"So it's Yue Yinping's temple! No wonder such a capricious deity, who even killed those who spoke obscenities, has not had her temple torn down by the common folk, but instead still resides in the prosperous Qian Tang, enjoying the worship of all."
"The Grand Ancestor of the Great Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, bestowed excellent posthumous honors upon the descendants of the loyal and virtuous generals of the Song Dynasty. The Yue family was completely exonerated after the reign of Emperor Lizong of Song and was posthumously enfeoffed as kings. Coupled with the establishment of temples and sacrifices by the Ming people, and the protection afforded to such temples by the government, this is what is known as the grace of two dynasties."
The ancients placed great importance on loyalty and filial piety. Many folk temples were erected by later generations out of sorrow and were worshipped for generations. They absolutely did not believe that such deities would do anything malevolent to them. If a deity killed someone, it was certainly because the deceased had committed some evil deed.
This absolute faith, however, also led to a mixture of folk deities, vastly different from celestial gods.
The origins of folk deities are diverse: some are substitutes, some become gods through vows and incense, some are ghosts impersonating deities, and some are even demons disguised as gods.
"Qian Tang County, by the West Lake... Right, isn't this not far from Lin'an Prefecture of the Song Dynasty!"
Ji Xiang suddenly remembered that the capital of the Southern Song was indeed in the Hang region. Qian Tang was the principal county of Lin'an Prefecture, though it was a few days' journey from the ancient Lin'an Prefecture. However, it was the top county under the jurisdiction of Lin'an Prefecture.
And the Wind and Cloud Pavilion in the Dali Temple of Lin'an was precisely where Yue Fei met his end.
"This is excellent, they've walked right into my trap!"
Ji Xiang was overjoyed! It was truly a case of searching high and low without success, only to find it effortlessly. Last time he went to the Yinshan Sect and saw their dojo destroyed, he couldn't find any trace of the Song court. He never expected that after his spirit and form were damaged and he flew out of Dingjia City, he would arrive at the very capital of the Southern Song!
Based on the situation in the Forbidden City and combined with the unusually powerful demon that Silver Bottle Maiden had dealt with earlier, he might have now found another stronghold of the Song court.
Ji Xiang immediately made a decision that went against his "ancestors."
Fishing.
The demon that Silver Bottle Maiden had eliminated might have been raised by the Song court. She had been eliminating demons and subduing devils here for so long, and yet, being merely an ordinary folk deity with not very high magical power, no one had bothered her. This made perfect sense.
However, the individuals behind the raising of demons would not allow her to continue acting so recklessly. This time, by helping Silver Bottle Maiden, he might attract the attention of these behind-the-scenes figures, and perhaps soon, someone would come to visit her.
"Not only can it allow me to indirectly eliminate demons and devils, but it can also help me find the potential Wanshou Palace stronghold, and most importantly, it can accelerate the recovery of my spirit and form. After all, with the increase in manifestations, a large amount of incense and vows will also gather faster."
"And what comes with this is an endless stream of good deeds."
Killing four birds with one stone, this deal was definitely worthwhile. All that was required was a little initial incense and assistance. Ji Xiang was extremely generous in this regard, immediately performing a dazzling display of his statue's radiance.
This was to inform her that his divine power was abundant and that she should use it freely, without restraint. If she still had leftover power after defeating the demons, she could just unleash her skills into the nearby mountains and valleys.
The radiance from the Zhenwu statue startled Silver Bottle Maiden, but she was immediately overjoyed:
"Great Emperor's divine might! Have you granted my request?"
"Thank you, Great Emperor!"
She was extremely pleased, and Ji Xiang appropriately allocated a portion of the incense to her. Under the effect of this incense power, the damaged parts of Silver Bottle Maiden's body rapidly healed.
"Her spirit and form are recovering so quickly. Indeed, is it due to her foundation of faith?"
Ji Xiang watched as his portion of incense, after being given to Silver Bottle Maiden, caused her previous injuries to disappear visibly. The ethereal parts of her being, which represented her lost spirit and form, were now beginning to recondense.
