Told You I Can Turn Back Time
Chapter 232 - 170: Invitation from the Xingxiao Sect

Chapter 232: Chapter 170: Invitation from the Xingxiao Sect

In the crowded eatery, freshly worshiped believers were everywhere.

Round cheeks, protruding bellies, swaying bodies.

Due to ceaseless devotions and lack of sunlight or much labor, everyone who came to eat appeared pale and plumply frail, their pallid faces revealing a hint of lethargy.

They settled into the food establishment in pairs and groups, familiarly gathering and heartily consuming various meals.

Everyone ate greedily and swiftly, accompanied by loud slurping sounds as the aroma of meat and vegetables drifted through the air, intermittently mixed with rapid conversations.

"Why did Old Li leave after getting his food? Going home to eat?"

"His dad has been worshiping for the 29th year now, this year is the crucial one. He’s been getting his dad’s meals every day, taking them home to feed him."

"Oh, that’s urgent business. Isn’t all our hustle and bustle year after year just for the sake of our parents above becoming Buddhas?"

"Old Li’s at the end of his tether, just has to push through this last year. Once his dad becomes a Buddha, I heard he’s going to divorce Old Li’s wife."

"What? There’s such a matter? How come I didn’t know?"

"Old Li’s been keeping it quiet, said he’s afraid his dad would lose focus if he found out. Said he’ll wait until his dad achieves Buddhahood before divorcing."

Listening to the content of the conversations at the neighboring table, Lin Xing’s eyes reflected deep thought.

And just as quickly as the bustling had arrived in the shop, it disappeared.

The devotees hurried in, wolfed down their food, then, like the wind sweeping through, rushed away, merging into the street crowds, leaving behind only the full tables of pots and bowls.

Just then, a loud ’thump’ rang out from afar.

Someone had leapt from an upper floor.

Seeing the person lying in a pool of blood, the surrounding devotees began whispering among themselves.

"Isn’t that the old matriarch from the Zhou family?"

"Ah? Wasn’t it said that she had only two more years to complete thirty years of worship? Why would she lose hope?"

"I’ve watched the old matriarch of the Zhou family grow old since I was young. She’s always been so well-behaved and devout, why suddenly do this?"

"Sigh, the old men and women now are not like our grandparents’ generation. They can’t take too much pressure."

The whispers lasted only momentarily before the crowd swept past the body on the ground, each returning to their different homes.

A few men and women fought against the flow to reach the body, crying out at the sight of the deceased elder.

However, as the crowd gradually thinned, people who had followed gathered to console the grieving children, and soon pulled them back to their rooms.

In just a blink, the street was deserted, only the corpse of the old woman remained in the blood pool, while chants emanated from the surrounding houses.

About ten minutes later, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. Surprisingly, a Buddha statue over two meters tall walked over.

The statue’s visage was kind, eyes slightly closed, hands pressed together, always wearing a faint smile.

The Buddha statue stopped in front of the body, reached down gently, and lifted the old woman’s corpse, holding it securely in its palm.

Then, turning its body, it walked back in the direction it had come from.

Throughout the process, the statue maintained its smile, its movements slow and graceful.

Witnessing this, Bai Yiyi exclaimed in surprise, "What on earth is that?"

Dong’er quickly covered her mouth, saying, "You must not speak ill of the Buddha!"

The Buddha statue, which had just departed with the body, turned its head in a complete circle, its smiling visage staring in Bai Yiyi’s direction.

Despite the pleasant expression, Dong’er felt a chill in her heart.

However, it seemed to sense that Bai Yiyi had no further intentions and turned its head back around, resuming its walk out of the street.

It was only after the Buddha statue had left that Dong’er took a deep breath and cautioned the three, "What we saw just now was a Buddha statue that has been worshiped for over a hundred years and has been granted spiritual wisdom by the Great Bright Buddha."

Dong’er seriously warned, "Here in Chuanfu City, you must not speak carelessly about the Buddha statues. If deemed blasphemous, the statues will directly take the person away."

Bai Yiyi nodded, her eyes seemingly gaining a flash of insight, "A statue worshiped for over a hundred years? With Da Guangming Temple having been established for so long, and every household worshiping Buddha, wouldn’t there be many statues like that?"

Dong’er nodded and said, "Inside and outside of Chuanfu City, whether it’s farming, transport of grains, cleaning the streets, or handling matters like funerals and marriages, all are carried out by these century-old Buddha statues."

"I’ve heard that the other statues ranging from two hundred years to three hundred years and even older are all worshiped within the main temple."

Next, Dong’er led the three toward the place recruiting temporary devotees.

Following Dong’er, Bai Yiyi whispered, "These hundred-year worshiped statues, their powers must be akin to those of weapons and treasures that have been worshiped for a century, right? Watching that Buddha statue carry the person, its strength seems about the same as the first lineage of Martial Arts."

Lin Xing nodded slightly upon hearing this, his thoughts turning to the sword pellets he had once used.

Although he had long since ceased using sword pellets after reaching the realm where unarmed combat outmatched armed, Lin Xing knew that each of those century-old artifacts possessed impressive powers, each essentially matching the First Inheritance.

Bai Yiyi continued, "With so many followers under Da Guangming Temple, how many Buddha statues have they accumulated over the centuries? If a two-hundred-year-old statue can unleash a part of the power of the second transmission, and a three-hundred-year-old statue the third... That’s a formidable force."

