Chapter 10: Checking In at Zongyong Temple
Zongyong Temple, officially known as Zongyong Temple Scenic Area, is nestled in the mountainous region northwest of Shanhe City, a three-hour journey by intercity bus.
The Zongyong Temple that Lu Xingzhou was eager to check in at was merely a small part of the entire scenic area.
The whole Zongyong Temple Scenic Area includes various attractions such as mountain climbing, cable cars, lake tours, bungee jumping, cave diving, and an aerial glass bridge, making it one of the larger tourist spots in Shanhe City.
“Hello everyone! We’ve just arrived at Zongyong Temple! The bus ride almost made me puke!” Lu Xingzhou crouched down, repeatedly dry-heaving; the smell inside the long-distance coach was really a test of endurance.
“<Half Glass of Americano (Level 26): Next time you want to go somewhere, just send me your location. Sister will pick you up; my car smells so nice! The only fee is letting me touch your abs.>”
“<Lazy Crown (Level 23): You devil, you’ve got me all wet again!>”
The livestream chat suddenly turned into a massive biology seminar.
The girls wanted to discuss the basic principles of pocketing billiard balls.
The guys were eager to talk about cocking guns and mechanical maintenance.
The super moderator crouching below in the chat wanted to call the police but didn’t know what to say.
The previous night’s heat was still ongoing. At past ten in the morning, a time usually with fewer viewers, Lu Xingzhou’s livestream suddenly attracted tens of thousands of viewers in one rush, and the number continued to climb as the broadcast went on.
Meanwhile, viewers from other smaller livestreams flocked over to watch Lu Xingzhou.
Feeling slightly better from the motion sickness, Lu Xingzhou stood up and looked at the somewhat majestic temple building. Above the entrance hung a plaque that read “Zongyong Temple Pedestrian Street.”
“Let’s go! Today’s first stop: Zongyong Temple!”
He climbed the steps and entered through the gate, where a bustling crowd mingled amid the constant calls of vendors.
The outermost ring of Zongyong Temple, though designed in traditional temple architectural style, was not part of the temple itself but a commercial pedestrian street, lined with countless souvenir shops.
They sold everything from bracelets, pendants, to talismans for protection.
Lu Xingzhou even spotted a vendor selling fish bait supposedly blessed by a master, guaranteeing that you’d never come back empty-handed.
This piqued his curiosity. Who would bless fish bait?
He approached the shop and picked up a seemingly ordinary box of bait. “Boss, does your bait really guarantee you never catch nothing?”
The middle-aged shopkeeper puffed out his chest confidently. “Our Yuan’s Bait is a thousand-year-old brand, guaranteed never to leave you empty-handed.”
Lu Xingzhou’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “A thousand-year-old brand?”
The man sneered. “Have you read Journey to the West? The first ancestor of our Yuan’s Bait was the famous fishing immortal Yuan Shoucheng from the Tang Dynasty, the one who caught all the fish in the Jing River. Even the Dragon King can vouch for us. What, you don’t believe it?”
Fishing immortal Yuan Shoucheng! Sounds like a myth!
Especially a myth written by Ming Dynasty folks about the Tang Dynasty!
Lu Xingzhou put the bait back on the counter. “I’m not well-read. I know you’re lying.”
Seeing Lu Xingzhou turn to leave, the boss hurriedly called out, “Hey, brother, don’t go! I’ve got Yuan Shoucheng’s bracelets, jade pendants, portraits—hang them at home and you’ll never come back empty-handed! Really!”
Passing through the pedestrian street and entering the temple, the noise instantly died down. The crowd thinned considerably, mostly elderly women with white hair, very few young people in sight.
Lu Xingzhou scratched his head. “Why do I feel like the pedestrian street outside is more of a family storage area?”
[Checked in at Zongyong Temple (1/1)]
[Task reward obtained: Glimmering Vision (activated)]
As Lu Xingzhou stepped through the temple’s main gate, a system chime rang out.
