The Red Snail Temple, gilded by the rising sun, looked hazy to me. Wispy black mists coiled around the golden - roofed glazed tiles, enshrouding the seemingly solemn Buddhist temple like a gigantic black cocoon.
A winding stone staircase snaked up the mountain like a long tongue of a demon. Pious believers were prostrating themselves step by step as they made their way towards the open temple gates.
"The temple reeks of demonic energy!"
Even though we were still about half a mile away from the temple on the mountain, the hairs on my body stood on end. The eerie and malevolent aura was so strong that even the underworld would seem upright and solemn in comparison!
"Watch your mouth!"
Before Sijiangchen could respond to my words, a pot - bellied man in the parking lot hurled vulgar insults at me.
The man had just stepped out of a champagne - gold Bentley. He was wearing a gray designer tracksuit and had three or four ruby and sapphire rings on his fingers. He sized me up with malicious intent. A seductive woman beside him glanced at me and joined in the scolding, "If you don't know, don't spout nonsense. This is the most auspicious temple for making wishes. If you keep running your mouth, you'll end up in the tongue - pulling hell!"
I gave the couple a sidelong glance. The man was dark - skinned and overweight, looking to be in his forties or fifties. The well - designed tracksuit on him made him look like a big bear. The woman on his arm was in her early twenties. She had a curvy figure but wasn't really good - looking. Her face was full of plastic surgery work, and the prosthesis on the bridge of her nose was almost poking through the skin.
I didn't have the time to deal with such people. I grabbed Sijiangchen's hand and headed up the mountain.
This place was so eerie that I was even more worried about Xueshuo's safety.
"Hey, honey! She's ignoring us!"
My silence didn't stop the woman. She pouted and swayed her body, tugging at the fat man's arm, "We're just trying to educate her. How could she turn a blind eye to our kindness?"
The fat man first glanced at our car and saw that it was just an old Lincoln. Then he frowned and snapped, "I'm talking to you! Do you know where this is? How dare you act so rashly!"
Hearing the fat man's rude rebuke, Sijiangchen finally turned to look at the two of them. There was still that gentle smile on his face. "What do you think this place is?"
"A holy Buddhist land. You... you can't... slander it."
The woman beside the fat man finally saw Sijiangchen's face clearly. Her exquisitely made - up face blushed instantly. She changed her venomous words and stammered, then quietly withdrew her hand from her husband's thick elbow.
"Yes, we're also here to pay respects to the Buddha." Sijiangchen smiled faintly. "How could we slander the proper Buddha and Bodhisattvas?"
"You're also here to worship!" The woman beamed. "Let's go together then. My... my family is a top - tier VIP of this temple and enjoys special treatment. If you follow us, you'll definitely get an audience with the great lama."
As she said this, she even winked at Sijiangchen coquettishly.
Ugh!!!
I rolled my eyes mentally. This woman must have taken a fancy to Sijiangchen!
Sijiangchen's smile was so deceptive. Outsiders always thought he was a gentle and refined man. His "central - air - conditioner" - like demeanor made women think they had a chance to get close to him.
Moreover, our car today was an old Lincoln, which was considered extremely inferior in the eyes of upstarts. This made the woman think she had the capital to flirt with Sijiangchen. Even under her husband's nose, she dared to make eyes at Sijiangchen secretly.
"Thank you. We also have friends here. We won't trouble you." Sijiangchen declined politely.
We were here to find Xueshuo, who had been used as a vessel by the One - Eyed Buddha Mother. We didn't have time to pay homage to any great lama.
"Oh, you also have acquaintance among the masters in the Red Snail Temple. Then... we should go together. Share resources."
The fat man didn't seem to mind his wife's amorous glances at another man. He waved his hand, and the quail - egg - sized gems on his fingers sparkled in the sunlight. "Come on, my resources are hard to come by for others!"
"Let's go!" As he said this, he waved his hand again, showing his upstart airs. "Stop being so indecisive. You don't look like a man!"
After saying that, he took the lead and stepped onto the stone staircase up the mountain.
"Little girl, you don't sound like a local from Beijing." The seductive woman lagged behind a bit and tried to make small talk with me. "What kind of business are you in in Beijing?"
"I run a small supermarket."
I noticed that the woman's eyes kept stealing glances at Sijiangchen's hand intertwined with mine. So I hugged Sijiangchen's arm proudly and said, "It's dozens of square meters. I can earn a few hundred yuan every day!"
"Oh, a few hundred yuan? That's a lot!" The woman curled her lips disdainfully. "A few hundred yuan isn't even enough for my breakfast!"
"Impossible! What do you do? Don't think you can fool me! My boyfriend is a white - collar worker in a company, and he doesn't earn as much as I do!"
I stole a glance at Sijiangchen and found that although he was looking at the temple in the distance, the corner of his mouth was slightly raised with a hint of indulgence, allowing me to talk nonsense.
"I bought all his clothes and shoes."
"Oh, you paid for them?"
Hearing my words, the woman sized up Sijiangchen again. Although his clothes and shoes looked comfortable, there were no big - brand logos on them. She probably thought they were those so - called affordable luxury brands that ordinary white - collar workers who wanted to enjoy life but didn't want to spend too much money would buy.
Thanks to my words, in her mind, Sijiangchen was undoubtedly a gigolo.
"I get hundreds of thousands of yuan as pocket money every month." The woman pointed to her high - end fashion and said proudly, "A single set of clothes costs six figures... There's a mine in my family. Every day we dig out money."
As she said this, she didn't forget to glance at Sijiangchen.
"Is it your family's or his?" I pointed at the fat man walking in front, knowing the answer already.
"His is mine. He's willing to spend money on me. So what?" The woman was obviously annoyed. "He's in charge of making money for me to spend, and I'm in charge of looking beautiful... Right, honey?!"
She quickened her steps and grabbed the fat man's hand.
"Right, right, right!" The fat man was already out of breath. He patted the woman's face and said, "My wife just needs to be as beautiful as a flower!"
"Humph!" The woman rolled her eyes at me and then continued to pout, "After we finish worshiping the Buddha, I want to go shopping at Yansha. Transfer a million or so to my card."
"Hehe... Transfer... transfer!!" The man forced a smile, and the flesh on his face twitched slightly.