Chapter 45: Temple Fair
In the courtyard of the siheyuan.
Chu Xingchen had just returned not long ago when someone came to visit. Even Li Xingtian had yet to return at this hour.
Li Yingling was also absent from the courtyard, most likely still finishing up matters with Li Xingtian.
If they came back, the two would return together.
"Did you arrange all this?"
Yaoqin sat on a stone chair, taking a sip of the tea Chu Xingchen had brewed himself.
Chu Xingchen's expression was calm. "Which matter are you referring to?"
Yaoqin set down her cup, her tone serious. "Qingfeng Sect."
Chu Xingchen sighed. "Originally, yes. But after I looked into it further, I realized there's no need for deliberate interference. Qingfeng Sect probably won't last much longer anyway."
The moment he saw that piece of blood-essence spirit stone, Chu Xingchen had already understood.
Qingfeng Sect was merely one of the main courses on the table of those demonic cultivators.
But this particular dish had thorns—a Nascent Soul–stage Ancestor.
Because of that, those demonic cultivators had to plan their move carefully.
Chu Xingchen asked, "Did you see the piece of blood-essence spirit stone Zhao Wanqing brought back?"
"I did." Yaoqin's expression turned solemn. "We've already reported it to the Central Domain. Within half a month, specialists will arrive to handle it."
"This matter is too dangerous. You should stay out of it until the Central Domain resolves everything."
Chu Xingchen chuckled softly at that but said nothing in reply.
Yaoqin continued, hands wrapped around her teacup. "I've already told Zhao Wanqing to stop her investigation as well. Her younger brother has passed the critical stage—he'll wake soon; it's only a matter of time."
Chu Xingchen sighed, his earlier composure fading into listlessness.
"I understand."
Yaoqin nodded lightly, then raised her beautiful eyes to the azure sky.
She didn't speak further, simply sat there quietly with her cup.
Chu Xingchen gave her a curious look.
Normally, once Yaoqin finished talking, she would leave immediately. Why was she sitting here so quietly today, just staring at the sky?
After a brief thought, Chu Xingchen said suddenly, "Wait, are you craving my cooking again?"
Yaoqin turned her gaze toward him but said nothing.
She did want to eat, but that wasn't her main reason for coming.
She turned the cup in her hand unconsciously. "Are you free tonight?"
Chu Xingchen rested his chin on his hand. "Tonight? A bit later, yes. I promised my disciple we'd go to the temple fair together this evening."
"Then it's fine."
Having received her answer, Yaoqin stood up and walked toward the gate.
Just as she reached the doorway, she turned back, her tone tinged with concern.
"I'll pay you for Zhao Wanqing's spirit stone, but stay out of this matter, all right?"
After all, back when Chu Xingchen was poor, he had taken on countless dangerous jobs just to earn spirit stones.
If there was any profit to be made, she feared this brat might go chasing after it again.
The previously listless Chu Xingchen suddenly perked up, unable to hide his excitement.
"Alright! Rich Lady Sister, I promise I won't get involved."
Yaoqin frowned, clearly displeased. "What Rich Lady Sister? That sounds awful! Don't call me that again!"
Chu Xingchen argued matter-of-factly, "How is that awful? Back in my hometown, everyone loves women like you—beautiful, generous, and a true rich lady."
"I don't care! I don't like it! Don't call me that!"
Yaoqin shot him an icy glare, huffed coldly, and turned to leave.
As she departed, the courtyard fell silent once more.
Chu Xingchen looked down at the teacup before him, then suddenly raised it and drained it in one gulp.
Though events had veered slightly off track, everything was still within his expectations.
"Master! I'm back~"
The main gate swung open as Li Yingling ran in, beaming with excitement and clutching a small shovel in her hand.
"Mission accomplished!" she announced proudly.
Hot on her heels, Li Xingtian stepped into the courtyard as well. "Master, everything went smoothly."
Chu Xingchen clapped enthusiastically, full of praise.
"Excellent! As expected of my two beloved disciples!"
Hearing that, Li Yingling lifted her chin proudly, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
But just as she basked in her master's praise, Chu Xingchen changed tone mid-sentence. "However, set those matters aside for now. We'll regroup tonight—temple fair!"
Li Yingling reacted quickly, asking, "Did something happen?"
Chu Xingchen shrugged. "Seems like it's something big. Yaoqin told us not to get involved."
Li Yingling sighed—so all their earlier effort was for nothing?
Still, having her master accompany her to the temple fair wasn't a bad trade.
Li Xingtian, as usual, simply nodded indifferently.
Satisfied, Chu Xingchen grinned. "Good! Our sect's first team-building activity officially begins!"
——————
The temple fair was, in a sense, the prelude to the Lantern Festival.
It was held at the largest temple in Yuzhou City—Chanlin Temple.
To be honest, the original Lantern Festival had little to do with temples.
At first, there wasn't even such a thing as a temple fair.
After all, the Lantern Festival's true purpose was to write one's wishes on a floating lantern and let it drift along the Yuzhou River, symbolizing one's aspirations going smoothly with the current.
As for the wishes on those lanterns, they were simple—wealth, success, or finding a partner.
Pure and unpretentious.
But how did a temple fair become part of it? To answer that, one had to understand how Chanlin Temple rose to become the foremost temple in Yuzhou City.
In this world, because the immortal path truly exists, faith is mostly something yearned for by mortals who cannot cultivate.
And truthfully, even among mortals, true believers were few.
As for cultivators, who among them didn't proclaim, "My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's"?
So, unlike in Chu Xingchen's previous world where monks were exempt from taxes, here, stripped of divine favor, even monks had to pay taxes.
First, monks are still human.
Second, monks still need to eat.
And eating requires money.
Even sculpting golden Buddha statues costs money.
With mere incense offerings from worshippers, they could barely get by.
As for gilding statues of the Buddha or Bodhisattvas? That was pure fantasy.
It turned out that once monks became desperate from poverty, they too would abandon certain doctrines.
The monks of Chanlin Temple soon set their sights on Yuzhou City's most popular festival—the Lantern Festival—as a chance to make money.
The lanterns were for making wishes, but why must one use lanterns?
Praying to Buddha worked just as well! If you could spend money to float a lantern, you could just as easily spend it to offer incense!
Moreover, a single stick of incense cost far less than a lantern.
In any world, the poor are always many.
Not everyone could afford a lantern for their wish, but a cheap stick of incense was affordable for most.
And so, the Buddha who once taught people to abandon greed now began to "bless" them with fortune.
Furthermore, there were clever minds among the Chanlin monks.
The temple deliberately widened the road outside and rented out the space to merchants, collecting stall fees.
As long as no one brought grilled meat skewers into the temple, the monks tolerated almost anything—and indeed, the crowds of vendors flocked in.
They even understood scarcity marketing—holding the fair only for a few days before the Lantern Festival, never more, keeping the excitement high.
And thus, Chanlin Temple grew rich from its "holy" association with the Lantern Festival, filling its coffers to the brim.
Even the Buddha's golden statues grew larger year after year.
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