Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. They had seen bodhi trees and lotuses planted in front of temples, but never a money - attracting tree. So blatantly using the Buddha's name to make money was like shouting "Welcome" at the entrance of a hospital.
Yu Nian stared intently at the temple, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"The temple sits in the Kun direction and faces the Gen direction in feng shui. It's very effective for laypeople to pray for children and wealth, but it's extremely unfavorable for monks to uphold their precepts and practice. It's very difficult for truly accomplished practitioners to emerge here. Also, due to its orientation, very little sunlight can reach the inside of the temple. It's almost in the shade all day long."
She turned to Shi Ce and asked, "Did that monk say which deity is mainly enshrined in the temple?"
Shi Ce nodded and recalled with some difficulty, "The name of that statue is extremely long. The great monk said it was in charge of exorcising evil spirits. I only vaguely remember it's called something like Lord Lushan..."
Ming Mingzhong's eyes suddenly widened. "Lord?!"
Shi Ce was startled by Ming Mingzhong's reaction. Thinking he had said something wrong, he quickly asked, "What's wrong, little Taoist priest? Is there a problem?"
Yu Nian explained, "Star worship is a very important belief in Taoism. There is a divine department in Taoism composed of star deities, and 'Lord' is a respectful title for the star officials in the sky. It's normal for a Buddhist temple nowadays to enshrine a few Taoist guardians. But for Qingxin Temple to mainly enshrine a Taoist lord, that's a bit fishy."
Ming Mingzhong nodded vigorously. Although his abilities were average, he was at least from a legitimate Taoist background and was well - versed in the names and origins of Taoist gods. "There's no such god as Lord Lushan in Taoism! The Qingxin Temple must have made it up out of thin air!"
Seeing the pilgrims entering the temple one after another, Yu Nian gave a talisman to Shi Ce and instructed, "We're going in. The monks in the temple have seen you. You wait for us here."
Shi Ce was originally a bit reluctant about this temple. Hearing this, he obediently nodded.
As they walked past the mountain gate outside the temple, they looked up and saw the majestic main hall. Yu Nian peeked inside but saw it was very dim. Just as she was about to step closer to take a look, Feng Chengyuan gently grabbed her hand and motioned, "Look over there."
They turned their heads and saw a very long queue. The fat monk who had been greeting the pilgrims outside the temple was now standing at the front of the queue.
He held a tray in his chubby hand, on which there were dozens of incense sticks of different thicknesses. He loudly said to the pilgrims, "Dear donors, since you've come to Qingxin Temple, you're predestined with the Buddha! Before entering the main hall, why not offer a sincere incense stick first? The Lord will surely bless you with a long and prosperous life!"
Yu Nian sized him up. Although this monk was fat, his lower face was extremely pointed, and he had a pair of odd inverted - triangle eyes. His glabella was narrow, and the ends of his eyebrows were scattered. He had the typical "scattered - wealth eyebrows." People with such eyebrows were very poor at keeping their wealth but extremely greedy for it.
After hearing what the great monk said, an aunt in front of him picked up an incense stick and asked, "Master, how much is this incense stick?"
The great monk smiled cunningly. "This incense stick costs 888 yuan. The Lord will bless you to make a fortune next year!"
Yu Nian:......
Feng Chengyuan:......
The aunt's face suddenly froze. "More than 800 yuan is too expensive..."
The great monk clicked his tongue. "Dear donor, you're really obsessed. When worshiping the Buddha, sincerity is the key. If you're not even willing to spend this much money for the Buddha, how can you expect the Buddha to bless you?"
The aunt nervously tugged at the corner of her clothes. "Master, I'm here to pray for my son's health. He's spent so much money on hospitalization this year... How about this? I'll work as a free volunteer for the temple. Can you let me go in and pay my respects?"
The great monk's face suddenly darkened. He forced a smile and said, "Dear donor, if you don't have money, why come to the temple? Just leave on your own. Don't waste other donors' time."
His voice was so loud that people around all cast strange looks at the aunt. Some even echoed, "That's right. If you don't have money, leave quickly. Don't you see there are so many people waiting behind? How selfish you are. No wonder you have no good fortune!"
The aunt's face flushed then paled. Embarrassed, she nodded and turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by a fair hand.
"Wait. I'll pay for her."
The great monk was taken aback. "Do you know her?"
Yu Nian smiled calmly and wrapped her arm around Feng Chengyuan's. "Today is our wedding anniversary. Consider it a good deed to make a connection."
Feng Chengyuan was stunned for a moment, then gently held Yu Nian's hand back, a smile playing on his lips. "That's right."
The monk's eyes darted around quickly. "Dear donor, you have good taste. Our Lord Lushan in this temple is in charge of marriage. He can strengthen the right relationship and get rid of the bad ones, and bless you two to be harmonious and last forever!"
Yu Nian sneered inwardly. This Lord Lushan was really busy. Just a few days ago, he was a god in charge of exorcising evil spirits, and today he became a god blessing marriages.
The great monk waved his hand, revealing the QR code pasted inside his cassock. "Cash or Alipay?" As if he remembered something, he quickly took out a POS machine from his bosom. "We also accept credit cards!"
After Feng Chengyuan completed the payment, he said calmly, "Can we go in now?"
The great monk nodded with a beaming smile. "Please come in, dear donors."
After bypassing the mountain gate, Yu Nian stopped the aunt and handed her a talisman. "There's something seriously wrong with this temple. The more you worship here, the worse your luck will be. Hang this talisman beside your son's bed. It might help with his condition."
The aunt was stunned. She had already been suspicious because of the great monk's attitude. Seeing Yu Nian was kind - hearted, she gratefully took the talisman and walked out of the temple gate, looking back every few steps.
When they entered the main hall, they saw many pilgrims kneeling in front of the Buddha statue. They closed their eyes and prayed very devoutly.
He Zhiping walked up to the prayer cushion and was about to kneel down instinctively when Yu Nian suddenly stopped him.
She said in a voice that only a few of them could hear, "There's no real god in this temple. What they're worshiping is just an empty shell."
He Zhiping was stunned and looked at the pilgrims who were kowtowing desperately. "Then what's the use of them worshiping so fervently?"
Yu Nian thought for a moment. "Kneeling before a statue without a god's presence at most means your wishes won't come true. As for the kowtows they're making, just consider it physical exercise."
He Zhiping: ??? Kowtowing as exercise?
Yu Nian turned to look at the "Hall of Lord Lushan" where the incense was the most prosperous. Her eyes darkened. "Worshiping an empty shell isn't scary. What's more troublesome is that they're worshiping statues possessed by evil spirits. It won't do any good. Instead, they'll be haunted by evil spirits."
It was like you were providing free support for a hooligan. Not only did he eat and drink your stuff, but after he regained his strength, he also gave you a good beating.