Chapter 565
Chapter 565
Chapter 565
At dusk, the moonlight lay on the dam.
Li Zhuiyuan pointed towards the basement, indicating that Zhao Yi should go down there himself.
Then, the girl walked towards the east room, and the boy turned and went to the kitchen, grabbing two thermos flasks with one hand and lifting four thermos flasks.
The girl, dressed in white satin, sat obediently in the room, watching the boy go in and out, constantly bringing hot water bottles from the kitchen and pouring them into the bathtub.
Before the Lunar New Year, Aunt Liu received a new batch of thermos flasks, which were neatly arranged under the kitchen door table, resembling an army. Before nightfall, Uncle Qin would boil water to fill them up, making it convenient for the family to use.
Jiang Xiuzhi was taken by Grandma Liu to stay at Liu Jinxia's house, while A Li is sleeping alone now.
After pouring in enough hot water, Li Zhuiyuan went to the well and drew two more buckets of water. After adjusting the temperature, he nodded to the girl.
When at home, if conditions permit, Ah Li usually takes a bath at dusk and then goes out for dinner. However, tonight she added a kendo lesson for Chen Xiyuan. Even though Chen Xiyuan was being whipped around the whole time, she still broke a sweat.
Li Zhuiyuan closed the door and left, carrying a thermos into the main living room.
Runsheng stayed at Grandpa Shan's house.
After Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou finished inspecting the village's power towers today, they went to Zhou Yunyun's house to pay a New Year's visit. They haven't returned yet.
In the large living room, where the small dark room used to be, there is now an unpainted, light-colored wooden coffin; that is Yayoi's bed.
Ever since Grandpa discovered Yayoi sleeping on the dam last time, Grandpa forbade Yayoi from acting recklessly again and specially asked Runsheng to make him a new bed.
Yayoi sat cross-legged inside the coffin. He had just witnessed Zhao Yi shaking a key as he passed by, opened the door, and entered the basement.
As Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, Mi Sheng said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, Mi Guang and his master will be arriving in Nantong tomorrow."
"Have you figured out how to settle them?"
"Let's go with Wolf Mountain."
“I’ll have Tan Wenbin lend me the money to help you negotiate the contract. Consider it a loan from you, and you can pay me back later.”
"How can the original cause be returned?"
"So what do you plan to do?"
"If you can't contract the temple on Wolf Mountain, you can contract a stall on Wolf Mountain first."
"That's fine too."
"I think they will be very disappointed."
Master Yang had always hoped to sneak into Qinglong Temple with his apprentice, but unfortunately, Qinglong Temple has now collapsed, along with Master Yang's long-cherished dream of a wonderful old age.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Everyone has their own destiny, so there's no need to force it."
Yayoi nodded: "I understand, little monk."
Mi Guang was a disciple of Mi Sheng in Fengdu, taken in on behalf of his master. He recognized Mi Sheng's potential for Buddhism and originally intended to bring him back to Qinglong Temple. Well, now he is planning to bring him back to Qinglong Temple.
Li Zhuiyuan planned to go to Fengdu after the New Year, where anything could happen, so he first asked Yasheng to call the people there out of the ghost city.
He went upstairs into the shower room, poured a thermos into a bucket, then scooped in two ladles of cold water. There was still some left after the boy finished showering.
Late at night, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou drove back.
Upon entering the living room, Ayou noticed that the iron door to the basement was wide open.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, you're still awake?"
Tan Wenbin picked his ear with his little finger, blew on it, and said, "Ayou, go and heat up a can of Jianlibao and send it to Brother Xiaoyuan."
"okay."
Ah You carried a hot can of Jianlibao into the basement. The room was dark, with no lights on, but a pair of bright red eyes were shining there.
It's not Xiao Yuan Ge!
Ayou immediately activated his vertical pupils and saw Zhao Yi surrounded by a group of book boxes.
"Three-eyed, how dare you?"
"I can not!"
"Oh." Lin Shuyou understood, and asked, holding up his drink, "Do you want some?"
"Let me be alone and spend some more time with them."
As Lin Shuyou put the drink can on the ground and prepared to leave, Zhao Yi's voice came from behind him again:
"Close the door, it's windy outside, don't let it chill my darlings."
Lin Shuyou pushed the large iron gate back.
Walking to Tan Wenbin's coffin, Ayou said, "Brother Bin, it's Three-Eyes in the basement. Brother Xiaoyuan is really good to Three-Eyes."
