vncnus Page 192
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And he will be the only stabilizing force in this storm.
138 Night Raid
The impact of Tsuchimikado's Flowing Light was like a boulder thrown into a calm pond, the ripples of which lingered for a long time. But after the initial shock and fear, the members of the Oolong Academy, under Long Yan's calming influence, quickly entered a tense state of preparation.
With a storm approaching, only by reinforcing the dikes can we find a glimmer of hope.
Master Zhihui did not return to Baolian Temple, but instead settled down at Wulong Temple. Together with Master Changmei, he searched through the ancient, dusty books in Wulong Temple's library, trying to find some forgotten protective methods and demon-subduing incantations.
"Found it! Found it!" That day, Master Long Eyebrows excitedly ran out carrying a yellowed, tattered thread-bound book. "The Immovable King Barrier Array! This is a handwritten note left by the founding patriarch. It is said to be able to draw upon the earth's energy to transform it into a Buddhist fire barrier, which cannot be broken by anyone but those with great supernatural powers!"
At the same time, Long Yan's cultivation entered a completely new stage.
The wise master imparted to Baolian Temple the secret teachings of the Six-Syllable Mantra, a method of spiritual cultivation. This is not an offensive technique, but a supreme method for tempering the mind and purifying both internal and external evils.
"Om Mani Padme Hum".
Long Yan sat cross-legged in the main hall, chanting incantations. Each syllable he uttered was accompanied by a golden ripple, almost invisible to the naked eye, that spread out from him. The air in the entire hall became tranquil and peaceful, as if even the dust had stopped moving. His aura gradually merged with the "aura" of the entire Wulong Academy, becoming one with it.
Xiao Zhen, on the other hand, devoted all her attention to practicing the "Turtle Breathing Technique".
She understood better than anyone the weight of Tsuchimikado Ryuko's last words. The demonic energy within her was both her greatest secret and her greatest weakness. She had to learn to perfectly control and conceal it; otherwise, she would become Long Yan's greatest burden.
Under the influence of the Dragon Flame Buddhist chant, she was surprised to find that the restless, violent energy she used to experience during cultivation was now completely suppressed. For the first time, she could clearly "see" the two energies, one black and one gold, within her dantian. Although they were distinct, they had temporarily achieved a delicate balance.
Even Uncle Da participated in this "preparation" in his own way. He traveled to all the markets in Hong Kong and Kowloon, buying a large amount of glutinous rice, black dog blood, peach wood swords, garlic... and even a few pirated videotapes printed with "Buddha's Light Shines Everywhere," decorating the inside and outside of Oolong Temple like a bizarre folk exhibition hall.
Long Yan simply smiled and didn't stop him. He knew this was Uncle Da's way of expressing concern and seeking reassurance.
In this way, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The night in Hong Kong remains vibrant. The neon lights of Victoria Harbour still shine brightly. No one knows that in a secluded corner of the city, a confrontation unimaginable to ordinary people is about to unfold.
Midnight on the fourth day, at the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM).
Uncle Da, who was inspecting his "fortifications" in the kitchen, suddenly shivered. He felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees out of nowhere.
"Strange, isn't the window closed?" he muttered, turning around to close it.
But the moment he turned around, he froze.
He saw a scantily clad, alluring blonde woman leaning against the kitchen doorframe, giving him an incredibly seductive smile. Her eyes were a rare deep blue, as if possessing some kind of magic, causing Uncle Da's heart to skip a beat.
"Hi, handsome," the girl said, her voice so sweet it could melt your heart. "Are you alone? It's so late, you must be lonely. Can I... come in for a drink of water?"
Uncle Da's mind went blank. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before. For a moment, he forgot his fear and nodded subconsciously.
The woman giggled and walked in with cat-like steps. With each step she took, Uncle Da felt his heart drawn a little more, and his eyes grew increasingly dreamy.
“Tell me,” the woman whispered in Uncle Da’s ear, her breath sweet but her voice carrying an irresistible hypnotic quality, “that monk with the golden aura…where is he? What are his weaknesses? Tell me everything about him…”
Uncle Da's eyes completely lost focus. He opened his mouth, about to reveal everything he knew.
At this critical moment!
"Om-!"
