley Village is an abandoned mine. In the early years, before the mines were exhausted, it prospered for a time. Not only did a large number of dwarf craftsmen gather there, but even humans flocked to join the fun, opening several inns of at least a certain standard. Merchants and travelers would stay there. However, later, the entire mountain area began to be shrouded in a persistent fog, and with the rampant presence of vengeful spirits, people stopped going there."

Mao Yan'an sighed nostalgically, "More than ten years ago, I was traveling around here painting and visited Fog Valley Village. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I wonder if the pretty girls in the inns are still there..."

Seeing him speaking with such relish, I had to wake him up, lest he stray further from the topic, and ask him what was so special about Fog Valley Village in the eyes of treasure hunters.

“This involves the great fog of Fog Valley Village. Shortly after the fog appeared, vengeful spirits began to gather and harass the villagers. At that time, a high monk from Cihang Jingdian Temple intervened, saying that the vengeful spirits demanded the return of a treasure they had hidden. However, the villagers all said they didn't have it. Although the high monk used magic to suppress it, the vengeful spirits would still come to the village to harass them once a year.”

Mao Yan’an said, “To avoid being harmed by the vengeful spirits, almost all the residents of Fog Valley Village ran away. All the dwarf craftsmen fled, leaving only a dozen or so households. No one knows who took the ghosts' treasure. The culprits have probably already escaped. However, some people still believe that the ghosts' treasure is still hidden in Fog Valley Village.”

Ah Xue’s eyes widened, and she asked curiously, “Treasure? What kind of thing could it be? A weapon? Or some kind of valuable treasure? Is it high-grade?”

"I don't know. After all, no one has ever figured out what exactly the ghosts want as treasure. Maybe it's just something very ordinary that people have mistakenly taken,"

Mao Yan'an said. "But we can't rule out the possibility that it really is some kind of treasure. The so-called 'treasure hunters' are chasing such dreams, running around searching for treasure."

The uncle was right. Treasure rumors of this level are as numerous as the stars in the sky on the market, with no real basis whatsoever. They often make treasure hunters who follow these rumors waste their time and effort, dying empty-handed. However, if they do find something, then those original rumors will become fantastical anecdotes that coexist with the treasure, further increasing the price of that treasure on the market.

"Uncle, how many ghosts come to harass Mist Valley Village every year?"

"Humans and beasts, all mixed together, there must be several hundred spirits. Each time they come out, it's like a parade, ghostly figures in the sky and on the streets, quite a sight."

"Several hundred? Can those guys from the Temple of Light handle them?"

When humanoid beings die, they become ghosts. If they harbor resentment or grievances, their soul energy is several times stronger than before. But for beasts, the souls after death are impure, posing little threat regardless of whether they have grievances or not. On the contrary, their bones can attract nearby souls, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, turning them into ferocious monsters, like the dragon spirits formed from the bones of a dead dragon, which are notoriously difficult to deal with.

Hundreds of spirits mixed with more than half beast souls are less threatening than a single dragon spirit; it's not a big deal.

Even so, it's not something a few inexperienced apprentice priests can handle. I want to know what gave them the courage.

Mao Yan'an isn't exactly a fighting force; I recently performed the ritual of the Hellish God of Lust and can't use magic for several months; Ah Xue's dark magic is still in its early stages, so our only fighting force right now is Violet. But while fire and lightning are effective against beasts, they're less effective at exorcising ghosts. If those cultists from the Pure Thought Zen Society are foolishly and ignorantly trying to storm Fog Valley Village, I'm definitely not going to play along.

"Because of that high monk's suppression, the vengeful spirits harass the village at fixed times, always ten days after the fog appears. Those people probably know this, so they go in early to take care of things and escape before the ghosts arrive."

The uncle's words reassured me a lot; otherwise, I would have immediately turned around and run away.

Our main objective was to see what those Pure Mind Zen monks were up to, and perhaps snatch some loot along the way. I didn't expect to find any treasures in Mist Valley Village. However, since a large number of dwarves had once forged their weapons there, there might be some dwarven artifacts left behind. Picking up a few to supplement our travel expenses would be better than nothing.