Tan Wenbin, lying inside, lit a cigarette and said:
"Isn't this also a form of torture?"
The torment lasted until the next morning, when Li Zhuiyuan and A Li sat on the terrace playing chess in the morning light.
Zhao Yi, with disheveled hair and a gaunt appearance, walked out of the basement and onto the dam.
His hands were empty; he hadn't taken anything.
After Li Zhuiyuan placed his piece, he asked, "Haven't you chosen yet?"
A whole night would have been enough for Zhao Yi to secretly make copies of many sets of books through the crack in the door between life and death, but Young Master Zhao would definitely disdain doing so.
"I've chosen the one surnamed Li."
Which set?
"There was a box containing some blank books, without even titles."
The basement housed a rich collection of exquisite books, but Li Zhuiyuan had no intention of simply living off it. The young man once planned to use his knowledge of martial arts techniques and secret manuals, which he had acquired and comprehended during his journey across the river, to supplement the collection and further enhance the basement.
However, firstly, the project is massive and time-consuming, and secondly, it is not beneficial at present, so it has been delayed until now.
Zhao Yi: "How about this, I want the set you haven't started writing yet. Once you've finished writing it, give it all to me."
"can."
"As expected of my ancestors, their reputation remains unchanged."
Before Aunt Liu called him to breakfast, Zhao Yi went down to the dam, loosened his collar to let in some fresh air, and put a pipe in his mouth.
Yingzi rode up on her bicycle, and from a distance, she recognized Zhao Yi at a glance; he looked disheveled and downcast.
Avoiding Yingzi's gaze, Zhao Yi raised his sleeve to shield himself from the wind, snapped his fingers, and lit his pipe with sparks.
Yingzi hesitated for a moment, thinking that Zhao Yi didn't want her to see his current disheveled state.
After riding past him, Yingzi couldn't help but brake and stop, turning back to say:
"Long time no see! When did you come back to the village?"
Zhao Yi turned around, sniffed, scratched his hair, and said:
"I came back last night, and I'm going to my godmother's house for breakfast now."
Yingzi's eyes showed heartache.
not good!
Zhao Yi's heart skipped a beat. He could "see" that the girl had developed a strong savior complex towards him, feeling a strong sense of mission and an obligation to save him.
"You're on vacation?"
"It's Chinese New Year, can't we not have a holiday? You..."
"It's so good to be in school. Unlike me, both of my wives are pregnant again. Every day when I open my eyes, all I think about is how to make money for baby formula. I should never have married two wives. Sigh, even if I had married two, who knew they could have so many children."
Yingzi seemed to have been doused with cold water; her eyes cleared, and she smiled:
"Life will definitely get better and better."
"You, who are guaranteed a job after graduation, don't understand the difficulties faced by those of us without a degree."
"I'm going to town to buy some things for Grandma. Is there anything you need me to bring?"
"Diapers... never mind, those things are too expensive, I'll just use some scraps of cloth."
Zhao Yi waved and turned to leave.
The bicycle behind me remained stationary for a long time before starting to pedal again.
"We need to have a word with that guy surnamed Li. Your sister's gone to college and it's made her stupid."
By the ditch in front of Liu Jinxia's house, Zhao Yi squatted down and tidied himself up. He was not only worried that his godmother would be concerned about his difficult life outside, but also because the old lady was there and he couldn't be impolite.
"Lord Yi, you're here! Oh my, you've lost weight! Where are your spouse and me?"
Liu Jinxia liked Zhao Yi. After exchanging pleasantries, she went inside to get something, while Li Juxiang was making breakfast in the kitchen.
Zhao Yi took the opportunity to bow to Liu Yumei and Jiang Xiuzhi.
Liu Yumei: "Alright, be normal. Your godmother is going to get you some cigarettes."
Liu Jinxia came out carrying a large red plastic bag, full of loose boxes, some of which had been opened. But to prevent them from getting damp, she wrapped them all in small plastic bags. She had saved them all for Zhao Yi when she went out to meditate and received cigarettes.
"Here, no one else smokes at home, you can take them all."
"Thank you, godmother."
Zhao Yi took the cigarette, and just from the mention of it, he knew that the cigarette pack contained the money he was supposed to receive for the New Year.
He initially took Liu Jinxia as his godmother because the Zhao family of Jiujiang felt guilty towards her ancestors. However, after spending more time with her, he also grew to like this very wary grandmother.
