The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 584 Even going out to play can't bring peace? What's in that sacred lake?!

Although Langga Zhaxi could refuse the money Shen Le offered him directly, he couldn't refuse Shen Le's donation to a nearby Hope Primary School.

There's nothing he can do. Even though he's a Thangka artist with some wealth, he can't just casually pull out hundreds of thousands or millions to buy equipment for a Hope Primary School.

The children need very little, as little as a flat area at the foot of the mountain. They don't even need a ball; they can fill a pig's bladder with water and use it as a ball to kick around.
It can also be many, such as a library, a computer room, a classroom for online classes, or a laboratory.

Especially in the laboratory, where you can do physics experiments, chemistry experiments, and if you want to do some experiments related to robots or drones, there is no limit to how much you can do!
"Ah...this..."

"Come on, come on, give me a hand." Shen Le was already waving to the special affairs bureau guy next to him:
"You know someone in the local education department, right? Could you do me a favor and make sure this money is spent properly?"

I don't want a Hope Primary School to turn into a place where someone inexplicably spends 15,000 yuan to buy a 500 yuan DSLR camera on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace)..."

Both guys' lips twitched simultaneously. What do you take us for?

what?
We are operatives in a special affairs department, constantly traveling across the snowy plateau, handling all sorts of matters that ordinary people never encounter.

If any yak suddenly becomes sentient and rushes out of the herder's shed, it must be taken away immediately.
It seems that the evil spirit that was hiding in some corner back then and wasn't completely cleansed is causing trouble again. We need to get rid of it quickly.
Or perhaps someone in a temple has some complicated, ambiguous relationship with foreign countries. Sometimes, when these relationships cross a certain line, intervention is necessary...

We're not finance! We're not auditors! Wouldn't it be better to hire an accounting firm for this kind of task?
Leave it to me! Leave it to me!

Suddenly, the small oil lamp jumped out. Sparks crackled and flickered above everyone's heads, causing the lamp to flash on and off.
【I can walk really far now! I've been around this area before, I can even run along the power lines to get here! I'll help you check the bills! Anyone who dares to embezzle, I'll chop them down with my sword!】

"A green lamp..." Shen Le sighed and rubbed his forehead. He reached into his backpack and stroked the handle of the small oil lamp, gently comforting it:
"It's better to leave human affairs to human beings. Don't just kill people over nothing... Embezzling a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars isn't enough to warrant being killed..."

"Don't worry! Leave it to me!" The local special affairs officer, covered in sweat, quickly jumped over.
"I'll take charge of coordinating and overseeing! I'll make sure every penny goes to the children!"

With the large expense settled, Langga Zhaxi no longer hesitated to spend tens of thousands of yuan on turquoise.

He was also very happy, running around doing errands, compiling book lists for the local Hope Primary School, and checking sports equipment lists, keeping himself very busy.

Shen Le, on the other hand, delegated all these tedious tasks to others, picked up his backpack, and wanted to go back to work.

"Absolutely not! We've come all this way! Let's have some fun!" The little wooden puppet was the first to shout.
I want to travel! I want to go shopping! I want to visit temples!

【I want to travel too…】Even the ever-diligent little inkwell peeked out of its backpack and swung its lead weight from side to side:

The temples and palaces here are different in structure and construction from what I've seen before. I want to take a closer look...

"I want to go out and have some fun too!" The woman in the red wedding dress popped up excitedly, stretched out her arms, and spun around in a circle on the spot.
[This place is really beautiful! The sky is so blue! The water is so clear! It's perfect for taking photos!]

Shen Le: "..."

A red wedding dress, well, even if the scenery is incredibly photogenic, don't you feel that a wedding dress, a wedding dress with no one underneath, spinning in the sunlight, seems a bit off?
We need to find a secluded spot so you don't scare anyone when you run out!

However, since the little ones had expressed their desire to travel around, Shen Le naturally couldn't refuse them.

