Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 28

As if suddenly remembering something, Yun Guitu added, “Since you’ve all come to the Yunshan Sect, why not join us tomorrow at the Mountain God Temple? You can pray for a peace talisman for yourselves, just to ensure your safety.”

Every region has its own local customs, so naturally, no one objected. Chu Nanzhen cleared his throat and brought the conversation back to the main point. “Coming back to the topic, why does Sect Leader Yun forbid the disciples from mentioning that incident?”

Initially, they thought it was to soothe people’s minds and avoid unnecessary panic. While that logic held up, something still felt off.

At this, Yun Guitu’s eyes flickered slightly before he looked down. “I don’t know the reason behind it either. After the incident, Master specifically emphasized that the matter should never be brought up again within the sect. However, most disciples have families, including those who lost their lives. Taking this into account, Master simply sent people to deliver money to those families, saying it was to pay for the lives of their sons and daughters.”

These words shocked everyone. No one expected the prestigious leader of the Yunshan Sect to handle things this way. Yun Guitu continued, “Commoners would usually cause a stir on the mountain for a few days and then leave, after all, they couldn’t truly oppose the Sect Leader. Some took the money and kept quiet. But the wealthy families were different. They didn’t lack money, so for a period of time, they kept coming to the mountain to cause trouble. No matter how much we tried to drive them away, they wouldn’t leave. Finally, Master stepped forward personally and threatened them with a sword before they reluctantly departed.”

He sighed and went on, “Those people couldn’t exactly take the matter to the Imperial Palace. To prevent such a thing from happening again, Master simply strengthened the sect’s defenses, and that was it.”

As he spoke, there was a trace of disappointment in his voice, likely directed at the Sect Leader. When such a tragedy occurs within a sect, a leader should actively investigate rather than choose to silence everyone. Having stayed at Yunshan for many years and deeply admiring his Master, Yun Guitu was bound to feel let down when things turned out this way.

Recalling Sect Leader Yun’s appearance, the group found it impossible to connect her image with these actions. Then, Yun Guitu voiced the conclusion they had all suspected.

“Later, I and several other disciples investigated in secret. Unfortunately, we found nothing and were eventually caught and disciplined by Master. I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen. She is, after all, the Sect Leader of Yunshan and my most respected Master, so I had no choice but to give up.”

Zhi Shiyi, who had been silent until now, looked up and fixed his gaze on him. “Since you’ve said this much, Master Yun, have you considered that Sect Leader Yun might be the problem?”

The implication was clear. Yun Guitu hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head in denial. “Impossible. We are all her disciples. No matter what, Master would never harm our fellow brothers and sisters. City Lord Zhi, it’s best not to say such things again, or Master would be heartbroken if she heard it.”

Though he said “impossible,” the moment he hesitated, other thoughts had clearly already taken root in his mind.

Chu Nanzhen rested his chin on his hands, pursing his lips in thought. “Or there’s another possibility, though it’s just my guess. Perhaps Sect Leader Yun truly has no intention of hurting anyone. Just like the six array points we discussed today, maybe this is one of them. Perhaps the person behind this is very close to her, or she is being threatened. That’s why she doesn’t dare let the disciples mention it. It’s possible that if they did, they would be the next to die.”

When thought of that way, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Zhi Shiyi added, “Xiao Chu has a point. Either the Sect Leader is trying to protect the lives of the remaining disciples, or she is covering for a close friend. It has to be one of the two.”

Yun Guitu looked out the window and said seriously, “It’s getting late. You all should rest early. Let me go back and think about this carefully.”

With that, he stood up and walked out. His footsteps grew distant until they could no longer be heard. Shen Shangli stared at the doorway and said softly, “He already has an answer in his heart.”

***

The next day, before the first light of dawn, they were woken up by Yun Guitu, who said it was time to set out. Wu Xiang dragged his exhausted body to open the door, rubbing his eyes and muttering grumpily, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were here to worship ghosts instead of a mountain god at this hour.”

By the time the group arrived at the town at the foot of the mountain, many locals were already queuing at the temple entrance with incense in hand, clearly there to pay their respects.

The Mountain God Temple was a bit dilapidated. The plaque was cracked in several places, and the characters on it had long since faded. The interior was dim, and without any lamps lit, it felt a bit chilly at first glance.

Zhi Shiyi suddenly said to Chu Nanzhen, “Many years ago, I passed through here once and went inside to pray for something.”

Chu Nanzhen glanced at him. “I didn’t think a grand City Lord would believe in gods.”

“I didn’t originally believe in gods or Buddhas, but when you truly run out of options, you have no choice but to believe. Think of today as me fulfilling a vow.” It had been a long time since his last visit, so long that he had almost forgotten he had made a request here, and almost forgotten this temple even existed.

