I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

The huge courtyard attracted a lot of people because of Xie Chun's challenge. Even many people who usually didn't like to join in the fun gathered nearby because they saw that this courtyard was becoming more and more popular and one of the talented brothers who attracted everyone's attention came to challenge him.

Xie Yuan has always been low-key, especially when he first arrived, he didn't say that he wouldn't even let people in to watch the competition. In the compound, people couldn't help but watch during the competition, so there were quite a few people around at this time, more than usual.

The crowd, which had been a little noisy at the beginning, now seemed to be strangled by the neck at the same time and could not make any sound.

As everyone watched in silence, Xie Yuan retracted his sword, cupped his hands, and said:
"Concession."

Xie Chun's face turned red and white, and the key point was that he looked a little confused. He didn't understand why he was defeated in an instant when he clearly had the upper hand.

Not only him, most of the people in the dense crowd had the same expression: shock, confusion, and bewilderment.

Xie Chun's spear was so powerful that he turned the tables and almost suppressed Xie Yuan so that he couldn't get close to him. However, during his last charge, his body dodged left and right, so how could Xie Chun be defeated without any resistance?
He is obviously one of the best young people below the Grandmaster of the Xie family. It seems that his strength and realm are indeed superior to Xie Yuan, and the gap between him and the previous person is one level higher. But he still can't do anything to this guy?

What kind of martial arts was that? He turned defeat into victory in an instant, leaving Xie Chun unable to react!

Xie Chun looked miserable. This should be a secret technique like illusion. Although he couldn't understand it at all, he was defeated without any doubt. If it was a real life-and-death fight, his head and body would have been separated.

He bowed dejectedly:

"Been taught a lesson."

"you are welcome."

Xie Yuan smiled and stretched out his hand casually.

Xie Chun's mouth twitched, and he threw the protective jade pendant over with great pain, but Xie Yuan caught it.

It is neither gold nor stone, but as bright and smooth as jade.

The material of this jade pendant is very unusual. Xie Yuan rubbed it lightly, feeling the mysterious and tenacious power inside, and smiled:
"Brother Chun is truly a trustworthy person."

Xie Chun felt even more bitter upon hearing this, thinking that he had lost his life-saving treasure, and he would definitely be scolded if his parents found out when he got home.

In the distance, the top of a tall building.

"Does this kid have such tricks? Very powerful, haha, I wonder where he learned it?"

An old man with white hair and beard and a thin figure looked at Xie Yuan's courtyard and said with a smile.

The middle-aged man next to him looked easy-going, but just by standing there he exuded an extraordinary aura, with a whirlwind rising around him, making people dare not look closely. It was Xie Yi.

When Xie Yi saw Xie Yuan's performance, a light flashed in his eyes, and then he said without comment:
"That's true. But the little guy has a lot of secrets, and I'm too lazy to ask them one by one."

"After all, he grew up outside, so we still need to pay more attention to him."

The old man spoke casually, but he thought for a moment and then said:
"But after all, he is your eldest brother's bloodline. As long as his character is fine, there is no need to delve into it."

Xie Yi was silent for a while, then nodded and said:

"indeed so."

"I didn't expect that even though he didn't grow up in the Xie family, he would be so outstanding. He even seems to have surpassed all the younger generations in the family. I don't know whether it is because his talent is too amazing or there is something wrong with our training method now."

The old man stroked his beard, looking both happy and dissatisfied.

Xie Yi said:

"He has a unique talent. I think the young people in his family are all good. Besides, they haven't all lost yet."

"That's right. After all, he is Xie Xuan's child. When your elder brother was this age, he was almost as brilliant as before."

The old man nodded:

"But if he is only this strong, he is indeed not qualified to be the number one. He lost because he is too young and his cultivation is not good enough. His Golden Bell Cover is even worse."

The old man had a very sharp eye and pointed it out directly.

He looked at Xie Yi:
"Didn't you ask him to change his training method?"

"Not in a hurry."

Xie Yi said:
"He has been practicing this technique from the beginning until now. He has no suitable way to change it easily, which does more harm than good."

"There are a few things in the arsenal that would suit him."

The old man said lightly.

Xie Yi looked at the old man:
"You agree to let him go into the arsenal?"

"I have no objection here. Haven't I been watching you all along? You've been watching for so long, his strength should be about the same."