Soon, he was sitting in the spacious passenger seat of the SUV, backpack in hand, his emotions shifting from excitement and curiosity to numbness, and then from numbness to drowsiness...

Although most of this snowy plateau is sparsely populated, some places with particularly beautiful scenery and great photo opportunities can be so crowded that it makes you question your existence.

So Shen Le had no choice but to ask the Special Affairs Bureau guy to drive him deeper into the lake, deeper into the heart of the lake...

That enormous celestial lake has a rather irregular shape with many branches, so much so that the shoreline meanders and cuts the lake surface into pieces.

However, it is precisely because of this twist and turn that the car can drive around freely and easily find secluded places:

"Ah...this place is so beautiful..."

Finally finding a wide, flat meadow, Shen Le jumped out of the car and almost impatiently rolled around on the grass.

He stretched out his limbs and rolled through the soft grass to the lakeside in one breath, stopping just before falling into the water. He lay on his back, taking a deep breath of the fresh scent of the lake water and the grass.
"No wonder everyone says this place can cleanse the soul... such a clear blue sky, such crystal-clear lake water..."

Only at altitudes above 3,000 meters, the high altitude and thin air can create a particularly pure and deep blue sky, which is reflected in the lake water, turning the lake water a deep blue as well.

The vast expanse of white snow adds even more vibrancy to the deep blue: it's white clouds, snow-capped mountains, temples on the opposite bank of the Heavenly Lake, and white pagodas standing on the riverbank.

An occasional bird call startles a large flock of birds into flight, forming a cloud-like pattern on the lake...

The girls in red wedding gowns and silk skirts had already run out happily, stamping their feet and raising their sleeves as they danced wildly on the lakeshore.

If you don't get close or look closely with binoculars, from a distance across the lake, you'll see a group of young women dressed in Hanfu enjoying their vacation.

They also brought out the Buddhist shrine, where the Thousand-Hand Guanyin sat quietly, bathed in sunlight, as if it were gilded.

He appeared motionless, but Shen Le always felt that a solemn and grand bell sound was emanating from the Buddha statue, stirring up ripples that extended all the way to the Buddhist temple on the opposite bank...

Behind them, Huang Yutong unfolded his three-courtyard mansion on the grass, with the main gate, side gates, and all the interior doors and windows open.

The sunshine and gentle breeze of the snowy plateau flowed unhindered into every corner of the mansion, as if someone were leaning out of the window, looking up to welcome the bright sunshine and the refreshing breeze, laughing freely.

The clay figurines cheered as they rushed out of the house, carrying the bridal sedan chair, running around the riverbank, occasionally throwing the sedan chair forcefully into the air, making it bounce several times.

Shen Le rolled over on the grass, smiling as he closed his eyes. Before he could fall asleep, his body suddenly felt light, and two clay figurines carrying a chaise lounge rushed over and lifted him onto the lounge.
Thick mattresses and quilts have been laid out on the chaise lounge.

The clay figurines even set up a few bamboo poles and draped a shaded tarpaulin over him, ensuring he could fully enjoy the sunlight without getting it in his eyes...

"Okay, thank you all," Shen Le replied lazily. He burrowed deeper into the blankets and closed his eyes peacefully.

The sounds of chirping, laughter, singing, shouting, birdsong near and far, and the splashing of fish leaping out of the water all blended together in his ears into a peaceful melody.

Shen Le murmured:
"You guys have fun... have a good time... By the way, I heard the fish here is delicious. When I wake up, I want to eat fish..."

The sunlight shone gently on him, and the entire meadow, the whole lake, and the surrounding nature embraced him warmly.

This sacred lake, sparsely populated and peaceful, is quite different from places on the outskirts of cities like Zhuxi Town. Simply lying here, without needing to set up a spirit-gathering array, one can sense the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

That was the breath of nature, unpolluted and undamaged, the innocent and pure breath of nature that had been integrated into this world for thousands of years.

