Chapter 257
: A Fateful Bond Connects Us!
Chapter 257 A Thousand Miles of Marriage Connected by a Single Thread!
Zeng Rou's eyes lit up: "Twenty thousand military merits? That's almost as much as the military merits of a top-tier S-level mission!"
"Yes, if you calculate it this way, I'll have 110,000 military merits, and I'm only 40,000 short of becoming a member of a major clan."
Zeng Rou's gaze suddenly sharpened, and she asked, "Master, once you've accumulated enough military merits, which temple do you plan to destroy first?"
Instead of answering, Lu Chen asked, "If you were me, which company would you choose?"
After a moment's thought, Zeng Rou said firmly, "I want to choose the Zhao family."
"Oh? Why? Logically speaking, the Wu family is more cunning towards us."
Zeng Rou shook her head: "It's different. As long as the Zhao family is still around, our Lu Clan Temple's 'God of Wealth' will never rise again. Right now, of the three main halls, the God of Wealth's Hall is the most deserted, and this situation is hard to reverse. It's all because the Zhao family's God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming, is sitting in the north of the city, and all the incense offerings have been absorbed."
Lu Chen nodded: "By the way, speaking of which, how have those three companies been performing these past few days?"
"Not bad! These past few days, our temple has been packed with worshippers. Those three major clans, along with their newly wealthy families, have been advertising for our Lu family every day and even subsidizing the incense money. Now, those who come to burn incense here not only have their incense money covered, but each person also receives an extra 100 yuan each time. They can go three times a day, which is 300 yuan, more than they earn at a regular job."
Zeng Rou laughed as she spoke: "It's no exaggeration to say that our Lu Family Temple is the most popular temple in Jiangdu right now. But as you know, Master, these three families are desperately spending money to atone for their sins because they offended you. But this trend will eventually stop. Once the subsidies end, the worshippers will definitely flow back to those three families, and our place will inevitably become deserted again."
Lu Chen hummed in agreement.
—Paying money to send to pilgrims.
This is the "apology plan" proposed by the Qin, Zhao, and Wu families.
During this period, anyone who intends to offer incense at the Lu Family Temple with a ticket issued by these three families will not only have their incense money paid by them, but will also receive a subsidy of one hundred yuan per person per visit, limited to three visits per day.
With such high profits, the Lu family temple was naturally overflowing with worshippers.
To be fair, the deities worshipped at the Lu Family Temple are ultimately too obscure.
Yama is somewhat better off; he can now be considered one of the more popular deities.
The Plague God is the next most revered, and is quite popular among spiritual practitioners. However, most ordinary worshippers are wary of him and are unwilling to make offerings to him.
As for the God of Wealth—he is indeed no match for Zhao Gongming, the most popular God of Wealth in Heaven.
"No rush, let's take it one step at a time. I will find a way to invite a few more common deities to be enshrined in the temple later to make up for the shortcomings."
"Alright! Will the sect leader be going out to take on missions again in the near future?"
Lu Chen shook his head: "I'm not taking it. My mom gave me a strict order not to take on any more tasks for a year. But a year is definitely not realistic. I plan to rest for a month first and sort out what I'm doing. By the way, could you help me find someone to make two sets of clothes? I'll draw the designs for you; I need them."
“No problem.” Zeng Rou asked curiously, “Master, since it’s all custom-made, why draw the design yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to just give it to a designer?”
“It’s different. I want two Taoist robes to be customized.”
"A Taoist robe? The yellow robe from before?"
"This time it's a blue robe, and a red robe."
Lu Chen smiled and changed the subject: "By the way, I've always wanted to ask you, what kind of place is Xiangnan?"
"Why did the cult leader suddenly ask about this?"
"I'm interested in this, could you explain it to me?"
“Yes.” Zeng Rou hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to speak, “Speaking of Hunan, it can be divided into ‘Outer Hunan’ and ‘Inner Hunan.’ Outer Hunan is just an ordinary prefecture, not much different from our Jiang Province. But if we’re talking about ‘Inner Hunan’… then it’s completely different. I’ve heard that it’s full of secret realms, a world unto itself. It’s rumored to be a ‘battleground of gossip and a sea of trouble,’ a place where all religions contend and spread their teachings in conflict. Even the Heavenly Court… finds it difficult to completely intervene.”
