Chapter 769: My brother, he hasn't been possessed, has he?

Master Duanchen gathered the three pilgrims in the side hall, told them to chant about their own matters, and then left them to it.

"I hope the two benefactors will forgive my lack of decorum." Master Duanchen offered an apologetic smile. "Usually, when I receive pilgrims, I do not resort to physical force."

"Master is truly a man of genuine temperament." Meng Jingzhou placed one hand over his chest, clearly admiring Master Duanchen's previous actions.

Master Duanchen sighed: "Actually, people like that third pilgrim have been appearing in no small numbers in recent years. I don't know what has gotten into them."

"They don't know what evil spell they've fallen under, but they feel their wives, children, and families are a burden. So, they abandon their wives and children to enter the monastic life. After a few months or years, when they've had a change of heart, they want to return to secular life. As far as I know, all the temples in the vicinity have encountered similar situations."

"There's such a thing?" Lu Yang was lost in thought, feeling that something about this was not quite right.

"Fairy, do you see anything unusual about the third pilgrim?"

The Immortal Fairy scanned the adjacent side hall with her immortal sense: "He looks fine to me, a perfectly normal person. It's just that he got beaten up pretty badly and didn't even dare to fight back."

Lu Yang frowned. Was he overthinking it?

"Old Meng, what do you think?"

"The Master hit him well."

"..."

The pilgrims received afterward were much more normal. Master Duanchen was, after all, a high monk who had made a grand vow and possessed true ability. Lu Yang and his companion watched and learned from the sidelines, benefiting greatly.

Although the method of guidance was simply using a bottle to hold and pour water.

But Master Duanchen's words and demeanor were spot on, able to draw the pilgrims into his rhythm step by step.

"To make the other party believe your words, background, lighting, speech, demeanor, expression... all are very important." Lu Yang constantly analyzed Master Duanchen's various techniques, seeing which aspects he had not yet mastered.

The last pilgrim of the day surprised Lu Yang somewhat. It was the little girl who had almost bumped into him yesterday. Although her clothes were patched and she came from a poor family, both her clothes and face were clean, making her pleasant to look at.

According to the little girl's introduction, her name was Tang Qiaoqiao, she was fourteen years old, and she had an older brother she depended on named Tang Chuanwu.

"Master, I don't know what's wrong with my brother lately. He seems like a different person, always suspicious and paranoid. He also practices boxing all day long, and I don't know where he learned it. When I ask him what happened, he won't say."

Tang Qiaoqiao thought of the demonic cultivation methods described in storytelling books. With teary eyes, she bit her lip and hesitated: "Master, do you think my brother... he hasn't been possessed, has he?"

Master Duanchen activated the scriptures hanging on the wall to calm Tang Qiaoqiao down, his face revealing a kind smile that was truly convincing.

"Little benefactor, your brother's actions actually prove that he is not someone who has been possessed. Those who are possessed will try their best to maintain their original appearance to avoid being discovered by those around them; they would not undergo such a drastic change in temperament."

"Those who possess others are mostly cultivators with significant accomplishments. Such people are meticulous and would certainly not reveal any flaws. Even if those close to them interact with them, they would not notice anything unusual."

Unlike the Great Xia, where management is extremely strict, one can encounter possessed individuals from time to time here in the Buddhist Kingdom. Some even cultivate diligently after possession and become abbots. Master Duanchen had encountered possessed individuals several times and knew the characteristics of such people.

Lu Yang nodded. Master Duanchen was right. When the Fairy possessed him, she also tried her best to imitate his behavior, although the imitation was... hard to describe.

"Then what is wrong with my brother?"

Master Duanchen fingered his prayer beads, pondered for a moment, and said: "Perhaps you are truly in some danger, and your brother learned of it through some channel. Fearing that you would worry, he hasn't told you."

Master Duanchen took a yellow talisman from his sleeve, wrapped it with a red string, and hung it around Tang Qiaoqiao's neck: "Keep this talisman safe. If you encounter danger, it can protect you."

"But, I have no money." When Tang Qiaoqiao said this, she looked down at her toes, her voice very small, feeling uneasy and afraid that Master Duanchen would throw her out.

"It's fine. If the little benefactor does more good deeds in the future, that will count as purchasing this talisman."

"Ah? Thank you, Master!" Tang Qiaoqiao suddenly looked up.

Master Duanchen pressed his palms together and chanted the name of the World-Honored One: "Monastics take compassion as their foundation. I hope the little benefactor never has to use this talisman."

Not needing to use the talisman meant not encountering danger, which was naturally the best situation.

After the Kaihuang Temple closed, Lu Yang secretly followed Tang Qiaoqiao, worried that if Tang Chuanwu had really been possessed, the person who possessed him might be a greenhorn who didn't know how to disguise himself like the Fairy, which would be terrible.

The place where Tang Qiaoqiao lived had a terrible environment, stinking to high heaven. Houses were squeezed against houses, the roads were winding, unplanned, and built haphazardly. Sunlight couldn't even reach this area.

"Brother, I'm back." Guided by Master Duanchen, Tang Qiaoqiao's mood was much better than usual. When she returned, she even bought some fish bones to make soup.

Tang Chuanwu was shirtless, drenched in sweat, his eyes firm. It was as if he had practiced a thousand times; every movement was quite standard.

"Brother, we don't have to practice martial arts so hard, okay?" Tang Qiaoqiao said with a pained heart.

Tang Chuanwu stopped his Qi, lovingly touched his little sister's head: "Only by becoming stronger can I protect you."

"I am very safe."

Tang Chuanwu sighed, his eyes looking off into the distance: "Being well-prepared is never a mistake."

"But I heard the masters at Kaihuang Temple say that they drink Ten-Complete Nourishing Soup every day to make up for physical deficiencies. Our family can't afford Ten-Complete Nourishing Soup. What if you practice martial arts and cause problems for your body?"

Their family was poor and could only buy fish bones to nourish her brother, hoping it would be of some use.

"It's okay, Brother will find a way to earn money."

Lu Yang, in the shadows, raised an eyebrow, finding Tang Chuanwu's movements familiar: "Long-Arm Boxing?"

Only the monks of Kaihuang Temple in the nearby city should know this set of boxing techniques. How could Tang Chuanwu also know it? He didn't look like someone who had joined Kaihuang Temple.

Lu Yang worried that the person who possessed Tang Chuanwu had a higher cultivation realm than himself. Rashly using spiritual sense to investigate would alert the enemy, so he asked the Immortal Fairy to step in.

"It's just a kid, no signs of possession," the Immortal Fairy said.

Lu Yang touched the three Immortal-Seeking Tokens in his bosom again, and there was no movement.

"That's good."

If he wasn't possessed, then he must have stolen the Long-Arm Boxing techniques. However, such a small matter wasn't worth his intervention. As long as the person was fine, it was good.

Before leaving, Lu Yang paused and secretly left a few gold beans at Tang Chuanwu's house. Tang Qiaoqiao was right; if he kept practicing like this, his body would really have problems and would need soup medicine for major nourishment.

Seeing that these two children were precocious, they should know the principle that wealth should not be flaunted and wouldn't take the gold beans to show off everywhere.

Just consider it forming a good connection.

Not long after, Tang Chuanwu discovered the few gold beans on the table and couldn't help but feel a chill: "Who is it!" ===== CHAPTER 770 =====