With this in mind, we set off on our journey, the three of us and our beast traveling together. Mist Valley Village wasn't far from our starting village, but the road was rugged, with trees blocking the way and thick fog making it difficult to traverse. Fortunately, we had a guide who frequented the area and knew the way well. Whenever the fog obscured the road, he would have Violet breathe fire to light it up, which was more useful than any guiding lamp.

Along the way, I could clearly sense the horses' unease, and the eerie chill of the entire mountain range was also slightly felt by Ah Xue, who had begun to dabble in dark magic. She shivered and whispered to me that there were many faint whispers in the wind.

Of course, neither the uncle nor I heard anything…

Following this path, we finally arrived at Fog Valley Village before nightfall.

It was indeed a lifeless place, perhaps once glorious, but now it looked like ruins. In the increasingly dim twilight, the once brilliant sunset was blocked by layers of thick fog, unable to let in a single ray of light.

As far as the eye could see, everything was a gray blur, with only a few lights flickering in the fog, seemingly far away yet also very close.

Mao Yan'an patted himself down and said, “The fog is so thick here that the residents keep their lamps on day and night. We were lucky; if it had gotten dark before we even entered the village, the mountain path would have been difficult to traverse. When I used to come here often, I was quite familiar with the owners of several inns around here. I hope at least one is still standing.”

Running an inn in a place like this was truly a ghost business; I found it hard to believe that anyone would stay in such a place forever. However, it's hard to say. Sometimes, people's stubbornness about their ancestral property can leave unrelated people speechless.

"Master, let's hurry up and leave. It's so cold here."

Ah Xue urged me on, and even without her saying so, I felt the same way. The fog here was incredibly damp, and the temperature was extremely low. Sunlight was just an empty word, having no real impact or meaning. Despite wearing thick clothes, after trekking through the forest, our clothes were almost completely soaked through by the fog, clinging coldly to our bodies, and we had goosebumps all over our skin.

The weather outside was unusually cold, especially since it was early spring and the weather was warming up. However, given that this place was said to be haunted, this anomaly wasn't anything to be alarmed about.

We walked on for a while, slowly making our way forward on the pebbles. The lights ahead grew brighter, and a row of wooden houses came into view. The mottled wooden walls were riddled with holes of varying sizes, and the gray earthen tiles on the roofs dripped with icy water droplets.

In front of one of the larger houses, ten fine horses were parked. It seemed that the group of apprentice priests had arrived before us. A burst of noise came from inside the house. From the few words spoken, it was clear that they were demanding payment from the people inside.

They probably found it quite boring too. This Misty Valley Village was even more barren than expected. Even if the remaining people pooled their resources, they couldn't scrape together a bag of gold coins. Even if they wanted to plunder freely, the spoils wouldn't be worth much, and they'd still have to face hordes of ghosts. This trip was a huge loss.

However, an old voice seemed to be trying to persuade them to stay.

"...Although we don't have much money left, if we can find the treasures hidden by the ghosts, it should be quite valuable...The ghosts know some clues..."

It sounded like there was some interesting information. I wanted to listen more, but the uncle next to me beat me to it and pushed open the door.

"Old man Jin, it's been a long time. Still using that elusive ghost treasure to trick rich guys into exorcising demons?"

We followed the uncle inside. There were more than fifty people inside, divided into two groups. One group consisted of the three apprentice priests and seven people dressed as swordsmen. Two of the women carried long spears, so they seemed to be knights or something similar. Apart from the magician, it seemed like all the standard members of an adventure group were present.

On the other side were more than forty villagers, led by an elderly man with a long beard, leaning on a cane. He looked up and turned when he heard Mao Yan'an's voice. Beside him stood a middle-aged man in his forties and a young woman soothing a baby in her arms.

"Mr. Mao..."

The old man, known as Old Man Jin, beamed and came over to embrace Mao Yan'an warmly. It seemed that, as the uncle himself had said, he was familiar with the owners of several inns here, and this was one of them.

This group of apprentice priests seemed quite displeased by our sudden appearance and interruption, but they seemed intimidated by his attire and appearance, and seeing Violet follow him in, they dared not make a move for the time being.

To be honest, just looking at his attire, the uncle's martial arts style really gave him the air of a master, especially the "heavy" sword he carried so easily on his shoulder. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was incredibly strong.

