Chapter 1803: Chapter 1830: The Banquet
Fang Hua walked to the window with a face full of confusion, raised her hand, and pulled the window down.
Li Xiaobai and the other two stared hard at her.
But this little girl acted as if nothing was wrong, closed the window, and reached her hand out to feel outside, muttering, "There’s no wind, it’s not cold at all, how strange."
"Master, I’ll go ask Grandpa for a quilt to keep you warm."
Fang Hua bowed, then hopped away.
This left the three in the room deep in thought.
"Did she see it?"
"She definitely saw it."
"The body on the hillside is right outside the window; that child’s mental fortitude is not ordinary."
"It would be great if Yu Huan Shui was here, we could see her memories to understand the situation in this village."
The three missed Yu Huan Shui; truth be told, the utility of the Law of Fate is really convenient, turning someone into a book and everything becomes clear.
After a while, the door was knocked again.
A tall figure stood outside, based on the figure it was a man.
"Who is it?"
Li Xiaobai asked.
"It’s me, bringing quilts for the three masters."
The man outside the door spoke; it was Wang Dachui.
Ma Niubi went to open the door, and was met by that familiar honest smile; Wang Dachui warmly laid the quilts for the three, but the more enthusiastic and sincere he was, the more Li Xiaobai felt that something was odd.
"Thank you, Uncle Wang. It’s strange, I was chilled to the bone earlier, but now I’m unbearably hot, it must be because I’m new to Yue Xing and not used to the environment."
"Indeed, little monk feels the same way."
"Could I trouble Uncle Wang to open the back window for us?"
The three repeated their trick, asking Wang Dachui.
"No problem, sometimes cultivators aren’t suited to the environment of Yue Xing, give it a few days."
Wang Dachui laughed, walking over to the back window and naturally pushing it open, reaching his hand outside as if feeling the wind.
"The night scenery of Jade Lotus Village is very beautiful, especially the hills, accompanied by the sounds of insects, but a few days should pass before you head out as you have not adjusted yet."
Wang Dachui gazed into the distance, showing no emotion.
Li Xiaobai noticed that his eyes had no focus when he looked outside, meaning he wasn’t looking at the corpses at all.
Was it intentional ignorance, or could he not see the corpses at all?
"By the way, the village chief and the master have prepared a feast to welcome the three masters, fulfilling their duty as hosts."
Wang Dachui didn’t give them time to think, pushing the door open and gesturing for them to enter.
The three were perplexed but followed anyway.
It was still daytime, and the villagers passed by, greeting them warmly with smiles on their faces.
"Are there any cultivators in Jade Lotus Village?"
Li Xiaobai asked.
Wang Dachui replied, "Those with potential have left; they were not content to stay in Jade Lotus Village for a lifetime."
"Didn’t the immortal master teach you Buddhist Law?"
Li Xiaobai pressed on.
Wang Dachui laughed, "Sincerity brings spirit; why be obsessed with Buddhist Law? As long as we follow what the master says, the village will be at peace, with favorable weather."
"And if you don’t do as the master says?"
Liaowang interjected suddenly.
"Then we would not have the protection of the Buddha."
"Have you ever seen the Buddha?"
"Never."
"What kind of existence is the Buddha?"
"A god!"
"..."
After this conversation, Li Xiaobai felt that these people had been thoroughly brainwashed, summarized in one sentence: this village knows nothing about the Buddhist Sect, they only know one thing—absolute obedience to the master’s instructions.
Wang Dachui stopped in front of a temple.
This temple was quite grand, though made of piled stones, its style and imposing aura were on a whole different level from the other village buildings.
"The master and the village chief are inside, the three of you are also people of the Buddhist Sect, so you must understand the rules."
Wang Dachui’s expression suddenly turned serious, speaking solemnly.
Li Xiaobai was baffled, "What rules?"
"In the temple, you must follow the rules of the Buddha. Just follow my lead during this meal; it shouldn’t be a problem."
His words made the trio even more puzzled.
They were now certain that something was very wrong with the village; many had died, and the likely instigator was this master—a dangerous figure.
"Let’s go in, remember to step with your left foot first over the threshold."
Wang Dachui opened the temple gate and entered, and Li Xiaobai and the group followed suit, stepping with their left foot first.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they had the unsettling feeling of being watched, as though invisible eyes were fixed on them.
Yet, looking around, they saw nothing.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a huge statue of a Buddha, ambiguous in appearance, resembling a Buddha but with hair.
Wang Dachui joined his palms together, paying his respects. Li Xiaobai and the others followed his example.
This temple was incredibly vast, with black lines of empty rooms all devoid of people, and they took a detour to the largest room, where there was light from a fire.
Ma Niubi ridiculed, "Why are there torches lit in broad daylight?"
"Hush!"
Wang Dachui immediately gestured for silence, stopping his action.
"Master, chief, the guests have arrived."
"Come in."
Inside the room were only two people, an elderly man with a face similar to Fang Hua’s—it was the village chief.
The other wore a red Kasaya, had long hair, a vermilion mark at the center of his brow, and looked young, gentle as jade, with bright, penetrating eyes.
Li Xiaobai then realized the colossal Buddha statue in the courtyard resembled this monk.
Could this be the immortal master?
"Amitabha, I am Monk Changsheng; greetings to the three masters. I heard of high-ranking monks from the Buddhist Sect arriving in the village and invited you over with delight; please forgive any offense."
Monk Changsheng put his palms together, chanting.
"A monk does not rejoice or mourn for worldly things, why the delight?"
Li Xiaobai said coolly.
Monk Changsheng was not angered, "I have learned something."
"Let’s not stand and chat, please take a seat."
The village chief came forward to mediate.
Li Xiaobai was unreserved, plopping into the top seat, deliberately picking a fight to see what Monk Changsheng was up to.
Ma Niubi and Liaowang sat to his left and right, remaining extremely alert to respond to any situation.
The village chief and Monk Changsheng were taken aback; it was their first time encountering such ignorant guests.
In the corner, Wang Dachui’s face turned pale, as if witnessing a terrifying event about to unfold.
"When you came, Little Wang should have explained the rules here."
The village chief smiled, unable to hide his desire to harm them.
"He only told me to step with my left foot first."
Li Xiaobai took up a tea bowl, sniffing it, carelessly.
"Then it was his oversight; the Buddha nearly misunderstood the three of you."
"This is actually a test; if you follow the rules set by the Buddha, you can attain immortality. The feast has many rules, and if you can discern and follow them, you will be safe."
"For example, the first course is the Longevity Fish; the fish head should face the main person."
Changsheng took his seat and received a plate of fish from a server, gently placing it in the center of the table, turning the fish’s head towards the top seat.
Li Xiaobai didn’t think much of it at first but then realized something was off; he was sitting in the top seat, and the fish head should face him, but it now faced Monk Changsheng.
The seating positions around the table had, unbeknownst to them, silently changed.
[Actually, a reader offered four yuan to stop my updates, but another offered five yuan for more, so naturally, I took both cents and continued updating as usual]