Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 290 A Strange Family of Three, Another Case of Animal Eating

The main hall of the Blood Buddha Temple is quite magnificent.

When Li Wushou led the Tree Goddess and the Paper Goddess into the main hall, there were many people sitting scattered inside.

In the very center of the main hall stands a colossal Buddha statue with blood-red facial features.

The moment the three entered, everyone in the hall cast curious glances at them, and the Buddha's gaze followed closely behind.

Li Wushou only needed to sense it slightly to realize that it was not the gaze of the Blood Buddha, but the Blood Bodhisattva sitting under the blood-red Buddha statue observing them.

The Blood Bodhisattva has ten facial features, twice as many as an ordinary person. Unlike the monks of the Blood Buddha Temple who have haphazardly piled up their facial features after cultivating their spiritual powers, his features are very evenly distributed.

From a distance, the Blood Bodhisattva's head was very large, with two symmetrical faces on the left and right sides, and two ears on each side.

They look strange yet uniform, one face with a kind and benevolent expression, the other like an angry Vajra.

At this moment, Li Wushou could clearly feel that the face scrutinizing him was that of someone with angry eyes, and coupled with the blood-red cassock, the person exuded a sense of oppressive pressure.

The laughter and conversation in the main hall gradually subsided as the Blood Bodhisattva gazed upon them.

Li Wushou smiled slightly, somewhat unconcerned. Blood Bodhisattva's cultivation was not yet at the Nascent Soul stage, and he seemed to be on par with the ancestor of the Floating Character Clan. This level of scrutiny could no longer stir Li Wushou's emotions.

Even if he were to open his eyes to the other party, the other party could only see that he was a Golden Core cultivator, which was a fact, even if the Blood Buddha were to look at him, the result would be the same.

It's impossible for the Blood Buddha to also cultivate true spirit, and for him to keep saying that his true spirit cannot be seen, right?

Moreover, the old beggar, who had a guilty conscience, opened the doors of the Three Immortals Hall after Li Wushou and his companions entered Pudu Island, spreading the fragrance of incense.

He even quietly lit incense at the White Paper Taoist Temple and the Burial Soul Forest, where the Paper Goddess and the Tree Goddess resided.

This cautious demeanor suggests that they are indeed plotting against that Blood Buddha.

Thus, Li Wushou also became more casual, so as not to alert the enemy. Although the Blood Bodhisattva was sweet, he would definitely choose the Blood Buddha over the Blood Bodhisattva!
Although the old beggar and Chen Gou'er had not yet extended an invitation to him, Li Wushou had already tacitly accepted the invitation to plot against the Blood Buddha. In the Three Immortals Pavilion, face was the least valuable thing.

Facing the Blood Bodhisattva's scrutiny with composure, Li Wushou cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

The Blood Bodhisattva on the main seat nodded slightly, his angry gaze softening, and his kind and gentle face radiated warmth as he spoke:
"The Blood Buddha is merciful and welcomes the three new island lords of Blood Soul Island to attend the Buddha's birthday celebration."

Li Wushou remained unfazed upon hearing this. The Blood Soul Island Master must be the three unlucky souls they had just eaten. Li Wushou was not surprised that the Blood Bodhisattva had revealed that the invitation came from Blood Soul Island.

If the invitations from Blood Buddha Temple don't have any unique markings, then it just shows how stupid Blood Buddha Temple is.

After Li Erniu took on the duties of the High Priest, he had been thinking about designing a unique mark for the High Priest's residence. He even consulted Li Wushou about it. Li Wushou didn't know whether he actually designed one or not, because he had never invited anyone to do so.

Besides, isn't it normal for the islands to change owners several times over in such a vast ocean?
Blood Bodhisattva saw through their identities but still let them in, which shows that the other party didn't care. However, he deliberately pointed it out, which was to teach Li Wushou the rules!
Does occupying an island automatically make you the island owner? Do you still have to pay homage to the powerful figures in the island?
Li Wushou understood what the Blood Bodhisattva meant, but he had no intention of paying homage to him. He turned around, found an empty seat, and sat down with the Tree Goddess and the Paper Goddess.

The Blood Bodhisattva's kind and benevolent face remained smiling, while the wrathful Vajra's eyes twitched slightly.

What an unruly and rampant hermit! Having attained enlightenment, he's become quite arrogant. It seems we'll have to keep them at Blood Buddha Temple for a while longer to listen to the Dharma after this Buddha's Birthday.