A grand and solemn Buddhist chant seemed to transcend space and exploded directly in the depths of his mind!
The voice was like a merciful hammer, instantly shattering the alluring temptation. Uncle Da shuddered, jolted awake, and collapsed to the ground in a cold sweat!
Looking around, where was the blonde woman? The kitchen doorway was empty, with only the mountain night wind making the windows whistle.
"There's...there's a ghost!" Uncle Da scrambled out of the kitchen and ran wildly toward the main hall.
At the same time, at the gate of Wulong Temple, the "Suppress" character that Long Yan had personally affixed moved automatically without wind, and the cinnabar red light on the talisman flashed and disappeared.
Inside the main hall, Long Yan, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes, golden light swirling in them.
"Here it comes." He said softly.
The wise master beside him also opened his eyes, his expression grave: "Such a vicious mental invasion technique... This isn't an Eastern method. It's from those... 'descendants of Cain' who feed on blood and desire."
Chapter 139 Vampire
The so-called "descendants of Cain" are vampires in popular legend.
The wise master's judgment terrified Uncle Da, who had just calmed down, once again leaving him utterly terrified. He then realized that he had just narrowly escaped death.
“A…a vampire?!” He pointed outside, his teeth chattering. “You know…the kind in the movies, the kind that’s afraid of garlic and crosses?”
“I’m afraid they’re even more difficult to deal with than in the movies.” The Master of Wisdom shook his head, his expression serious. “They are one of the oldest and most powerful forces in the Western underworld. They not only possess powerful bodies and bizarre abilities, but more terrifyingly, they have long since infiltrated the upper echelons of human society, controlling enormous wealth and power.”
"What are they here for?" Master Longbrow asked worriedly.
Long Yan's gaze calmly turned towards the mountain gate, and he slowly said, "They didn't come to fight. What happened just now was merely a test, a way of... greeting them."
Just as Long Yan had predicted, nothing happened that night.
The next morning, a black, expensive Rolls-Royce slowly drove up the rugged mountain road to the gate of Wulong Temple.
The car door opened, and what stepped out was not a monstrous creature with a blue face and fangs, but a middle-aged man dressed in a sharp suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked refined and cultured. He held an exquisitely crafted envelope in his hand and stood respectfully outside the mountain gate, as if awaiting his master's summons.
The young novice monk cautiously took the envelope in.
The envelope was black, made of high-quality stiff cardboard, and sealed with bright red wax, bearing an intricate emblem of intertwined roses and snakes.
Upon opening the envelope, I found an invitation of the same material inside.
It was written above in extremely elegant English cursive:
To the esteemed 'Golden Container':
I heard that a holy light has descended upon the East, shattering a century of silence. As a noble of the night, I hold your power in the highest esteem and with the utmost curiosity.
Rather than letting those vulgar jackals and hungry ghosts disturb us first, it would be better for us 'kindred spirits' to meet them first.
Tonight at nine o'clock, atop Victoria Hill, at the 'Crimson Lounge', I, Isabella de Valois, await Your Excellency's arrival.
We hope that you can spare some time to come and discuss the future order of this place.
The signature was an elegant cursive "Isabella," along with the emblem of a rose and a snake.
The invitation was written in a haughty yet polite tone, conveying an attitude of equality, and even a subtle sense of superiority. She categorized herself and Long Yan as "of the same kind," beings beyond mortals, while degrading other potential suitors as "jackals and hungry ghosts."
"A trap! This is definitely a trap!" Uncle Da panicked as soon as he saw it. "Boss, you absolutely can't go! If you go, you'll definitely not come back alive!"
Master Longbrow stroked his beard and pondered, "This person is wicked. She chose a sparsely populated mountaintop, and it was at night, precisely when their strength is at its peak. This journey is fraught with peril."
0 ······Requesting flowers·· ··
Xiao Zhen remained silent, but her tightly clenched fists revealed her extreme tension.
Only the wise master, after a moment of contemplation, offered a different perspective: "Going is probably a must."
He pointed to the invitation and said, “This Isabella acts with the airs of an old European aristocrat. Since she has sent out an invitation, she must be following some kind of rule. If we refuse to attend, it would be a sign of weakness, which is tantamount to telling her that we are afraid. At that time, she will think that we are not qualified to have an equal dialogue with her, and the next time she will probably not be so ‘civilized’.”
