Chapter 62
Chapter 62
The first day of next month is the first of the tenth lunar month, the Hanyi Festival.
In some regions, the Hanyi Festival is a day for holding Autumn Sacrifice activities.
What was Jiyu Temple’s purpose in choosing this specific day to hold the Wish Festival?
It was hard for me not to link the Wish Festival with the Autumn Sacrifice.
I did the math. Including today, there were only four days left until October First.
Master Yinxuan had already invited Jin Wuya into the temple to re-embed the Golden Scale, yet he still hadn’t given up on the practice of selecting Sacrificial Offerings through the Supreme Lot?
At that thought, I felt a sudden jolt of alarm.
No, that’s not right!
What exactly was the embedding of the Golden Scale meant to suppress?
If the embedding of the Golden Scale and the Autumn Sacrifice needed to be held simultaneously without interfering with each other… then there was only one possibility.
The Golden Scale wasn’t being embedded to suppress the Rain-Seeking Formation, but rather something else that might interfere with it.
For instance… the Former Abbot who had sacrificed his physical body to sit upon the altar?
No… surely not?!
Jin Wuya gave me a subtle, questioning look. I signaled for him to agree.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The moment we stepped into Jiyu Temple, there was no turning back.
After Jin Wuya gave his assent, Master Yinxuan led us to the main courtyard, where a Little Monk brought over the Fortune Stick Tube.
Jin Wuya went first. He drew a neutral Fortune Stick-neither good nor bad.
Li Qingying actually drew an Empty Lot.
As for me, perhaps my luck was simply too good-I drew a Supreme Lot!
When I held that Supreme Lot in my hand, Master Yinxuan’s face immediately broke into a wide grin. “You have wonderful fortune, young lady, to draw a rare Supreme Lot. How should I address you?”
I noticed one thing: Master Yinxuan always addressed us as ‘young lady’ rather than ‘Lady Benefactor.’
Logically, that shouldn’t be the case.
I replied with a smile, “The Master can just call me Xiao Jiu.”
“Miss Xiao Jiu,” Master Yinxuan said. “To participate in our temple’s Wish Festival, one must enter the temple three days in advance to bathe, change clothes, eat vegetarian meals, recite Buddhist sutras, and immerse oneself in the Buddha’s teachings. Since the three of you were planning to stay in the temple today anyway, I shall arrange Miss Xiao Jiu’s lodgings directly in the Inner Courtyard.”
Li Qingying immediately spoke up, “No, Xiao Jiu must stay with me.”
Master Yinxuan shook his head, his tone turning cold. “The Supreme Lot of Jiyu Temple only recognizes those with whom it shares a destiny. You drew an Empty Lot today, young lady; by the rules, you cannot enter the Inner Courtyard.”
Li Qingying wanted to argue further, but I stopped her. “The Inner Courtyard and the Outer Courtyard aren’t that far apart. Sister Qingying, it’s fine.”
Jin Wuya chimed in at the right moment. “We are here at Jiyu Temple to do a job. We should follow the host’s arrangements. Master Yinxuan shall decide the lodgings; it is more important to re-embed the Golden Scale as soon as possible.”
Master Yinxuan uttered a prayer to Buddha, drew several sticks of Yellow Incense, lit them, and bowed toward the Bell while chanting something under his breath, as if in prayer.
Then, with a wave of his hand, several strong young monks stepped forward and lifted the massive Bell.
The Bell was made of bronze and was extremely heavy; the bronze clapper in the center had already been removed.
As the Bell was slowly lifted, it revealed the Former Abbot sitting cross-legged inside, clad in his monastic robes!
The Former Abbot’s expression was serene. One hand rested on his crossed legs while the other held a string of Prayer Beads. It looked as though he had never died, but was merely in a state of deep meditative samadhi.
Beneath him was a blooming Six-Petal Lotus. The body of the lotus was deeply embedded into the ground, and the entire thing emanated a thick scent of incense.
But what drew our attention most was a Golden Scale embedded in the center of the Former Abbot’s full forehead.
The moment I saw it, the allure of the Golden Scale itself was far outweighed by the craftsmanship of the embedding.