The other guests were also somewhat taken aback by the recklessness of Li Wushou and his companions. They couldn't tell whether they were genuinely stupid or simply carried away by their newfound power.

As they sized up Li Wushou and his two companions, some people involved in the human trafficking business were already calculating whether they could buy them if Blood Bodhisattva dealt with them.

Despite the three of them being a bit silly, the food still looked pretty good!
The leading man was full of vitality, and many women who practiced dual cultivation were extremely fond of such a man.

However, it's probably not their turn yet. The opponent's blood essence is a perfect nest of flesh and blood. Would the Blood Bodhisattva let it go?
But the gray-haired woman and the little girl should have a good chance of buying them.

Many people are already planning to find an opportunity to subdue them even if the Blood Bodhisattva doesn't make a move, especially the gray-haired women with that kind of temperament. Whether they use them themselves or sell them to others, it's a sure-fire way to make money!

However, not everyone was planning to buy and sell Li Wushou and his group. Some were simply curious, while most were arrogant and indifferent. Without exception, they were all the stationed personnel of various forces in the Fubo Domain.

They had little interest in the owner of a small island in the open sea, let alone someone so arrogant and ignorant.

There's no need to pay attention to people who die young!

The crowd displayed various expressions, while Li Wushou observed them from his elevated position.

At first glance, it's full of people, but inside it's a strange and wonderful place.

Some are real people, while others are evil spirits dressed in human skin.

There were very few guests on Li Wushou's side; most of them were evil spirits and monsters, each concealing their malevolent forms and hiding them in fresh skins.

These bodies were all freshly killed, and inscriptions were carved on their surfaces to shield them from the gaze of the divine soul. Most of the guests in this hall were at the Golden Core or Foundation Establishment level, and very few could see through these bodies.

Why did Li Wushou know so much?

When he entered the temple, he had seen a spirit in a dark room in the side hall of the main hall. At that time, the spirit had arrived before Li Wushou and had chosen a skin.

The gray-robed monks of Blood Buddha Temple immediately killed a prepared leather bag, and an eight-eyed Golden Core monk personally focused his mind to carve inscriptions on the skin.

Then the spirit put on the skin and entered the main hall.

Although the leaders of the various forces inside the hall could not see through appearances, they were well aware of this phenomenon. Looking at these monkeys dressed in crowns, they had some disdain on their faces.

The spirits seemed to dare not offend these people, and wisely huddled together and sat on Li Wushou's side.

Therefore, there were very few real people sitting on Li Wushou's side. Most of these people had no background and were unaware of the ins and outs. If you looked closely, you could clearly feel their unease.

However, their unease was only relative. From the expressions on their faces, Li Wushou could even sense a more piercing aura than that of the officials opposite them.

Clearly, in order to enter this great hall, they had all stepped over piles of corpses.

After all, the rogue cultivators who can sit here are at least local tyrants of some islands, large and small, within the surrounding hundreds of miles of sea.

They may not want to come to such an occasion, but they have no choice but to, because there are rules set by the Blood Bodhisattva for this sea area!
For some reason, Li Wushou thought of Zhu Sihai's accusations before his death: what he had fought for for half his life, many people had obtained at birth.

It's cruel, but this kind of thing happens all the time.

At least they achieved something, but many more perished somewhere, becoming nothing more than insignificant, withered bones used as stepping stones.

Therefore, it's simply a matter of choice!

However, among these people, one family of three particularly caught Li Wushou's attention.

It wasn't that Li Wushou thought they tasted good, but rather that the family of three seemed somewhat out of place.

The couple appeared to be in their forties, with cultivation levels around Foundation Establishment. They were both obese and dressed in fine clothes.

The woman was adorned with gold and silver, which, while not enhancing her air of wealth, was undeniably luxurious. Five gold bracelets, resembling shackles, were worn side-by-side on each of her two arms.

The man wore two gemstone rings on each of his ten fingers and was also waving a fan in a pretentious manner.

The crowd held the two men in utter contempt.

If this were an ordinary person, the airs of these two might have drawn envy from others, but who were the people present?

Magical artifacts, spiritual materials, elixirs, and cultivation techniques are what they focus on; not everyone values ​​gold and silver as much as Li Wushou does.

Even Li Wushou initially suspected that there should be at least two magical artifacts among these jewelry pieces.
After looking at it several times, I finally came to a somewhat speechless conclusion: it's pure gold and silver jewelry!
However, there's nothing wrong with liking gold and silver. Li Wushou likes them too, at most he'll complain that the two of them have too much of a flaunting of wealth.

