Day of Imprisonment

Luo Xi walked over and took a stick of incense and a fortune stick from the old monk.

However, upon touching these two items, Luo Xi was slightly taken aback. He could see faint words appearing on them, namely 'Incense for Honoring the Buddha' and 'Fortune Stick of Destiny'.

What were these two items used for?

Although Luo Xi had already determined that this Youzuo Temple was a checkpoint scene, he didn't know much information about it. For example, the scene's level and attributes were crucial for strategizing.

Also, the scene's rules, i.e., how to 'play', what was allowed, and what was not allowed.

He didn't know any of these things.

Moreover, judging from the old monk's appearance, he had no intention of explaining at all.

This was the first time Luo Xi had encountered such a scene.

That middle-aged man should know, but he wouldn't tell him for no reason.

"Old man, this is my first time here. What do the first incense and first fortune stick mean? What should I do next?"

If he didn't understand, he would ask.

The old monk pointed to the incense burner over there: "Pay respects to the Buddha. By doing so, the Buddha can give you a fortune interpretation. Obtaining the fortune's interpretation will bring blessings or misfortunes. The Buddhist teachings speak of seven emotions, seven sufferings, seven defilements, and seven laws. If you obtain seven fortune interpretations, you can come and find me again."

No matter how he asked, the answer was always the same.

The old monk gave people a very strange feeling. He was like an NPC in the real world, programmed with some kind of fixed routine, only mechanically answering fixed questions, and the content of the answers was also fixed.

Asking again wouldn't yield any results.

"Old man, what are the attributes and level of this scene? What are the rules?"

Luo Xi simply started asking tentatively.

Since he knew the old monk was an NPC, he would deal with him using methods for dealing with NPCs, asking various questions to see how the old monk's response mechanism would answer.

"Youzuo Temple is Diyuan One. The rules have already been told to you."

This could be considered an answer to some of Luo Xi's questions.

Because Luo Xi had been asking questions, it naturally took some time. The middle-aged man behind him became impatient and urged him.

At this time, a few more people came in, all of them looking like Memory Retrievers, and experienced ones with firm expressions and considerable strength.

"Damn, this guy always manages to get ahead of us," one of the people who came in couldn't help but curse when he saw the middle-aged man.

"Old Jin, you're really calculating. You've taken the first incense and first fortune stick many times. Doing this all the time isn't very ethical," said a burly man with a beard, his tone unfriendly.

When the middle-aged man saw these people, he chuckled dryly: "It's not me this time. Someone beat me to it."

Those people naturally immediately looked at Luo Xi.

Over there, the old monk was still responding with the same few phrases over and over again: "You can seek fortune sticks at the incense burners throughout the temple. However, apart from the first incense and first fortune stick, which are free, the others cost money. Put the money into the donation box, and you can obtain the incense for honoring the Buddha and the fortune stick of destiny. Then, seek a fortune interpretation. If you obtain seven fortune interpretations, you can come and find me."

Luo Xi had asked in many ways, from multiple angles, but no matter how he asked, the old monk kept repeating the same few phrases.

Obviously, continuing to ask would be pointless.

Fortunately, from the old monk's few words, he could get a glimpse of the rules of this scene.

What Luo Xi was most concerned about was the attributes and level of this scene.

Diyuan One.

Luo Xi knew that the most common attributes of checkpoint scenes within the Day of Imprisonment were 'Chaos' and 'Yin-Yang'. The former was chaotic and disordered, very dangerous, while the latter added 'weird' and 'terrifying' unnatural elements on the premise of chaos and disorder.

To put it more bluntly, it meant there were 'ghosts'.

Luo Xi had experienced similar situations many times and was quite familiar with them.

So, what would a scene with the 'Diyuan' attribute have?

Luo Xi stepped back from the old monk.

The latter then shouted: "Next."

The middle-aged man, Old Jin, immediately stepped up.

