Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 136 Tianheng Mountain

In short, "The Goddess Splits the Temple" is a story about a young girl becoming a hero. Legend has it that there was once a prosperous village on Tianheng Mountain.

In the village lived a couple with an exceptionally loving relationship. Then one day, a terrifying monster suddenly appeared. The wife, who was gathering herbs, was captured by the monster. The husband was heartbroken and soon went mad as well.

The monster arrogantly told the villagers, "If you want to save your lives, offer the village children to me!"

The monster's power sapped the villagers' will to resist, leaving them no choice but to obey its demands. Just as they were discussing whose child to offer to the monster, a little girl suddenly stepped forward.

She concealed an exorcism sword, pretended to be terrified as she approached the monster's lair, and then boldly attacked. After a fierce battle, she finally defeated the monster.

"Later, the young girl was taken in by the immortals because of her extraordinary talent, which became a beautiful story. It is a pity that the immortals and mortals are forever separated, and she will never be able to enter the mortal world again. Cause and effect in the mortal world are fleeting and vanish like smoke. This is the ending of 'The Goddess Splits the Temple'."

After Yun Jin finished telling her story, Kong subconsciously glanced at Shen He, who remained silent. Kiana, seeing this, realized that Shen He was the immortal disciple Ning Guang had mentioned. At first, she thought Shen He had already handed over the immortal talisman given to her by Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun to Ning Guang, but now it seemed that she hadn't handed it over yet and had been dragged away by Kong. However, judging from her appearance, she seemed to be the protagonist of the story "The Goddess Splits the Temple".

“I really like this story,” Shen He said. “But in my opinion, perhaps the little girl in the opera… wasn’t as brave as everyone says. She probably doesn’t deserve such praise.”

Shen He's words naturally piqued Kiana's interest; according to her, there seemed to be some hidden story. However, Kiana thought about it and decided against observing the past, as too many spoilers wouldn't be good. Anyway, Shen He had already raised his objections, and following the normal procedure, relevant clues would definitely appear later.

Not connecting to the tree of imaginary numbers to obtain information simply means knowing it later.

At the same time, Yun Jin also showed a thoughtful expression after listening to Shen He's words.

“I hadn’t thought of that. The creation of traditional opera involves interpretation and performance, and it’s inevitable that real people and events will be adapted. When my father wrote this play, he probably wanted to use the [goddess] in the opera to inspire more people.”

"Yes. I think it's a great story, the kind of story I've always wanted to hear."

Although Shen He offered her different perspective, she still considered it a good story and did not suggest any changes. Perhaps, as she herself said, this was her ideal story, and there was no need to make it any more closely resemble the true events.

"Hmm... Hearing such a story has really inspired Paimon!" Paimon said excitedly. "Let's cheer up and keep looking for Shattered Star Iron Ore!"

Then Paimon changed the subject, touching his chin with his right hand and looking at Kiana beside him, saying, "Kiana, you guys wouldn't happen to be here at Tianheng Mountain looking for Shattered Star Iron Ore, would you?"

"Haha, of course. Besides the important matter of Ningguang rebuilding the Jade Pavilion, what else has Paimon been doing that would make me come to Tianheng Mountain?"

"Hmm...that does seem to be true. Wait! How did you know that the Thousand Star Core requires Shattered Star Iron Ore!"

"Paimon, you said it!"

Paimon then realized what was happening. He wanted to say something, but considering that he might accidentally reveal some other clues, he covered his mouth with both hands and stopped talking.

Seeing Paimon's adorable reaction, Kiana thought for a moment and finally decided not to tease Paimon anymore. So she told her the news she had heard from Ningguang.

After listening to Kiana's explanation, Yun Jin said, "I didn't expect that Miss Ningguang's reconstruction of the Jade Pavilion had this reason."

"Judging from this, that so-called Ba Che must be quite strong. Can you defeat him, Kong?" Paimon asked worriedly.

It's no wonder Paimon asked that question. After all, given Sora's personality, he would definitely choose to help someone to the end once he understands the whole story. Besides, even if Kiana hadn't revealed Ningguang's ultimate goal beforehand, Sora would most likely have been tricked into fighting Blake.

Paimon was already used to Kong's tendency to cause incidents wherever he went; as long as he didn't get wanted after heading to Sumeru, everything would be fine. Paimon didn't want to experience being chased again!

However, since Kiana and her friends weren't there to compete with them for the first-place reward, Paimon naturally wouldn't mind if they searched for the Shattered Star Iron Ore together. Besides, they were also holders of the Eye of God, giving them an advantage in the search. As the saying goes, many hands make light work, and Paimon understood this perfectly.

