Chapter 77: Precepts

There is something... scratching in the room next door? What does this mean?

Several questions popped into Ding Mo's mind.

At the same time, Jiang Liuxue, who understood Ding Mo, also came back to her senses and said with a slightly flushed face:

"You, you can let go of me first."

"?" Ding Mo looked at her.

The warm airflow from her breathing brushed against her neck, causing patches of red to bloom on her skin.

"Ah, sorry, sister." Only then did Ding Mo realize that in order to catch her, his hands had subconsciously supported her soft, perky buttocks, his five fingers sinking in slightly.

Besides that, Jiang Liuxue's magnificent breasts were also being pressed by him, rising and falling as she struggled in the narrow space due to the intense movement just now.

Ding Mo let her go and stepped back two paces.

The oppressive feeling that had made Jiang Liuxue somewhat suffocated finally vanished, and her breathing became smooth again,

yet she dared not underestimate this "younger cousin" anymore.

She found a chair to sit on and turned her head to the side.

The two did not speak—Ding Mo was contemplating whether to go to the room next door to check, while Jiang Liuxue seemed to have been frightened and had not yet recovered.

After a while, the flush on Jiang Liuxue's face faded, and her expression returned to indifference.

"Just now, what was that sound about?"

She had not forgotten that they were still in a Terror Mission.

Hearing this, Ding Mo pondered and replied:

"According to my previous observations, no one lives next door."

"What?" Jiang Liuxue knitted her brows.

"I'll go take a look!"

You are truly brave... Ding Mo stopped her from afar; he opened his mouth, but paused before saying:

"Sister, we only need to stay here for seven days. Since it hasn't affected us, there's no need to be a busybody."

Since it was a survival-type task, Ding Mo, drawing on his experience from the first task, felt it was better to take a passive approach.

Do not initiate contact, follow the rules, and avoid unnecessary danger.

Hearing this, Jiang Liuxue hesitated for a moment, nodded, and sat back down.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly said indifferently: "You sleep on the bed."

But, hearing this, why did Ding Mo get the feeling of "the toy isn't fun, you play with it"?

"No," Ding Mo discarded this thought and rejected it:

"There is something strange next door; I'm afraid someone will have to keep watch tonight.

"Let's take turns; it works out well, whoever keeps watch, the other person can sleep on the bed."

"Then you keep watch first," Jiang Liuxue said immediately.

She walked to the bed and touched the mattress—she had a bit of a germaphobia and didn't really want to sleep on a bed that others had slept in, especially a man.

"Fine." Ding Mo didn't mind.

The two divided the work just like that, and the room fell silent.

It wasn't time to rest yet, and neither of them was going to sleep so early, so they picked up the booklet given by the "Abbot" and began to read it separately.

Opening the booklet, as expected, this was another set of "rules"!

As follows:

The Temple's pure precepts have always been the foundation of this temple; all disciples must observe them.

-) After the Morning Bell and evening bell ring, you must immediately go to the Daxiong Treasure Hall to chant scriptures and practice, completing the Early Morning Lesson and evening lesson. Disciples who have not arrived at the Daxiong Treasure Hall after the bell stops are considered to have committed the grave sin of Parajika in this temple! You must immediately go to the "Guangming Baodian" to await judgment!

-) Disciples with sins in the Guangming Baodian will have their fate decided by the Abbot. Others are not permitted to meet with them privately.

-) Without permission, no one is allowed to approach the "Guangming Baodian." Otherwise, it is also considered a grave sin!

-) During the Early Morning Lesson and evening lesson, disciples entering the hall must not converse with others, so as not to disturb the practice. You must take your seat on your own and pick up the scriptures in front of your seat to chant.

-) When chanting, if a disciple asks you what scripture is being chanted today, do not respond. Report it to the Abbot afterwards. If that disciple continues to harass you, you may light a stick of incense and sincerely tell Buddha.

-) Note: If the text of the scripture you are reading wriggles like maggots, or differs significantly from the scriptures chanted in the past, do not attempt to wipe it off; go to the Buddha altar and drink the offered tea.

-) If this condition persists and cannot be restored, please inform the Abbot, or after lighting incense and sincerely telling Buddha, take a stick of incense during the Early Morning Lesson and immediately go to the "Ten Thousand Buddha Hall." If it is during the evening lesson, do not leave the Daxiong Treasure Hall until the Morning Bell rings.

