The wind howled louder with every step toward the looming temple, as if the very air disapproved of Shen Yuan's life choices. That made two of them.
The Temple of the Unheard Howl stood like a jagged wound against the pink sky, its spires coiled in spiraling horns that echoed with ghostly shrieks. The stone was not just obsidian it shifted, shimmered, and breathed like a living thing. Every few seconds, a gust of wind shot through the carved teeth of the outer gate, making a sound somewhere between a banshee's scream and a mule with indigestion.
Shen Yuan pulled his robes tighter and looked down at Zap-Chan, who was walking stiffly beside him like a soldier about to desert.
"Still better than that celestial lady with the righteous attitude problem," Shen Yuan muttered.
Zap-Chan gave a low whistle that sounded like a funeral dirge.
The system chimed in.
New Location Reached: Temple of the Unheard Howl
Local Status: Semi-Abandoned, Lightly Haunted, Possibly Cursed
Exploration Bonus: 1% Bravery Increase (Pending Survival)
A chunk of the temple wall crumbled as they approached. Inside the front gate was an enormous mural made of colored bone fragments, depicting screaming cultivators getting chased by what looked suspiciously like large rubber chickens. Shen Yuan stared.
"I feel like someone in the past really understood my aesthetic," he whispered.
The gate creaked open on its own. Not in a warm, welcoming way. More like it was annoyed at having to let them in.
A deep voice echoed from within.
"WHO DISTURBS THE UNHEARD HOWL?"
Shen Yuan cleared his throat. "Uh. Just passing by. Definitely not looking for trouble. Maybe a sandwich."
Silence.
Then the voice changed to something less dramatic, more confused.
"Wait. Did you say sandwich?"
Zap-Chan nodded helpfully.
The ground shook and the shadows peeled back, revealing a floating figure wrapped in a tattered shroud. Its face was skeletal, but it wore tiny round spectacles balanced precariously on its nose bone.
"You're not here to steal the legacy?" the figure asked, puzzled.
"Steal? No no," Shen Yuan said. "I'm allergic to legacies. Makes me break out in divine pursuit."
The figure narrowed its empty sockets. "Then why enter?"
Shen Yuan looked up at the black walls, the howling winds, the occasional flash of spooky lightning. "Honestly? Curiosity. And boredom. And possibly mismanagement of the teleportation system."
The specter floated down. "You… are not like the others."
Zap-Chan chirped.
"Was it the way I squeaked a chicken at a celestial emissary?" Shen Yuan asked.
The specter recoiled in horror. "You dared…?"
"It was a very serious moment," Shen Yuan said. "High stakes. Life-or-death. Classic poultry diversion."
The ghost floated in a slow circle around him. "And yet, you are alive."
"Surprisingly," Shen Yuan said. "We can fix that later if it's required."
"No," the ghost said. "I think you might be… compatible."
"Compatible with what?"
The ghost raised one skeletal hand and pointed toward the temple's core.
"The Laughing Tomb."
There was an echo of faint giggling in the air.
The system chimed again.
Quest Unlocked: Inherit the Forgotten Laughter
Objective: Enter the Laughing Tomb
Bonus Objective: Make the Guardians Laugh
Reward: Unknown
Failure Penalty: Spirit Disassembly
Shen Yuan tilted his head. "Spirit what now?"
Zap-Chan tugged on his robe with a concerned squawk.
The ghost spun away toward the corridor. "Come, mortal of absurdity. Let the Trial of the Laughing Tomb begin."
Shen Yuan followed, hesitantly.
The corridor into the temple was wide, filled with floating glyphs of smiling mouths and masks that cackled as they passed. The walls were covered in portraits of long-dead cultivators mid-laughter, some so exaggerated that it felt like they had died in the middle of a joke.
"So, uh," Shen Yuan said, "what exactly is the Laughing Tomb?"
The ghost looked back. "It is the resting place of the ancient clown-cultivators. They wielded techniques so ridiculous and so powerful that the heavens sealed them away."
Shen Yuan blinked. "Did you say clown-cultivators?"
"Yes," the ghost said reverently. "The Order of the Spiral Whoopee. Their laughter shook realms."
Zap-Chan nearly tripped.
Shen Yuan clapped slowly. "That's it. That's what I want to be. Sign me up."
They entered a vast chamber with a giant stone face smiling down from above. Its mouth formed a tunnel, inside which a spiral staircase descended into darkness.
"In there," said the ghost.
"Of course," Shen Yuan muttered. "Into the mouth of madness."
He stepped forward.
Inside the tunnel, the air changed. It became warmer, heavy with a scent like burnt sugar and old parchment. Laughter echoed faintly through the walls, sometimes cheerful, sometimes absolutely terrifying.
After twenty-seven steps, the stairs ended in a circular arena. Glowing eyes blinked open all around the walls. At the center stood three figures wearing ancient robes, each holding a strange object one had a drum, one had a squeaky hammer, and the last held a scroll with a very long list.
The middle one spoke.
"You seek the Legacy of Unheard Laughter. We ask only this. Make us laugh."
Shen Yuan blinked. "Seriously?"
"Yes," said the scroll-holder. "You have three tries."
He turned to Zap-Chan. "Do I look like someone with good jokes?"
Zap-Chan gave him a doubtful chirp.
He stepped forward anyway. "Okay. Let's try this."
First attempt: he juggled spiritual apples while balancing Zap-Chan on his head. One of the judges sneezed. That was it.
Second attempt: he recited a limerick he found carved into a latrine stall in the outer sect. One judge fell asleep.
Final attempt.
He sighed and stood tall. "Alright. You want real laughter? Here it is."
He reached into his robe and pulled out the enchanted rubber chicken.
He squeezed it.
Nothing happened.
Silence.
Then the scroll-holder snorted.
The drum-holder let out a giggle.
The hammer-holder burst into howling laughter, tears forming in spectral eyes.
The walls pulsed with echoing laughter. The stone face above cracked a smile so wide it split open.
The system exploded with notifications.
Congratulations. You have passed the Trial of the Laughing Tomb
You have been granted Partial Inheritance: Cultivation Path of Chaotic Joy
New Skill: Giggle Pulse (Stuns enemies under Qi Foundation)
New Title: He Who Chuckled Before the Tomb
Shen Yuan looked up in awe as golden threads of light spiraled around him. The scroll floated to his hand.
Zap-Chan chirped, clearly impressed.
The ghost from before floated down again.
"Welcome, Shen Yuan, to the lineage of Laughing Saints."
Then the ceiling trembled.
The system chimed a warning.
Alert: Unwelcome Divine Signature Detected
Identity: Celestial Emissary Yan Lian
Status: Approaching Fast
Shen Yuan sighed.
"Well, that was nice while it lasted."
The ghost looked at him. "She cannot enter the Laughing Tomb without permission."
Another tremor shook the walls.
"I think she's skipping the permission part."
Zap-Chan hissed.
The system offered one last note.
Emergency Escape Option: Reopen Golden Door
Time Limit: 30 seconds
Shen Yuan grabbed Zap-Chan. "We're leaving. Now."
They ran for the collapsing stairway as golden light formed at the top.
Behind them, the stone face screamed and then laughed hysterically as the tomb began to fall apart.
Shen Yuan dove into the golden light just as a beam of celestial fire pierced the stairwell.
As the portal closed, he could just barely hear the ghost shout after him.
"Do not forget to laugh!"