Cui Cui was still sleeping when Zhao Yi came to her room and pinched her nose.
"Mom, I haven't slept enough... Brother Yi! Haha, Brother Yi!"
Cui Cui jumped off the bed and onto Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi picked up the little girl and affectionately stroked her head.
This little sister can hold herself, but her older sister, surnamed Li, wouldn't even dare to touch her.
After breakfast, Cuicui took Zhao Yi's hand and happily went to set off the firecrackers that she dared not set off alone.
First, two police cars drove past one after the other on the village road ahead. Then, a villager jogged over to invite Li Sanjiang.
It's the Lunar New Year, and someone must have had an accident.
Li Sanjiang pointed at the mule, and among the people like Sheng Hou, Zhuang Zhuang, You Hou, and Xiao Yuan Hou, he pointed to Yayoi.
"Come with me, Lord Mi."
It wasn't appropriate to keep calling him a monk, and since he needed to be introduced to others, Li Sanjiang gave him a local name. Actually, he should have been called Shenghou, but it clashed with Runsheng, so he was called Mihou.
Yayoi went with Li Sanjiang.
The matter is very simple: Liu Sihou from the north of the village died before dawn, in the stream.
Because he was entangled in the duck net and stuck to the bank, and the river wasn't deep, there was no need for body retrievers to come and pull him ashore. It was just a matter of a few villagers lending a hand.
Li Sanjiang was invited here to discuss the aftermath.
The funeral for those who died violently should be postponed until after the New Year. There's no rush to hold a funeral. Furthermore, Liu Sihou had a head injury, and the police suspect that he slipped while crossing the bridge at night, hit his head on the concrete bridge edge, became dizzy, fell into the water, and couldn't climb out, drowning. This requires comparing the marks on the bridge and going through a process, which will take time.
Before Liu Sihou got into trouble, he played Golden Flower all night with a group of people. He was the biggest loser, so he wouldn't be suspected of being attacked after winning money. But the group of people who played cards with him were arrested and taken to the police station for gambling.
Playing cards during the Chinese New Year is a common practice, and in the past, people would turn a blind eye to it, but what can you do when you're just unlucky?
After discussing the funeral arrangements after the New Year, Li Sanjiang took Yasheng home. On the way, they happened to run into Uncle Shan, who was being driven there by Runsheng.
"Lord Sanjiang, you're still so busy during the New Year? You're really obsessed with money!"
"You hillbilly, do you think I can just come up with any job I want? Do you think I own the local government?"
"What's wrong?"
"He fell into the river and drowned on his way back after playing poker."
"Marquis of Sanjiang, you're cursing me during the New Year!"
Yayoi: "Master Lu, it's true."
Grandpa Shan coughed and said, "I haven't played any cards this year."
Li Sanjiang: "What, judging from your tone, I'm going to praise you?"
Grandpa Shan took out his cigarette case, put the last cigarette in his mouth, and handed the empty cigarette case to Li Sanjiang.
Li Sanjiang knew it was empty without even looking at it, and slapped it down.
"Even a two-year-old knows that you shouldn't give your own money to outsiders. You're quite old, but you've finally become wise."
"I'm not going to chatter with you anymore, I'm hungry, let's eat!"
Runsheng lowered his head somewhat embarrassed. His grandfather insisted on following the old tradition. Yesterday at noon, the grandfather and grandson ate the offerings used for burning scriptures, and then they didn't eat dinner or breakfast this morning, leaving themselves hungry.
This year, the banquet was held in three locations: Liu Jinxia's house, Da Huzi's house, and Li Sanjiang's house. We no longer insisted that everyone had to be together, since we would still gather together to chat after the meal anyway.
Mr. and Mrs. Xue arrived with Xiaochou Mei, and Bai Zhilan was also there. After Li Sanjiang greeted them, everyone took their seats together.
Li Sanjiang: "What, isn't Lord Liang coming back for the New Year?"
Mr. Xue: "Yeah, I'm so busy I can't even see him. It's really outrageous."
Li Sanjiang and Xue's father gave Xue Liangliang a thorough dressing-down in front of Bai Zhilan before they officially started drinking.
Benben skipped over the table and rode Little Black here.
Xiao Hei entered the living room and was surprised to find that its doghouse was gone. It immediately ran to Tan Wenbin's side, stretched out its paw and gently scratched at Tan Wenbin's leg, its eyes filled with tears as it begged for blood.
