Chapter 533 Two-Colored Blessing, Buy One Get One Free? (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
In a vast, open space surrounded by white expanse.
Ouyang Rong was looking up at a trembling ancient bronze bell.
Boiling purple mist kept overflowing from the bell.
Purple mist, like water, flowed down from the ancient bronze bell, resembling a waterfall.
It appeared somewhat eerie within the pure white space shrouded in swirling white clouds.
This new blessing was triggered by some temporarily unknown source shortly after Ouyang Rong bid farewell to Rong Zhen.
He returned to his residence in Huaiye Lane from the riverside path, went straight to his study, dismissed Ye Weilai, and entered the Merit Pagoda to observe.
Having received the message from the Blessing Bell with his eyes closed, Ouyang Rong slowly nodded:
"Three thousand five hundred merits... that's alright, not too outrageous."
He breathed a slight sigh of relief and glanced back at the small wooden fish not far away.
Above the small wooden fish was a row of cyan-gold characters: 【Merit: 8,272】
With food in hand, there was no need to panic. Ouyang Rong turned around and continued to look up at the strangely behaving Blessing Bell.
He reached out and caught some of the viscous purple mist. Upon closer inspection, he immediately noticed that the purple mist contained faint pink and vermilion threads.
Two special colors!
Ouyang Rong frowned, lost in thought.
This is actually based on his past experience. New blessings will cause the blessing bell to emitting purple mist. However, occasionally, some special blessings will have some special colored threads in the emerging purple mist, which can vaguely point to the category of this blessing.
Ouyang Rong had encountered this several times before, which served as a verification and gave him some experience.
For example, a light pink color, like peach blossoms, is likely associated with a woman.
Reddish blessings are related to life and safety, and the redder the color, the greater the danger. Redeeming blessings can help avoid this danger.
This time, however, two colors appeared at once.
This was something Ouyang Rong hadn't expected.
"Strange, what kind of good fortune is this? Two colors in one go, a double yolk?"
Ouyang Rong looked suspicious and muttered to himself for a while.
"Should we exchange it...?"
It's no wonder he hesitated. According to the established principles, it's best to avoid exchanging for these kinds of light pink peach blossom blessings, such as the misunderstanding with Li Guo'er last time.
It was very awkward afterwards, and I even owed Li Guo'er a favor.
The blessing containing blood-red filamentous mist is something Ouyang Rong always exchanges for, for his own safety, and it's also based on his past successes.
Now things are really messed up, with two conflicting principles at once. What are we going to do?
I'm numb.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the little lucky clock bouncing in the air like a vibrating egg, and his lips twitched slightly.
I don't know what triggered it, but it hasn't stopped or disappeared even after most of the night has passed.
"What's with this feeling of being tricked? Oh well, let's just tie her up, just in case..."
Ouyang Rong immediately closed his eyes.
Almost simultaneously with closing his eyes, the row of dazzling cyan-gold characters above the small wooden fish not far behind him instantly transformed into a cyan-gold ball of light with a blurry shape resembling a dragon or carp. With a "whoosh," it shot towards the blessing bell in mid-air, which was emitting purple aura, and crashed heavily into it.
珰——!
A deafeningly loud sound resounded in Ouyang Rong's ears, causing him to temporarily lose his hearing.
A moment later, a blurry, dragon-carp-like cyan-gold light returned above the small wooden fish, transforming back into a line of text: 【Merit: 4772】
The purple mist that had been swirling around a bronze bell that was being sold as part of a bundled package of blessings vanished completely, leaving it suspended in mid-air, motionless.
The entire space inside the pagoda of merit returned to silence.
"I still have over 4,700 merit points left, which should be enough for one use... Actually, reserving no less than 4,000 merit points is sufficient..."
Only a nonsensical murmur remained.
Ouyang Rong's figure disappeared inside the Pagoda of Merit...
Open your eyes.
It was a dimly lit study.
Ouyang Rong was sitting at his desk, his hands crossed, supporting his chin.
Having just left the Pagoda of Merit, he still seemed somewhat lost in thought.
"Based on previous experience, this kind of light pink blessing is usually associated with a certain woman... So who is it this time? Junior Sister, Wei Lai, Princess, or... Rong Zhen, Qin Ying?"
"Wait, Rongzhen."
Ouyang Rong raised his head, his eyes thoughtful.
"The blessing was just triggered right after I parted ways with her, not long after... Could it be related to her? Qin Ying is also involved, but Rong Zhen is the closest."
The more Ouyang Rong thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He stroked his chin and muttered his analysis to himself:
"Today I returned the sachet, and um, there's also an IOU for a poem I owe. Perhaps these are the karmic conditions for this blessing, triggering future blessings..."
