Chapter 134 Worshipping the Mountain God Three Times

He could only follow behind the two of them, making faces: "You stinky woman, come and pull me again if you dare, hehehe!"

He thought that Shen Pingjin in front of him would turn around and sneer at him, but to his surprise, she didn't react at all and continued to walk towards the Temple of Marriage.

Xiaohe was getting anxious. But Chen Pingjin ignored him; the most important thing now was to get to the Temple of Marriage.

The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. In front of the temple gate, there is a neatly paved bluestone path, and because the sunlight is weaker, a pleasant fragrance floats in the air.

Following the pleasant fragrance, the two stood in front of the Temple of Marriage.

Facing the two were Manjushri Bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, both with smiling faces, as if they had been waiting for Yan Jue and Shen Pingjin for a very long time.

"Yan Jue, what should we do next?" Shen Pingjin asked, somewhat bewildered.

Yan Jue led Shen Pingjin inside, leaving Xiao He, who was chasing after them, outside, and explained, "We are paying respects to the mountain god."

A question mark slowly appeared in Shen Pingjin's mind. She wasn't unaware that they were about to worship the mountain god.

What she wanted to ask was, what was the first step in worshipping the mountain god?

Shen Pingjin was about to speak when the man's hand pulled her heavily to the ground.

In her astonishment, Shen Pingjin saw that Yan Jue, just like herself, was kneeling on the ground.

"One bow, praying for the safety of our land, for peace and well-being for us, for safety and happiness year after year."

“Chenpingjin, repeat after me.”

Yan Jue's voice slowly came from the side, and she subconsciously called out: "One bow, praying that the mountains and rivers are safe and sound, that you and I are carefree, that we may be safe and sound every year, and enjoy peace and happiness."

"One bow—" Incense smoke wafted in front of the Bodhisattva statue, and the pleasant sandalwood scent filled the air, bringing a sense of peace to everyone's hearts.

Shen Pingjin followed Yan Jue and kowtowed to the Bodhisattva statue, pretending to be devout.

Yan Jue stood up, took Shen Pingjin's hand, and without looking at her reaction, continued, "Second bow, I humbly pray to the Bodhisattva to bless the husband and wife, that they may be forever united in heart and grow old together."

When Shen Pingjin heard these words, she was clearly stunned. A sudden, inexplicable feeling of bitterness welled up in her heart, stuck in her throat, making her unable to speak.

After waiting for a while without hearing Shen Pingjin speak, Yan Jue raised his calm eyes and glanced at Shen Pingjin, “…”

He didn't speak, but waited silently for Shen Pingjin to speak.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Shen Pingjin swallowed the bitterness in her heart and said, "Second bow, I humbly pray to the Bodhisattva to bless my husband and wife, that we may be forever united in heart and grow old together."

"Second bow—" Manjushri Bodhisattva was right in front of the two of them, smiling at them with joy, showering them with light.

Yan Jue led Shen Pingjin to her feet. For the third bow, she had to take the incense in front of the Bodhisattva and respectfully bow to the two deities.

The two were in the temple, holding swirling incense sticks in their hands, their expressions very devout.

"I bow three times, hoping for national prosperity and peace, family happiness, health and well-being, and freedom from illness and disaster."

Yan Jue pulled Shen Pingjin down to kneel on the ground again, looked at the two Bodhisattvas, and stood up from the ground.

"This is the worship of the mountain god, the famous three bows." Yan Jue looked at the incense smoke swirling in front of the two bodhisattva statues, his gaze deep.

Inside the temple of the goddess of marriage, completing three bows is believed to bring blessings upon the couple who have completed the ceremony, ensuring they stay together for a long time, grow old together in peace and tranquility.

Shen Pingjin was also very surprised; so this was what three bows meant.

First bow to the country, second bow to oneself, third bow to the family—perhaps this is the meaning of marriage.

Shen Pingjin nodded and said, "Yan Jue, I hope this Temple of the Marriage God is truly effective."

In her past life, she had also wanted to come here, but Su Xuanmao was always busy with court affairs and didn't have time to accompany her. However, later she became entangled in the intrigues and schemes of the palace, and gradually forgot about it.

She had already forgotten about it, but she didn't expect Yan Jue to actually bring her along.

Perhaps the bittersweet feeling of being unable to speak just now came from this.

Shen Pingjin raised her head, took a deep breath and looked at Yan Jue. Ignoring his lack of response, she grabbed Yan Jue's sleeve and walked out the door.

Yan Jue was about to reply, but was suddenly pulled by Shen Pingjin, and swallowed back the words he was about to say, his brows furrowing slightly.

After leaving the Temple of Marriage, the little river that had been shouting and yelling just moments before was gone. Shen Pingjin didn't think much of it; in her opinion, the little brat had probably been called away by Master Anhua.

"Yan Jue, now that we've finished worshipping the mountain god, shall we go back now?" Shen Pingjin asked.

Yan Jue glanced around, and after confirming that he did not see Master Anhua, he asked the question that had been bothering him: "Master Anhua just called me over. Aren't you curious about what he said to me?"

Shen Pingjin hadn't expected Yan Jue to ask this. She frowned slightly, but continued along with Yan Jue's words, "It's probably not too late to ask now, right? What did Master An Hua ask you when he called you over?"

Yan Jue: "..."

He said, "It's a secret."

Chen Pingjin: "..."

Sure enough, she was still too naive.

"Fine, don't tell me then. It's like nobody cares." Shen Pingjin said she wouldn't ask anymore and followed Yan Jue down the mountain.

However, before descending the mountain, Shen Pingjin hesitated: "Should we tell Master Anhua that we are leaving?"

"No need, he knows when we're leaving."

Shen Pingjin was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that this Master Anhua was a famous master of Lingwu Mountain, the current Dongyue Mountain!

“Okay.” Shen Pingjin said, and decisively went down the mountain.

Although the two didn't accomplish much on Lingwu Mountain, time passed very quickly. They arrived in the morning, and by the time they descended the mountain, night had gradually enveloped it, giving it a mysterious and oppressive atmosphere.

The two walked down the mountain and arrived at a deserted earthen slope, by which time the moon was already high in the sky.

"I should have stayed on Lingwu Mountain for one night." Shen Pingjin was a little tired and was breathing heavily.

“There are rules on Lingwu Mountain: burning incense and worshipping Buddha is allowed, but staying overnight in a temple on the mountain is not permitted.”

Shen Pingjin was taken aback. "There are such rules? No wonder there were only the two of us on the mountain path when we came up to Lingwu Mountain. Indeed, ordinary people don't have such leisure and elegance."

Yan Jue smiled, said nothing, and led Shen Pingjin toward the bustling market.

Shen Pingjin felt that this trip was worthwhile, after all, she was already satisfied to have met the renowned Master Anhua.

When Yan Jue asked her on the mountain if she was curious about what Master An Hua had told her, she asked herself honestly and confirmed that she was indeed curious.

But she knew that Yan would never tell her these things; he must have his own reasons.

Besides, she wasn't the type to force people to do things.