Benben, holding his rice bowl, sat down next to the clown girl's crib and ate with her food.
Clown Girl would bite her pacifier, cry, laugh, and fiddle with the little stars hanging above her. This unpredictable and novel behavior surpassed the appeal of the formation class for Benben.
Bai Zhilan thoughtfully put some food into Benben's bowl.
Benben could see through her true form, which was the common ground he could understand the most: he and Clown Girl both had a special mother.
During the meal, a truck drove up outside. Xue Liangliang himself didn't arrive, but he brought New Year's gifts and fireworks.
Tan Wenbin led his men to unload and move the goods. These boxes of fireworks were so expensive that they were hard to find, not only in the village and town, but even in the city. Merchants wouldn't dare to stockpile them.
Lin Shuyou: "It will definitely be very interesting to watch if we put it on tonight."
Tan Wenbin: "Nonsense, what we're setting off are banknotes."
Yayoi: "If I can appreciate it, it's not expensive. I'm really looking forward to it."
Tan Wenbin: "Return these, and it'll be enough for you to contract the Zhiyun Tower for ten years."
Yayoi: "That's very expensive."
Li Zhuiyuan got off the table early and came to the temple. It was the New Year, so he should offer incense to his master.
Then, the boy took out the town's magic tower and tried to throw it into the brazier in front of the offering table.
"boom!"
It was thrown in, sparks flew, and ashes filled the air.
It's clear that it's consciously trying to grab at something, but unfortunately, the sacrifice won't work.
Li Zhuiyuan wasn't afraid that the item would successfully fall into the Emperor's hands. One thing at a time, this tower was originally meant for the Emperor, and the young man didn't intend to use it to negotiate with the Emperor.
Picking up the brush from the offering table, they wrote on a piece of yellow paper: "After the New Year, we will go to Fengdu to bring you home." Watching the paper burn completely in the brazier until the fire went out, neither the Great Emperor nor Mengmeng gave any response.
As Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of the temple, he heard Li Sanjiang calling out:
"Young Marquis Yuan, Young Marquis Yuan!"
"You've arrived, sir."
Li Sanjiang, who was already drunk, handed out red envelopes to the younger generation.
Everything was prepared in advance. Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin's red envelopes were the same thickness, which shows their favoritism towards their great-grandson. But there are plenty of opportunities to slip money to them on ordinary days, so they still have to treat everyone equally this time.
But people like Uncle Qin, Aunt Liu, and Xiong Shan were treated very generously. This was a deliberate attempt to take advantage of the New Year to make up for the extra wages they were owed.
Xiong Shan and Li Hua reluctantly accepted the red envelopes.
Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu did not answer.
Aunt Liu smiled and said, "We're all family now, why bother with this?"
Li Sanjiang said solemnly, "This is the rule."
Aunt Liu: "We didn't prepare a red envelope for Xiaoyuan. Uncle, you can keep this for Xiaoyuan to spend later."
Li Sanjiang: "You guys have done so much work..."
Aunt Liu: "When you're doing chores for your own family, there's no such thing as dividing the work into different amounts."
Li Sanjiang had no choice but to agree.
Xiong Shan and Li Hua looked at the red envelopes that had been taken back and showed envy.
Aunt Liu brought out the newly made clothes, and not only Xiao Yuan, A Li, and Tan Wenbin, but also Benben and Xiaochou Mei had a set.
Bai Zhilan's hands trembled as she helped her daughter put on her new clothes. Just as she smiled, she discovered that her daughter had wet the bed.
The police came to crack down on gambling this morning, so no one in the village dares to play cards today. There are far more people strolling around the village roads, chatting and gossiping than in previous years.
Li Zhuiyuan first went to his grandparents' house to pay New Year's greetings, then went to the peach grove and poured Qing'an a cup of wine.
When she returned, Yayoi stood at the entrance to the path:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, it's time for me to go to the airport."
Li Zhuiyuan: "I'll go with you to pick them up."
"Does this seem unnecessary?"
“Even if it’s just a small stall, it means that your new Qinglong Temple has officially been established in my Nantong area, so I should go.”
"It was my oversight."
Li Zhuiyuan waved and called over Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou.
Tan Wenbin gave Ayou a push: "I've been drinking alcohol, so go drive if you're drinking soy milk."
Ayou reminded him, "Brother Bin, your statement isn't precise. Brother Xiaoyuan also..."
Tan Wenbin: "Little Yuan drank soda at noon, you were the only one who drank milk."
