Chapter 195 The Phoenix Egg

The silence in the prayer hall and the eyes staring at him made Yul's heart tremble, because he was not sure whether he could leave here safely with Hajime and the others. Cold sweat ran down his back, and he felt that the hand holding Hajime had begun to sweat. Looking at the closed door, Yul knew that leaving the temple would be more difficult than he imagined. He knows the decisions he's about to make will affect everyone, but if he decides not to listen to the monk's story, their time to escape will be shortened. At the same time, listening to the monk's story may also be an advantage for him. 

Hajime grabbed Yul's hand with both hands and said, "I know you don't want me to get hurt, and your decision was made for my safety, but this time, I want to make my own decision. You've always protected me, so now it's time for me to do the same for you." 

Yul asked, "Are you sure?" 

Hajime nodded and said to Budi, "We would like to listen to Huoyan's story." 

Budi looked at Yul and said, "Please put down your weapons. Since what has happened is irreversible... there is no need to fight. Come with us to the library." 

Yuuto looked at Hajime and said, "Just keep the phoenix egg for now. We will consider removing it later." 

The eyes of the five Tanzanies stared wide-eyed, wondering what made the monks suddenly change their minds. 

Hajime asked, "You mean...you won't cut me open anymore?" 

The monks began to leave the prayer hall, leaving only Kaizen, Budi and Yuuto. Budi and Kaizen started walking to the right side of the prayer hall and through a door. 

"You will be cut open, but not today," Yuuto said, looking at the five Tanzanies. "Please follow us to the library room." 

Yul asked, "If not today, then when? 

Yuuto smiled and said, "In three years." He started to walk towards the smaller door, but found that no one else was following him, so he turned around and found that the five Tanzanies were still several feet behind him. "Understanding the existence of Huoyan may be useful to you in the future." He looked at Hajime. "As for now, your situation is the same as Huoyan hundreds of years ago." 

Hajime said, "Let's go see what they say first, and then decide what to do next. 

Yul asked, "Are you sure?" 

Hajime nodded. "If I could live one more day, I would try to live one more day." 

Yul said, "Well, let's go see what these monks have to say to us." 

The Tanzanies who followed Yuuto noticed that the small courtyard of the temple was well preserved and quiet. The path led them to the back of the temple, where there were many small buildings. The five Tanzanies witnessed many monks practicing their craft, as well as monks bathing in the sun and praying. 

Seeing the monks practicing, Yul understood why, with their combined strength, they couldn't defeat Kaizen. It seems that their fighting ability is not as good as that of the young monks they saw practicing in the back temple. 

Yul whispered, "No wonder we couldn't defeat Kaizen." 

Hajime said, "Their fighting skills are indeed very high. Not only that, but their ability to create magic spells exceeds ours." 

Michio widened his eyes and said, "If possible, it would be good for us to stay here for a few years and improve our skills." 

Abrafo sighed and said, "Have you forgotten that we are their hostages? It seems that if they are not willing to let us go, it will be difficult for us to escape." 

Yul suddenly realized that what Abrafo said was true. They were not here to improve their fighting abilities; they were taken against their will. He looked at the other four Tanzanies and said, "Abrafo is right, we should not forget why we came here. According to the people in front of us, they will keep us here for three years and then decided our fate. We have to find a way to get out of here before the three-year expiration date." 

Michio said, "My intuition tells me that these monks...they are not bad people." 

Abrafo said, "Your intuition and the evil intentions of others' are two different things. Not all monks in habit are as kind as you." 

Michio said, "But my intuition has always been right." 

U-ri said, "I agree with Michio. If they had ill intentions towards us, why would they take the time to explain anything to us. They could simply beat us in the prayer hall and throw us in jail, but they didn't. Now I'm curious what they will tell us. Maybe hearing their stories isn't such a bad thing. We do know that the pure phoenix egg was swallowed by Hajime, but we don't know if the pure phoenix egg caused any harm to Hajime, so from a medical perspective, it's best to know the cause and treat it." 

