After lingering inside for a while, Jing Zhe and Hanhan came out.
The courtyard was quiet and deserted.
The two followed the direction they had come from, circled around to the back of the main hall, and peered inside through a paper window that was open in one corner.
The main gate of the main hall was tightly closed, but there was another door on the side leading to a side hall.
Only one person is allowed to enter the main hall at a time. Believers who come in from outside first enter the side hall to wait. After the person in front finishes asking their questions, they are then led into the main hall by a young Taoist priest.
Just then, the young Taoist priest led in a boy in brocade robes.
What do you want?
The fat Taoist priest waved his whisk in a pretentious manner.
"Tomorrow is the day the results of the imperial examination will be released. I wish to ask the Bodhisattva Qingyun for protection so that I may pass the examination with flying colors!"
After the boy finished speaking, he respectfully knelt in front of the fat Taoist priest and performed the three bows and nine kowtows.
Jing Zhe, watching this scene from outside the window, couldn't help but gasp: You came here to pray to the Bodhisattva, what good is it to worship this fat Taoist priest?
Inside the main hall, the fat Taoist priest stood up after hearing this and paced around the boy.
When he stood up, Jing Zhe noticed that in front of him stood a statue of Qingyun Bodhisattva that was exactly the same as the one in the courtyard, only several times smaller.
Only then did he realize that the boy was not worshipping the fat Taoist priest, but rather this miniature version of the Qingyun Bodhisattva.
The fat Taoist priest circled around, slowing down a few steps as he passed the young Taoist priest. The young Taoist priest winked at him and shook his head.
The fat Taoist priest understood, sat down, and took out a long black stick, about the length of his forearm. He said slowly, "Your request is too urgent. You can't wait until the day when the lotus of the Azure Cloud Bodhisattva sprouts from the ground. You can only ask the Bodhisattva here in this hall first!"
He then waved the black stick in front of the Bodhisattva Qingyun a few times, but the Bodhisattva did not react. The boy watched intently, looking very nervous.
After completing one rotation, the fat Taoist priest continued to rotate a second time.
As far as Jing Zhe could see, he clearly saw him turn the black stick upside down.
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.
When the black stick came to both sides of the Bodhisattva's body, the Bodhisattva's head began to sway from side to side, just like shaking his head!
Seeing this, Hanhan stared in disbelief, while Jing Zhe stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The boy kneeling on the ground was deathly pale. He bowed repeatedly to the Bodhisattva Qingyun, his voice trembling as he asked, "Master... what's going on?"
"What's going on? Hehe..."
The fat master sneered, his gaze icy: "You're not sincere!"
"Not sincere?"
The boy muttered something, then suddenly paused.
"I'll go and pay the incense money for the Bodhisattva Qingyun right now!"
The fat Taoist priest waved his hand: "No need. What's the use of making amends if the heart is not sincere?"
"No, I want to make up for it!"
With that, the boy got up and ran out, looking utterly dejected.
As he left, the young Taoist priest laughed, "You can't even afford to spend much on incense money, and you still dream of passing the imperial examination? Dream on!"
The fat Taoist priest stroked his whisk. "But this is for the best. This kind of thing is too urgent. If he sends too much incense, I don't know how to deal with him!"
After saying this, the two laughed loudly, and the young Taoist priest withdrew.
Before long, a young Taoist priest led people into the hall.
The woman who entered this time was nearly thirty years old. She was meek and obedient, and walked slowly. Her clothes were tight but thin. When she knelt in front of the Bodhisattva Qingyun, her front was slightly open because she bent over too much, and a glimpse of her body was seen by the fat Taoist priest.
"What is it that you wish to ask, Madam?"
"..."
The woman looked up at the fat Taoist priest, her temples slightly flushed, her eyes like spring water, biting her lip shyly, lowering her head and bowing her chest, without uttering a word.
The fat Taoist priest remained unmoved and said seriously, "Is it due to disharmony in the bedroom?"
The woman then looked up and said softly, "Does the master have a way to break this?"
"The solution... requires guidance from a Bodhisattva."
After a pause, the fat Taoist priest continued, "However, such private matters of the bedroom are difficult to discuss even in broad daylight, let alone by a bodhisattva. If you wish to resolve this, we must wait until tonight. Fortunately, your temple has a side room in the backyard. Why don't you rest here, madam? We can discuss the solution with you in detail tonight, shall we?"
"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Master!"
The woman glanced at the fat Taoist priest again, and then was led out of the hall by the young Taoist priest.
...
Outside the window, Jing Zhe clicked his tongue in amazement once again.
Can you seek love even if you're not compatible in bed?
Moreover, judging from the fat Taoist's lewd reply, he clearly wanted to do things at night!
The most crucial thing is to observe the woman's attitude. She seems to know, yet she doesn't refuse; instead, she seems somewhat expectant. This...
It's not a Taoist temple, it looks more like a brothel!
But Jing Zhe had a general understanding of the fat Taoist's methods and didn't want to waste any more time, so he called for Hanhan to go back.
On the way, Hanhan had a strange expression.
"Young chieftain, I originally thought this Taoist priest was just a fraud, but now it seems that he wasn't entirely right!"
"Oh? Why?"
"I just heard someone say that the Qingyun Bodhisattva statue in the front yard is growing, and I thought it was a hoax. But just now I saw with my own eyes that the Qingyun Bodhisattva really does shake its head. It seems that although the fat Taoist priest is a fraud, the Qingyun Bodhisattva in this Taoist temple can communicate with the gods! Young chieftain, let's go to the front yard to worship the Bodhisattva!"
He analyzed it with a simple and sincere heart.
"Is that so?"
Jing Zhe sneered, thinking to himself that the fact that such a simple trick could go unpunished only meant there were too many fools!
"You can worship if you want, I won't."
"But…"
Hanhan scratched his head, looking troubled, and said, "But I don't have any money!"
He had just seen it; anyone who could kowtow and offer incense to the Bodhisattva of Azure Clouds would naturally have to pay a fine. If he came up empty-handed, how could the Bodhisattva bless him?
Jing Zhe glanced at him, then walked into the house without turning back.
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't have money!"
"..."
...
The fat Taoist priest was quite hospitable.
As night fell, chicken, duck, fish, and meat appeared one after another. For Jing Zhe and Hanhan, who had been eating dry rations for nearly ten days, the temptation was immense. With their cheeks puffed out, they began to wolf down their food.
After the banquet, the bath tub that Jing Zhe had requested was also brought in.
After eating and drinking my fill, lying down in the bucket of water felt incredibly comfortable.
Even the simpleton next door forgot about pestering him for money to burn incense and pray to Buddha.
After taking a shower, Jing Zhe had the bucket removed and lay on the bed contemplating tomorrow's itinerary, while two little figures simultaneously popped into his mind.
Little White Man: Let's teach the fat Taoist priest a lesson!
Little Black Man: Wouldn't it be better to get some benefits from him and go directly to Beijing?
Little White Man: Seeing so many people being deceived, can you get over this hurdle?
Little Black Man: What's so hard about this? You're beholden to someone who feeds you and takes a bribe. Today I've been treated to a meal and drinks and placed in such a comfortable room. If I'm not careful, then I'll be tricked in the end. That's the real challenge, okay?
Besides, he's just swindling money; he hasn't done anything heinous. There are plenty of swindlers in the world; can you control them all?
Little White Man: There are many people who scam money. Since you've run into one, what's the difference between you and them if you just ignore it?
Little Black Man: Go to hell!
Little White Man: Come on!
Then, they both perished...
"..."
————
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