https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-565-The-Legendary-Single-Chapter/13548711/
Chapter 566: Chu Mo Island (31)
Chapter 566: Chu Mo Island (31)
"Whether we're willing or not, life always pushes us forward. People pack, depart, journey, and settle... wherever they pause, a fire will blaze in the stove." Feng Bu Jue recited in a gentle, almost poetic tone. "From the migrations of individual lives to the transportation of ingredients, from the evolution of cooking techniques to the shifting tides of human fate... the hurried steps of people and food never cease."
"What are you doing now... the god of wandering tongues?" Hong Hu quipped. "Even if you suddenly decide to recite some artsy monologue, it won't change our current situation." As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the nearly perfectly cooked neck meat in front of him, waging an internal battle.
"The new task's already here, so don't get stuck hesitating. Finish eating and move out - don't act like a bunch of damsels!" Feng Bu Jue's mouth was already full of sizzling meat, his words punctuated by meat-scented spittle as he devoured his barbecued rib steak.
Still only halfway full, Feng Bu Jue hadn't left the fire pit yet. He planned to roast more meat strips, wrap them up, and store them for convenient snacking later.
"Enough of this! If I keep starving like this, my stomach will start digesting itself!" Suddenly, Tian Ma Xing Kong roared, popping his meat into his mouth with his eyes shut and chewing furiously.
"Eh?" seconds later, he opened his eyes. "It's not as disgusting as I imagined... tastes like beef and has a nice crispness..."
"Yeah, just a bit bland." Feng Bu Jue added. "What a shame - if only we had flour, we could wrap all different cuts of meat and steam them... create exquisite layers of texture..."
"You mean 'cosmic giant dumplings' right? Don't think I haven't seen that anime!" Ji Bu interrupted with a shout.
"Hehe..." Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Just kidding around. Without salt and cooking wine for seasoning, we couldn't properly flavor so much meat anyway. Besides... even if we made dumplings that big, steam probably wouldn't penetrate - charcoal roasting might work better..."
"Who's discussing cooking techniques with you! Are you just full of yourself?!" Ji Bu snapped.
"Actually, I am full." Feng Bu Jue made a smug face. "Come hit me~ You idiot."
"Fine... you win..." Ji Bu's psychological defenses finally crumbled. He shot Feng Bu Jue a fierce glare before starting to eat himself.
Fei Chai Shu meanwhile muttered to himself, "Hmm... for clearing this game, I've even transformed into a young girl before - eating human meat won't be that big of a deal..."
As these words fell, the other four shouted in unison, "Let's just stay good friends if we don't talk about That!"
... ...
A few minutes later, the players (except Feng Bu Jue) had filled their stomachs with mixed feelings, then gathered before the stone wall at the temple's entrance.
This was the wall closest to the basin-shaped altar, which they hadn't examined yet.
"Task description says 'passage behind basin-shaped altar', so the entrance should either be behind this wall or beneath the altar's backside floor." Fei Chai Shu speculated while standing there. "Considering we're already in basement levels, the path to Crystal Labyrinth is probably upward... " His gaze shifted to the wall. "Feng Bu Jue... why don't you try licking it again?"
"The basin-shaped altar's secrets weren't discovered by licking..." Feng Bu Jue responded while approaching the stone wall. "Those glowing patterns on the stone tablets appear when touched by living beings. The contact location doesn't matter - even through clothing..."
"Just don't need to explain every detail..." Fei Chai Shu interrupted.
"Fine..." Feng Bu Jue smiled nonchalantly while extending his hand to touch the wall.
The next moment, a thick layer of dust cascaded from the wall patterns with a "hiss!", creating a large cloud of dust.
Seeing this, Ji Bu immediately retrieved his fan weapon from his satchel, waved it twice, and easily dispersed the cloud.
After the dust cleared, the faintly glowing patterns on the wall became clearly visible.
Feng Bu Jue covered his mouth and nose with one hand (to clarify - after combat with Fu Ling, he'd removed his gloves, cleaned them inside his satchel; simply put... no filth remains, please rest assured), while continuing to press his other hand against the wall and observing the patterns. "As expected, the prompt is still a mural."
Teammates all turned their cameras toward the pattern-formed images.
This mural was larger than the two behind the basin-shaped altar, though its content wasn't complicated - actually quite straightforward. The image depicted... a humanoid creature standing behind the basin-shaped altar and playing a stringed instrument toward the wall. Below it was a cluster of strange symbols, with the system providing no translation, making their origin language unknown.