A small yellow pickup truck drove out of the village and headed towards Xingdong Airport.
Midway through the call, Tan Wenbin's cell phone rang. He answered, and Yang Banxian's voice came from the other end:
"Hehe, our plane landed ahead of schedule."
"Wait here, we're coming to pick you up."
"No, no, no, we dare not trouble ourselves, we dare not trouble ourselves, we will go by ourselves, we will go to Wolf Mountain by ourselves."
Tan Wenbin estimated the distance and said, "Alright then, let's meet at the mountain gate."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, you've worked hard."
Yang Banxian had witnessed Runsheng's skills and held Tan Wenbin and his gang in great awe.
After hanging up the public phone and settling the bill, Yang Banxian looked at the trembling Mi Guang, took out two hats from his bag, put one on his apprentice's bald head, and put the other on himself.
Well, in order to successfully enter the temple to live out his retirement, Master Yang also shaved his head and became a monk.
"Master, Nantong is even colder than Fengdu."
“It’s cold, but bear with it. Wear it now, but when we get to Wolf Mountain, we’ll all have to take off our hats and show our bald heads and ordination scars. We don’t want people to think we don’t know the rules and aren’t real monks as soon as we enter Qinglong Temple.”
“Master, we weren’t real monks to begin with…”
"My dear disciple, let's just pretend for a bit. Once we get in, we'll be able to live a life of luxury."
Panzi stepped forward, took the bag, and tied it to the back bar of his motorcycle.
With a smile, Master Yang asked, "Young man, you haven't cheated us outsiders out of our money, have you?"
Pan Zi: "I'm not lying to you, it is a little more expensive than usual, but not by much, after all, it's the Chinese New Year."
Master Yang: "Give me the names of your family members, and I'll have my apprentice... have this master pray for your blessings, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Panzi pulled out a few bills from the money he had just received: "This is the extra price compared to usual."
After receiving the money, Yang the fortune teller wrote down a girl's name: "Don't worry, I'll pray and chant sutras for you tonight, and I guarantee that both mother and child will be safe."
Panzi: "What do you mean, 'mother and child are safe'? My wife isn't even..."
Yang Banxian covered Panzi's mouth: "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense."
Pan Zi nodded, got on the motorcycle, and gestured for the master and apprentice to get on as well.
Yang Banxian felt that this guy was not easily fooled. He told him not to talk nonsense, so shouldn't he give me the rest of the fare and continue to ask me questions?
Alright, alright, let's get in the car and head to Qinglong Temple first. That's the important thing, we can't delay.
Motorcycles are cheaper than four-wheeled vehicles, but in the dead of winter, the wind howls like a knife.
Mi Guang sat in the middle, burying his head deeply.
Yang Banxian also felt numb from the cold wind, so he had to ask Pan Zi some exciting things, such as where to go for fun, what to do, and where to go.
Panzi had no idea about any of this. Not long after he joined the factory, he got a girlfriend and got married. He didn't go out drinking and having fun with his coworkers. His only experience with prostitution in his life was at the video arcade in town.
Yang Banxian said with dissatisfaction, "How do you drive this motorcycle taxi? You don't know anything. Usually, people ask you for advice on these kinds of things. You can even get a share of the profits by taking people there."
Pan Zi: "I have to go to work, I don't rely solely on this."
Master Yang said, "That won't do either. Young man, you must have a compassionate heart. These days, life is tough for everyone. If you can help, then help."
Panzi: "If you say that again, just give me back the money you owed. Stop chanting."
At this moment, Pan Zi realized that these two masters were unreliable.
Master Yang immediately shut up.
After dropping the person off at the Langshan Scenic Area ticket office, Panzi rode away on his motorcycle.
The master and apprentice looked up together... Oops, they accidentally looked too far and went over the mountaintop.
Mi Guang: "Master, this mountain is so short."
Master Yang said, “It’s not the height of the mountain that matters, but the presence of Buddha that makes it sacred. Do you remember the story your master told you when you were a child? There are some places in this world that seem ordinary from the outside, but if you really know how to get inside, you’ll find a whole different world!”
Mi Guang: "Do we need to buy tickets for this grotto-heaven?"
At this moment, people selling incense nearby came over to promote their products to the master and apprentice. Others came over with rolled-up and sealed coins to resell. These were coins that were thrown into the donation box to make a sound. Let alone a yuan, even throwing in jiao (cents) would feel expensive, so they exchanged them all for fen (cents) without feeling bad.
