After Tongqing Temple officially opened for business, pilgrims came one after another to offer incense and pray for blessings.
It's just that compared to the period when Hui Ji hosted it, although the popularity can't be said to have plummeted, it is still far less than before.
However, this did not have much impact on Pei Wende. It would be better to say that with fewer pilgrims coming, his task would actually be easier.
As for the income issue? It is not a big problem for any successful practitioner.
At worst, he could just follow what Zen Master Lingyou did and go to a drought-stricken village to recite a section of the Dragon King Sutra. Naturally, local squires would take the initiative to send money to his door.
Moreover, to be honest, during the period when he took over Tongqing Temple, Pei Wende actually discovered some tricks.
Whenever Tongqing Temple is short of something, there will always be pilgrims who come "in a timely manner" to offer incense and bring grain, oil, rice and salt that are in short supply in the temple.
Once or twice is okay, but once more, even people like Pei Wende who don't pay much attention to details can see the clues.
Is this someone helping Tongqing Temple?
Once this idea popped into my mind, I couldn't get it out of my mind.
Because Pei Wende can completely imagine who is paying so much attention to Tongqing Temple and why.
Besides Pei Hui, who claimed to be her sister, who else could have such great intentions and motives?
In order to prove his judgment, Pei Wende also deliberately revealed that he needed a batch of high-quality iron ingots and medicinal materials when receiving pilgrims.
As a result, less than the next day, a group of traveling merchants came to Tongqing Temple to pray for blessings, and the goods "happened" to bring the iron ingots and medicinal materials that Pei Wende needed.
For a moment, Pei Wende didn't know how to complain.
Fortunately, Pei Hui seemed to have figured out Pei Wende's character. He had to collect the money that should be collected and pay the errand fees that should be paid, but he did not engage in any over-the-top magical operations.
Although this kind of "exclusive express" operation was outrageous enough, Pei Wende didn't care too much as he was indeed short of various medicinal materials and iron ingots.
In other words, Pei Wende's character relies on this kind of "soft knife" method.
The only thing Pei Wende doesn't know is, what should he use to repay this relationship in the future?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Uncle, your grandson is definitely fine. Just rest assured and wait for him to come back at home!"
After skillfully interpreting the signature for an old man from a nearby village, Pei Wende turned around and motioned to Zhang Chusheng next to him to come up and help him.
This old man is a frequent visitor to Tongqing Temple. At this time of year, he goes up to the mountain to pray for his grandson who is away from home.
As time passed, Pei Wende didn't even need to ask the other party for details. As soon as he saw the old man walking up the mountain, he knew what he wanted to ask.
Similar to the old people, there are familiar pilgrims. Most of them go to the mountain just to ask some fixed questions.
Or they are worried about their children at home, or they are worried about this year’s harvest...
After serving as a "temple blessing" for a long time, Pei Wende found that his task was more like a psychiatrist of later generations than interpreting fortunes.
After all, the outcome of some things can be known at a glance, and there is no need to pray to gods or Buddhas at all.
Most of these pilgrims who came to ask for autographs only came to seek peace of mind, and did not really want to get any information from Pei Wende.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you..."
Seeing the old man leaving with the support of Zhang Chusheng without forgetting to thank him, Pei Wende suddenly grinned at himself.
[Is this what this era is really like? 】
[Suddenly I miss the 21st century in my previous life. At least I don’t have to be a magician here. 】
With such thoughts in mind, Pei Wende turned his attention to the next pilgrim holding a sign.
That was a young man that Pei Wende had never seen before. He didn't seem to be a villager living nearby.
And judging from his appearance and figure, it was obvious that he was not the kind of farmer who did manual labor. Instead, he looked a bit like the pampered eldest son of a large family.
But the average young master from a wealthy family would not climb Weishan Mountain alone to ask for a fortune at Tongqing Temple.
[A rich young man whose family is in decline? Or a poor scholar who wants to go to Beijing to take the exam? 】
Pei Wende, who was accustomed to seeing all kinds of things in life, did not show any obvious expression, but raised his hand to indicate that the other person should sit in front of him first.
"Young master, are you going to the mountain this time to seek luck? To seek wealth? Or to seek an official position?"
Different from the "temple blessing" imagined by young people, Pei Wende went straight to the point and asked what most people who asked for the fortune wanted.
Although the young man did not come here for these things, he could not help but be a little surprised by Pei Wende's straightforwardness.
"Seeking luck? Seeking wealth? Seeking an official position?"
"Little master, can you give me answers to all the questions I ask?"
It seems to be disdain, but also seems to be just a simple question...
The young man's voice was not too loud, but it seemed to be the only voice in the entire temple at this moment.
【The visitor is evil! 】
His pupils tightened unconsciously, and a thought suddenly flashed through Pei Wende's mind.
Because during the time when Pei Wende succeeded Huiji as the "temple blessing", he had already met many practitioners who came for Huiji, and each one had his own intention.
Either to meet the legendary "Little Sakyamuni", or simply to seek "conditions" on the road to travel...
But no matter which cultivator he belongs to, none of them has shown the simplicity of "returning to nature" like the young man, as if he is really just a mortal who goes up the mountain to ask for a fortune.
"Little master, you haven't answered my question yet?"
Knocking lightly on the table in front of him, the young man continued to ask questions as if nothing happened.
"Ahem..."
It was only then that Pei Wende suddenly coughed and came back to his senses. Then he realized that he seemed to have fallen into the trap of the person in front of him unknowingly.
"who are you?"
Pei Wende actually didn't want to ask this question, because in his impression, people who usually asked this question were either miscreants or villains, and they often didn't get the correct answer.
But facing this mysterious young man in front of him, Pei Wende felt that he still needed to find out the other person's intentions first.
"Haha, little master, don't think too much, I am just a simple seeker today."
At this point, the young man paused slightly and whispered in an extremely harmless and innocent tone.
"At least until you answer my question, I'm just an ordinary 'sign seeker'."
"And the question you just asked is exactly what I want to know."
—Recommendation ticket—Monthly ticket—
