A place where incense burns is not a good place.
The next morning, the maid Dongmei knocked on Chaolan's door: "Taoist Master, Taoist Master. My mistress has woken up."
Chao Lan responded and said she would go shortly. She tossed and turned in bed a few times before finally getting up. She had become quite lazy after being away for so long.
Mrs. Qian seemed to have recovered quickly and was already waiting in the reception room.
The woman raised her eyebrows high. Although Chaolan knew she shouldn't describe her like that, the woman's gaze was very powerful, and Chaolan felt as if she were being held down and allowed to be examined by her.
Very dignified.
"How was breakfast today? Did the young Taoist priest eat well?" Madam Qian took a sip of tea.
Dongmei gestured for Chaolan to sit down. Chaolan then took her seat.
“Very well. But Madam Qian, I have a question…”
My family name is Chen.
He paused for a moment.
Dongmei smiled and said, "Just call me Madam."
Chao Lan just wanted to finish dealing with this quickly and leave: "Madam, could you tell me in detail about the unusual events that occurred before the curse was cast?"
The woman picked up her teacup again, and Dongmei continued, "Speaking of the strange events, my wife and I recounted them: A week before the onset of her illness, she went to the Jade Buddha Temple with her husband. My wife doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas. At the time, her husband said that business had been going poorly lately and that he wanted to go to the temple to draw a fortune stick, inviting her to go with him, but she refused. Not long after, they summoned some monks to perform a ritual, claiming it was to exorcise evil spirits. My wife was displeased by these rituals and wanted to leave for some peace and quiet. However, she discovered that some of the monks were using talk about gods and ghosts to deceive the maids in the mansion, trying to extort money from them. My wife scolded them and left."
Upon returning, they discovered that the master had still allowed those bald men to come to the courtyard to perform the rituals. The master and mistress had a quarrel over this, and afterwards, the entire household ate vegetarian meals for a few days, which were only stopped when the mistress fell ill.
That's roughly it. Is there anything strange about it?
Chao Lan glanced at the master and servant pair, stood up and said, "I will go to the Jade Buddha Temple to investigate."
The woman raised her hand to Dongmei, who then presented her with a rather heavy money bag: "This is a small allowance for the young Taoist priest from Madam. Please accept it. Madam will repay you in another way if this matter is resolved."
Chao Lan was somewhat surprised and waved her hand in refusal: "I won't charge you this time either."
The woman looked up and finally spoke: "Take it."
When Chaolan heard the voice, she lingered on the woman's face for a moment before noticing the fatigue hidden by her makeup. Was she forcing herself to come?
Chao Lan took out a small piece of silver from her purse and smiled at the two of them: "Please rest assured."
The Jade Buddha Temple is located in the suburbs. Chao Lan's first impression was that it was magnificent. How could a Buddhist temple be decorated so splendidly? Even though it wasn't a special day or holiday, it was still crowded with people and the incense was burning continuously.
Chao Lan changed into casual clothes and disappeared into the crowd.
"Hey! Aren't you watching where you're going?!"
Someone bumped into her shoulder, and the person even turned around and accused her. When Chao Lan turned around, she saw a flashy man. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Song Song.
Song Song rolled her eyes and turned to leave with the man beside her. The man glanced at Chao Lan again before turning away. Chao Lan called out, "Zitang! Qi Ye!"
Song Song immediately turned around, giving Chao Lan a suspicious look from head to toe, before quickly becoming wary: "Who are you?"
Chao Lan walked quickly to him, and seeing Song Song clutching the Qiankun bag, she burst out laughing. Qi stretched out an arm to block the two of them.
Chao Lan didn't continue her actions, but instead raised her voice with a mischievous grin, saying unhurriedly, "The incantation for the special teleportation talisman of Chaoyun Mountain is..."
Song Song was taken aback at first, but then she quickly covered his mouth, forcing a smile and saying, "So it's you, Chao Lan! You didn't even say goodbye before coming down the mountain! What are you waiting for? Come with me to the carriage for a chat!"