The old man said.

"Anyway, we are all here for the trial. I don't know why you are so cautious. Why do you have to avoid suspicion? When selecting people based on their kinship, everyone should know that you treat him well not just because of blood ties. Isn't it going to another extreme that he is not allowed to enter the Xie family arsenal because he is close to you? You have been the clan leader for so many years. The old guys have seen how you do things."

The old man kept talking, and Xie Yi nodded:
"You are right. I will think about it carefully."

"Why are you still considering it?"

The old man shook his head:

"I think this kid is good."

"He is indeed very good. But let's wait until the recent turmoil is over. After all, the fight is not over yet and the results will be out soon."

Xie Yi nodded slowly and said:
"If he can still defeat Xie Dun, then it would be fine to let him join the armory."

"You are too strict as the second uncle!"

The old man was a little confused.

Although Xie Yuan made great contributions in Wan Yao Mountain, actual combat is actual combat and sparring is sparring.

The actual combat situation changes rapidly, and there are many factors that can influence the fight between life and death, but what is mostly relied on in competition is hard power.

Even though the old man only watched this one round, he could see Xie Yuan's weakness at a glance. Given the huge difference in cultivation, it was almost impossible to defeat Xie Dun, who was at the top of the third level.

The old man shook his head:

"As the clan leader, you have been so impartial and selfless. You have delayed the development of the seedlings, which is actually selfish!"

Xie Yi smiled bitterly, shook his head, and did not argue.

He looked over there again, turned and went into the tall building without looking again.

This tall building is magnificent and majestic, occupying an entire courtyard. Its height towers over the Xie clan’s land, and its imposing manner is astonishing.

On the top plaque, there are four ancient and powerful characters:

Xie's arsenal.

In Xie Yuan's courtyard.

The onlookers saw that the competition had been completely decided, and the two even exchanged their stakes, before they realized that it was indeed over.

It ended with Xie Yuan winning his twelfth consecutive victory.

The people around began to whisper, and the whispers slowly gathered together and soon turned into a noise.

"Xie Yuan was clearly at a disadvantage, so how did he sneak in and kill with a sword in an instant?"

"It's a special move! He used a special move!"

"It's hard to tell what the trick is..."

"That's an illusion."

It was still a tribesman with outstanding eyesight who explained it. As soon as he spoke, the people around him became a little quieter. It seemed that he was of high status and his words were very convincing.

But he also said in amazement:

"This illusion is extremely profound and unfathomable. It's no wonder you can't see it. I don't even know if there is such a secret technique in the clan. Anyway, I can't find it on the level of the armory I can go to. Xie Yuan is not simple."

"I see. Only you can see that!"

Someone nearby flattered him. After all, he was able to enter the armory, and his level was not low, so he was not an ordinary person in the Xie family.

"Could it be that he hadn't used his full strength before?"

Someone said in surprise.

"Isn't that nonsense? He won so easily before, and it was only because Xie Chun put pressure on him that he was forced to use his true ability."

"Good fellow, I thought his eleven consecutive victories were already amazing, but I didn't expect he was hiding something! So what do you think, does he have some tricks up his sleeve?"

"Impossible! Xie Chun has forced him to deal with it seriously. He is so young, how many secret methods can he have? I think that's the limit."

"In other words, if Xie Dun comes, he will be in trouble?"

"Of course. Xie Dun is the mountain of this generation. Although he lost to Xie Wei half a move last time, the difference was similar, and the victory and defeat were within a hair's breadth. They are both at the peak of the Third Transformation Realm. After all, Xie Yuan is still young, and he will never be able to climb over such a mountain. He may have a chance in the future, but by the time he grows up, Xie Dun will definitely have become a Grandmaster."

"That makes sense."

People were talking about it, and many of them had already run out, spreading the news of Xie Yuan's victory again quickly throughout the Xie clan.

Many gamblers sighed and swore, especially some members of the clan who had suffered twelve consecutive defeats and had almost lost all their private money.

"Uncle Thirteen, thank you very much."

The middle-aged man smiled and put the pile of gold leaves into his pocket.

The old dandy uncle Thirteenth Uncle looked distressed and sighed:

"How come he can win so many games in a row?"

"Haha, after all, he is the former clan leader's biological son, so it's not surprising that he has such talent."

