Chapter 860 Evil Cultivator Song Che

A lucky charm for attracting wealth?

No one had asked her for it for a long time.

Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle, "Doesn't Daoist He paint better than me?"

He Xiu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I want Master Song's painting today."

Song Chunxue rummaged through her storage ring and said, "Luckily, the eldest brother drew quite a few, and there are still a few left."

As she spoke, she took out two bills and handed them to He Xiu, then took one for herself and put it in her purse.

"Thank you, thank you." He Xiu carefully put it away, his smile widening.

After eating a vegetarian meal at the temple, they disguised themselves as ordinary people and went to the temple.

They went to the temple without burning incense or worshipping Buddha. They simply strolled around with the lively crowd, stopping and starting as they smelled the incense. They would buy a couple of snacks whenever they came across them, and He Xiu would tell them interesting stories from the places they visited.

"Oh, by the way, are you really not going to visit Xiangyun Temple?" He Xiu asked mysteriously. "I heard that the next abbot of Xiangyun Temple has returned from his ascetic practice in the mortal world, and all those high-ranking officials and nobles are vying to visit him, hoping to get some guidance from the Living Buddha. They have to queue up early."

Song Chunxue smiled faintly, "That monk wouldn't be named Huineng, would he?"

“Exactly,” He Xiu said curiously, “How did you know?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Song Chunxue said, looking at the bustling high-rise building not far away. “Is that a restaurant?”

He Xiu looked up and said, "This is no ordinary restaurant. Ordinary people like us can't afford it. A table of food and wine costs at least ten taels, not including tips for the actors on stage."

Ten taels of silver is a lot, but not worth it.

Just as Song Chunxue turned around, biting into a candied hawthorn, someone next to her said, "I'll invite you."

Song Chunxue turned her head and saw a young man, about fifteen years old, with a jade headband on his red forehead that made him look like a graceful swan.

Song Chunxue subconsciously glanced down at her own male attire, then looked at He Xiu dressed as a disheveled old man, wondering if they had accidentally dressed up like this young master's old friend.

"Thank you for your kindness, young master, but it's not necessary." He Xiu declined with a smile. "We are wild boars who can't eat fine food and drink such fine wine. Let's go ahead and have a bowl of tofu pudding."

Song Chunxue nodded to him, "We appreciate your kindness, young master, thank you."

"Wait a minute," the young master said loudly. "You two are cultivators, aren't you? We have a connection. Why don't we go upstairs and sit for a while? May I ask you two Taoist priests for a few talismans?"

He Xiu stroked his white beard. "How did you figure that out?"

"I was born with the ability to see yin and yang, and can see things that ordinary people cannot." The young master smiled politely and had a generous demeanor. He put one hand behind his back and raised the other to point the way. "Please come upstairs, both of you."

"Then we shall respectfully comply and go take a look." He Xiu seemed to have spotted a promising talent. "Are you also a cultivator?"

Upon arriving upstairs and sitting in the largest private room, watching the actors singing their opera tunes, Song Chunxue secretly regretted coming.

"You two don't mind having a few more guests, do you?" The young master smiled and looked at the bald man beside him. "This is Master Huineng from Xiangyun Temple. I invited him here to discuss Buddhism. We happened to run into you two Taoist priests, so we thought we could exchange some pointers."

The young master looked at the bald man with a beaming smile, "Master, you don't mind, do you?"

Song Chunxue thought to herself that it was good that she had disguised herself. However, this young master was quite interesting. He sounded very knowledgeable and cultured, yet he was also unconventional and would occasionally say childish things. He hadn't been raised to be a rigid person yet, which was enviable.

His elders at home must be tolerant.

"Master Huineng, I've heard so much about you." He Xiu sat down with a smile.

Song Chunxue bowed respectfully but remained silent.

Huineng only glanced at her indifferently, probably because he didn't recognize her.

The table was full of vegetarian food. Song Chunxue listened to their conversation without interrupting until the young master said that an acquaintance would be coming later and asked everyone not to mind.

