Chapter 62: Kept a Trick Up One's Sleeve

The first day of next month is the first day of the tenth lunar month, the Cold Clothes Festival.

On the day of the Cold Clothes Festival, some places will hold autumn memorial activities.

Jiyu Si has chosen to hold a prayer festival on this day; what is its purpose?

This makes it hard for me not to associate the prayer festival with the autumn memorial activities.

I calculated, and including today, there are only four days left until the first of the tenth month.

Master Yin Xuan has already invited Jin Wuya into the temple to re‑inlay the Golden Scale, yet he still hasn't given up the practice of selecting offerings with the top lot?

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt a chill.

No, that's not right!

What exactly is the inlaying of the Golden Scale meant to suppress?

If the inlaying of the Golden Scale needs to be held at the same time as the autumn memorial, and they don't conflict… then there is only one possibility.

The inlaying of the Golden Scale is meant to suppress not the rain‑prayer formation, but something else that might interfere with it.

For example… the former abbot who sacrificed his flesh by sitting on the altar?

No… impossible!

Jin Wuya gave me a questioning look without a trace, and I signaled my agreement.

If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get its cub?

Once we set foot inside Jiyu Si, there is no turning back.

After Jin Wuya responded, Master Yin Xuan led us to the main courtyard, and a young monk handed over the lot cylinder.

Jin Wuya drew first, and he got a medium lot—neither good nor bad.

Li Qingying actually drew an empty lot.

And I, perhaps my luck was too good, drew a top‑top lot!

When I took that top‑top lot in my hand, Master Yin Xuan instantly beamed and said, "Miss, what great fortune! You've drawn a rare top‑top lot—how should I address you?"

I noticed that Master Yin Xuan keeps addressing us as "miss" rather than "female donor".

That shouldn't be the case.

I smiled and replied, "Just call me Xiao Jiu, Master."

"Xiao Jiu, miss," Master Yin Xuan said, "To take part in our temple's prayer festival, one must enter the temple three days in advance, bathe and change clothes, eat vegetarian meals, recite sutras, receive Buddhist instruction. All three of you will stay here today, so I will arrange Xiao Jiu's lodging directly in the inner courtyard."

Li Qingying immediately said, "No, Xiao Jiu must stay with me."

Master Yin Xuan shook his head, his tone turning cold, and said, "Jiyu Si's top‑top lot only acknowledges those with affinity; you, miss, drew an empty lot today, so by the rules you cannot enter the inner courtyard."

Li Qingying still wanted to argue, but I stopped her: "The inner and outer courtyards aren't far apart, Sister Qingying, it's fine."

Jin Wuya timely interjected, "We're here to handle affairs at Jiyu Si; as guests we follow the host's lead, so lodging arrangements are up to Master Yin Xuan—re‑inlaying the Golden Scale sooner is more important."

Master Yin Xuan uttered a sigh of Amitabha, took a few sticks of yellow incense, lit them, bowed before the great bell, and murmured some words as if praying.

Then he waved his hand, and several young, strong monks stepped forward to lift the massive bell.

The bell is made of bronze, very heavy, and its clapper has been removed.

As the bell was slowly lifted, it revealed the former abbot sitting cross‑legged inside, clad in a monk's robe.

The former abbot's face was peaceful, one hand resting on his crossed leg, the other holding prayer beads, as if he had never died but merely entered meditation.

Beneath him lay a blooming six‑petal lotus, its stalk sunk deep into the ground, exuding a strong incense fragrance throughout.

Yet what most caught our eyes was a piece of Golden Scale inlaid in the former abbot's broad forehead.

The moment I saw that piece of Golden Scale, I was drawn to the scale itself, but far more to the skill of its inlaying.

That piece of Golden Scale doesn't look like it was later inlaid; it seems to have grown right out of the former abbot's forehead.

This is the first time I've directly witnessed the superb craftsmanship of an excellent artificer!

It's practically divine.

However, at this moment that piece of Golden Scale is not like the radiant Golden Light inlaid on my longbow; even its edge hides a faint black‑gray ring.

This is probably the crux of the matter.

Jin Wuya's eyes stayed fixed on the former abbot's forehead for a while before he asked, "The Golden Scale indeed has a spot where it has peeled off, causing a wisp of corpse qi to leak—nothing serious, but I need to touch it to determine the exact location of the loss. Master Yin Xuan, may I touch it?"

Master Yin Xuan uttered another Amitabha and said, "Yes."

He then bowed again before the former abbot, as if in repentance.

Jin Wuya didn't even wear gloves; he reached out and touched the edge of the Golden Scale directly.

He examined it very carefully, missing no corner.

All of our eyes were fixed on his hand, and we even held our breath.

After touching it for about two minutes, Jin Wuya withdrew his hand, took out a tissue to wipe it, and said, "I have a rough idea of where the scale peeled off; I've brought the materials needed for the repair, but I'm missing a piece of snake skin—either from a snake over a hundred years old or a shed, about the size of a fingernail. Procurement will take time. Master Yin Xuan, does Jiyu Si have any suitable snake skin or shed we could use?"

Master Yin Xuan furrowed his brows, uttered an Amitabha, and said, "No."

"No, that's troublesome," Jin Wuya said, scratching his head. "If there's no suitable snake skin or shed, we can use the skin of a blanched loach instead, but obtaining a live blanched loach is hard, and after buying it we must keep it under moonlight overnight, then skin and dry it before use."

Master Yin Xuan nodded and said, "In a temple we should avoid killing; it would be best for you, Patron Jin, to bring back already dried loach skin."

Just as Jin Wuya was about to speak, I interjected, "You need to buy blanched loach? Sister Qingying, you used to sell fish, didn't you? You have connections—go buy it."

Jin Wuya and Li Qingying both stared for a moment; I waved my hand, urging Qingying to go and return quickly.

After Li Qingying left, Master Yin Xuan separately took me and Jin Wuya to our assigned rooms.

Mine is a side room in the inner courtyard, not far from the abbot's meditation chamber.

Seeing me to my room, a young monk came to ask Master Yin Xuan for a discussion, and he left.

After he went far enough, I immediately headed to the outer courtyard and soon found Jin Wuya.

I directly asked him, "Jin Lao Ban, does inlaying the Golden Scale really require snake shed or loach skin?"

Jin Wuya nodded: "Of course it's true, but the two are worlds apart."

He lowered his voice, speaking while glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then he could no longer contain his excitement and said: "I knew my master wasn't the sort to aid a tyrant in his wickedness; we still have a century‑old snake molt stored away, yet back then my master showed no reaction and instead used albino loach skin—he really did have a hidden plan!"

I asked doubtfully: "Is there a big difference between the two?"

"Very much so." Jin Wuya explained, "I've told you before—that piece of Golden Scale fell from a golden dragon's body; it is pure yang, inherently bearing Merit and Mana. A snake that cultivates for a hundred years, when facing tribulation may even transform into a flood dragon, and its century‑old molt is also pure yang. It is best to inlay the Golden Scale with it."

But the albino loach is completely different.

Loach, in our line of work as the Deceitful Craftsmen, is also called the Fallen Dragon; it has a dragon's shape but lacks dragon bones and dragon markings, spending its whole life in dark mud, barely surviving. The albino loach soaked in moonlight is even more yin upon yin.

My master back then discarded the century‑old snake molt and used albino loach skin precisely to keep a hidden plan—he laid a thunderbolt for Jiyu Si's rain‑seeking formation array.