"But he didn't grow up in the clan... Never mind, this should be the last battle, it's Xie Dun, right? I still bet on him to win! I don't believe that he can beat Xie Dun and give my Thirteenth Master a thirteenth consecutive defeat!"

The middle-aged man saw the old man take off his boots and take out a bag from the hidden buckle inside. The bag contained more gold leaves than before. He couldn't help but laugh and said:
"Uncle Thirteen, haven't you used up all your private money? I still have this."

"This is really the last chance. I have been here for so many years. I don't believe he can beat Xie Dun. I want to win back everything I have won before!"

Uncle Thirteen was obviously so defeated that he poured out everything in the bag and pushed it to the middle-aged man.

The smell of gold in the boots was strong, needless to say, but the middle-aged man did not despise it, and put all the things away with a smile:

"Uncle Thirteen, have you made up your mind? Are you sure you want to bet on Xie Dun? If you lose another game, losing money won't be a big deal. Uncle Thirteen, your ranking is just a coincidence. I'm afraid..."

The old man's eyelids twitched, and then he made up his mind and waved his hand:
"No matter what! Bet everything on Xie Dun! I will win it all in one go! I will definitely win!"

……

"Everyone, the young master said that the courtyard doesn't have much stuff prepared, and he's afraid it's too shabby, so he won't entertain you uncles and brothers."

In the courtyard, Yunzhu spoke respectfully to the crowd that had not yet dispersed.

Although Xie Chun covered his face and left after losing, the others dragged their feet.

In recent days, more and more people want to visit Xie Yuan. As Xie Yuan's victories increase, the number of people who want to visit him increases sharply. However, the Xie family is such a large clan that Xie Yuan can't even recognize all of his blood relatives, let alone the entire clan?
If they were to socialize, there would be no need for cultivation, so Xie Yuan treated everyone equally, and after the discussion, he closed the door and refused to see them, citing the excuse of cultivation.

The compound is open at regular times every day, and only martial arts are discussed, nothing else.

Xie Yuan sat in the hall, moistening his mouth with the tea brought by Shi Jian, closing his eyes slightly, thinking about the shadows of spears flying in the sky just now.

He is indeed very powerful, but it is difficult to win by just relying on his moves and skills, so he has to rely on the magic of heaven.

The Heavenly Illusion Technique is already a method that transcends one's realm. Few people in the same realm can see through it. Even the Fire Envoy suffered losses from it repeatedly, not to mention Xie Chun.

And the Heavenly Illusion Technique was not his most powerful method, and he had not yet used the more powerful ones. Relying on these secret techniques, even though his cultivation seemed to have only broken through to the third level of transformation, in a real fight, there were few rivals of the same level.

In fact, his progress in cultivation was already very fast, but because his strength exceeded his realm, his eyes were always on those who had cultivation far exceeding his, and he seemed to be at a disadvantage every time his realm improved.

"The Great Golden River Technique can already make up for a lot of realm gaps, but it can only defeat the middle stage of the Third Transformation Realm. After crossing two levels, the cultivation is still suppressed. The Blood Qi Realm is the foundation."

Xie Yuan thought silently.

Not to mention the realm of the Golden Bell, the quality of his blood is still a little bit poor. If he has an external skill similar to the Great Golden River Skill, then when he combines the internal and external skills, even if he has just entered the third transformation realm, his cultivation level will be almost enough to fight against the late stage.

We need to put this on the agenda...

As Xie Yuan was thinking, the door was pushed open again, and a pink and slender figure came bounding in and went straight into the hall:

"Where's the excitement? Is the excitement over? So soon?"

Xie Lingyun chattered away, looking left and right, but saw nothing except the big pit in the courtyard.

She blinked.

"I said it would take a while, but you lost so quickly?"

"Can't I be the winner? Why don't you have confidence in me?"

Xie Yuan smiled.

Xie Lingyun choked:
"Xie Chun's level is not bad. If you drag it out for a while, I believe you have a chance to win. Can you defeat him so soon after meeting him?"

She came here as soon as she heard the news, but ended up missing the trip.

"He's not bad."

Xie Yuan took a sip of tea and said calmly.

Xie Lingyun looked strange:
"You really won? Look at how cocky you are."

"It's just so-so, just Xie Chun."