"A hundred schools of thought contend, leading to disputes over the propagation of doctrines?"
Zeng Rou nodded: "The reason why Hunan is known as a 'gathering place of cults' is not because it is full of cults. In fact, there are too many different sects with different doctrines, and they are too difficult for the public to classify, so they are all classified as cults. However, there are exceptions. In the past few hundred years, a sect has emerged and its power has grown stronger and stronger, and its number of believers has increased. It seems to be poised to unify all the religions in Hunan."
"What religion?" Lu Chen pressed.
Zeng Rou slowly uttered three words: "West—Fang—Teaching".
Lu Chen's pupils contracted.
Zeng Rou frowned and continued, "I once overheard a claim that the true form of this sect is the one preached by the Heavenly Court, but I don't know if it's true or not..."
Lu Chen was utterly astonished: "The Heavenly Court is using the Western Sect to spread its teachings in Hunan?!"
"That's what they say, but I don't know if it's true or not," Zeng Rou shook her head.
Lu Chen: "..." No, this news can be down-to-earth, but it can't be from the government.
If the Heavenly Court needs to borrow, it should borrow the Three Pure Ones' [interpreters] to spread the teachings of the Three Teachings.
How could they be using the Xifang sect to spread their teachings?
He glanced up at the ceiling instinctively.
This claim is simply outrageous and bizarre...
-
The Heavenly Court, the Palace of the Red Phoenix Star.
The Old Man of the Moon sat upright on a prayer mat.
Her simple, plain clothes exuded tranquility.
However, the solemnity between his brows grew deeper and deeper.
From the moment he began to ponder until now, his gaze remained fixed on the two jade slips in his hand.
After a long while, He finally seemed to have made up his mind and softly called out, "Feng'er."
"Master!"
The fire phoenix responded and flashed into the hall.
"Tie the red thread between these two." The Old Man of the Moon handed over a jade slip.
Fire Phoenix looked down and exclaimed, "Zhao Wanliang, Sun Yourong? Master, this..."
"how?"
Fire Phoenix scratched her head: "If I remember correctly, these two seem to be a couple that the God of Wealth specifically asked you not to match them up. Why are you..."
Instead of answering, the Matchmaker asked, "Tell me, is the relationship between Zhao Wanliang and me 'the number three'?"
Fire Phoenix nodded: "Reporting to Master, I have checked, and it is now exactly three times three."
“In that case, according to the rules of heaven, I shall grant him a marriage.” The Old Man of the Moon smiled and said, “Moreover, on the way to His Majesty’s Heavenly Palace just now, I met an old star official who said something that made a lot of sense.”
"What did the old star official say?" Fire Phoenix asked curiously.
"He said, 'Since I am in charge of human marriages, my first priority should be to follow the wishes of the common people and not be bound by ordinary sentiments. Otherwise, wouldn't I be failing my divine duty and disrupting the law?'"
The Old Man of the Moon stroked his long beard: "I think what the old star official said is absolutely right. Therefore, I will explain to the God of Wealth. You go and take care of it first."
"Yes! This disciple will obey the decree!" Fire Phoenix turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." The Old Man of the Moon called out to him again, thought for a moment, and instructed, "Never mind, use black thread. Remember, don't tie a knot that's too tight, just tie a slipknot."
"Black lines?" Fire Phoenix was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, disciple has remembered!"
"Go."
Watching Huo Feng leave the palace, the Old Man of the Moon sighed and shook his head: "Brother Jun Cai, don't blame me... I also want to see just how capable your sworn brother really is."
Before long, Fire Phoenix returned to report: "Master, it's tied up."
"Good." Upon hearing this, the Old Man of the Moon slowly closed his divine eyes.
Let's just wait and see what happens next.
-
Meanwhile, night had fallen in the lower realm.
With the help of the Old Man Under the Moon, a thread connects us across thousands of miles.
Inside the rooms of the Zhao family mansion in the north of the city and the Sun family mansion in the south of the city.
Zhao Wanliang and Sun Yourong opened their eyes almost simultaneously in the darkness:
"Rongrong..."
"Zhao Wanliang..."
The "Matchmaker Edition" officially begins today...
(End of this chapter)