CHAPTER 1162: CHAPTER 1158: THIS IS YUNLONG TEMPLE

"Master, does your temple have anyone who performs rituals?"

Chen Yang didn’t hold back and directly asked the question to Mage Jing Kong.

Though they weren’t familiar, Mage Jing Kong smiled as he replied to Chen Yang, "Benefactor, ask which monk doesn’t know how to perform rituals?"

Hearing this, Chen Yang immediately understood.

So he continued to ask, "How much do you usually charge for a ritual? Do you go to more distant places?"

Mage Jing Kong understood what Chen Yang meant and nodded, "Wealth is an external thing, the amount depends on fate, and so does distance."

When Chen Yang heard this, he found it amusing. It was the first time he’d seen a temple where everything depended on fate.

"So how does one determine this fate? How do I know who I’m destined to meet?" Chen Yang asked curiously.

Jing Kong placed one hand upright before his chest and said, "Fate is in the heart. If a master feels destined to meet you and is willing to accompany you, then it’s fate."

Pfft.

On hearing this, Chen Yang almost couldn’t hold back his laughter. This was supposed to be a method of measuring fate?

It was clearly a matter of personal choice.

Even though he couldn’t help but internally mock it, Chen Yang still showed respect and forced himself not to laugh out loud.

"Alright then, Master. I have a ritual to do over there. Could you help me measure some fate? If there is any, would you accompany us?" Chen Yang said.

Mage Jing Kong calmly agreed, then led Chen Yang and Dai Annie towards the main hall.

On the way, Dai Annie couldn’t help but lean in and ask Chen Yang, "Chen Yang, weren’t the village rituals entrusted to Dao Hong? Why are we looking for a mage again?"

"That Dao Hong is insatiable, charging 150,000, treating us like gullible fools to exploit, so I decided not to use him," Chen Yang said honestly.

Hearing 150,000, Dai Annie was also taken aback.

Her family had money, and normally 150,000 wasn’t much to her, but she understood these matters.

For an average person, 150,000 is a lot. Many families don’t make that in a year between a couple, yet he just speaks a few words and hops around for 150,000? That’s outrageous.

"That guy is truly too greedy... Last time I saw him with an immortal demeanor, I thought he was a capable mage," Dai Annie said, incredulous.

Chen Yang chuckled, "He’s got no real skill, just a few measly tricks. If I had his credentials, I could perform rituals too."

Chen Yang wasn’t boasting; he believed he could perform far better than Dao Hong, only lacking the identity and the ability to chant scriptures.

When Dai Annie heard this, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh, teasing, "Well, you might as well do the village rituals then, save some money."

Dai Annie was joking since she knew Chen Yang wouldn’t actually do it.

Chen Yang rolled his eyes, then they followed Mage Jing Kong into the main hall.

The main hall was filled with the fragrance of incense, with incense burning in every corner of the great hall.

In front of a huge Buddha statue, twenty or thirty monks sat cross-legged, knocking wooden fish and chanting scriptures softly.

The scene was extremely solemn! Holy!

It felt like stepping into a sacred land, cleansing all darkness from the heart and elevating the soul.

This wasn’t the first time Chen Yang had witnessed monks chanting scriptures in a temple.

But today, the feeling here was entirely different! The spiritual impact was very strong.

So strong that Chen Yang, a master of inner strength, was stunned for two seconds by the scene.

Such a reaction is serious for someone like him.

"Benefactor, the disciples chanting scriptures here are some of Yunlong Temple’s best masters. You can choose one, and if they feel destined, they may accompany you," Mage Jing Kong spoke as Chen Yang recovered.

Chen Yang glanced around the hall at all the masters before responding, "Yunlong Temple, is this Yunlong Temple?"

Mage Jing Kong noticed Chen Yang’s reaction and looked slightly puzzled, "Yes, benefactor, this is Yunlong Temple."

Once confirmed, Chen Yang immediately asked, "Does your temple have an old man about this tall, with a thin and small build, hair on his head, and leaning on a cane, looking just like an ordinary old man?"

As Chen Yang spoke, he gestured to indicate the old man’s height and some physical characteristics.

After hearing Chen Yang’s description, Jing Kong responded without hesitation, "That’s my uncle-monk."

"Your uncle-monk?"

Chen Yang was surprised by the response.

"Yes, benefactor, your description matches my uncle-monk almost exactly. It should be the same person," Mage Jing Kong nodded.

Seeing Mage Jing Kong nod like that, Chen Yang was almost certain. Looks like that inner strength old man who had sought a cure from him last time wasn’t lying; he truly belonged to Yunlong Temple.

"Chen Yang, have you ever been to Yunlong Temple? How did you know the uncle-monk of Mage Jing Kong?" Dai Annie asked curiously while Chen Yang was amused.

Jing Kong also looked at Chen Yang with curiosity, seemingly asking the same question as Dai Annie.

Chen Yang smiled at Mage Jing Kong, then turned to Dai Annie, "Annie, did you forget that time when Li Han’s hotel opened and we encountered that strange old man on the way back?"

"Strange old man?"

Dai Annie pondered, frowning as she tried to recall.

After some serious thinking, she remembered.

It was at the Grand World Hotel’s opening, when she and Chen Yang were leaving to return to Liuhe Village that they encountered a strange old man.

At that time, she found the old man particularly odd, but because Chen Yang urged her to get in the car, and she hadn’t heard anything from inside, nor had anything happened afterwards, she didn’t pay much attention.

Until Chen Yang brought it up, and she remembered.

"I remember now, we did meet him. So, that old man... is Mage Jing Kong’s uncle-monk?" Dai Annie expressed incredulously.

Mage Jing Kong, having overheard the conversation, roughly pieced together the situation.

"Benefactor, since you’re acquainted with my uncle-monk, it means you are destined. Why not seek his help for the ritual?" Mage Jing Kong suddenly suggested.

Chen Yang had only acknowledged that the old man mentioned he was from Yunlong Temple, and was a bit surprised to find himself here. He hadn’t considered asking the old man for a ritual.

But with Jing Kong’s reminder, it made sense.

The old man still owed him a favor, after all.

Since they were already here, he might as well let him perform the ritual at Liuhe Village.

"Sure, is your uncle-monk here in the temple? If he is, could you please show me the way? I’d like to meet him," Chen Yang said with a smile.

"Sure, right this way, please."

Mage Jing Kong readily agreed with a smile and led Chen Yang and Dai Annie out of the great hall, heading towards the rear temple.

After passing through two courtyards, the three arrived at a secluded courtyard in the temple.

This was the yard of Jing Kong’s uncle-monk.

"Uncle-monk! A benefactor has come to see you!"

Entering the courtyard, Jing Kong didn’t knock but instead stood in the courtyard and called out to the house.

There was no response from inside, and just when Chen Yang thought the old man wasn’t home, the wooden door creaked open.