Thriller Paradise Chapter 213: Cangling Debate of Swords (21) - Novel Cool

Chapter 213: Cangling Debate of Swords (21)

Chapter 213: Cangling Debate of Swords (21)

After obtaining the taskitem, Feng Bu Jue had to stop every three minutes on average, holding the small Bell aloft to recalibrate their direction. Leading Si Yu through the forest like this, they had walked for nearly half an hour without finding the so-called "ringing temple."

The mountainous terrain stretched endlessly, its topography bizarre and labyrinthine. The temperature around them kept dropping, and by feel alone, it was already below ten degrees Celsius. Feng Bu Jue’s outfit provided decent insulation, but Si Yu’s attire was less practical—her lower body was covered by thick hiking pants, yet her upper body wore only a sleeveless cotton vest. In this frigid environment, she would naturally feel the cold more acutely, and her stamina value would deplete faster than Feng Bu Jue’s.

"Pity I can’t take off my coat to give you", Feng Bu Jue said as he paused again to retrieve the Bell. Holding the item up, he continued, "Even my inner shirt and waistcoat would offer better protection than that sleeveless vest of yours."

"Purple doesn’t suit me anyway", Si Yu replied coolly.

"Hmm… Still", Feng Bu Jue countered, "I’d suggest you switch to a spring-autumn set. In extreme temperatures, it’d help you cope better." He steadied his arm, holding the Bell flat as he slowly turned in a circle. "Xiao Tan’s assassin outfit works well, but Bei Ling’s set’s too thick. She’d probably start sweating if the temperature hits thirty degrees."

"We’ll deal with it after this scenario ends", Si Yu said. "Earlier, I only focused on whether the clothes would hinder my martial arts movements, so I grabbed something quick and simple at the mall. Looking back, that was careless." She paused thoughtfully. "Next time, I’ll need something adaptable to various temperatures, with storage functions and camouflage effects…" She trailed off as she noticed Feng Bu Jue staring at her with an odd expression.

"What?" Si Yu asked, meeting his gaze without flinching, her icy eyes unyielding.

"I just realized something", Feng Bu Jue said, tucking the Bell away and gesturing for her to follow. As they resumed walking, he continued, "You talk more when it’s just the two of us…"

"Annoying?" Si Yu asked, her tone flat.

"Not at all", Feng Bu Jue replied. "Psychologically, there are many explanations—maybe you’re masking unease, or perhaps you trust me more than others… Watch your step." He warned as he leapt over a rocky crevice. "Take your earlier rambling, for instance. If strangers were around, you’d probably keep those thoughts to yourself. But since we share a sense of trust, you’re comfortable sharing them aloud."

"We’re not that close", Si Yu countered. She wasn’t wrong—they’d known each other less than a week in real-world time.

"Fair", Feng Bu Jue admitted. "But you’ve read my books. That gives you a sense of familiarity with me."

"That’s true", Si Yu conceded. "Still, you’re quite different from the ‘Bu Jue’ I imagined."

"Hmm? Let me guess", Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Did I give you a huge psychological elevation difference in appearance?"

"No. Actually, you’re better-looking than expected. I thought you’d be some sharp-tongued anomaly."

"What logic is that… ‘Appearance reflects the soul’?"

"Exactly", Si Yu didn’t deny it. "But meeting you in person, I realized my assumptions about your personality were way off."

"Oh? What did you imagine the detective novelist Bu Jue to be like?"

"First, you’d be self-obsessed to the point of being insufferable."

"…That’s fair. I’ve tried to fix it, but old habits die hard."

"Second, you’d be coldly rational to a fault."

"Am I not like that?"

"You can be rational, even ruthless", Si Yu hesitated slightly. "But most of the time… it’s hard to say."

"Anything else that surprised you?"

"Are you treating this like a reader meet-and-greet?"

"Haha… Do I look like someone who’d attend such events?"

"I’d rather stop this conversation. If you have more questions, ask them when we’re actually close", Si Yu said.

