Chapter 986: Chapter 985: Could My Brother Have Been Possessed?

Chapter 986 -985: Could My Brother Have Been Possessed?

Master Duanchen gathered the three pilgrims in a side hall, letting them mutter about their own affairs, no longer concerning himself with them.

“I’ve caused the two benefactors some amusement,” Master Duanchen said with an apologetic smile, “usually, a poor monk like myself would not lift a hand in receiving pilgrims.”

“Master, you truly have a temperament that I admire,” Meng Jingzhou placed one hand over his chest, appreciating what Master Duanchen had done earlier.

Master Duanchen sighed, “Actually, there are not a few who are like the third pilgrim in recent years. I really don’t know what’s gotten into them.”

“They don’t know what evil has possessed them. Thinking that their wives, children, and families are bonds, they abandon their wives and children and enter the monastic life. After a few months or years, when they’ve come to their senses, they want to return to secular life. Not just remote temples, but even the few nearby ones, to my knowledge, have encountered similar situations.”

“Such things happen?” Lu Yang mused, feeling something was off about this matter.

“Fairy, do you see anything unusual about the third pilgrim?”

Immortal Fairy used her Immortal Sense to sweep the next side hall, “He seems alright, just a normal person, albeit one who’s been badly beaten but still dares not fight back.”

Lu Yang frowned. Was he overthinking it?

“Old Meng, what do you think?”

“The master struck well.”

“…”

The following pilgrims they received were much more normal, and after all, Master Duanchen was a high monk who had made a vast vow. He truly had real skills, and the two of them, Lu Yang, watched and learned a lot by the side.

Even though the method of guidance was just to take a bottle, fill it with water, and pour it out.

But one couldn’t withstand the manner of speaking and actions of Master Duanchen, which were all very appropriate, able to gradually pull the pilgrims into his own process.

“To make the other party believe in you, background, lighting, speech, behavior, and expressions… these are all very important,” Lu Yang continuously analyzed various aspects of Master Duanchen’s approach, looking to see in which areas he himself still fell short.

The last pilgrim of the day was somewhat unexpected for Lu Yang; it was the little girl who had nearly run into him the previous day. Though her clothes were patched, indicating a poor family background, both the clothes and her face were clean, which was endearing to the onlooker.

According to the little girl’s self-introduction, her name was Tang Qiaoqiao, fourteen years old. She had a brother, upon whom she depended, named Tang Chuanwu.

“Master, I don’t know what’s gotten into my brother recently. He seems to have become a completely different person, always suspicious and constantly practicing boxing. I don’t know where he learned this martial art. I asked my brother what happened, but he won’t tell me.”

Tang Qiaoqiao, thinking of the methods of demon cultivators described in the storytelling, with teary eyes and biting her lips hesitantly said, “Master, you don’t think my brother could have been possessed by someone, right?”

Master Duanchen activated the scriptures hanging on the wall to calm Tang Qiaoqiao down, showing a kind and convincing smile on his face.

“Little benefactor, your brother’s behavior shows that he is not a victim of possession. Those who are possessed would do their best to act normal to avoid raising suspicions. They wouldn’t change their temperament significantly.”

“Those capable of possessing others are usually cultivators who have achieved some level of cultivation. Such people are meticulous in their thinking and would certainly not expose any flaws. Even if someone familiar interacted with them, they wouldn’t notice any difference.”

Unlike Great Xia, which was extremely strict in management, in Buddha Country, one encountered those who had been possessed from time to time, even ones who diligently practiced cultivation after possessing someone and became abbots. Having encountered possessors several times, Master Duanchen knew the characteristics of such people.

Lu Yang nodded. What Master Duanchen said was right. When the Fairy had possessed him, she had also tried her best to mimic his actions, albeit the mimicry was hard to describe.

“So what’s going on with my brother?

Gripping the Buddha Beads, Master Duanchen pondered for a moment before saying, “Perhaps there is indeed some danger you’re unaware of. After learning about it through some channel, your brother, not wanting you to worry, has yet to tell you.”

Master Duanchen pulled a yellow talisman from his sleeve, wrapped it with a red string, and hung it around Tang Qiaoqiao’s neck, “Keep this talisman safe. Should you encounter danger, it can protect you thoroughly.”

“But I have no money,” Tang Qiaoqiao said, looking down at her toes as she spoke in a tiny voice, her anxiety palpable, fearful that Master Duanchen might throw her out.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“No matter, little Benefactor, if you perform more good deeds in the future, consider the talisman paid for.”

“Ah? Thank you, Master!” Tang Qiaoqiao abruptly looked up.

Master Duanchen brought his palms together and chanted the name of the Worldly Venerable: “A monk holds compassion at heart, I hope the little Benefactor won’t have a need for this talisman.”

To have no need for a talisman meant there would be no danger, which was naturally the best possible outcome.

After Kaihuang Temple was closed, Lu Yang followed Tang Qiaoqiao in secret, worried that if Tang Chuanwu had really been possessed, and the one who possessed him was as unschooled in subterfuge as the Fairy, then it would be disastrous.

The place where Tang Qiaoqiao lived was in a terrible environment, reeking of filth, houses crammed together, tortuous roads without any planning, built haphazardly, leaving nowhere for the sunlight to seep in.

“Brother, I’m back,” Tang Qiaoqiao said, in higher spirits than usual after Master Duanchen’s guidance. She had also bought some fish bones that could be used to make soup.

Tang Chuanwu, bare-chested, was drenched in sweat, his gaze determined, practicing his movements that seemed honed through thousands of repetitions, each one exceedingly precise.

“Brother, do we really have to train in martial arts so strenuously?” Tang Qiaoqiao asked tenderly.

Tang Chuanwu exhaled and affectionately patted his little sister’s head, “Brother needs to become stronger to protect you.”

“I am very safe,” she said.

Tang Chuanwu sighed, his eyes drifting to an unknown point, “It’s always no mistake to be prepared.”

“But I heard the masters at Kaihuang Temple say that they drink Decoction of Ten Complete Supplements daily to replenish their bodies during martial arts training. We can’t afford that. What if training hurts you?”

They were poor and could only afford to buy fish bones to nourish her brother, hoping they would help.

“It’s okay, brother will find a way to make money.”

From the shadows, Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, finding Tang Chuanwu’s movements familiar: “Long Arm Boxing?”

Only monks from the Kaihuang Temple should know this boxing technique. How did Tang Chuanwu know it? He didn’t seem like he had joined the Kaihuang Temple either.

Lu Yang was concerned that whoever had possessed Tang Chuanwu might be at a higher realm than himself, and recklessly using Spiritual Sense to probe might scare them off, so he asked Immortal Fairy to take action.

“He’s just a child, there are no signs of possession,” Immortal Fairy said.

Lu Yang touched the three Seeking Immortal Tokens in his possession, to no response.

“That’s good.”

If there was no possession, then it meant he had simply learned Long Arm Boxing clandestinely. Such minor matters were not worth his concern—as long as the person was fine.

Before leaving, Lu Yang hesitated, then secretly left a few Gold Beans at Tang Chuanwu’s house. Tang Qiaoqiao was right; if he continued to train like this, his body would indeed suffer and need strong medicinal soups to recover.

Seeing how precocious the two children were, they should know the principle of not flaunting wealth, and wouldn’t parade around with the Gold Beans.

Consider it a good deed done.

Before long, Tang Chuanwu discovered the Gold Beans on the table and couldn’t help feeling a chill down his spine: “Who’s there!”