Chapter 130: Nine Li Temple

Chapter 130: Nine Li Temple

The next day, before dawn, Old Smoky was already pacing impatiently in the courtyard, waiting for the sunrise.

He waited for a good half an hour before finally seeing the glow of dawn light up the eastern sky.

Today, Old Smoky had changed into a clean set of clothes, and unusually, he did not carry his pipe with him. He had warned his son not to come to the backyard before noon.

In the center of the courtyard, there was a stone he had found elsewhere, as big as a hunting dog’s head.

Originally, he wanted to find a stone as big as a millstone, but considering it was his first time casting a spell, he didn’t want to be too greedy, so he didn’t do so.

After adjusting his clothes, as Yuan Ming had instructed, he first lit a stick of incense in the east.

Then, Old Smoky began to walk around the courtyard, following the steps Yuan Ming had shown him the day before, muttering words under his breath, and paying respects to the four directions of heaven and earth.

After making a round, he came to the chosen stone, placed both hands on it, closed his eyes, and prayed sincerely.

A moment later, he took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and anticipated the miracle.

However, the stone under his hand did not glow with golden light, it was still dark and dirty.

"Did I fail?"

Old Smoky felt a buzz in his head, his vision suddenly darkened, and he almost fainted.

He barely managed to steady his mind, but he was still somewhat dazed.

"The immortal master wouldn’t lie to me, there must be something wrong... Yes, yes, I must have messed up the steps... Let’s try again," Old Smoky muttered in a daze, and immediately started casting the spell again.

After repeating the ceremony, the result, of course, was still a failure.

The stone was still a stone, it didn’t turn into gold.

Old Smoky looked around, then at himself, and suddenly slapped his forehead.

"The immortal master said he was naked at the time, that’s right, it must be because my clothes are too luxurious, no different from gold and silver treasures," Old Smoky muttered to himself, and stripped himself naked.

"This time it must work," he silently encouraged himself, completely forgetting Yuan Ming’s warning that there was only one chance.

If it didn’t work the first time, it would never work.

Old Smoky couldn’t care less about this now, if he failed, it meant he would lose everything.

He couldn’t afford to lose.

At this moment, Old Smoky, naked and with dark skin, looked like a monkey in the mountains, ridiculous and funny.

He repeated the doomed-to-fail ceremony, and once again paid respects to heaven and earth.

However, when he opened his eyes, all his hopes were once again shattered, the stone was still a stone.

"How could this be..." Old Smoky slumped to the ground, unable to accept it.

But just then, there was a sudden commotion in the front yard.

Immediately after, Old Smoky saw his son, running in from outside.

"You little bastard, didn’t I tell you not to come to the backyard before noon?" Old Smoky roared in anger.

Seeing his father’s naked figure, Tule was also stunned.

Old Smoky picked up his clothes from the ground, but before he could put them on, he saw seven or eight burly men in black rushing in.

"What are you trying to do?" Old Smoky hurriedly tied his belt and scolded.

"So it was you... son, you’ve ruined me, it’s all your fault..."

Old Pipe was heartbroken, crawling on the ground, wailing incessantly.

......

By this time, Yuan Ming had long since left Iron Tiger Town.

Old Pipe was just a minor incident he encountered when he came down the mountain. The most important thing at the moment was to find the fragrance.

Following the directions given by the casino owner, he left Iron Tiger Town and traveled north for about twenty or thirty miles, a rather tall mountain appeared in front of him.

According to the map Yuan Ming bought in the town, he knew this mountain was called "Nine Li Mountain", named for the nine li journey from the foot to the top of the mountain. There was a rather large temple in the mountain hollow, called "Nine Li Temple".

As Yuan Ming walked on the mountain path, he found that the people of Southern Border who came to burn incense were endless. From a distance, he could smell the scent of incense and candles.

"It must be here!" Yuan Ming muttered to himself, blending into the crowd of worshippers and stepping into the temple.

The Nine Li Temple was quite large, with four or five courtyards. Many of the walls were mottled, showing their age.

After passing through two gates, Yuan Ming crossed a bustling square and arrived at the main hall. Inside the hall stood a tall statue, black all over, with a human body and a dog’s head. It held a long sword in its right hand and a strange fan in its left, howling at the sky.

The worshippers came forward one by one, knelt before the statue, burned incense and prayed, the smoke from the incense curling up.

Listening to the crowd for a moment, Yuan Ming basically figured out that this human-bodied, dog-headed deity was called "Dog Tooth God".

During his time in the Southern Border searching for fragrances, he had gained some understanding of the local deities. The five tribes of the Northern Territory each had their own deities to worship. The residents near Nine Li Mountain were mostly of the Kas tribe, and this temple was dedicated to the Kas tribe’s "Dog Tooth God".

The statue in this temple was said to be very effective in granting wishes, and was deeply revered by the people in the surrounding area, with incense burning year after year.

Yuan Ming followed the crowd, offered a bundle of incense to the Dog Tooth God, and donated a handful of copper coins to the box next to it.

"Thank you, benefactor. The Dog Tooth God will bless you with peace and health." A temple keeper next to him bowed to Yuan Ming.

This man was quite tall, with long hands and feet, and calluses on his tiger’s mouth, as if he had practiced swordsmanship.

"Thank you, temple keeper. I came here today not only to worship the Dog Tooth God, but also to ask for a favor. I wonder if it’s convenient?" Yuan Ming returned the bow and said.

As he spoke, he took out ten copper coins and quietly slipped them into the temple keeper’s pocket.

The temple keeper’s eyebrows raised slightly in a smile, and he said ambiguously, "Helping others is helping oneself."

"May I have a word with you?" Yuan Ming looked at the endless stream of worshippers and asked.

The temple keeper made a gesture of invitation and led Yuan Ming to a corner.

"What can I do for you, benefactor? Please speak directly." The temple keeper said.

"I’m looking for a man named Wu Sang. If you know where he is, could you tell me?" Yuan Ming asked.

"I’ve never heard of the person you mentioned in the temple." The temple keeper thought for a moment and then said.

"That man came here about half a year ago. He’s in his thirties, has a square face and big ears, and is particularly good at making incense. He may have hidden his name. I hope you can recall him. I will be very grateful." As Yuan Ming spoke, he took out a silver coin and tried to give it to the temple keeper."I have been in this temple for three or four years now, from the abbot to the young monks, I am familiar with everyone. I have indeed never seen the person you mentioned. I suggest you ask elsewhere." This time, the temple keeper subtly sidestepped Yuan Ming’s attempt to give him a silver coin, apologized, and then turned to leave.

Yuan Ming watched the temple keeper’s retreating figure, slowly returned to the entrance of the main hall, and looked around thoughtfully. He then turned and walked towards the square. As he turned a corner, a black crow flew out from him, heading towards the eaves of the main hall.

Yuan Ming didn’t stop, he headed straight towards a side hall not far away.

This place was for the pilgrims to have tea. Yuan Ming found an empty seat and sat down, picked up the teapot and cup on the table, and started drinking by himself.

(End of Chapter)