After understanding the whole story, Song Song offered to help Chao Lan and explained his reason for coming to the Jade Buddha Temple—to purchase a magical treasure. It was said that the Jade Buddha Temple was known to all the nobles in the capital, all because its abbot possessed a magical treasure. As long as one prayed and bowed before this treasure, one's wishes would be fulfilled.
Chao Lan found it increasingly strange: "This temple doesn't worship Buddha, so what kind of Lingbao do they worship?"
Song Song unfolded his fan and waved it lightly: "If it weren't for this, why would so many people come? This is just a publicity stunt."
Chao Lan looked at Song Song and couldn't help but chuckle: "It's been a few years, and you still seem to enjoy collecting these treasures."
The two finally experienced the joy of a long-awaited reunion, laughing together as they had when they were children.
Song Song was wealthy and didn't need to queue up for blessings like the others. He had already pulled strings and donated five hundred taels of "charitable funds" to secure a spot to listen to the abbot's sermon. The group headed straight for the backyard, and when they stopped in front of it, the gate was not yet open. Several worshippers, all adorned with jewels, were already waiting in front of the gate.
Chao Lan frowned and noticed a young monk leading a pilgrim sneaking around to the roof. He whispered to Song Song, and the two of them secretly went up to the roof.
They were both stunned into speechless upon hearing this. In this solemn and awe-inspiring Buddhist temple, where incense burned brightly, someone actually came to the abbot seeking aphrodisiacs?!
The bell for the sermon rang, and Chaolan led Song Song down from the roof and back to where they had been, pretending nothing had happened.
The young abbot sat with his eyes closed, chanting Buddhist scriptures in a low voice, showing no trace of the unscrupulous merchant who had just been selling aphrodisiacs at exorbitant prices.
The Buddhist scriptures unsettled Song Song, and he leaned close to Chao Lan's ear: "How long is this monk going to pretend? Can't he just show us the magic treasure?"
The abbot seemed to have heard this and looked up: "Amitabha, please be patient, benefactor. This humble monk will now get to the point."
Getting to the point meant raising the price on the spot. The "incense money" donated earlier was no longer considered. They claimed that Lingbao's magical power was weak and that they needed to select a truly destined person from among the worshippers.
Song Song glanced at the abbot and said disdainfully, "Tch, isn't it just a matter of the highest bidder wins? Hypocritical. If it weren't for wanting to see this precious treasure, I wouldn't even bother coming here."
The abbot glanced over, his expression impatient, then looked at the young monk beside him. The young monk shook his head, his smile somewhat forced. The other worshippers also turned to look at this presumptuous young man.
Song Song took in their actions and rolled his eyes, saying, "What I fear least is spending money. If it can be done with money, it's not a problem, understand? Just give me your price."
One of the worshippers scoffed, "Young man, don't be so arrogant. It's one thing to spend your parents' money and indulge in debauchery outside, but this is not a place for you."
The others laughed heartily upon hearing this, completely disregarding Song Song.
"Two thousand taels," Chao Lan said.
This bid startled everyone who had been criticizing and watching the spectacle. The starting price was a whopping five hundred taels, yet the young man didn't even raise his eyes, leisurely sipping his tea while his servants called out bids. The abbot, who had been impatient just moments before, also looked over, showing no displeasure whatsoever, and immediately adopted a haughty demeanor, saying, "Amitabha."
Seeing that there was no sound for the time being, Song Song lifted his eyelids and looked around, then kindly instructed Chao Lan, "Call her whatever pleases you."
One pilgrim gritted his teeth, knowing he had something to ask for and had to be prepared to spend money. He said, "I'll give you two thousand one hundred taels."
Then the others were not to be outdone, after all, the newcomers were all wealthy and powerful, and who would want to be outdone by a mere youngster?
"Two thousand two."
Two thousand three.
Two thousand five hundred.
"Three thousand!"
Seeing the price rise, the abbot was practically beaming with joy, only able to express his gratitude to the young master for bidding such a high price. Some people left when they heard three thousand taels, while a few others continued to haggle.