At this thought, a wave of alarm surged in Bai Yiyi’s heart.

But she immediately shook her head, denying her own speculation, "No, no, it can’t be that powerful. If it were, they would have dominated the world long ago. There must be some restrictions or flaws."

She turned to Zhao Wanxi and asked, "Have you ever seen Da Guangming Temple display these Buddha statues in the secular world?"

Seeing Zhao Wanxi shake her head repeatedly, Bai Yiyi surmised, "It seems that Da Guangming Temple greatly conceals its martial power when in the secular realm."

She turned to Lin Xing, "But it looks like the temple may be even more dangerous than we previously thought."

Lin Xing said, "Danger is of no concern. What worries me is whether the Great Bright Buddha... has the ability to twist my mind."

At this, he turned to Bai Yiyi, "Master Bai, if you notice anything amiss, remember to reset everything immediately."

Bai Yiyi gestured grandly, "Rest assured, rest assured. With Master here to have your back, my disciple, you charge forward with boldness."

A moment later, the group arrived at a plaza.

From a distance, they could see many people lying askew across the square.

Some curled up in corners; others dozed against walls.

Most wore tattered clothes, their faces covered in dust, eyes conveying traces of desolation.

Bai Yiyi curiously asked, "Don’t you get money for worshiping the Buddha here? Why do these people look so poor?"

Dong’er frowned, "Da Guangming Temple doesn’t support the idle. Even if worshiping the Buddha, not everyone does it well."

"Many lack sufficient devotion, the right aptitude, or as they age, fail to progress in their worship... Simply put, they can’t fulfill their monthly Buddha time and get crossed off the temple’s register of true believers."

"Some of them then turn to temporary tasks for believers, earning whatever they pray for. Pray one day, lay around for a few, it’s barely a living..."

As Dong’er spoke, her eyes swept the square, tinged with a hint of strangeness.

For now, the square had a fair number of people whose attire and demeanor hardly matched that of temporary believers.

For instance, there was an elderly man in a red Daoist robe, bursting with vitality, each movement exuding an indescribable authority.

Or in another corner of the square, a woman in a luxurious Daoist robe appearing cool as frost.

And a mysterious figure, cloaked entirely in black robes.

There were also those Jianghu figures, armed with weapons of all sorts, their faces hardened by the road.

At present, the square was dotted with dozens of such individuals, each with an aura starkly out of place in Chuanfu City.

Bai Yiyi’s gaze also sharpened, and in a low voice, she remarked, "Lin Xing, do you see them?"

Lin Xing’s eyes swept over the Red Robed Taoist and he nodded, "Hmm, didn’t expect the Sect Master of the Evil-cutting Sect to be here too."

Both Lin Xing and Bai Yiyi recognized that the elderly man in red standing off to the side of the square was the Red Robed Taoist who had previously demonstrated his might in the Zhou Tian Sect, seemingly later deterred by the Dragon-Riding Scholar, suspected to be the Evil-cutting Sect Master.

Bai Yiyi whispered to Zhao Wanxi beside her, "Is the camera on? I have a premonition that a big scene is coming. There might be an opportunity for me to shine soon, and you can’t miss capturing it."

Zhao Wanxi touched the hidden camera button and gestured reassuringly, "Don’t worry, ancestor. It’s all being recorded."

Just then, a neatly dressed middle-aged man approached Dong’er and Lin Xing, smiling slightly, "I am Luo Wengao of Bishui Villa. You don’t seem to be commoners under Da Guangming Temple’s rule. May I ask from which eminent sect are you disciples?"

Lin Xing and Bai Yiyi exchanged a glance, grateful that since entering Da Guangming Temple’s territory, they had intended to conceal their identities, each donning human skin masks, hence not fearing recognition.

As Jing Shiyu was affiliated with the Heavenly Will Sect, it was convenient for Lin Xing to obtain information, so for this venture, they had chosen to disguise themselves as disciples of the Heavenly Will Sect.

Lin Xing bowed slightly, announcing, "Heavenly Will Sect, Tang Si."

Bai Yiyi introduced herself, "Heavenly Will Sect, Daji."

Zhao Wanxi followed suit, "Heavenly Will Sect, Hu Tao."

Dong’er, sensing Luo Wengao’s glance, casually stated, "Bai Family Village, Dong’er. I’m a follower of the Great Bright Buddha."

Dong’er didn’t catch Luo Wengao’s interest.

Upon hearing the names from Lin Xing’s trio of the Heavenly Will Sect, a faint look of disdain crossed Luo Wengao’s eyes, as he mused inwardly, ’With the kind of experts present here, why has the Xingxiao Sect even invited this bunch of deceitful Demon People from the Heavenly Will Sect?’

Nevertheless, his face remained enthusiastically welcoming, "If you’re here to become temporary believers, could it be you’ve also come for the secret treasure beneath She Shen Cliff?"

Lin Xing’s gaze sharpened, questioning, "Secret treasure? Is that why you all are here?"

Luo Wengao chuckled, his folding fan opening slightly as he pulled them aside to whisper, "Brother, since you’ve come this far, why play the fool with me? As early as a month ago, the Xingxiao Sect began screening talents across the martial world to unveil a secret treasure in Jiangyang Province."