Hajime said, "I just discovered that my symptoms are related to the pure phoenix egg." 

Yul asked, "Do you think your loss of appetite and vomiting are related to the pure phoenix egg?" 

Hajime nodded. 

Yuuto stopped and turned to look at the five Tanzanies. "Here we are," he said with a smile, pointing to a two-story wooden building. "This is our library." 

U-ri asked, "Master, after you finish telling us this story, can I go to the library and have a look?" 

Yuuto smiled and said, "You have three years to read as many books as you can in this library." 

Abrafo looked at U-ri and said through his teeth, "You would betray us for the chance to read some books?" 

U-ri smiled and said, "It's not a bad thing to increase my knowledge and help you complete the tasks assigned to you." He started walking forward to catch up with Yuuto. 

Michio then quickly followed U-ri and Yuuto up the ten steps. 

Abrafo frowned, "This old bastard deserves a good beating." 

Yul said, "After hearing their stories, we will decide what to do next." 

The five Tanzanies followed Yuuto into a small study room. Waiting for them in the small study room were Kaizen and Budi. 

Yuuto said, "Please sit down." 

U-ri was disappointed when he saw several books on the bookshelves in the small study room. He asked, "Masters, are these the books in the library?" 

Budi looked at the books on the shelf and said, "These are the books in this room, but if you decide to stay, I'll let Kaizen show you the rest of our collection." 

"Thank you," U-ri said with a smile. 

Budi said, "Don't waste time, let's start our conversation." 

Yul looked at Budi and said, "First of all, I want to ask you a few questions." 

Budi said with a warm smile, "Please ask."

"This monk told us that you plan to keep Hajime here for three years," Yul said, looking at Yuuto. "Why?" 

Budi said, "When I tell you the story of Huoyan, you will understand why." 

Abrafo had lost his patience and gritted his teeth and said, "Then tell us quickly and don't waste any more time. We won't leave Hajime here for three years without a good explanation." 

Kaizen looked at Abrafo and said, "You have no say in whether he stays. Whether he likes it or not, he will stay." 

Abrafo said, "When we first arrived at the gate of the temple, I remember the master saying, 'No matter how far you drag the body, if the person does not come willingly, it means that the person did not come at all'." 

Budi smiled at Abrafo and said, "Yes, but sometimes we must use force to stop the dark energy in an individual's body, which will harm other innocent people. Moreover, I believe that the three of you will stay here for three years. It may be an advantage for you to train your skills here." 

Hajime thought that if these skilled monks could train Yul and the others to be better, it would be a huge advantage to their journey, as each key is guarded by powerful individual. 

Hajime said, "Master Budi, if you are willing to train them, I am willing to stay. Not just for three years, but also for five or ten years, I am willing." 

Budi said, "As long as the skills taught are used to help others instead of hurting others, if they are willing to learn, I am willing to teach them." 

Hajime smiled and said, "Thank you." 

Budi said, "Don't thank me yet." 

U-ri asked, "Master, you don't have to worry about whether we have any malicious intentions." 

Kaizen said angrily, "If you don't have malicious intentions then why did he steal." Kaizen pointed to Hajime. 

Budi interrupted and said, "Kaizen...not here and not now." 

To appease Kaizen's rage, Yuuto quickly changed the subject and said, "The reason why I asked you to stay three years because it takes three years for the pure phoenix egg to created Huoyan." 

Yul asked, "So, you want us to stay and see if Hajime would turn evil before letting us go?" 

Yuuto looked at Yul and said, "After three years, when the pure phoenix egg completes its transformation and has no trace of dark energy, you can choose to stay or leave this temple. We will not stop you." 

Yul asked, "Then how sure are you that you will let us go after three years, or that Huoyan is actually the transformation of the pure phoenix egg?" 

Yuuto looked at Budi and Budi nodded at Yuuto. Yuuto said, "Because I was there when Huoyan was born, and I was his caregiver."