Chapter 31 If this wasn't a celestial being descending to earth, then what else could it be…?
The abbot was silent for a moment, seemingly somewhat helpless, then chuckled and said, "Please tell the person outside that the Ziwei lineage has been restored, and the original dragon vein has been divided and lost, which is a great omen. In the future, it will inevitably contend for the Heavenly Order, and there may be turmoil."
Seventeen frowned as she listened, and asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"
"Hehe, just tell the person outside what you said."
Although he didn't know what the rambling host was talking about, Seventeen thought for a moment that it was just a sentence and shouldn't have any impact on Brother Yue and His Highness, so he turned around and prepared to leave.
The abbot then called out to him, "Please wait, benefactor. I see that your love star is stirring; is there a woman you admire?"
Seventeen paused, his suspicion of the host growing even stronger: "No, are you just pretending to be a charlatan to fool me?"
The host was taken aback, stared at Seventeen with a puzzled look for a long time, and then smiled with relief: "This old monk never speaks recklessly. Well then, benefactor, you should leave quickly. The good show outside should be just beginning."
Seeing this, Seventeen stopped hesitating, turned around, and flew away from the eaves, disappearing from sight.
The abbot sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, looking up at the towering deities, and chuckled to himself, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
Mingyue and Long Zhaoming were inconspicuously hidden among the people, but Seventeen was able to find them accurately and appear silently to their side.
"You're back? What did you find?"
Seventeen whispered, "Zhou Xinren threatened the abbot to cooperate with them in promoting the master, but the abbot refused."
Mingyue nodded, looking as if she had guessed it: "This temple is quite effective. Many nobles in Yejing like to come here to draw lots. The abbot wouldn't ruin his reputation for something like this."
Seventeen thought for a moment and felt that the host didn't seem to be doing this purely for fame, but there were too many people around, so he didn't say anything for a long time.
"I'll tell you when we get back; there are too many people around here."
Mingyue glanced at Seventeen, but didn't ask any more questions.
Long Zhaoming lightly tapped the moon with the tip of his fan and said in a low voice, "It begins."
Seventeen and the bright moon fell silent, looking up ahead.
The temple gates were wide open, and the master, dressed in a monastic robe, slowly walked in from the outside, while the young novices stood on either side with their heads bowed and palms clasped.
The people quieted down and watched this moment silently.
The moment the master stepped into the temple, a sudden gust of wind arose, and a large mass of dark clouds gathered above their heads. Some people cried out in alarm, but the master at the front remained completely unaffected.
As he stepped firmly into the distance, the dark clouds rumbled and dispersed, revealing streaks of golden light.
If Seventeen and the others were completely unaware, they would also think that this master must be a deity descended to earth.
The ethereal chanting of sutras echoed through the temple, followed by the chirping of hundreds of birds, a somewhat noisy cacophony that symbolized new life.
The people clasped their hands together, closed their eyes, and prayed for good weather, peace, and health.
Just then, the temple bell rang again, and the main character of this Spring Festival celebration made his appearance.
He was also dressed in a brocade robe, followed by a group of servants who were struggling to carry a huge object covered with a red cloth.
Seventeen's eyes lit up; it seemed a Bodhisattva had been brought to him.
Zhou Xinren bowed deeply to the master, his words earnest: "Master, you saved my life before, do you remember?"
The master simply smiled and said calmly, "I have saved many people, but they are all acts of kindness."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xinren did not make a fuss. Instead, he gratefully wiped away the unfounded tears and said, "Master, I know you do not accept money and only care about the people, but you must accept this item. It is a token of our goodwill."
He waved to the back, and the servants lifted the red cloth to reveal a kind-faced Buddha statue.
The Bodhisattva statue is exquisitely carved, vividly depicting the kind and benevolent appearance of the deity. Moreover, under the sunlight, it even seems to have gained a touch of Buddha-like radiance, truly making it appear as if the deity has come to life.
The people were all amazed by the giant Buddha statue, but a few whispered in confusion, "Where is the abbot?"
But no one paid attention to his question. Everyone was devoutly worshipping the Bodhisattva statue in front of them, thinking that this was indeed the true Buddha manifesting in the world, and that he should bless them!
The master looked at the Buddha statue, his expression remaining indifferent, but a hint of approval appeared in his eyes.
"The Buddha statues are exquisitely crafted, but they are labor-intensive and wasteful."
Zhou Xinren quickly explained, "Master, please don't misunderstand. At first, I only wanted to recruit a few workers to build it, but when they heard that it was for you, they refused to accept wages and insisted on participating, just to express their gratitude to you with every hammer blow and nail."
"But don't worry, Master, I still paid the wages due."
Seeing this, the master simply sighed softly and waved his hand, saying, "I cannot ignore the hearts of the people."
Zhou Xinren bowed happily and instructed the servants behind him: "Take the Buddha statue inside, be careful."
The servants lifted the base again, and the Buddha statue walked steadily forward.
The sunlight is dazzling, and a hundred birds are singing. If this is not a scene of gods descending to earth, what else could it be?
