Chapter 63: Attracting Customers with Three Fresh Foods
Cang Ming flew his sword straight towards the Buddha's feet. Seeing the right moment, he jumped onto the hem of the stone sculpture. After a few light jumps, he landed on the red embroidered shoes that were as big as a hill. He raised the ice blade high and stabbed it into the red satin with all his strength.
With the help of the spell, the red shoes cracked into a canyon-like gap, which stretched out like lightning, revealing the stone-colored Buddha's feet.
The giant Buddha was caught off guard by a sword strike and hopped around on one leg in pain, as if fighting a cock. Cang Ming hurriedly jumped up and down in time with the Buddha's jumping rhythm to avoid being thrown off.
The people in the Buddha's hand were being flung around, and even at the Buddha's feet, one could faintly hear the desperate screams in the air. Fortunately, the hexagonal snowflake formation had not yet been retracted. Amidst the chaos, Cang Ming formed hand gestures and chanted a mantra from afar. The hexagonal snowflake enveloped the Buddha's hand like a fishing net, stopping the believers from being thrown out.
Every time the giant Buddha leaped, it landed heavily on the northern plains, causing a massive earthquake. He wondered if there were any houses in the area, and whether they would collapse, or even be crushed by the giant Buddha's feet. Thinking of this, Cangming, known as Kubudie, was filled with anxiety.
With a clang, Cang Ming drew his sword and flicked the icy blade. The giant Buddha shuddered, its single-legged hopping slowing considerably. Seizing this momentary opportunity, Cang Ming spun around, unleashing a sword-wielding dance across the Buddha's surface. He leaped over eaves and walls, then leaped away and swam back again.
The cold wind was howling, the snow was flying, the man and the sword became one, as if the sound of the wind had a melody and rhythm, and the sound of the wind seemed not to be blowing from the sky and earth, but flowing from her fingertips and the tip of the sword.
After a whirlwind, she performed a final swallow-like leap, her longsword thrust forward like flowing water. The wind swirled the snow, and before the dance was over, flakes of snow exploded like fireworks, drifting down and covering the endless embroidered shoes.
As the snow touched the red satin, it ignited a blazing fire. The embroidered shoes were reduced to charred charcoal, and the flames echoed with shrill cries. A strong wind blew away the ashes, revealing the bare stone Buddha's feet.
The giant Buddha finally stopped. On the vast snowy plain, the Buddha statue stood still, motionless.
Looking around, there was no one living there, and the temperature was even colder than in the Wangxianyuan area. The Buddha statue had obviously walked all the way to a place further north.
Cang Ming put away his sword, and heard a crooked whistle in the air. Looking up, she saw Wei Ci sitting on a fold of clothing, one leg casually bent, looking at her with shining eyes.
"Brother Weici!" Cang Ming cheered, and ran towards Weici with his arms outstretched along the stone steps carved on the Buddha statue.
Without hesitation, Wei Ci stood up and ran towards her, stretched out a hand to support her lower back, and pulled her up. The two of them hugged each other tightly on the stone Buddha, Cang Ming hooked his arm around his neck, their eyes met, and they stared at each other for a long time.
His eyes were as charming as ice water, as if he was kissing Cang Ming with his gaze. Cang Ming gently pinched his ear and said, "Brother Weici, you don't even come to help me."
Wei Ci smiled and said in a low and soft voice: "I've been watching you."
"So, is it good?" Cang Ming blinked and asked knowingly. Wei Ci said obediently: "It's good. That's why I watched it for so long."
"Not yet!" Cang Ming thought of something, and suddenly his heart tightened. "Did you consume too much energy by breaking the Buddha's fingers continuously? Are you weak? Are you feeling unwell?"
Wei Ci took one of her hands and placed it on his cheek, stroking it gently. As her soft hand caressed his face, he whispered, "It's okay. I'll be fine after a rest."
Cang Ming felt helplessly regretful, as if countless tiny needles were piercing his heart, a bitter pain. Wei Ci smiled faintly and said lightly, "It's just a small matter. Apart from a young talent like me, who else could break that Buddha's finger?"
"Hey, you two, have you had enough chatting?" A collapsed roar came from the sky.
Wu Lu used his walking stick as a trekking pole, moving down the stone steps step by step, his face twitching. "I was painstakingly sending signals on the stone arm... and suddenly, the Buddha statue started running! And then it jumped all over the ground..."
Cang Ming took Wei Ci's hand and explained to Wu Lu, "Buddha's feet wore embroidered shoes and ran all the way to this far north. I'm afraid he wanted to freeze all the believers to death. Fortunately, the embroidered shoes have been destroyed."
Wu Lu said with a gloomy face, "Really? The signal was placed in the mountains just now. We must have moved hundreds of miles by now, so we can only send out a new signal. Sigh, they have to travel a lot for nothing. It really damages the image of this master."
Before he could move forward, Cang Ming pinched his brows and said, "I don't know why the Guardian God suddenly escaped, but I guess he'll be back within three days."
"Yes, he hasn't achieved his goal yet, so he won't give up." Wei Ci echoed.
Cang Ming threw his sword and stood up with Wei Ci, saying to Wu Lu: "Let's go back to Buddha's hands and evacuate the believers first."
Wu Lu pulled out a few flares from his pocket and said, "Of course I'm going to continue sending out flares. To make them more conspicuous, I'm going to stand on the Buddha's shoulders this time... By the way, that so-called god, is he really a god?"
