Chapter 20: The Four

If he had not known about the danger here in advance, even Wuqing, who was usually very observant, would not have been able to easily discover the abnormality in Jizhou Prefecture.

Jizhou Prefecture is naturally not as prosperous as the capital, but at this moment the moon is dim and the stars are dim. The streets are bustling with people, and both sides of the road are full of smiling merchants. There is also a family next to me who are chatting and laughing affectionately.

No matter how you look at it, this is a normal and prosperous city.

Only the Immortal Mother is mentioned.

As soon as the Immortal Mother is mentioned, even the old lady selling river lanterns will change her expression instantly, from being kind and amiable to being pious and fanatical.

This is not just ordinary prayers to God. Silver Sword is right. It really makes people feel cold in their hearts.

One is like this, a few are like this, and in fact, most people on the street are like this.

The four characters of 'Eternal Holy Mother' are like a special agency. When people hear these four characters, everyone, young or old, male or female, will have the same expression.

Wuqing stopped testing and bought the river lantern recommended to him by the old man.

Jin Jian slowly swallowed his saliva, took out a few copper coins from his waist, and gave them to the old lady: "... Please count."

The old lady selling river lanterns was stunned for a moment, her cloudy eyes rolled around twice, as if she had just heard the Golden Sword's words clearly. The customer no longer mentioned the Immortal Mother, and the enthusiasm on her face receded quickly like turning the pages of a book, and her smile was still as kind as before: "Goodbye, girl, and may all your wishes come true!"

He thanked him without changing his expression.

Golden Sword and Silver Sword quickly pushed their young master away from here.

It’s terrible. It’s really terrible!

How come the people around me didn't notice such an obvious anomaly? Not everyone around here is from Jizhou Prefecture!

Wuqing reminded them: "Ms. Luo cast a spell on us to clear our eyes and minds."

It is precisely because of this that they are not like other people who have their eyes and ears covered by an invisible force, becoming blind and deaf.

In the eyes of others, such a huge Jizhou Prefecture is nothing out of the ordinary.

so it is!

Golden Sword and Silver Sword were once again thankful that they had met Lady Luo. If they hadn't, even if they could have escaped from Yanggu Town unscathed, they would have been in great danger if they had entered Jizhou Prefecture.

Shen Hou was right, this journey was indeed full of dangers, but fortunately they had the help of a noble person.

The Temple of the Holy Mother of Eternal Life is right in the center of Jizhou Prefecture. One street out, before you reach it, you can see a building from a distance that is completely different from the other houses.

The two teenagers were amazed.

Wow, even the imperial palace is not as magnificent as this.

The night was dark, the moonlight was bleak, and the only light in the city was candlelight, which reflected a golden glow on the eaves.

When they got closer and took a look, they couldn't help but gasp. That was not the light reflected by the candle, it was clearly carved out of gold!

Not only is the eaves carved from gold, but the entire dome of the hall and even the four lacquered pillars supporting the hall are made of priceless golden nanmu wood!

Not to mention the statues of gods enshrined in the main hall, most of which are solid gold.

Wuqing also saw it, and a dark color flashed in his eyes, obviously he was thinking of something.

Although the Temple of the Holy Mother of Eternal Life is not as grand as the Xiangguo Temple in the capital, its design and materials are unmatched in the Xiangguo Temple or even the Imperial Palace.

If the emperor wanted to build a palace according to such specifications, the censors would be willing to die in court to protest.

Such a building could not be built in such a short time, and Jizhou Prefecture alone could not come up with so much gold.

Ge Tong.

...Cai Jing.

Cai Jing will definitely be involved in the affairs of Jizhou Prefecture!

Wuqing clenched his five fingers around the armrest. He needed to pass this news back to the Shenhou Mansion as soon as possible, but given the current situation... he could only trouble Madam Luo again.

After thinking for a while, he decided to take his turn as the person who had been burning incense in front of him.

The chief constable resisted the sweet aroma of the candle in his hand and burned incense into the incense burner respectfully, but in fact he quickly found a young monk through the residual light.

The little monk was very young, and looked smaller than the silver sword. His eyes were clear, making him unique among the many monks whose eyes were filled with uncontrollable desire.

Wuqing glanced at Jin Jian, who understood and walked forward without pretending, as this was indeed their first time here: "Little Master."

The little monk didn't know where he was looking, but suddenly he heard someone calling him in his ear. He was startled and his eyes widened: "Ah!"

Jin Jian was almost speechless after hearing his cry of "Ah". Is this little monk... distracted?

What a different little monk.