When the price reached 3,500 taels, the group stopped hearing Song Song bid and all looked at him. Some of them thought to themselves that something was wrong, wondering if they had encountered someone deliberately driving up the price.
"Hey! Kid! Why aren't you yelling anymore?"
Song Songcai put down his tea and snacks and asked, "Is there anything else that would cost extra?"
The worshippers looked at each other in bewilderment, and remained completely silent.
Song Songcai finally spoke, saying, "Five thousand taels."
The abbot was overjoyed. Several worshippers left one after another, leaving only the one who had been arguing at the beginning. Even if he didn't buy anything, he was determined to argue with this argumentative kid and make him suffer in silence.
Five thousand five hundred.
"Five thousand six hundred."
"Six thousand taels."
"Six thousand five hundred taels."
Song Song stood up, circled the man once, and laughed heartily: "Then congratulations, brother, on acquiring this magical treasure. I shall take my leave now."
The pilgrim was so angry he was glaring and puffing out his cheeks. He quickly stood up and grabbed Song Song, saying, "You! You brat, how dare you play me for a fool!?"
Song Song dodged the attack, a mischievous grin on his face: "What are you saying, brother? I don't understand. Fair competition. If I can't win, I have no choice but to give it up."
The pilgrim looked at the abbot and then at Song Song, feeling furious, but still retaining some reason, he stepped forward and said, "I don't want it anymore, you can take the five thousand taels."
The abbot frowned and walked between the two, but actually addressed the worshipper, saying, "Esteemed benefactor, this is a settled deal, with a contract signed."
Before Chao Lan entered, she also signed a contract. This contract was a kind of spell; those seeking treasure were not allowed to directly ask for large sums of money or immediate results, otherwise it would be ineffective. The person who signed the contract could not break it, or they would be harmed by the contract.
The worshipper's face turned pale; it seemed he couldn't afford the money either.
Song Song smiled and spread his fan: "How about this, I'll put up three thousand taels for you, and you give me the winning bid?"
The pilgrim was furious but helpless. He took out a few silver notes from his pocket, stuffed them into Song Song's arms, and left.
Chao Lan sighed helplessly, "He hasn't changed his cunning after all these years."
Song Song raised an eyebrow: "I haven't said anything more cunning yet."
The abbot, never one to suffer a loss, smiled and asked, "Does the benefactor have any requests?"
Song Song replied, "It's alright, give me the treasure."
The abbot remained silent, only smiling at Song Song. Song Song asked, puzzled, "Could it be that you're trying to renege on your debt?"
The abbot remained silent, still maintaining his smile.
Song Song was stunned for a few seconds: "This magical treasure is yours?"
"Amitabha."
Since Song Song had no requests, he let Chao Lan handle her own affairs. Chao Lan didn't hesitate and stepped forward to ask, "Amitabha, Abbot, I have a request. My business has been going poorly lately. Could you please come to my humble abode to perform a ritual to improve the feng shui?"
The abbot readily agreed: "Alright."
Chao Lan continued, "However... my wife doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas. When she heard I was coming here, she made a scene for three days and three nights. Will this have any impact on our household?"
The abbot said, "Of course it has an impact. To be honest, another benefactor had the same experience as you before, but he also resolved it easily. May I ask how your relationship with your wife is?"
Chao Lan's eyes lit up: "We argue every day, I'm so tired of this life, I wish I could divorce you!"
The abbot then said, "Amitabha, this humble monk has a solution, it just depends on whether the benefactor is ruthless enough."
Song Song couldn't help but interject: "Everyone says that monks should be compassionate, so why are you giving out such bad ideas?"
A ruthless glint flashed in the abbot's eyes: "No, no, it is not the words of this humble monk, but the words of Lingbao."
Song Song, unwilling to argue with the abbot who was twisting the facts, left the room.
The abbot then said, "Simply obtain the lady's personal belongings and give them to this humble monk. Then, I will perform another ritual in the lady's room, and I guarantee that you will have no worries about the future."
Chao Lan's face twitched, her hands clenched into fists behind her back, but she still looked grateful. Thus, she set a time with the abbot.
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