The work of the Go master

Thanks to this, Akio Masakazu has been sleeping well for the first time recently.

"When you worship Buddha, remember to be more devout than your opponent. You have to think of it this way: if you worship and your opponent worships, Buddha can only help whichever side is more devout." Qiu Sheng smiled roguishly. Although he was middle-aged, he still looked like a delinquent high school senior.

"Understood, devout." Ke Zhiguang replied with a faint smile, then pushed open the door and stepped out, a ray of sunlight falling on his shoulder.

......

......

After an hour's drive, we arrived at the foot of Yugenji Temple.

The mountain is not very high, but the vegetation is quite lush and verdant. A dark black temple tower stands on the top of the mountain, exuding a sense of coldness and desolation.

This place should have been very picturesque, but unfortunately it was Saturday and there were many tourists. People were buying tickets to enter, families were having fun together, and many foreign tourists were taking pictures, which greatly diminished the mystery of the place.

Sure enough, one shouldn't expect to encounter any fantastical events. In this world, the only possible fantastical event is a Buddha statue suddenly coming to life, pulling out a chessboard from behind its rear end, and shouting for a game, just like playing Yu-Gi-Oh!

Ke Zhiguang gripped the amulet in his pocket, and after thinking for a moment, he finally decided to wear it.

Although I had previously seen a bronze ring, it was very uncomfortable to wear, so I never paid attention to it.

However, you can still carry the amulet, and also test whether the spiritual object is truly effective on the chessboard.

Of course, Ke Zhiguang was more curious about how probabilistic events outside the chessboard should be triggered.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Schrödinger's Tribute Box (Dads, please recommend and add to your favorites!)

After buying a ticket and entering the scenic area, you can walk up the steps to find a scene of bustling incense offerings. Black buildings are shrouded in ash smoke, and an ancient shrine to Ksitigarbha stands on the lawn in the distance.

The monks enthusiastically sell various souvenirs to tourists, happily transforming the serene and mysterious atmosphere of Buddhism into tangible economic benefits.

Along the way, Ke Zhiguang also eavesdropped on the tour guide's introduction of the place.

The predecessor of this Yugenji Temple was an ordinary temple, barely qualifying as an ancient site. More than 20 years ago, the temple and the entire mountain were bought by a mysterious buyer, who renovated and renamed the temple Yugenji.

The fact that this mysterious buyer could purchase such a mountain in Setagaya, a region teeming with wealthy individuals, speaks volumes about his wealth. The fact that he named the temple Yugen further demonstrates his fondness for Go.

Later, this place inexplicably became popular, attracting a constant stream of tourists and becoming a thriving center of worship, comparable to Senso-ji Temple, one of Japan's most famous landmarks.

Some say that the construction of this temple led to the rise of Go in Japan, and the economy also recovered under the impetus of Go. In short, it is a very mysterious place.

The offering box was placed in front of the Buddha statue in the main courtyard, sealed with a strip of wood, leaving only a few gaps for people to put coins in.

"May I offer this?" Ke Zhiguang showed the white fox doll to a monk behind the offering box.

The monk examined the white fox doll for a moment, then nodded: "This is fine; it's an offering that can bring good luck."

Ke Zhiguang was taken aback upon hearing this, and his eye twitched.

What do you mean?

Does this mean that all the monks in this temple have the ability to see the divine power behind an object at a glance?

"Master, may I ask what kind of luck this doll possesses?" Ke Zhiguang humbly grasped the other's hand, his eyes shining, and asked for advice.

"Huh?" The monk was also stunned, his mouth half open, as it was the first time he had encountered a tourist asking such a tricky question.

He's just an ordinary employee, the kind who clocks in and out on time. The monk's robe he's wearing is his work uniform, and his hairstyle is also for work. Saying that this doll can bring good luck is just a sales line. How can he handle being called a master right away?

Besides, as a mere employee, he also wanted to know why this thing could bring good luck.

We can't exactly answer that's how employees are taught in the "Employee Training Manual," can we?

"This... this humble monk also finds it difficult to answer this question, but I believe that sincerity is key. Since you have this intention, I think it should bring you good fortune."

"I see." Although the answer was perfunctory, Ke Zhiguang accepted it nonetheless.

Although he believes he has no affinity with cult beliefs in his life, considering that his current worldview may have some idealistic elements, it seems necessary to temporarily find a Buddhist to cling to.

He stuffed the white fox doll into the offering box, then clasped his hands together abruptly, striking a pose as if Edward were performing alchemy.

Equivalent exchange!

How about that? Was that devout enough?

The white fox doll slowly descended from inside the offering box, as if falling into a void ocean.

There was no sound of offerings falling onto the wooden board.

[Mission Completed: Purify the Plague-Infested Rats]

[Reward has been credited to your account]

Is that all?

A gentle breeze from the temple swept behind him, rustling the leaves against the stone slabs, creating an atmosphere of indescribable emptiness and tranquility.

—He didn’t hear the sound of the white fox doll hitting the ground when he threw it down.

He craned his neck to look inside the tribute box, trying to see what was inside, but through the wooden strips he could only see a sudden shadow, as if some unknown force was blocking everything.