Seeing that the person who called him was a pilgrim, the little monk put his hands together in embarrassment and bowed to the golden sword: "I'm sorry, benefactor, I was lost in thought, I hope I didn't scare you?"

Jin Jian waved his hands and said, "How could that be? It's my fault too. I shouldn't have been so abrupt."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Jin Jian got to the point: "Young Master, to be honest, my young lady wants you to help her solve a problem."

As he spoke, he turned sideways and gestured to the back. The little monk looked in that direction and indeed saw a girl wearing a veil.

Seeing that I was looking at her, she hid behind another guard awkwardly.

The little monk, feeling rude, put his hands together again and bowed to the female donor.

There was a smile in Wuqing's eyes. This little monk was really... different.

Jin Jian continued, "This is my young lady's first time in Jizhou Prefecture. She originally came to seek medical treatment. When we were staying at the inn, we heard from the innkeeper that the Holy Mother here is very effective, so we came here, but..."

The young man showed an embarrassment on his face, as if he felt that what he was about to say was a little inappropriate: "After all, this is our first time here. I don't know if what the shopkeeper said is true. Little Master, has the Holy Mother really appeared before?"

It is indeed inappropriate to question the effectiveness of the gods worshipped in the temple and whether the miracles that have occurred in the past are real.

But the young monk was angry after hearing this. He hesitated for a while and said, "To be honest, I am not a monk from the Holy Mother Temple. I came here with my master half a month ago."

He touched his bald head and smiled innocently: "I don't know whether the Holy Mother has appeared in person, but I have seen many donors come to fulfill their wishes with their own eyes."

As he spoke, he pointed to the pilgrims in the main hall, who were no more numerous than during the day, and said, "Look, these donors are here to fulfill their vows."

There was some envy and disappointment in the little monk's eyes. Their temple was not as big as this one, and there were not many pilgrims. The master brought him down the mountain mainly to beg for alms.

Alas, the golden statue of the Bodhisattva in their house has become mottled, and I don’t know when they will be able to raise enough money to repair the statue.

Hearing this, Jin Jian was very surprised. He looked at the little monk in front of him again and again, and couldn't help feeling suspicious.

This little monk clearly mentioned the Holy Mother of Immortality, so why didn’t he show any surprise in his eyes?

What he noticed, Wuqing also noticed.

"Young Master, sorry to bother you." Wuqing was pushed forward by the silver sword.

This was probably the first time that the little monk was so close to a female guest. He was so flustered that his face turned red and he kept waving his hands.

Wuqing waited patiently until he was over his embarrassment, then he spoke: "I am sick and I am really scared, so I came here to make a wish. I am not afraid of being laughed at by you, but I have lived in seclusion at home, and this is the first time I have heard of the name of the Holy Mother of Eternal Life. Since I am making a wish, I must be pious in my heart, but I don't know much about the Holy Mother, and I am afraid that I will offend her when I make a wish. I wonder if you can tell me about the story of the Holy Mother?"

"This..." The little monk's face turned redder, this time out of shame, "I am not worthy of asking for advice from you, sir. Really... I, I, don't know either."

The little monk was picked up by his master and brought back to the temple when he was four years old. He had listened to his master’s lectures on sutras and chants for more than ten years and was familiar with Buddhist offerings. However, he had never heard of the Holy Mother of Eternal Life. I guess he had not learned about it.

Wuqing pretended to be surprised: "How could it be? Little Master didn't know?"

The little monk was so ashamed that he almost wanted to find a hole to hide in. His voice unconsciously lowered a lot: "I am still young... I still have a lot to learn."

The smile in the chief constable's eyes deepened.

Golden Sword and Silver Sword couldn't help laughing. They didn't expect that there would be such interesting people in such a dangerous place.

Wuqing asked again: "Master, I don't know. Then where is your master?"

The young monk pursed his lips and muttered, "Master didn't let me ask, saying that I haven't practiced enough and it's not the right time yet."

The master also forbad him to talk freely to the monks in the Holy Mother Temple, fearing that he would disturb their practice. When they were chanting in the main hall, he was sent out to watch the crowd outside and to enlighten their mind.

The little monk did not dare to disobey, and walked away with his ears drooped like a puppy caught in the rain.

He couldn't keep the words in his heart, and Wuqing easily got them out of him.

The chief constable took a look into the hall where the lights were particularly bright, and then thanked the young monk who had recalled his sad story as if nothing had happened. The two monks left the Temple of the Holy Mother of Eternal Life in the same manner.

This trip tonight was quite rewarding.

It seems that he has to find a way to meet this young master's master.