196: Chapter 196 The Perilous Journey South

As darkness fell, their group arrived in Kerala.

Coconut groves on both sides of the highway rose and fell, their leaves swaying in the wind. The air was humid and stuffy, making one exceptionally irritable. The air conditioning had been running the whole way, blowing cold air that helped alleviate the restlessness.

"Boss, the Jagannath Temple is just ahead. The accommodation has already been arranged; it's the Arayaal ancestral house near the temple."

"Hmm, thank you for your hard work. Who arranged this?"

"Chen Hu arranged it beforehand. He investigated it; the security and privacy there are both very good."

"Mm, that's good." Li Xin nodded.

The car slowly entered the gate, and a large courtyard came into view, filled with various trees—coconut trees, mango trees, and all sorts of flowers whose names he couldn't recognize. The fragrance of unknown flowers drifted in the air; taking a deep breath was refreshing.

The old house was a traditional 1970s Malabar structure, with red clay tiled sloping roofs and carved viewing balconies.

A man in his forties stood at the entrance, looking very capable, wearing a white shirt and dark trousers. His hair was meticulously groomed, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.

The car stopped, and Li Xin pushed the door open and got out.

The man walked over, pressed his palms together, and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Li, welcome. My name is Rahul, and I am the butler here."

"Hello."

"This villa has four rooms in total. You will stay in the main building, and your attendants will stay in the east and west wings. A private chef has prepared a South Indian specialty dinner; you may dine at any time."

Li Xin looked around; the courtyard was kept very clean. Birds in the trees in the distance were chirping. Night was gradually falling, and the lights in the courtyard turned on one by one, casting a soft orange glow on the flower beds. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful.

"Hmm, the environment is not bad. How far is it from the temple?"

Rahul wore a smile on his face.

"Sir, it is a 6-minute walk from here. However... I suggest you go during the day; it is best not to approach it at night."

Li Xin was a bit puzzled and asked calmly. "Oh? Why is that?"

Rahul glanced around and replied in a low voice. "There are some places near the temple that cannot be approached. You are new here and don't quite understand; going there might offend Shiva, and the god will punish those who are disrespectful. Last year, a foreign tourist, out of curiosity, snuck over the wall at night and ended up in the hospital the next day. A check-up showed no illness, but he was sick nonetheless, and no one knew the reason."

"Couldn't find the cause?"

Rahul was very serious. "I don't know about that. They said he offended Lord Shiva and received the god's punishment."

Li Xin smiled. "Interesting. Don't worry, I won't go out at night."

Rahul breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Dinner is at seven, arranged in the main building's dining room."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

Li Xin went up to the master bedroom on the second floor and opened the window facing the courtyard. Looking into the distance, the temple with its red clay tiled sloping roof suddenly entered his field of vision, appearing blurry in the twilight.

After watching for a while without figuring anything out, he had no choice but to return to the bathroom, take a quick shower, and then head to the dining room on the first floor.

Li Xin scanned the table casually; several dishes were already laid out: Fried Fish Fillet, Chettinad Curry Chicken, Kerala Meen Curry, Mangalore Crab Curry, Ghee Rice, and Mysore Pak. The aroma filled the entire dining room.

Li Xin sat down and slowly began to enjoy the meal. Every bite of the delicacies was indescribably wonderful.

Halfway through the meal, Rahul brought over a plate of sliced fresh fruit—mango, papaya, and banana, neatly arranged.

"Mr. Li, this is our local specialty mango. It's particularly sweet; you must try it."

"Mm, thank you, I'll try it."

Li Xin took a piece. Taking a bite, it was sweet, soft, and glutinous, with plenty of juice.

"Mm, it's quite delicious." Li Xin nodded and praised. "By the way, Rahul, how many years have you lived here?"

"Over forty years. I was born here, grew up here, and started my family and career here."

Li Xin remained calm and said lightly, "Oh, so you must be very familiar with the temple then?"

Rahul looked at him and was silent for a moment.

"I suppose so. What would Mr. Li like to know? I will certainly tell you everything I know."

"Haha, actually it's nothing, just chatting casually. When I came here, I heard quite a few legends. One is quite interesting—it says there is a secret chamber of a Treasure Trove hidden under the temple. Is this true?"

Rahul shook his head gently: "It's just folklore; no one has ever seen it with their own eyes."

"Hmm, is that so? I thought there might be some truth to it. It seems these rumors really can't be trusted."

Rahul pondered for a moment and said: "Whether the rumors are true or not is irrelevant. The key is that there are some places in the temple that must never be approached."

"Alright, I will keep that in mind." Li Xin did not continue to ask.

After dinner, he went to the second-floor balcony and looked at the temple in the distance. At this moment, the lights on the tower were on, and the orange-red light was very conspicuous in the night.