It feels like something out of a horror game.

Many horror games like to use shrines as save points. You place an offering on the altar in front of the shrine, and a hand immediately reaches out from the void, takes the offering, and the game is saved.

There are forces beyond common sense operating secretly behind the scenes.

“Um, sir, it’s best not to do that, it’s not very proper,” a monk employee politely reminded him.

Ke Zhiguang immediately stopped peeking into the box, and after a moment's thought, asked, "Did you hear the sound of the offerings falling onto the wooden board just now?"

"This humble monk didn't hear it, but I think there must have been a cloth or something underneath the offering box."

"Even if there's a cloth underneath, if tourists stuff too many coins in, the coins should still make a sound as they tap against each other. Have you ever heard that?" Ke Zhiguang continued to ask.

"I don't remember that either," the monk replied, scratching the back of his head. It was the first time he had ever encountered such a tricky and strange question from a tourist.

"Don't you find it strange?" Ke Zhiguang squatted down in front of the offering box and continued to study it.

"Your words put me in a difficult position. Besides, this is a Buddhist temple, so some supernatural phenomena are... well, that's understandable, isn't it?" the monk replied with a wry smile, truly at a loss for what to do.

Ke Zhiguang didn't dare to ask any more questions. He knew that the locals had a long tradition of believing in the supernatural, but in the current timeline, this belief seemed to have deepened.

He pieced together the clues in his mind.

Inside the unobservable offering box, the offerings placed inside seemed to have vanished.

The unobserved chessboard, upon waking one night, is found to be filled with props.

One emphasizes disappearance, the other emphasizes appearance, but their essence is surprisingly similar, perhaps both being products of quantum mechanics.

"I have another question. Does this temple have any special monks?" Ke Zhiguang changed his question.

“Benefactor, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

"Imagine if on a dark and stormy rainy night, a mysterious person suddenly appears behind you, points a gun at the back of your head and says, 'I'm looking for that monk,' which monk would you think of first?" Ke Zhiguang looked into the other person's eyes and asked the question very seriously.

this.....

What kind of example is this?!

That's an overly vivid depiction!

To put it bluntly, this is just an ordinary commercial temple. Whether it's monks or witches, they're all just ordinary employees.

"This humble monk does not recall such a person's existence. If you are fortunate enough to meet this special monk, you should be able to do so," the monk said, chanting Amitabha.

Ke Zhiguang had anticipated this answer.

As expected, characters who receive warnings from the cheat system to be handled with caution are not so easy to encounter.

In short, the side quest to purify the plague rats was over, and he didn't intend to investigate the issue of the tribute box any further.

Next, the instructions will still be based on the treasure map.

The location indicated by the treasure map is in a secluded side courtyard of Yugenji Temple, which mainly sells souvenirs and has few tourists.

Arriving at the side courtyard, he followed the directions on the treasure map deeper and deeper until he reached the ancient door at the very end of the first basement level. If it weren't for the sign on the wall indicating that the area was open to tourists, he would probably have thought he had entered a forbidden Buddhist sanctuary, and that taking another step forward would likely result in him being beaten up and chased away by the Eighteen Bronze Men.

The coordinates indicated by the treasure map are behind the door.

—Shouldn't this door be able to be pushed open?

Just as I placed my hand on the door, ready to exert force, a dialog box popped up.

[Are you sure you want to open this door?]

Chapter Thirty: "Ten Games at Danghu" (Dads, please vote and add to your favorites!)

The dialog box popped up abruptly, startling Ke Zhiguang slightly.

It's more than just a hint; it's an explicit indication that pushing the door will trigger an event.

In an instant, Ke Zhiguang thought of the 4399 mini-game "Jin Yong's Heroes 2" that he had played before. One of the great joys was to sneak into Shaolin Temple to steal the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) and occasionally encounter the Sweeping Monk.

The current situation is similar; they are all temples, all scripture repositories, all aiming at the same book, and all with a monk who deserves our caution.

Ke Zhiguang clenched the talisman in his pocket, wondering if it was its ability to trigger events that was causing the problem.

Upon closer examination, the amulet only states that it increases the probability of triggering events, without specifying whether it's a good or bad thing.

In other words, if he were to encounter terrorists while walking in an alley, that would also be considered a triggering event.

After a moment's thought, Ke Zhiguang began to push open the door in front of him.

At worst, it's just playing chess.

[Door open confirmed]

A Conan-like sound of a door opening rang out.

Pushing open the door, the room inside is an antique-style library, with carved bookshelves holding bamboo slips and ancient books. The fragrance is invigorating, and in an instant, it feels as if time has flowed backward for hundreds of years.

It really is a library.

Who goes there?

A deep, resonant voice came from the far end of the other side of the room, like the long tolling of an ancient bell, its echo still reverberating in the air, inspiring awe and respect.

Ke Zhiguang stopped in his tracks, slowly turning his head away—

At the far end of this library, a faded Buddha statue sits on its throne, while a monk dressed in a Japanese black robe sits in meditation facing the statue. A chessboard is placed between the two.

This monk appears to be playing chess with a Buddha statue.