The people looked up and watched the master and the Buddha statue disappear into the distance. Suddenly, a child appeared out of nowhere, nimbly dodging the guards around the servants, and slammed into one of the servants.
This sudden situation stunned everyone. The guards reacted quickly and immediately turned to grab the child, but the child was clever and disappeared into the crowd.
The servant who was hit swayed and was about to fall, and he lost his grip on the base he was holding. The other servants suddenly found themselves struggling and also became somewhat unsteady.
Seeing the tall Bodhisattva statue swaying precariously and about to fall, the guards and servants were startled and wanted to rush over to stabilize it. Zhou Xinren, who was walking in front, had just realized what was happening when the Bodhisattva statue crashed to the ground.
His dark pupils reflected the shattered Buddha statue and the golden light.
The people were stunned by the sudden turn of events, and then they heard someone shout, "Is this gold?"
Once one was found, another followed. Someone picked up a Buddha statue that had bounced to their feet, examined it closely for a long time, and exclaimed in surprise, "It really is gold!"
"How could it be gold?!"
"Why is there gold?!"
Why does the Zhou family have a Buddha statue made of gold?
"You're all lying to us!"
As the last sentence was uttered, the people became enraged and began hurling stones they had picked up at Zhou Xinren.
Zhou Xinren, stunned by what he saw, was completely speechless. The master behind him, no longer the composed man he had been, asked anxiously, "What happened? What should we do now?"
Some of the more impulsive people had already reached the front lines and, upon hearing the master's question, immediately shouted, "You master are actually in cahoots with him! You bunch of swindlers!"
The people, who had been blinded by anger and surprise, also came to their senses, and those who had consulted a master to summon their souls instantly understood what was going on.
"You're the ones who killed my father!"
"Mother! You killed my mother!"
Seventeen frowned and mingled in the crowd without stepping forward, simply watching the farce unfold.
At first, when the old man died, they couldn't wait to bury him and get rid of trouble, but now they know how to invite trouble.
The Zhou family's guards also panicked and turned to look at Zhou Xinren.
"Stop them! Stop them!"
Zhou Xinren screamed, and when he came to his senses, he ran into the temple. The master was at a loss and could only follow him.
But the robe was too cumbersome, and after only two steps, he tripped and fell heavily to the ground.
Outside, there was a riotous crowd, and before him was Zhou Xinren, who had abandoned him and fled in panic. Despair welled up in the master's heart, and at that moment, a pair of black boots appeared in front of him.
As if a god had descended, the master looked up with hope, only to see an extremely beautiful face. However, the long sword at the other person's waist and the expression that, though smiling, held little real joy in their eyes, sent a shiver down the master's spine.
Seventeen lifted the master up like a chick, and seeing that the situation outside was getting out of control, he quickly slipped into the meditation room.
"You, you, you..."
The master was so frightened he could barely speak. Seventeen gave him a disgusted look. How dare he go out and pretend to be a ghost like this?
"What about me?"
"Who...who are you?"
Seventeen curled her lip: "The one who exposed your conspiracy with the Zhou family."
The master trembled in fright. He didn't understand why his affair with the Zhou family had been exposed, but after thinking about it, he looked at the young boy in front of him and became puzzled.
Could it be that he's just bluffing?
Thinking of this, the master carefully moved to the side, and with a "whoosh," a sword gleaming with cold light appeared in front of him, resting against his neck.
Seventeen looked down at him, her face no longer showing the indifference of before, but rather a very serious expression: "Don't move."
Now the master had no choice but to believe it, since a sharp-looking sword was pointed at him, and he could lose his life if he wasn't careful.
Seventeen waited for a while, and the commotion outside gradually subsided. He guessed that the yamen officials had probably come with people to stop the situation.
Just then, the door to the meditation room was pushed open, and two figures appeared in front of Seventeen.
"Your Highness, Brother Yue."
"Your Highness?" Upon hearing this address, the master also looked up at the doorway.
Long Zhaoming and Mingyue walked in, followed by a monk.
Seventeen looked and saw that it was indeed the host.
"Zhou Xinren has also been caught. The yamen runners have taken him back and locked him up for now."
Seventeen sheathed his sword, looked at Long Zhaoming and nodded: "This master is so timid."
Upon hearing this, the master nearly fainted, inwardly crying out: "Brother! Your sword is right at my neck!!"
Mingyue didn't seem to care much about the master's reaction. She walked over to him and asked, "How long have you been working for Zhou Xinren?"
The master trembled and answered honestly, "More than a year."
Long Zhaoming stepped forward, frowning as he asked, "What is your purpose?"
The master shook his head: "I don't know. I was just swindling people in remote towns, only cheating them out of small amounts of money. I don't know how the Zhou family found me. They asked me to help them put on a show. If I didn't cooperate, they would kill me. If I cooperated, they would give me a fortune."
"Please explain the specifics."
“At first, he told me to do the same thing here as I did elsewhere, on a small scale, but he forbade me from taking money.”
The master tried hard to recall, and realized that this was his only chance to survive, so he had to seize it.
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