But when Li Wushou saw the little boy squeezed between the two obese bodies, his brows furrowed slightly.

The boy, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, had no cultivation and was very thin. He had his head slightly lowered and was sandwiched between his two obese parents. His face was slightly bluish, as if he had difficulty breathing.

Nevertheless, the boy kept taking food from the table and carefully handing it to his parents.

After his father turned around and accidentally knocked the pastry out of his hand, his mother slapped the boy across the face, instantly bruising his cheek and drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.

The pastries that had fallen to the ground were deformed by the boy's tilted body.

His mother was furious and reached out to hit him again, but a woman on the opposite side suddenly snorted coldly.

"This is not your backyard. If you want to discipline your child, go home!"

The boy's parents' expressions changed slightly, but they didn't seem as afraid of the woman as the others sitting on this side, though they withdrew their outstretched hands.

With a twist of their bodies, the boy was pushed behind the table. His parents, with their backs to him, stopped looking at him and began to eat heartily.

It was as if they wanted to make up for the embarrassment they had just lost with food.

The boy behind the two stared at the crushed pastries on the ground, swallowed hard, struggled for a long time, then slowly picked up the pastries, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed them whole, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.

The moment the boy looked up, Li Wushou realized that the boy had heterochromia; the pupils of his two eyes were different colors, one a deep blue and the other a normal black.

Li Wushou's gaze hovered high in the air as he scrutinized the family of three for a long time, finding them increasingly strange.

The couple, dressed in gold and silver, let their son starve like this.
To this end, he even had Chen Gou'er smell the blood and qi of the family of three, and the conclusion was that they were indeed a family of three.

This puzzled Li Wushou even more. Moreover, the two of them were eating and drinking without any regard for others, which suggested that they were extremely fond of food.

But Li Wushou didn't see any enjoyment in their eyes; on the contrary, it seemed that he didn't want to eat at all.

Would you rather eat until you're stuffed than feed your child?

What's wrong with this?
Putting all that aside, what is the purpose of these two bringing a child with no cultivation here?
Just so he can serve you meals?
What a grand display!
Just as he was mentally complaining, Li Wushou opened his mouth and ate the pastry that the Tree Goddess had put to his mouth in one bite. Not to be outdone, the Paper Goddess took another pastry and offered it to Li Wushou.

Not long after the farce ended, a number of new people arrived.

When the empty hall was almost full, a Buddhist bell suddenly rang out from outside the hall, followed by eight more rings, for a total of nine bell sounds that reverberated.

The sound of chanting rang out from the Buddhist hall in the backyard of Blood Buddha Temple. Li Wushou looked up and saw that ninety-nine corpses had just been thrown into the huge crematorium. In an instant, the thick smoke from the burning corpses formed a huge Buddha image in the sky above Blood Buddha Temple.

The Blood Bodhisattva, seated on the main seat, slowly rose, his kind and benevolent eyes sweeping over everyone as he smiled and said:

"Thank you all very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the Buddha's birthday celebration. Blood Buddha Temple has prepared a small feast. Please enjoy it first, and then we can discuss important matters. How about that?"

All the guests rose in unison, bowed to the Blood Bodhisattva at the head of the table, and replied:

"Thank you, Blood Buddha! Thank you, Blood Bodhisattva!"

Blood Bodhisattva's smile widened, and he clapped his hands. A group of monks brought various kinds of meat and wine to the tables.

While others practice vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures, Blood Buddha Temple has never had such taboos, and its consumption of meat and blood is extremely diverse.

Everything that flies in the sky and swims in the water is available!

Seeing so much food, the Tree Goddess and the Paper Goddess were about to start competing again.

Li Wushou glanced at the meat on the table, but waved his hand and said he wouldn't eat it. Instead, he poured himself a cup of wine and drank it.

He drank while staring at the table, as if he were zoning out.

The Paper Goddess glared at the Tree Goddess with some annoyance. She thought that their rivalry had angered the Second Master. Seeing Li Wushou drinking wine with a strange expression, she felt uneasy.

The Tree Goddess also noticed Li Wushou's expression, and she regretted it a little. What was the point of arguing with a little paper figure? Instead, she had displeased the Second Master.

After a long period of anxious waiting, the Paper Goddess finally couldn't contain herself and asked:

"Second Master, why aren't you eating?"

