Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 340 Mingde Temple

Upon hearing Lin Jiang say that there might be a problem with the item he had, Nian Yuan frowned.

"has a problem?"

"Yes." Lin Jiang nodded: "This substance can indeed increase the cultivation level of people from the Northern Kingdom, but their character and foundation will be subtly distorted by the secret method contained within. And the donkey-headed Taoist you encountered is actually a villain that I have been hunting down. He clearly wants to use you to harm the abbot."

Yu Wenyun nodded vigorously beside him:

"Indeed, I once fell victim to this trickery. At the time, I thought it was all for the sake of Daxing, but I never expected it to almost cause a disaster. Even now, thinking about it, I still feel heartbroken every night, as if I'm being stabbed with a knife."

"Yes...really?"

Nianyuan's face was clearly filled with vigilance. Without making a sound, she pulled the white jade bottle in her hand closer to her body, seemingly having no intention of handing it over to Lin Jiang and the others.

Lin Jiang knew perfectly well that Nian Yuan had never believed him at all.

However, this is understandable, since it is all one side's story right now. To outsiders, their group doesn't seem to be there to help Nianyuan, but rather to covet the treasure in his arms.

It has a hint of "Such a treasure is being wasted in the hands of this young man; it would be better to hand it over to me so that it can be carried forward and developed."

Just as Lin Jiang was hesitating about how to prove himself to Nian Yuan, he suddenly saw Yi Er San, whose appearance had changed, quietly pull a red candle from his sleeve. Apart from him and Yu Wenyun, no one else seemed to notice Yi Er San's action.

She focused intently on lighting the red candle, and as the wick flickered with a dim, yellow flame, Nianyuan spoke:

"I paid a hefty price to hire this..."

His attitude softened.

The Red Candle Dharma.

She had used this method before, and now that she was activating it again, it instantly reversed Nianyuan's attitude.

This method is truly interesting.

Seeing that the other party's attitude had softened, Lin Jiang immediately turned around and quickly boarded the carriage without hesitation.

In a short while, he took down a small box and handed it directly to Nianyuan:

"We will buy this pill from you."

Nianyuan reached out and took the small box with a hint of suspicion. As soon as he touched it, an astonishingly heavy force surged from the box, almost causing him to drop it.

What is this thing that is so heavy?

He subconsciously put aside the other items and immediately reached out to lift the half-closed lock on the box.

Suddenly, a golden light shone on his face, so dazzling that he couldn't help but close his eyes.

Gold!

Even though it's only a small box, it's incredibly heavy!

Nianyuan's eyes suddenly widened.

"Damn it..."

He felt dizzy and had no time to think about what the gold could buy. He could only quickly close the box and stuff it into his pocket.

He then pulled out a tattered cloth bag and stuffed the box inside.

That was clearly a Qiankun bag.

It looks rather shabby on the outside.

Seeing that the deal was done, Lin Jiang simply bent down and gently took the white jade bottle into his palm.

He had to swallow this thing as soon as he got into the carriage to avoid any complications.

Only then did Nianyuan, who was holding the gold, realize what was happening, and a trace of regret appeared on his face. But as soon as his fingertips touched the Qiankun bag, the regret quietly disappeared.

Ling Kong, who was observing from the sidelines, remained silent, unmoved by the gold and silver, and only said softly:

"Nianyuan, do you still plan to go to the mountain temple?"

"The people at the temple don't like me, and now that I'm out of medicine, it seems like it doesn't matter whether I go or not..."

Nianyuan mumbled on and on, clearly hesitant, before finally letting out a long sigh:
"The abbot has treated us well after all. Although the disciplinary hall's constant nagging about rules and precepts is quite annoying, it has nothing to do with the abbot. I'm thinking I should go back and see him."

"Then why don't you come with us first?"

“Alright.” Nianyuan scratched the scar on his bald head that had fallen off. “I’m thinking that if I travel alone, I’m afraid I’ll be captured by the monks again.”

Without lingering, they headed straight along the path toward Mingde Temple, which was not far away.

After walking for a short while, we came to a wide, sunny avenue.

Like other ancient temples in the mountains, Mingde Temple is located on a high mountain, with a town called Mingde Town surrounding the foot of the mountain.

During their conversation, two monks who had previously been ordained at Mingde Temple told them about the town's history.

Initially, Mingde Temple was quite far from the town, and if the monks wanted to go down the mountain to do something, they had to pass through a dense forest that was rarely visited by people.

Later, during the Daxing era, a wealthy man's wife, who had been unable to conceive for a long time, came to the temple to burn incense and pray for a child. After returning home, his wife, who had been unable to conceive for a long time, became pregnant. The wealthy man was overjoyed and spread the word about the temple's efficacy, attracting many wealthy pilgrims to Mingde Temple.

Seeing the business opportunity, the townspeople in the distance gradually built houses at the foot of the temple and started businesses there. Some sold so-called "Buddhist beads blessed by the masters on the mountain," while others honestly ran wineries. Meanwhile, the monks on the mountain bought a large area of ​​land below and rented it to nearby farmers to help the temple produce food. The money they earned ensured that the monks in the temple would not have to worry about making a living and could concentrate all their efforts on studying Buddhist scriptures.