Shen Le didn't need to consciously breathe or meditate; he could feel the mountain and the lake gently ripple with his breath...

He slowly drifted into sleep, or rather, into a state between sleep and meditation, a state of communion with heaven and earth.

This lake, along with the surrounding snow-capped mountains, is well-protected and well-maintained. If you let your mind wander, you can only feel the fresh, natural atmosphere.

There was no darkness, no resentment, no distortion, no black blood that had accumulated over countless years and almost solidified.

Even if snow leopards prey on gazelles, lynxes prey on hares, and geese fly down from the sky to build nests on the bird island in the lake and then dive into the lake to catch fish...

This is simply the natural cycle of heaven and earth; no force, for its own selfish gain, would forcibly distort this cycle and derive pleasure from it…

Shen Le slept very comfortably.

It wasn't for cultivation, nor for meditation, and I didn't exhaust myself to the point of collapse. It was simply for laziness, sleeping by the lake in the sunlight. It seems like that was a very, very long time ago.

In his sleep, his spiritual power naturally and slowly extended, crossing grasslands, lakes, and the snow-capped mountains by the lake...

"what!"

He suddenly sprang out of bed with a somersault. In his haste, he tumbled off the bed, still clutching the blankets that had been covering him.

Rolling, rolling, rolling... Pfft! Ahhhhh!
Shen Le jumped out of the lake in a disheveled state. After struggling a few times in the soaking wet blankets, he crawled out of bed, cast a few cleansing spells to shake off the water, and roared angrily:

"Qingdeng! Fishing is fine, but don't use electricity to fish!!!"

Ah...didn't you say you wanted to eat fish when you woke up...?

The small oil lamp drifted over listlessly. By the lake, with Huang Yutong's location as the center, the little ones each held a fishing rod and stretched out into the lake.

The highland naked carp in Tianhu Lake is famous for its tender and delicious meat.

The only downside is that it's not summer now, so the fish aren't coming to the shallows to feed or spawn; they're all in the deep water, making it quite a challenge to catch them.

These fish seemed to be quite sensitive to spiritual energy. The women, with their long, flowing hair, ventured into the lake, but they failed several times, not only in fishing but also in netting fish.

With no other option, the little oil lamp had to take matters into its own hands and try a physical fishing method...

Shen Le had a splitting headache, so he could only rub his head while explaining laws and regulations to the little oil lamp. The little guy was still a bit unconvinced:

【I've got it under control! I can now control the current to only travel along the fishing rod, it won't travel far, and it won't shock other fish nearby! Look, no fish are floating belly-up on the lake, and no birds have been stunned and floated away!】

"Then how did I get electrocuted?"

[That fish is about to reach the shore, it's struggling quite a bit! -- Ah! The fish is getting away!]

The two of them whispered and bickered, and the little oil lamp was momentarily distracted, ignoring the fish that had been trying so hard to lure up.

The fish was only about the length of a palm, with a body as slender as a willow leaf. After escaping the control of the small oil lamp, it darted into the water, and if the lake water hadn't been so clear, it would have almost disappeared from sight.

Shen Le quickly reached out and summoned a water ball carrying the fish, which then floated into the air with a splash and landed in the bucket next to him.

"what?"

In the blink of an eye, a faint shadow flickered silently within the area covered by his spiritual power. Shen Le was startled and jumped to the lakeside, looking down:
What's in this lake...?

"Nothing's wrong?"

Two special agents rushed over, craned their necks to look for a while, but couldn't figure it out. After discussing it, they took off the drone again, which flew low over the lake, circling back and forth.

After circling back and retrieving the drone for a closer look, they still found nothing unusual. The two exchanged a perplexing glance.

"Are we going to sail to the center of the lake to investigate? — Mr. Shen, can you determine the location? Can you pinpoint the exact location?"

This lake looks crystal clear, but it's actually extremely deep and wide. Searching the entire 600+ square kilometer expanse of water, ranging from 20 to 40 meters deep, would be incredibly exhausting.

