They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 36 Qingxin Disciple
Chen Guangrui walked out of the post station under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

The streets were already packed with people. The common people craned their necks and pushed forward, while the scholars stood on tiptoe to catch a glimpse of the "Buddhist Scholar." In the distance, monks from several temples gathered together, peering out with expressions of surprise and tension.

The buzzing of discussions, like a low rumble of thunder, shook the stone path in front of the inn.

All eyes were on him, and this immense, silent pressure only made Chen Guangrui's steps more steady. Sunlight fell on his face, and his expression was calm to the point of indifference.

His goal was clear: to build a great temple.

Almost as soon as he moved, the crowd followed like a tide. Wherever he went, the road parted automatically, only to quickly close again behind him.

Countless gazes were fixed on his back, filled with speculation, amazement, and curiosity... forming an invisible ocean.

With such a formidable presence, who would dare to cause any further accidents?
It will surely be a smooth road without any obstacles.

And so, surrounded by a crowd, Chen Guangrui arrived at Daxingshan Temple in no time.

The gates of Daxingshan Temple were wide open.

The abbot and several highly respected elders were waiting at the door, their faces no longer showing their usual detachment, but rather a more solemn expression.

The temple bells rang clearly, and incense smoke wafted through the air. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, a simplified yet solemn procedure began.

Without much further ado, the abbot personally handed Chen Guangrui a booklet containing the Dharma names of "pure and faithful disciples".

"Om..." The clamor of the crowd reached its peak at this moment, only to be quickly replaced by the low chanting of the monks.

Chen Guangrui took the register, feeling the cool touch of the paper on his fingertips. He didn't open it, but simply tucked it into his sleeve, and bowed respectfully to the officiant. The ceremony was complete.

There was no more noise. At this moment, the entire city of Chang'an seemed to hold its breath. The top scholar, Chen Guangrui, dressed in the secular robes of a Confucian scholar, stepped into the threshold of becoming a devout Buddhist disciple under the most fervent gazes.

The ceremony was short, but its effect was breathtaking. When Chen Guangrui walked out of the temple gate, the surroundings were so quiet that you could hear the wind rustling through the eaves.

Done! !
He was certain in his heart: Now that he was a disciple of Buddhism, what could Yin Kaishan do, even if he held a high position and great power? That "peach blossom curse" should finally be broken, right?
Chen Guangrui was secretly pleased; his Buddhist sect had ultimately accepted his scheme.

Now that the ceremony is over, surely no one will force him anymore?

Back at the inn, the commotion seemed to have never happened.

In the courtyard, Zhang Changling was sitting on the stone steps.

He was wearing a brand-new brocade robe, his once carefully combed hair was now disheveled, and the fawning smile on his face had vanished without a trace, leaving only a deathly aura.

His knees seemed even more swollen, and he was curled up, his back exuding an indescribable sense of dejection and despair.

Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat. This expression was definitely not feigned. Zhang Changling also saw him; his lips trembled, and his attempt to force a smile looked more like a grimace.

“Brother Zhang, this is…” Chen Guangrui approached.

Zhang Changling suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice hoarse, thick with nasal tone and filled with disbelief and grievance.
"He refused! Prime Minister Yin... all those valuable items I sent... he returned them all! He wouldn't even let me in the door! He sent someone to politely say 'The Prime Minister's mind is undecided'... undecided?! Didn't you already watch the selection from the bridal chamber? Brother Chen... tell me... what exactly is going on?!"

He almost burst into tears, clutching Chen Guangrui's sleeve as if it were his last straw. He couldn't understand why he was being rejected when Chen Guangrui had already announced his "renunciation of worldly life."

Upon hearing Zhang Changling's words, Chen Guangrui frowned deeply.

Something's not right. It seems the path of becoming a Buddhist monk hasn't been completely severed? Or perhaps the resistance from Yin Kaishan's side exceeds the constraints of his Buddhist identity?
He needed to figure out Yin Kaishan's next move. Guessing wouldn't work. He calmly brushed Zhang Changling's hand away.
"Brother Zhang, please don't worry, let me think about it."

What else can I think about?
Chen Guangrui was in a state of confusion and only managed to say a few words of comfort before making an excuse to leave.

Night fell once more.

Chen Guangrui appeared silently outside the house where he had met Yuan Shoucheng. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He pushed open the slightly ajar door; the house was empty.

He walked with practiced ease to a corner of an abandoned woodshed in the back alley, and tapped a moss-covered brick three times quickly and two times slowly. After a moment, the brick silently moved aside, revealing Yuan Shoucheng's withered, panicked face. He quickly looked around before letting Chen Guangrui crawl inside.

Inside the small house, the oil lamp cast a dim yellow light.

"Quick! Quick, help me block some of the window cracks!"

Yuan Shoucheng gave tense instructions. Chen Guangrui followed his orders, blocking the window gaps with cloth before sitting down at the table.
"Old Yuan, let's do another divination. What will Yin Kaishan do next?"

