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Chapter 104 The Bell of Death

“In ancient times there was a kind of creature that was born without a head, with all five senses located on its abdomen, especially its mouth and tongue, which could devour all things. If it could devour other spiritual creatures, it could take their heads for its own use.”

The business was simplified as Cheng Mai explained.

Cheng Mai was horrified.

"However, back then, Jupiter wiped out their clan, but I never expected that after so many years, there would still be descendants." These words seemed to be spoken not to Cheng Mai, but to himself.

This wasn't the first time Cheng Mai had heard the name Jupiter. "Extermination of the clan?"

"Jupiter governs ferocious beasts and world peace, so all the ferocious beasts that survive in this world are your enemies," Shang Xingjian explained with a smile. "Now you know how safe you are with me around, right?"

Cheng Mai's silence was deafening.

Shang Xingjian chuckled to himself, and only after the people below had left did he bring Cheng Mai down from the tree.

"The person behind this can control so many ferocious beasts, it seems they're after you. After all, the hatred of a clan's annihilation isn't something that can be easily turned against someone." Shang Xingjian looked at Cheng Mai with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Shang Xingjian, could you be any more blatantly gloating?"

"It might work, or should I give it a try?" Shang Xingjian seemed to have given it a serious thought.

Cheng Mai rolled his eyes and looked towards Hanshan Temple. "It will take at least four or five hours for these people to completely evacuate, and they are obviously here to find you. They might also use this time to do something else."

"It doesn't matter what they want to do." Shang Xingjian walked towards Hanshan Temple. "I'll take you to see some good things."

Cheng Mai was puzzled, but he didn't press for details. Instead, he followed them.

Hanshan Temple is built against the mountain and is completely embedded in the mountain peak. At this moment, people inside are in a state of panic as they are being evacuated.

Merchant Jian led Cheng Mai through the wall and into the main hall.

The candlesticks in the main hall collapsed at this moment, clearly caused by the recent earthquake.

Cheng Mai looked up and met the gaze of the Buddha. The Buddha, having had his eyes dotted, sat upright, his eyes full of compassion.

However, Cheng Mai knew that there was no true Buddha in the world anymore. No matter how similar the Buddha statue was, no true Buddha resided there.

Behind the main hall is the abbot's room. The door is open, and the abbot is still meditating inside, seemingly oblivious to the earth-shaking tremors outside.

"You've come after all," the abbot said slowly, his hands clasped together.

Cheng Mai looked at Shang Xingjian, who naturally sat down, seemingly unaware of the meaning of politeness, and even automatically drank the tea on the table.

"Abbot Jingming, how have you been?"

The abbot seemed to have finally finished chanting the sutra, and slowly opened his eyes, but this time he looked at Cheng Mai.

Cheng Mai was puzzled, so he looked at Shang Xingjian.

The abbot said "Amitabha".

Cheng Mai: "..." Why does it feel like we're trying to send her to the afterlife?
"It seems that the things that the senior entrusted to this old monk can be returned to their rightful owner today." The abbot said, getting up to fetch the items.

Upon hearing this address, Cheng Mai thought, "Senior?"

So the benefactor just now was calling her?

"What exactly is going on?" Cheng Mai asked, frowning.

Shang Xingjian handed her the cup in his hand, "Snow Mountain Maojian, have a taste, this is a good tea that you can't find anywhere else."

Cheng Mai took it, his gaze sweeping over his wrist. "Is this tea made with dragon bone water again?"

Those outside definitely can't get a drink.

Shang Xingjian chuckled softly and poured himself a cup. The abbot quickly came out of the room, carrying a box in his hands. After looking at Shang Xingjian for a while, he handed the box to Cheng Mai.

"donor."

Cheng Mai put down her water glass, took the box, and opened it after confirming that Shang Xingjian had asked her to open it.

Inside was a string of bells, crystal clear bells, as if carved from ice by an ice sculptor, without the slightest impurity.

It's more like a work of art than a bell, because it doesn't look like it will make a sound.

Cheng Mai didn't reach for it, giving off a very cold feeling.

"What is this?" Cheng Mai first asked the merchant's assistant.

"The Ring."

Cheng Mai: "..." If it really is the midnight bell, she'll be the first to ring it in his ear and see if she can scare him.

Shang Xingjian raised an eyebrow. The bell that ferocious beasts fear most is none other than the Midnight Bell.

"The destiny of Jupiter is wondrous. It appeared here a thousand years ago, and I entrusted it to the abbot for safekeeping. I never expected that it would take a thousand years to find you."

Cheng Mai slammed the box shut. "I only inherited her consciousness, but I am also just a mortal."

Therefore, she couldn't possibly control any magical artifact, and she felt that Shang Xingjian wanted to freeze her to death with it; it looked very cold.

"Why don't you try and see?" Shang Xingjian gestured for her to pick it up. "What if it's just a lucky guess?"

Cheng Mai glanced over with a chill, and sure enough, nothing good came out of a dog's mouth.

"This is the Bell of Binding Evil, a magical artifact of the God of Wisdom, the God of the Year Star. After the God of the Year Star passed away, the Bell of Binding Evil never rang again. The abbots of Hanshan Temple have guarded the Bell of Binding Evil for generations, and now it has been returned to its rightful owner." The abbot said, and then uttered Amitabha.

"Whether it will be returned to its rightful owner is still uncertain. After all, even a blind cat can't always catch a dead mouse," Cheng Mai said with a sneer, opening the box again and staring intently at the cursed bell.

Her intuition told her that this was no good.

So Cheng Mai looked at Shang Xingjian again and again. Shang Xingjian didn't urge her, seemingly waiting for her to mentally prepare herself. This cursed bell had to be picked up.

"Is there an instruction manual?" After all, that Sui Xing didn't sound like a good person, and he had offended many ferocious beasts.

Shang Xingjian seemed to have thought about the question very seriously, but finally shook his head regretfully.

Cheng Mai stared intently at the bell, then abruptly pulled his hand back just before it touched it. "What will happen to me if it rings?"

One or two is fine, but what if a whole pack of ferocious beasts comes? Can Shangxingjian protect her?
"I guess I have a little bit of self-defense ability now," Shang Xingjian said, seemingly giving a perfunctory answer.

He was so perfunctory that Cheng Mai didn't believe a single word he said.

With the idea that he would kill someone either way, Cheng Mai quickly reached out and picked up the Soul-Binding Bell.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The bell did not make a sound.

Cheng Mai looked at Shang Xingjian, unsure whether he was relieved or disappointed, and said, "It seems your dead rat plan is useless."

Shang Xingjian kept watching the cursed bell in Cheng Mai's hand, watching her play with it. Perhaps because she felt there was no danger now, she relaxed a lot.

In Cheng Mai's hands, the bell of suffocation was like a walnut that had been thoroughly cooked, skillfully twirling between her fingertips.

Merchant Jian, for some unknown reason, suddenly chuckled.

Cheng Mai was chilled to the bone by his laughter and instantly stopped what he was doing. He subconsciously looked at the bell in his hand, but the thing was ringing?

Is it simply because she is a mortal and cannot hear?