When Master Yang took off his and his apprentice's hats, the outer disciples immediately dispersed upon seeing that they were inner disciples.
"Amitabha."
Yang Banxian turned around, saw Yayoi, and immediately said:
"Immeasurable...Buddha."
Immediately, he patted his disciple's head and Mi Guang followed up, saying, "Amitabha, Amitabha."
Yayoi: "I'm sorry to have kept you both waiting."
Master Yang: "No, no, Master, we just arrived, haha, just arrived. It's hot outside, so we're standing here to cool off."
As he spoke, Yang Banxian noticed Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin standing to the side, and immediately bowed in respect, disregarding all formalities and expressing his reverence first.
After expressing his opinion, Yang Banxian asked Misheng with a fawning expression, "Master, when shall we enter Qinglong Temple?"
Yayoi: "Please wait a moment."
Master Yang: "I understand, I understand, we have to wait for the auspicious time."
Instead of the auspicious time, what arrived was Ah-you, who had already bought his tickets and returned.
The crowd lined up to go through the ticket gate.
Mi Guang whispered, "Master, you really need to buy a ticket to enter this cave."
Yang Banxian also looked worried, which meant that he would have to pay extra for a ticket every time he went to the hair salon after leaving the temple.
He subconsciously looked up at the sign next to him to see how much the season pass and annual pass for Langshan were.
Wow, this is incredible... no, this little hill has such an expensive entrance fee, have you locals never seen a mountain before?!
Next, Yayoi led the master and his apprentice up the mountain for a visit.
Yang Banxian felt as if his feet hadn't even warmed up before he had already reached the top of the mountain.
"Whoa!"
Although the mountain is low, after witnessing the magnificent view of the Yangtze River flowing into the sea and hanging in the sky, Yang Banxian had to admit that the ticket price was absolutely worth it.
Turning to the side and looking at the Zhiyun Pagoda, Yang Banxian thought, "Shouldn't it be time for them to enter the cave now?"
Yayoi: "Have you finished watching?"
Master Yang: "I've finished reading, I've finished reading."
Yayoi: "Then let's go down."
Master Yang nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
I thought going down meant going to some special place, but it turned out that going down meant actually going back down the same way.
At this moment, Yang Banxian was filled with doubts.
Tan Wenbin waved at the entrance of the scenic area management office, beckoning everyone over.
The relevant person in charge is here. Tan Wenbin has already discussed the price once and a statement has been taken.
Yayoi definitely couldn't afford to rent a shop; he mainly looked at stalls, the kind that sell toys and sausages.
To his surprise, the prices at this stall were higher than he could have imagined.
The Buddhist disciple felt deeply perplexed by this pure and tranquil Buddhist sanctuary.
Upon seeing the three bald monks arrive, the person in charge immediately became alert and said, "Hey, we don't allow outside monks to cause trouble here!"
Tan Wenbin reassured him, "Don't worry, they're all fake monks. They used to do business in another temple, but that temple went bankrupt, so they just wanted to do business somewhere else. Their hair will grow back quickly."
Prices for stalls vary depending on their location. Seeing Yayoi's predicament, Tan Wenbin used his silver tongue to personally help Yayoi choose a stall. Location didn't matter, he just wanted a cheap one!
They actually found one within their budget, but the person in charge was too lazy to take them there. He just told them the location and told them to go see it for themselves.
The stall is not on the main road leading up the mountain, nor on the side road, but in the middle of the front and back gates. There is a row of green trash cans on the left, which is a garbage collection point, and a toilet on the right with a pointed top painted green.
When Yang Banxian arrived here, he was completely dumbfounded. No, Qinglong Temple refers to this?
Tan Wenbin stroked his chin. If it were a normal toilet, it wouldn't be impossible to set up a stall, since toilets have a high flow of people. But he didn't know how this toilet was designed. If a normal tourist had a need and came here, they would definitely wet their pants halfway.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, a peak time for visitor traffic, but this place is still deserted. On ordinary days, apart from people who are just wandering around aimlessly, the people you probably encounter most are parents looking for their lost children.
Yayoi looked at Yang Banxian and Mi Guang and said, "How about here then? What do you two think?"
This is the only thing he can afford right now. No matter what, he has to make sure the new Qinglong Temple has a place to stay, and he can't let that person make a wasted trip.
Mi Guang: "Master, does the 'cave' in the grotto refer to the hole in the toilet?"