The Memory Retrievers who came later naturally lined up in order, with several of them sizing up Luo Xi, but they didn't say much. After all, they didn't know him, and they were more familiar with this place, so there was no need to ask Luo Xi for information.

Conversely, Luo Xi guessed that if he ran over to ask, these Memory Retrievers wouldn't tell him the truth.

There was no free lunch in the world.

Moreover, the old monk had already clearly stated the basic rules: use the incense for honoring the Buddha to worship the Buddha, then seek a fortune interpretation. After that, continue searching, and obtain new incense and fortune sticks through the donation box. Then, worship the Buddha to obtain a fortune interpretation. Once you have seven, you can come and find the old monk.

At this time, Luo Xi walked to the incense burner in front, lit the incense in his hand, held the incense with both hands, and bowed towards the direction of the Great Hero Hall. There was a prayer mat in front, and words were engraved on the floor next to it: Kneel and pray for a fortune interpretation!

So he worshipped the Buddha.

The fortune stick that Luo Xi had obtained earlier had nothing on it, but after worshipping the Buddha, words slowly appeared on the bamboo stick.

"Worst luck, finding treasure in a dream, waking up to nothing, thinking only of hoeing in the Southern Mountains."

In the next moment, the words on the bamboo stick shone with dazzling light, emitting some kind of invisible power. Luo Xi felt that this thing was like a strange and eerie mark, stamped on his body.

"So this counts as obtaining a fortune interpretation? It's not difficult," Luo Xi thought.

But this was just the beginning, and he would have to observe what happened next.

According to the old monk, there were multiple donation boxes and incense burners in Youzuo Temple, so he needed to find them.

Luo Xi didn't waste any time. The benefits of the first incense and first fortune stick were not only that they were free, but also that he could go to other places to obtain fortune interpretations as soon as possible.

Without delay, Luo Xi immediately went around to the back from the side, passed through a corridor, and saw a donation box and incense burner in front, corresponding to a Buddha statue.

He went forward to take a closer look. The donation box said, "Whether you donate a lot or a little, it's all a blessing."

That is to say, how much to put in was up to him.

This was the most坑人.

If putting in more things could get a good fortune stick, then this thing would become a bottomless pit.

Of course, it was called a donation box, but in reality, putting in money wouldn't work; you had to put in 'cards'.

Luo Xi had also asked the old monk about this.

Interestingly, there were no restrictions on the types of cards that could be put in. The most basic [Memory] cards could be put in, and high-level function cards could also be put in.

However, at this stage, Luo Xi had the most [Memory] cards.

So he put in one.

Immediately, an incense stick and a fortune stick fell out from under the donation box.

He took them and examined them carefully.

The incense was the same as before, and the fortune stick was also bare with no words. Only by worshipping the Buddha and seeking an interpretation would the words appear.

Then he would hurry up and worship the Buddha. Luo Xi looked up at the Buddha statue.

It was different from what he saw in the Great Hero Hall.

This was normal. Generally, temples would enshrine different Buddha statues. Many believers or non-believers would worship any Buddha they saw, but in reality, they didn't care which Buddha they were worshipping, as if worshipping would give them protection and fulfill their wishes.

The Buddha in front of Luo Xi should be the 'Medicine Buddha', the master of the Eastern world, depicted as holding a medicine jar, representing the healing of all beings.

"Shakyamuni Buddha is in the Great Hero Hall, so will worshipping different Buddhas affect the fortune interpretation?"

Luo Xi's mind flickered.

He felt that this was very likely, but obviously, this was a hidden rule that Memory Retrievers needed to explore themselves.

"The fortune interpretation I got last time was the worst luck, finding treasure in a dream, waking up to nothing, thinking only of hoeing in the Southern Mountains. The worst luck means being plagued by bad luck, meaning all efforts are in vain, like a reflection in the water or a flower in a mirror, a complete waste of time, all for nothing."

"The fortune interpretation here is unlikely to be just a meaningless text; it might actually have a corresponding impact."

