There is a god in the sky

Chapter 275 The City God Temple Turmoil 2

"This is the first time I've ever seen incense that won't light."

"This is because the City God does not accept offerings from His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Heavens! How could this be? Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince has offended the City God?"

"The Crown Prince is the true Son of Heaven; perhaps the City God feels unworthy of the Crown Prince's incense?"

Although this explanation was far-fetched, it at least saved face for the crown prince.

The crown prince suddenly flicked his sleeve and said to Zhou Ru, "Go and give it a try."

The Taoist priest relit three incense sticks and handed them to him, but the latter did not take them and instead randomly pulled out three sticks from a bundle and lit them himself.

He waved his hand, and sparks flew from the incense stick, wisps of smoke rising, and it didn't look like there was anything wrong with it.

He neither believed in Buddhism nor Taoism, and casually inserted three incense sticks into the incense burner.

All eyes were fixed on the three incense sticks, one breath, two breaths, three breaths...

The incense had not gone out; the wisps of smoke still lingered.

The prince's face flushed red and then turned pale. He snorted coldly and led his men out.

"Please wait, benefactor." The young monk jogged over, but was stopped by the guards ten steps away.

He clasped his hands together and said sincerely, “The reason you cannot light incense must be because you have karmic obstacles that you have not cleared away. If you leave like this, it may affect your health.”

"Little monk, don't talk nonsense! This is His Highness the Crown Prince!"

This is the first time I've heard that His Highness the Crown Prince has some kind of karmic burden. Doesn't that mean the Crown Prince is immoral?

The people outside the City God Temple began to whisper among themselves again.

Shen Lan and Xuan'er stood at the back of the crowd, with heads in front of them, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

But through word of mouth, they heard some of it.

“Sister, let’s take a look. That’s His Highness the Crown Prince!” Xuan’er said with interest.

Upon hearing the words "the incense cannot be lit," Shen Languang knew that something was amiss here, and that unrest might break out soon.

With such a dense crowd, a stampede is bound to occur if unrest breaks out.

"You can see, but you can't see clearly from here. Let's go to the teahouse across the street."

There is a three-story building facing the street near the City God Temple. The upper floor faces this area directly. Although you can't see or hear clearly, at least it's safe.

"Amitabha Buddha, His Highness the Crown Prince's health is related to the well-being of all people, and should be treated with utmost care."

"Where does the young monk come from? What is his name?" The prince waved his hand, signaling the guards to let him pass.

“My Buddhist name is Liaochen, and I come from Fayin Temple.”

No one had ever heard of Fayin Temple, but judging from its name, it must be a legitimate temple, which immediately lessened the prince's wariness.

"You just said that I have karmic obstacles on me, how can I remove them?"

"All I need to do is have this humble monk perform seven days of Buddhist rituals for Your Highness."

"So simple?"

"Your Highness is protected by the aura of a true dragon; the evil influences are only on the surface and are not difficult to remove."

He spoke with great detail and conviction, but the Taoist priests at the City God Temple, who were unfamiliar with Buddhism, did not know whether what he said was true or false.

But it is a fact that the prince's incense could not be lit, and there must be some problem with this. The Taoist priests of the City God Temple did not want to get involved in trouble, so they simply kept quiet.

"Alright, please stay at my residence for a few days, young master."

The Crown Prince wasn't afraid of his tricks; once he entered the Crown Prince's residence, he couldn't cause any trouble on his own.

The people at the gate saw the prince leave the City God Temple with his entourage, followed by a young monk, and they all found it strange.

There are monks in the City God Temple?

Shen Lan and Xuan'er hadn't gone far when they heard a noise behind them.

The two stood in the corner, watching the prince's entourage leave.

"Li Ye?" Shen Lan was stunned when she saw the bald little monk in his robes.

How could he be following behind the Crown Prince?

If Shen Lan hadn't seen him in the palace yesterday, she would have thought Li Ye had a twin brother.

What's he up to? Is he trying to get close to the Crown Prince by posing as a monk?

She patted the man standing in front of her and asked, "Brother, who is that monk behind the Crown Prince?"

"I don't know. I heard it was a wandering monk staying at the City God Temple who said he wanted to remove the prince's bad karma."

"evil creature?"

"Yes, the Crown Prince cannot light the incense offerings because he has karmic debts, and the City God does not accept his offerings."

What an outrageous reason!

Shen Lan led Xuan'er back and knocked on the door of the last house in the alley.

"Who is it?" a young voice came from inside.

Shen Lan calmly replied, "Master, may I borrow a bowl of water?"

The door opened, revealing a cute smiling face; the person looked to be no more than thirteen years old.

When the boy saw two pretty young ladies standing outside the door, he immediately opened it and said, "Please come in, I'll get you some water."

Shen Lan went inside and looked around the house.

The courtyard was not small, but it looked quite dilapidated, with no greenery other than stone tables and benches.

This house doesn't look very big. Who lives here? And how did they meet Li Ye?

Shen Lan simply sat down on the stone bench.

The boy ran into the house and soon came out carrying two bowls of water.

Shen Lan didn't really want water. She took the bowl and put it aside, then asked the boy, "Where are your parents? Why did you open the door to strangers? Aren't you afraid we might be bad people?"

“Such a beautiful older sister, with a younger sister by her side, how could she possibly be a bad person?” the boy replied confidently.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't do that again next time. There are all sorts of people out here, so be careful."

"My sister is not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted. But don't worry, not just anyone can come into my house."

"Oh? Then why were you let in?"

And the people she saw before were also there to ask for water. Could this actually be a code?

"Hehe, of course it's because I think you're easy to fool." The boy's expression changed from before, and he laughed sinisterly.

He was cute, but his smile had a maturity beyond his years, which frightened Xuan'er so much that she hid behind Shen Lan.

Shen Lan glanced around.

There was a lot of noise outside, so she didn't hear that there was someone hiding in the house.

"Why would you lie to us? There's a City God Temple right here. On such a big day, there are soldiers all over the streets. If I shout, you're finished."

"Why aren't you scared?" the boy asked, stroking his chin.

Shen Lan shook her head. This child was quite good at changing his expression, but she didn't sense any murderous intent from him.

Moreover, they were just random passersby who walked in randomly; there always needs to be a reason to harm someone.

"I have a letter here. Please pass it on to Li Ye. He said he can come here to deliver the message if he wants to contact him."

Shen Lan took out a letter and handed it to him.

Upon hearing the name Li Ye, the boy's expression returned to normal.

"So you're Brother Li's friend. I'm sorry for offending you earlier, Little Tiger!" The boy bowed formally to Shen Lan.

Shen Lan took out a coin and gave it to him, saying, "This is for you to buy some candy."

The boy accepted the money, and his smile became even more genuine.

She got up to leave, but the boy ran up to her, grinning, and asked, "What's your name, sister? If Brother Li replies, how should I give it to you?"

"No need, I will come again in three days, you can give it to me in person."

"No, Brother Li won't have time to reply within three days."

"Oh? What did he go to do?" Shen Lan pretended that she hadn't seen Li Ye before.

She was very curious about the relationship between the boy and Li Ye.

He also traveled north from Jianzhou City and had only been in Bianjing for a short time. How did he get to know the people here?

The boy replied sincerely, "I don't know, but Brother Li is very busy. Come back in seven days."

Shen Lan's heart sank. "Alright, if you hear any news about him, please pass on a message to Jifeng Study. My surname is Shen."