CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: TRYING HARD IS DIFFICULT, SEEKING BUDDHA’S HELP IS EASY +5

Qin Guanglin grimaced as he sat outside the entrance of Taiyi Palace, lifting his clothes to peek underneath. Sure enough, that last pinch had turned a patch of skin red.

Teacher He was really harsh...

"Aren’t you going in to light some incense?" He Fang felt a bit sorry for him and squatted down to rub the sore spot for him.

"No, I really dare not," Qin Guanglin scooted back in alarm, waving his hands in resistance.

"I won’t pinch you anymore, just trying to help you rub it," He Fang said helplessly.

"How come your hand is so strong?"

"Wouldn’t be able to cure you if it wasn’t strong, would I?" He Fang slipped her hand under the hem of his clothes and started to knead gently, "Next time I’ll use even more strength. Don’t believe me? Just try."

Qin Guanglin dared not try again and hummed softly as he enjoyed the sweet jujube after the big stick. Indeed, being rubbed by these soft little hands didn’t hurt anymore and was actually quite comfortable.

"Just pray once, and you’re done. Do you really have to pray at every temple you see?" he said after enjoying the moment for a while.

"It’s not the same. That one’s for relationships, this is for safety," He Fang explained, "It’s always good to pray at both."

"It’s useless. I don’t believe in this stuff," Qin Guanglin shook his head, "If you like it, you go pray. I’d rather sit and rest for a while."

Just looking around was fine for him. But praying at every temple like her? Wouldn’t that wear a person out?

"Then what about all that mumbling you did at Cuihua Palace?"

"That was the first one. Whether it’s useful or not, lighting some incense counts as experiencing it. Once is enough." The incense Qin Guanglin had lit earlier was with the mindset of, ’since I’m here, might as well, it doesn’t cost anything.’

"Another prayer won’t take much effort," she continued to persuade.

"This is a bad habit, shouldn’t #%¥..."

Before he could finish, He Fang covered his mouth, "We’re at the entrance, don’t talk nonsense."

"It’s true, asking gods and releasing life are pretty much the same thing." Qin Guanglin disliked superstition and was trying to instill the correct socialist core values in his girlfriend, to break the feudal superstition and to trust in science.

He grabbed He Fang’s hand, pressed it against his waist, and forced her to continue rubbing while speaking, "Look, whether it’s praying to gods or lighting incense for blessings and releasing life, the core idea behind these actions is to accumulate good karma, doing good brings good results.

Isn’t this just another way of hoping our contributions get returned? I offer incense and kindness; in return, these unknown beings should repay me with good fortune."

"What’s wrong with that?" He Fang pouted, disparagingly dismissing his speech as nonsense.

"It’s completely wrong. Some people pray for wealth, some for better grades, some for promotions... They don’t think of trying harder themselves, wasting time on this mystical stuff. Isn’t that foolish?" Qin Guanglin pointed to Taiyi Palace behind him, "What if they spent the time they use for praying on researching the market, memorizing vocabulary, or working harder? Isn’t that better than seeking help from the nebulous gods?"

"Then why do so many people believe?" He Fang asked, following his train of thought and pondering on how to change his mind to get him to pray as well.

"Uh..." Qin Guanglin was momentarily stuck, looking back inside the hall before replying slowly, "Maybe because... trying hard is exhausting, and praying is easy."

"Trying is indeed hard," He Fang nodded, then after a pause she asked, "But what if one has already tried hard?"

"What?" Qin Guanglin didn’t immediately grasp her point.

"After doing all that needs to be done, after all the efforts have been made, then one turns to praying to the nebulous gods." As He Fang thought out her words, she slowly began, "There’s a saying, ’Man proposes, God disposes.’ If a person has done all that they’re supposed to do and wishes to go further, the only choice left is this—even if it only slightly increases the chances of success, one ought not to miss it. To be thorough, don’t you think?"

Qin Guanglin was stupefied; he’d never considered this aspect.

"If there’s a chance it could add even a sliver of hope, we shouldn’t just disregard it, right?"

"It seems so..." Qin Guanglin pondered again, then stood up, pulling He Fang towards the hall, "Since we’re here, might as well give it a try."

He had intended to pull his girlfriend out of her superstitions, only to be dragged in himself.

The fairy who was adept at divination turned out to be so terrifying.

He Fang let him lead her to the grand hall of the Taiyi Palace, standing to the side waiting for others to finish their prayers, and meanwhile took out the opened incense from her backpack.

It wasn’t long before it was their turn; they both lit the incense stick, stepped forward to place it in the censer, then retreated two steps together, knelt on the cushion, and silently prayed with hands clasped.

After the prayers were done, two figures, one black and one white, put their hands down to support themselves on the ground and bowed deeply towards the divine statue.

Qin Guanglin straightened up and glanced at He Fang beside him, suddenly feeling something was a bit off.

Hey, doesn’t this kind of seem like a wedding ritual?

Unaware of what he was thinking, He Fang stood up, walked to the side door of the hall, and gestured, "Let’s draw a fortune stick."

"You go first." Qin Guanglin had seen this on TV, but had never tried it in real life.

Clang, clang, clang...

He Fang shook the container of fortune sticks, with the bamboo sticks neatly hitting the sides, producing a somewhat dull sound. After seven or eight shakes, one fortune stick fell out.

Qin Guanglin picked it up to look, with the characters inscribed very small on it, he carefully deciphered and read aloud, "With calm waves it’s good to cast a line, why doubt over two or three things... The moon’s light is pure and the clouds and mist are clear, shining through the universe as the two travel together."

"It seems like a very good fortune," he said happily, passing it to He Fang to see.

"Mm, it sounds good," He Fang replied, somewhat cheerfully, taking a closer look before saying, "Your turn now."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The frequency at which Qin Guanglin shook the container was much faster, and the sound was much more chaotic than He Fang’s. It only took a few shakes for a bamboo fortune stick to fall out.

"What’s it say?" He eager leaned in to look together.

"When a month lacks, when a mirror falls, not united..." He had only read halfway when He Fang tossed the fortune stick back into the container, "It doesn’t seem too good, does it?"

"Draw again, you shook it too hastily just now." He Fang handed the container back to him.

"..."

Dissatisfied but unable to reclaim the previous one, Qin Guanglin took the container, shook it a couple of times, then suddenly stopped and handed it back to He Fang, "You hold it."

"Why’s that?"

"Borrowing your luck. If you could get it right the first time, you could again," Qin Guanglin chuckled as he cradled her hand, her hands holding the container, and they shook it together.

Crack.

The fortune stick fell out, and Qin Guanglin quickly grabbed it to prevent He Fang from tossing it back again, then turned around to read it himself.

"What does it say?" He Fang asked, tugging at his shoulder.

"Really had to borrow your luck," Qin Guanglin passed the fortune to her, "It looks very promising."

He Fang took it and examined it closely, her eyes gradually softening as she suppressed a smile, "Teacher He is really impressive, isn’t he?"

"Yes, yes, very impressive. Shouldn’t we find someone to interpret the fortune?" Qin Guanglin looked around, searching for a Taoist or someone who specialized in fortune-reading.

Not spotting the kind of person he was looking for, he turned back to He Fang, "Aren’t you skilled in divination? Can you interpret it?"

"What I know doesn’t have anything to do with this, I can’t interpret it."

"Tsk, that’s a pity."

"A good fortune doesn’t need interpreting," He Fang tossed the fortune back into the container, "Just wait for the good things to come."