"Clang... Clang... Clang..." A heavy, steady bell toll sounded in his ears. One after another, long and distant.

He recited silently in his heart.

"AI System, Scan this Arayaal Jagannath Temple."

[Scanning... Please wait a few minutes.]

Li Xin waited quietly; the bell tolls in the distance were incessant. All around, the chirping of insects rose and fell, fragmented and noisy.

A few minutes later, the System popped up a line of text.

[Detected multiple intertwined religious mysteries, severely interfering with the System Scan. Signal distortion rate is 63%. It is recommended to perform multiple calibrations.]

"Alright, then calibrate it. Zoom in on the temple area."

[Calibrating...]

The progress bar moved for a while.

[Locked onto two secret locations. One is a secret chamber under the temple, estimated to contain about 500 pure gold vessels and some gold. Another is under a well, estimated to contain some gold and silver jewelry.]

"What is the total amount?"

[Preliminary estimate: about 30 tons of gold, about 5,000 pieces of jewelry. A detailed list requires precision after Extraction.]

30 tons of gold is quite a lot, and those gold items are also of high value. Pure gold statues and Magical Artifacts can be worth the price of several tons of gold each.

He turned off the panel.

Li Xin stood still for a moment, turned and walked into the room, lay on the bed, and slowly closed his eyes.

The next morning, Li Xin got up early.

Just as it was getting light, the birds in the courtyard were chirping non-stop. He stood on the balcony and looked at the temple in the distance; the red clay tiled steep roof was quietly bathing in the morning light.

After watching for a while, he went downstairs. He saw Rahul standing in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea.

"Good morning, Mr. Li. Breakfast is ready in the dining room."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

He walked into the dining room and looked at the table. Fried eggs, toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt were already laid out, with a pot of hot tea on the side.

After sitting down, he poured a cup. The tea was slightly hot; he added milk and white sugar, and it was clear, sweet, and warm upon tasting.

After eating, he went straight out. Liu Mo was waiting at the door.

"Boss, where do you plan to go today?"

"Going to the temple now. I'll go alone; you don't need to follow."

"Boss, wouldn't that be unsafe?"

"It's broad daylight; what could be unsafe? Don't worry, there's no problem."

Liu Mo was silent for a while.

"Then I will follow from a distance, not getting close. Do you think that's feasible? If there is any situation, we can come forward to support in time."

"As you wish."

Li Xin followed the stone path to the temple. There were not many pedestrians on the street now. A few old men were playing chess by the roadside, with a circle of onlookers watching.

Many women were setting up stalls on the street to sell jasmine flowers. The pure white flowers were strung into garlands and spread out on the ground in rows. Children chased puppies by the roadside; the puppy ran in front, and the children chased behind, always just a little bit short of catching up.

After walking and stopping for a dozen minutes, he finally arrived at the temple gate.

Looking from afar, the temple outline was built in imitation of the Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha. At first glance, it was easy to mistakenly think that Vishnu was worshipped inside.

Li Xin walked over and spent 20 rupees to buy an admission ticket.

After buying the ticket, he walked in.

Walking into the temple gate, the Malabar-style architecture unfolded before his eyes: white walls paired with red clay tiles, bright yellow pillars standing on both sides of the front porch, coconut trees surrounding the courtyard, and a refreshing sea breeze blowing in his face.

The ceiling of the front porch was carved with primitive mythological wood carvings. In the courtyard stood a gilded flagpole with a trident finial, and beside it was a rectangular holy pond with clear water, with a copper statue of Narayana Guru standing in the center.

Passing through the courtyard into the core sanctuary revealed the temple's uniqueness.

There was no Jagannath statue in the hall. In the center was a Shiva Linga made of five metals, the main statue of the entire temple. The niches on both sides enshrined Ganesha and Murugan, respectively.

The temple priest was not a Brahmin and was gentle in his treatment of others. There was no threshold for visiting here, and foreign tourists could freely step into the main hall. The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, and the surroundings were quiet and solemn. Beneath the shell imitating the Puri temple, a pure Holy Land of Shiva was hidden.

"AI System, carefully Scan this area."

[Scanning... About 8 meters ahead, a secret chamber was found underground. There is a small secret chamber beside it. There are some treasures inside.]

"AI System, can you perform the Extraction?"

[The current position is about 200 meters in a straight line from the secret chamber, which is within the Extraction range. However, due to the complex structure of the secret chamber and the interference of religious power, it is recommended to leave the temple before performing the Extraction; this is safer.]

Li Xin nodded and was about to leave when someone called out from behind.

"Sir."

He turned to look and saw a person wearing orange-red robes walking slowly. He was bald, his face was full of wrinkles, and he was twisting a string of prayer beads in his hand. This attire clearly indicated he was a priest of the temple.

"Are you a foreign tourist?"