That Golden Scale didn’t look like it had been embedded after the fact at all; it looked as if it had grown naturally out of the Former Abbot’s forehead.
This was the first time I had witnessed the superb skill of an elite Guijiang so directly!
It was simply miraculous.
However, at this moment, that Golden Scale did not look like the brilliant, glittering one embedded in my Longbow. There was even a faint ring of blackish-gray around its edges.
This was likely where the crux of the problem lay.
Jin Wuya’s eyes remained fixed on the Former Abbot’s forehead. After a long while, he asked, “The Golden Scale has indeed peeled away in some places, causing a faint trace of corpse qi to leak out. It’s not a major issue, but I need to touch it to determine the exact locations of the peeling. Master Yinxuan, may I?”
Master Yinxuan uttered another “Amitabha” and said, “You may.”
He then bowed toward the Former Abbot again, appearing as if he were repenting.
Jin Wuya didn’t even put on gloves; he reached out directly to touch the edges of the Golden Scale.
He felt it very carefully, not missing a single corner.
All of our eyes were focused on his hand, and we even held our breath.
Jin Wuya felt it for a full two minutes before withdrawing his hand. He pulled out a tissue to wipe his fingers and said, “I have a general idea of where the peeling is. I’ve brought the items needed for the repairs, but I’m missing a piece of snake skin. A snake skin or slough over a century old, about the size of a fingernail, would suffice. Purchasing one will take time. Master Yinxuan, does Jiyu Temple happen to have any suitable snake skin or slough available for use?”
Master Yinxuan frowned and said, “Amitabha. No, we do not.”
“No? Then that’s a bit of a problem,” Jin Wuya said, scratching his head. “Without a suitable snake skin or slough, we could also use Albino Loach Skin as a substitute. However, live albino loaches are hard to come by. Once bought, they need to be kept in moonlight for a night, then skinned and dried before they can be used.”
Master Yinxuan nodded and said, “It is not appropriate to kill living beings within the temple. It would be best if Benefactor Jin brought the dried loach skin directly.”
Just as Jin Wuya was about to speak, I cut in. “You need to buy albino loaches? Sister Qingying, you used to sell fish? You have the connections. You go buy them.”
Both Jin Wuya and Li Qingying were momentarily stunned. I waved my hand, urging Li Qingying to go and return quickly.
After Qingying left, Master Yinxuan led Jin Wuya and me to our respective assigned rooms.
Mine was in a wing of the Inner Courtyard, very close to the Abbot’s meditation room.
Just after he dropped me off at my room, a Little Monk arrived to fetch Master Yinxuan, saying there was something to discuss. Master Yinxuan then departed.
Once he was far away, I immediately headed toward the Outer Courtyard and quickly found Jin Wuya.
I asked him directly, “Boss Jin, does embedding a Golden Scale really require a snake slough or loach skin?”
Jin Wuya nodded. “Of course it’s true. However, there is a world of difference between the two.”
He lowered his voice, looking around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Only then did he speak, unable to suppress his excitement. “I knew my master wasn’t someone who would help a villain. I still have Century-Old Snake Slough in stock at home. Back then, my master kept a straight face and used Albino Loach Skin instead. He really did leave himself a back door!”
I asked in confusion, “Is there a big difference between the two?”
“Huge,” Jin Wuya explained. “I told you before, that Golden Scale fell from a golden Dragon. It is an object of Pure Yang, possessing its own Merit and dharma power. A snake that can cultivate for a hundred years might even face its Calamity and transform into a Flood Dragon. A Century-Old Snake Slough is also an object of Pure Yang, making it the best choice for embedding the Golden Scale.
“But albino loaches are completely different.
“In our Guijiang trade, loaches are also known as ‘Fallen Dragons.’ They have the shape of a dragon but lack the dragon bone and dragon countenance. They spend their entire lives struggling for breath in dark, murky mud. An albino loach soaked in moonlight is even more so-yin upon yin.
“By discarding the Century-Old Snake Slough and using Albino Loach Skin back then, my master was leaving a hidden trap… He planted a landmine within Jiyu Temple’s Rain-Seeking Formation.”