Over time, this place gradually developed into a town, and naturally, it became known as Mingde.

"Back in the day, when I was craving something sweet, I would often sneak into this town to steal some wine, and I was punished by the disciplinary monastery countless times."

As Nianyuan spoke, he reached up and touched his head, and couldn't help but sigh:

"I even suspect that I'm not as smart as I used to be, maybe those bald monks gave me a good talking to."

“You’ve never been very bright since you entered the temple,” Lingkong glanced at him.

"Hey! I've got quite the temper!"

Two monks were talking in hushed tones in front of them, while the people behind them stopped the carriage at the horse parking area below the temple.

The temple remains open today, and many pilgrims are climbing up the mountain, most of whom have come from nearby.

Some were dressed in fine clothes, while others were clearly dressed as farmers, their faces bearing bitter expressions, as if all the misfortunes of life had been poured onto them, turning into invisible boulders that bent their backs.

It is obvious that these people also intend to go to Mingde Temple to offer incense to Buddha and pray that Buddha can find a way to alleviate the suffering in their lives.

Lin Jiang didn't know if the ethereal Buddha could grant their wishes, but seeing the burning desire in their eyes, he could only hope that their wish would come true.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance of the mountain temple, and Lin Jiang immediately saw a row of monks standing at the entrance.

Several of them looked familiar; they were the same monastic monks who had just fought with Nianyuan.

They completely ignored the pilgrims around them, keeping their eyes fixed on the temple entrance as if searching for something.

Seeing Nianyuan and Lingkong enter the temple, they immediately lowered their voices and whispered to an old monk beside them.

The old monk's gaze was sharp as lightning, exuding an imposing aura without anger. After listening to the conversation, he suddenly turned his head, his piercing eyes fixed on Yu Wenyun in the crowd.

Yu Wenyun immediately looked back and met the old monk's eyes.

The old monk swayed suddenly and staggered two steps. If the monks from the monastic discipline ward hadn't caught him in time, he would have almost fallen to the ground.

His eyes were filled with shock and confusion, his lips trembled, but he ultimately uttered not a single word.

Lin Jiang nudged Yu Wenyun with his elbow, and the latter quickly lowered his eyelids and composed himself.

The monks exchanged glances, and finally, the old monk managed to steady his breathing and walked heavily toward the group.

"Greetings, esteemed guests. This old monk is Yining."

The old monk stopped a few steps away, bowed to the crowd, and spoke with a hint of barely concealed nervousness:

"May I ask what brings you gentlemen to Mingde Temple? Is there any important business to attend to?"

Lin Jiang explained with a smile:
"The two masters beside me were concerned about the safety of the abbot of Mingde Temple. Upon hearing that the abbot was seriously injured, they rushed back to Mingde Temple. They happened to think that we had some medical knowledge, so they brought us here."

Although everything he said was true, the old monk still looked doubtful after hearing it.

He fiddled with his prayer beads, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two masters and Lin Jiang.

"Is it to cure the abbot's illness?" the old monk asked, his hand, which was holding prayer beads, paused slightly.

"Exactly."

Monk Yining sighed:
“If it weren’t for my distrust of you all, the main reason is that a former disciple had already come to our temple earlier. He was drunk and caused a ruckus. After we captured him, he claimed he was here to deliver medicine to the abbot. So today, you two have come along as well…”

At this point, the old monk couldn't help but glance deeply at Lingkong and Nianyuan before him:
"Back in the mountains, the three of you were the most troublesome."

"The three of us?" Lingkong was taken aback, and another figure who was always inseparable from them instantly flashed into his mind, "Nianwu?"

"It is him." The old monk said with a sigh of helplessness, "The three of you were notorious troublemakers at Mingde Temple back then. The temple has spent countless efforts trying to calm your restless and violent tempers and bring you back to the Buddhist path, but to no avail. And yet these past two days, you have all gathered here in this mountain temple, claiming that you have found a way to cure the abbot. My heart is in turmoil and I can hardly find peace."

Nianyuan and Lingkong couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

If one person acted on a whim, two could be considered a coincidence, but for three to do so...

There's something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Lin Jiang frowned upon hearing this.

"Is someone using magic?"

“Not sure.” Jiang Jinyue glanced at the two monks behind her. “There are no signs of any spells cast on them.”

"That's really strange."

The description itself seemed strange, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was.

He paused for a moment, then continued:
“Master, we are not without our own abilities. If all else fails, we can gather them all together and see if it is a coincidence or someone playing tricks. If there is nothing wrong, we can also examine the abbot’s illness.”

The old monk was actually quite hesitant. According to the rules, this group of people with unknown identities should not be taken to see the abbot, who was seriously ill, so easily.

However, his gaze lingered for a moment on Yu Wenyun's forced smile, and he finally nodded slowly.

"Thank you for your help."

(End of this chapter)