The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 110 Cause and Effect, Cause and Effect

The richly dressed young man walked another mile or two with a smile, then suddenly fell silent. He casually picked two leaves from an old tree by the roadside and stuck them over the donkey's eyes.

The donkey was not startled; it simply carried him and continued to walk forward, albeit unsteadily.

Soon after, they silently passed by a funeral procession carrying a coffin.

Once they were far apart, the young master sighed softly and removed the leaf covering the donkey's eyes.

"Cause and effect, cause and effect. This southwest region may allow me to avoid the immense karma caused by the Buddha, but it is indeed a land of demons. I haven't even officially gone there yet, how did I run into these things?"

After saying that, he looked at the two leaves in his hand and said:

"It's a pity that I'm just a mortal with eyesight now, and I can't help you in the slightest."

After a moment of silence, he gave a self-deprecating smile:

"Okay, actually, you're practically blind to this much."

With a long, drawn-out sigh, the elegantly dressed young man rode his donkey and his figure slowly disappeared at the end of the road.

He casually tossed the two leaves aside, but they had long lost their tender green color, turning dry, yellow, and withered, crumbling as soon as they hit the ground.
-
Early in the morning, some travelers were still drowsy from just waking up and about to set off.

But as a bright red hue comes into view, even the most weary person will show a genuine smile.

Then step aside and wait for the other person to pass before raising your hand to say congratulations.

Because this was a small wedding procession.

The main force consisted of sedan chair bearers—four men carried the chair, with eight others taking turns. Following closely behind were musicians playing instruments and helpers carrying the dowry.

Passersby are happy to see such a procession, as they can share in the joy.

Faced with the congratulations from passersby, the woman who served as both the bride's attendant and the wedding officiant thanked them repeatedly with a beaming smile, while also explaining with a hint of apology:
"The journey is long, and we haven't prepared enough gifts and candies. We apologize for the inadequate distribution."

The passerby simply smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don't mention it."

The sweetness I missed out on was nothing compared to the festive joy I was about to receive.

The bride inside, listening to the congratulations from passersby, was both shy and happy, hiding under her red veil.

She could only secretly rejoice that she was hiding inside the bridal sedan chair, where no one could see her disheveled state.

But after traveling a short distance in the bridal sedan chair, she noticed that it had stopped.

"What's wrong, Aunt?"

The puzzled bride asked her aunt, who was sitting in front of the sedan chair, with curiosity.

The other party said:

"it's okay no problem."

Before the words were finished, a clear Taoist chant suddenly rang out:

"Infinite Heavenly Lord!"

"Amitabha Buddha? Is he a Taoist priest?" the bride wondered to herself.

The woman in front of the bridal sedan chair hurriedly alighted, stepped forward, and bowed to the young Taoist priest in the middle of the road.
"Greetings, Chang'an. On this joyous occasion, I offer you a small gift of sweets to share in the happiness."

He then handed over some wedding candy.

"Thank you for the kind gift." The Taoist priest accepted it with a smile, but remained standing in the middle of the road, motionless.

The woman then realized what had happened and quickly laughed, "Oh dear, what a forgetful thing I am! Little Taoist priest, please don't be offended. Here, here's some money for you to bring good luck!"

The small package wrapped in red paper was immediately handed over, and the Taoist priest accepted it with a smile as always. He then said:
"Thank you, kind sir!"

But the woman's expression slowly changed, because the Taoist priest still didn't move aside even after taking the money.

But this was a joyous occasion, and the other party was a Taoist priest.

So she turned and smiled:
"Young Taoist priest, is there anything else? If not, please step aside so as not to delay the bride's auspicious time."

Then they handed over a red paper packet that was noticeably thicker.

The Taoist priest accepted the gift with a smile, but showed no intention of making way. Standing there without batting an eye, he said, "Don't worry, don't worry! I know what I'm doing and I certainly won't miss the bride's auspicious time!"

"Could you please move aside?"

"Oh, no rush, no rush," the Taoist waved his hand and laughed. "It's almost two hundred miles away. I just want to ask which family the bride is from and where she's getting married."

Is that all?
The woman was suspicious, but she still smiled and said:

“We are from the Zhou family in Pingkang County, and we are now going to the Li family in Tai’an County to arrange a marriage.”

"Oh, so it's Miss Zhou who's going to marry Young Master Li. Congratulations!"

The Taoist priest bowed and smiled.

"Congratulations! What about that young Taoist priest?"

The woman's tone shifted again to making way.

The Taoist priest, however, seemed oblivious to the implied meaning and continued to ask:

"I've never been to Pingkang County, so I don't know what its customs and culture are like?"

The woman patiently continued the conversation.

Just when she was about to lose her temper, the other person glanced at the sky and contentedly stepped aside, saying:
"I won't disturb you any longer! I also wish Miss Zhou a safe journey!"

The wedding procession then continued its journey.

The bride, noticing that her aunt had returned, asked:
"Aunt, what happened?"

“It’s alright, young lady,” the woman took a deep breath and adopted a more relaxed tone, “Although it was a little delayed, a Taoist priest came to offer his congratulations, which is a good omen.”

The bride wanted to ask her aunt if the Taoist priest knew them, since he hadn't answered her yet, but he had already told her the distance of his journey.

However, she noticed that her aunt didn't like that Taoist priest, so she didn't ask any more questions.

After comforting the bride, the woman, who had followed the sedan chair for a while, suddenly tightened her clothes.

Even though it's early morning, why wasn't the road this cold before?
Fortunately, the feeling came and went quickly, and the woman soon forgot about it.

After traveling smoothly for several more miles, the bridal sedan chair stopped once again.

"aunt?"

From behind the sedan curtain came the bride's anxious question.

"It's alright, young lady! I'll handle it!" the woman called out, trying her best to suppress the surging displeasure in her heart. She took a deep breath and forced a smile as she stepped forward.

She stared at the Taoist priest who was once again blocking her path, and tried her best to keep her voice calm as she spoke:
"Master, why did you return?"

The Taoist priest bowed apologetically and said:
"I was wrong before, thinking we would part ways there. But I never expected to run into you again. So I deliberately blocked your way. Don't worry, it won't be long!"

The woman nearly burst into a tirade, wondering how the Taoist priest could have the nerve to say he hadn't expected to run into someone again.
They were in front, and he was behind. If he hadn't deliberately taken a detour, how could they have bumped into each other?

Isn't it all about the money?
If I had known this Taoist priest would be so difficult to deal with, I should have given him more money to get rid of him earlier.

"Please forgive me, Taoist priest, the journey is truly long, and I cannot afford to be late for the auspicious time!"

At the final auspicious moment, the woman bit down hard. At the same time, she handed over an ounce of silver.

Seeing the silver the woman offered, the Taoist priest pushed it back and said:

"It's not about the money; it's just that I really can't bring myself to ask. And please believe me, it really won't be long."

Before the words were finished, someone on a tall horse behind them shouted:

"You quack Taoist priest, aren't you just taking advantage of people's happy occasions so you can't make a move and extort money from them?"

Three or five镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who were returning home after completing their escort mission were glaring angrily at the Taoist priest.

Upon seeing them, the Taoist priest quickly said:
"My friend, you have a kind heart, which is quite rare, but please don't get involved in today's matter!"

(End of this chapter)