Chapter 89 Night Visit to the City God Temple

089 Night visit to Chenghuang Temple

Feeling anxious on the day he entered Shou County, Xiang Jiannan quietly went out after taking a shower and changing his clothes.

Old Master Chen took them to stay in an inn that he said was run by an old acquaintance. In order to seek peace and quiet, no other people would be admitted until the end of the Autumn Examination.

"Little Taoist priest, get out."

As soon as he appeared on the stairs, Xiang Jiannan saw the waiter busy clearing the table. After getting off the car, the group ate a lot. After filling their stomachs, they went upstairs to rest. Only he still had the energy to do other things.

"Yeah, let's go out for a walk."

He had changed into plain clothes and simply said hello to the waiter. Then Xiang Jiannan walked out of the store with a light step. He looked at the two big red lanterns with "Full House" written on them above his head and turned his head back: "Brother, how do I get to Chenghuang Temple?"

"The Taoist priest is going to the City God Temple?"

Putting down the rag and trotting out, the waiter immediately showed his advantage as a local. He pointed and gestured towards the east, and soon Xiang Jiannan was confused. In the end, he could only pretend to understand and sent the enthusiastic Xiang Jiannan back into the store.

One thing can be confirmed, that the City God Temple is not far from the inn.

Relying on his life experience that it is always right to go to crowded places, Xiang Jiannan finally found the City God Temple after some difficulty. Although it was almost late at night, the number of people coming to the City God Temple to burn incense did not decrease. With the autumn examination approaching, many candidates who arrived early would come here to seek peace of mind. Some of them even stayed at the temple gate after burning incense and were reluctant to leave.

How can I see the City God with so many people around? Standing in front of the City God Temple, Xiang Jiannan didn't plan to go in yet. He found a place to the side where he could see inside and decided to wait outside.

He underestimated the status of the City God in the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. When Ping'an Temple was at its busiest, the number of pilgrims was only a fraction of his.

The City God Temple in this county is actually not that big. Compared with the Ping'an Temple, it is small but exquisite. However, such a small temple governs a large number of surrounding towns.

"Taoist, what are you doing here?"

He had originally planned to try to find an opportunity when there were fewer people around. However, looking at the pilgrims who came in one after another to kneel and worship, Xiang Jiannan realized that he might have arrived too early. He didn't know whether the City God Temple would be closed, and he didn't dare to leave for a while. While he was in a daze, he felt someone stabbed him in the back. Turning back, he saw a man with a dark face and a big beard.

He looks similar to Li Kui, with a big and strong appearance.

"How do you know I'm a Taoist priest?"

It was a rare occasion that someone would talk to him and kill time. Even though the other party seemed to have a bad attitude, Xiang Jiannan still chose to endure it. He could tell his identity. This man looked really scary. If it weren't for the people around him to give him courage, he would have been frightened just now.

"You're from Ping An Temple, right?"

Seeing that Xiang Jiannan didn't recognize him, the bearded man snorted coldly, and motioned for the little Taoist to follow him. He turned around and went into the house. The strong scent of incense and candles on his body dissipated in an instant and then disappeared.

"Come with me."

Where are you taking me? After following the bearded man into the house and taking a few steps, Xiang Jiannan felt a cloud of white mist rising in front of his eyes. He turned around and looked at the people in the hall in the mist, and found that no one noticed the two of them. They all walked to the side of the clay statue of the City God, as if no one could see them.

With a creaking sound, a wooden door appeared in front of him. He saw the bearded man turned around and looked at him, then cupped his hands. Xiang Jiannan saw a bunch of fruits suddenly appeared on his chest. He continued to walk forward without saying a word, and soon entered another room.

The furnishings in the room were simple. An old man with a fair complexion was sitting at the table quietly flipping through a book. When he saw the two of them come in, he closed the book, stood up from his chair and greeted them with a smile:

"Is this the young Taoist priest from the Ping An Temple?"

"Report to the City God, that's right."

The City God? Sure enough, he has a gentle temperament!

He realized something was wrong when he saw a wooden door in front of him. It was not until he saw the legendary City God that Xiang Jiannan's confused mind came to its senses. He conjured up a bunch of fruits out of thin air. The bearded man did not use any magic. Those fruits were all tributes, but he used a very magical method to get them.

I should have thought earlier that this bearded man is not a creature of the living world.

"My name is Xiang Jiannan, I am honored to meet the City God."

He really didn't expect that it would be so easy to meet the City God. He bowed and saluted first. Xiang Jiannan's mind was working fast. He remembered the ghost messenger with untied hair and beard that night. He was very similar to the bearded man in front of him.

The more I look at it, the less difference I see.

"No need to be polite. You know more about etiquette than that old Taoist priest."

Raising his hand to signal Xiang Jiannan not to be restrained, the City God of the Prefecture smiled and invited the two to sit down: "I thought you two would hide in Ping An Temple for a while, but I didn't expect you to come here so soon."

No mention of what happened that night.

"You remember now?"

Xiang Jiannan was a little embarrassed by the words of the City God. Just as he sat down on the chair, he saw the bearded man glaring at him. When he was angry, he looked more like the Li Kui in his memory, with only his eyeballs having a little white on his dark face.

Please...you...collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠBookⅠBar (Six\\\Nine\\\Book\\\Bar!)

The teeth all seem to be black.

"Now I remember, I almost didn't recognize you when you took off your clothes."

It was completely a forced smile. Looking at the bearded man with a murderous look on his face, Xiang Jiannan curled his lips in his heart. He should not have been the first one to take action that night. Judging from his appearance, this black man should be a man with a bad temper. He was putting pressure on himself in front of the City God.

"Haha, this is where I usually rest, so there's no need to be so reserved, young Taoist priest."

As if he was oblivious to the bearded man's arrogant behavior, the City God simply tried to appease Xiang Jiannan:

"The Autumn Examination is about to begin. I wonder why the young Taoist priest is visiting us this time?"

"I am following the orders of my master. Thank you for your help."

Hearing the City God asking him a question, Xiang Jiannan immediately stood up and wanted to answer, but as soon as he stood up, he saw a bearded man next to him handing him a fruit. After he refused out loud, he still insisted. He had no choice but to reach out to take it. Unexpectedly, when he wanted to hold the fruit, he found that he couldn't grasp it at all. After several attempts, it was like trying to catch the moon in the water.

This bearded guy is playing a trick on himself.

Only then did he remember that the fruits in front of him were all tributes. Xiang Jiannan felt embarrassed and had to give up. He waited until the bearded man had had enough fun, then he stopped and continued to say to the City God:

"I am visiting here on the orders of my master to bring something to the City God."

"Oh, what is it?"

"A seal."

Looking down at his waist, Xiang Jiannan tried to take out the seal. After searching for a long time, he suddenly looked up and stared at the City God and the bearded man for a moment. Finally, he looked suspicious and asked them tentatively, "Are there any thieves here?"

"The seal is lost..."

"Before entering the City God Temple, I felt that there were still some..."

(End of this chapter)