Rules of Strange Tales and Extraordinary Files

Chapter 28 The Man Who Compiled the Rules

"A Buddhist holy site that can send chills down your spine?" Tang Mubai whispered. "It really is eerie. If it weren't for the fact that it's 2026, I would have thought I was listening to a ghost story! That Jiding Temple... it feels like a Lanruo Temple, a Little Leiyin Temple, or something..."

Li Jiu pressed further, "Wasn't Jiding Temple originally built to commemorate the Buddha Jiding? How did it become so strange, uh, so mysterious?"

Professor He said, "Jiding Temple has a very strict set of rules, and even for pilgrims and tourists, the relevant regulations are very strict."

"The mystery of Jiding Temple is one of the directions of my research, but due to personal and official reasons, I simply cannot conduct an in-depth investigation of Jiding Temple..."

"Even the part about the rules of Jiding Temple was added by me after integrating the judgments of many trustworthy people. It is very accurate, but not necessarily precise."

"Moreover, although Jiding Temple has a profound folk and cultural heritage and is a national key cultural relics protection unit... under normal circumstances, I would not recommend that you go in."

"Wait! Wait, wait!" Tang Mubai suddenly looked at Professor He in shock. "You wrote that tourist guideline?"

Li Jiu also suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Professor He in surprise.

Professor He found their strange expressions somewhat amusing: "Otherwise what? Now that Fulong Mountain is open, someone has to write the relevant rules, right? Do you think they grow from trees?"

"Of course, I definitely couldn't do it by myself."

"Moreover, those rules weren't entirely written by me."

"The rules and regulations for pilgrims of Jiding Temple were written by another group of officials. If you feel that the rules and regulations conflict with the rules for tourists, then follow them."

"There is a basic principle when following the rules—when you are in a certain place, you should take priority in following the rules of that place, and if there are no rules, you should follow the next level of rules."

"Sorry!" Tang Mubai, who was about to go solo, nodded seriously.

Professor He ignored his antics, his gaze gradually becoming distant, as if lost in memories.

"Many people like Old He, who were put on hold by the authorities and never left Fulong Mountain, or rather, our group of survivors of the flash flood, almost all have an obsession with finding out the truth about the flash flood..."

"As I just said, the possibility of a massive flash flood occurring in a place where it is absolutely impossible is zero, just like you can never catch a saltwater fish in freshwater."

"Later, by chance, we discovered that the authorities were also secretly investigating the flash flood, but the investigation team was very small, their whereabouts were unpredictable, and they didn't come every day."

"We found an opportunity and took the initiative to contact them. Relying on our childhood memories of the terrain of Fulong Mountain, we followed the route our fathers took when they entered the mountain and assisted the authorities in exploring step by step, gradually delineating a relatively safe area..."

"We even designed many projects related to the geology, ecology, and folk customs of Fulong Mountain for this purpose."

"However, all the proposals were rejected."

"Because we only found out when we submitted the proposal that there was another department within the official organization."

"And that department was in contact with... Jiding Temple."

"That is, the person I just mentioned who compiled the rules and regulations for the Jiding Temple area."

"Huh? There are other departments interfering with your investigation?" Tang Mubai blurted out, "One big department with a bunch of sub-departments, and each department doesn't communicate with each other. Whenever there's a problem, they just pass the buck everywhere, calling it 'reporting and communication.' Sigh, that fits my stereotype of them..."

Li Jiu, recalling Professor He's earlier mention of "personal and official reasons," felt a surge of immense pressure: "Does Jiding Temple really have an official background...?!"

His emotions suddenly became complicated.

If Jiding Temple has an official background, then from a macro perspective, it is undoubtedly a good thing.

But on a personal level, he felt immense pressure.

Since it's an officially endorsed place, it will be much more difficult for him to find his grandmother's soul again.

Professor He shook his head: "The water here is deeper than you imagine. I only found out later. The authorities have set up several special departments for Fulong Mountain, and the geological disaster investigation team that we contacted is just one of them."

"Another department with higher authority and greater secrecy is the Jiding Temple, which is directly connected to the Jiding Temple, and its work is entirely focused on the Jiding Temple."

"However," Professor He changed the subject, "Jiding Temple is not affiliated with the government; the relationship between that department and Jiding Temple is merely a cooperative one."

"To paraphrase what Jiding Temple says, there are some things that are better known to fewer people."

Tang Mubai grew increasingly curious: "'Knowing' will get you into trouble, while 'not knowing' is safer? Professor, this is getting more and more mystical! I feel like I'm losing my sanity!"

"Could there really be some indescribable Cthulhu lurking in Mount Fulong? Hahahaha!"

Tang Mubai thought to himself, "As soon as I get back to school, I'll start writing a book called 'My Mountain God is Cthulhu'..."

Professor He glanced at him and continued, "Jiding Temple has a lineage. After that flash flood, the people of our Fulong Village all moved away, but those monks returned to Jiding Temple and repaired it brick by brick."

"They not only know the secret path leading to the summit, but also possess many core secrets about Mount Fulong."

"Even some devout believers know more or less about the existence of secret trails, through which they can freely travel through the mountains."

"Freely roaming through the mountains?" Tang Mubai asked with disbelief and confusion. "Aren't they afraid of running into dragon servants or encountering other dangers?"

As Tang Mubai was speaking, a sudden thought struck Li Jiu, and he blurted out, "Unless... they're not afraid of the Dragon Servants at all! Wait... could it be that the Dragon Servants themselves are related to the Jiding Temple?!"

"That's right," Professor He said. "The monks of Jiding Temple are indeed not afraid of the dragon attendants. It is said that in their lineage there is a method to subdue snakes and demons, and that method... seems to be related to that chanting sound."

"The scripture they recited is called the 'Fulong Jataka,' and this scripture is also the one that is played on a loop in the Buddhist broadcasting system in Fulong Mountain."

The Jataka of Fulong... Li Jiu's heart stirred slightly. His grandmother recited the sutra she used when chanting Buddhist scriptures, and that was the Jataka of Fulong.

At this point, Professor He paused, then dropped a bombshell: "In order to investigate Jiding Temple, the authorities selected several volunteers with some 'Buddhist tendencies' and had them ordain as monks at Jiding Temple..."

"What happened to them afterward?" Li Jiu asked curiously. "Did they succeed?"

Tang Mubai asked more directly: "Are they dead?"