RNP Chapter 5 The Three Tribulations of Fulong Mountain
Chapter 5 The Three Tribulations of Fulong Mountain
After Professor He finished speaking, he took the lead and followed Yin Qixu to the front desk to complete the check-in procedures.
Everyone naturally followed suit.
At this moment, Li Jiu noticed that among these people, there seemed to be several who were clearly not students.
For example, there was one person who was tall, strong, and imposing. Although he was dressed simply, Li Jiu subconsciously felt that he was extraordinary, as if he exuded a steel-like power.
There was another person who looked ordinary, but he was dragging two suitcases, and I wondered what was inside them.
The most noteworthy point is that Li Jiu discovered that these people seemed to be quite familiar with Su Xiaoyi, Yin Qixu, and the old professor, among others.
Could it be that the old professor has some side jobs at this summer camp? Li Jiu was filled with confusion.
Just then, it was Li Jiu and Tang Mubai's turn to check in.
The two handed their ID cards to the front desk of the Mushroom House. The receptionist took the documents, her gaze lingering on Li Jiu's face for a moment, before suddenly asking him out of the blue, "Sir, have you been here before?"
Li Jiu was taken aback: "Is there a problem with my first time here?"
"No, it's alright." The receptionist lowered her eyes, quickly typed a few keys, and handed over Li Jiu and his room key along with their ID cards. "I might have misremembered. Have a pleasant trip."
"Hey, hey, this isn't my first time here. Excuse me, miss, is there anything I can help you with?" Tang Mubai seized the opportunity and leaned forward with a grin.
The girl offered a polite, subtle smile.
Tang Mubai immediately slunk away.
Li Jiu was puzzled. What did the receptionist mean by that? Was she really just mistaken for someone else?
In other places, Li Jiu wouldn't have overthinked things, but in this somewhat eerie place, he couldn't help but overthink.
……
It wasn't until Li Jiu and Tang Mubai went up to the second floor that Yin Qixu gently pushed up his glasses, looked away, and turned to look at Professor He beside him.
"Professor, this Li Jiu... is he like you?"
While the summer camp participants were checking in, Professor He observed their every move.
Upon hearing this, Professor He remained silent for a long time before shaking his head: "I wasn't sure at first either, but from the moment he entered the scenic area, I was certain."
Yin Qixu's gaze behind his glasses froze for a fleeting moment, almost imperceptibly.
Professor He slowly said, "Li Jiu's grandmother's name is He Ru."
When I was a child, there was an older sister in the village named He Jingru.
He raised his head, his gaze passing over Yin Qixu and landing on a point in the void.
"Influenced by the Buddha of Tranquility, the generational order in our Fulong Village is based on Buddhist scriptures. The male generation is named after the phrase 'constantly upholding right mindfulness and practicing all good deeds' from the 'Sutra of the Ten Virtuous Deeds'. I belong to the 'Shou' generation. The female generation is named after the phrase 'tranquility and gentleness, free from worldly entanglements' from the 'Mahayana Sutra of the Mind-Ground'. Sister Jingru... naturally belongs to the 'Jing' generation."
"After that flash flood, we survivors all left Fulong Mountain and started families elsewhere. According to our ancestors' rules, these people are allowed to have their names removed..."
"So I think Li Jiu is a descendant of Sister Jingru."
Yin Qixu said, "No wonder he could hear chanting as soon as he arrived at the camp entrance... His response to Fulong Mountain also seems to be stronger than any previous case..."
"I'm not sure if this is a question of 'responding'..." He Shougui unconsciously stroked the dragon head of his cane. "As soon as I entered the territory of Fulong Mountain, I felt as if I had been summoned by something... This summoning was stronger than ever before."
"I can't tell if it's because I'm getting old, reaching the age of 'returning to my roots,' or if the problems of Fulong Mountain are getting worse... I just feel that the time left for me... the time left for this mountain is running out."
At this point, a rare look of fatigue appeared on Professor He's deeply wrinkled face.
"Professor He," Yin Qixu spoke, his voice low, "will you succeed this time?"
Professor He did not directly answer Yin Qixu's question.
He turned his head and looked out the window at the deep night.
"If it doesn't work out... will the authorities stop my project?"
Yin Qixu fell silent.
Her silence gave Professor He the answer.
Professor He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled: "If I were ten years younger, I could definitely solve the problem of Fulong Mountain on my own, but I'm too old, I'm almost seventy... I can't remeasure Fulong Mountain step by step anymore..."
Yin Qixu lowered her eyelids slightly, the light reflecting off her glasses in a cold, white arc: "The authorities have always been somewhat uncertain about your research direction. Qian Ke has already suppressed many opposing voices. This time, it may be your last chance."
Professor He waved his hand: "Everyone knows the situation of Fulong Mountain... 54 years ago, the earth was filled with murderous intent, dragons and snakes rose from the land, and flash floods destroyed our village and almost destroyed everything on Fulong Mountain."
"...Recently, the Geological Exploration Bureau also discovered that the area around Fulong Mountain has suddenly become unusually quiet, while the small seismic activity in the surrounding area has significantly increased, and even shows a regular migration along a path that is not a geological tectonic line, moving at an illogical speed towards a certain location..."
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
"Our J province is located in the Jiangnan region, and there has never been any strong earthquake activity in history. From a scientific point of view, this kind of data is obviously wrong. But from the perspective of folk customs, perhaps this anomaly can be matched with the calamity predicted by our ancestors in Fulong Mountain."
Yin Qixu did not answer.
As He Shougui's nominal "teaching assistant," she naturally read Professor He's folklore research papers through the bureau's reports.
According to the ancestral records of the Fulong Mountain area, Fulong Mountain will encounter three calamities, which correspond to the following in the Yin Fu Jing: "When Heaven unleashes its killing intent, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land; when Man unleashes his killing intent, Heaven and Earth are overturned."
Among them, "Heaven has a murderous intent, and the stars have shifted and constellations have changed" corresponds to the legendary Buddha of Tranquility's "One Buddha eliminates two evils".
"The earth unleashes its killing intent, and dragons and snakes rise from the land," which corresponds to the massive flash flood that occurred in Fulong Mountain in the past.
The difference is that the Buddha of Tranquility resolved the "heavenly tribulation" back then, so Mount Fulong enjoyed a long period of peace.
However, due to various reasons, no one was able to resolve the "earthly calamity" that occurred 54 years ago, which led to Fulong Mountain suffering a natural disaster that was unprecedented in a century, resulting in widespread death and destruction.
Professor He, based on his ancestors' records, deduced that Fulong Mountain would encounter another "human calamity" in a very short period of time.
"When people unleash their murderous intent, heaven and earth are overturned..."
"Of these three calamities, the Earth Calamity has not yet fully erupted. Its devastation may accumulate until this eruption. Once it erupts, the harm will be far more than just flash floods; it could very well affect the geological structure of the entire Jiangzhe region..."
He turned to Yin Qixu, his gaze intense.
"Based on my years of research, the key to eliminating this final calamity, since it involves 'people,' must lie among the survivors of our Fulong Village."