“Still…still need to be calculated?” Yuan Shoucheng’s withered fingers began to tremble again. “You…you made such a big show of it today, the whole city was in an uproar over the conversion, wasn’t that enough? Those people didn’t…” He subconsciously glanced at the window again.

"Not enough!" Chen Guangrui said firmly.

Yuan Shoucheng looked at Chen Guangrui's unusually calm face under the lamplight, and finally sighed resignedly. He said no more, and with trembling hands took out three rusty ancient bronze coins, muttering incantations. With a flick of his withered hand, the coins clattered onto the table.

His gaze was fixed on the divination chart, his cloudy eyes darting around rapidly.

Suddenly, he shuddered, his face turning ashen, as if all his strength had been drained away, and even his voice trembled with despair.
"Peach... Peach Blossom Entanglement... Not severed! Calamity... Calamity Qi... On the contrary... Intensified! The entanglement became tighter... More ferocious!"

He suddenly looked up, his cloudy eyes filled with disbelief and terror, as he looked at Chen Guangrui.
"The secrets of heaven... the secrets of heaven are completely in chaos! I can't see... I can't see what he'll do next! But... the calamity is getting closer and closer! It's becoming more and more dangerous!"

Chen Guangrui's face suddenly darkened. Converting to Buddhism hadn't broken this deadlock? It had only exacerbated it?

"Bang!" The door was suddenly slammed open with tremendous force! Wood chips flew everywhere! The two people inside turned around in shock.

At the entrance stands the enormous dragon head of the Jinghe Dragon King, formed from water vapor, its eyes wide open, burning with raging fury and long-suppressed rage!

The air in the room suddenly became heavy and damp, as if he were underwater. He looked at the two people, but his tone was somewhat unfriendly.

"Oh, so you two are both here! Looking for! Looking for! What the hell are you looking for, Officer Cao!"

The old dragon's roar echoed like thunder throughout the small house, causing the oil lamp flame on the table to flicker wildly.

"Trying to fool Lao Long, is that it?! Chen Guangrui! Yuan Shoucheng!"

His gaze swept fiercely over the two people in the room, finally fixing on Chen Guangrui's face.

"So many days! Not a single trace! Where is he?! You said you found him! Where is he?! Point him out to Old Long! Did the person you're talking about run off to become a monk? Are you going to become a monk to keep him company?"

The dragon unleashed its furious breath, carrying icy vapor and terrifying pressure.

The Dragon King of the Jing River was impatient. After waiting for several days without any results, his patience wore thin.

With Chen Guangrui's decision to become a monk now common knowledge in Chang'an, he felt this wasn't about avoiding some romantic entanglement at all, but rather a cruel joke, which fueled his resentment.

He promised to help him find Cao Guan, but now he's become a monk? What's going on? Is he just putting on a show?
Despite the immense pressure, Chen Guangrui's voice remained calm, "Dragon King, please calm down. I have mentioned to you before that your death calamity should be more than ten years from now. The Human Official? I'm afraid even he himself may not know that he is the 'Human Official' at this time, so naturally he cannot be found. This matter needs to be considered carefully."

"Take a long-term view? Ha!"

Today, the Jing River Dragon King seemed rather irritable. He let out a piercing, cold laugh, and his massive dragon head drew closer.

"Yuan Shoucheng! You old swindler! You think you can calculate? Calculate!"

His ferocious dragon eyes turned to Yuan Shoucheng in the corner: "Now! If that official is right here in Chang'an! Or even in this house! Can you! Calculate it?! You can't be wrong, can you?"

"Yes! It's definitely possible! If he's truly here, with such a profound karmic connection... even if I risk my life, I can glimpse a sliver of the truth! It's absolutely possible! There's no way I wouldn't sense anything!"

Yuan Shoucheng's voice was shrill, filled with the fear of being coerced and the last bit of confidence in his own magic.

"Did you hear that?!"

The Jinghe Dragon King turned its massive dragon head towards Chen Guangrui, its voice lowering, filled with icy chill and utter disappointment.
"He said he could! But he doesn't! That means there's no one here! Either the official in charge of personnel is nowhere to be found, or... you're just playing tricks on Old Dragon!"

His massive body receded abruptly, and the cold, damp oppressive feeling subsided like a receding tide.

"Old Long doesn't have time to play these roundabout tricks with you guys anymore!"

The old Dragon King's voice left behind a final, chilling warning.

"Remember this! From this day forward, don't even think about messing with our Jinghe River aquatic creatures! If any fisherman dares to try and catch the golden carp in my river again, don't blame the old dragon for showing no mercy!"

Before the words were finished, the huge water vapor dragon head at the entrance twisted and blurred for a moment, then collapsed with a roar, turning into a cold, damp vapor that dissipated in the night wind.

Inside, only deathly silence and chaos remained. Outside the door, the night was deep and dark. Inside, Chen Guangrui's brows were tightly furrowed. The dim oil lamp flickered in the cold wind, seemingly on the verge of going out at any moment.

(End of this chapter)