Translator: CKtalon
Due to the distance, Zhou Wen couldn’t see the situation clearly. With a thought, he put on the Invisibility Cloak and approached Shen Yuchi and company.
Ice Maiden silently followed behind Zhou Wen. With her skills, even if she didn’t turn into her Terror form, Shen Yuchi and Wang Qiuyuan wouldn’t be able to discover her.
When Zhou Wen got closer, he saw that the wooden hut they were kneeling in front of looked more like a temple. However, the temple didn’t have a plaque or a sign. Even the temple walls were made of osmanthus wood, but despite having been made into a wooden hut, there were still buds growing on it with beautiful osmanthus flowers blooming.
Upon arriving in this area, there was no longer the Moon Palace’s coldness. Instead, it made one feel refreshed and comfortable. It was indescribably pleasant.
The door to the wooden hut was closed. There were no dimensional creatures around Shen Yuchi and Wang Qiuyuan, but they were kneeling in front of the wooden hut’s door, their heads on the ground, motionless.
Could it be that there’s an invisible force suppressing them, forcing them to kneel? Zhou Wen looked left and right, but he couldn’t see any energy fluctuations. He looked at Ice Maiden beside him.
Ice Maiden clearly knew what was on Zhou Wen’s mind. She said in a voice that only Zhou Wen could hear, “They aren’t suppressed by any power.”
That’s strange. There aren’t any dimensional creatures or powers suppressing them. Why are they kneeling here? Or should I say, what’s the point of kneeling here? If this is really the Moon Goddess’s temple, could it be that they are kneeling here to ask for benefits from her? But how do they know that the Moon Goddess will give them something good by kneeling? Zhou Wen was puzzled.
As the story of Chang’e’s ascension to the moon was so famous, people didn’t know much about the true Moon Goddess. Zhou Wen had only heard of the legend of Lady Supreme Yin, but he wasn’t too sure what kind of goddess she was.
Since Shen Yuchi and company were kneeling here, they definitely knew something. Zhou Wen was somewhat puzzled. How did they know? The conclusion obtained solely from the analysis of myths wasn’t necessarily correct. People like Shen Yuchi definitely wouldn’t risk their lives for such a guess.
“Director-General, is this really useful?” Wang Qiuyuan knelt there, not daring to move, but he couldn’t help but speak.
“It’s useful. Just kneel down and don’t move. Stop talking,” Shen Yuchi answered.
They then fell into silence again. They knelt there without moving or saying a word. This left Zhou Wen somewhat depressed. He originally imagined that he might hear some secrets, but to his surprise, they stopped talking.
“If you want to know something, why don’t you ask them now?” Ice Maiden said.
“Ask them... That’s right... Why didn’t I think of it... You’re smart...” Zhou Wen suddenly understood what Ice Maiden meant.
Shen Yuchi and the rest were kneeling in front of the wooden hut. They definitely had their orders, and wouldn’t dare to stand up. If he were to ask them, they probably wouldn’t dare remain silent.
Zhou Wen put away the Invisibility Cloak and walked towards Shen Yuchi and Wang Qiuyun who were kneeling in front of the door.
Shen Yuchi and Wang Qiuyuan were alarmed when they heard the footsteps. Even if they didn’t dare look up, they quickly recognized that it was Zhou Wen.
“Zhou Wen, you came at the right time. We are trapped here and can’t move. Quickly save us,” Wang Qiuyuan pleaded.
If Zhou Wen hadn’t heard their conversation, he would have been frightened and wouldn’t have dared to go over.
“Alright, I’ll save you now.” Zhou Wen curled his lips and walked to Wang Qiuyuan’s side, reaching out to pull him.
“Don’t... Don’t touch me...” Wang Qiuyuan’s body trembled as he hurriedly shouted.
“Director-General Shen, what’s going on? At the very least, you should make up a story to deal with me, right?” Zhou Wen squatted down and pressed his fingers on Shen Yuchi’s arm as he said calmly.
Shen Yuchi lay there, not daring to move. Wang Qiuyuan said, “We originally wanted to save Little Wei, but we couldn’t see the path clearly in the cold fog. We accidentally came across this place and were cursed. If we move, we will explode...”
“This fabrication sucks. Director-General Shen, why don’t you make one up yourself?” Zhou Wen said indifferently.
Shen Yuchi finally said, “Before we came to the Moon, we perused a large amount of information and gained a lot of understanding of the Moon according to myths and legends. However, the information was only inferred from myths and legends. We didn’t know if it was real or fake, so we didn’t announce it.”
“That’s an interesting fabrication. Continue.” Zhou Wen pressed his fingers on Shen Yuchi’s arm as though he would push them at any moment.
“Moon Palace is actually equivalent to a cold palace, a place where royalty are put under house arrest. Therefore, Chang’e isn’t the Moon’s master. She’s just a prisoner. In myths and legends, the Moon’s true master is Lady Supreme Yin—Lady of the Moon—who is also the Moon Goddess. The place we are now is the true residence of the Moon Goddess, which is the Moon Goddess Temple.”
Shen Yuchi paused for a moment before continuing, “We believe that the nature of the Moon Goddess Temple is similar to Earth Temples. There might be benefits if we worship here.”
“This story is quite sound, but don’t tell me that you didn’t know of the existence of the Bone Pottery jar and the dead man before coming to the Moon,” Zhou Wen said coldly.
“In fact, the Bone Pottery jar and the dead man were discovered long ago. When I was on Earth, I had already done a lot of research and consulted many experts. That’s why I knew that the Bone Pottery jar is actually a kind of sacrificial artifact,” Shen Yuchi said.
“You knew that the person who picked up the Bone Pottery jar would be possessed, right?” Zhou Wen stared at Shen Yuchi and said.
“I wasn’t sure about that. I only knew that the Bone Pottery jar was used to offer sacrifices to deities. In ancient times, shamans used the Bone Pottery jar to communicate or invite deities to possess them. However, they usually used water or alcohol. I’ve never heard of such a flaming Bone Pottery jar. I don’t know what uses it has.” Shen Yuchi was clearly unwilling to admit that he had long known the consequences of touching the Bone Pottery jar.
Zhou Wen didn’t expose him as he continued asking, “Did you originally want me to touch the Bone Pottery jar?”
“Why would I have such thoughts? I definitely didn’t have such intentions,” Shen Yuchi said.
“Did Wei Ge know about the Bone Pottery jar?” Zhou Wen didn’t say anything else as he asked Shen Yuchi another question.
“The matter regarding the Bone Pottery jar is a top secret in our bureau. Little Wei’s clearance isn’t high enough to come into contact with those secrets,” Wang Qiuyuan added.
Zhou Wen had roughly guessed it as well. He and Wei Ge were actually sacrificial goods brought by Shen Yuchi. Shen Yuchi had originally wanted to lure Zhou Wen to touch the Bone Pottery jar.
Shen Yuchi originally felt that a youth like Zhou Wen, who was proud and had powerful strength, would probably want to study the unknown when encountering one.
However, to his surprise, Zhou Wen was like an old man who was afraid of death. Despite possessing such strength, he was still extremely cautious. Furthermore, he didn’t seem curious at all. He didn’t touch the Bone Pottery jar. This had left Shen Yuchi feeling very disappointed.