usatvline Chapter 117 Shocking Change at the Temple
Chapter 117 Shocking Change at the Temple
Although he appeared to be a wealthy young man in his early thirties, due to the influence of the old monk's soul within him, his demeanor was always very peaceful and composed. Even though they knew that the original owner was a typical playboy, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao could not detect anything amiss.
Even though the procession was large and magnificent, the servants only followed at a distance, not allowing them to get close to the clothes or enter the overly luxurious carriages. Despite being the center of attention and fawned over by the attendants, she was the most out of place in the procession.
The difference before and after is so obvious. The resurrected person also explained the situation immediately. As an official family, there must be smart people in the family. With such a big difference between their own children, why doesn't anyone believe that the body was possessed and the soul returned?
"Do you think they genuinely don't believe it, or are they simply unwilling to believe it?"
Ren Pingsheng looked at the busy people. They had been invited by the authorities when they were passing by. They were "distinguished guests" and no one paid any attention to them. Apart from the old monk, no one dared to come over.
Now, the old monk went to observe the scenery and figure out how to get back to the temple. The two of them didn't need to lower their voices and could chat normally.
"Since you come from an official family, you should have some knowledge of supernatural and supernatural matters. Why don't you believe in the story of possession and resurrection?"
Judging from the size of this convoy, it's clear that this family is no ordinary official; they are a wealthy and powerful family. They must have connections to people with genuine cultivation. There are many ways to verify whether their young master is truly alive.
The current stalemate, where no one can convince anyone else, is more like the original owner's family members knowing in their hearts that "the person in front of them is not the same as before," but unwilling to believe it, and trying to force the other party to accept it.
"Whether it is or not, it cannot change the master's heart."
Jian Feidao did not respond to the attitude of the original owner's family. They had only contacted the monk who had been accidentally resurrected and the servants who were acting according to their master's wishes. They could not comment on what the original owner's family was thinking.
But whether they truly didn't believe it or understood it but were unwilling to believe it, neither could shake the monk's resolve to return to the temple and continue his Buddhist practice; both of them could see this.
To suddenly return from an octogenarian state to a robust thirties and gain a life of great wealth and luxury would be an overwhelming joy for most people, who would wish to keep their secret forever.
But for this person, it seems only trouble has been added. Even the City God thought the problem was minor and tacitly approved. The person involved is still determined to correct the disordered body and soul. It is truly a strange thing.
With two more people around him who believed in him, the old monk felt much more relaxed. Upon learning that Jian Feidao was a Taoist and would have a debate between Buddhism and Taoism with him, Ren Pingsheng accompanied him back to the temple. On the way, he asked the locals about the monk. He couldn't believe that such a highly enlightened monk was unknown in Changqing.
As he expected, as long as one inquired about the temples and monks in Changqing County, one could learn that there was an old monk with profound spiritual attainments and upright character. The temple where he practiced was not the largest in the county, but its reputation was the best. This eminent monk strictly disciplined his disciples and strictly adhered to the Buddhist precepts, and he was highly respected in the Changqing area.
I heard that this eminent monk was over eighty years old this year, in good spirits and in good health. Everyone thought that this eminent monk would live to be a centenarian. However, some time ago, something happened and he suddenly passed away.
By the time the old monk managed to retrieve his memories, the funeral had already ended, and his body had been buried. Looking at his lonely grave, the old monk was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Before entering the temple, he had a premonition, but when he asked his former disciples about their master, and when the monks he knew so well came to his grave, the experience was still strange.
Inside the grave was his own dead self, but the person who should have gone to the underworld had changed and was now standing outside the grave as a living person, surrounded by familiar yet unfamiliar disciples.
“This benefactor…”
Seeing this strange young man, who had suddenly arrived and whose origins were unknown, standing in a daze in front of the grave, the monks were also puzzled. As soon as he arrived, he asked them where their master, who had recently passed away, was. After learning of his passing, he asked to come to the grave. This man was obviously from out of town, but at the same time, the monks did not remember that their master had such a friend.
Moreover, this young master had an inexplicable familiar air about him. His attire was clearly out of place with his status. As a wealthy young master, his clothing was far too simple, and even the servants beside him were dressed more elegantly than their master.
