Chapter 156: Big Temple Spends Big Money

After entering Dingyuan City, Wang Ziyuan and the other three said goodbye and went to the temple to pray and get rid of bad luck. The warden refused their thank you gift. Zheng Chunni, who had been silent all the way, suddenly asked: "Can I go to the temple too?"

The warden looked at the small jar and smiled, "Of course, but let's go eat first. I'm a little hungry."

When she heard the meal, Zheng Chunni's stomach rumbled a few times.

"It seems that you are hungry too. Haven't you eaten before?" asked the prison warden.

Zheng Chunni was silent for a moment: "My parents died early, and my brother and I depended on each other. I did odd jobs on weekdays, which was not tiring, but the money was less, and I only had one meal a day at noon." It was just past midmorning now.

The prison warden also fell silent for a moment, looking at the people passing by. Some were dressed luxuriously, while others were ragged. The luxurious ones were ordering people around, looking very happy, while the ragged ones were wandering on the streets, looking very miserable.

There is a golden dog in front of the rich door, and half an acre of land in front of the poor family. There are people singing and laughing on the building, and there is a beggar on the street corner.

"Then you should have a good meal later. It's my treat. Don't be polite." said the prison warden.

The two men walked through the streets. The prison warden was still wearing the armor. He was watched all the way, but he was at ease and didn't seem to notice. On the way, they passed a theater troupe setting up a stage. They were still telling the story of "A Dream of Red Mansions", but they had music and choreography, which made the show more interesting.

The prison warden and Zheng Chunni watched for a while through the gap in the stage, and after the dance, they felt a little lost.

A dance in the Red Mansion, a dream of the Spring and Autumn Period, the illusory world of Taixu, the twelve golden hairpins, the Prince of Yihong, all the sighs are in vain! Life is so hard and busy, and the grand banquet will eventually end. A thousand kinds of sorrow and joy are all illusions, and the past and present are all absurd in a dream.

They came to the noodle stall again. The prison warden was strong and ate three bowls of noodles. Zheng Chunni had a small appetite, but she had been hungry for a long time, so she ate more than half a bowl before stopping. She packed the rest and took it away. Her actions were natural and there was no shyness.

After having a good meal and a good drink, the two came to the big temple in the south of the city.

"Would you two like to buy some incense?" As soon as they entered the door, they were stopped by a big monk. He had a fat head and big ears, and a big belly. He could save so much oil and water by eating only vegetarian food, so he must have a big appetite on weekdays.

The warden looked at Zheng Chunni, who shook her head, pursed her lips, and asked hesitantly, "Master, I want to pray for my brother's soul, how much money do you want?"

The great monk looked at the black and red armor on the warden. Although it was a little scary, it looked like it was made of a lot of mineral materials. He waved his hand and said, "If you want me to perform the ritual, it will only cost one tael of silver. If you want my uncle the supervisor, it will cost two taels. If you want my uncle the abbot, it will cost five taels."

Zheng Chunni took out a small cloth bag from her bosom, which contained some small change, less than half an ounce in total. She looked at the prison warden, who said nothing and just waited for her to make her decision.

Zheng Chunni thought for a moment, exhaled, rewrapped the cloth bag, and put it in her arms: "Thank you, Master. Let's forget about the salvation."

All her actions were seen by the big monk. Seeing that the cooked duck was about to fly away, he couldn't help but get anxious: "Don't worry, Xiang Xin, you can treat me, half an ounce is even fine." Then he looked at the man next to the woman.

Zheng Chunni just kept shaking her head, bowed her head, and walked inside, ignoring the monk's calls.

The prison warden followed, his iron boots clicking on the bluestone floor, and he could hear the big monk cursing in a low voice: "You poor bastard! You thought the Buddha would make you a fortune today."

"Why don't you pray for the soul to be reborn? If you don't have any money, I can lend you some."

Zheng Chunni shook her head. "I just heard from the elders in the village that if the soul is not saved, it will be resentful and will not be conducive to reincarnation. But I don't have enough money. The warden and I have someone who saved our lives, so how can I ask for help? It's okay not to save the soul. After all, the dead must give way to the living. Yuansheng will forgive me."

After entering the temple and bowing, they finally let go of their thoughts. The two of them set out on Zheng Chunni's road back to the village. However, the moment the warden stepped out of the city gate, he looked back. There were people singing and laughing in the city, while demons and ghosts were rampant outside. The monks in the city were all full of food, but outside the city, there was Zheng Chunni who only had one meal.

"Monks are fools and can be taught, but demons and ghosts will cause disasters. We should first get rid of the harm caused by demons and ghosts, and then correct the distorted human hearts."

The prison wardens thought as he strode out. Human greed would not lead to anything, but demons and ghosts would really eat people. Moreover, the custom of praying to Buddha and gods has been around for a long time and it would not be achieved overnight. Buddha and gods can only be a spiritual sustenance but cannot be used as the last straw. It is not easy to stand up again after kneeling for so long.

"How many people are there in your Liudi Village?" asked the prison warden as they walked on the road.

"There are more than fifty households. There is a big willow tree at the entrance of our village. It is growing very well." Zheng Chunni was a little excited when talking about the place where the tree grew, but then her heart darkened. There were still two people when they went out, but when they went back, there was only one person left holding the jar.

"Won't the village attract demons?"

"Don't be afraid. The teacher in the village is very powerful. He knows swordsmanship and can drive away any monsters with his sword. There is also a small temple in the village that also worships Buddha. Grandpa Faqing is also very powerful," Zheng Chunni said while touching the altar. "I can ask Grandpa Faqing to help me to save Yuansheng. He won't charge me any money."

After walking for several hours, the prison wardens could vaguely see the shadow of Liudi Village. The willow trees at the head of the village were indeed very tall and well-grown. When the breeze blew, the willow branches swayed like thin and soft green ribbons.

Before I even reached the village entrance, someone came to greet me.

"Chun Ni is back, why are you alone here? Where is Yuan Sheng?" The man stopped talking halfway when he saw the jar in Zheng Chunni's hand.

"Mr. Zheng, Yuansheng is here too. I took him home." Zheng Chunni said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "Why did Mr. Zheng come out?"

Mr. Zheng sighed: "I saw you and... the person next to you from a distance, so I came to take a look."

The prison warden touched the mecha on his body. He felt that his aesthetic taste was very good, but it just didn't fit in with this world, so he often made a fuss about things that were out of the ordinary.

"I am the prison warden, nice to meet you, Mr. Zheng."

Mr. Zheng looked at the warden and said, "I am Zheng Qiuting. Please don't blame me, warden. I have a serious illness and I won't get up."

As he spoke, he patted the wooden handle under him. He was wearing a starched and bleached scholar's shirt, and looked to be about thirty years old. He held a sheathed sword in his right hand, and his legs were amputated below the knees. He now sat in a wooden wheelchair, pushing the wheels with his hands to move forward.

The prison warden could feel that Zheng Qiuting had some skills and knew that he was the teacher who knew swordsmanship as Zheng Chunni had mentioned. He just didn't expect him to look like this.

"What did Mr. Zheng say? It was the prison warden who was reckless." He then recounted what had happened.

Zheng Qiuting smiled, not without self-mockery: "Fellow Daoist, the prison warden has a kind heart and can kill monsters. He is much better than a cripple like me. Please come in."

"I eat as much rice as I can. I am just doing what I can do. My contribution is not even a fraction of what you have taught me."

The prison warden followed him in, and Zheng Chunni handed the jar to Zheng Qiuting and pushed the wheelchair forward.

(End of this chapter)