"What is there to consider? If he couldn't bear to see the Flower Rain Temple's nearly one million years of foundation destroyed, do you think he would be willing to take on this difficult task? If you are so ungrateful, why would he bother to watch the Flower Rain Temple decline and perish and be forgotten by the world?" said the arrogant attendant priest impatiently.
"Master Wen, is this what you mean?" An Xiaxin asked.
Wen Gaoren smiled without saying anything, obviously agreeing with his followers' words.
"I'm sorry. I made Master Wen come here for nothing. I feel really bad. My Huayu Temple has fallen into decline, and I don't have much to treat you. I only have some simple tea and rice. If Master Wen doesn't mind, I will take you back after dinner. If you want to leave now, I won't force you to stay. You have all gone through so much trouble along the way. I will definitely repay you handsomely for this favor in the future." Although An Xiaxin's words were neither humble nor arrogant, her attitude was extremely firm.
"Priest An, have you thought it through?" Wen Gaoren didn't expect An Xiaxin to be so determined. He was slightly stunned, the smile on his face disappeared, and he snorted coldly.
"We've thought about it, we've all thought about it." Before An Xiaxin could speak, Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe said in unison.
No matter how dire the Flower Rain Temple was, as priests, they still had the dignity of priests and would never allow anyone to threaten them in this way.
"Okay, let's go." Wen Gaoren was not angry. He raised his foot and walked back out of the city.
"I don't know what's good for me."
"They won't cry until they see the coffin. I want to see how long they can hold on." The followers followed behind him, muttering to each other as they walked.
An Xiaxin and the others watched Wen Gaoren and his group leave, their expressions somewhat gloomy. Although everyone was delighted to see the high priests flatly reject Wen Gaoren's rude request, Wen Gaoren was their last hope. Rejecting him was tantamount to giving up their last chance. The ancient and dilapidated temple behind them clearly could not hold out for much longer.
"Wait, Master Wen, please stay." At this moment, Mu Hanyan suddenly shouted.
"Priest Mu, do you have anything else to say?" Wen Gaoren stopped and turned to look at Mu Hanyan arrogantly.
He had assumed that someone in the Flower Rain Temple would be tempted by his offer, and at least argue for it. After all, Mu Hanyan had only been here a short time, and many people were likely dissatisfied with her. This was a key reason he dared to ask for such a high price. However, he hadn't expected An Xiaxin and several other high priests to flatly reject it, and the lower priests were even more unanimous. This left him feeling very disappointed and humiliated, and he naturally didn't treat Mu Hanyan well.
"Master Wen, can you really help me repair the formation barrier of Huayu Temple?" Mu Hanyan asked.
"Hmph! If I don't even have this ability, why should I come here? Am I asking for humiliation?" Wen Gaoren snorted. As the number one formation master of the Lingyu Temple, in his opinion, what Mu Hanyan asked was clearly nonsense.
"If Master Wen can really help my Huayu Temple repair the formation and help the Huayu Temple regain its former glory, it's not impossible for me to give up the position of chief priest." Mu Hanyan was not angry and still spoke calmly.
Hearing Mu Hanyan's words, the priests behind her were all shocked.
"Master High Priest, you absolutely cannot do this. According to the tradition of our Huayu Temple, the position of High Priest will never be held by an outsider." Someone immediately spoke up to persuade him.
"Han Yan, you don't have to pay attention to him. We will definitely find a way." Chen Yuhe looked anxious and forgot to maintain the etiquette of respecting superiors and subordinates in front of outsiders.
"No, we at the Huayu Temple must not allow anyone to threaten us, and the position of the chief priest must not fall into the hands of outsiders." An Xiaxin was even more determined.
The other priests also followed suit and tried to persuade her, obviously not accepting Mu Hanyan's decision.
"Can we really think of a solution?" Mu Hanyan waved her hand and interrupted them.
The voices of persuasion from the crowd stopped abruptly. If there really was a way out, why would An Xiaxin have to go to Wen Gaoren for help again and again, and why would she have to be looked down upon again and again?
"However, the Huayu Temple has been passed down for millions of years, and no outsider has ever served as the chief priest." Chen Yuhe insisted.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Instead of watching the Huayu Temple decline and perish, perhaps it would be better to let outsiders take on the role of chief priest. As long as the Huayu Temple can rise again, I don't think the chief priests would blame you even if they knew about it in the afterlife." Mu Hanyan said.
Chen Yuhe fell silent. In fact, they also understood this truth, but it was difficult for them to accept it emotionally.
"Then what are you going to do?" Shen Yuhe asked again later.
"You asked me to be the chief priest so that the Huayu Temple could get out of its predicament. But I failed to live up to your expectations and let you down." Mu Hanyan said with some shame.
She had been studying the formations these days and had gained a lot of insights, but unfortunately she didn't have enough formation materials to waste. She wasn't sure if she had the ability to repair the formations, and it was even more impossible for her to try it easily, because a failure could lead to the complete destruction of the Huayu Temple.
"No, this isn't your fault," An Xiaxin, Shen Yuhe, and Sikong Qinglan said in unison. They had indeed placed their hopes of reviving the Flower Rain Temple on Mu Hanyan, but time was short, and expecting her to deliver was too much to ask. An Xiaxin was hesitant, and she knew the difficulty, so how could she possibly blame Mu Hanyan?
"In short, no matter who it is, as long as they can save the Huayu Temple, lead everyone out of the predicament and restore its former glory, it doesn't matter if I am an ordinary priest. I will be happy anyway." Mu Hanyan held Shen Yuhe's hand and said seriously.
Hearing her words, all the priests, including An Xiaxin and the other two, stood in awe. No matter how dire the Flower Rain Temple was, as long as it remained standing, Mu Hanyan, as the head priestess, would enjoy numerous privileges, greatly benefiting her cultivation. Even if the Flower Rain Temple eventually perished, with her current strength, she would undoubtedly be the target of wooing from all the other temples, still enjoying a position of universal respect. Yet, she had so calmly given up on this.
Even An Xiaxin and others felt ashamed of themselves for having such a broad mind, let alone others.
Thinking about the selfish motives they had when they followed different priests and competed for the position of high priest, everyone felt secretly ashamed.
"What's more, the formation of the Flower Rain Temple is profound and mysterious. Master Wen may not really have such ability. Why should we be so anxious?" Seeing that no one had any strong objection, Mu Hanyan lowered her voice and added.
At the end of his words, a sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
An Xiaxin and Shen Yuhe both assumed Mu Hanyan's words were meant to appease everyone, and didn't take them seriously. Sikong Silan, however, was slightly moved. He knew that Mu Hanyan had been studying the art of formations these days. Could it be that Mu Hanyan's words had a deeper meaning?
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