Chapter 138 Money can make the devil turn around

Gu Qingyuan withdrew his gaze from the clouds. Now the crowd had dispersed, the little boy was packing up the props, the old Taoist returned the rented tables and chairs, and came to Gu Qingyuan holding a gong.

"But sir, are you willing to lend a helping hand and give a grain of silver?" asked the old Taoist.

Gu Qingyuan nodded: "Not bad."

"My magic tricks are not worthy of being performed in a formal occasion. Sir, you are very generous and it is not worth wasting these. Please take them back." The old Taoist politely declined and picked up the silver particles.

"You are a street performer, how can you complain that the money is too much?" Gu Qingyuan saw that the old Taoist was determined and said, "I am not here to cause trouble, just accept it. I see that you have great skills, how can you fall to this level?"

After hearing Gu Qingyuan's revelation, the old Taoist did not panic. He looked around and said, "This is not a place for idle chat. Please follow me, sir."

The group of three walked around and finally came to a stall, where they ordered two bowls of beef noodles. Seeing that Gu Qingyuan indicated that he didn't want any, the old Taoist didn't force him and sat down immediately.

"I'm so hungry, please forgive me for making a fool of myself." The old Taoist transferred the meat slices from the bowl to the boy's bowl, peeled a few cloves of garlic himself, drank a bowl of hot noodles, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"When you are hungry, you eat; when you are sleepy, you sleep. There is nothing to be amused or not." Gu Qingyuan said with a smile.

The old Taoist ordered a bowl of noodle soup and said, "Sir, that's right. May I ask what is the purpose of your visit?"

"I have an unwelcome request," Gu Qingyuan said, "I wonder if you would sell me your magic and skills?"

puff--

The old Taoist choked and wiped his mouth with his sleeve: "Sir, you must be joking. Since you can see my magic, your cultivation must be higher than mine. Why do you want to buy my skills?"

"I was just in a good mood. I saw that the method of cutting paper into butterflies and the reflection of the moon in the water was interesting. As for the matching skills, I thought of buying them together so that I wouldn't have trouble practicing them." Gu Qingyuan looked at the old Taoist and said, "Don't worry, even if the deal doesn't go well, there is still friendship. I won't use any ghostly tricks, nor will I force you. Everything depends on your own will."

The old Taoist smiled bitterly and said, "I believe this. My skills are ordinary. Your skills are so high that you naturally look down on me."

Then he sighed, "It's also my fault that I'm dull. Things that have been passed down for more than ten generations have fallen into disrepair in my hands. When I think back to my senior master, he was a man of many talents in the heavens, who could make hundreds of flowers bloom with one touch and the bright moon rise with one move."

"I didn't expect there is such a connection, but this heaven... Alas." Gu Qingyuan listened to the old Taoist's inner thoughts and shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, ever since the connection between the earth and the heaven was severed, the immortals have ceased to exist on earth, evil spirits have spread everywhere, the underworld has been in chaos, and the human world has changed. Now, the Tao is declining and the devil is increasing. Monsters and ghosts are in chaos. Ghosts are rampant everywhere, and monsters occupy the mountains and act as kings. How miserable." The old Taoist shook his head and sighed.

"Heaven, Hell, and the human world? This world is divided into three realms. The connection between heaven and earth..."

"Let's not talk about this. The world is like this, and it can't be changed by one person alone. Thinking too much will only add to your worries," Gu Qingyuan said, "I wonder how much the Taoist wants to pay for that technique?"

The old Taoist licked his lips and said, "I can't eat, wear, or cultivate anything with that skill. It would be nice to exchange it for some money, but if I die one day, I will feel ashamed of my ancestors." The implication was that he still wanted to sell it.

Gu Qingyuan clicked the prohibition and placed the silver ingots on the table. They made a tinkling sound when they collided, and the old Taoist's heart skipped a beat every time an ingot was placed.

