Outside Ping'an County, Chen Yuan stood there and chuckled as he watched Yue Shan's retreating figure.
Now, the preliminary preparation work is finally completed, and the next step is to go to Ci'en Temple to confirm again.
Facing Master Zhang, whom even Li Mingqi had to treat with caution, Chen Yuan did not dare to take it lightly, let alone lie to him, otherwise, the consequences would be serious.
Yue Shan promised that within three days at the latest, either Mr. Zhang would come, or he would prepare a letter to inform him in advance.
By then, if Mr. Zhang really comes in person, we can no longer use the word guess.
You have to come up with something convincing.
"Wang Ping."
"Brother Yuan."
Wang Ping glanced at Chen Yuan and responded.
"Come to Ci'en Temple with me. See more and talk less."
"Brother Yuan, don't worry!"
...
...
North of the city.
Ci'en Temple.
Chen Yuan looked around the temple for a while, then got off his horse with a calm expression and walked into the temple.
Chen Yuan was both familiar and unfamiliar with this place.
In his memory, his uncle would take him several times every year to burn incense and worship Buddha. After time traveling, he also came here to get his first opportunity, the Vajra Glazed Body.
But Chen Yuan is still very unfamiliar. Ci'en Temple, a place that helps the world and saves people, has become a devil's nest that is very likely to hide the demons of Wu Sheng Cult.
There is also something hidden like the Bloody Sword that you can tell is something evil just by hearing its name.
"There are a lot fewer people here than usual."
Wang Ping looked around, walked to Chen Yuan and whispered.
Wang Ping has been here before, but at that time Ci'en Temple was still very popular, and there was an endless stream of believers burning incense and worshiping Buddha, but now...
It's already very sparse.
"After years of severe drought, the people's harvests are not good, so naturally there is no money left to offer offerings and burn incense."
"Too..."
Wang Ping nodded with deep approval.
It can be seen from his father's business that the drought in Qingzhou has been severe in the past two years. In some places, the ground is said to have dried up.
"Who are you two?"
As soon as Chen Yuan and Wang Ping entered, a young bald monk stepped forward and asked with his hands clasped together.
His eyes looked at them with some vigilance.
"Burn incense and pray."
Chen Yuan smiled.
The young monk was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled and said:
"The main hall is just ahead, the two donors can just go straight."
Hearing that he was here to burn incense, the monk even changed his name.
"Okay, thank you."
Chen Yuan nodded with a smile.
Before arriving, he and Wang Ping had already changed their clothes to prevent being stared at.
The young monk nodded slightly, then turned to greet other pilgrims.
"Walk..."
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and took Wang Ping to wander around the Ci'en Temple.
He looked up and down, wondering where the trouble in Ci'en Temple might be hidden.
Ci'en Temple is a small temple, but it also has many rooms and halls. There are heavy incense burning in the temple, which made Wang Ping inadvertently sigh. The temple is still rich, and so much incense is burned in this season.
After hearing this, Chen Yuan's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't say much.
As long as you are suspicious of a place, you will find something wrong no matter where it is.
Not long after, Chen Yuan and Wang Ping crossed the two doors and arrived in front of the main hall.
Dozens of men, women and children bowed their heads in front of the temple, their heads on the ground, their palms facing up and remained silent.
Chen Yuan squinted his eyes. This is the etiquette in Buddhism, the foot-receiving ceremony.
I couldn't help but sneer in my heart. Buddhism emphasizes the equality of all living beings, but is this ritual equal to believers?
"Brother Yuan, do I recognize these people?"
Wang Ping lowered his voice.
"who?"
Chen Yuan asked.
"Brother Yuan, do you still remember the missing children I told you yesterday? These people are their parents..." Wang Ping said softly.
"If the child is missing, can he find it by praying to God?" Chen Yuan shook his head slightly.
There was one thing he didn't say, that is, their child was probably missing because of someone in Ci'en Temple.
"One tael of silver to enter the palace."
A middle-aged fat monk with several ring scars on his head walked up to Chen Yuan and said calmly.
"Why is it so expensive again? Didn't it cost a hundred cents last time I came here?"
Chen Yuan asked in a solemn voice.
To avoid being suspected, Chen Yuan must establish himself as a believer.
"The host wants to repair the golden body of Buddha."
The middle-aged monk said with a faint smile.
After staring at him, Chen Yuan handed over two taels of silver:
"It turns out that I am cultivating a golden body for the Buddha, so it should indeed go up a bit."
"The donor is still thinking of the Buddha. These donors..." The middle-aged man looked at the men, women and children kneeling on the ground not far away and shook his head, with some contempt in his eyes.
"Praying for Buddha is not a matter of money, as long as you have the intention."
The middle-aged monk smiled and said nothing.
Chen Yuan and Wang Ping took two incense sticks from the middle-aged monk and stepped into the main hall.
In the center, a golden Buddha statue several feet tall sat cross-legged on a lotus platform, looking down at every believer who came in with cold indifference.
Chen Yuan opened his eyes, and an imperceptible blue light appeared in his eyes. He looked around in the hall, but unfortunately, there was no movement.
The expression in his eyes returned to normal. Chen Yuan stepped forward with a calm expression and placed the burning incense on the incense burner in front of him without kneeling down.
Whether in his past life or in this life, Chen Yuan does not believe in gods or Buddhas.
Martial arts practice is about cultivating one’s own body.
Wang Ping imitated Chen Yuan's movements, put on the burning incense, and followed Chen Yuan's footsteps to leave the main hall.
In front of the door, the group of people were still kowtowing devoutly. Chen Yuan walked past without squinting.
After leaving the main hall, Chen Yuan went to the place where the scriptures were displayed in Ci'en Temple with great purpose.
Outside the Sutra Pavilion.
A green-robed monk was sweeping the floor. Chen Yuan took a closer look and saw that he was an acquaintance. He had obtained the Vajra Glazed Body from him last time.
"Grandmaster."
Chen Yuan placed one hand on his chest and nodded slightly.
The green-robed monk slowly raised his head, with some weather-beaten wrinkles on his face. He was slightly startled when he saw Chen Yuan:
"It's Donor Chen. Why do you come here to burn incense today?"
"I've been having a bad year lately, so I want to burn incense and ask for Buddha's blessing." Chen Yuan said with a smile.
"The Buddha is in your heart, just think about him all the time."
The green-robed monk smiled.
"The master is truly an expert, and his casual words contain Buddhist principles."
"Donor Chen is joking. I heard that Donor Chen is now in the position of arresting the head?"
"Perhaps because I burned those Diamond Sutras for my uncle before, I was lucky enough to sit in this position." Chen Yuan was not surprised. Many people in Ping'an County knew that he had become the head catcher.
Not to mention this monk who was quite familiar with him.
"Donor Chen is a blessed person."
"Master, Chen wants to ask a question."
The green-robed monk smiled and said nothing.
Chen Yuan calmly handed over a tael of silver.
"Almsgiver Chen, please speak." The green-robed monk smiled faintly and put the silver into his sleeve without leaving a trace.
