[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-pure-yang":3,"chapter-pure-yang-pure-yang-chapter-2":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Pure Yang!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2267102,4427,"Chapter 2: Tourists Stop, Believe in Science","pure-yang-chapter-2",2,"\u003Cp>“A full-grown person like that—you didn’t see them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan stood frozen, eyeing Li Yi with suspicion, his brow knotted into a “ Chuan ” shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could I miss a beauty? Just now it was only the two of us.” Li Yi stared at Zhang Fan oddly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you under too much stress? Did you hallucinate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Li Yi waved his hand in front of Zhang Fan’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No… when you got up, you even moved aside for her!” Zhang Fan seized on the detail, speaking urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I moved aside for the pillar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t joke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan’s expression darkened slightly as the image of the black-robed girl flashed in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the one joking… it’s just a breakup, you’re obsessed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi rolled his eyes and slung an arm around Zhang Fan’s shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s over… you should focus on making money… buy a car, buy a house… at least get a four-ring one first…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Li Yi wore a knowing smile: “Ever heard an old saying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young and accomplished? Buy an Audi—your pants are paid by sales commissions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A true man need not fear being without a wife?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really didn’t see her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. This is Zhenwu Mountain—don’t joke around… the bus is about to leave, and the next attraction is still ten kilometers away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, Li Yi pulled Zhang Fan toward the sightseeing bus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain road was rugged; lush ancient trees blurred past the windows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the ride, Zhang Fan remained silent, his mind filled with the black-robed girl’s figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A full-grown person like that—you didn’t see her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the temple lights were too dim, the incense too thick—had he truly hallucinated? “Do you think she might’ve been a fox spirit?” Zhang Fan muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t spout superstitious nonsense… besides, which novel or TV drama ever showed a fox spirit running into a Daoist temple?” Li Yi glanced sideways, speaking coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve just got too many distracting thoughts…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahead is Guanxin Peak… its geomagnetic field differs from other places—it can cleanse the soul…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Li Yi leaned close to Zhang Fan’s ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The scenery’s nice too—lots of mountain-climbing girls like taking photos here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those cheap erotic novels say it all… gaze at the mountains and waters from Guanxin Peak—beneath the fairy’s skirt, long legs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You turned a 280-yuan ticket into a 1,800-yuan experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan shook his head with a quiet sigh, silently praying to Zhenwu Dadi that he didn’t know this man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the sightseeing bus pulled over at the Guanxin Peak gathering point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides its pleasant mountain views, this site was most famous for a cliffside temple called [Nanxuan Palace], built into the mountainside, over a thousand years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look over there… supposedly, that peachwood sword was left behind by Pure Yang Ancestor, over six hundred years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning on the railing, they gazed down at a thousand-foot cliff; above, alone on the sheer rock face, stood a single wooden sword—ancient in design, faintly cracked, bearing the marks of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six hundred years of wind and rain—and it’s still there?” Zhang Fan stared fixedly at the wooden sword on the cliff, his expression strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a 5A scenic area… needs some gimmicks… how do you know it hasn’t been replaced?” Li Yi whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The gods are watching—those were your words.” Zhang Fan immediately stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Climbing the mountain, ascending the steps, admiring the scenery—indeed, it brought peace and temporarily banished worries. No wonder ancient scholars and sages, when burdened by worldly troubles, always fled into the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The gods don’t save those without calamity… how much better the old days were—too much pressure turns you into a demon, a spirit, a god, a devil…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Modern people under too much pressure just turn neurotic.” Li Yi gazed far off from the summit, sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Look quick…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhang Fan tugged Li Yi’s sleeve and pointed: not far off, through the foliage, a shaded trail led upward, its entrance marked by eight large characters:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tourists Stop. No Entry. “What’s that place?” Zhang Fan asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dunno. Zhenwu Mountain’s too big—many areas haven’t been developed. The trails are rough; visitors aren’t allowed to wander freely.” Li Yi replied offhandedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’ve heard there are still many Daoist temples here—not open as attractions, not open to the public.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want to explore?” Li Yi suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you see the sign?” Zhang Fan said coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just pretend you didn’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Makes sense. Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two instantly agreed, bypassed the warning sign, pushed through the overgrown grass, and stepped onto the hidden shaded trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain path was rugged, paved with loose stones and mud—far harder than the scenic area’s roads. Worse, the deeper they went, the colder and damper the air became, even spotting snakes slithering along the cliffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I know why entry’s forbidden,” Li Yi regretted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s turn back—there’s probably nothing interesting ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a temple up there…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhang Fan halted and pointed ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi followed his gaze and indeed saw, not far off, a Daoist temple hidden among the wild woods—built of packed earth, its gate low and narrow, starkly shabby and dilapidated compared to the grand temples outside the scenic area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is anyone here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan and Li Yi exchanged glances, then walked straight toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple gate was tightly shut; its rusted chains had fused into a single lump. Through the crack, they could barely glimpse an ancient well in the front courtyard—long abandoned, sealed with stone slabs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place is interesting…” Li Yi suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s interesting?” Zhang Fan asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you read Water Margin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. So what? Is there a hero from Liangshan here?” Zhang Fan countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the original Water Margin, Chapter One—the old TV series never showed it—it tells how Grand Marshal Hong invited Master Zhang Tianshi to the capital to pray for plague relief, but accidentally opened the seal of the Demon-Subduing Hall, unearthed a stone tablet, and released the 108 demonic stars imprisoned beneath it, sparking the whole story…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Li Yi glanced again through the gate crack at the dry well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard… many famous Daoist mountains don’t have Demon-Subduing Halls, but they all have an ancient well, sealing demons and spirits captured by generations of Daoists…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe this one is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feudal superstition—should we climb in and check?” Zhang Fan suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two lay followers, this area is not open to the public.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a soft, languid voice came from behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan turned and saw a plump middle-aged Daoist priest standing behind them, eyes half-lidded, staring at the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We… we got lost…” Li Yi blurted out the first excuse that came to mind, utterly unconcerned about karma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just retrace your steps… this place is old and neglected, the path is slippery; wandering here is dangerous.” The plump Daoist’s temper was surprisingly good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Daoist Master… may I ask your Dao name?” Zhang Fan nodded gratefully, feeling uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Pojie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re… Pojie!?” Zhang Fan blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, is that well inside the legendary Demon-Subduing Well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Yi stepped forward, curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Pojie threw back his head and laughed: “Feudal superstition is unacceptable. Religious doctrine teaches people to be good… cultivation, capturing demons—that’s all artistic fiction…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two lay followers, believe in science.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fan and Li Yi exchanged glances, embarrassed, then bid farewell to Daoist Pojie and retraced their steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, the long, secluded trail held no trace of the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a muffled “boom” erupted from the ancient well inside the temple, accompanied by the heavy clanking of iron chains…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pojie’s brow twitched; he squinted through the gate crack at the well. The next instant, the muffled sound faded into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1303,"2026-06-19T21:05:40.312Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","10be52fb7923e4bc4fca2fd1b97cb78180d388d3fd1f6252e6bf93dfc539d08d","pure-yang-chapter-3","pure-yang-chapter-1",520,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fpure-yang-cover.jpg"]