In short, he was a very strange visitor.
"Do you still have your master's manuscript?"
The man gazing at the lonely grave snapped out of his reverie. He recalled his years of studying Buddhism and writing countless precious manuscripts. His sudden passing left him wondering if his disciples had managed to collect those manuscripts.
"Still."
“Your master is a monk who strictly adheres to the precepts. His manuscripts are very precious. You must keep them carefully and not let them be damaged.”
The monks respectfully agreed, knowing that their master had left behind manuscripts, which meant that the other party was indeed very familiar with their master, even though there was a large age gap between the other party and their master, who was over eighty years old, and their master had basically never left the county and had no friends from other places.
Furthermore, the old monk said nothing more, neither explaining why he had come here nor revealing that he was the same old monk from before, and simply returned to the temple.
Before entering the temple, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao heard some noises behind the temple. After exchanging greetings, they left directly, so the monks didn't see them and their attention was entirely on the young man with a special temperament.
The temple is not large, and there are not many places to visit. The old monk has lived here for decades and knows the place like the back of his hand, except for a newly added solitary grave behind the temple. There is not much to see.
This temple was so ordinary that you could see it in just a few steps, but the visitors were reluctant to leave. The attendants who came with their young master couldn't understand why he had come to this remote place when he was visiting Changqing County and wanted to worship Buddha.
The attendants couldn't understand it, and the monks in the temple couldn't understand it even more. Their temple was famous in the area because of their master's noble character. Now that the high monk had passed away, fewer and fewer people came to the temple to pay their respects after the funeral. The sudden appearance of such a luxurious motorcade today left the monks completely baffled.
Since the person involved didn't speak, those around them couldn't figure out the real situation. When everyone except the old monk was baffled, someone suddenly ran in and shouted that the murals in the temple were suddenly glowing and they didn't know what was going on.
The temple is not large, but it has been around for a long time. The walls of the central hall are covered with exquisite murals. The figures on the murals are lifelike and reveal the artist’s superb memory. It is said that they were created by a painter from the capital a long time ago.
Over the years, no one in the temple understood these things, and the murals, which could not withstand maintenance, gradually faded, with even traces of peeling appearing at the edges.
The old monk had previously considered hiring someone to repair the murals in the temple, but ultimately put it aside due to financial constraints. Today, for some unknown reason, the murals have begun to glow.
The murals were glowing in an unusual way. People in the temple rushed to the main hall upon hearing the news. At that moment, a spot on the murals was flickering, as if someone was shaking a candle through the murals.
Coincidentally, the spot where the light was emitted was right next to a door, and combined with the constantly flashing light, it looked as if something was about to jump out.
"How is this going?"
"I don't know, the mural suddenly started glowing!"
The monks asked each other, none of them knowing what had happened. It was said that the person responsible for cleaning the main hall was blinded by a strange flash of light, and when he looked up, he saw a spot on the mural that was glowing.
The flashes on the painting grew brighter and brighter. Someone got closer and heard a faint cracking sound, as if something was about to emerge from the mural.
Suddenly, the mural shone brightly, and amidst the dazzling light, two figures could be vaguely seen emerging from the flashes. The crowd was dazzled by the radiant scene and raised their hands to shield their eyes.
"Are you OK?"
When the light faded, two girls appeared in the open space in front of the mural. One of them was facing away from the crowd and had strange, dazzling golden hair. The upper part of her hair was tied up in an exquisite bun, and long, golden ornaments meandered through her hair, forming a beautiful decoration. The long pendant at the end trembled gently with the wearer's movements.
Aside from her extremely rare blonde hair, the girl's clothes were also very eye-catching. The main color was bluish-purple, and it was embroidered with dark patterns of flowers and leaves. Her arms and cuffs were decorated with crimson shawls and ribbons, making her extremely dazzling, like a fairy descending to earth.
The other was a slightly younger and shorter girl, dressed in a rosy robe, with all her black hair tied up in a high bun like a cloud, and a phoenix hairpin hanging low. She might not be as eye-catching as the girl next to her, but she was still bright and beautiful, a rare beauty.
The girl was clearly weak and needed to be supported by another blonde girl. The way the two appeared was so bizarre that people around them dared not approach.
