Chapter 98: Mountain, Sea Vii: Xiaoqian (1/2)

Having been through the so-called calamity that Pu Lao talked about, I was ready to leave. However, the wind fox told me that I could only leave after I finished the etiquette cla.s.s.

Days went by comfortably and I had good food daily.

I even had half an hour to call back home in the afternoon.

A few days later, I was informed that Senior had recovered and was ready to leave the hospital.

With no other choice, I could only contact Zhao Bayi to give him a ride back to the temple.

I also told Master that I was kidnapped by a weird monster and forced to be a laborer. Master was initially skeptical, but Zhao Bayi reported that he wouldn't have made it if not for me.

Master then started crying loudly, attempting to get some more money off Zhao Bayi again. After that, he instructed me to return to the temple if I get the opportunity because there was still demon-ridding businesses waiting for me.

I couldn't really explain what was going on so I could only give him a perfunctory answer. There was no way for me to leave at all.

On my second week, I tried slipping away from the zoo. However, just when I was about one step away from outside, I felt my hands raise up and slap myself on the head. It wasn't within my control.

I walked on the street as my hands. .h.i.t my face, creating bruises.

I had no way of stopping and controlling my hands. The curse would only be removed when I re-enter the zoo.

I wasn't sure if Pu Lao could sense my absence from the zoo, but the moment I stepped out, my muscles would tense and I would lose control of my arms.

That night, I experimented for a whole hour.

Even if I tied my hands together or attached sponges to them to reduce the impact, they would try all ways to hurt me the moment I stepped out. Finally, I had no choice but to give up.

The next morning, the wind fox simply smiled knowingly at me and said nothing.

Baize looked and me and shook his head. I retrieved a mirror and realized that I wasn't even recognizable anymore.

Thankfully, my face recovered after a day. It seemed that my recovering ability had already surpa.s.sed that of average humans.

It was pointless, though, since I couldn't really leave.

I could only abide by their orders and hope that they would let me go if I perform well.

Disregarding the lack of freedom, life in the zoo was much better than in the temple.

The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the fact that I had to get up at four in the morning.

Baize would make me run two rounds in the morning before I could get my breakfast.

A round was about 10 kilometers, so I was basically running half a marathon every day. In the beginning, I could only finish it at six, but gradually, my speed and endurance improved.

That doesn't mean that I wasn't irritated by the routine, though.

After breakfast, Baize would make me memorize Chinese literature that was foreign and incomprehensible. I never enjoyed reading so it was a torture for me. If I was unable to read a word or understand its meaning, Baize would snap a ruler onto my head. It hurt terribly.

The hit itself wasn't painful, but the aftermath felt like a magnitude 10 earthquake. It was mentally crumbling. When I asked about the ruler, he only smiled and said that its name was Waking the Dragon.

After an afternoon feast, I would get half an hour of rest time.

I could do whatever I wanted during that period and I usually used it to make calls.

At one in the afternoon, the wind fox would come into my room and get me down to the gym to practice mixed martial arts and wrestling.

I asked her why I wasn't taught moves from the ancient times, like tiger claw, snake palm, and white crane wings, but she just gave me a withering look.

I had some foundation when it came to Daoist boxing, but the wind fox showed me no mercy.

Although my body was stronger, inertia, power, and momentum would still cause some bones to break when I get thrown onto the ground.

It hurt like crazy at first, but the pain would subside a few minutes after she fix my bones.

I was allowed to use any moves during battle so there was quite some intimacy involved.

But to teach me a lesson, I would get flung even further and harder. Naturally.

I tried using the same soundwave that I'd used previously to deal with her. It seemed to work, just not as optimal as before.

During the month, Pu Lao only visited once. He left immediately after seeing me being slammed to the floor.

I was convinced that the wind fox did it on purpose. I got beaten up but I never really learned any techniques. However, I have to admit that I got better at taking her punches.

After dinner, I had all the time to myself. There were practically no limitations.

Nevertheless, I didn't dare to leave the zoo and would just simply stroll around within its boundaries.

I could also buy things in the zoo without paying a single cent.

Three months pa.s.sed just like that and the most unhappy person wasn't me but Master.

He even suspected that I was lying to him and that I had just decided not to return home. Yet, when I told him about my plight, not once did he visit me.

Baize started to teach me the art of healing as well. It was as if he wanted to cram all the knowledge into my brain.

It was midnight and I found myself unable to sleep. I got up and decided to roam the corridors.

Baize's room was a floor below me. I started wondering about the etiquette cla.s.s and when it was going to start.

After all, I could only leave upon attending that cla.s.s.

I knocked on Baize's door but there was no answer. After waiting for a little while, I took out a card.

I swiped it from the wind fox and had kept it in my pocket since, thinking that it could be of use someday.

I surveyed my surroundings and started picking the lock. After a few minutes, the lock opened up and I pushed the door gently.

It was empty inside.

I found the light switch and flipped it on. The room was even plainer than mine.

There was a medicine box on his bed.

I closed the door gingerly and walked toward the box.

I started considering if I should open it since they might be treasures within, things like dragon beard needles or a version of that cursed ruler. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the box.

It was pitch black inside. I reached my hand into it.

Suddenly, I felt a force pulling me inside. Before I could even put a thought into resisting, I've already disappeared into the darkness.

Some time later, I woke up in pain.

My hands were hitting my head non-stop as I was no longer in the zoo.

I felt my arms going numb from the self-abuse. I figured that my face probably was in the same condition.

I observed my surroundings.

The scenery was beautiful, like a mountain.

I haven't been here before, but it seemed somewhat familiar as if I'd seen it on television before.

I saw a stone tablet not far away and ran toward it.

Seeing the words on it made me draw a cold breath.

Black Mountain.

Below it was a row of smaller words: Buddhist temple ahead.