Xie Yuan smiled.

Xie Lingyun looked even more disgusted:
"Even more arrogant..."

She looked at the sky and said:

"It's not too early or too late, are you still going?"

Xie Yuan had originally agreed to let her take him to visit the Jade Buddha Temple today, but Xie Chun came to challenge him, so they put it aside for the time being.

But Xie Yuan won so fast that it was too early to delay. If there was no delay, they should have set off. She wondered if Xie Yuan wanted to take a break and summarize the process of the competition. His practice habits were quite good.

However, Xie Yuan just pondered for a moment and said:

"Let's go. We're not tired anyway."

His real thought was inspired by the battle. He wanted to visit the Buddhist temple as soon as possible to try his luck and see if he could get the Buddhist charm.

However, when Xie Lingyun heard this, she felt that he was showing off invisibly, and gritted her teeth, saying:
"Let's go now if you're not tired!"

"Walk."

Xie Yuan gave some instructions to Yunzhu and Shijian, asking them to look after the house, mainly to repair the losses in the battle, and to use the best materials. All expenses would naturally be charged to Xie Chun.

Then Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun each took a horse, climbed on it, traveled light, and set off without even taking their followers with them. The two of them rode their horses out of the clan's territory.

In a large house in the Xie clan's land.

Owning such a private courtyard here shows that the owner of the house has a high status in the Xie family and is also very powerful.

Xie Chun came here and knocked on the door. After hearing the sound, he pushed the door open and saw the figure dancing with the sword slowly in the yard.

His sword moves were so clear that even the old women in the tribe could see them clearly, as if they were just exercises; however, after watching for a while, Xie Chun felt that every move and every style put him under great pressure, as if he could not handle them no matter what, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

"You just finished the competition, your energy and spirit are unstable, don't look closely."

Xie Dun said slowly.

Xie Chun suddenly let out a breath and sighed:

"Brother, your Kung Fu has improved again. Have you reached the threshold of Grandmaster level?"

"It's easy to bump into a threshold, but you need to think carefully about how to cross it."

Xie Dun put away his sword and said this.

Xie Chun admired his brother even more. Ordinary people should be overjoyed to be able to reach the threshold of Grandmaster. They should run forward with all their strength for this opportunity and think about it after they can cross it. Those who still have the energy to think about the timing and method of breakthrough will immediately be different from mediocre people after becoming Grandmasters, and can be called true masters.

Of course, this is only true at this level. In the eyes of 90% of the martial artists in the world, every Grandmaster is a genius among geniuses, a great man who can cause an earthquake with a stomp of his foot, and they can never be called mediocre. If the Grandmasters are mediocre, then what are these people below them?

Xie Dun put away his sword and asked calmly:
"Did you win?"

"Lost."

Xie Chun said honestly.

Xie Dun's eyes suddenly changed, then he calmed his brows and said slowly:

"Tell me the whole process in detail."

Xie Chun told Xie Dun everything, and Xie Dun's eyes sparkled:
"I didn't expect Xie Yuan to have such a method. It's really mysterious."

"Indeed, I have seen similar secret techniques before, but his illusion is so real that it would be impossible to detect it if the weapon had not touched it."

Xie Chun said with some annoyance:
"Besides that, his footwork is a little bit better, but everything else is not as good as mine."

"If you lose, you lose. Just make a good summary."

Xie Dun shook his head:
"Since his illusion is so powerful, it's hard not to fall for it the first time you encounter it. What should you do if you encounter a similar opponent in the future?"

Xie Chun's face straightened and he said seriously:
"Brother is right. I need to think about it carefully."

Xie Dun nodded and said:
"That's good."

Xie Chun looked at his eldest brother and said hopefully:
"Brother, when are you going to go find him?"

"Since you are defeated, I will go in two days."

Xie Dun confirmed.

Xie Chun suddenly became energetic:
"Brother, if we take action, I think it will be easy to capture him!"

"It's hard to say the result since we haven't competed yet."

Xie Dun shook his head:
"But since everyone knows that he has illusion skills, I will take advantage of this and there is no chance that I will be fooled. If he uses the same trick again, I will suffer a great loss.

"I hope he'll be smart and not let me win too easily."

Outside the county town of Chenjun.

