New Times, New Hell

Chapter 61 - Date

Though Yang Xin didn’t understand why Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que looked like they were making a great sacrifice, he truly really wanted the Ghost Festival garden party IP. Ultimately, he took a step back and agreed to discuss further with the board of directors.

Yu Zhengdu wasn’t in much of a rush either. If they were truly to collaborate through buying stock in a project as large as the Feiyu Amusement Park, there were innumerous details to be decided on. These would truly fall in his knowledge blindspot. When the time came, their company’s professional business team would be needed for talks.

Thus, after reaching an initial agreement with Yang Xin, both sides very accordingly stopped speaking and worrying about anything further.

The problem with the amusement park project unexpectedly seemed to be on track to getting solved, so Yang Xin was in a great mood. After eating lunch together, he hurriedly bid farewell and rushed off to deal with the remainder of the amusement park issues.

After an afternoon rest, Daoist priest Mu personally led Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que on a tour of Qinglian Temple.

Qinglian Temple had a very long history that could be traced to a thousand years earlier. At its peak, the entire area of the temple covered four times the amount of land it did currently, and was the cultural centerpiece of Diyang City. However, after the rise and fall of several dynasties and inevitable temporal changes, the earliest buildings had long been destroyed. Many book collections and records had been damaged as well. The Qinglian Temple of today had been reconstructed at the tail end of the Qing Dynasty. Even through different catastrophes, it still remained standing; it could be considered one of Diyang’s local landmarks.

Yu Zhengdu had known before that Qinglian Temple was holy for all Daoists. The temple itself was also a famous attraction. But only today, after Daoist priest Mu’s introduction, did he come to learn more of Qinglian Temple’s rarely known history. For example, stories of how Qinglian Temple’s previous Daoists had vanquished all sorts of demons and monsters. Among these, legends of how they had invited gods to aid in their battles were also in abundance.

Honestly, if Yu Zhengdu had heard these stories in the past, he would most likely have treated them as retellings of supernatural novels. But right now, he could only express his awe and sigh in admiration.

Qinglian Temple had remained standing after the events of a thousand years. It naturally had roots and prowess that outsiders couldn’t shake.

In comparison to Yu Zhengdu’s interest, though, Shang Que’s reaction to these stories was much calmer. Oftentimes, he even started daydreaming very obviously. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in these stories at all.

Daoist priest Mu wasn’t annoyed though. Shang Que’s reaction was extremely normal for the current era. Thus, he only smiled and said, “After hearing these stories, does Householder Shang feel like they’re completely blasphemous and impossible, as if they were only made up by our predecessors?”

“Un?” After being suddenly asked, Shang Que looked over with a blank gaze. He answered, “That’s not it. They’re real enough, just a little average.”

Daoist priest Mu: “……Av-average?”

Daoist priest Mu was in slight disbelief. It was one thing if someone didn’t believe in these stories. But what was going on if someone said they believed them but found them average? Stories about enlightened masters casting spells to invite gods and fighting side by side with them in battle couldn’t be considered average, right?

Only to hear Shang Que casually say, “Inviting ghosts and gods isn’t a very difficult task. After your cultivation level has reached a certain realm, as long as you maintain a good relationship with the god you worship, that’s all you need……”

Daoist priest Mu’s beard slightly trembled. “……Maintain a good relationship?”

But Yuan Qing had already realized something. “Ah, that’s right. Hasn’t Luofeng Company developed a cross-realm technology that allows them to contact the Underworld? Then it truly is much easier for you to maintain a good relationship with them.”

Daoist priest Mu paused for a moment. He suddenly said, depressed, “That’s true.”

Traditional spell casting was already out of the times. The future would ultimately belong to technology.

But Yu Zhengdu knew that that wasn’t what Boss meant at all. After seeing Daoist priest Mu, who had originally been so proud of Qinglian Temple’s history, suffer such a blow, he hurriedly said, “That’s not everything, though. How could it be so easy to invite a god down? Maintaining a good relationship isn’t everything.”

Shang Que nodded. “Un, it also depends on what the other’s mood was like in that instant.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……” Today is another day that his synchronization with Boss is broken.