The mere demonic aura of a Nascent Soul level fierce demon was no match for the incense Ji Xiang had distributed. His Golden Purple Elixir had just been formed, and any evil energy below the Pure Yang realm would immediately dissolve without a trace upon contact with Ji Xiang's incense.
However, the speed at which Silver Bottle Maiden's spirit and form recovered puzzled Ji Xiang. It was extremely difficult for his own incense to condense into spirit and form, yet when distributed to others, it seemed to cure ailments instantly?
Was it truly like the Tang Monk's flesh, where it was useless for Tang Monk himself but granted immortality to others?
Empowered by the Zhenwu statue, Silver Bottle Maiden looked at everything happening to her in astonishment. The injuries inflicted by the Nascent Soul demon were instantly healed, and the demonic energy vanished without a trace!
But after her surprise, when she looked at the Zhenwu statue again, she did not offer thanks. Instead, a deep reverence for the unknown filled her.
"...Great Emperor, have you truly descended into my humble temple?"
The divine position of Emperor Zhenwu was high in the heavens, surveying all worlds. Silver Bottle Maiden began to ponder, wondering if it was truly Emperor Zhenwu who had acted in killing the Nascent Soul demon yesterday, rather than the divine power of the statue?
But... whose divine position was being used by Zhenwu, and who possessed such great ability?
And who could obtain the court's permission to invoke Emperor Zhenwu's divine position?
"Perhaps, I am overthinking."
Silver Bottle Maiden returned to her own statue to rest, but Ji Xiang, hidden within the Zhenwu statue, paid no mind to the thoughts of this young maiden. He was Zhenwu, and yet not Zhenwu. He possessed the spirit and form of the White-Faced Zhenwu, not the divine position of Emperor Zhenwu.
"Strictly speaking, White-Faced Zhenwu and Emperor Zhenwu are not the same entity, but rather one of Zhenwu's predecessors."
Silver Bottle Maiden returned to her statue to rest, but the troubles of the Silver Bottle Maiden Temple had only just begun.
The next day, the yamen runners had already informed the Qian Tang county magistrate about the temple's deity reprimanding them. The monks of Lingyin Temple also heard the news and, in addition to the young monk in white, three senior monks arrived at once.
"Four Arhats, are they really trying to pry something out of me?"
Ji Xiang's cultivation was interrupted again, and he was quite displeased. The arrival of the Qian Tang county magistrate and the monks of Lingyin Temple had caused the temple's incense offerings to decline for the day. Not only were the wealthy merchants absent, but even ordinary pilgrims could not enter. This was akin to a monthly income of one hundred thousand suddenly dropping to one thousand five.
Ji Xiang naturally had no good feelings towards these people.
Did they come visiting without bringing any incense?
Fortunately, this time Ji Xiang did not need to display any divine power. Silver Bottle Maiden manifested from the statue and appeared before the four Arhats, questioning them with displeasure:
"I heard about what happened before. How dare you take Master Zhenwu's statue from my temple without my permission?"
"Masters of Lingyin Temple, have you gone too far? I advise you to leave here as soon as possible."
Her heroic face was now overlaid with a murderous aura.
When she had left, these monks had come to move her belongings. Now that she knew, how could she have a pleasant disposition?
After all, the divine power of the Zhenwu statue was the key to saving her life. If the monk in white had taken the statue that day, she would not have been able to borrow the power of the Zhenwu spell and might have truly died at the hands of that Nascent Soul realm demon.
She then looked at the Qian Tang county magistrate:
"Lord Zhou, our acquaintance is not shallow. Whenever your wife and daughters had any issues, I often manifested to help. Firstly, it is out of gratitude for the many good deeds you have done for the people of Qian Tang County, and secondly, it is out of consideration for your sincere devotion and the past merits of your ancestors. After all, although you are not an upright person, you are a good official. I never expected you to bring these monks to steal my incense and take things from my temple. You have disappointed me."
