Chapter 6: One Tower, One Bell, One small wooden fish
Two days ago.
"He's gone, stop staring blankly."
"Ah."
"If you can't bear to see him go, then hurry and chase him. Don't dither."
"Ah."
"You're not chasing him, nor are you moving. Standing there and just staring, what do you intend to do? Annoy this Daoist Priest to death?"
"Ah..."
"Forget it, talking to you, a Mute Girl, is truly exhausting. Quickly send this Daoist Priest back to that prison. If your Senior Sisters find out, you'll be fine, but this Daoist Priest will lose an arm."
"Ah, ah..."
"What, you're asking me if he's truly alright? Heh, little girl, you can question this Daoist Priest's character, but don't question this Daoist Priest's medical skills. This boy's injuries have already healed; he just has temporary amnesia from just waking up. Seeing some familiar things will restore his memory. Just now, I was only teasing him with that crazy monk."
"Coming to me first thing this time was smart of you. You know this Daoist Priest's medical skills are ten thousand times better than those Jade Purity Daoists from Gezao Mountain..."
"Ah..."
"What, you're saying you only came to me because I was close by?"
"..."
The air in the underground palace was quiet for a while.
"Hmph! Then next time something happens, go to the Jade Purity Sect and ask for their Golden Elixir. Let's see if they're willing to give it to you. Moreover, this Daoist Priest doesn't like the scholarly Daoist lineage. If you come to this Daoist Priest again for this boy... Heh, do you know what this tattered mural on the wall behind me depicts?"
"Forget it, asking is pointless. This is a Buddhist Jataka painting, telling the story of 'King Kuaimu Giving His Eyes' from the 'Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish'. You've certainly never heard of it, but if there's a next time, you'll understand."
"This Daoist Priest practices medicine but doesn't save the world. I only do business, not talk about feelings. One thing for one life, fair to all, young and old."
"This time, I'm making an exception to repay your favor. Next time you ask this Daoist Priest to save him, I'll take your eyes."
The old Daoist Priest, covered in boils, waved his large sleeve and sneered endlessly, but immediately saw the sword-carrying Mute Girl standing in the center of the underground palace, looking up, nod without hesitation.
Her nine fingers clutched a waterskin that someone had drunk from, like a lock that could never be undone. Her clear eyes, into which white clouds slowly drifted, gazed through the autumn waters, but the well-sized blue sky still had no one suddenly return.
"This Daoist Priest hates scholars even more now."
...
Ouyang Rong felt as if he had arrived before the South Heaven Gate, standing above a sea of clouds under a clear sky.
Looking around, all he saw were churning white and golden clouds, thick like clouds, yet ethereal like mist.
Deep within the clouds, a golden sun seemed to be hidden, causing the clouds of this entire sea of clouds to show a gradient of white, pale gold, and gold from near to far, from light to deep.
What most attracted Ouyang Rong's attention was, at the very center of his vision, an ancient tower covered in the dust of history, half-hidden and half-revealed by the golden clouds. The plaque above bore two large purple-gold characters—Karma.
At this moment, the main gate slowly opened. Ouyang Rong was somewhat expectant, and his spirit wandered in. However, the scene that met his eyes was very simple, the familiar layout of "one bell and one small wooden fish."
That was all.
Beyond that, there was nothing extra; everything was filled with white mist.
Ouyang Rong tried hard to compare it with the shoddy Karma Tower APP in his memory.
It couldn't be said to be exactly the same, only that it was completely identical.
Just like the placeholder textures that the programmer in the small application found from who knows where, the "one bell and one small wooden fish" inside the ancient tower were also ordinary.
"Good heavens, making the outside of the tower so magnificent, then just casually slapping something together inside. Outsourced golden fingers, right? Be careful, the Buddha will deduct your Karma!" Ouyang Rong muttered.
"However, it's also possible that the Karma Tower I didn't personally see when I went to Donglin Temple that day was also as ordinary inside as it is here... I just don't know if this fortune bell is as effective as the legends say, whether ringing it can truly make wishes come true and bring good fortune... Doesn't that mean there's hope for me to go home?"
Ouyang Rong's gaze was immediately deeply drawn, and he looked up, examining this ancient bronze bell.
And the latter was silent, as if unchanging through eternity. Suddenly, a fragmented message and thought came to him like an epiphany.
Ouyang Rong was startled, stood still for a while, and quickly roughly digested this divine thought. He lowered his head in thought.