"Old friends of Misty Valley Village, don't be afraid. I've returned with a top-notch mage; they'll definitely be of help."

As if intentionally boasting to the group of apprentice priests, Mao Yan'an pulled up a chair, sat down with an air of superiority, and glared arrogantly at them. If he wanted to project an imposing presence, the uncle could have slammed his sword into the ground or chopped it down on a table, creating some real damage to establish his authority. However, since this heavy, dark sword was made of folded paper, such a bluff was out of the question.

Mao Yan'an winked at me, signaling me to step forward. Being the first to stick my neck out was pointless; I certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to follow his orders and invite trouble.

From the villagers' perspective, the more forces that could aid in their defense, the better, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

Because the high monk of Cihang Jingdian had left behind some kind of barrier, allowing the ghosts to appear only once a year, there was no immediate fear of attacks. However, this was only a temporary solution. The villagers hoped to invite a powerful sorcerer or priest to eliminate the ghosts all at once; or perhaps find the secret treasure the ghosts were searching for, which would be the core of the problem.

Regardless of eliminating the ghosts, everyone shared the same goal of finding the treasure. So, under Old Man Jin's arrangement, everyone stayed at his inn.

The inn was a mess, seemingly unoccupied for years. We settled in, and were just starting to figure out how to extract some information from the apprentice priests when someone arrived.

This man, named Jin Hanliang, was Old Man Jin's son. He diligently swept the dust off the table and introduced us to his wife and several-month-old daughter.

"Teacher Mao, it's so good to see you! We haven't seen each other for years. My father and I have been eagerly awaiting your return..."

"Ah Jin, I, Mao Yan'an, am a man of my word. These past few years, I've been helping you find useful helpers, and now I'm back, aren't I?"

Mao Yan'an's boasting was effortless; he immediately dragged Ah Xue and me into the conversation. His connections with the locals were indeed helpful, quickly getting us to understand the situation.

Jin Hanliang had forgotten which year the ghosts appeared, only knowing that the year after the fog appeared, ghosts would gather in groups, harassing the area and demanding the villagers return the stolen treasures. This went on for a long time. Later, a high-ranking monk from Cihang Jingdian came to communicate with the ghosts. However, these ghosts had no memory whatsoever; they couldn't say who took the treasures, or even what the treasures were.

The compassionate monk believed that even if the ghosts were forcibly exorcised, the accumulated resentment would still attract new vengeful spirits from the surrounding area without addressing the root cause, causing even greater harm. Therefore, after some negotiation, he made a pact with the ghosts: he would return the treasure the following year, and asked them to leave first. As a result, no bloodshed occurred that year.

"That master made a written agreement with the ghosts, stating that the treasure would be returned the following year,"

Jin Hanliang said. "However, in the 'the following year' section, and in the section for the date of the agreement, the master left room for us to change the wording, constantly postponing the agreed-upon date."

As a result, every year when the ghosts visited, as long as they presented the agreement, saying that the agreed-upon time hadn't arrived, the volatile ghosts would leave. Although they might still demolish a few houses and cause a disturbance, at least they wouldn't harm anyone.

“That’s roughly how it is. The agreement is divided into two copies, one kept by the ghost and one kept by us. Every year before the ghost arrives, both copies are changed,”

Jin Hanliang said. “But the ghost comes to harass us every year, and the villagers are still very uneasy. Those who stay live in depression. I hope to solve this problem completely.”

“I’m a little curious, if the ghost comes to harass you, why are you still here? Why not just move? The outside world is so big, why be confined to this small mountain village?”

At my question, Jin Hanliang and his wife looked up, their eyes full of confusion, and said, “Yes… why don’t we move? But this is the land our ancestors worked so hard to cultivate and left behind. How can we… how can we abandon our ancestral property?”

This is the kind of answer I hate to hear the most. Typical village men and women, bound by their ancestral property their whole lives. What their ancestors left them has not only failed to benefit them, but has become their biggest burden. I shook my head, but the uncle spoke first.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve found a powerful helper this time.”