"How long would that take?" Feng Bu Jue pressed.

"Who knows? Weeks, months… or maybe we’ll never get close."

"Never? Possible?"

"Possible", Si Yu replied. "After spending this time together, I’ve noticed more and more traits about you that annoy me. If this continues, once they accumulate to a critical point, I think parting ways would benefit us both."

Few people would say such things outright to someone’s face, but Si Yu was one of them. This alone proved her personality was far from normal—indeed, she had severe social issues in real life.

Ninety-nine percent of people hearing such words would feel offended, thinking, Who do you think you are? But Feng Bu Jue, true to his eccentric reputation, beamed with delight. "Wow! You’re so reasonable! If everyone were like you, my life would be so much better—how many meaningless social interactions could I avoid!"

Dingling… Dingling…

The sudden chime of the Bell interrupted their chat.

Feng Bu Jue had never placed the taskitem into his satchel, keeping it in his inner coat pocket instead. The Bell wouldn’t ring unless deliberately shaken—walking briskly wouldn’t trigger it. Yet now, it vibrated violently on its own.

"Finally…" Feng Bu Jue swiftly retrieved the Bell from his pocket. The item trembled intensely in his hand, nearly leaping from his grasp if not gripped tightly.

Suddenly, a bone-deep chill swept through the air, dropping the temperature to freezing. The surroundings warped—trees and stones flickered in and out of existence. Some mature trees shrank into saplings, others vanished entirely. Grass and stones twisted unnaturally, shifting positions and shapes.

To describe it vividly, it was like watching a silent film where two mismatched clips of the same location, shot at different times, kept repeating.

Feng Bu Jue and Si Yu exchanged glances—this phenomenon was all too familiar. No need for words; they both knew they’d encountered a ghost.

In this era, even vengeful ghosts needed spatial manipulation or illusion abilities to earn respect.

"Waaah… Please… Let me go…" A girl’s sobbing voice echoed.

They turned instantly. Before them stood a grim scene: a thick wooden stake driven into the earth, surrounded by firewood. Bound to it was a girl of about ten, shackled by heavy iron chains coiled around her small body.

"Please… Save me… It hurts… I want my mom…" The girl wept, repeating her pleas.

"Burn her!" "Kill the demon!" "It’s this omen’s fault—no rain for the Dragon King!" "My father’s got consumption, all because of this monster!" "The crops died because of this curse!" "Burn her!" "My child was born crippled—this demon’s to blame!"

Shouts erupted around them—voices of men, women, and children. Though invisible, their words were clear. These were undoubtedly the villagers who had bound the girl. Based on the tree spirit’s earlier information, they could confirm these were the past residents of Cangling Town.

"Please… Bell didn’t hurt anyone… I want my mom…" The girl sobbed, but the curses around her showed no mercy. Clearly, these people only sought to vent their rage, deaf to any defense.

The moment a torch was thrown onto the pyre, the roaring flames silenced the chaos, replaced by a little girl’s heart-wrenching wail.

Even in her final moments, the girl pleaded and screamed, but soon… after a violent coughing fit, she fell silent forever.

“Death scene replay.”

“Death scene replay?”

Feng Bu Jue and Si Yu turned to each other simultaneously, speaking the same words in unison. One’s tone was flat, the other laced with uncertainty.

They’d assumed this depressing spectacle would end quickly, but they were wrong—it had only just begun.

The scene shifted again. The flames suddenly surged skyward, forming a wall of fire. When it dissipated, a small temple stood before them.

The temple doors were closed. From the outside, the structure appeared no larger than two hundred square meters—likely just a single hall housing a Buddha statue. A plaque hung above the entrance: Ringing Temple.

The players’ ears filled with hushed whispers, no longer the earlier curses but murmurs of fear.

“Saying the demon’s dead… why are the village’s troubles getting worse?”

“Right… I heard someone went to gather firewood on the mountain yesterday and never came back…”

“That’s the fifth one.”

“Who’s to say it’s not the demon’s ghost seeking revenge?”

