Flying all the way back to Tonglin County, just as Lu Zheng descended from the clouds, he saw Ao Qian following Liu Qingquan and Liu San, carrying a lunchbox, on their way to deliver food to Liu Qingyan.

"Brother-in-law! Sister Si!"

"Hmm, smells so good. What did Madam Liu make today?" Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi landed next to them, waved to disperse the blinding technique, and instantly blended into the surrounding crowd.

"It's five-spice roast chicken and codfish cakes!" Ao Qian said with a cheeky grin, "It's so delicious!"

When she said this, Ao Qian's mood suddenly dropped, "But the day after tomorrow I have to return to the East Sea..."

"The Jade Dragon King and Dragon Queen will miss you too, and now you can come back anytime you want, right? No, after this flood ends, I still want to take Lin Wan to the East Sea for a visit!" Lu Zheng reached out to pat Ao Qian's little head.

"Sister Lin? Great! Great! She has told me many stories about catching bad guys." Ao Qian's spirits quickly lifted again.

Lu Zheng laughed heartily, thought for a moment, and said, "The day after tomorrow seems to be another rest day; let's hold a grand farewell party for you! Everyone will prepare a program, and in the end, Qian Bao'Er will score them!"

"Yay!"

...

Three days later, Lu Zheng, Si Lingxi, Shen Ying, the Liu Qingyan sisters, and Du Yueyao saw Ao Qian off, and then watched Ao Yun and Ao Run take away an emotionally clinging Ao Qian.

"Sister! Brother-in-law! Qing Quan! Remember to come visit East Sea!"

"We'll remember, we'll come in the second half of the year!"

"Brother-in-law, remember to write a new script, I still want to perform in a shadow puppet show."

"Definitely, definitely, I'm working on it!"

...

Watching Ao Qian leave, Si Lingxi finally turned around and glanced towards the North Gate of the county town.

"Shall we go back... huh, Zen Master Dejie?" Just as Lu Zheng said this to Liu Qingyan beside him, he saw an old monk in gray clothes walking slowly towards them; it was Zen Master Dejie, with whom he had had several encounters.

"Zen Master, why have you come to Tonglin County to seek alms again?" Lu Zheng hurriedly stepped forward and saluted respectfully.

"Amitabha Buddha!" Zen Master Dejie chanted, "The Great Hero Hall's Tathagata Golden Body lacks one copper coin. Calculating, this poor monk received two copper coins from Lu Xiaoyou, hence has fate with my Buddha, so I came to Tonglin County again to ask Xiaoyou for one more."

Lu Zheng blinked, thinking back, he had indeed given Zen Master Dejie a copper coin each in Yizhou Prefecture and Tonglin County.

So it adds up to two from him? Thus having a connection with Buddha? How mystical is this?

"It's my honor!" Lu Zheng reached back and took out a copper coin from a gourd, "Does this work? Or is a ceremony needed?"

"Amitabha Buddha!" Zen Master Dejie chuckled, put his palms together, then reached forward, taking the copper coin Lu Zheng handed over and placing it into a cloth bag at his waist, "Amitabha Buddha, many thanks for the kindness."

After obtaining the last copper coin, Zen Master Dejie turned to Si Lingxi and saluted with clasped hands, "Greetings to Sect Leader Si."

Si Lingxi nodded slightly in acknowledgment and indifferently said, "Is Monk Hua Hai dead?"

"Amitabha Buddha, Brother Hua Hai attained nirvana a hundred years ago, passed into paradise, and went to meet the Buddha." Zen Master Dejie smiled gently.

"You have lived quite long." Si Lingxi nodded, examining Zen Master Dejie closely, "A flawless golden body, your divine soul is near perfection, it's unexpected, you were the one to reach this step."

"Amitabha Buddha, form is emptiness," Zen Master Dejie nodded with a smile.

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed, and he quickly invited, "This is not the place to talk, and it's near noon. Zen Master, how about coming to my humble abode?"

"Amitabha Buddha, I was just thinking of that."

...

There was a lavish vegetarian meal again, but this time, half of the dishes contained meat. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Did the Master just see Qian Bao'Er?"

"It can be seen that Little Dragon Girl has a good relationship with Lu Xiaoyou and Miss Liu's sisters, which is truly wonderful," Zen Master Dejie said, "As for this old monk, it would be inappropriate to disturb your farewells."

