Chapter 114 Special Spices
The temple was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder. Xu Chuchu said "sorry" while struggling to squeeze through the crowd.
The woman whose figure looked very similar to the master seemed to be walking very fast, and she walked away without looking back. Xu Chuchu kept chasing her, but it seemed that he was always a little behind and could not catch up at all.
She followed the woman through the open space at the entrance of the main hall, passed through the long queue at the Temple of Guanyin, and after several turns, she finally arrived at a side hall with fewer people.
Seeing the woman walk around a corner and enter the inner room, Xu Chuchu quickly followed her.
However, he was only two or three seconds late. When he went around her again, the woman seemed to have suddenly evaporated from the face of the earth and disappeared completely.
There was clearly no other exit in this room, but in this huge space, there was only a strolling couple and a young man kneeling and burning incense. There was no one else in sight.
What's going on?!
Xu Chuchu was confused for a moment, her eyes wandering aimlessly around the room, trying to find some clues.
Her eyes swept across the couple and landed on the man burning incense.
The other party turned around at the same time and smiled at her without any concealment.
Xu Chuchu's breathing stopped, and almost instantly, she recognized the identity of the person.
It turned out to be the handsome guy playing the flute whom I had seen before at the Shuijing Lake in Wuchang Village!
"It's you!" she blurted out.
It’s not that she has a good memory, but that this man is really too handsome and his appearance is too mysterious, making him unforgettable.
Compared to Xu Chuchu's surprise, the handsome guy playing the flute was much calmer and composed.
He was wearing a very textured light grey coat today, with that familiar flute tucked around his waist. He nodded elegantly at Xu Chuchu and said, "Hello again, Miss Physiognomist."
Xu Chuchu suddenly remembered that when they parted before, this handsome guy had said that they would meet again.
I hadn't expected that after such a long distance from Guzhu County to the capital, we could actually meet again. Was this a coincidence, or was it really inevitable as he said? If it was inevitable, then why had he come all the way here specifically to wait for him?
Just now, the master's figure "led" her all the way here. Is there any connection between the two?
There are many mysteries.
"...I'm looking for someone." Xu Chuchu asked directly, "Excuse me, sir, did you notice a woman in her forties or fifties wearing dark brown clothes walking in just now?"
However, the handsome man quickly disappointed her. He shook his head and said, "No, I have been worshipping here the whole time. Apart from the couple just now, no one else has come in."
Xu Chuchu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a tall statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva enshrined in the room.
There are four great Bodhisattvas in Buddhism: Guanyin, Manjushri and Samantabhadra.
Among them, Guanyin Bodhisattva represents compassion and blesses and saves the living; Manjushri Bodhisattva represents wisdom and blesses learning; Samantabhadra Bodhisattva represents bravery and diligence and blesses the moral cultivation of all beings.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents the power of vows and blesses and saves the souls of the dead.
Therefore, ordinary people come to the temple to pray, and few come to worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, so there are not many people in this side hall.
The handsome guy is a cultivator, so it’s not surprising that he comes to worship Ksitigarbha.
"Is that so..." Xu Chuchu nodded in understanding, "Maybe I saw it wrongly."
"Miss, you've definitely seen it wrong." The handsome guy abruptly replied.
"What do you mean?" Xu Chuchu frowned, "Do you know what I saw?"
"I don't know." The handsome man raised his head slightly and turned towards the outside of the temple. "But many people have seen things in this temple that don't exist."
As he spoke, he walked towards Xu Chuchu, but his eyes passed over her shoulder and seemed to fall on the floating umbrella behind her.
Originally, Xu Chuchu rarely felt any aversion to handsome guys, but because everything happening around her was too weird, she subconsciously took two steps back.
Seeing her resistance, the handsome guy stopped as well.
"Chu Chu!" Xiao Yu's voice suddenly came from behind, followed by hurried footsteps.
Xiao Yu rushed in from outside and stood in front of Xu Chuchu: "Finally found you, you disappeared as soon as I turned around."
Xu Chuchu only then remembered that she had forgotten Xiao Yulai, and was so embarrassed that she almost died on the spot: "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, no need to apologize." Xiao Yu certainly wouldn't blame her. He looked up at the handsome guy playing the flute in front of him, and was also very surprised. He asked Xu Chuchu, "Did you follow him all the way here?"
"No." Xu Chuchu was afraid of misunderstanding and quickly explained, "I thought I saw my master just now. I chased him all the way here and lost him, and then I saw this young master."
Xiao Yu's tense body visibly relaxed. "Don't worry, I'll contact the monks in the temple and ask them to help find it."