... ..... ...
“More importantly,” the Master of Wisdom looked at Long Yan, “she chose the lounge atop Victoria Hill, a public place. Even they must adhere to the ironclad rule of ‘seclusion,’ and cannot expose their power on a large scale in front of mortals. There, she would be more cautious. This might be the safest way to understand our first ‘guest.’”
All eyes were focused on Long Yan.
Long Yan put down the invitation, his expression calm and composed.
He stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and looked down at the bustling city below the mountain.
“Master is right,” he said slowly. “Running away will not solve any problems. Since I am already at the center of the storm, there is no reason for me to hide behind others.”
He turned around and smiled slightly at everyone. The smile was as calm as ever, yet it contained a reassuring power.
"This humble monk will go and meet her." (Knife)
Chapter 140 The Blood Rose on the Summit of Victoria
At night, a cool breeze blows from the top of Victoria Peak, offering a panoramic view of the dazzling nightscape of most of Hong Kong.
The "Crimson Lounge" is located here. It is a members-only, top-tier private club. With its superb views and absolute privacy, it has become a place that only the true elites of Hong Kong can access.
Tonight, the entire lounge has been booked. There are no other guests, only waiters in tuxedos, their faces deathly pale, standing silently like ghosts.
Deep inside the lounge, in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with the best view, a woman stood with her back to the door, quietly savoring the blood-red liquid in her glass.
She wore a vintage-style deep red velvet gown that perfectly accentuated her shapely figure. Her long, seaweed-like black hair cascaded down her back, and even just her silhouette exuded a fatal allure.
She did not turn around when the carved wooden door of the lounge was slowly pushed open.
Long Yan walked in step by step.
He was still dressed in a simple gray monk's robe and cloth shoes, completely out of place with the opulent and decadent atmosphere of the place. But he was calm and composed, walking steadily, as if he were not walking into a den of thieves, but taking a stroll in his own temple.
His appearance cleansed the gloomy, cloying atmosphere of the entire lounge.
“Your courage is greater than I imagined, little monk.” The woman finally spoke, her voice like aged red wine, mellow and captivating, yet carrying a hint of coldness.
She turned around slowly.
It was a face of breathtaking beauty. Her features were as exquisite as an ancient Greek sculpture, her skin was so white it was almost translucent, and her bright red lips contrasted sharply with her pale complexion. Most striking were her eyes, deep and dark, seemingly containing endless night, filled with ancient wisdom and a predatory hunger.
She is Isabella de Valois.
"This humble monk, Long Yan, greets you, benefactor." Long Yan clasped his hands together, nodded slightly, his gaze clear, showing no ripples despite the other's beauty.
"Sit down." Isabella gracefully gestured for her to sit.
Long Yan sat down opposite her. There was an expensive mahogany table between them.
“Won’t you try some? The 1882 Lafite is a rare gem for you mortals.” Isabella swirled the wine in her glass.
“Monks do not drink alcohol,” Long Yan replied calmly.
"Hehe..." Isabella chuckled softly. She put down her wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and stared directly at Long Yan with her alluring eyes. "Little monk, let's not beat around the bush. The 'light' on you is delicious. It's like a sun rising over this dark land, making all the moths unable to resist flying towards it."
Her voice was seductive: "Those guys from the East—Taoists, zombies, and unknown mountain spirits and monsters—they are rude and greedy, only wanting to devour you whole. But I am different."
“I represent order, I represent nobility,” she coaxed. “Cooperate with me. I can shield you from those lowly harassers and provide you with everything you can imagine in this world—wealth, power, even…eternal life. In return, I only require you to periodically…share a sliver of your ‘light’ with me. This is but a drop in the ocean for you, but an invaluable tonic for me. It’s a win-win deal, isn’t it?”
These words were filled with the devil's temptation. She portrayed herself as the only "civilized person," a partner she could cooperate with.
Long Yan listened quietly until she finished speaking.
He slowly opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching Isabella's ears: "Your 'cooperation' is essentially no different from that of those jackals and hungry ghosts, only the manner of eating is a bit better."