"Ah... delightful puzzle-solving time." Feng Bu Jue said with interest while examining the symbols.
Hong Hu immediately turned around upon seeing the mural, heading towards the banjo beside the Woko corpse. "I think... it's musical notation."
"Ah, pretty obvious." Feng Bu Jue agreed. "But here's the problem... music's a special language. Even if we could interpret each symbol's musical elements, we couldn't determine their exact corresponding notes." He paused, stroking his chin. "There should be further hints..."
Ji Bu watched the two methodically discussing with a mix of confusion and admiration. "Whenever moments like this arrive, I'm always grateful our team has such capable people..."
Tian Ma Xing Kong shrugged. "Honestly... I'd say just smash through the wall and be done."
"Regarding that..." Feng Bu Jue turned to Brother Horse. "I've already confirmed with Imitation Soul. It told me the 'Five Gods' protect this shrine with curse power - if someone attacks the walls with brute force, it'll trigger retaliatory spells. When Imitation Soul impersonated you earlier, it planned to use this method for Kill with a Borrowed Blade, but thankfully Fei Chai Shu stopped it in time."
"Tch..." Tian Ma Xing Kong replied disappointedly. "These despicable guys... mmm..." He took a bite of meat while speaking unclearly. "Always pulling sneaky tricks with their spells... tsk tsk... so annoying."
"I mean... you're happily chewing someone's knee while saying this... is that really okay?" Ji Bu shook his head while covering his face.
"Found it!" Hong Hu had already picked up the banjo and examined it for a few seconds. "Similar symbols are carved along the neck, one under each string." He carried the instrument back as he spoke.
"Perfect." Feng Bu Jue turned around. "Just play it accordingly."
"Yeah... solving this puzzle shouldn't be difficult, but..." Hong Hu responded while walking. "Among our five people... does anyone actually know how to play this?"
"I can." Suddenly, someone replied in a completely ordinary tone.
Before the words finished, everyone turned to look at him.
"What's wrong? Strange?" Fei Chai Shu asked with genuine confusion.
"Well... a little, yeah..." Hong Hu said while handing the banjo over. "After all, this is a pretty niche instrument."
Feng Bu Jue added, "Second point - never would've guessed... Chi Brother, you're actually a cultured youth."
"Hmph... don't let my current age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight fool you - my life experiences are quite rich." Fei Chai Shu placed a cigarette between his lips while receiving the banjo with both hands. "I used to be a member of a male idol combination."
"Ah?" Ji Bu perfectly expressed his current feelings with this single interjection.
"Hehe... didn't expect that, did you? I debuted at seventeen with four contemporaries as my teammates." Fei Chai Shu already tilted his head to pass the shoulder strap, slinging the banjo diagonally across his body. "The record company made us some albums we couldn't even listen to ourselves, then held concerts." He used one hand to take a drag of his cigarette. "Unfortunately, we faded from popularity at nineteen."
"So fast!" Tian Ma Xing Kong exclaimed.
"Understandable, actually." Fei Chai Shu smiled. "After all, at nineteen, for idol groups, if the combined ages exceed one hundred, it's considered elderly."
"Hey! By whose planet's standard is that? Were you Korean idols?" Ji Bu couldn't resist a tsukkomi.
"Actually..." Fei Chai Shu continued, "Among my old group, there was a Korean member. We got along quite well..." "The second year after disbanding, he returned home for military service." He exhaled another puff of smoke. "Fwoosh - two years later, I received a postcard learning he'd gotten married. His husband was apparently his comrade-in-arms..."
"Isn't that information overload..." This short two-minute chat already made Hong Hu, known for his calmness, break into a sweat.
"T-then..." Ji Bu interrupted while twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Time's limited, let's focus on the task first..." He immediately turned to Feng Bu Jue. "Hey! Mad Bu Jue! Get over here for puzzle-solving! What are you spacing out for!"
Puff - puff -
Feng Bu Jue was nearby headbutting the wall...
"I'm just trying to erase some weird things from my mind..." Feng Bu Jue said without turning his head. "Today I've seen many things I shouldn't have... and now I'm hearing even more things I don't want to... As someone with extremely vivid imagination, I must immediately purge these mentally polluting physical matters from my sacred temple of thought..."
(End of Chapter)
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