Master Yang's face turned green. Was this where he would spend his retirement?
If he hadn't witnessed how horrible these people were, he would have truly believed he'd been double-crossed and scammed by his own colleagues!
Yayoi: "Gentlemen, you may stay here for ten or twenty years until I have earned enough money to contract the temple above. If you are unwilling, I will not force you. The money used to rent the stall can be given to you for your return journey."
Mi Guang quickly signaled to his master to take the money. He didn't want to stay here for twenty years. What else could he do here besides eat shit that was hot?
As for my master, in twenty years, will you still need to take care of yourself in your old age?
Yang Banxian exhaled a breath of stale air and asked, "Master, are you serious?"
Yayoi: "I can make a Buddhist vow that you two are free to come and go as you please, without interference or coercion. It is my fault; I was not prepared."
Master Yang took his apprentice's hand: "Let's go!"
Mi Guang happily followed his master outside.
“Master, oh Master, I still prefer Fengdu. Let’s continue living like before. People here don’t eat spicy food much, so it’s inconvenient for us to eat here…”
Watching the master and disciple walk away, Yayoi bowed to Li Zhuiyuan:
"Brother Xiao Yuan, I'm sorry to have troubled you with this trip."
Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the mountaintop. The afternoon sun cast golden rays, white clouds rolled down, and the Qi Sea rose—a sign of prosperity and progress.
"Not necessarily."
At this moment, Yang Bansian ran over, holding his bankbook in his left hand and grabbing the person in charge with his right:
"Master, I'll pay for it. Let's rent a shop, rent a shop!"
Theoretically speaking, it's not against the rules at all for Yang Banxian to pay the money.
This old Taoist priest, who has spent most of his life telling fortunes at a stall, has accumulated a considerable amount of wealth.
The shop was halfway up the mountain along the road, and there was an empty one there. The person in charge led everyone to see it.
With that toilet stall in front of it, this shop was practically a holy site.
Yang Banxian and Tan Wenbin went to discuss the specific contract. Since they were not legitimate monks here, even if they contracted the shop, they could not sell Buddhist supplies or perform divination or fortune telling, otherwise they would offend the biggest contractor here.
Tan Wenbin plans to see if he can leave some room for maneuver in the contract, so that he can play a little tricky in the future.
The previous owner left behind some furnishings, including a Buddhist altar nailed to the wall with a rusty Bodhisattva statue on it.
This place is the site for the new Qinglong Temple. Yayoi took out a piece of yellow paper, pricked her fingertip, wrote her birth date and time on it, and pressed it under the Bodhisattva statue, thus opening the seal of this place with her own destiny.
Immediately afterward, under Yayoi's puzzled gaze, Li Zhuiyuan also took out a piece of yellow paper, had the evil dragon draw out blood, wrote his own birth date and time, pressed it into the Bodhisattva statue, then patted it with his other hand and stroked the Bodhisattva's head!
Gold threads are released, encircling and permeating the Bodhisattva image.
Even the composed Yayoi couldn't help but show surprise at this moment, because he recognized it as the method of dispersing merit.
The lotus mark appeared between Li Zhuiyuan's brows, and he spoke with authority:
"From this day forward, all those who enter the shop by chance and who possess good karma will receive my merit!"
"Hidden virtue" refers to the fact that if a person who has done good deeds and accumulated merit enters the shop and causes karmic consequences, and suffers from misfortune or illness, they can receive a strand of merit from Li Zhuiyuan to help resolve these issues.
Only Li Zhuiyuan could pull off this feat; no other orthodox Buddhist could do it. This is because the boy's vast amount of merit was all sealed by the Heavenly Dao. In other words, if such a person were to appear, the Heavenly Dao would review Li Zhuiyuan's merit and then... deduct the amount from Li Zhuiyuan's merit account.
This is no longer about supporting the new Qinglong Temple and establishing the Qin-Liu puppet regime; it's about using one's own merits as flesh and blood to build the foundation for the new Qinglong Temple.
Li Zhuiyuan smiled and walked outside the shop. Just then, a strong beam of light reflected from the river and sea shone on the boy, bathing him in it.
Yayoi clasped her hands together and said devoutly:
"May Buddha have mercy!"
Li Zhuiyuan stepped to the side, leaving the perfectly fitting halo of light and disappearing into the shadows. He waved his hand dismissively and said:
"Leaving it there is a waste."
(End of this chapter)