“But we buried the ashes under the Ringing Temple. With a temple sealing it, what demon could still haunt us?”

“What good is that tiny temple? That demon’s power is immense… we need to invite high monks to perform rituals, or no one in this village will survive…”

The voices drifted, unclear where they came from, but Feng Bu Jue and Si Yu heard every word.

As the whispers faded, countless figures emerged behind them. Some wore monk’s robes, others Taoist vestments, and a few resembled down-on-their-luck martial artists. They carried rosary beads, wooden fish, dusters, swords, or baskets of odd tools with peachwood blades sticking out like theatrical props.

Yet all shared a common trait: their faces were pale, lifeless, their lips curled in eerie, half-smiles.

They shuffled toward the Ringing Temple doors, brushing past the two players. As they passed, each turned to stare, as if sensing their presence—a rare occurrence in a death scene replay.

Si Yu, her sealed sainthood at the ready, stood tense, her sword hand trembling. The horror had clearly unnerved her.

Suddenly, a steady hand pressed over hers. Feng Bu Jue’s face was calm, fearless. “Breathe deeply. Slow your heartbeat. Open the menu and check your Terror Value. Clear your mind,” he instructed. Simple words, but not everyone could follow them in fear’s grip.

Si Yu steadied herself, her Terror Value dropping from 70%.

“A reliable man, huh?” Feng Bu Jue remarked, smiling. “You’re thinking that right now, aren’t you?”

“A little,” she replied, her eyes flickering with disdain.

“So… does this make us a bit closer to being ‘acquainted’?”

“Maybe, before you opened your mouth,” she shot back. “Now it’s more like, ‘dependable in a crisis, but annoyingly smug.’”

Feng Bu Jue shrugged. “Fair.”

As they spoke, the figures vanished into the temple. The scene hinted that no matter their faith, tools, or methods, all who came to exorcise the vengeful ghost met the same fate.

The death scene replay ended.

The world returned to normal, the players’ vision no longer glitchy. Yet the temperature remained near freezing, their breaths visible.

The Ringing Temple remained, solid and real. Feng Bu Jue’s Bell fell silent.

“If you’re too cold…” Feng Bu Jue began.

“Dream on,” Si Yu cut him off.

“How do you know what I was going to say?” he countered. “Maybe I was asking if you wanted to start a fire?”

"You think this transparent excuse will boost my favorability?"

Feng Bu Jue’s lips pressed into a thin line, hope flickering in his eyes, but her killer stare shut it down.

Two seconds later, he turned away. “Alright, we’ve found the key location. I’m going in first.” He strode forward. “Daylight won’t stop this ghost. Stay alert.”

Si Yu sighed and followed.

……

“This setup’s too sneaky,” Xiao Tan grumbled, staring at the Giant Crocodile Monster’s corpse. “If we’d fled like I suggested, we’d still be here. Ouch!”

Bei Ling smacked his head. “Hindsight’s easy.”

Minutes earlier, the monster had been immobilized, making it a sitting duck. Though it thrashed wildly, the players’ stationary fire made it easy prey.

The battle drained their stamina and ammunition. Worse, Terrifying Paradise monsters dropped no equipment—no rewards, only losses. From the fall to the fight, they’d gained nothing but setbacks.

Yet Bei Ling’s stubbornness and Xiao Tan’s easygoing nature kept their spirits high.

“Dead here, we can’t push it,” Bei Ling noted. “We’ll have to climb over.”

The tunnel was blocked, but the monster’s flat body left a gap between its back and the ceiling.

“You go first,” Xiao Tan said.

“Why me? What if I get stuck?”

“I’ll push from behind… Wait! I’ll go!” Xiao Tan yelped, rushing forward. The crocodile’s back was slick with blood and embedded shrapnel, making the climb unpleasant.

Reaching the other side, he called back, “Not bad. You’ll manage.”

“Cross here, and I’ll strangle you,” came Bei Ling’s reply.

(End of Chapter)

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