"Besides the light pink mist, there is also some blood-red mist inside. Does this mean that in addition to the woman involved, it also involves some matters that lean towards bloodshed and disaster?"
"Is it related to this woman? If it's Rong Zhen, then what could it be..."
Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly.
He recalled the words that a certain little ink spirit had spoken to him that evening, pointing his finger at him and condemning him.
"Could it be related to the poem I owe... If I return a poem to Rongzhen later, does she have a way to bypass the illusion, pinpoint my true literary talent, and then turn against me and fight me to the death?"
Ouyang Rong's eyelids suddenly twitched: "What should we do then? The IOU has already been signed. Are we going to go back on our word halfway through and take it back? It feels like that would just make us lose even more money..."
After thinking for a long time, he rubbed his face hard.
"Never mind, the blessings have already been redeemed, so in theory these issues can be avoided. This blessing bell is still reliable."
"Besides, what if it's not about Rongzhen's side, but involves the safety of Junior Sister and Wei Lai? That would be even worse... In short, buy one get one free is fine, this blessing exchange is worthwhile."
Ouyang Rong nodded to himself, while slightly tilting his head to look in the direction of Xingzifang:
"However, to be on the safe side, I should avoid mentioning the return of the poem to Rongzhen recently. It's best to pretend I've forgotten about it. If she asks about it... I'll just laugh it off... At this critical juncture, it's best not to cause any unnecessary trouble."
He breathed a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, one could faintly hear the even breathing of the little white-haired girl in the inner room, as well as the slight movements of a tiny creature occasionally turning over in the wardrobe.
Ouyang Rong leaned back in his chair. Since his demotion, he had gotten into the habit of getting up late at night when all was quiet and he would sit there like this. Sometimes he would go out under the stars to find Yuan Huaimin, and have a night when "Huaimin was also awake."
The main thing was that strange, cicada-like sound of a sword chirping.
The buzzing sound of swords always lingered in his ears during the day. For example, when he was counseling the depressed Rong Zhen at the Overwatch Council, the buzzing sound of swords was very loud, much louder than the wooden fish sound he was used to.
Only when everything is quiet like this can Ouyang Rong finally rest a little and catch his breath.
The night wind suddenly howled outside the window.
Ouyang Rong immediately heard a soft rustling sound, like small objects tapping on the window.
He instinctively walked over and opened the window.
Extend your palm.
A gust of evening breeze carried tiny droplets of water, which slightly stung the skin of his palms.
It was icy cold and as sharp as a needle.
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback.
It's Xiaoxuezi.
"It's snowing..."
...
A cold wave swept through, and it snowed in Jiangzhou.
How wonderful it is that autumn has passed and winter has arrived.
Although they were just small snowflakes, similar to ice pellets, they melted into raindrops as soon as they hit the ground, unlike the heavy snowfalls in the north.
But it still surprised many people.
Winter seems to have arrived a bit early this year.
Well, perhaps it's because most people in Xunyang City are very busy this year and there are still many things left to do.
For example, near the former site of Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang, there is a large Buddha statue that attracts worldwide attention.
That morning, the construction site of the Buddha statue on the shore of Xingzi Lake was bustling with activity.
With a towel around his neck and two large buckets of hot water in his hands, Huang Feihong walked through the temporary wooden walkway inside the Donglin Buddha. Wooden ladles floated on the swaying water in the buckets.
The workers around him, busy hammering nails, would occasionally stop what they were doing, take the water ladle that Huang Feihong handed them, and drink the water.
Some of the laborers, unable to bear the cold any longer, rubbed their nearly frozen hands with hot water. Huang Feihong scolded them for it.
Despite the cold snap that marked the beginning of winter, the work at the statue construction site continued unabated, and in fact, under the orders of the Right Supervisor of Construction, Lin, the progress had been accelerated in recent days.
This naturally stirred up some dissent, but it was quickly suppressed by the smooth combination of sweet dates and sticks.
Perhaps because of what happened with the Wang family last time, Supervisor Lin seemed to have given up all hope and was no longer afraid of being criticized. He ignored the private discussions and focused on building the statue and keeping a close eye on the progress.
Huang Feihong has kept a low profile since he started working on the construction site and has never raised any objections. In the eyes of his colleagues, he is an honest person who buries himself in his work.
Currently, hot water is being delivered inside the Buddha statue. Every time Huang Feihong stops, he subtly turns his head to observe the situation inside the Buddha.
However, the two large buckets of water beside him were quickly drunk up.
Not far away, an impatient-looking supervisor waved his hand, and Huang Feihong could only nod with a sheepish smile, pick up the empty bucket, and hurriedly leave the Buddha statue.
The further along the construction site of this statue goes, the closer it gets to completion, and the stricter the management becomes.
I don't know what he was worried about, but that Supervisor Lin set up a whole bunch of complicated regulations.