The old Taoist quickly glanced around and saw that the people passing by were unaware, as if they had not seen the white silver. He was startled. Seeing that Gu Qingyuan wanted to put more, he quickly raised his hand to stop him: "Enough, enough, this is enough. The old Taoist has little luck and I am afraid I can't keep more."

Gu Qingyuan nodded. If one cannot handle great wealth, it may easily bring disaster. It is better to be content with what one has. Besides, he does not care how much silver it is. He can find a mountain in the world of gods and demons to refine tons of silver. If there is no spiritual energy in it, even refining tools will not be mixed in for fear of ruining the quality.

The old Taoist took out a yellowed booklet and handed it to Gu Qingyuan: "The money and goods are settled, sir, please keep it."

After wrapping the silver in three layers and hiding it in the bag, the old Taoist was thinking about whether he should order some noodles and a double portion of meat since he was now rich. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and opened his eyes to see that Gu Qingyuan was gone. He couldn't help but sigh:

"What a great man."

He turned around again and said, "Boss, give me another bowl of beef noodles. Just the meat, no noodles." Above the Ninth Heaven, Gu Qingyuan was looking through the old Taoist's memory and the booklet "Plum Blossom Mirror".

"It seems that this old Taoist is not talented enough. He has only learned the basics of illusion techniques, such as cutting paper into soldiers and summoning gods to send generals."

In response to the two, Gu Qingyuan just shook his head.

The "Plum Blossom Mirror" has a lofty concept. It records the techniques of making plum blossoms bloom, cutting paper to make humans, and folding grass to make weapons. It uses illusion to condense reality, and uses falsehood to refine truth, as well as methods of summoning gods and exorcising ghosts. However, the old Taoist only learned a few illusion techniques and made no progress at all.

'The magic in this world is indeed wonderful. It uses the power of magic to borrow the power of heaven and earth. All it seeks is the word "borrowing momentum". However, there are very few people who practice it. Is it because of the connection between heaven and earth? What does the immortal look like? Is it possible for him to block my attack?'

Gu Qingyuan flew straight up to the dome of the sky, where he saw a brewing white gas flowing.

"The sky is connected, and the immortals can't come down. This makes it convenient for me, and I can move more freely."

He thought that he could cross a thousand miles in one step and Linjiang City would be right in front of him.

"What a complicated mindset, what a powerful mindset."

Gu Qingyuan was unaware of it at first, but only after crossing two cities did he discover that the thoughts of the mortals in this world were extremely stubborn, and the way of incense and worship of gods was all about the word "faith", using the human heart to distort the present world and worship a god.

Dangdang~
When the bell rang, Gu Qingyuan saw that where that person's mind was concentrated, there was curling smoke and the smell of incense, and countless pilgrims came out in an endless stream.

Jinguang Temple.

Gu Qingyuan climbed the stairs and entered the temple. A huge incense burner stood in the courtyard with uneven green incense sticks inserted in it. The incense ash, sandalwood and smoke filled the air, making him feel like he was in the fairyland of Yaochi.

Following the believers into the main hall, there was a large Buddha statue in the middle and golden arhats of various shapes and forms in two rows. Some people paid homage and chanted something.

"May the Buddha bless my whole family with peace and longevity..."

"I pray to the Buddha to bless my husband to pass the imperial examination..."

"May my journey be smooth, may my wealth grow, may my followers return, and I will surely rebuild the golden statue of the Buddha..."

Seeking fame, fortune and power, all kinds of desires arise.

Knock on the Buddha, knock on the Bodhisattva, offer thousands of incense sticks, and everything will be empty.

No matter how devoutly the people below kowtowed, the big Buddha on top of the head could only respond with a smile.

Gu Qingyuan looked at the golden Buddha sitting in the temple, holding a flower and smiling, revealing a trace of breath, and stood waiting.

After a while, a little monk came over.

"Donor, the abbot invites you."

The novice monk saluted with his palms held high.

"Please lead the way, little master." Gu Qingyuan said.

Then he was led into the backyard.

(End of this chapter)