The Qian Tang county magistrate was momentarily speechless. If he were to say that the monk in white had acted on his own initiative, it would appear as if he were shirking responsibility. Moreover, he had some acquaintance with that monk in white. Just as he was thinking of how to explain, one of the older monks among the Arhats came to the magistrate's aid and clasped his hands together towards her:
"Amitabha! Benefactress Yue, my disciple was indeed rude last time. I, as an old monk, apologize on behalf of my disciple. We are here today for two matters. The first is indeed for this Zhenwu statue, but the second matter is for you."
Silver Bottle Maiden chuckled: "For me? It is truly unenlightened for you monks to seek me, a woman."
The monk in white felt that Silver Bottle Maiden's words were extremely insulting, but the other three monks showed no reaction. The old monk, however, looked at the monk in white, who was about to interject, and admonished him:
"What is called an Arhat? They are free from all worldly afflictions, have slain the thieves of afflictions, comprehend the meaning of non-birth, and have severed the doubts of view and thought in the three realms. If you are stirred by a word or two, your mind is unstable. How dare you claim the fruit of Arhat?"
The monk in white immediately clasped his hands and retreated.
Silver Bottle Maiden said to the old monk unhurriedly: "Master Jingxian, is this child your disciple? Is your sect's conduct so unsightly? Teaching him to take things without permission?"
The old monk chanted Buddha's name again: "Amitabha! This poor monk has failed in his discipline. Upon returning this time, I will have him copy the 'Shurangama Sutra' ten times, so that he may see his true nature and not be deceived by evil thoughts. Then, I will have him come to the temple to serve incense for one year. What do you think of this punishment, Benefactress Yue..."
"Forget it."
Silver Bottle Maiden's expression turned solemn: "I do not wish to be in the same temple as this eminent monk. I fear that after a year, even my merit box might disappear."
The monk in white's brows twitched, his emotions stirred, and he dared not look up.
The old monk, however, was quite pleased. The fact that Silver Bottle Maiden said such a thing meant that the matter was settled. Humiliation was a small matter. In this life, even emperors could not escape being pointed at.
"Very well, this poor monk shall explain the second matter to you in detail."
Silver Bottle Maiden asked doubtfully: "Why start with the second matter?"
As the conversation entered the main topic, Master Jingxian spoke solemnly, but did not answer her question. Instead, he retorted:
"Did you go out to subdue demons and devils yesterday?"
Silver Bottle Maiden nodded: "Yes, so what?"
Master Jingxian: "Was the place where you subdued the demons and devils on Phoenix Mountain...?"
Silver Bottle Maiden asked sternly: "How do you know? You monks are actually tracking me!"
"I went to subdue demons and devils. What are you trying to do? If you don't come to help me, are you trying to kill me?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the temple became tense. Silver Bottle Maiden felt that these monks had ill intentions, so Master Jingxian quickly explained: "Benefactress Yue, please do not be angry. It is not that this poor monk tracked you. This poor monk guarantees on his personal behalf that Lingyin Temple was completely unaware of the entire incident."
"It is just that the appearance of the demon on Phoenix Mountain was truly beyond our expectations. The reason we knew this information is because a distinguished person came to Lingyin Temple and informed us of your appearance on Phoenix Mountain."
"Therefore, I have come here to inquire about your manifestation in the world this time. Were you responding to a folk prayer, and if so, who was the prayer and who asked you to go to Phoenix Mountain?"
"That place is where the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was located. It is imperative to eliminate the demon that dares to occupy the imperial palace as its lair, but we are more interested in knowing who discovered this matter."
Silver Bottle Maiden asked: "Who asked me to go is not important. This is my manifestation in the world, not yours. Furthermore, who is this distinguished person you speak of? Master Jingxian, as one of the four Great Arhats of Lingyin Temple, do you actually have someone you can call a distinguished person?"
"A cultivator in the Pure Yang realm?"
Master Jingxian: "The distinguished person claims to be the founder of Yulong Daoist Academy, but this poor monk has not met him, so I dare not be certain that what he says is true. Therefore, this poor monk will go to Yulong Daoist Academy next. Benefactress Yue can accompany me."