“Gyuu! Gyuu!” Gloria knocked on the stone ceiling closing up above her. The elevation was not really high, but just enough to prevent her from using full force to break through. The walls around her were hardened and smooth, further preventing her from using any force on the ceiling that was intended to stop her from breaking through. “What the fuck is happening!? Let me out!”

There was no response. She stopped calling and remained silent for a brief moment - she could not hear anything from above, it seemed that the moving ceiling and trap door was relatively soundproof. This also meant that she would not be able to reach Gyuu Park from where she was.

“Stay alive.” This was what Gyuu Park told Gloria. Gyuu Park would never think to harm Gloria in any way, if she could be absolutely certain of anything, this would be one of them. So she immediately started to look around, for any indication of an exit or a road. The Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple was not a spacious place, and it would stand to reason that this underground area would not be more spacious than the temple above. With this thought in mind, she decided to turn back and venture into the dark room behind her. There were walls in front of him, all of which were made of simple wooden frames, silk and paper, forming into a small labyrinth.

When she got her phone out, she noticed that under the floor there was no signal. Luckily for her, her phone battery was still half full, just enough for her to use it as a flashlight to light up the underground area, especially the walls in front of her.

There were red symbols on the walls, some of which Gloria could recognize, some of which she could not. She jumped up and tried to get a view of how the walls were arranged, but immediately, the air became thick and pushed her down. She tried again, and it was still the same situation.

On the ground above, Gyuu Park made himself a pot of tea, sat on a simple hay mat and started waiting at the center of the sanctum. The footsteps from outside of the door multiplied, some of which were heavy, some of which were light. Before long, the footsteps scattered and some of them circled around the temple area.

The footsteps at the front door were especially heavy, their breathings were easy to hear as well. It appeared that they were not really intended to conceal themselves. Thus, Gyuu Park finished his cup of tea, poured himself a new one, and raised his voice: “My masked and hidden friends out there, if you want something, why don’t you just come in directly? My temple is not a big one, but welcoming to all. I am not some high end powerful practitioner, but I will definitely try to accommodate everyone. So, if you want something from this temple, come in here directly.”

Before he could say another word, two cloaked shadows hopped from over the outer wall, accurately avoiding all of the contraptions and devices Gyuu Park set in his front yard. Both figures were wearing masks, and from the bottom of their long sleeves, he could see a shiny blade and a spiked flail head.

“Gyuu Park, clergyman of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.” The figure with a long blade under the sleeve spoke with a cold, hoarse female voice from behind and a wooden wolf mask: “You have overstepped.”

“Yea, I don’t know about that. ” Gyuu Park scratched his head and chuckled: “I mean - I don’t know what I did. And judging from your clothes, I don’t think you work for the community collective or the association? And I would say that you should be wary of overstepping some boundaries yourself.”

“For one who’s about to die, you sure are talkative.” The one with a spiked flail in the sleeve and wearing a wooden gorilla mask scoffed with a male voice and stared at Gyuu Park: “And it’s predictable, what you will face. Before we proceed, I must ask you this: do you know?”

“Oh? To be honest, I have been expecting that I would just die in an accident.” Gyuu Park shook his head, and raised his new cup of tea: “Or - more gloriously, a bullet would go through my head, or my heart; or, someone would put something in my food and drink. But no - here you are, wanting to send a message, set an example.”

“You are indeed a wise one. One could see why they would assign you this temple.” The woman wearing a wolf mask said: “Alas, here and now it is for you.”

“Maybe, maybe.” Gyuu Park put down his teacup right beside the teapot and stood up: “So why don’t you just go ahead?”

“Boom!” The door to Gyuu Park’s left, and the wall behind him were torn, two more cloaked figures burst out and lunged at Gyuu Park. But some contraptions hidden on the ceiling and the upper corners of the sanctum were triggered. Sharpened metal and bamboo spikes shot at them. With their momentum targeting Gyuu Park, the spikes did not cover many of the crucial parts of the two sudden invaders, but ended up landing on their legs and lower waists.

The two shadows grunted in pain, their attacks instantly lost most of their aim and momentum. Gyuu Park leapt into the air, his body spun as he unleashed two swift kicks right on their foreheads.

The two figures flew backwards after two flashes of jade green light and two loud cracks - their necks twisted in unnatural angles and parts of their skull caved in slightly. Neither of them were still breathing when they landed on the ground.

“You’re gonna need to do better than this.” Gyuu Park lifted up the teapot with his right foot and kicked it towards the two cloaked figures that confronted him earlier. At the same time, some contraptions in the backyard of the temple were triggered as well, along came painful moans and grunts from two voices.