Xia Wenjin saw his expression appeared to have traces of pain, and her heart tightened as well. She reached out to support him: "What’s the matter with you?"
"Don’t... don’t touch , I’m fine!" Huangfu Jingchen avoided her, forcing himself to stay calm.
Xia Wenjin withdrew her hand.
Soone nearby laughed and said, "Is this young man overwheld with excitent? Today, having a high monk from Bodhi Temple is truly an unexpected delight; being excited is normal."
Huangfu Jingchen said, "Yes, yes. Bodhi Temple is a National Temple, and the high monks there must be impressive. I never thought I’d encounter such good fortune!"
Xia Wenjin blinked her big eyes, shrugged her shoulders, and sat properly.
Huangfu Jingchen stole a glance at Xia Wenjin, seeing her gaze directed towards the stage, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was sowhat in a daze, probably because he hadn’t slept well the night before, and he couldn’t continue being this entranced.
At the very front center of the square, five cushions were laid out in a row.
No need to ask, they must be for the masters who would draw and interpret fortunes today.
Soone whispered, "I heard that the master from Bodhi Temple is the current master’s disciple nephew, with a high status and profound Buddhist Law. His divinations are very accurate, I hope I can get one of his fortunes!"
"After all, who wouldn’t want a high monk from the National Temple? But from my perspective, it’s difficult, it depends on luck!"
"How many fortunes will be available today? Have you heard?"
"In the past it was always two hundred, but today with an extra person, it should increase by fifty, right?"
"Who will be so lucky? It’s between two hundred and two hundred fifty!"
...
Xia Wenjin found it amusing. If the allotnt really was between two hundred and two hundred fifty, wouldn’t that be a joke? If they knew it was just a swindling fake monk, who knows if they would tear down Shian Temple in anger.
Huangfu Jingchen wanted to ask Xia Wenjin if she had seen Kong Chan Monk last night, and if there was any progress with the affair in River Mouth Village, but his mind was still in chaos. Moreover, seeing Xia Wenjin watching the stage enthusiastically, waiting for the masters to take their seats, he ultimately did not ask.
Before long, five people filed out from within the hall.
Xia Wenjin imdiately noticed the monk with white brows and beard, wrinkles on his face looking compassionate and serene, dignified and venerable, in a white monk’s robe.
Among the four monks in grey robes and golden cassocks, Mo Qingfeng in the white monk’s robe looked so unique, so eye-catching, so different from the rest.
The scene imdiately fell silent, probably everyone was admiring the appearance of the high monk, only Xia Wenjin looked at the white-browed, white-bearded figure before her and thought of the young bald charlatan she saw last night, feeling that this scene was very disillusioning.
Leading the front was a monk in his fifties, tall in stature yet gaunt and bony. He first joined his palms in greeting before everyone: "Amitabha Buddha!"
Soone imdiately called out from below the stage: "Greetings, Master Abbot!"
The voice was filled with piety and reverence.
According to whispered discussions nearby, this Abbot Master Ming Cheng practiced Suffer Zen, eating only one al every three days, always enduring austere practices, thus appearing as thin as he was.
Beside Master Ming Cheng stood the temple’s chief monk, Master Mingqing.
Master Mingqing said, "Presumably all the patrons have heard that this temple’s fortune drawing event coincides with the visit of Master Kong Chan from the Bodhi Temple to observe the zen here, obtaining his approval, the fortune drawing event now will add fifty fortunes. These fifty fortunes will be personally interpreted by Master Kong Chan! These two are from our temple’s West Hall and Rear Hall."
This could be considered the highest lineup of the temple.
Although the looks from the crowd towards the high monks were filled with pious admiration, no one made a sound.
After Master Mingqing introduced, he waved his hand, and imdiately two teams of monks in grey robes carried a fortune tube each, with each tube containing a dozen fortunes. Those seeking fortunes stepped forward in order, drawing one each.
The heads of the fortunes were identical, but the ends drawn out varied in color, divided into red, orange, blue, green, and purple. People speculated these five colors correspond to the five high monks on stage.
Xia Wenjin also got one, and the end was blue, while Huangfu Jingchen, following suit, drew one with a purple end.
Xia Wenjin leaned over to look at his, then at her own, and whispered, "Guess, whose fortune will be interpreted by Kong Chan?"
"Among five, it’s not so easy? Maybe neither of them!"
Xia Wenjin blinked and smiled, "So sure? Why don’t we make a bet..."
Huangfu Jingchen turned his head and glanced at her blandly.
"What shall we bet?" Xia Wenjin talked to herself, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "I’ve got it, if our fortunes are interpreted by Kong Chan, then the agreent of being a servant for a year is nullified. If not..."
"You do rember the promise!" Huangfu Jingchen eyed her sidelong, saying indifferently, "But have you fulfilled being a servant?"
Xia Wenjin’s eyes swiveled, and she laughed, "It’s not that I don’t want to do it, isn’t it you who said I didn’t need to do anything?"
Huangfu Jingchen looked at her with so complexity in his gaze. It seed that he was so frustrated he had nothing more to say or maybe too disdainful to argue with her. However, the keen-eyed Xia Wenjin noticed the tips of his ears turning slowly red.
Huangfu Jingchen rembered the day she openly said about warming the bed...
Those words jumped out, and his heart began to race.
But only for a mont, for as this ti, Mingqing’s voice clearly resonated in everyone’s ears again: "The ends of the drawn fortunes carry colors; reds, please see the Abbot Brother for interpretation, oranges co to , blues proceed to Master Kong Chan, greens seek Brother Mingze of the West Hall, and purples see Brother Mingxi of the Rear Hall! For those who couldn’t draw a fortune, please co early next ti!"
Those who drew blue fortunes were secretly pleased.
Only Xia Wenjin shook her head in great exasperation.
Although she did not believe in drawing fortunes or asking divinations, knowing what Kong Chan really was and yet drawing a blue fortune left her feeling unfulfilled.
When interpreting fortunes publicly, Xia Wenjin was a bit surprised and sowhat eager to see the spectacle.
Kong Chan, this fake monk, she wanted to see how he would interpret fortunes.
However, Xia Wenjin’s thought of enjoying a stir ca to naught. The Kong Chan in front of her seed like a completely different person, entirely unlike last night’s rogue and resilient Mo Qingfeng.
He appeared compassionate and kind-hearted, his voice carrying a persuasive charisma. He spoke with warmth and rcy, quoting Buddhist texts fluidly and with ease.
If he claid to be well-versed in all Buddhist classics, no one would have a shred of doubt.
Especially with the occasional glance from Abbot Ming Cheng, a Buddhist Suffer Zen practitioner, who originally had deep insight into Buddhist Law, yet looked at Kong Chan with admiration and respect.
This was clearly a genuine high monk who had attained enlightennt!
If Xia Wenjin hadn’t seen with her own eyes him pulling off the white brows, ripping off the white beard, and rubbing the old face until it revealed its true form, she would almost believe this was the real Kong Chan before her.
Huangfu Jingchen, seeing her sitting motionless, handed over his fortune: "If you don’t want to approach that person, use mine!"
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