Black Rain City was much larger than Yi Village. Nevertheless, it was vastly different from the Dajing Dynasty where he had lived. Although the Dajing Dynasty was also a feudal dynasty, it at least possessed a higher level of productivity and had absorbed so systems from modern Secret Realms, allowing for a sustainable way of life. Black Rain City, while not excessively filthy or chaotic, was barely more developed than an uncivilized area. After all, every place has its dregs.
After entering the city, he found an inn. He had to provide his travel permit and register his purpose of visit, among other procedures. Most guests at the inn were mbers of trading caravans or Dart Masters. There were few Young Heroes, as ordinary people couldn’t afford to stay there.
"Rooster Crow Temple... that sounds familiar." After the waiter served the wine and food, Wang Linchi pulled him aside to ask. He slipped the waiter a few copper coins as a tip, prompting him to pause and think.
Hearing the word "familiar," Wang Linchi felt a surge of hope. This is a promising start, he thought.
However, the waiter wracked his brain for a long ti but still couldn’t recall why it sounded familiar. He then turned to the innkeeper, who was at the counter calculating bills and chatting with a regular custor, and asked, "Boss, do you know where Rooster Crow Temple is?"
"I do. Thirty li south of Black Rain City, there’s a Buddhist temple whose statues have all been beheaded. That’s the one." The innkeeper, initially surprised, answered while sizing up Wang Linchi. This question definitely didn’t co from the waiter, the innkeeper mused. It must have been this young man. Why would the waiter ask about such things?
Wang Linchi then understood why the people of Yi Village knew nothing about it. Firstly, few villagers ever ca to the city, and even those who did were unlikely to inquire about temples. Secondly, it was a matter of geography. Rooster Crow Temple was thirty li south of Black Rain City, while Yi Village lay to its north. The villagers had simply never been there. In an era of poor transportation, Black Rain City was likely the farthest place the villagers of Yi Village ever reached. So might never even leave their village in their entire lives. These factors—poor transportation, lack of information, and so on—were why the Yi Village chief didn’t know about Rooster Crow Temple. Perhaps so villagers did, but Wang Linchi hadn’t inquired further among them.
"That place has beco a den of ghosts, overrun by a group of Headless Ghosts. Going there is no different from courting death.
"Speaking of those Headless Ghosts, they were once pitiful souls in life. They were monks from Rooster Crow Temple who lived self-sufficiently, farming their own grain and not accepting incense offerings. Besides their Buddhist practices and sutra chanting, they often helped the poor by repairing bridges and roads.
"Then one day, they were all found dead, every single one of them beheaded. A group of bandits, who seed to have co from nowhere, didn’t even spare the Buddha statues—they beheaded those too.
"After that, they beca Headless Ghosts, and Rooster Crow Temple fell into ruin, deserted.
"This all must have happened about ten years ago."
The innkeeper sounded quite mournful as he recounted this.
From the innkeeper’s tone and words, Wang Linchi could tell that the incident had caused a huge uproar at the ti, though it eventually died down with no resolution. Neither the Headless Ghosts nor the bandits faced any consequences. The ghosts didn’t leave Rooster Crow Temple, so they were largely ignored, and the bandits, having killed and fled, were impossible to track down.
"What about the heads?" Wang Linchi asked the crucial question; the integrity of the Buddha statue was very important to him.
"Gone. It’s said the bandits took all the heads with them after chopping them off." The innkeeper didn’t hide anything. "Back then, people searched, hoping to give the monks a complete burial, but not a single head was found, not even the Buddha statue’s."
Hearing this, Wang Linchi felt the situation was rather tricky. My mission is to reforge the golden body of the Buddha statue at Rooster Crow Temple, which ans I have to find the statue’s head. However, I could also try carving a new head for the statue and see if that counts as completing the mission. But I suspect the chances of that working are slim; I’ll probably have to find the original head. It’s definitely going to be difficult.
Wang Linchi pondered his next move.
"Young man, are you planning to go to Rooster Crow Temple?" the innkeeper asked, seeming to read Wang Linchi’s mind.
Wang Linchi nodded. "Yes. Do you have any advice, Boss?"
"I do. You look like a pampered young master, all soft skin and tender flesh. If you go there, you might not co back. You should spend so money and hire a few Guards from the martial arts school in the north of the city, or perhaps engage so Dart Masters from the Dart Bureau."
The innkeeper didn’t try to stop or lecture Wang Linchi. It’s hard to persuade soone who’s courting death, he thought. He could only offer this advice to give Wang Linchi a better chance of survival.
"Oh? Can they deal with ghosts?" Wang Linchi asked, curious.
"They can. So of them have real skills, especially those who train with sabers and spears. It’s said their weapons are inscribed with characters that ’Slay Evil.’ One slash can take a ghost’s head, one thrust can pierce a hole right through them."
The local people might not possess Extraordinary Power, but they have equipnt capable of dealing with demons and ghosts.
"I see. How are these sabers and spears made?" Wang Linchi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"For that, you’d have to ask at a blacksmith’s forge. They’re all made by blacksmiths." The innkeeper hadn’t bothered to learn such things. From his perspective, even if demons and ghosts entered the city, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble. One might go a lifeti without encountering such beings; most people only heard of them in rumors. Even if one did encounter them, it wasn’t necessarily a death sentence. Most demons and ghosts that dared enter the city were fairly docile, unless they were seeking revenge.
"Forged by blacksmiths?" Wang Linchi was surprised. I didn’t expect it to be that simple, he thought.
"That’s right. If blacksmiths didn’t forge them, where else would they co from? Did they fall from the sky?" The innkeeper looked at Wang Linchi strangely. He seems like soone who doesn’t know the ways of the world, he mused. But then again, he’s a young master, probably pampered at ho. It’s normal for him not to know these things.
"It seems I’m rather ignorant," Wang Linchi said, not minding the innkeeper’s assessnt. He continued, "Boss, could you tell where the blacksmith forges are in this city? And what would I need if I wanted to learn how to forge such sabers and spears?"
This skill seems quite good, Wang Linchi thought. If I learn it, I might even be able to forge Soul Devices myself.
"You’re an interesting young fellow. Soone with your soft hands wanting to learn blacksmithing. There’s a saying: ’Of all trades, three are the bitterest: poling a boat, forging iron, and grinding tofu.’ For a young man like you to want to take up blacksmithing... truly interesting."
The innkeeper had never t anyone like him before. Nevertheless, he gave Wang Linchi detailed directions to the city’s blacksmith forges. There were only three blacksmith forges in the city. Though few in number, each was large enough to easily supply the entire Black Rain City’s demand for ironware.
Finally, the innkeeper subtly advised Wang Linchi, "You can go take a look, but don’t get your hopes up about learning anything. They only take young children as apprentices. Soone your age, they wouldn’t want. Even if they did take you in, they wouldn’t teach you any real skills; they’d just have you do hard, tiring labor."
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