Chapter 3448: Parting the Mist to See the Moon Bright

Most of the pilgrims who come to Qixia Temple head straight for the Mahavira Hall and the Vairocana Hall after arriving, offering incense and kowtowing there before proceeding to other halls to offer incense and pray.

Xiao Churan and Sun Mengmeng entered together; she was momentarily unsure where to go, but Sun Mengmeng beside her seemed decisive, pointing directly to a passage beside the main hall and saying mysteriously: "Xiao Zong, since we're here seeking fate, we definitely can't follow the crowd—we must avoid the masses, for fate favors only the few!"

Xiao Churan shook her head with a light laugh: "Fine, anyway you sell whatever immortals you are, surely you have more experience than me, so I'll listen to you—you lead the way."

Sun Mengmeng nodded repeatedly, taking Xiao Churan's arm as they walked deeper inside.

After winding seven turns and eight turns, they reached the gate of the Wuliang Hall; the notice board for the closed hall had already been taken away by the monks. Sun Mengmeng pointed to the Wuliang Hall and said to Xiao Churan: "Xiao Zong, let's first try our luck here."

Xiao Churan asked doubtfully: "Mengmeng, Qixia Temple has so many great halls—can we really try them one by one?"

Sun Mengmeng laughed: "Let's just give it a try—what if we get lucky and hit the mark right away?"

Xiao Churan resignedly agreed: "Fine, do as you say, but we must be back by eight-thirty at the latest—I still have to go to work at nine."

"Good!" Sun Mengmeng clenched her fists, full of confidence: "Xiao Zong, don't worry—there's definitely enough time!"

The two cautiously approached the Wuliang Hall; Xiao Churan said nervously outside the door: "Other hall entrances have monks, but here there's not even a shadow—could this be an abandoned place? Surely no one's inside."

Sun Mengmeng reassured her: "Whether someone's there or not, we'll know once we go in—this is a temple blessed by deities, so there's nothing to fear."

Having said that, she stepped inside first.

Xiao Churan had no choice but to follow behind her.

The Wuliang Hall was relatively dilapidated, with no incense burners left for devotees to offer offerings; it indeed looked like a deserted ruin.

But Sun Mengmeng naturally knew that Master Jingqing was currently inside the hall, so she marched straight in and then turned back to pull Xiao Churan along.

After entering the Wuliang Hall, Sun Mengmeng immediately asked: "Is anyone here?"

Seeing the hall empty, Xiao Churan said: "How could there be anyone here? It's clearly vacant, isn't it?"

After speaking, she added nervously in a low voice: "I feel this place is rather gloomy—should we just leave?"

Before Sun Mengmeng could speak, a voice came from behind the hall, calm and unhurried: "Amitabha, how did the two benefactors find this place?"

Xiao Churan was startled; looking closely, she saw a middle-aged monk who appeared relatively young walking out from behind the hall.

Before coming, she had done her homework, having seen online reports about Master Jingqing and photos of him performing rituals, so she immediately recognized him.

Sun Mengmeng exclaimed joyfully: "Ah, it really is Master Jingqing! Master Jingqing, greetings! We've come to ask you for protective amulets!"

Master Jingqing nodded slightly, speaking calmly: "Amitabha, the two benefactors share some affinity with this humble monk. Since you seek protective amulets, I'd like to ask—whose protection are you seeking?"

Sun Mengmeng said: "I want to ask for protective amulets for my parents."

Xiao Churan waited until she finished speaking before saying: "I too am a parent, and I also have my husband."

Master Jingqing gave a slight nod, then asked: "Which of the two benefactors should go first? The protective amulets I make require knowing the name and birth date and time of the person to be blessed."

Sun Mengmeng immediately said: "Xiao Zong, you go first!"

Xiao Churan quickly waved her hands: "No, no, no—you should go first, after all, you were the one who suggested this."

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Sun Mengmeng waved her hands dismissively, saying directly: "I'll wait outside—Xiao Zong, you go first."

Having said that, without waiting for Xiao Churan's reply, she turned and walked out.

Xiao Churan felt a bit nervous, after all, being left alone here with a monk gave her an indescribable strange feeling.

