“The abbot was overjoyed and believed the dream completely. He ordered the entire temple to perform purification rituals—bathing, chanting scriptures, and preparing to welcome the celestial being.”
Hong Ning raised an eyebrow.
“All because of a dream? Was he not afraid it might be fake?”
The monk shook his head. “This story may sound far-fetched, and indeed, most of the other monks in the temple felt the same way. Just like you, little benefactor, they refused to believe it. They thought the abbot was simply taking a dream too seriously.”
“On the night of the fifteenth, the abbot had originally planned to set up an incense altar and lead the monks in welcoming the celestial guest.
“But then he hesitated, worrying that such a grand ceremony might startle the deity.
“So, after much thought, he decided to let everyone rest as usual. He only instructed my senior uncle to keep watch at the gate, while he himself meditated in his chamber.”
Hong Ning immediately said, “Something must have gone wrong!”
The monk nodded.
“As midnight approached, the gatekeeper saw and heard nothing unusual. Frustrated, he started to doubt the whole thing and decided to slack off, figuring he could just make up an excuse the next morning.”
Hong Ning couldn’t help exclaiming, “What a pity!”
“Indeed,” the monk sighed. “Just as he shut the gates, there was a loud bang! that shook the entire temple.
“The sound startled everyone awake.
“The temple gates, thick and sturdy as they were, had been forcefully struck—leaving a deep hole in the wood.
“The gatekeeper immediately realized he had made a grave mistake. Panicked, he rushed to open the doors, but whatever had been there was already gone.”
“The abbot was furious. He scolded him harshly on the spot and immediately led the monks outside to set up an incense altar, chanting sutras to express their apologies.
“But by then, the Divine Bell, angered by the closed gates, had already flown off to another place and never returned.
“Left with no choice, the abbot sighed and lamented that our temple had no fate with such a treasure.
“And so, he changed the temple’s name.”
Hong Ning asked, “How do you know it was a Divine Bell?”
Before the monk could answer, Bai Ling scoffed. “Truly foolish.”
The monk chuckled. “Little benefactor, think about it. The being in the dream called itself the Time-Keeper of the Southern Heavenly Gate and went by the name Jin Tong—Golden Attendant. Put the words together, and doesn’t that form the word zhong [钟], meaning ‘bell’?”
Hong Ning had asked the question absentmindedly, without thinking.
Now that she realized the answer, she felt a bit embarrassed. She hurriedly made some polite remarks before quickly dragging Bai Ling to the main hall to offer incense. After leaving a few coins as a donation, they bid the monks farewell and exited the temple.
—
The moment they stepped outside, Hong Ning grinned.
“This explains everything! The circular imprint on the cliff—it’s exactly the size and shape of a bell’s rim.
“The monks didn’t open the gate, so the Divine Bell, furious and with nowhere to go, must have flown aimlessly through the air until it accidentally crashed into the cliff.
“Then it must have fallen into the pool, where the jiao found it.
“By absorbing its spiritual energy, the jiao was able to cultivate into a dragon so quickly!”
Bai Ling simply said, “It’s getting late.”
Hong Ning quickened her pace down the mountain path. “Let’s find a carriage to take us back—I’m too tired to walk.”
Dusk had fallen, and the sky was darkening.
As they reached the main road, a horse-drawn carriage happened to be parked nearby.
The driver was an elderly man dressed in blue, holding a water pipe in his hand.
Upon seeing them, he immediately smiled. “It’s quite late. Are you two still planning to walk all the way back? Why not ride with me instead?”
Hong Ning was delighted and nodded, stepping forward to climb onto the carriage—
But before she could get in, Bai Ling suddenly grabbed her and pulled her behind him.
He stared at the old man and said coldly,
“What are you doing here?”
Hong Ning was still confused when, right before her eyes, the old man’s figure shifted—
In an instant, he transformed into a woman dressed in flowing white robes.
She was stunning, with delicate features and cherry-red lips, but her hair was as white as snow.
Fixing her gaze on Bai Ling, she pouted in mock reproach.
“So this is why you suddenly vanished… Turns out, you’ve been following a Daoist and cultivating immortality.”
At first, Hong Ning assumed this was just another lovestruck female demon drawn to Bai Ling’s beauty.
But the way she spoke suggested they already knew each other.
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