‘This mission was this easy?’
Surprised, Lu Xingzhou hadn’t expected to complete it so quickly.
‘Task complete. Now, let’s take a good look around Zongyong Temple and see if these talismans really are as miraculous as some viewers claim.’
With a system like this, what if there really were spiritual powers, curses, or emperors in the world?
Just inside the second gate, a young novice monk stopped Lu Xingzhou and handed him three incense sticks.
Lu Xingzhou instinctively caught them, ready to move on, but the novice monk blocked his way and stretched out his hand.
“Two hundred!” he said.
Lu Xingzhou blinked. “Two hundred for what?”
The novice monk pointed to the incense sticks in Lu Xingzhou’s hand. “Two hundred!”
Stunned, Lu Xingzhou thought, this is robbery! Three incense sticks cost mere pennies at the factory, even sold to Americans at that price.
“I don’t want them!”
“No, you’ve already taken them. You can’t return them; it’s bad luck!”
Lu Xingzhou paused. For someone who encountered three cases a day, discussing luck or bad luck seemed pointless.
“This is forced sale! I’m calling the cops.”
The novice monk waved him off. “Call whoever you want, it’s still two hundred!”
Lu Xingzhou reached into his pockets to call the police.
His hands came up empty.
Left pocket, right pocket—empty. Even his underwear and socks were searched, all empty.
Alarmed, Lu Xingzhou thought, “Wait, where’s my phone?”
The novice monk looked at him as if he were crazy. “Another one pretending he lost his phone? Who’d believe that? You just don’t want to pay. Is there really a thief in the temple?”
Lu Xingzhou glanced at the novice monk, a smirk playing at his lips.
‘If that’s the case... don’t blame me for stirring up trouble!’
He reached out. “Give me back my phone!”
The novice monk was stunned. “I didn’t take your phone.”
“You were standing right next to me. My phone’s gone now. If it’s not you, then who took it? Hurry up, or I’ll shout that you’re the thief!”
This broke the novice monk’s composure. “You’re accusing me! I didn’t take your phone! I’m calling the cops!”
Turning to make the call, he suddenly realized his own phone was missing from the table.
He frantically searched up, down, left, right—even inside his underwear and socks. Nothing.
Panicked, he shouted, “Damn it, where’s my phone? I was just watching a girl dance! How did it disappear? There’s really a thief in the temple! Brother, close the gates! Call the cops! There’s a thief in the temple!”
His cries caused a commotion among everyone in the temple.
At that moment, a shadow that had been wandering near the temple’s central hall suddenly bolted toward the wall, trying to scale it and escape before anyone could react.
But Lu Xingzhou immediately noticed the movement.
He nodded toward the fleeing figure. “Look at that guy trying to get out of the temple. He must be the phone thief.”
The novice monk jumped up and down. “Help me catch him, and I’ll waive the incense fee. I’ll even give you a blessed talisman.”
Lu Xingzhou glanced at the novice monk, saying nothing.
As the thief neared the wall’s edge, the novice monk grew more desperate.
“It’s truly blessed, not some factory-made trinket! Really! I’ll steal it from my master’s room for you!”
Isn’t that selling your own family’s land without remorse?
Of course, Lu Xingzhou wasn’t interested in the talisman—his phone had been stolen, and he had to get it back.
“Fine! It’s settled!”
He lunged sideways to intercept the thief.
Just as the thief was about to climb over the wall, Lu Xingzhou grabbed him and pulled him down.
The thief staggered, falling hard onto the ground.
Looking up, he suddenly saw a figure blocking his path. Instinctively, he tried to push forward.
“Bang!”
“Ouch!”
The thief felt as if he’d run into a mountain and bounced back.
Before he could fall again, Lu Xingzhou grabbed him by the collar.
“Quick with your hands, huh? Want to try my skills now?”
The thief looked at Lu Xingzhou’s large fists and, for the first time, sincerely wished the police would come and take him away soon.