Mao Yan’an said, reaching back and pulling me instead of me. Startled that

things had suddenly turned against her, Ah Xue looked surprised, but before she could even utter a sound of surprise, Mao Yan’an preemptively introduced her, loudly proclaiming, “Don’t be fooled by appearances! This lady in front of you is the successor of the strongest mage in the history of the Kingdom of Alibuda!”

"Oh? How come there was a powerful mage in Alibuda, but I never knew? Uncle, could you tell me the mage's name?"

"Young man, you're really ignorant. That mage is... Dried Tofu."

"Dried... Dried Tofu?"

Everyone thought the uncle would come up with some exaggerated name, but unexpectedly, he came up with such a strange name. For a moment, everyone looked at him with strange expressions.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't heard of the legendary Dried Tofu. He's one of the most outstanding sorcerers of the last five hundred years,"

Mao Yan'an said enthusiastically. "In his early years, he fought the Dark Flame Demon in the canyon, fell into a deep valley, and then emerged, donning a magical white robe, transforming himself into the real Dried Tofu. From then on, he was incredibly powerful, slaying demons and monsters, and never met his match again. Such a great sorcerer, don't you know him?"

"Hey, wait a minute... Uncle, I vaguely remember the person you're talking about, but it shouldn't be the name you're saying, right?"

I hesitated. "I think it's called... Gandalf?"

"Ah! Yes, that's it, that bowl of dried tofu!"

Mao Yan'an showed no remorse at my correction, clapping and laughing happily.

"Alright, shut up and go back to your dried tofu."

I was extremely annoyed, looking at this rock-and-roll hero dancing around, feeling that I had really come to the wrong place this time.

"Regardless, I sincerely beg you all to help us."

Jin Hanliang looked lovingly at his silent wife beside him and slowly said, "This year, I had a daughter, and I hope she can grow up undisturbed. This is my greatest wish now..."

I didn't feel anything when he listened, because after all that, he hadn't mentioned what benefits we would receive. However, Ah Xue was listening with tears in her eyes, wanting to get closer to see the baby, looking so impassioned. I knew things weren't going well.

So, sometimes, I wish I could put Violet's brain into Ah Xue's head...

If it weren't for the thick fog blocking the way, I wouldn't want to waste my time here. But not only was Ah Xue confused, even the uncle was adding fuel to the fire, vouching for us.

"Don't worry, everyone. I swear on my grandfather's name, we will definitely find out the truth."

"Hey? Uncle, who is your grandfather?"

"Huh? I don't know. Some people say he's a great detective who seems to bring murders wherever he goes."

"Bullshit! You don't even know who your grandfather is? What does this have to do with him? Why are you swearing on him?"

"Hehe, nephew, you're too naive. It's the unwritten rule of this trade. Ever since the great detective Kindaichi became an immortal legend seven hundred years ago, every detective has to swear on their grandfather's name before starting an investigation."

We'd been in the village for several days, and the fog was still thick. It couldn't be much better outside. The three of us and the beast were practically trapped here. If we delayed our return, His Majesty the King would be furious. Any reward would turn into a demotion.

The investigation into the location of the secret treasure was completely stalled. I even gathered all the villagers and questioned them one by one, but no one could give a coherent account. Their memories of what happened back then were both vague and chaotic.

Worse still, in my conversations with them, I could clearly sense that this village, and everyone in it, lacked a vibrant spirit to overcome adversity. Regardless of age or gender, they spoke listlessly, their eyes vacant and unfocused. They would lose focus after a few questions. It seemed that being confined to the village for years had taken a toll on their mental state.

The villagers of Misty Valley were eccentric, but another group wasn't much better. That group of apprentice priests ransacked the village, searching for treasures, leaving no stone unturned. Their actions were quite entertaining, giving me a full glimpse into the boundless imagination of humankind—they'll search even the most absurd places.

The fog obscured their figures, but things remained relatively peaceful. However, when they occasionally came face-to-face with us, verbal clashes inevitably arose between the two groups who disliked each other, almost escalating into physical fights.

In contrast, the uncle made considerable progress in his investigation of the Jingnian Chan Society. Through conversation and questioning, he gleaned some information.

The Jingnian Chan Society seemed to be a fellowship group formed within the Cihang Jingdian Temple. Such small groups were not uncommon, but some of the Jingnian Chan Society's doctrines conflicted with those of the Cihang Jingdian Temple itself, leading to its rapid influx of new members.