What Paimon didn't know was that Kiana and Bronya's Visions, like Venti's, were counterfeit products and did not have the ability to resonate with Shattered Star Ore.

However, to maintain the premise that their abilities come from the Eye of God, they have no choice but to accept this bitter pill. They can only hope they'll find some broken star iron ore later. Of course, if they don't find any, it's okay; they can just consider it bad luck. The most embarrassing situation would be not only failing to find any, but also finding some ordinary iron ore.

Fortunately, Kiana has her own secret method: connecting to the Imaginary Tree. From there, she can instantly locate all the Shattered Star Iron Ore, and even Mystic Stone. But that's unnecessary, as it would go against her and Bronya's original intentions.

What's needed now is to know all the physical characteristics of the Shattered Star Iron Ore. With Kiana's guidance, Bronya successfully obtained a piece of Shattered Star Iron Ore. Through the analysis of the Herrscher of Truth's abilities, Bronya also successfully constructed a detector capable of detecting Shattered Star Iron Ore.

The basic principle is that this detector emits a vibration caused by the resonance between the Shattered Star Iron Ore and the Eye of God, thus pinpointing the location of the Shattered Star Iron Ore. As for how this vibration is generated, I can only say that the Herrscher of Truth seems to work quite well. Of course, Bronya also secretly approached Yun Jin with the Shattered Star Iron Ore she found to observe the vibration generated when the two resonated, which allowed the entire detector to be successfully constructed.

After finding enough Stardust Iron Ore, it's time to look for the even rarer Mystic Stone. Just now, while searching for Stardust Iron Ore, the sharp-eyed Paimon spotted a village on the road. Perhaps they can find the clues they're looking for there.

So the group followed Paimon's directions and arrived at the village. As they approached the village entrance, Yun Jin saw an old man standing there, lost in thought.

"Hey, there really is someone here! It seems Yun Jin wasn't mistaken after all." Paimon stepped forward, intending to ask for some information, and said, "Uncle, hello there, we'd like to ask you something!"

However, the elderly man who appeared to be a villager did not respond. Seeing that the old man did not respond, Yun Jin assumed that the old man had not heard her clearly, so she went forward again to inquire about the information.

"Hello, sir, we're just passing by and would like to ask you for some clues about the Secret Essence Stone."

The old man simply pointed to a house deep in the village without saying a word, leading everyone to deduce that he wanted them to go into the village to find clues themselves. Just as Paimon was urging everyone to prepare to investigate, Shen He declined Paimon's invitation.

"Excuse me. You guys go ahead and look for him. I'd like to say a few words to him. Is that alright, Uncle Mingjun?"

Shen He walked up to the old man called Ming Jun and said something. After hearing someone call his name, Ming Jun turned around and looked at Shen He, then showed a surprised expression.

"Who are you…!"

"Shen He," Shen He replied calmly.

“Ah He…you’re still alive? Are those rumors true? You’ve been like this all these years…I’m sorry, everyone. I’m not quite sure how to find the Secret Stone, but there should be some records in the village…This place is abandoned now, hardly anyone comes here, you can search around as you like.”

Compared to Mingjun's change in attitude, Paimon was more concerned that Shenhe actually knew this old man. However, Shenhe silently lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected, and did not want to answer Paimon's question.

"Thank you, sir. We'll go look for it then."

Yun Jin spoke, and then led everyone away from there. Her intention was obvious, and everyone tacitly followed her, just to give the two people who hadn't seen each other for a long time some space to be together.

While searching for clues, the group gradually learned the reason why the village was abandoned and the truth behind the legend.

Originally, this village was inhabited by a branch of a family of exorcists. Later, demonic remnants appeared in the village at some unknown time. The wife of the man from the exorcist family was unfortunately infected with these demonic remnants. Her husband sought out various famous doctors for her, but none could cure her. In the end, his wife died.

Later, the man unexpectedly learned that Mingjun possessed a book that could save his wife, so he snatched it and summoned the gods according to the book's instructions. The husband succeeded, but he also failed.

The so-called deity was merely a remnant of the demon god who had killed his wife. This remnant claimed his daughter was a cursed spirit, destined to harm those around her even if she lived. Grief-stricken by the loss of his lover, the man lived in a daze, and under the demon god's influence, he sent his young daughter to a cave designated by the demon god.

After waiting for three days without receiving any news, the man finally realized that he had been deceived. Ultimately, the mentally broken man, filled with immense guilt, chose to end his own life.