Li Wushou seemed to be thinking about something, and replied somewhat absentmindedly:
Oh, I'm not very hungry!

Upon hearing this, both the Paper Goddess and the Tree Goddess's expressions changed, and their hearts skipped a beat.

Oh no! The Second Master is really angry!

When have the three gentlemen of the Three Immortals Pavilion ever not been hungry?

Clearly, the two men's behavior just now displeased the Second Master!
The two sat behind the desk, fiddling with their clothes. After a while, they moved closer to Li Wushou and said in unison:

"Second Master, we're sorry, we were wrong!"

"Hmm? Oh! I understand."

Li Wushou was slightly taken aback at first. After regaining his senses, he looked at the Tree Goddess and the Paper Goddess with a puzzled expression. He was not quite sure what the two of them had suddenly done wrong.

Seeing the two men's sincere apologies, he could only reply with "I understand."

He had no time to dwell on what the two had done wrong. Looking at the table laden with meat, Li Wushou's mood grew heavy.

He could clearly smell the scent of "animal consumption law" in it.

This technique was the same one used by Huang Maocun, the resident of the Donkey Taoist's restaurant, and it originated from the second Venerable One Li Wushou knew of besides the Porcelain Venerable One—the Food Venerable One.

Li Wushou never expected to encounter this technique here.

With a thought, Li Wushou shifted his gaze and flew towards the kitchen of the Blood Buddha Temple. He wanted to see whether the Blood Buddha Temple had obtained this technique by accident, or whether the Immortal Mountain Food Venerable was behind it.

It should be noted that Pudu Island is not far from Fubo Domain, only about a thousand miles away. If it is indeed the Venerable Food who is plotting something behind the scenes, then it will not be this small trouble at present.

And what about the Blood Buddha Temple?
What role does the other party, as a force within the Fubo Domain, play in this?

As you move into the kitchen, you see several monks with multiple tongues and multiple noses busily working.

Multiple tongues help them accurately grasp the proportions of spices, while multiple noses help them control the heat to maximize the aroma of food.

No wonder their skills are better than the Paper Goddess's. I must find a chance to capture a few monks to provide some spices for the Three Immortals Restaurant. Li Wushou muttered to himself, looking around the entire kitchen.

However, they did not realize that the animal teeth used to perform the "animal-eating spell" were from slaughtered livestock. In other words, the meat was already in a spell-cast state when it was sent to the Blood Buddha Temple.

Could it be that the Blood Buddha Temple was truly unaware of this?

Was it also secretly plotted against by the Venerable Food Master?

Li Wushou withdrew his gaze, not rushing to draw conclusions. Not finding the animal tooth used in the spell did not mean that the Blood Buddha Temple could be completely ruled out as a suspect.

Li Wushou downed the wine in his cup again and looked with interest at the Blood Bodhisattva above him, who was exchanging pleasantries with the others.

The other person, with his fierce and angry face, was eating heartily, while his kind and gentle face was taking care of everyone with warmth and thoughtfulness. Even the couple who had just angered everyone was taken good care of by him.

What a two-faced person!

The welcoming banquet lasted for nearly an hour before finally coming to a slow end.

The main hall was quickly tidied up by the monks who filed in, and pots of tea were then placed on everyone's tables.

After everyone had drunk their tea, Blood Bodhisattva slowly began to speak:
"The banquet is over, and the annual trading conference is now officially underway. May all of you obtain what you seek!"

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall became lively, clearly indicating that everyone was looking forward to this trade fair.

Li Wushou was also quite curious about this and was about to observe how the transaction was conducted when suddenly a spirit dressed in a leather bag sitting on his side stood up abruptly and said to the Blood Bodhisattva seated above:

"Before the trade fair begins, I have something to offer to the Bodhisattva."

Blood Bodhisattva's expression remained unchanged; his kind and benevolent face smiled as he asked:

"Oh? What is it?"

The spirit didn't speak, but reached into its robes, pulled out a conch shell, rubbed it casually, and immediately a large number of rocks fell out.

The spirit seemed surprised to fall so suddenly, scratching its head somewhat awkwardly and saying:

"I don't know what this is. I only know that it seems to contain a lot of things, and it seems like it can never be empty!"

All eyes were fixed on the conch shell in the spirit's hand, filled with curiosity.

Then, gasps of breath were heard from the leaders of the various factions.

Everyone suddenly stood up, astonished:

"Mustard Seed Ferry Crossing!"

(End of this chapter)