Currently, the religious and priestly systems on Earth are controlled by the Cihang Jingdian Temple. Such a vast, transnational organization is naturally disliked by many nations, but the Cihang Jingdian Temple never interferes in the politics of other countries, at most only transporting relief supplies across borders during major natural disasters, thus earning widespread praise.

However, dissenting voices have emerged within the Cihang Jingdian Temple. In some countries, the people are suffering due to tyrannical rulers or despotism. The Cihang Jingdian Temple, despite possessing the power to unite these nations and overthrow their oppressive regimes, is constrained by its own doctrines and can only passively provide disaster relief, unable to actively address the root causes of the problems. Therefore, it advocates for reform, allowing the Temple of Light to intervene more directly and forcefully in the politics of various countries.

This voice, primarily from the Jingnian Chanhui, enjoys considerable support among young followers and is expanding rapidly. Its influence within the Temple of Light is growing, and recently, it has been secretly recruiting, seemingly preparing for some major action.

"So, the reason you joined the Pure Mind Meditation Society is because you want to save the world?"

"That's certainly the basic purpose, but... there's another, more worldly reason. I heard the head of the society is currently the most powerful monk in the Divine Palace, and he only organized the society to avoid attracting attention. We lower-ranking disciples aren't nobles, and we have no background. If we follow the normal channels, who knows when we'll rise to a high position? But if we join the society and are on the same side as the monks, we'll have a good chance of promotion very quickly."

It sounded quite reasonable, like some kind of pyramid scheme. However, these words matched what Natasha had said that day; she had also said that the high monks of the Cihang Jingdian were behind the Southern Barbarian War, and the key figure even pointed to the current head of the Light Divine Palace, Master Xinchan. It seemed that the Cihang Jingdian sect, this large sect, indeed had serious problems behind the scenes.

But what was unsatisfactory was Mao Yan'an's skill in using cryptic questions. The reason we were able to break through their defenses so quickly and extract their secret information was mainly because the day after we arrived in the village, the uncle tidied himself up, combed his hair, picked up his violin, and sought out two young girls from the group to sing and recite poetry together. A few four-line poems complimenting their appearance, a few self-made flower garlands, and a few specially embellished portraits were enough to win them over.

The charm of rock stars was indeed extraordinary; as the clothes on the portraits became less and less, the uncle extracted more and more information. For example, the questions we just got were supposedly obtained by the uncle lying in bed, holding a naked woman in each arm, leering at her.

"Uncle, you're really something! Using such a method to interrogate, you get both people and money. Congratulations!"

"Sigh, what can I do? For the mission and the greater good, even if I don't want to, I have to sacrifice myself with tears in my eyes."

When a person becomes shameless, there's nothing they won't say. Seeing his smug look, I really wanted Violet to pounce on him and bite his dog head off.

Time passed day by day, and the fog was fast approaching. The Jin couple's worried faces made even Ah Xue sigh. The yin energy in the nearby mountains had noticeably increased in the past two days; judging by the timing, the ghosts were about to appear.

Although producing a written agreement to deceive the ghosts would resolve the situation as usual without any problems, I'm not one to actively seek out dangerous places. If there's no progress by tomorrow, I plan to leave Fog Valley Village to prevent things from spiraling out of control.

My plan was well-thought-out, but things didn't go as I expected. That very evening, I was flirting with Ah Xue while Violet was sleeping in the corner of the house when suddenly there was a commotion outside. We rushed out to see what was happening and saw the novice priests running back to the village screaming. Their hair was disheveled, their faces covered in blood, and their wounds clearly indicated they had been in trouble.

They were dragging back several corpses, which looked like mangled pieces, suggesting a fierce battle. The thick, gray fog was now thick with the smell of blood, and the chill in the air intensified rapidly. The strange wailing gradually became clearer, echoing and reverberating throughout Mist Valley Village, giving off an ominous feeling.

The eerie scene seemed to convey the same message. My heart sank. Just as I was about to call Ah Xue to prepare to escape, a desperate cry rang out from the village entrance:

"Ghosts...ghosts are coming!"

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