Let alone an off-road vehicle with only a hovercraft strapped to it, even a specialized vessel would be an enormous undertaking to search such a large area of ​​water.

Moreover, it's not something the two of them, acting as drivers and tour guides, can handle. To put it bluntly, the two of them combined wouldn't be as good as any one of Shen Le's spirit servants!
"I……"

Shen Le lowered his head, closed his eyes, and unleashed his spiritual power, sending it far out. Centered on the location where the fish had been caught, he scanned the area from the surface of the lake to the bottom, circle by circle.

After scanning twenty or thirty times, the scanning diameter seemed to have reached five hundred meters, but still nothing was found.
"Am I imagining things?"

"Whether it's right or wrong, let's hurry up and leave." The young man from the mainland was more unfamiliar with the various forces on the plateau and was more nervous.

At the slightest disturbance, she couldn't help but pull Shen Le back:

"Don't eat this fish... we won't miss out on this one bite..."

What's there to be afraid of! Eat as usual!

The little oil lamp flickered angrily with a spark. A thin bolt of lightning struck the bucket, instantly turning the fish belly-up.
"I'm here! What kind of great demons or monsters dare to harass us? I'll chop them into charcoal!"

[That's right! That's right!] The little wooden puppet came running over, lunged at the bucket, and reached in with both hands to scoop up the fish:
【What's there to be afraid of! If there are really bad guys, we'll fight them together! Besides, this fish is very clean; even the lightning didn't produce any black smoke!】

The little ones huddled around Shen Le, chattering away. The Special Affairs Bureau guy, exasperated, could only roll up his sleeves and get to cooking.
They didn't even need to bring their own stoves or gas canisters. Huang Yutong's three-courtyard mansion had a complete set of cooking equipment in its kitchen: pots and pans, induction cookers, electric ovens, air fryers, and a wood-fired stove...

The three of them enjoyed a delicious meal, and didn't notice anything unusual until they finished eating.

Not only the fish that Shen Le caught, but also all the fish that the mud terracotta warriors fished out from the depths of the lake by casting their lines to the limit, all had tender, crystal-clear white flesh that melted in their mouths.

Shen Le ate while trying to sense his surroundings, even examining the fish intestines, but still couldn't find any clues.

Finally, with a hint of doubt, he could only gather the little ones together and prepare to get in the car and leave:
"Come on, let's get ready to go! Next stop, we're going to see the golden sunrise on the mountains!"

The women in flowing skirts carried the Buddhist shrine into the mansion, the woman in red wedding dress retreated with her dressing case, and Huang Yutong tucked herself away. The clay figurines lined up and jumped one by one into the pen holder.

Shen Le stood still, counting them one by one, watching as some were put on bracelets and others were put into backpacks.

After quickly finishing tidying up, he turned around and walked towards the SUV:
"Come on, let's hurry up, we can still make it to see the sunset tomorrow!"

Before the words were even finished, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance. Large flocks of birds took flight, circling in the air and screeching loudly.

Flakes of fluff drifted through the air, scattering like snowflakes. Shen Le, her right hand gripping the car door, one foot raised in the air, was about to step into the carriage when she froze in that position, turning back to look:

"The birds have taken flight in fright. What happened? This shouldn't be the time for trouble..."

The flock of birds not only took flight in fright, but also flew towards Shen Le while making loud, incoherent noises.

Feathers flew off his head like snowflakes. It was only because Shen Le erected a wind wall in time that he was not about to be covered in shit by these short-skinned bastards.

However, large flocks of seagulls and geese circled around Shen Le and his group endlessly, as if only around them was there a sliver of pure land, free from any dangerous or evil interference...

Shen Le's expression grew increasingly solemn, so he simply sat down cross-legged and opened his senses.

