Taoist Master, wishing for a sacrifice-based system

Zhao Wei, leaning on his crutches, walked step by step into the courtyard.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

They took each step very slowly.

But every step was steady.

Qin Du stood up.

The two people, less than ten meters apart, looked at each other.

Zhao Wei spoke first.

The voice is still a little hoarse.

But not the kind of "about to break" muteness like last time.

It's a kind of calm that comes after experiencing something, a calm that carries a slightly gritty quality.

"Master Qin".

"Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Wei looked at him for two seconds.

Then he laughed.

The curve of her lips was shallow, but very genuine.

"You saved my life."

Qin Du shook his head: "I couldn't save your life. God—"

"Alright, stop talking to me about God."

Zhao Wei interrupted him.

The tone wasn't impolite, but rather a directness between old friends.

"I know what you're going to say. 'It wasn't my doing, it was God's idea,' right?"

Qin Du blinked: "...You watched my live stream?"

"I lay in the ICU for three days, and when I woke up I had nothing to do, so I watched your live stream from the first day to the last."

As Zhao Wei spoke, he chuckled to himself.

"Your 'no after-sales service' phrase almost made my wound burst from laughing when I read it while lying in the hospital bed."

Qin Du smiled too.

Zhao Wei slowly walked to the front of the main hall.

He glanced down at the incense burner.

The place where he knelt, the place where he said he was "willing to give anything".

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Three million eight hundred thousand," he said. "The compensation has already been received."

"I've paid off 3.1 million in debt. The remaining 700,000 is enough for my wife, kids, and me to live on for two or three years."

"Your wife..."

"I'm back."

Zhao Wei lowered his voice slightly.

"After hearing about my accident, she rushed back from her parents' home the next day. She stayed by the ICU entrance for three days and three nights without closing her eyes."

He paused for a moment.

She said, "I didn't leave because of the money; I left because I was angry at your pathetic state. Now that you're almost dead and have the money, why would I leave?"

He smiled, but his eyes reddened.

"You see, my wife is stubborn but soft-hearted."

Qin Du remained silent.

Su Nian stood to the side, having already put her camera down.

Her nose felt a little sore.

Zhao Wei unfolded the banner in his hand.

Red background with gold lettering.

It says--

"Where there is a will, there is a way; Heaven will bear witness."

Signed: Respectfully presented by Zhao Wei.

Qin Du looked at those eight characters, his expression somewhat subtle.

"This...did you have someone write it?"

"I wrote it myself," Zhao Wei said matter-of-factly. "My right hand was in a cast, so I wrote it with my left hand. It's a bit ugly, but the sincerity is there."

Qin Du examined it carefully.

The handwriting is indeed very ugly.

It's crooked and uneven, like a primary school student practicing calligraphy for the first time.

But every stroke was made with effort.

He accepted the banner: "I'll hang it up."

"Can it be hung in the main hall?" Zhao Wei asked. "Next to those three statues."

"OK."

Then Zhao Wei took out the brown paper envelope.

It was placed on the offering table.

"This is 100,000 yuan."

Qin Du stopped moving.

“I’m not giving it to you,” Zhao Wei said. “It’s for the Taoist temple.”

"Mr. Zhao—"

"Don't refuse."

Zhao Wei's tone suddenly became very serious.

"Master Qin, I know your temple has had a tough time. The paint on the walls is peeling off, the paint on the statues is coming off, and I noticed the plaque at the entrance last time I came. The words on the plaque are barely legible."

"You helped me, no matter how outrageous the method was, the result is that my debts are paid off, my wife comes back, and my life is saved."

"This 100,000 yuan is to fulfill my vow."

He pointed to the stone tablet outside the door.

"Didn't you say—'Fulfill your vows as fate dictates'?"

"This is my destiny."

Qin Du looked at the bulging envelope.

One hundred thousand yuan.

For Qingyun Temple as it is now—

This is a number that can transform a Taoist temple from "unable to survive" to "barely able to survive".

It can repair walls.

It can touch up paint.

We can make a new plaque.

Could you replace that rusty donation box that you can't open?

It will allow Qingyun to watch—

At least it looks like a proper Taoist temple now.

"Mr. Zhao." Qin Du's voice was quieter than usual.

"The phrase 'fulfilling one's vows as fate dictates' is enough to simply convey the sentiment of gratitude in your heart."

"It's not about asking you to spend money."

"You just finished paying off a debt of over three million, and this 100,000—"

"I can afford to keep it."

Zhao Wei interrupted him.

"The compensation of 3.8 million yuan paid off 3.1 million yuan of the debt. This 100,000 yuan is what I took from the remaining 700,000 yuan."

"If you don't accept it, then you're looking down on me, Zhao Wei."

His gaze was calm, yet resolute.

"I, Zhao Wei, have done many wrong things in my life. I borrowed money and didn't pay it back, which implicated my friends and made my wife and children suffer because of me."

"But there's one thing I'm never ambiguous about—"

What is owed must be repaid.

The main hall was silent for a few seconds.

Then Qin Du reached out and picked up the envelope.

"OK."

"I'll take it."

Zhao Wei smiled.

This was his most relaxed smile of the day.

Qin Du looked at him and smiled.

Then he lowered his head—

A notification popped up on the system panel:

[Ding—A genuine act of fulfilling a wish has been detected.]

[Vower: Zhao Wei]

[Deliverance of the vow: Donate 100,000 yuan for the renovation of the Taoist temple]

[Sincerity Rating: Extremely High]

[Triggering additional reward: Incense Points x3 bonus]

[Gain Incense Points: +150 (Base 50 x 3)]

Current incense offering value: 250

Qin Du stared at the "x3" for a moment, stunned.

three times.

The system gave an extra three times the reward to those who genuinely fulfilled their vows.

He remembered the last sentence on the stone tablet—

"Making a wish is free, fulfilling a wish is up to fate."

It turned out to be the case.

Making a wish can lead to a reward.

I hope there will be a bonus.

Qin Du put the envelope into the side room.

Then they escorted Zhao Wei to the door.

Zhao Wei, leaning on his cane, glanced back at the Taoist temple before getting into the taxi.

"Master Qin".

"Um?"

"Make this place look nicer."

Zhao Wei said with a smile.

"Next time I'll bring my wife and kids to offer incense to you."

The taxi drove away.

Qin Du stood at the door, watching the car disappear around the bend in the mountain road.

The wind blew up from the foot of the mountain.

Su Nian walked up to him without him noticing.

She didn't say anything.

But Qin Du heard her sniffle.

Qin Du turned and walked back to the main hall.

Unfurl Zhao Wei's banner, find a nail, and nail it to the wall next to the three statues of gods.

"Where there is a will, there is a way; Heaven will bear witness."

Eight crooked characters hung on the peeling paint wall.

It is a bit ugly.

But seeing it makes me feel quite at ease.

And these three days.

Qin Du used that 100,000 yuan to do three things.

The first thing I did was repaint the exterior walls of the Taoist temple. Although it's still white walls and gray tiles, at least it's not crumbling anymore.

The second thing: I touched up the paint on the three statues. The one in the middle no longer looks like it has cataracts.

The third, and most important, thing—

He commissioned someone to make a new plaque.

It's made of wood, painted black, with gold lettering.

It was hung properly on the main gate of the Taoist temple.

Two words—

"Qingyun Temple".

Su Nian filmed the entire process of hanging the plaque.

She held her phone up and took a picture of the new plaque in the sunlight.

The gold lettering reflected the light.

It's very bright.

It was posted on social media.

No extra text was added.

Just one line—

"It finally has a decent name."

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