Chapter 75 - A Rest

During the Cold War era, the shadow of nuclear warfare loomed over the heads of people worldwide. Just targeting the UK alone involved 1,200 nuclear missiles. In this situation, the fear of nuclear war became deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts.

For many citizens of that time, before entering the realm of dreams at night, they anxiously worried whether they would wake up alive the next morning.

Thus, in such circumstances, constructing various types of protective shelters became a popular practice. For instance, various countries were frantically building public civil defense structures, and many individuals would also construct private shelters.

Beside the small private ranch residence that Liang En purchased, there was one such private shelter. Unlike the simple shelters ordinary people constructed, this shelter was located next to the ranch, owned by a wealthy person. That's why it could be built 7 meters underground.

As the global situation changed, the risk of a worldwide nuclear war diminished, causing this shelter to gradually fall into disuse. It transformed into an underground storage space for the ranch's owner.

Upon taking possession of this ranch, Liang En made only minor renovations. The significant change he made was converting this underground nuclear shelter into an antique warehouse, intending to store various items he might discover in the future.

Of course, this not-so-large underground space was currently quite empty. Apart from a safe in one corner containing the chess pieces Liang En had found on Lewis Island, the Kazan copper pot, and some small trinkets, there were only a few items that had been shipped from the United States.

It had to be said that Mr. Bruce, the person from before, was indeed impressive. Not only did he help Liang En transport the ring, necklace, and the RB calligraphy and painting, but he also brought back the 56 Half and completed the necessary procedures for it.

"European Union gun permit, Class B. That's not an easy license to obtain," remarked Fan Meng, a former soldier who was well aware of these matters. Compared to Class C and Class D licenses, which only allowed single-shot civilian rifles and had restrictions on carrying firearms in residential areas, this Class B license permitted the ownership of up to three long guns and two handguns.

"Unfortunately, I only have a Class C license, so I can only possess purely single-shot civilian rifles and can't carry handguns," Fan Meng shrugged, adding, "Your luck is indeed quite good to have encountered a big shot who helped you with all these procedures."

"You can try out this semi-automatic later," Liang En said, "I remember there's an area on the ranch that's set up as a shooting range. It seems the former owner of the ranch built it himself."

"Alright, I'll go have some fun shooting," Fan Meng said, using the excuse of playing with guns to leave the underground shelter after finishing moving things. Once he had left, Liang En began examining the antiques that had been brought all the way from the United States.

After getting ready, he first opened the rectangular wooden box containing the RB calligraphy and painting. From inside, he took out a scroll and slowly unrolled it, revealing a scroll that had turned brown over time.

There weren't many characters on the scroll, with only four lines excluding the signature. Fortunately, ancient RB held a deep respect for Chinese culture, so these words were all written in Chinese rather than Japanese.

"By the southern banks of the Ganges, who would come to my Chan empty hall, not worth half a coin," Liang En softly read the words on the paper, his face showing a pensive expression.

Although he couldn't currently discern the exact meaning of what was written, he could sense a strong sense of arrogance and a kind of profound realization hidden beneath that arrogance.

"The author of this should be a high-ranking monk," Liang En contemplated, looking at the final signature, and then he saw the five characters, "Donghai Chun Yi Xiu... Chun Yi Xiu!"

After reading the contents of the signature, Liang En's mind raced, and then his eyes widened because even if he wasn't an RB person, he definitely was not unfamiliar with this name.

In order to validate his thoughts, Liang En pulled out his phone and began searching. Not only did he discover the specific identity of the person behind the signature, but he also found out what exactly this piece was.

Just as he had suspected, this "Donghai Chun Yi Xiu" was the same as the "Clever Yi Xiu" he had watched in the animation series "Clever Yi Xiu" during his childhood.

There were many stories about him, and to summarize briefly, he was a monk similar to the ancient Chinese Daoji monk, akin to the venerable Ji Gong, known as the "Living Buddha" of that time.

Liang En now held in his hands a handwritten piece from 1481. It was composed by the 88-year-old Yi Xiu on his deathbed, and it was his farewell verse.

What Liang En didn't know was that this piece of writing had manifested here from two different worlds with slight discrepancies. In the world Liang En was previously in, this piece had always been preserved at the RB Kyoto's Pearl An Temple.

In this world, however, this piece had been sold in 1944 and had since disappeared, leaving behind only a few blurry photographs from the 1930s.

The reason for this difference was due to the fact that in this world, during the final stages of World War II, the United States' bombing also targeted Kyoto. The city suffered considerable damage, leading to significant changes in the fate of people and objects.

Regarding the piece itself, it primarily embodied a spirit of tranquility and serenity, reflecting the culmination of Yi Xiu's life in his poetry, calligraphy, and Zen cultivation.

At the time, Mr. Bruce had estimated the value of this piece to be seventy to eighty thousand US dollars, likely because calligraphy itself was already quite niche. Hence, during the evaluation, the significance and value of this work had likely gone unnoticed.

Out of caution, Liang En used a [Appraisal (N)] card. Soon, rows of small text appeared before him, clarifying the background of this Yi Xiu's handwritten work.

[The final handwritten piece left behind by Master Yi Xiu before his nirvana. Due to the large-scale bombings before the end of World War II, this handwritten piece left Pearl An Temple and was subsequently sold.]

[After the conclusion of World War II, this significant calligraphy and Buddhist work went through multiple transactions and eventually left RB, making its way to the United States, where it has been preserved until today.]

And just as these words concluded, two cards were revealed. One was the common [Detection (N)] card, and the other was [Japanese (R)].

[Japanese (R): As a Buddhist master, Master Yi Xiu was most known for his eloquence, using language to help others comprehend the power of Buddhism.

Enhancement card (one-time use), consuming this card enables the user to proficiently master all aspects of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Japanese from the Heian period to the present day.]

"It's not about Buddhism after all," Liang En, while somewhat surprised that the card that appeared on this piece was different from his expectations, was also quite pleased with the prospect of being able to fluently master Japanese.

After all, Master Yi Xiu was a venerable monk. If the Buddhist teachings he could gain this time were particularly profound, Liang En couldn't guarantee that his will wouldn't be significantly influenced, possibly leading him to become a monk.

Having confirmed the true identity of this RB calligraphy, Liang En placed it into the specialized safe he had spent quite a sum of money to acquire. He then used the [Japanese (R)] card.

With a solemn expression, he then took out the small box containing the gold-plated silver ring, preparing to examine the origins of this previously enigmatic ring.