Coupled with his sword-like gaze and his originally incredibly handsome face, he now carried an even colder and more stern expression.
This kind of charm would fascinate any woman, and even to a female demon, it possesses an extremely astonishing destructive power.
At this moment, his charm was off the charts.
Not only Bai Suzhen, but also Xiaoqing, who always acted as an invisible person by her side, was like that.
Two pairs of bright eyes stared at each other for a long time, their expressions blank, as if they had almost forgotten the time.
After a long while.
Xiao Ning turned around and saw this scene. He coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed. He thought to himself, "My charm is so great that even a female demon has fallen for me. Apart from you, handsome reader, who in the world can compare?"
…………
Jinling Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture, Jinshan Temple.
In front of the magnificent hall, there is a plaza a hundred feet wide, paved with white stone and surrounded by a white stone railing. In the center of the plaza is a bronze statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a golden lion. Beside the niche are the three Buddhas of the three times: Bhaisajyaguru, Shakyamuni, and Amitabha.
The painted sculptures and gold ornaments are quite impressive. In addition to the four stone steps leading to the entrance, there are five hundred Arhats, all cast in bronze, each with a lifelike expression.
Standing at the entrance of the square, you can see seven grand halls distributed around the square!
The temple bells rang out intermittently, their loud and far-reaching tones echoing across the mountaintop. The entire temple was filled with the sounds of Buddhist chants, radiating a bright light.
The monks at Jinshan Temple were busy preparing for the Sangharama Dharma Assembly three days later.
In a side hall, Fahai sat on a futon in front of the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, closing his eyes to meditate and contemplate Buddhist teachings.
The incense on the offering table emitted wisps of blue smoke, which swirled upwards and released a strange fragrance.
At this moment, the three-foot-tall Guanyin statue on the altar suddenly emitted a faint Buddhist light. In that instant, the statue seemed to come alive, its features becoming clear and expressive.
"Disciple Fahai pays respects to the Bodhisattva!"
Such a commotion brought Fahai back to his senses instantly. Looking at the projection of the Bodhisattva, he respectfully raised one palm and performed a Buddhist salute!
"Fahai, at the Sangharama Dharma Assembly in three days, the Buddha will descend in a Dharma body to bestow blessings upon you. You must prepare to welcome him!"
The projection of Guanyin Bodhisattva formed a mudra and spoke softly.
"Praise be to the World-Honored One! Your disciple receives the Bodhisattva's decree!"
A hint of excitement flashed in Fahai's eyes as he respectfully replied.
"Fahai, you were originally the reincarnation of Mohuluojia, one of the Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras. You were punished by the Buddha for breaking the precepts and were reincarnated as Fahai, a disciple of Jinshan Temple!"
"After your reincarnation, you were exceptionally intelligent and attained the status of a Bhikkhu at a young age. Your future is limitless, and it is only a matter of time before you enter Mount Sumeru and become a Bodhisattva! Therefore, the Buddha looks at you with special regard and entrusts you with important responsibilities!"
The Bodhisattva projection seemed to have high hopes for Fahai's future, revealing a secret to him, saying, "Therefore, this matter of propagating Buddhism and converting the snake demon must not have any mistakes, otherwise, it will ruin the great cause of our Buddhism. You'd better watch yourself!"
After he finished speaking, the Bodhisattva's projection slowly disappeared, and the Buddha statue returned to its original appearance.
In the quiet room, only Fahai remained, looking lost in thought.
…………
The mountain path was rugged, and the cries of monkeys and cranes could be heard.
A young Taoist priest, dressed in a blue robe, walked along the mountain path, his clothes untouched by dust or dew.
This person was Xiao Ning, who had set off from the outskirts of Qiantang County in Yuhang Prefecture to Jinling County to attend the Buddhist assembly at Jinshan Temple.
That day, after deciding to get involved in Bai Suzhen's affairs, Xiao Ning did not hesitate any longer. After bidding farewell to the two demons, he set off directly for Jinling County.
They walked and stopped frequently, moving at an extremely fast pace. Each step covered more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), as if they were on opposite sides of a vast distance. In just a few steps, they had covered more than ten li (approximately 5 kilometers).
Two days later, Xiao Ning finally arrived in Jinling.
At this point, after exiting the mountain path, a village appeared ahead.
"Hmm, this should be Zhenjiang Prefecture ahead?"
Looking at the scene before him, Xiao Ning muttered to himself.
"Hmm, could it be another demon causing trouble?"
At this moment, Xiao Ning's ears twitched as he heard the commotion ahead. The conversation of the villagers in the village ahead caught his attention.
The villagers frequently used unusual phrases such as "the imperial advisor from the Tang Dynasty" and "praying for blessings and rain."
"The weather is getting drier and drier; it hasn't rained for three months."
"It's become very difficult to draw water from my well."
“The stream outside the village has dried up, the riverbed has cracked open with huge fissures, and the fish and shrimp are rotting.”
"I heard that even the water level of Zhenjiang's mother river, Zhenjiang itself, has dropped significantly. This is a severe drought..."
"Fortunately, a national advisor from the Tang Dynasty has arrived and can pray for rain for us; otherwise, we would all be dying of thirst!"
Along the way, Xiao Ning could hear people discussing things that seemed to be related to the drought.
What's even more shocking is that Zhenjiang has dried up. It should be noted that Zhenjiang is a tributary of the Yangtze River, one of the two great rivers in the world, with its waters flowing eastward into the sea. Such a situation of drying up has never occurred before.
Listening to the villagers' discussions, Xiao Ning frowned slightly.
In recent days, the weather has indeed become increasingly dry, with clear skies and less moisture in the earth.