He held Xu Chuchu's shoulders and said, "Let's go."
Although it was the second time they met, he didn't even want to say hello to someone who would invite his baby to have tea in the middle of the night.
However, the handsome flute player took two steps closer and said, "Don't bother, we can't find him."
"Why?" Since it involved his master, Xu Chuchu couldn't help but ask one more question.
"Miss Fortune Teller," he said to Xu Chuchu, "Do you smell something like burning incense outside?"
Xu Chuchu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, isn't that the smell of burning incense in the temple?"
The temple was very popular, so it was not surprising that there was fragrance in the air, so she didn't think much about it.
But she sniffed hard again and found that the fragrance outside seemed stronger, while this side hall had almost no smell, even though the handsome flute player had just lit a bunch of incense.
"The temples use odorless incense, but what the girl smells is another kind of spice they secretly burn," explained the handsome flute player.
"This incense can cause hallucinations in those who inhale it, leading them to see what they desire. The deeper the desire, the more likely the hallucination will occur. The girl followed all the way here, clearly wanting to see the woman she was looking for." He continued, "This temple relies on this special incense to hypnotize visitors, making them believe their wishes have come true and the temple is efficacious, thereby attracting more incense."
Xu Chuchu was surprised: "So... is that so?"
A seemingly well-managed temple, but it turns out to be using such despicable tactics in secret? You should know that in general, spices with special effects are harmful if inhaled too much.
Her master...is he really just an illusion?
But she quickly realized: "If you know so much, why do you still come here to burn incense?"
The handsome man smiled calmly when he heard this: "As long as you have the Buddha in your heart, it doesn't matter where you worship, it has nothing to do with how the temple is run."
"Young Master is righteous." Xu Chuchu nodded, "I'll take my leave now. See you later."
Before she could turn around, she heard the handsome guy say, "But if I were a girl, I wouldn't leave the temple tonight."
To be honest, Xu Chuchu doesn't like people who only tell half of the story and ask others to guess half of the riddle, even if they are handsome guys.
But this person's reminder seemed to be for her own good, so she stopped politely and said, "Please speak frankly, sir."
"The forces in the capital are so complex and intertwined that even before you two entered the city, the people in the city had already received the news that you two were returning and had already begun to take action." The handsome man said, suddenly leaning down and whispering in Xu Chuchu's ear, "And... tonight."
These last few words seemed to have some bewitching power, making Xu Chuchu feel slightly dizzy for no reason.
She subconsciously took a step back: "Thank you for the reminder, sir. We will take precautions early."
"Let me introduce myself again. My last name is Shen." The handsome man smiled with his eyes narrowed, so brightly that Xu Chuchu almost dazzled, as if what he just said was insignificant. "If you are in trouble, you can come to the Shen Mansion on Chunxi Street in the capital to find me. I will do my best to help you."
"Mr. Shen, we appreciate your kindness." This time it was Xiao Yu who spoke up, saying in a deep voice, "If we have the chance in the future, we will definitely come to your house to express our gratitude."
"Mr. Xiao, there's no need. Miss Xiangshi can come alone." The handsome man surnamed Shen remained calm, "I'm only interested in Miss Xiangshi."
This guy really knew Xiao Yu, but what he said was too...
Seeing that Xiao Yu looked unhappy, Xu Chuchu quickly pulled his sleeve, signaling him not to take it to heart.
Handsome Shen saw the intimate behavior of the two, but still did not show any displeasure. He bowed and said, "Miss Xiangshi, goodbye," and left on his own.
The appearance of this person made Xu Chuchu also confused.
Is this her... suitor? But his words didn't seem so innocent, and it was unclear what his purpose was.
"I know who he is." Xiao Yu glanced at the man's back and suddenly said, "His name is Chen Zhaozhi, the last disciple of our dynasty's Grand Master."
"Huh? Senior disciple? Do you two... know each other?" Xu Chuchu was surprised. A disciple of the Grand Master, wouldn't that mean he was a very distinguished person? His cultivation level was probably quite high, too. No wonder he was able to divert the lake water by playing the flute before.
Xiao Yu shook his head: "We have never met each other, but we should have heard of each other's names."
"Chen Zhaozhi is the only son of the late General Shen," Xiao Yu explained to Xu Chuchu. "Twenty years ago, foreign invaders attacked our border. Our army was weak and was defeated step by step. General Shen was ordered to take charge of the entire situation alone and repelled the foreign invaders, but he was also killed in a surprise attack by the enemy."