Luo Xi guessed in his heart.

If that were the case, then the fortune interpretation would actually be some kind of terrifying debuff.

"Bad luck is just one type, perhaps there are even more serious ones. In that case, to have seven fortune interpretations added to your body, if you're unlucky and get a fortune interpretation similar to death, wouldn't you die immediately?"

Luo Xi began to understand where the danger of this scene lay.

He looked at the bamboo stick he had obtained earlier and tried to throw it away.

But soon he found that no matter how he threw it, this thing would eventually reappear in his hand strangely.

"Can't throw it away, so it should be impossible to damage it."

Luo Xi said this, but his actions were even faster. He broke the stick and threw it into the incense burner.

As a result, almost the next second, he looked at his hand again, and he was still holding the stick.

"As expected!"

The fortune interpretation that has been obtained cannot be discarded or destroyed.

In addition, Luo Xi also discovered that after he obtained the incense for honoring the Buddha and the fortune stick of destiny, he could not leave the area around the corresponding incense burner and donation box by more than five meters. If he tried to walk away forcibly, he would bump into an air wall.

"That is to say, you can't accumulate fortune sticks and then seek fortune interpretations all at once. This rule is reasonable, but it blocks all possibilities of taking shortcuts."

Luo Xi calculated a lot in his heart.

As a result, he found that the middle-aged man, Old Jin, had already rushed over anxiously. Seeing that Luo Xi was still there, he sneered, quickly stepped forward, and put two cards into the donation box.

Putting in two cards also got him an incense stick and a fortune stick.

Then, without hesitation, he lit the incense, worshipped the Buddha, and sought a fortune interpretation.

After that, he glanced at Luo Xi and left immediately.

This was the speed of a skilled worker. Luo Xi was still exploring the scene, while the other party had already started speedrunning.

"It seems that at every incense burner and in front of every Buddha, you must complete the action of worshipping the Buddha and seeking a fortune interpretation."

Luo Xi could only light the incense and worship the Buddha. This time, the words on the fortune interpretation were: Medium luck, the red wheel descends in the west, the rabbit rises in the east, Yin grows and Yang shortens, everything prospers.

The meaning of this sentence can be simply classified as: Yin benefits women, not suitable for men.

That is to say, if this fortune stick is obtained by a woman, it is a good thing, and everything will go smoothly, but if it is a man, it is different.

Having interpreted the fortune, Luo Xi could leave here.

So he continued forward, passing the front, where there were two forks in the road, each leading in different directions.

Because it was his first time here, Luo Xi had no experience to draw upon, so he could only choose at random.

“Men go left, women go right. Since my fortune favors women, shouldn't I go right?”

Luo Xi took two steps to the right, but his foot slipped, and he fell directly to the ground.

He fell so hard he was completely disoriented; Luo Xi was stunned.

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ said ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥ ⊥ book ⊥ ⊥ bar ⊥ ⊥ first ⊥ hair!

He looked closely and saw that he had stepped on moss, which was slippery, causing him to fall.

However, the situation was clearly not that simple.

“I walk very carefully, yet I still slipped. Could this be related to the fortune slip I'm holding?” Luo Xi felt this was highly likely.

From now on, he would have to be more careful when walking.

He currently had two fortune slips, one 'very bad' and one 'mediocre,' and the 'mediocre' one was 'yin long yang short,' which meant he was still plagued by bad luck and everything was unfavorable.

Passing through this stretch of road filled with plants and eerie yin energy, he came to a small courtyard with a Buddhist hall, a merit box, a censer, and a Buddha statue.

Upon closer inspection, it was Guanyin Bodhisattva.

“Here, the plants are lush, moss is everywhere, and there's even a small bamboo forest; it's quite fitting.”

In a short time, he had already encountered the third merit box and censer. At this rate, collecting seven fortune slips didn't seem too difficult.

Luo Xi stepped forward, inserted a [Memory] card, obtained a fortune stick, and then prayed to the Buddha for a fortune slip.

