He lit the incense, bowed three tis to the Buddha statue, inserted the incense into the burner, and then sat cross-legged to ditate.
"Young Master, do you want to co in and offer incense?"
The temple priest spotted Zhou Xuan waiting outside and asked.
The "Young Master" ntioned in his words was different in aning from the "Young Master" referred to by the Bone Elder Association.
The temple priest simply noticed Zhou Xuan dressed impressively, assuming he must have so spare money, and respectfully addressed him as "Young Master," hoping he would buy incense and worship.
In small temples like this, the temple priest’s inco mostly cos from selling incense and the offering money from worshippers.
"I don’t worship at Buddhist temples," Zhou Xuan replied to the temple priest.
"This temple is quite spiritual,"
The temple priest said, "This is the Little Living Buddha Temple, not one of those chaotic ones."
"What kind of Buddha does this temple worship?"
"The rciful Golden Leaf Venerable."
"Never heard of this Buddha," Zhou Xuan remarked.
"Have you heard of Qiye Temple? The Seven-Leaf Venerable from there. For so reason, Qiye Temple no longer enshrines this Buddha, so we small temples worship it instead."
Zhou Xuan furrowed his brows deeply. Wasn’t this just another chaotic Buddha?
Seeing that Zhou Xuan hesitated to buy incense, the temple priest guessed that he wasn’t the type willing to spend a copper coin and decided to stop talking, shifting his gaze instead to Zhao Wuya inside the temple.
After waiting for several minutes, Zhao Wuya shook the Daoist robe he was wearing and stepped out.
The temple priest greeted him cheerfully, "Daoist Master, done offering your incense."
"Here’s for you."
Zhao Wuya pulled a silver dollar from his bag and tossed it towards the temple priest.
The temple priest caught the money, his grin reaching his ears. Holding the floating silver dollar, he blew on it, brought it close to his ear, and listened attentively.
Hearing the humming sound, his joy ca straight from the heart, and he said repeatedly, "Thank you, Daoist Master! Thank you, Daoist Master!"
Once Zhao Wuya got back into his car, Zhou Xuan called to the coachman, instructing him to run alongside Zhao Wuya’s car to make chatting easier.
"Ya Zi, your beliefs are all over the place! A Taoist worshiping at a Buddhist temple — do you even know what temple you just visited?"
"The rciful Golden Leaf Venerable."
"Nonsense. The temple priest just told straight — it’s the Seven-Leaf Venerable’s temple. You know who the Seven-Leaf Venerable is, right?"
"Is it him?"
Zhao Wuya, who practically lived at Zhou Family’s Jingyi Shop, couldn’t possibly not know the na of the Seven-Leaf Venerable.
"Of course it’s him."
"Well, I wouldn’t know. I just had this feeling deep down, telling to go offer my worship."
Zhao Wuya didn’t seem to care whether the Buddha he revered was upright or crooked. He went on to chat with Zhou Xuan about his birth story.
"My dad told that since I was a kid, I’ve had a Buddha connection. When the midwife delivered , she said the mont she grabbed my foot, she heard Buddhist chanting. Right then and there, she kowtowed to three tis before daring to finish delivering ."
"On the third day after I was born, my family hosted a three-day feast to entertain guests. Guess what... While everyone was drinking rrily, outside in my family’s courtyard ca a massive group of spirit monsters: Rat Immortal, Fox Immortal, yellow-skinned ones — all lined up. They were kowtowing to my dad. No, correction... They were kowtowing to in my dad’s arms."
Zhou Xuan listened, his expression growing increasingly bewildered, and said imdiately, "Wow, looks like you’re sothing special... Maybe those spirit monsters thought you were a Sweeping Star descending into the world and begged your dad to send you back."
"Stop making things up. What I said is all true."
Beaming with pride, Zhao Wuya said, "Back in my hotown, all the elders said that I’m so reincarnated Buddha with imnse Buddha fate. Those spirit monsters ca because they sensed the Buddha essence in , hoping to soak in so of it."
"Sounds straight out of a tall tale."
"It’s absolutely true! If you don’t believe , go to my hotown and ask around! The folks over there don’t call the Dragon Seeking Heavenly Master — they call Lord Zhao instead."
Zhou Xuan clicked his tongue in disbelief. In his experience, anyone nicknad "Lord Buddha" usually wasn’t soone great.
"Sounds like you’re pulling my leg."
"You just don’t get it. If Buddhist temple rules weren’t so strict and deep, I’d have beco a monk by now. Who knows — I might’ve truly beco a Great Buddha."
Zhao Wuya pulled two paper-wrapped parcels out of his bag, handed one to Zhou Xuan, and kept one for himself.
"What’s this?"
"Incense pork. Eat up."
Zhao Wuya unwrapped his parcel, took out a piece of crispy roasted pork dripping with oil, and stuffed it straight into his mouth. At the sa ti, he pulled out a small jar of liquor from his bag.
Sipping liquor and biting pork, he enjoyed himself imnsely.
"Ya Zi, you’re truly sothing! Out to collect Dragon Qi, but you carry a bag stuffed with snacks. With your style, forget Buddha and Taoism — join the Beggar Gang instead. Wouldn’t that be more fitting for your status now?"
Zhou Xuan dismissed Zhao Wuya’s story entirely. Such mystical tales, paired with Ya Zi’s usual habit of running his mouth, left Zhou Xuan pretty convinced it was all nonsense.
"Landlord, I’ve reached six incense flas."
"Still blowing smoke?"
"Check if I’m really at six flas."
Zhao Wuya unleashed his aura. Zhou Xuan’s incense wasn’t strong, but his perception was extraordinary. With a slight focus, he sensed Ya Zi’s energy. And wouldn’t you know it — it really did feel like six flas.
"One Mo Tingsheng got you all the way to six flas?"
But Mo Tingsheng was just a three-fla Buddha Country person. Even if he poured all his cultivation into Zhao Wuya, there’s no way five flas could directly ascend to six flas.
"It’s still climbing — my incense is burning fiercely."
"Impossible. A three-fla boosting you to seven flas? How does that make sense?"
Zhao Wuya closed his eyes and focused, staying silent for a long ti.
Zhou Xuan waited for a while, curious about Zhao Wuya’s incense progression, and asked, "Ya Zi, has it reached seven flas yet?"
"It’s burned down to five flas," Ya Zi replied painfully.
Zhou Xuan was even more shocked and said, "Your incense is so bizarre... burning backward?"
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