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun rode side by side and soon arrived at the gate of this northern city. Chen County was considered wealthy in the entire northern Dali, because the birthplace of the thousand-year-old Xie family was here, and the Xie family's large clan land was next to the county city, so this city and its surroundings had always been a place with a prosperous population and commodity circulation, rich and prosperous, and not inferior to the important towns in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xie Yuan looked at the tall and magnificent city walls and gate towers, then he and Xie Lingyun let go of the reins and slowed down their horses and entered Chen County.

Looking around, the streets of this county town are wide and straight, with busy traffic and crowds of people, and vendors lined up along the streets. In terms of population and commerce alone, it seems to be no weaker than Nanjing.

However, the architectural style here is somewhat different from that of Jinling. The houses are square and the walls are thick, probably to resist the severe cold in the north. They are not as delicate and clever as those in Jinling. The whole city gives people a solemn and magnificent feeling, which is different from the splendid and spiritual atmosphere of Jinling and other large cities in the south of the Yangtze River.

The same feeling applies to Yunzhou Prefecture, but Yunzhou Prefecture is not as prosperous and vast as here. After all, Yunzhou is too far away from the Central Plains, and there is no big family like the Xie family nearby.

Xie Yuan tasted the food silently while listening to Xie Lingyun's chattering introduction:

“The cakes here are delicious, the osmanthus cake and the gold and silver cake are the best. But others say the mung bean cake is also good, but I don’t like it very much, it’s too sweet and sticky.

"The pigeons in this restaurant are extraordinary. It is said that the chef came here from Lingnan. They have the authentic oily fragrance from there and the salty and spicy flavor of the local area. The combination of the two makes the flavor even better and can be called the best.

"The mixed noodles here are amazing. Although it's just a snack, many people in the tribe love it. I've tried it before, and it's really amazing..."

Xie Yuan listened with great interest and felt that there were quite a lot of delicious food here. He thought that if Situ Qin came, she would definitely be very happy.

But I’m afraid Situ Qin will never come to Chenjun in this life... I don’t know where the letter is and whether she received it.

Xie Yuan listened to Xie Lingyun's introduction, which also contained many of her memories, and nodded:

"It seems you like going to the city."

"That's right. Even though my house is big, it's still boring after staying there for a long time."

Xie Lingyun shook her head and threw the braids behind her.

Xie Yuan seemed to be thinking:
"But shouldn't these teahouses and restaurants all be owned by the Xie family?"

"Not all of them. Some are and some are not, but the shops on that street are basically owned by the clan."

Xie Lingyun pursed her lips and pointed to the main road running horizontally over there:

"Nine out of ten shops on Chang'an Street belong to the clan, and only a small half on Ping'an Street. I asked about this before, and it seems that the clan felt it would be a bad idea to buy all of them, so the pattern has always been like this."

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment:
“But even if there are some left, I’m afraid it should be blamed on the Xie family after taking two detours.”

"That's right. After all, the entire Chen County depends on our clan. Many industries here basically exist for the sake of our clan."

Xie Lingyun said as a matter of course:
"Is there anything wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Xie Yuan didn't say much. The times were different, the backgrounds were different, and the perceptions were different. He didn't need to chat with the little girl about random things. Without the specific background, his views might not be correct.

"The tribe has a lot of business, why do you seem unhappy? That's strange."

Xie Lingyun curled her lips.

Xie Yuan changed the subject:

"How far is the Jade Buddha Temple?"

"It's in the west of the city. We can see it as soon as we go out of the west gate along Ping'an Street."

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun continued to travel westward, and as expected, they saw the Buddhist temple as soon as they went out.

It’s not because the Jade Buddha Temple is so close, but because it covers a large area.

In particular, the hall that should be the Main Hall is much taller than that of ordinary Buddhist temples. It is obvious that the famous Jade Buddha is inside.

Looking at the height, Xie Yuan inexplicably recalled the towering statues on the upper floors of the pagoda, and his expression became solemn.

Don't let this thing move.

After leaving the city gate, Xie Yuan thought he could ride faster, but there were still a lot of people on the road. Many of them were obviously believers going to the Jade Buddha Temple. They came in an endless stream and almost blocked the road. It seems that this place is very popular.

"Strange, even if the Jade Buddha Temple is popular, there aren't so many people on weekdays. Is there a ritual going on?"