Cang Ming nodded, wanting to describe it to him. Wei Ci, seeing Wu Lu's slow reaction, still stuck in her initial, superficial understanding, became quite impatient and pulled her away on his sword.
Within the hexagonal snowflake formation, the Buddha's hand, missing a finger, collapsed helplessly. Li Xianzhen and Old Ghost Lotus vanished along with the gods, leaving a group of people sprawled on the ground. Protected by the formation, they were unharmed, with only minor scrapes. As the saying goes, climbing a mountain is easier than descending. Without the teleportation formation, the group was trapped within the palm, forced to wait for Wu Lu's reinforcements to arrive and then work together to transport them down the mountain.
Xisheng had already placed calming and exorcising talismans in the eight corners of the dojo, and simple healing talismans were placed on the foreheads of those who had suffered injuries. However, the bodies of those killed by the guardian deities could not be resurrected and were piled far to one side.
Xisheng sat cross-legged on the stone floor, gently plucking the Thousand Realms Pipa, a melodious melody. The requiem for the elimination of karma poured out with a tinkling tinkle, both praying for the souls of the deceased and dispelling the karma and fears of the believers present.
Cang Ming sat beside her, listening to the sad tune. The heavy snow had just stopped, and Wei Ci stood not far away, looking at Cang Ming.
Cang Ming looked at the golden light in the sky and said softly, "I'm so sorry for getting you involved. Your family's affairs just happened not long ago."
Xisheng plucked the strings gently and slowly, and after a long moment, he said quietly, "It's my duty to come here and contribute my part. There are always things in this world that you can't handle alone. It's only when I have some free time that I think about the past and have a lot of thoughts."
The wind picked up again. Cang Ming hugged his legs, resting his chin on his knees, and asked hesitantly, "You must be... still thinking about your old father. I think it will take three to five years for your heart to gradually grow numb."
Xisheng said, "That's right. After a long time, I just become numb to it. Those things will never disappear."
The last few notes faded, and the music stopped. Suddenly, Cang Ming had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Xisheng, would you like to open a Taoist temple? Even demons and evil spirits can open Taoist temples, so why not open a proper Taoist temple for you?"
Xisheng was stunned, though his expression remained the same as usual. Cang Ming said, "This Taoist temple accepts the prayers of believers. In return, believers only need to bring a small tribute according to their ability and leave a few copper coins. Isn't this more profitable than playing music? I can bring my aunt here!"
Xisheng pondered for a moment and said, "That would be great. But I can't afford to rent a house, so I don't know where to run this Taoist temple. I have a shabby house in my hometown, but it's a small, deserted village on the East China Sea, so there aren't many worshippers. The Wuwen sect originated from humble beginnings, so we don't have any houses left behind."
Cang Ming slapped his thigh and said, "That's easy." Then he stood up, walked to the center of the crowd of believers, and announced, "As you can all see, this Taoist temple has suffered misfortune because of that great king's betrayal. I do know of a Taoist temple. If you would like to pray, you might as well bring some incense and offer your prayers there."
Xisheng looked at her with wide eyes. Weici lowered his head and smiled, probably having guessed what Cangming was thinking.
I only heard Cang Ming say, "This Taoist temple is located in the Xiyuan Sanfang of Fengyan City in the Central Plains. You can go there to pray and make wishes, and you can also have a few drinks. There may also be drum and music performances during festivals. Isn't it wonderful?"
Someone asked, "What's the origin of this Taoist temple? Does it have a name?"
Cang Ming said calmly, "Sanxianguan."
Someone else asked, "What kind of wishes are you accepting? I want my dead great-grandfather to be resurrected so I can ask him where he buried his treasures. Is that okay? I'm so fucking poor."
"..." Cang Ming maintained a smile and replied appropriately, "As far as I know, there is no immortal who can revive the dead and turn bones into flesh. However, you can go to Sanxian Temple to pray for peace and health, and get a yellow talisman to protect your home. A healthy body will lead to diligence, and a harmonious family will bring prosperity. In time, you will surely become rich."
The old woman who had come out from earlier stumbled out, clasped her hands together and raised them above her head. "Can you bless my son who has been in a coma for many years to wake up? If you can grant my wish, I will do anything for you, even risk everything, even go through fire and water, to kill people and set fire to them! Please, please, please..."
Cang Ming studied her intently for a moment, his mind a complex mess. Xi Sheng spoke from the side, "Whether he can wake up depends on his own fate. However, I can go to his bedside and play a song to soothe his heart and restore his vitality. It's more effective than the yellow talisman for curing illness."
At this moment, everyone was in an uproar, vying to share their wishes. Cang Ming quickly held up his hands to suppress them, saying, "The most important thing right now is to get everyone down the mountain. You can discuss your wishes in Fengyan City's Xiyuan Sanfang. Please remember to bring offerings. If you have money, you can give money. If you don't, just bring some rice, flour, chicken, or duck..."
A dazzling golden light enveloped the stone statue. Suddenly, Cang Ming had a flash of inspiration. He grabbed Wei Ci's hand and ran out of the Buddha's palm, all the way up the stone arm.
On the stone wall stood Xuejie Weiyang, a mortal. The golden light in the sky just now was not the sunset glow, but the appearance of the master.
Cang Ming shouted, "Master!"
The master strode over in a rage: "Master, something terrible is happening!"
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