The queue was long, and it would be a while before their turn. Chu Nanzhen was curious about what Zhi Shiyi had prayed for. What kind of matter could make someone who never believed in the divine kneel before a stone statue? He nodded to himself and asked, “What did you pray for?”

Zhi Shiyi lowered his gaze and stared at him for a long time, as if he couldn’t see him enough. After a long while, he said in a low voice, “If I say it out loud, it won’t come true anymore.”

“Tsk,” Chu Nanzhen turned his head back. If it had already come true, why worry about it failing now? However, since the man wasn’t willing to say, he couldn’t force him. He kept his eyes on the temple through the crowd, even though he couldn’t see much clearly.

“So, do you think this temple is effective?”

“Probably.”

“Then I’ll try it when we get in. Maybe mine will come true too.”

Hearing this, Zhi Shiyi couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Chu Nanzhen turned back with a puzzled look and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Zhi Shiyi restrained his laughter and said softly, “Sincerity brings results. If your heart isn’t sincere, it won’t work.”

“My heart is very sincere!” Chu Nanzhen said immediately.

His prayer was nothing more than hoping to find some money while walking down the street. Although he didn’t lack it now, it was always good to save up. Mentioning “praying for money” reminded Chu Nanzhen of something from years ago. Every New Year, the streets were filled with people selling portraits of the God of Wealth. At first, he didn’t know why people bought them, until he overheard that hanging one in your room would help you earn a fortune in the coming year.

Back then, he was penniless and couldn’t afford one even if he wanted to. Because of that, for two years, every time he saw a portrait of the God of Wealth, he would stop for a moment and close his eyes to make a wish, hoping for endless money. Seeing other children with money to buy snacks made him incredibly envious. So, when he saw the portrait again, he closed his eyes and prayed for a very long time, until the stall owner harshly chased him away. In the end, his prayers came to nothing.

If sincerity was the metric, his heart back then was probably at its most sincere. But thinking back, it felt a bit funny. He was likely just too naive then, always expecting pie to fall from the sky. Still, if this Mountain God Temple truly worked, his heart remained just as sincere as before.

Before they knew it, they were near the front of the line. Sect Leader Yun and the Yunshan disciples were ahead of them. Led by the Sect Leader, the group stepped into the temple. This time, Chu Nanzhen finally saw the mountain god statue clearly. It looked like a woman standing with her arms crossed. Her long hair fell down her sides, her robes were carved with many small fish, and stone-carved waves lay at her feet. Rather than a mountain god, she looked more like a sea goddess.

However, the more Chu Nanzhen looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He thought for a moment and figured he had probably seen it in an illustration in some book at a stall.

Sect Leader Yun knelt before the statue and kowtowed three times. She then took several sticks of incense from a disciple, stood up unsteadily, and placed them in front of the statue. Chu Nanzhen noticed that there was already so much incense that only a few small gaps remained.

Sect Leader Yun shouted, “Mountain Goddess! Please protect the lands around Yunshan, grant us favorable weather, and keep us all safe!”

Chu Nanzhen whispered, “Didn’t you say it wouldn’t come true if you said it out loud? What’s going on with Sect Leader Yun?”

Zhi Shiyi, wanting to tease him, said, “For things like wealth or safety, it doesn’t matter. In fact, the louder you say it, the better.”

It was just a way to play with him. There was no real logic to whether saying it out loud helped or hindered. A person’s life is often predetermined; what you encounter and what you miss is fated. If the statue “showed its spirit,” it simply meant you were meant to obtain what you prayed for in this life.

Chu Nanzhen took this to heart.

As the others began to leave, Yun Guitu handed the remaining incense to Chu Nanzhen and the others. He also pulled several silk pouches from his sleeve and handed them over. “After you finish praying, just shake some of the incense ash into these pouches. It will keep you safe.”

So, this was the “peace talisman” Yun Guitu had mentioned.

Chu Nanzhen stared at the pouch, planning something in his mind. The moment he stepped inside, he knelt straight down. This startled Zhi Shiyi and the others for a moment, but they didn’t delay and knelt down as well.

Before they could even begin their own prayers, Chu Nanzhen started shouting at the top of his lungs, “Mountain Goddess! Please let me find some silver or coins for no reason! Please show your power, you must let me find some!”

Everyone was stunned.

“?”

He continued to shout, “Don’t throw the commoners’ money to me, just give me the money from the wealthy! It’s not easy for commoners to earn a living, and they’d feel terrible if they lost it. The wealthy have plenty, they won’t miss a few taels of silver!”

The others thought to themselves: Well, at least you have a conscience.

After finishing his prayer, he stood up, placed the incense in front of the statue, carefully shook the ash into the pouch, and tied it haphazardly to his waist.

Zhi Shiyi stood up, placed his incense, and asked, “And just what kind of talisman was that…”

Chu Nanzhen grinned. “A fortune-making talisman.”

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