But Master Jingqing's countenance was kind and benevolent, not causing her worry, so she adjusted her breathing and mindset, then said: "Master, I know my parents' and my husband's birthdays, but I don't know their exact birth times, so I also don't know how to calculate their eight characters."

"It's fine." Master Jingqing smiled: "Benefactor, you can first give the names and approximate birth dates—I can work out a rough calculation."

Xiao Churan nodded and asked: "Then whose should I say first?"

Master Jingqing said: "Start with your parents, then your husband."

"Alright."

Xiao Churan first told Master Jingqing her parents' names and birth dates one by one.

Master Jingqing calculated on his fingers for a moment, then smiled: "Although these two's eight characters have some hardships, overall they still indicate great wealth and nobility, and the potential to live to a hundred."

"Really?" Xiao Churan overjoyed—great wealth and nobility, living to a hundred— isn't that what everyone pursues in life? If Master Jingqing speaks the truth, then I need not worry about my parents at all.

Master Jingqing was not speaking nonsense.

Whether Xiao Changkun or Ma Lan, though their first half of life had been full of hardships, after Ye Chen escaped the fate of the dragon trapped in shallow waters, their lives underwent a tremendous transformation. Great wealth and nobility naturally followed.

Moreover, Ye Chen possesses vast supernatural powers and various longevity-extending elixirs, so he naturally can ensure Xiao Churan's parents live to a hundred.

Xiao Churan then hurriedly said: "Then please, Master, also take a look at my husband!"

Master Jingqing gently exhaled, smiling: "Benefactor, please tell this humble monk your husband's name and birth date."

Xiao Churan immediately provided Ye Chen's information.

Master Jingqing closed his eyes, his fingertips pinching and calculating for a moment, his brows gradually furrowing.

Seeing him frown, Xiao Churan's heart tightened instantly, and she hurriedly asked: "Master... I... my husband's eight characters—is there something wrong with them?"

Master Jingqing opened his eyes, looked at Xiao Churan, and instead of answering her question, he asked her: "Benefactor, is there anything about your husband that you cannot understand, or that you have always doubted?"

Xiao Churan exclaimed in surprise: "Master... why are you asking this?"

Master Jingqing said seriously: "Exactly as it sounds—over the long time you and your husband have been together, have you noticed anything about him that you cannot comprehend, or that you have always harbored doubts about?"

Xiao Churan hesitated for a moment—if she were to speak of her doubts about Ye Chen, there would be too many.

But many things, though they seem fantastical, still have a logically consistent explanation—just like how, from the very beginning, she couldn't understand how her husband, who before marriage only knew how to buy groceries, cook, and wash clothes, with no other apparent talents, suddenly one day transformed into a feng shui master whom all the wealthy in Jin Ling flocked to.

She had also asked him the reason, but his answer was simply self-taught talent, plus good eloquence and skill in persuasion, which earned him the trust of those wealthy people.

Another matter she had long doubted was that Ye Chen, in the three years before marriage, had always been in a state of passive endurance, never arguing with anyone, and though he appeared frail and incapable of binding a chicken, his skills suddenly became astonishingly good.

When the two assassins came to kill Dong Ruolin, she watched her husband subdue both men throughout, yet his explanation was that he learned it from television, and even the TV programs explained it clearly and systematically, as if it were something called "Wulin Feng."

Xiao Churan had never paid attention to such TV programs, but she had heard of this early martial arts-type show before.

But could self-learning from television really turn someone into a master?

She couldn't understand it, nor dare to guess whether Ye Chen was deceiving her.

Before, she always told herself not to wildly suspect her partner—even if he didn't want to tell her the full story, she should respect his privacy and not dig deep or get to the bottom of things.

But now that Master Jingqing suddenly asked such a question, it activated the doubts buried deep in her heart, as if they had been suddenly awakened.

Jingqing was still guiding her at this time, calmly saying: "If the patron can voice the doubts in your heart, this poor monk should be able to better analyze and answer for you, as well as consecrate the corresponding protective talisman; however, if the patron feels it inconvenient to reveal, that is also no problem."

Xiao Churan subconsciously asked him: "Master, can you truly resolve the doubts in my heart?"

Jingqing smiled and nodded: "Patron, rest assured, today if you have any doubts, this poor monk can resolve them for you; perhaps not through my own words, but it will surely allow the patron to dispel the mist and see the moonlight!"