Xie Lingyun made a somewhat strange comment.

Xie Yuan raised his eyebrows when he heard this:

"Then go join in the fun."

As the two walked forward, they heard believers talking to each other all the way. Many of them made sincere wishes, but some of them said things that made them gradually concerned.

"No...appearance..."

"miracle……"

"The Buddha statue...disappeared..."

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun heard several people say this in succession, and many people, either excitedly or worriedly, were rushing to the Jade Buddha Temple. They couldn't help but look at each other with surprise on their faces.

From what these passers-by said, the big jade Buddha was stolen?
How can it be?

Xie Lingyun looked puzzled, and Xie Yuan once again confirmed the height of the hall and was also somewhat puzzled.

"Drive! Drive!"

Both of them became more interested and couldn't help but kick their horses to rush forward faster.

After a while, they finally arrived at the gate of the Jade Buddha Temple. They saw many monks gathered at the gate, forming a human wall to block the believers who came to watch the fun.

"Master, why is the Buddha statue gone? Where did you move it to?"

"Monk, how could such a large jade Buddha be stolen? Did you do something bad to deserve the Buddha's punishment?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"How could the Buddha statue be stolen? It must have run away on its own. I can't stand the monks in the Jade Buddha Temple getting fat and corrupt and embezzling the money from incense offerings!"

"That's it!"

Xie Yuan saw that many believers seemed a little agitated. This Jade Buddha Temple had been passed down for hundreds of years, and the big jade Buddha was the spiritual sustenance of the local believers. They had worshipped it since they were young, and its sudden disappearance was a big shock to them. They began to question the monks here.

Xie Yuan listened for a while and asked Xie Lingyun:

“Are these people telling the truth?”

"How could such a thing happen under Xie's nose?"

Xie Lingyun shook her head and said thoughtfully:

“But is the Buddha statue really gone?”

"It looks real."

Xie Yuan continued to look at the agitated believers and the anxious monks:
"You'll know once you go in."

Xie Lingyun nodded slightly and agreed to his proposal.

Xie Yuan was just about to use the Heaven Hiding Technique to take Xie Lingyun in with him, when he saw Xie Lingyun jump off his horse, walk out of the crowd, and say to a big monk in front of him:
"Master Fazhi, I heard that the jade Buddha in your temple was stolen. Is it true? Can you let me in to take a look?"

The tall and strong monk in a cassock smiled as soon as he saw Xie Lingyun:
"Amitabha, it turns out that it is Miss Lingyun who has come to visit. Well, it's a long story, Miss Lingyun, please enter the temple."

He extended his hand and saw that Xie Lingyun did not move. Instead, he looked at another tall and handsome man next to him:

"Let's go."

"Who is this?"

Fazhi asked.

"This is my cousin Xie Yuan."

Xie Lingyun introduced.

Fazhi was startled, clasped his hands together and said:
"So this is Donor Xie Yuan. It's better to meet him in person than to hear about him. Please come into the temple with me."

Xie Yuan thought to himself, this monk knows who he is? He seems to be of high status, and he is very polite to Xie Lingyun. But it is also true that the biggest donor of the Jade Buddha Temple is probably the Xie family.

I'm used to being sneaky, but this is the first time I've encountered a place where I can enter with my real identity.

As the two were about to enter, Xie Lingyun stood on the steps, turned around and said to the believers in a tender voice:
"My fellow villagers, I am a descendant of the Xie family. I heard that the Jade Buddha Temple was robbed, so I went in to investigate. Don't worry, the Xie family will never tolerate the theft of Buddha statues in Chen County. We will investigate this matter thoroughly and give justice to the villagers!"

The people below were originally a little dissatisfied that two people were able to enter the temple as an exception, but when they heard Xie Lingyun's words, their eyes suddenly lit up and they shouted:
"It turns out that they are from the Xie family. Looks like we'll be able to find out soon!"

"Miss Xie, you must bring the Jade Buddha back! I am still waiting to pray to the Buddha to pray for blessings and cure for my father's illness!"

Xie Lingyun nodded, and then she and Xie Yuan followed Fazhi into the temple.

Xie Yuan looked Xie Lingyun up and down, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. He said in a low voice:

"What are you looking at?"

"I didn't expect you to be so good at talking."

