Chapter 167 - 138: Temple Fair
In fact, if it weren’t for the display on his Golden Finger, Fang Yue wouldn’t have even known if he’d successfully begun his training.
’It’s just... I wonder if it’s because my elemental affinity is a poor match, but the cultivation progress for this technique is just painfully slow.’
Fang Yue sighed and ended his meditation.
After washing his face and changing into a set of dark blue martial arts attire, Fang Yue went out to the courtyard, where Ms. Chen was already waiting.
Today, Ms. Chen was going to the Goddess Temple outside the city to offer incense, and she insisted that Fang Yue accompany her, no matter what.
After all, Ms. Chen had said she was going to pray for a good marriage match for him. If Fang Yue didn’t go, it would look like he wasn’t taking it seriously.
Ms. Chen had mentioned it several times, so Fang Yue had no choice but to agree to accompany her.
Fang Yue rode on horseback while a family servant drove the carriage with Ms. Chen inside. They then set off for the Goddess Temple, located ten li outside the city.
Perhaps because it was an auspicious day.
Though it was still early, the Goddess Temple was already shrouded in thick incense smoke and bustling with activity. There was a temple fair today.
Before they even reached the temple grounds, they found themselves in a bustling marketplace.
It was crowded with small merchants and vendors selling everything from rouge and powder to embroidered pouches, food, and small snacks. People from all walks of life were present.
This was a Goddess Temple where people prayed for children and for good marriages. It was popular on any given day, but it was especially lively during a temple fair.
After all, in this era, the belief that having no heir is the greatest of all unfilial acts was deeply ingrained in the public consciousness.
A family without descendants was in danger of having their property seized and would be bullied by anyone and everyone.
He followed Ms. Chen and respectfully offered incense.
"Come on, follow me to get our fortune told. I hear the marriage fortunes from this temple are very accurate."
With that, Ms. Chen led Fang Yue to the area in the main courtyard where fortunes were interpreted.
Since the Goddess Temple was so popular, it naturally had its share of Temple Priests.
And with Temple Priests came ways to generate income. The business of drawing and interpreting fortunes was one such method.
This Goddess Temple was neither Buddhist nor Daoist. The Temple Priest simply wore a faded yellow long-robe, his hair held up with a wooden pin, and he sported a goatee.
His graying hair and beard, framed by the faint wisps of incense smoke, actually gave him the air of an enlightened master.
Furthermore, the man seemed to be quite famous here. He was surrounded by a circle of married women, young and old, all waiting to have their fortunes told.
Fang Yue and Ms. Chen had to wait for quite a while before they could get to the front of the line.
At that moment, the Temple Priest was interpreting a fortune for the person ahead of them.
The priest made a show of pinching his fingers as if in calculation, first frowning and then humming thoughtfully, which only made the woman before him grow more anxious.
After that, it was nothing more than a bit of sweet-talking and scare tactics before he quickly sold her a few ’Magical Artifacts’ like Peace Blessings and Marriage Talismans.
Fang Yue couldn’t help but shake his head as he watched.
’It seems that no matter how the world changes, some things never do.’
Not wanting to spoil his mother’s mood, Fang Yue simply drew a random fortune stick when it was their turn and handed it to the Temple Priest.
As expected, the Temple Priest launched into a familiar-sounding speech, but Fang Yue, of course, didn’t believe a word of it.
But Ms. Chen couldn’t resist. When the priest said Fang Yue’s path to marriage had obstacles that could be smoothed over with a talisman, she was sold.
So she bought the Marriage Talisman. Clutching it, Ms. Chen said that when they got home, she would sew it into Fang Yue’s clothes so he could wear it every day.
After having the fortune interpreted, Ms. Chen was visibly much happier. She and her maid began to wander through the temple fair.
As for Fang Yue, he was happy to have a moment of peace and began to wander around the Goddess Temple by himself.
"Fusheng, patron. May you soon beget a noble son."
Just then, a younger Temple Priest carrying a Merit Box approached Fang Yue and bowed slightly.
He was clearly hoping for a donation.
After all, the Temple Priests were observant. They knew who had money and who didn’t.
Although Fang Yue was dressed simply, the fabric of his clothes was of excellent quality, indicating a wealthy background. He also had the appearance of a young master, gentle and refined. Such a person was a perfect target for soliciting donations.
Too bad.
With Ms. Chen not around, he wasn’t about to fall for this act.
He had no desire to spend Several Dozen Wen to line the pockets of these fat, greasy-looking fellows.
He simply smiled, shook his head, and refused.
But the Temple Priest was clearly not one to give up easily. He had probably seen this kind of situation many times before.
He immediately smiled back. "Patron, this donation silver is a way to earn karmic merit. Let’s say there is a bundle of firewood and an axe. Which would you choose?"
The exchange began to attract the attention of the surrounding temple-goers.
"That’s right! What’s wrong with donating some silver to the Goddess? How can he be so stingy? With a character like that, why would the Goddess possibly bless him?"
"Indeed. He’s so cheap! Doesn’t he know this isn’t just donating money, it’s doing a good deed? The world is truly in decline, and people are not what they used to be," a portly, middle-aged man with a belly that looked about ten months pregnant said, his expression one of utter heartbreak.
Sure enough, his righteous display earned him looks of respect from the crowd, which were naturally followed by looks of contempt for Fang Yue.
"You’re a man of great principle, old brother!" a young lad nearby piped up. "I wonder how much you donated? Name the amount and put this kid to shame."
At these words, the crowd waited expectantly for the portly man to put Fang Yue in his place.
But upon hearing this, the portly man’s expression immediately turned awkward and unsightly.
"Well, uh... I didn’t bring any money with me today, so I haven’t donated yet. But rest assured, everyone, I’ll be sure to make up for it at the next temple fair!"
Hearing this, the onlookers all stared at each other in disbelief.
The Temple Priest, seeing that events were spiraling out of his control, inwardly cursed the middle-aged man. ’Couldn’t he have just made up a number?’ On the surface, however, he maintained a cheerful smile and quickly interjected, "So, about the pile of firewood and the axe... which do you choose, patron?"