Chapter 3: Legends of the Primeval World

The next morning, as Second Uncle climbed the mountain, his steps were brisk, betraying a hint of nervousness. However, when he saw Lin Xiaosu standing unharmed on the platform, his face immediately relaxed. “Nothing happened last night, did it?”

“Second Uncle, what kind of haunted place is this? Last night… last night there really was something supernatural... Something actually crawled out from below—it was a viper, seven or eight feet long! Luckily, Tiger Girl was fierce enough to slam that snake down so hard it couldn’t recognize its own mother.”

Second Uncle listened to this harrowing tale with an unmoved expression. “That’s all?”

“A seven or eight foot viper! Second Uncle, how can you be so calm about this?” Lin Xiaosu didn’t mention the other, even more sensational occurrence, because he wasn’t sure how much Second Uncle knew about the “Heaven’s Window.”

“When the zodiac changes, and heaven and earth shift, the flow of energy becomes strange—there’s nothing surprising about oddities appearing. Last time, a butterfly as big as your speckled hen showed up. Good thing it was a butterfly—if it had been a mosquito that size, I wouldn’t be standing here. Anyway, as long as you’re safe, that’s what matters,” Second Uncle replied.

“But… what on earth is happening here? None of this makes any sense…” Lin Xiaosu scratched his head lightly.

“Liulin Temple holds secrets. The previous abbot, Master Lu Yun, once said this place is a ‘gateway’ connecting to a primeval world. If fate permits, you might witness the opening of a ‘Heaven’s Window’ and see wonders beyond imagination.”

Heaven’s Window?

Lin Xiaosu’s eyes flickered. “Second Uncle, have you ever seen it?”

“I’ve been in charge of Liulin Temple for twenty-three years. In that time, there have been seventeen zodiac changes. Each time, I sat at the array’s center, gazing at the sky without blinking, but I’ve never seen the Heaven’s Window.”

You kept looking up, but never down!

Lin Xiaosu asked, “What about Master Lu Yun? Did he ever see it?”

“He? He was blind. But don’t be fooled—he was more extraordinary than most sighted folks…”

The previous abbot of Liulin Temple was named Lu Yun, and he arrived here before the liberation. Second Uncle’s connection to the temple began with Second Aunt’s illness: she had congenital anemia and wasn’t supposed to have children, but their love was deep, so she risked it. Near delivery, she suffered a massive hemorrhage. The county hospital was so alarmed they wouldn’t admit her, telling them to rush to the provincial city. But with hundreds of miles to travel, no one could guarantee survival. As Second Uncle was losing hope, Master Lu Yun appeared, smiling gently: “A minor issue. Come, to Liulin Temple!”

In the temple, Second Uncle and his wife spent the night. No medicine, no injections—just one night’s rest, and the bleeding stopped. On the third day, Li Diandian (whom Lin Xiaosu called Tiger Girl) was born here, her newborn wails echoing through the mountains.

And as for Second Aunt, her chronic illness improved as well.

Both Second Uncle’s wife and daughter were saved by Master Lu Yun, and from that day on, they revered him as something close to a living immortal.

More than twenty years ago, Master Lu Yun left to wander the world. Before departing, he entrusted Second Uncle with the care of Liulin Temple. Since then, over two decades have passed with no word from him—whether he’s alive or dead, no one knows.

“Second Uncle, have you ever told… the authorities about Liulin Temple?”

He meant, of course, the government.

Second Uncle looked dejected. “I have. When that mutant butterfly appeared, I worried that next time it’d be a mosquito the size of a chicken and cause some catastrophe, so I told them—twice. The first time, they just laughed and told me not to spread superstitions. The second time, well, four or five men in white coats almost hauled me off to the asylum.”

“Understandable!” Lin Xiaosu nodded lightly. “If I were a civil servant and some eccentric Daoist came to me with such wild tales, I’d probably react the same way.”

Second Uncle gritted his teeth. “Which is why you’ll never pass the civil service exam!”

“Second Uncle, my exam is in a month. If you can’t wish me well, at least don’t curse me!”

“It’s not a curse. It’s just my honest hope you don’t pass… really!”

Lin Xiaosu rolled his eyes. “Now I know why Second Aunt nags so much. With your attitude, who wouldn’t? She’s a saint for not beating you bloody.”

“No, Xiaosu…” Second Uncle inched closer, offering a fawning smile. “How about this—forget the civil service. Come help me guard this temple? We can take shifts; you do the even days, I do the odd.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Lin Xiaosu cut him off.

“Or, you could just stay one night every weekend, so I can go keep your Second Aunt company… I’m not ashamed to say—her real problem is an excess of energy. She can’t handle long-term separation.” Second Uncle’s face reddened slightly.

Lin Xiaosu’s eyes widened—my god!

It seemed he’d finally unearthed Second Aunt’s real ailment.

In modern terms, it could be called “young couple hormonal syndrome”—rare among fifty-year-olds.

But Second Uncle and Second Aunt were different. Though older, the supernatural energy from that fateful night left their bodies youthful; Second Aunt still had “marital needs.” With Second Uncle living year-round at Liulin Temple, she was left perpetually “thirsty”—a thirst no one but Second Uncle could quench. My god, what sort of “injection” is this? So that’s what you meant by “treating” Second Aunt…

Second Uncle pressed his case. “Living at Liulin Temple has its perks—your health will be flawless. When you’re my age, you’ll appreciate it.”

“Second Uncle, why not bring Second Aunt here?”

“Her ailment began here—she can’t enter Liulin Temple.”

That closed the loop. Second Aunt’s “thirst” wasn’t illness; what really happened was that her energy was over-replenished during her confinement here, her internal flow misaligned, making her imagination run wild—always suspecting Second Uncle of infidelity.

Entering Liulin Temple, the spiritual energy would worsen her condition; she could end up a perfectly healthy madwoman.

Lin Xiaosu’s eyes gleamed. “Second Uncle, I have a great idea.”

“Let’s hear it…”

“Why don’t we develop this place into a health retreat? Open it to the public… Think about it—so many wealthy people in the world, afraid of nothing but death. If they knew a night here could cure illness, the money would come pouring in! You wouldn’t need me to help out anymore. Charge admission by day, take a helicopter down at night to enjoy life with Second Aunt…”

“Oh, you…” Second Uncle shook his head. “Call you foolish, but you’ve got a business mind; call you clever, but you don’t grasp the gravity of the situation! This is no ordinary place—it’s a connection point to another world, or rather, a seal. I don’t even tell Diandian or your Second Aunt because I worry that too many people meddling could trigger a certain restriction and bring calamity from the other world—a catastrophe beyond imagining!”

Lin Xiaosu shivered. “Trigger a restriction, bring forth the other world? Is that really possible?”

“Master Lu Yun said one day it would happen—just not when.”

“Are there omens?”

“Yes. Zodiac change days, zodiac rupture days, the Red Path’s calamity day, the Red Path’s shining day… But I can only calculate the lowest tier, the zodiac change days. He mentioned a day called the Calamity of No Dao—when that comes, all seals will break at once, folded spaces will open, Earth will expand a hundred or a thousand times, our cities will splinter into countless islands, beasts will rampage, abysses will spread, demons will gaze upon us, and the righteous path will vanish…”

A chill crept down Lin Xiaosu’s spine.

Second Uncle’s expression also grew grave.

“Second Uncle, when is the next zodiac change day?”

“A month from now—April 13th.”