Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 160 Dyeing
--pollute?
This is the second time Zhou You has heard this word in the script.

In the previous Tai Sui, both Du Xin and Xuan Yuan had mentioned this thing to him—but for some reason, the two seemed to be very wary of it. Whenever he tried to ask them about it in detail, they would either keep quiet or simply laugh it off.

But now, it seems we could ask this Abbot Liao Chen?

But his own identity...

After considering it for a while, Zhou You finally decided to start from the side.

"Your Excellency, I have been cultivating in seclusion on the mountain for a long time, so I am rather ignorant. Could you please explain this in detail?"

The old monk didn't think anything of it, and just said with a smile.

"It's normal that you don't know, after all, many people in this world know about Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but very few know about this wrathful form—this is actually one of the Bodhisattva's incarnations. When the heavenly demons and heretics invaded, several of the Bodhisattva's original forms were corrupted, but only this wrathful form survived. Our temple obtained one of these golden statues back then, and has been enshrining it ever since."

Zhou You maintained his usual expression, but he silently memorized a few key words.

'A demonic invasion.'

There are still surviving immortals in this world.

Unfortunately, since he was still 'Master Zhou of Baiyun Temple', he couldn't ask for more details. He could only keep these things in mind for now and then asked another question.

"And what about this one next to it? I see it's also gilded. May I ask which Buddha this is?"

However, the old monk seemed uninterested. He merely glanced at the simple, unadorned statue and then casually remarked.

"This isn't a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but rather the former abbot of the temple. He purified the curse of 'people die for wealth' from the temple's teachings, so according to the custom of the martial arts world, a statue of him was erected."

Wait, is this another amazing person with an independent purification method?

Zhou You became somewhat interested and continued to ask questions.

"Where is the host now?"

The old monk shook his head and sighed.

"He died long ago. He passed away more than ten years ago, otherwise he wouldn't be in my possession."

However, before he could finish speaking, suddenly...

"Clang!"

There was a loud bang.

The group looked over and realized that in the short time it took to say those few words, the box full of locks had been carried in and then put directly on the ground.

Seeing this, Zhou You didn't say anything more, simply patted his butt and stood up.

"Since we're about to start inspecting the goods, I'll excuse myself for a moment. Chief镖头 Lu, I'll be right outside the door. Just let me know if you need anything."

However, before Lu Xiuyuan could reply, Abbot Liaochen suddenly spoke up.

"--It's alright, it's nothing shameful, and you can be a witness here, young friend."

Without waiting for a reply, he stood up shakily again, took out a bunch of keys from his waist, and began to unlock the locks one by one.

However, unlike his usual dazed appearance when opening the door, he was now moving very quickly, accurately matching each key he picked up to the lock—in fact, he didn't even glance at it once throughout the entire process.

That practiced way of doing it... it was as if they had checked it countless times before.

The box was opened very quickly.

But inside wasn't any cargo; it was another, slightly smaller box.

Similarly, it was covered with locks.

Abbot Liaochen remained calm and composed, taking out another set of keys from his robes and unlocking each lock one by one.

Their hands and feet moved with the same speed as always. However, upon opening it, there was still another box inside.

Seven or eight minutes later, not only were the people from the escort agency dumbfounded, but Zhou You was also astonished.

No, is this the seventh or eighth?

Also, how many sets of keys does this guy have on him?
Just when everyone was getting a little numb from watching, a lock fell, and what appeared before them was no longer a box.

Instead, it was a pitch-black Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue was like a miniature version of the wrathful Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, with identical eyebrows, eyes, body, and even expression. The carving in the details was also lifelike, and at first glance it seemed as if it had been made in perfect proportion.

Abbot Liaochen carefully lifted the Buddha statue out and then touched it with his withered, wooden hands.

Zhou You noticed that the man's entire body was trembling slightly.

It's just a Buddha statue, why get so excited?

But Liao Chen didn't care about the stares of those around him. He kept stroking the Buddha statue until quite some time later, when he finally remembered that the people from the escort agency were waiting for him.

He gave an embarrassed look, but still carefully placed the Buddha statue on the altar, and made sure it was level with the original image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva before turning his head and saying.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got a little too excited. After all, this thing is related to the survival of Ci'en Temple. Oh, right, I should give you the bidding fee, right?"

Lu Xiuyuan consciously refrained from asking what the Buddha statue was, and instead rubbed his hands together politely.

"There's no rush. We usually wait until the client is absolutely sure they're okay before proceeding."

Before he could finish his polite words, Abbot Liaochen had already bent down shakily, opened the cabinet door under the Buddha statue, and taken out a wooden box that was obviously old.

"Take them, they're all yours."

Open it casually, and in the blink of an eye, the dazzling golden light is captivating.

Lu Xiuyuan, and indeed everyone in the escort agency, couldn't help but be drawn to the scene. After a while, Lu Xiuyuan wiped his drool and hurriedly declined.

"Master, this is too much! It's several times the escort fee. If I accept it, it will break the rules."

But the old monk simply shoved the box into his arms without a care.

"Compared to the temple's future prospects, this money is nothing. Moreover, you, the镖头 (bodyguards), have had a very difficult journey, and you even encountered a strange creature like '福无双至' (Fu Wu Shuang Zhi) along the way. Consider this extra money as a token of my appreciation, and I hope you will not refuse it."

Since the other party had gone to such lengths, Lu Xiuyuan had no choice but to reluctantly accept it. However, just as the two were about to exchange some more pleasantries, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

"come in!"

As Abbot Chen uttered these words, a young novice monk pushed open the door and entered. He first bowed to everyone around him before whispering something in Chen's ear.

As the conversation continued, Liao Chen's initially excited expression gradually faded, and his brows furrowed more and more. After the little monk finished speaking, his face had become quite unpleasant.

Then, he looked up and asked Lu Xiuyuan.

"By the way, Chief Escort Lu, what are your plans after this?"

Lu Xiuyuan was taken aback, not expecting the question to be directed at him. He scratched his head and then said.

"I guess I should head back in the rain first? Time's a bit tight lately, I need to get back to the escort agency to settle things."

However, Liao Chen shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Chief Escort Lu, you may have to wait a while."

"I just received news that the road up the mountain was washed away by the continuous heavy rain over the past few days."

(End of this chapter)