Chapter 567 Three Thousand Kowtowings

After eating vegetarian food at the temple, Li Mingshu quickly became sleepy and fell asleep in a room in the temple's backyard at noon, holding Yue'er in her arms.

Lin Changning instructed someone to keep an eye on Li Mingshu, then turned and left the temple's side room. The guards beside him, seeing Lin Changning come out, assumed that something had happened to him.

Lin Changning waved his hand: "Guard the princess well, I'm going out for a bit."

After finishing her sentence, Lin Changning strode towards the main hall. As a modern person, she did not believe in ghosts and gods. However, now that she had transmigrated, she still held some reverence for certain things, even if she did not believe in them.

Upon entering the main hall, they happened to encounter the man who had been kowtowing all the way up from the foot of the mountain. The man's forehead was scraped and stained with blood, but his face was filled with utmost piety.

People passing by always point and whisper about this person.

Lin Changning stood at the entrance of the main hall, turned around and looked at the gods and Buddhas in the hall. Their golden bodies shone brightly, their eyes were half closed and their expressions were compassionate, as if they would love every believer in the world.

The man knelt down step by step into the main hall, and before anyone knew it, the abbot of the temple had walked up to Lin Changning's side.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis."

Lin Changning glanced at the abbot, who was dressed in a kasaya and had a kind face, and asked in a low voice, "Abbot, if you kneel up the mountain step by step, can Buddha really hear your wishes?"

"The Buddha is all-knowing, and when sentient beings sincerely turn to the Buddha, there is no one who will not hear of him."

After speaking, she looked quietly at Lin Changning, her eyes seemingly filled with a sense of clarity.

Lin Changning bowed to the abbot and said, "Thank you, Abbot."

After looking up again, he turned around and glanced at the Buddha statue behind him, then turned and walked towards the foot of the mountain.

Although she hadn't spent much time with Li Mingshu in this world, she understood that her current situation was closely related to A-Shu.

Ashu is kind-hearted. After learning her identity, she kept it a secret and protected her every day. Now, seeing her grow weaker day by day, she felt bad and thought about how to save Ashu every day.

Ah Shu suffered so much. As a princess, she sacrificed her marriage for the sake of her parents and brothers. In the capital, she was used as a pawn. Her father loved her, but when it came to the succession, he sacrificed her.

During those years in the capital, Lin Changning had no idea how A-Shu had fared. Occasionally, when Yue'er mentioned her, he felt a pang of sadness.

If Li Mingshu hadn't used her own body to protect her daughter from her father's murder, Yue'er would probably have died at his hands long ago.

Her parents-in-law were no pushovers either, and the people her father-in-law had given them were being removed one by one. According to Yue'er, during those years in the capital, sometimes the food they ate was freezing cold.

Ashu's two closest maids were also framed and killed; it is said that they were people who grew up with Ashu.

After returning home, life finally got a little better. Just as her father had successfully rebelled, he learned that Ah Shu's body had been poisoned by the Marquis's mansion years ago.

Because of the power struggle within the imperial court, even dealing with the Marquis's mansion is now impossible.

Lin Changning sighed, walked to the foot of the mountain and looked up at the three thousand steps. If he could exchange each step and each kowtow for A-Shu's safety and health, that would be a worthwhile deal.

She has suffered so much, and now, if there is even the slightest hope, Lin Changning is willing to try.

At the foot of the mountain, a young man in a richly dressed red robe looked up at the long steps. Some people who had come to offer incense were already looking over. The handsome young man rolled up his sleeves, then lifted his robe and knelt down with a thud.

After bowing devoutly, he stood up again, took a step forward, and continued to bow upwards.

The abbot standing before the mountain gate sighed, his eyes filled with a hint of pity, as if lamenting or whispering: "Foolish child, oh foolish child!"

After saying that, he turned to the young novice beside him and said, "Go and call the Duke. Tell him that Marquis Wu'an is coming to the temple from the foot of the mountain, bowing with each step."

The young novice monk looked at the bright red at the foot of the mountain with a look of shock on his face. Poor people don't have much money, and although there are some who kowtow with every step to show their piety, they are not many.

Indeed, no prominent family or official in the capital had ever seen anyone willing to kowtow and walk step by step from the foot of the mountain to the mountain gate.

Most people would simply donate some incense money and call it a day, but seeing the distinguished guest we're receiving today bowing step by step from the foot of the mountain with a devout expression, I couldn't help but feel a bit shocked.

After replying to the host, he turned and ran towards the Duke of Qi's courtyard.

After informing the guards, the young novice was quickly led into Qi Rong's room, where Qi Rong sat at a table with a brazier burning beside him, seemingly drawing something.

The young novice monk glanced at the drawing paper on the table and hurriedly bowed to Qi Rong.

Qi Rong's face showed a mixture of confusion and shock. Looking at the young novice, he asked again, uncertainly, "Are you saying that Marquis Wu'an is coming from the foot of the mountain, bowing one step at a time, towards the mountain gate? Are you sure it's Marquis Wu'an?"

The young novice monk nodded hastily to Qi Rong: "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is Marquis Wu'an. My master asked me to inform you."

Qi Rong suddenly stood up, his moon-white robe brushing against the brazier. He grabbed a cloak and wrapped it around his back before hurrying out.

As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed that the sky was getting dark, with a patch of dark clouds gathering in the sky. Qi Rong glanced at the sky and thought to himself that it was probably going to rain.

The guards beside him had prepared umbrellas in advance. Qi Rong took the umbrellas and turned to run towards the foot of the mountain.

A group of people were gathered around Lin Changning at a distance, pointing and whispering about something. Lin Changning seemed to ignore them, placing his hands on his head and kowtowing devoutly towards the steps.

Qi Rong hurried to Lin Changning's side: "Xiao Liu! What are you doing? Get up, the ground is cold."

Lin Changning smiled at Qi Rong, who was rushing towards her in a few quick steps, and said, "Second Brother, I want to give it a try, just in case."

Qi Rong was somewhat helpless. He reached out and grabbed Lin Changning's arm, trying to lift him up, but saw that Lin Changning was kneeling on the ground, looking up at him with a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Xiao Liu, get up first. This is all nonsense. If everyone had to kowtow from the foot of the mountain to the main hall, what would be the point of having imperial physicians? It's just a joke. Get up quickly. It's going to rain soon. You've only just recovered. Don't ruin your health. A-Shu will be worried about you."

Lin Changning grasped Qi Rong's arm, still kneeling upright: "I know, Second Brother, let me try. What if, what if Ashu gets better?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a light drizzle began to fall, the raindrops pattering on the two men. Qi Rong grew anxious, seeing the people around him pointing and whispering about them. Feeling inexplicably irritated, he shouted at the guards, "Are they all dead? Hurry up and pull the Marquis up!!"