-) Inside the "Ten Thousand Buddha Hall," there are all kinds of taboos that cannot be explained in words; please, disciples, do not approach. If you enter by mistake, please leave from the back door as soon as possible, and it is forbidden to investigate any sounds inside the hall.

-) However, if you do not see the Buddhas inside the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, you may stay.

-) If you discover that the Abbot has gone missing during the Early Morning Lesson or evening lesson, then the disciple who returns to their room and finds a kasaya is the successor Abbot. Note: Do not investigate the whereabouts of the former Abbot. The new Abbot must move into the Abbot's quarters to live.

-) If you discover abnormalities with the Buddha statues during the Early Morning Lesson or evening lesson, report it to the Abbot. During this period, do not Light incense and tell Buddha.

-) If you suddenly discover that everyone in the temple has gone missing, do not panic, and do not enter any Buddha hall; just find a quiet corner to chant scriptures until everyone returns to the temple. They have just gone out for a trip.

-) If this situation lasts for more than two days and nights, please immediately enter any Buddha hall, sit upright on the lotus pedestal, and chant scriptures. The chanting must continue until other people appear in the hall.

At this time, you must cover your face, and within 7 days, you must not communicate with anyone, must not respond to anyone, must not open the door for anyone after dark, and must not believe any words from any masked monk. Even if they are the person you trust the most.

For all other matters, you may ask or seek help from the Abbot. That is all.

"..."

While memorizing these rules, Ding Mo speculated on the eeriness hidden behind them.

It seems that the 'Early Morning Lesson and evening lesson' is a very important part... He noted this point.

The air in the room was deathly silent.

Jiang Liuxue sat cross-legged on the bed, and by now, she had also finished reading the booklet.

Her expression had no fluctuations, only her long legs were subconsciously pulled together, seamless.

It seemed that even her breathing had stagnated a little.

With so many rules, it was easy to imagine that they would likely not have an easy time over these seven days.

"Hoo..." Ding Mo let out a breath at this moment, seemingly breaking the atmosphere slightly.

He glanced at Jiang Liuxue, whose expression was slightly solemn, and said:

"Get some rest early; we can't be late tomorrow. It would be terrible if we were late."

The rules stated that those who were late would be punished with a heavy sentence and exiled to the "Guangming Baodian"; no one knew what exactly was in that place.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liuxue exhaled softly through her vermilion lips, wiped the cold sweat from her snowy neck without a trace, and nodded slightly.

"Okay."

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, before the sky was fully bright, Ding Mo had just slept for less than 3 hours on the bed she had slept in, under Jiang Liuxue's frowning gaze.

A series of knocks on the door rang out.

Knock, knock, knock!

"I am Xiong Lihui. Sorry to bother you, but we are holding a gathering upstairs. I hope everyone can attend so we can discuss things together."

It was a man's voice, sounding relatively steady and reliable.

"Alright." Jiang Liuxue had just stood up when she saw Ding Mo crawl out of bed.

She hesitated for a moment, then, as if merely offering a small suggestion, said:

"Ding Mo, I can go alone; you can sleep a bit more."

She could come back and tell him the situation later.

"No need." Ding Mo, however, indicated it was unnecessary.

He had actually slept enough; the opening of his "Gene Lock" allowed him to even halve his sleep time.

Ah, if he were to return to society now, he would probably be the type of person capitalists liked the most.

"... Suit yourself." Seeing this, Jiang Liuxue said a word and opened the room door.

Outside the door, Xiong Lihui, who was waiting on the spot, looked over upon hearing the movement, and his eyes went straight immediately.

Having just entered the Task yesterday, the sheer volume of information had been so overwhelming that he hadn't noticed that there was such a beauty as Jiang Liuxue among the group!

He couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

At this moment, Jiang Liuxue's hair was tied up into a neat scorpion braid, the tail swaying back and forth against her perky buttocks, looking quite playful.

Jiang Liuxue, however, did not notice his gaze; she only felt that as she opened the door, a deep, cold, and damp air rushed toward her face, causing her cheeks to flush red.

So cold!

She couldn't help but hunch her shoulders and wrap her arms around herself, then asked:

"Who organized the gathering?"