This bell is the core of the entire Karma Tower... When it perceives a certain approaching 'Karma', it can consume stored Karma points, ring the bell once, capture this elusive and easily missed 'Karma', and immediately grant him a fortune.
Depending on the magnitude of the fortune received, the required Karma points also vary; naturally, better fortunes consume more Karma points.
The types of these fortunes are particularly broad. The incomplete information briefly listed some: besides the unexpected adventures and treasures, and sudden enlightenment in peerless martial arts that he expected, there were even romantic fortunes like encountering a romantic opportunity, and gaining a beauty's favor and affection... This bell is a bit odd. However, the Karma Tower in temples in his previous life did seem to serve the general benefactors and had services for seeking marriage, so it makes sense.
In addition, there was also a fortune for averting disaster and misfortune, and one for offsetting negative Karma. The former sounded quite good, capable of saving one's life at critical moments.
But for the latter, "offsetting negative Karma", Ouyang Rong frowned slightly. What does this negative Karma refer to, committing sins? Is it things like violating human ethics, betraying one's master and exterminating one's ancestors, or twisted filial piety? Then he would definitely not be able to use it. He is a Gentleman of integrity and righteousness! This is a bit redundant. The Buddha truly doesn't understand him...
After Ouyang Rong roughly understood the wave of information, he realized that this "fortune" was actually, in a sense, making wishes come true. It just required an external direct or indirect cause, like "elemental perception," to awaken the fortune bell, and then he could exchange it with Karma points!
"So where does Karma come from... Oh, right, striking the small wooden fish!"
Ouyang Rong's spirits lifted, eager to try.
"Let it be a little broken, as long as I can strike it, it's fine. This time, I'll definitely strike it honestly."
However, when he walked closer to the small wooden fish with anticipation and looked at it.
"Damn it, why is it still banned?!"
Looking at the small wooden fish marked with a red cross, Ouyang Rong's eyes went dark, almost sending him away.
He took a deep breath, confirmed it several times, and then reluctantly accepted this reality.
He put on a straight face.
Permanently banned, right? Not unbanned even after reincarnating with a new account, right? You're picking a fight with me, right? Tell me, are you a sore loser?
"I thought no one in this world could wait for me forever, but I didn't expect to miss you—the banned, trash small wooden fish."
Ouyang Rong sighed repeatedly, feeling that the Buddha was a bit too petty.
What annoyed him even more was why the large amount of Karma points he accumulated before the ban didn't come with him?
So, was this deducting ill-gotten gains? Could it be that he pushed the Buddha to second place on the leaderboard that night? Or is the current Karma count inherited from his counterpart in this world?
Ouyang Rong glanced again at the line of cyan-gold small seal script above the banned small wooden fish:
【Karma: One Hundred and One】
"Eh, I've lived a life of good deeds, a righteous Gentleman, how could I fall to this state?"
However, he wasn't one to blame others and quickly cheered up again.
Ouyang Rong nodded: "But if I think about it carefully, it's already good that the original body could make it all the way to Longcheng County... It's good that he left me this much. I should be glad it's not negative... Speaking of which, can Karma points be negative? Will I have bad luck then?"
He chuckled.
"Calm down, calm down, there's always a way out..."
Ouyang Rong walked around the small wooden fish in the tower a few times, looking around the empty, bright space. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up:
"Since I can't strike it manually due to the ban, how did the sound of the small wooden fish in Sanhui Courtyard come about just now? The Karma Tower was also awakened at that time... It seems the Karma points increased."
"And what was I doing at that time? Being by Aunt's bosom... No, cough, I eased the tense doctor-patient relationship and saved Xiufa and the Abbot."
Ouyang Rong suddenly understood: "I get it, it's very simple: do good deeds and accumulate 'Karma'!"
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(PS: A small explanation, this golden finger is not a system, and I personally don't particularly like systems.
Those familiar with Xiao Rong's previous book should know that Xiao Rong is a stickler for logic and details, so even the golden finger must be explainable within the worldview, and it will be revealed in the later stages of the plot. Not a Buddhist fan, just borrowing elements. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism will all be written about equally.
If I had to describe it, the golden finger is similar to the gray fog in Lord of the Mysteries.)
Thank you to my good brother "Guozili Jiang" for becoming an Alliance Leader! Woo woo woo, Cai Bao hugs, I'll add more chapters for you at the beginning of next month when it goes on sale! (Waves a big hand)