There is no doubt that they came from the mural. When the mural shone brightly, the two girls appeared from the light. Now that the light of the mural has disappeared, the two beautiful girls who have appeared have not disappeared.
"We mean no harm. This child is weak. Could you please give her a place to rest?"
Seeing that the girl in his arms was speechless, the blonde girl looked at the crowd. The old monk stared at her blonde hair and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, inexplicably thinking of Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao, who had just left not long ago.
Although the styles are different, the complex clothing and unusual hair color really resemble those two people; they both deviate from the norm.
In addition, the girl being helped by the other party was dressed in a manner that was in line with that of an ordinary person. Although the clothes of ordinary people were not fancy, they were still within an acceptable range.
The original owner of this body had many wives and concubines, some of whom dressed like young girls, imitating the fairy costumes in folk tales.
The girl looked really bad. Even though her origins were unknown, they couldn't just watch her suffer like this. The old monk spoke up decisively. At this moment, his status as a noble young master came in handy, making others listen to him and arranging a place for the two girls to rest.
"Go to the back mountain and find my two white-haired friends."
When making the arrangements, he summoned his attendants to search for someone in the back mountain. He believed that the blonde girl was related to Ren Pingsheng and his group, and that they were very likely from the same place.
"Did you have a friend who went to the back mountain?"
Upon hearing this, the passing monks quickly retreated, looking even more anxious than when they discovered the murals were glowing.
"You can't go there! There are snake dens full of giant snakes in the back mountains!"
"Snake pit?"
What snake den? When did this happen? He's lived here for over eighty years, how come he didn't know there was a snake den in the back mountain?!
"When our master passed away, we hired people to bury him. Someone went to the back mountain and knocked over a Buddha statue. Then someone else discovered that there were many snake caves nearby. We must never go to that place!"
It was too late to say that, because Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao had just arrived at the temple and headed towards the back mountain. They heard some strange noises coming from the back mountain and followed them to a secluded cave.
The cave was surrounded by vines and was completely dark inside. If it weren't for the constant rustling sounds, the two might have thought it was just a wall covered with vines and simply passed by.
The strange noises they initially heard weren't like this rustling sound, but since they heard them and sensed a special aura from the cave entrance, they had to go in and take a look.
"That sound...is there a snake in it?"
But if it's a snake, the sound is far too loud. The cave entrance is covered with vines, indicating that it's basically uninhabited, and it's impossible to see anything from the outside.
Jian Feidao used his sword energy to cut the vines at the cave entrance. One of the sword energies pierced through the gap and entered the cave. Then there was the sound of something falling, the smell of blood wafted out, and the hissing of snakes could be heard incessantly.
It seems there really is a snake in the cave, and it was hit by Jian Feidao's sword energy. But judging from the sound of it falling, could the snake have been hanging from the cave ceiling?
"The lighting here is amazing; it's like the sky and earth are completely dark."
Ren Pingsheng complained about the lighting near the cave. The entrance was on the shady side, surrounded by messy branches and vines that blocked the light, making it impossible for even a Xiantian (a type of cultivator) to see inside. After the vines at the entrance fell off, and with other assistance, the cave finally had some light.
The two approached and took a closer look... it would have been better not to go in at all.
"...This is really stirring up a snake's nest."
Looking around, all you could see were snakes—snakes of all sizes, thicknesses, and colors—on the ground, on the stone walls on either side, overhead, and perhaps even deeper in places you couldn't see.
Snakes, the cave is full of snakes, they crawl densely in the cave, you can only see the various snakes' bodies and scales slithering on the stone surface, you can hardly see what the stone surface looks like underneath.
It wasn't that the two of them were afraid to go in; it was that the only open space on the ground where they could stand was the small opening at the cave entrance. If they took another step forward, they would step on the snakes on the ground, and they would definitely step on more than one snake.
There were even heavier crawling sounds inside. The two used their inner strength to condense a light source and threw it into a deeper place. Wherever the light shone, what appeared to be snakes were snakes. This place was practically built with snakes.
The cave was illuminated, revealing a well inside. Countless snakes were crawling in and out of the well. Perhaps stimulated by the sudden light, a huge snake head emerged from the well, its blood-red eyes staring directly at the intruder.