"This is our compulsory course. And if something happens in Chen Jun, the family will definitely take care of it."

Xie Yuan nodded and squinted his eyes:
"But, even if you guarantee to get the ticket, what if you can't find out the cause? Do you know how to investigate the case?"

Xie Lingyun said as a matter of course:
"If I can't find out, just ask my dad to come."

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

"Besides, don't we have you?"

Xie Lingyun suddenly laughed again.

Xie Yuan glanced at her and shook his head:
"This is a strange thing. I can't quite figure it out."

"It's okay, I believe you."

Xie Lingyun was smiling.

The two followed Fazhi up the long steps, came to the tall and magnificent main hall, and then fell into silence.

Although it could be vaguely seen from below the steps, both of them could now see the situation in the main hall clearly.

There was nothing on the huge base now, and the whole hall seemed a little deserted.

Xie Lingyun could not hide the surprise on her face, and although Xie Yuan was here for the first time, he also raised his eyebrows slightly.

Just by looking at the base and the hall, one can imagine how huge the original Jade Buddha must have been, and how incredible it was to have it stolen.

Even a master can't have such means, could it be a grand master? But why would a grand master steal a jade Buddha?
and……

Xie Yuan looked at it for a while and said:

"Master Fazhi, this Mahavira Hall should have been built after the Buddha statue was built, right?"

Fazhi looked at Xie Yuan, clasped his hands together and said:

"Amitabha, Mr. Xie Yuan has a keen eye, it is true. The Buddha statue is magnificent and tall, and it is difficult to move it after the main hall is built, so the Buddha statue came first, and then the main hall."

Xie Yuan felt something magical.

He saw at a glance that the entrance of the hall was not high enough to hold the Buddha statue, but the hall was now intact, with the dome and the front and back doors all intact. How did a huge Buddha statue inside get transported out?

He walked into the hall, looked around, and shook his head again.

Xie Yuan just didn't think about how much strength it would take to move such a large Buddha statue, and thought that there was such a master who could turn the Buddha statue upside down and put it upright as if it were nothing. But when he looked at the space inside, it was still not enough for the Buddha statue to fall down, unless the dome was broken.

In other words, no matter from what angle, it is impossible to move the Buddha statue out without touching the main hall.

“That’s simply unrealistic.”

Xie Lingyun also walked in, made the same judgment as Xie Yuan, and pouted.

Xie Yuan thought for a moment and asked:

"Master, has your temple offended any masters recently?"

Since we cannot judge from the means of committing the crime, let's look at the suspects or motives.

However, Monk Fazhi frowned and thought for a while, then slowly said:

"Amitabha, our temple has always been diligent in practicing Buddhism and has never argued with anyone. We have been in Chen County for a hundred years and have never had any conflicts with anyone. I never thought that someone would do such a heinous and blasphemous thing to the Buddha."

Xie Yuan glanced at Xie Lingyun and saw her nod slightly. He knew that what the monk said was probably true, and his brows immediately frowned.

No traces and no clues?
Ordinary people cannot steal such a big thing, so there is no need to search the temple, as no monk would be able to steal.

The abbot is an old master who has been in seclusion for many years, but he may not have the ability to do so. Besides, why would he move his own Buddha statue?
What is the purpose of stealing this Buddha statue?

Xie Yuan fell into deep thought.

Since there are no clues or suspects, we can only speculate based on the motive.

This huge jade Buddha is undoubtedly priceless. It is said that hundreds of years ago, a master of the Xie family converted to Buddhism, donated his life savings and relied on the help of his family to create the jade Buddha statue, which led to the establishment of the Jade Buddha Temple.

The Buddha statue is made entirely of jade. Naturally, there is no such large raw stone in the world. It took a master craftsman using special methods and consuming countless precious jades to carve a shell, while the inside is still the stone body.

Even so, the Buddha statue is huge, and the jade inside is extremely valuable. Many thieves with ulterior motives have tried to steal it, but none of them succeeded.

Although this thing is valuable, it is very difficult to sell it.

If the outer jade body is broken into pieces and knocked off, the broken pieces of jade are worthless; if it is not broken into pieces, how many people would take it? And where would they put it if they took it?
If it is not for wealth, people with such means would not be short of money, and if they were short of money, they would not resort to such thankless means.

What is that for...