This is the truth behind the legend of "The Goddess Splits the Temple." In this true story, there are no powerful demons, nor any brave girls. There is only a family shattered by the remnants of a demon god, and a man driven mad by delusion, attempting to exchange his child for his deceased lover.

Looking at the name written in the tattered notebook, Yun Jin realized the identity of Shen He, who was traveling with her.

"Shen He... is she actually the goddess in the opera? Thinking about it carefully, she does have the air of an immortal, and her age matches up... No wonder I always had a strange feeling when I chatted with her... I should have noticed it sooner."

"Moreover, according to this record, the goddess in the play is actually the couple's daughter. She did not volunteer, but was pushed in front of the monster by her own father."

Yun Jin fell silent. Before this, she really hadn't expected the truth to be so heartbreaking.

"The truth is indeed lamentable," Yun Jin said, turning around. "No wonder she said the goddess wasn't as brave as portrayed in the play; she was forced to face such a perilous scene. It seems my father's 'The Goddess Splits the Temple' may need some revisions..."

Even so, the clues that everyone really wanted were still nowhere to be found. However, the surrounding houses had been searched almost completely, and the only house left to be searched was the one located halfway up the mountain. If they still found no clues, they would have to return empty-handed.

Fortunately, they eventually found a clue. According to the method recorded in the notes, they needed to stand in the center of the lake in the southern part of Tianheng Mountain at dusk and search in the direction of the sunset. Perhaps they would find something.

However, Kiana looked up at the sky and realized it was still early before dusk. So the group returned to Shen He's side, only to find that Ming Jun was telling the story of the White-Haired Fairy.

Seeing that Shen He and Ming Jun hadn't finished talking, Kiana tactfully stopped Paimon from continuing forward. Paimon originally wanted to say something, but seeing Shen He and Ming Jun talking ahead, he also fell silent, waiting for them to finish. Through their conversation with Shen He, everyone gradually pieced together some of the details.

Myungjun and Shinhak's father were close friends and had the opportunity to stop him from holding the ceremony, but he let it go because of a moment of soft-heartedness, which ultimately led to a big mistake.

Every year, Mingjun would bring back some flowers, and he always felt that he owed Shenhe's family an apology.

Shen He didn't think so, because even if Mingjun stopped the ceremony, given her father's mental state at the time, he would have found another way. So many years had passed, and Shen He understood that her father would disregard everything for his lover.

However, Shen He is now unaware of matters of the heart and is unable to empathize with her father, having long since become indifferent to him.

Shen He was indeed a person of the Lonely Star Calamity, a result predicted by the Divination Master of the Moon-Cut Yang Formation. Therefore, the True Lord of Cloud-Leaving Wind specially bestowed upon her a red rope to lock her soul and suppress the murderous intent within her. Although Shen He became docile after being bound by the red rope, its overwhelming power also suppressed her other emotions.

From then on, Shen He's emotions became indifferent, like an immortal. In his early years, when he secretly went down the mountain, he was mistaken for an immortal.

Seeing that the two had finished talking, Paimon stepped forward to greet them. Seeing that Paimon seemed clueless as a newcomer, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Paimon then told Shen He about the clues they had found.

Yun Jin still felt that the opera "The Goddess Splits the Temple" needed to be revised, and if possible, she would like to hear Shen He's opinion.

“Miss Shen He, I would like to discuss something with you,” Yun Jin said, stepping forward. “Just now, we found your father’s notebook in the village… There are many inaccuracies in ‘The Goddess Splits the Temple,’ and I would like to correct them.”

Yun Jin placed her hands on her chest and said reverently, "I have said that opera itself is an adaptation of reality. But the protagonist of the opera is right in front of us, and I cannot ignore your feelings."

Shen He understood the logic behind Yun Jin's words. If, as Yun Jin said, they had indeed found her father's notes, then they should have understood the so-called truth.

For Shen He, this wasn't a pleasant memory, nor was it a story of a brave girl defeating evil. But as Shen He herself said, she had long since become indifferent to these things. Therefore, Yun Jin didn't need to consider her feelings, and besides, she still quite liked the version of the story Yun Jin told.

Shen He replied without hesitation, “It’s okay, I really like the version you just mentioned. My master once said that I can only truly integrate into human society when I learn to use my power for others. So, I also hope that one day I can stand up and protect others, just like in the opera. I’ve never had this thought before, and I don’t know if I will in the future.”

In response to Shen He's genuine unease, Yun Jin provided an answer.

"Don't worry, it will definitely happen."