However, this time, the fortune slip read: "Mediocre. Clouds obscure the path ahead, with demons and monsters lurking within."

Just from the content, it was clear that it wasn't anything good.

Sure enough, when Luo Xi looked up again, he found that the road ahead was indeed uphill, but a mist of unknown origin completely enveloped and obscured the path.

“So, should I go or not? Or should I retreat?”

Luo Xi pondered, looking back, and gave a helpless dry laugh.

Because the path he had come from was now also shrouded in mist.

Now he was in trouble.

Unless he stayed here and didn't move, he would have to enter the cloud-shrouded area, and according to the fortune slip, there were demons and monsters inside.

Of course, it was possible that he wouldn't encounter them.

Perhaps he would get lucky and pass through safely.

But the problem was, based on the fortune slips Luo Xi had already obtained, his luck could be said to be very bad, so the probability of encountering demons and monsters was almost one hundred percent.

Go, or not go?

For Luo Xi, this was not a question, because he would never be deterred by threats.

Just then, Luo Xi frowned.

The splitting headache had returned.

In fact, he had already felt something was wrong, and it was clear that the painkillers he had taken earlier were starting to wear off.

Having a headache in this situation was not a good thing.

He was already plagued by bad luck, and if his ability to think was further weakened, he might accidentally die here.

He took out a few more painkillers and put them in his mouth.

He crushed them directly and swallowed them.

While waiting for the medicine to take effect, his head buzzed, and he saw double. The tearing sensation in his vision was severe. For example, when he turned his head to look in another direction, the image he had seen before was still there, overlapping with the new image, making it look very strange.

In addition to the visual hallucinations, his hearing also changed painfully.

Luo Xi actually heard some strange sounds.

Someone was chanting scriptures.

There were also people whispering, laughing wildly, and crying.

“Hey, hey, I'm calling you!”

In that disorienting haze, Luo Xi heard a voice stand out from the many noises. With the other party's continuous calls, the noises and the feeling of being out of his body quickly dissipated.

Luo Xi looked up and saw a woman looking down at him, frowning, with a hint of contempt in her eyes.

“Has he come to his senses? Did this guy have some kind of illness just now? Or was he just scared?” Next to the woman was another woman, with short hair, a tattoo on her neck, and many earrings and lip rings. Her skin was fair, but she wore many strange rings on her fingers and had tattoos.

Compared to the woman who had woken Luo Xi, they were simply two different styles, one normal and one extremely alternative.

“A newbie? He probably hasn't collected enough profession cards yet. Why did he come to Youzuo Temple?” the long-haired, normal-looking woman asked, but before Luo Xi could answer, the alternative short-haired woman laughed and said, “What else could it be? Overestimating himself. It's not like we haven't seen people like this before.”

Luo Xi shook his head at this time.

It still hurt.

However, the pain was much less severe than before, and the painkillers had obviously taken effect.

It's just that painkillers only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, and as the number of times they are used increases, the body will definitely develop drug resistance. Not to mention the side effects on the body, the pain-relieving effect will also be greatly reduced.

“I suggest you give up. You've only drawn three fortunes and you're already like this. As the number of fortunes you draw increases, various negative effects will be added to you. By then, it will be difficult to even die comfortably. The Earth Yuan attribute scene is not to be trifled with.”

The long-haired woman said, then changed the subject: “But before you leave, you can exchange fortunes with us. I saw just now that you have a fortune that is very suitable for us.”

Luo Xi knew what she was talking about.

That mediocre fortune, “The red wheel sets in the west, the rabbit rises in the east, yin prospers and yang wanes, everything goes smoothly.”

“Fortunes can be exchanged?” Luo Xi asked at this time.

“Sure enough, it's your first time at Youzuo Temple.” The long-haired woman smiled slightly: “Fortunes can be exchanged. In addition, direct attacks and looting of other Memory Retrievers are not allowed here, including any property, including fortunes. Only exchanges are allowed.”