Lu Zheng expressed his understanding and then asked, "When will the Tathagata Golden Body of the Great Hero Hall be cast? I must definitely pay homage with incense by then."

"For the Golden Body, we collected seventy-one thousand six hundred twenty-three copper coins, and it will take seven hundred sixteen days, two hours, and forty-five minutes to cast the Tathagata Golden Body," Zen Master Dejie said with a smile, "You're quite welcome to visit Fahua Temple by then."

Nearly two years!

So inefficient!

Lu Zheng nodded and raised his cup, "Definitely, definitely! Please, Master!"

Zen Master Dejie drank a cup of clear tea, and his eyes briefly flashed as he looked at Liu Qingyan, "Congratulations to Donor Liu on your ancestral recognition."

"Thank you, Master!"

Zen Master Dejie's eyes swept over Shen Ying, Liu Qingquan, and Du Yueyao, finally stopping on Lu Zheng, "Amitabha Buddha, Lu Xiaoyou has fate with my Buddha, indeed blessed with deep fortune; through diligent cultivation, you shall surely ascend to the Upper Realm."

"Then thank you for the Master's good words."

Zen Master Dejie shook his head and then took out an old book from his robe, placing it on the table, "With Lu Xiaoyou's three coins, the Tathagata Golden Body has fate with you, and this 'Lecture on the Heart Sutra of the Buddha on the Dharma Flower Platform' is the fate with my Buddha for you."

"Hiss—"

Lu Zheng's eyes widened, involuntarily taking a cold breath.

How is it that a fate of three copper coins is so valuable?

Zen Master Dejie chuckled, "I hope Xiaoyou will use the spell in this 'Heart Sutra' to offer incense at Fahua Temple two years later."

Lu Zheng nodded and raised his cup, "Definitely, definitely! Please, Master!"

...

After a feast, Zen Master Dejie didn't linger and left, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.

Lu Zheng rubbed the book in his hand, thought for a while, and turned to Si Lingxi to ask, "Came for the Celestial Dragon Temple?"

He had heard the conversation between Si Lingxi and Zen Master Dejie regarding Monk Hua Hai from the Celestial Dragon Temple just now.

Everyone turned their eyes toward Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi upon hearing this, and Shen Ying asked, "What Celestial Dragon Temple?"

"A minor matter, never expected it would draw Zen Master Dejie here," Lu Zheng shook his head, then narrated the incident of being blocked by monks from Celestial Dragon Temple on his and Si Lingxi's way back.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ying smacked her lips, as she, being the Incense and Candle God of the Great Jing, could occasionally know some public information from the Da Jing Court, "Who you brushed off was likely Zen Master Huaihai, and he is considered the number one of this generation in the Celestial Dragon Temple. To them, this really isn't a trivial matter."

The matter could be easily sorted out.

A figure capable of injuring Zen Master Huaihai with one swipe entering the Great Jing with such audacity would certainly draw the attention of the Celestial Dragon Temple, coupled with the discovery that the flames lingering in Zen Master Huaihai were those of the Phoenix Divine Fire, and without a Great Power to handle, they promptly notified the Central Capital Buddhism's Fahua Temple, which led Zen Master Dejie to be involved.

Well, the usual operations of major sects: anything they can handle, they generally won't inform the Court.

It was just unexpected that the relevant conversation between Zen Master Dejie and Si Lingxi was so brief and ended abruptly.

However, this is understandable; given Si Lingxi's status, Zen Master Dejie coming over merely needed to confirm that Si Lingxi was not planning on causing trouble in the Great Jing under the guise of the flood situation, and that was it, let alone apologizing to the Celestial Dragon Temple. Not having the Celestial Dragon Temple to come and apologize to Si Lingxi was already fortunate enough.

"At least it's one of the reasons," Si Lingxi nodded and then shook her head, "However, his asking you for a third copper coin is not false either; Buddhist Dharma is mysterious. Even I cannot completely see through it, but for you, it isn't a bad thing."

"Certainly not a bad thing." Lu Zheng raised the scripture in his hand, Just having quickly skimmed through, he realized the scripture is undoubtedly a top-tier cultivation technique, not in the least inferior to the Jinhua Sect's 'Nine Heavens Golden Palace True God Transformation Technique', with profound insights on cultivating the divine soul and enhancing one's state of mind.