"That's right. May I ask what is the matter?"

The priest didn't speak. He walked to the wall in front, pressed his hand on the wall, closed his eyes, and seemed to be chanting some incantation in his mouth. The voice was very low and couldn't be heard clearly.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at Li Xin.

"You cannot get any closer to this place. Please go and visit other places, okay?"

"Understood, thank you for the reminder."

After speaking, Li Xin turned and left. The priest stood by the wall, watching him walk away.

He continued to visit along the way. Passing through the courtyard, he came to the corridor on the other side. Only two tourists were seen here, and they were taking pictures.

Walking to the end of the corridor, he found a stone well. The mouth of the well was covered with an iron grate. He could see water in the well, pitch black, and couldn't see the bottom.

Li Xin stood by the well and looked down. Something seemed to be swimming on the water, but it was unclear what it was. A gust of cold wind blew out of the well, chilly and carrying a musty smell.

"AI System, Scan this well."

[Scanning... About 15 meters below the well, gold and silver vessels were detected, with a quantity of about 200 pieces.]

"Can you perform the Extraction?"

[Within the Extraction range, Extraction can be performed. The interference in the temple is very high; it is recommended to leave before Extraction.]

"Alright."

Li Xin noted it down.

After strolling for a while longer, he left the temple. The sun was very strong, shining on the stone wall with a dazzling reflection. He stood at the gate and lit a cigarette.

Then he returned to the villa; it was already noon.

Rahul was waiting in the dining room.

"Mr. Li, your lunch is ready."

He sat down. Several dishes were placed on the table: lamb curry, fried chicken nuggets, yellow rice, seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of fresh soup. The lamb was stewed until tender, and the curry flavor was rich. The roast chicken was a bit dry, but it was fine to eat with the sauce.

Halfway through the meal, Rahul walked over.

"Mr. Li, I heard you went to the temple today?"

"Mm."

"How was it? It was good, right?"

Li Xin put down his fork.

"Mm, my soul was baptized. I also met a priest who wouldn't let me get close to a wall."

Rahul nodded.

"Mm, that wall is a Forbidden Ground of the temple, which is why the priest wouldn't let you get close. All outsiders are forbidden from trespassing."

"Why?"

"Legend has it that there is a mysterious thing behind the wall. Whoever gets close and angers it will die."

"Oh, so people have died there?"

Rahul thought for a moment.

"Not really, but several people have been to the hospital."

Li Xin smiled.

"Alright, fortunately, I didn't rush in."

After dinner, he went upstairs and lay on the bed.

"AI System, confirm the Extraction points."

[Confirmed. Secret chamber behind the main hall, estimated about 25 tons of gold, about 300 pieces of jewelry. Secret chamber under the well, estimated about 200 pieces of gold and silver vessels, about 5 tons of gold.]

"Action tonight. Take the one under the well first."

[It is recommended to do it at midnight, as any strange phenomena will be easier to handle. The current position is about 1.2 kilometers from the secret chamber under the well, which is within the Extraction range.]

"Alright."

He went out in the afternoon, but stayed in the room for the whole afternoon, reading and sleeping. In his mind, he was calculating the things in the temple: 30 tons of gold, over 500 treasures. The gold was not much, but those gold items and Magical Artifacts were of very high value.

...

At midnight, Li Xin jumped up from the bed.

He glanced outside; it was pitch black. He didn't turn on the lights, and there was no moonlight outside. This was the perfect time for Extraction.

"AI System, start Extraction, secret chamber under the well."

[Extraction started. Initial rate 50 tons/hour. Target: Secret chamber under the well, about 5 tons of gold, about 200 gold and silver vessels. Estimated time: 6 minutes.]

[Target energy field strength rating: D (sporadic residue), estimated interference level: mild.]

The progress bar began to jump rapidly. Ten percent, twenty, thirty.

His temples didn't ache, his ears didn't buzz, and there was no sound in his head.

Li Xin sat on the bed in the darkness, staring at the panel. In the distance, insects were chirping, chirping, chirping.

The progress jumped to sixty percent.

"Clang..." In the distance, a bell tolled with a boom, heavy and long, echoing alone.

Li Xin looked up at the temple. At this moment, the lights on the tower were on, orange-red, very conspicuous in the night. The bell tolled again.

"Clang..."

Li Xin thought silently, "Damn, it's this late, why is someone still ringing the bell?"

No one answered him.

The progress jumped to eighty percent.

[Extraction complete, secret chamber under the well, about 5 tons of gold, about 197 gold and silver vessels. Cumulative gold: 7377.7057 tons.]

[Cooldown countdown: 11:59:59]

Not bad. Tomorrow, extract the secret chamber behind the main hall. 25 tons of gold, 300 pieces of jewelry.

He turned off the panel and closed his eyes.

The insects outside the window chirped all night.