Xie Yuan pondered for a while. Was it because of the special meaning contained in it? Could it be that this Buddha statue had some secret?
he asked:
"Master, I wonder what else is special about the Buddha statue in your temple, besides being 'big'?"

Fazhi pondered for a moment and said:

"Thank you, benefactor. The Jade Buddha in our temple is magnificent and sacred. It has been worshipped by the believers of Chen County for generations, so it is naturally very effective..."

He spoke a lot of words, and just when Xie Yuan was getting impatient, he heard the last key point:

"…but other than these, there is nothing special."

But then comes the point...

Xie Yuan exhaled and nodded.

"Turn it around for a second."

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun said something, and then they walked around the main hall and the entire Jade Buddha Temple, but still found nothing.

The Buddha statue didn't say anything unusual. Could it be because of its significance? Because of the incense it received? Could it be that there are some masters from some secret sect or power who need such a treasure? But this goal is too big...

He was a little puzzled and was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Xie Lingyun's strange voice:

"Master Fazhi, where is the golden Buddha statue my mother sent me?"

Fazhi was stunned for a moment and asked doubtfully:
"Donor Lingyun, our temple has never received any golden Buddha statues... What do you mean?"

"What? Didn't receive it?"

Xie Lingyun was surprised:

"Didn't my family send the golden Buddha statue to your temple as a donation a few days ago?"

Fazhi looked a little solemn:

"I am not aware of this, and I have not seen any servants from the Xie Mansion come here to donate things recently."

"This……"

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun looked at each other. They both knew that the Buddha statue had been carried to the Jade Buddha Temple many days ago. Xie Yuan only knew about the Jade Buddha Temple at that time.

"Strange, the servants clearly replied that your temple has accepted it..."

Xie Lingyun frowned.

Fazhi looked serious:

"Amitabha, I swear before the Buddha that I have never seen a Buddha statue."

"Of course I believe in Master Fazhi, but logically those servants wouldn't dare to do that, and they came back so carelessly, it would be too easy to be discovered."

Xie Lingyun hesitated for a moment and glanced at Xie Yuan:
"This is getting weirder and weirder. Should we go back and tell my parents?"

Xie Yuan nodded, naturally having no objection.

The two men hurriedly said goodbye to Fazhi and were sent to the temple gate at the foot of the long steps by him. Then they got on their horses and rushed back.

There were still huge crowds of people here. Everyone in Chen County had come to see the giant jade Buddha at least once. Now that they learned that the jade Buddha had disappeared, they were naturally extremely curious and were clamoring and saying all kinds of things.

Xie Yuan and his companion walked upstream and returned the same way. On the way, they saw many astute vendors selling Buddha amulets, pendants, incense sticks and other Buddhist items. There were usually many vendors here, but today there were so many people, as if it was a temple fair, and there were even more vendors.

"Sir, Sir, please buy a Buddha amulet for the lady next to you. May she be safe and happy, and everything goes well!"

"I'm selling a large jade Buddha pendant! This is an identical large jade Buddha! It will be out of print in the future!"

"Don't miss it if you pass by. Take one of my Buddha statues home to protect your home and bring peace. It's very effective!"

Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun shuttled among the vendors and the crowds, and continued along the official road towards the county town.

As they were riding their horses with difficulty, a short merchant suddenly ran over, stopped their horses, and said eagerly:
"Sir, Miss, come and look at the Buddha statue! The big jade Buddha is gone, and there may never be another one in the future. If you ask me for one, you can always worship the Buddha and pray for your wishes to come true!"

Xie Lingyun shook her head:

"No need, please make way."

"Oh, just take a look! Anyway, it's nothing to you, so take one back and you'll have peace of mind! If we can't see the Jade Buddha anymore, how can the people of Chen County sleep well?"

"It's really not necessary."

Xie Lingyun frowned slightly, a little impatient.

If they pay to buy it, I'm afraid all the vendors on the street will follow suit and they won't have to leave. Also, other things are fine, you just don't throw them away after buying them, but the Buddha statue will be difficult to deal with if you bring it back.

"All right……"

The vendor seemed a little regretful. He took back the palm-sized jade Buddha miniature in his hand and took out another Buddha statue:
“Then look at this!

"Do you like this golden Buddha statue? Do you want to take it back?" (End of this chapter)