The construction site was also placed under martial law. Not only were people who came to the site for duty every day subject to body searches before being allowed to enter.
At the same time, the laborers on the construction site were screened and vetted, and only those selected were allowed to work inside the Buddha statue. Moreover, the rotation of workers was very frequent, with one group being removed and replaced by another from time to time.
Because the work inside the Buddha statue offers better pay and benefits, and it avoids the wind and snow outside, many people naturally hope to be selected.
Huang Feihong was not very lucky and never got the chance to work inside the Buddha statue. He was even assigned to work in the water room.
The water room is specifically responsible for transporting domestic water for the construction workers, and is considered a relatively marginal construction site facility.
After delivering this batch of hot water on time, Huang Feihong and his colleagues returned to the water room.
As he passed several brand-new wooden high-rise buildings, he wiped his face with a towel and took the opportunity to glance at them a few more times.
Several tall wooden buildings resembled watchtowers, with several figures on them, seemingly patrolling and keeping watch.
However, its name is Wanghuolou (Watchtower).
It is equipped with various specialized tools, such as buckets, sprinklers, fire extinguishers, fire forks, water bags, and pumps for extinguishing fires.
It was something that the Right Inspector Lin had recently ordered the workers to work overtime to build.
These watchtowers are not actually rare; they are quite common in large cities like Luoyang and Chang'an, and every neighborhood has one.
Because most buildings are made of wood, they are prone to catching fire, and once a fire starts, the consequences can be very serious.
Therefore, some urban areas have built fire lookout towers, where dedicated personnel are stationed to observe and patrol day and night to check for any fires. Once a fire is detected, firefighters immediately take action to extinguish it.
However, there are quite a few watchtowers erected at the Donglin Buddha construction site this time.
The Right Supervisor of the Lin Construction Company seemed very worried about the "fire".
Currently, these fire lookout towers are nominally under the management of the water room, because when a fire is detected, the water room staff, including Huang Feihong, need to help carry water to put out the fire.
Therefore, the fire lookout tower and the water room were built next to each other, but they were staffed by two different teams. They did not interfere with each other on weekdays, and were not allowed to visit each other at will.
On the watchtower, the main people responsible for checking the "fire" were from the governor's mansion, along with some unfamiliar and aloof Xianbei guards who looked like they were not to be trifled with.
Huang Feihong had sent hot water upstairs a few times, so he had seen it firsthand.
In addition, Lin, the Right Supervisor of Construction, also instructed the waterworks staff to dig a channel to bring water from Xingzi Lake next door into the construction site and build several large reservoirs... and so on.
The recent series of measures taken by Inspector Lin have left some people puzzled.
Huang Feihong silently withdrew her gaze, memorized what she had just seen, turned and went into the washroom to continue working.
...
After finishing her daily report, Pei Shisan Niang left the hall where Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, and others were, and withdrew.
After leaving the house, the noblewoman in purple and gold robes, accompanied by servants and attendants, passed through the construction site of the Donglin Buddha.
The servants around her, like bodyguards, formed a human wall to shield her.
Pei Shisan Niang frowned slightly and covered her mouth and nose with a light purple handkerchief.
Along the way, she squinted at the newly built watchtowers, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
The construction site for the Donglin Buddha is all flat land, a flat plain. All the crowded and messy houses nearby have been demolished, leaving only a lonely outline of the Buddha... Why build a watchtower for fire lookouts in the first place?
Just before Pei Shisan Niang left, she asked Lin Cheng out of curiosity. The latter simply replied that it was better to be prepared in case of fire.
The noblewoman wearing a purple and gold shawl turned her head to look.
On the nearest watchtower, several eagle-eyed guards solemnly observed the sky above the construction site.
It seems they're not just watching the fire, but also something else.
What could suddenly appear in the sky above the Buddha construction site? Could it be a bird?
Pei Shisan Niang looked thoughtful.
After a short while, still unable to understand, she shook her head.
He then thought back to the matter he had asked Lin Cheng during the discussion earlier.
"Will it be completed within this month? Judging from the progress, it is indeed fast. However, with such a rush to complete the project, there is so much criticism and dissatisfaction. Lin Cheng is really bold. Isn't he afraid of the backlash from his subordinates? Will he really have to bear all the blame?"
"Forget it, who cares? Since someone is willing to bear the infamy, then I should acquire more Xingzifang properties, so as not to waste the opportunity."
"But speaking of which, when will the remaining Buddha heads arrive..."
As Pei Shisan Niang's gaze swept across the scene, she walked past the Buddha construction site with her head held high and a cold expression, casually ignoring the rough, unsightly men behind her who were stealing glances at her voluptuous figure.
The headless Buddha statue behind her, nearing completion, silently watched the woman's figure gradually disappear into the distance.
(End of this chapter)
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