Chapter 63
Chapter 63
So that was it!
No wonder Master Yinxuan hadn’t questioned Jin Wuya when he suggested using Albino Loach Skin as a substitute for the Century-Old Snake Slough. It turned out that Jin Chengyang had used that very same trick back then!
I had to admit, Jin Wuya really did have some skill. Having inherited his master’s true teachings, he had identified the key with just a simple touch.
“Albino Loach Skin belongs to the yin element. Although it’s suppressed by the Golden Scale, years of erosion will inevitably damage the Former Abbot’s physical body. Once the yin energy leaks out, problems arise,” Jin Wuya said, his voice growing more excited as he spoke.
At this moment, he truly seemed to admire his master from the bottom of his heart.
I thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “Wouldn’t doing something like that cause a significant backlash?”
After all, Jin Chengyang had fallen ill immediately after returning from Jiyu Temple all those years ago. Perhaps it was related to such a backlash.
Jin Wuya nodded. “Backlash is certain, but it isn’t fatal. My master’s sudden passing must have another hidden cause.”
I said worriedly, “Then you…”
“I’ll be fine. I won’t die.” Jin Wuya acted as if he had put matters of life and death aside. Instead, he asked me, “What about you? Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, why did you send Miss Li away?”
I looked at Jin Wuya in surprise. I hadn’t expected him to see through that.
This man’s perception was incredibly sharp!
I could only confess, “Actually, from the moment Sister Qingying drew that Empty Lot, I was already looking for an opportunity to send her away.”
Jin Wuya was startled. “There was something wrong with that Empty Lot?”
“Every stick in the Fortune Stick Tube corresponds to something,” I explained. “A Supreme Lot represents a chosen Sacrificial Offering. The other sticks represent ordinary people who weren’t chosen. As for the Empty Lot, it likely refers to someone who isn’t accepted by the temple. Sister Qingying’s true form is a Red Carp. Strictly speaking, she counts as a Spirit Creature, doesn’t she?”
It was against logic for a Spirit Creature to enter a Buddhist temple to draw a fortune.
Therefore, after Li Qingying drew the Empty Lot, she might have been in danger if she stayed tonight.
However, these were just my speculations. I wasn’t certain what the truth was.
I couldn’t stay in the Outer Courtyard for too long, as it would draw unnecessary attention. Having asked what I wanted to know, I planned to head back to the Inner Courtyard.
Jin Wuya warned me, “The danger in the Inner Courtyard is even greater. You must be careful, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”
I gave him a small smile and quickly returned to the Inner Courtyard.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I heard the voices of girls outside.
I got out of bed quickly and went to the window, peeking through a crack. I saw that several more girls had moved into the Inner Courtyard early this morning.
One of them was clearly the Red Dress Girl who had drawn a Supreme Lot that day!
That was right-today was already three days before the Autumn Sacrifice.
According to the rules, the girls who drew a Supreme Lot had to move into the temple today to prepare for the Autumn Sacrifice-or as Master Yinxuan called it, the Wish Festival.
I counted them; including myself, there were six girls in total.
Every girl’s face was brimming with a happy smile. They had no idea what they were about to face!
I tidied myself up and pushed the door open.
When the Red Dress Girl saw me, she froze for a moment. “Oh, you… why are you here?”
I smiled and said, “I also drew a Supreme Lot yesterday. The Abbot invited me to participate in the Wish Festival on October First.”
The Red Dress Girl immediately leaned in and said mysteriously, “Did the Abbot tell you? On the day of the Wish Festival, we can make a wish to Buddha, and any wish will come true!”
I acted surprised. “Really?”
“Of course it’s true!” the girl said excitedly. “I plan to wish for a windfall of wealth. I’ll ask Buddha to make me rich overnight. I really don’t want to live like a damn beast of burden anymore! Hey, what about you? What do you plan to wish for?”
I thought about it for a moment and said, “I wish for world peace.”
“Pfft!” The girl’s expression soured instantly. “If you don’t want to say it, then don’t. Don’t make up such nonsense to trick me. Hypocrite!”
With that, she turned around and headed back to her room.
I watched her back helplessly, feeling a bit frustrated. If I told them right now that we were all Sacrificial Offerings chosen by Jiyu Temple, they would probably think I was insane.
Not only would I fail to save them, but I’d also end up losing my own life.
Ignoring the girl, I went straight to the main courtyard. Li Qingying had already returned, bringing back the dried Albino Loach Skin. Jin Wuya was currently preparing to inlay the Golden Scale.
Since inlaying the Golden Scale involved the secret arts of a Guijiang, we all left the main courtyard once Jin Wuya began his work.
Sister Qingying and I walked side by side, chatting as we went. “Sister Qingying, leave Jiyu Temple before dark today. Find a place at the foot of the mountain to stay for two nights.”
Li Qingying was puzzled. “Xiao Jiu, why do you keep trying to send me away?”
“Because only by sending you out can we have outside help when we get trapped later,” I said seriously. “If I’m not mistaken, regardless of whether Jin Wuya can fix the loose Golden Scale, Master Yinxuan won’t let him leave this temple easily. As for me, I’m already a chosen Sacrificial Offering. Out of the three of us, you’re the only one who can be sent away. Sister Qingying, you are our spark of hope!”
Li Qingying listened, her eyes filled with hesitation.
I hardened my expression and said, “Sister Qingying, this is an order!”
Only then did Li Qingying reluctantly depart.
Over the next two days, the other five girls and I received the best treatment possible.
There was a hot spring in the Inner Courtyard of Jiyu Temple, fed by a spring from the mountains. It was neither too hot nor too cold; soaking in it felt as if one’s entire soul was being sublimated.
Although we ate vegetarian meals every day, we kept a regular schedule of sleeping early and waking early, so everyone’s spirits were high.
Every morning and evening, we were gathered in the main hall to burn incense, worship Buddha, and recite the incantations Master Yinxuan had taught us.
Meanwhile, the six Supreme Lots we had drawn were enshrined side-by-side in front of the Buddha statue, receiving the offerings of incense.
By the evening of the second day, as we continued to chant, I felt light-headed, as if I were drifting uncontrollably through the incense smoke and Buddhist teachings.
My temples throbbed. I wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with the incense or if it was the incantations Master Yinxuan had taught us.
However, this sensation didn’t last long, and everyone soon returned to normal.
But on the evening of the third day, while we were reciting the sutras, the girls beside me began to collapse one by one.
One moment they were clearly reciting the incantations, and the next, they crashed to the ground, unconscious.
I was mentally prepared. Although my lips continued to move, I wasn’t actually reciting the incantations Master Yinxuan had taught us. I also slowed my breathing, trying to minimize the amount of incense I inhaled.
After all the girls had fallen, I followed suit and collapsed.
Soon, a group of Little Monks entered and worked together to carry the six of us out.
I squinted my eyes and saw that all six of us were being moved into the main courtyard, but we were placed in different positions.
Those six positions actually corresponded to the placement of the Six-Petal Lotus beneath the Former Abbot’s physical body.
As I suspected, it was a sacrificial Formation!
Right then, I sensed footsteps approaching.
Immediately after, something sharp and cold was pressed against the left corner of my mouth.
It was a Supreme Lot!
Or perhaps, at this moment, it should be called… a Sealing Sign!