Just as his mental energy opened a circle, he heard thunderous hoofbeats in the distance. A large herd of wild donkeys drinking water came galloping over, stopped beside Shen Le, and pawed at each other restlessly.

Upon closer inspection, the wild donkeys jostled together, making way for a snow leopard to slowly approach. It neither pounced nor roared, but simply walked quietly towards Shen Le.
"Stop right there!" Shen Le shouted. He pointed at the snow leopard, palm facing outward, making a gesture of rejection.

"Don't come any closer! What's wrong... uh..."

When you ask it to say something directly, it seems unable to express itself.
With a splash, the fish on the lakeside leaped, their golden scales reflecting the sunlight and creating a golden glint on the lake.

Shen Le suddenly turned around, raised his right hand, and a fireball the size of an orange had already appeared in his palm, growing brighter and hotter:
"What is that? Show yourself!!!"

In that lake!
That deepest and farthest place in the heart of the lake!

What is that?!
A very dark, enormous shadow is rising from the bottom of the lake! It's approaching! It's menacing!

It startled all the creatures around it; birds, beasts, insects, and fish were all afraid of it!

The two special agents' faces darkened, and they quickly went to open the trunk. Each of them put on a long robe covered in runes.
A pistol in the left hand, a longsword/curved knife in the right; take them.
He wore a string of prayer beads around his neck and another string of prayer beads on each wrist, fully armed.

After thinking for a moment, he put the pistol back and replaced it with a light shield engraved with runes...

With Shen Le there, there's probably no need for them to go up and face the enemy head-on. In other words, if Shen Le can't win, they'll just die anyway.

However, protecting myself and not interfering with Shen Le's battle is still manageable—oh right, take two more talismans and stick them on my shoes, so I can make a quick getaway at any time!
The fish in the lake were leaping more and more rapidly. The flocks of birds overhead were hoarse and kept circling, but none of them went down to peck at the delicious food that they would normally have to work hard to get.

Shen Le focused his mind and sensed the fireball in his hand, which began to change constantly, transforming from a circle into a spear, and then breaking into fire beads. The twelve fire beads circled his right hand, rotating continuously.

"come out!!!"

A fiery pearl suddenly detached from the fire wheel and shot out. The lake water surged up, forming a transparent wall that blocked the fiery pearl.

In the clear, transparent lake water, countless fish, each as long as a palm and as long as a finger, and shaped like a willow leaf, swarmed together.

Within this wall of water, countless bodies gathered, forming a shield with their own bodies:
Go ahead and hit me!
If you try to fight them, they'll be the first to die!
Shen Le hesitated slightly. The plateau naked carp is an important economic fish in the lake and also an important food source for the birds here.

The ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau is always fragile. How long will it take for the fish killed and the ecosystem destroyed by his fireball to recover?
But this hesitation only made the shadows in the lake grow larger. A column of water, like a dragon, surged up and swept towards Shen Le.

The flock of birds overhead suddenly burst into flight, the wild donkeys turned tail and ran away, but the snow leopard growled softly and ran toward the shore, as if it wanted to fight alongside Shen Le!

do not care!
If this thing is allowed to grow too big, it won't just be these few fish that suffer!

Shen Le gritted his teeth, and all the fire beads shot out simultaneously. The six fire beads were arranged in two layers, circling each other from top to bottom;

Six more fireballs coalesced into a fireball, which shot straight down. Before it even reached the lake's surface, a distinct depression appeared in the water, shrouded in white mist that rose into the air.

The shadowy figure emitted a sharp hiss, gathering more lake water that rose up like a waterspout to meet the fireball.

A deafening roar shook the entire lake, turning it into a white expanse. The water in front of Shen Le receded more than ten feet before surging back—

"when!"

"when!"

"when!!!"

Suddenly, a deep, resonant bell rang out from the Buddhist shrine, echoing the distant bells on the opposite bank.

Within the white mist, Shen Le seemed to see a glimmer of golden light, which vanished in a flash—

(End of this chapter)