The vegetarian dishes were really delicious. Song Chunxue ate them slowly and deliberately, thinking to herself that there was definitely a reason why they were expensive.

This vegetarian dish tastes even better than meat, melts in your mouth, and is very good for your stomach.

No wonder practitioners like to eat vegetarian food; their primary goal is to reduce the strain on their digestive system and minimize physical strain.

The mushrooms were cooked so well, so soft and easy to swallow, and there was also crispy fried tofu, and something else she didn't recognize, each one more delicious than the last.

"Knock knock knock".

"Master, Master Bai has arrived."

Suddenly, Huineng paused with his chopsticks and subconsciously looked in Song Chunxue's direction.

"Please come in, Taoist priest."

Song Chunxue put down her chopsticks, thinking to herself, "Another Taoist priest has arrived. Is this young master planning to cultivate both Buddhism and Taoism?"

The next moment, He Xiu glanced at Song Chunxue, who was dressed as a man, stood up and greeted Bai Caiwei, "Today is truly an auspicious day. Everyone is out to share in the joy of the first day of the Lunar New Year. A new year brings new beginnings!"

"Wishing you both a peaceful and healthy New Year."

"Happy New Year, may you be healthy and well." He Xiu smiled and winked at Song Chunxue. "Everyone, we've finished eating, so we won't disturb you any longer. We still need to pick up a guest who has come from afar later."

Almost every Taoist in the capital city knows that Bai Caiwei's beloved is Master Huineng of Xiangyun Temple.

He Xiu probably realized the young master's true intentions at this moment.

They managed to buy the monk a little time, allowing him to meet Bai Caiwei smoothly.

It can be considered a good deed.

Song Chunxue followed behind He Xiu, cupping her hands in farewell.

Huineng stood up. "Please wait a moment, I also have important business to attend to. Let's go together."

The young master beside him chuckled and pulled him aside, "Master, didn't you say you had nothing else to do today and plenty of time to chat? Why are you leaving now that Master Bai has arrived? Don't you want to help her resolve her inner conflict?"

"This humble monk..."

"Does the Master look down on my path of cultivation?" Bai Caiwei asked with a half-smile. "Or is it that in the eyes of monks, women are like monstrous floods? How can you cultivate then?"

The door closed behind her, and Huineng's gaze fell directly on her.

Song Chunxue said to He Xiu, "It seems we've come at a pretty good time."

"That's right, I just happened to stumble upon something interesting. I'll ask Master Bai later if he succeeded."

"Huh? You succeeded?"

He Xiu lowered his voice, "Didn't you see? They're destined to be enemies, and they'll have to get through this eventually. It's said that this monk hasn't yet overcome his love tribulation, so isn't this just perfect?"

"Oh, no wonder."

"No wonder what?" He Xiu asked curiously.

"No wonder they look like a good match, I wonder if they can make it through."

It would be a real shame to destroy his Buddhist heart.

After going through so much trouble and experiencing two love tribulations, if he can't overcome them, he'll have to start all over again in his next life.

However, none of that matters to her anymore.

Song Chunxue shook her head slightly, thinking that she should uphold her own principles.

Once on the street, Song Chunxue took off her face mask because she wanted to visit a clothing store.

From a distance outside the door, she spotted a green outfit that she quite liked.

Beijing truly lives up to its reputation as a major city; so many shops are still open during the Lunar New Year.

“Then I’ll go take a look too. My undergarment, which I’ve worn for five or six years, is worn out and needs a new one.” He Xiu followed her into the clothing shop.

"He Xiu, how have you been?"

Just then, a voice rang out from the doorway.

He Xiu stood in front of Song Chunxue like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Song Che, what are you doing here?"

The heretical cultivator Song Che is hated by both humans and ghosts.

His sinister gaze fell on Song Chunxue.

PS: There probably won't be many more chapters later; it might be finished before the end of the year.