Luo Xi had guessed this.

If it weren't for this rule, he reckoned his pants would have been stripped off by now.

“I can exchange with you, but I want to know the various rules of Youzuo Temple,” Luo Xi said.

The long-haired woman said: “Actually, there are not too many rules. Apart from the old monk telling you about collecting seven kinds of fortunes, it's what I just said, Memory Retrievers cannot attack each other, cannot rob each other. If you violate this, you will be seen by the many gods and Buddhas here and punished. Then there's nothing else.”

“What about the fortunes?”

“There are many kinds, but they are generally written very clearly, divided into three types: very good, mediocre, and very bad. Each type has many different fortunes. They seem to be good or bad, but in fact, it only depends on who they are for. For example, the 'yin prospers and yang wanes' in your hand is a bad fortune for you, but for us, it becomes a good fortune.”

Luo Xi also agreed with this statement.

“Okay, let's exchange. What fortune slip will you use to exchange?” Luo Xi agreed. For him, that fortune slip was indeed of no benefit to him.

“Take a look at this and see if it works.” The long-haired woman smiled, took out a fortune stick and showed it. It said: “Mediocre. News from the horizon should be difficult to fathom; do not rashly force things.”

“If you don't understand, I can help you explain it. This fortune slip means that action is worse than inaction. All attempts are in vain. Being conservative may bring a turning point. How about it? Not bad, right?”

Obviously, the long-haired woman was right. Compared to Luo Xi's 'yin prospers and yang wanes,' the long-haired woman's fortune slip was better.

At least it wasn't a negative effect.

Luo Xi had no reason to refuse.

“Okay, let's exchange.”

“Come, let's exchange in front of the Buddha, as proof.” The long-haired woman walked to the Guanyin statue and knelt on the futon. Luo Xi also came over, and the two of them stated that the exchange of fortune slips was voluntary, sincere, and would not be regretted.

Then, they exchanged with each other.

“Is that it?” Luo Xi asked, holding the other party's fortune slip.

“What else do you want? This is complicated enough.” The long-haired woman was very happy. She was a woman, and Luo Xi's fortune slip was indeed of great benefit to her.

After exchanging fortune slips, the long-haired woman ignored Luo Xi.

Obviously, having achieved her goal, she didn't bother to say another word to Luo Xi.

On the other hand, the short-haired, alternative woman looked at Luo Xi and kept advising: “Take advantage of the fact that you haven't died yet and leave. Without sufficient power and means, you won't get any benefits here. You must know that just to obtain seven fortune slips, you have to pay at least seven cards. If you're unlucky, not only will you die, but the seven cards will also be wasted. What's the point?”

“Seventh Brother, why are you telling him so much? Let's go. Whether he continues or not has nothing to do with us.” The long-haired woman was completely different from before. Before, she was trying to get Luo Xi to agree to exchange fortune slips, but now that her goal had been achieved, she didn't show the slightest bit of kindness.

On the other hand, the short-haired woman called 'Seventh Brother' looked alternative and abnormal, but there was none of the long-haired woman's contempt and inherent indifference in her eyes.

“That's right, I don't even know you, why should I say so much? You might not even listen to me.” She laughed self-deprecatingly, got up to leave, but after thinking about it, she turned back and said, “There are also mutual reinforcements and restraints between fortune slips. Exchanging with other people may allow you to exchange for a fortune slip that is suitable for you. If there are some particularly bad fortune slips, you can also neutralize them with other fortune slips.”

After saying that, she waved her hand coolly and left quickly.

She was really cool, cool to the bone.

Luo Xi watched the two of them leave, and then got up and stretched his limbs.

In his eyes, the passages ahead and behind were still shrouded in mist. Since he couldn't escape, he might as well face it directly.

“Demons and monsters, if I don't encounter you, then so be it. But if I do, then you're out of luck!”

Luo Xi stepped forward and walked into the mist.