"Later, the Emperor asked the Grand Master to take in General Shen's young child as his apprentice, hoping that he would become a successful student and succeed the Grand Master a hundred years later. This would also be considered compensation to the Shen family."
He pursed his lips unconsciously after he finished speaking.
But there were some things he hadn't finished saying. There was a very special reason why he and Shen Zhaozhi knew each other.
These two people were once given a very boring title by some insiders, saying that they were both "the two evildoers in the capital", which was a compliment to their good looks and a satire on their weirdness.
Needless to say, Xiao Yu herself had suffered from an ugly strange disease since she was a child, and had always been the talk of the town.
As for Chen Zhaozhi... there are rumors that his biological mother is not human, but a fox spirit. It is said that Chen Zhaozhi is a half-human, half-demon monster born from the union of his father and a demon.
Unlike Xiao Yu's confirmed facts, the rumors about Chen Zhaozhi were somewhat incredible.
It is said that after General Shen's death, no one has ever seen Shen Zhaozhi's mother again, and the servants who served the two masters in the past were also dismissed, so this matter has only become a topic of conversation after dinner.
Xiao Yu didn't believe in these ghost stories before, but since he saw a real fox spirit in Tailing, he was not so sure anymore.
He even felt that Chen Zhaozhi was born feminine and looked a bit like a vixen.
But he didn't tell Xu Chuchu these words. He knew very well that Xu Chuchu was a girl who gossiped about everything, ahem, was curious. He didn't want Xu Chuchu to deepen her impression of Shen Zhaozhi.
Fortunately, Xu Chuchu didn't think too much about it and asked curiously, "If he is the disciple of the Grand Master, why did he appear in that remote place called Wuchang Village before? Is it related to what happened there, or was he also attracted there by the magic weapon?"
"It's still unclear, but we can't let our guard down." Xiao Yu frowned, "It seems we've already touched someone's cake."
Chen Zhaozhi suggested that they stay in the temple for safety, but neither of them thought this was the best solution.
Firstly, the temple is some distance away from the capital and its location is remote, making it a more suitable place for them to commit evil deeds. Secondly, the people in the temple have no vested interests in them, so it is unrealistic for them to stay and ask for their protection.
After discussion, the two decided to ride as fast as possible and rush back to the city before dark.
"What are you thinking about?"
On the road, Xiao Yu was driving the carriage and looked back at Xu Chuchu who was sitting in the carriage in a daze.
"No, I was thinking about the incense burning in the temple." Xu Chuchu was actually thinking about Master, but was a little embarrassed to admit it. "If the Master's back that I saw today was really an illusion, then those incense sticks are really powerful. My cultivation level is not low, but I was easily deceived."
"I heard that people in the Western Regions are very good at making incense. Could it be made by them?" Xiao Yu said.
Xu Chuchu shook her head: "To refine spices with this effect, it is not enough to just be able to mix perfumes. The perfume maker himself must have a high level of cultivation to be able to bewitch practitioners."
She paused: "At least taller than me."
"Don't worry." Xiao Yu comforted her. "It's true that the temple is greedy for money, but whether it's related to Yu Chan is still unknown. They may not be the hostile party."
"I hope so." Xu Chuchu nodded. Although she was a Taoist practitioner, she did not want to be an enemy of Buddhism, which had deep roots.
She was about to analyze something with Xiao Yu when she suddenly felt something and her back tightened.
"Be careful!" She turned over and rushed out, pushing Xiao Yu away, and they both jumped out of the car together.
The next second, a long and thick crossbow arrow gleaming with venom shot through the place where Xiao Yu had just sat.
The horses screamed and ran away, dragging the empty carriage with them.
The attack is coming so soon!
Before she could react, crossbow arrows shot towards the two of them one after another. Xu Chuchu immediately opened the Floating Life Umbrella to avoid them. Xiao Yu was also prepared and pulled out his folding fan to continuously knock down the crossbow arrows.
"You're quite quick to take precautions." A sarcastic voice sounded.
The two turned around and saw that the one who came to attack was an old Taoist priest. This person was not just anyone else, but their "old friend" - Sanshan Zhenren?!
How come the enemies from Tailing County chased him all the way here?! Wasn't he seriously injured at the time?
The Sanshan Zhenren in front of him had a pale face and thin body, with tangled and greasy beard and hair. He looked much more haggard than the immortal-like Taoist he had been when he first met him.
But he was exuding vigorous and powerful spiritual power, and his attacks were vicious and ruthless, obviously coming for revenge.
"It's you?!" Xu Chuchu sensed the other party's cultivation level. "Your cultivation level has recovered so quickly! It's back to the fifth level!"
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