Only to hear Shang Que suddenly say, “But I have seen an above average Daoist before.”

Daoist priest Mu, who had originally been silent with sorrow, didn’t notice that he had said “seen”. He only revealed a curious expression and asked, “Oh? How was he above average?”

Shang Que’s gaze was heavy. He seemed to be searching for a certain story from within his memory. A long time later, he finally spoke, “He used only his own power to help tens of millions of souls cross. His merits shocked the Heavens, and he instantly became a god.”

Shang Que only said a few sentences. But as Daoists, Daoist priest Mu and Yuan Qing were both able to immediately understand what was so shocking about this story. After a long period of silence, Daoist priest Mu finally bowed and sighed, “That’s truly above average.”

Daoist priest Mu asked again, “May I ask which Daoist that was? I have never heard of such a feat.”

Yuan Qing added, “Such a great master should be recorded into the Daoist history books and lauded for being a legend.”

Shang Que thought about it very carefully. “I think he was named……Zhang Fang?”

Daoist priest Mu: “&#k2026;&#k2026;”

Yuan Qing: “&#k2026;&#k2026;”

Daoist priest Mu’s mouth twitched. “Grandmaster Zhang Fang……was a layman disciple of Longhu Mountain.”

Yuan Qing’s did as well. “&#k2026;&#k2026;I heard the Daoists of Longhu Mountain say before that Grandmaster Zhang Fang once had the chance to reach enlightenment and ascend, but later on, he took a journey down the mountain. Nobody knows what happened after, because he disappeared.”

Shang Que held his hands out. “He did ascend.”

Daoist priest Mu, “Householder Shang, please don’t joke about our predecessors.”

Though Shang Que’s story left both Daoists speechless, Daoist priest Mu couldn’t refute him to his face. He could only pretend that nothing had happened and continue leading them to the next location, forcefully turning onto a new page.

Yu Zhengdu felt slightly amused. He could tell that this time, Shang Que wasn’t doing this on purpose. He was only speaking the truth. Yu Zhengdu slowed down a bit and scooted close to Shang Que. He deliberately teased, “Boss, you know so many amazing people!”

Shang Que side-eyed him. “They’re alright, not that amazing.”

Yu Zhengdu patted his shoulder. “……Boss, in the eyes of us mortals, they’re already very amazing.”

As such, they spoke while walking. After seeing the entirety of Qinglian Temple, it was already evening. Daoist priest Mu asked, “I don’t know if these two householders have any plans later on? If you plan on spending the night in Diyang, how about simply staying in the temple.”

Shang Que looked at Yu Zhengdu. “If there’s nothing else, let’s head back tonight?”

Yu Zhengdu paused. Suddenly, he suggested, “It’s rare that we have the opportunity to come to Diyang. How about staying an extra day to walk around the attractions here?”

Yuan Qing replied, “The most famous attraction in Diyang is our temple. You guys just finished walking around it.”

Yu Zhengdu: “……”

Fortunately, he had just done his homework. Thus, he said, “I saw online that there’s a ferris wheel?”

“Oh, you like those things.” Yuan Qing was a bit surprised, but still very eagerly introduced, “The ferris wheel just opened last year. However, I heard that business is only so-so. Apparently, only couples go……”

“Is that so……” At this point, Yu Zhengdu couldn’t make a decision by himself anymore. He asked Shang Que, “Boss, do you want to go?”

Shang Que’s expression seemed a bit unnatural. “If you want to go, then let’s go.”

In all honesty, he didn’t really want to go at all. But……

Yu Zhengdu nodded. “Then let’s go.”

Shang Que acted like nothing was wrong and nodded. “Okay.”

That night, Yu Zhengdu sought out Daoist priest Mu. He said, “Daoist priest Mu, I have a few questions I want to ask you.”

During the day, he hadn’t been able to speak about this topic in front of Shang Que. Which was why he had found an excuse to stay the night and find Daoist priest Mu individually.

Daoist priest Mu: “What questions?”

Yu Zhengdu hesitated a moment before asking, “May I ask if Qinglian Temple has any records relating to Luofeng Mountain?”

Recently, he had searched all over the Internet for information regarding Luofeng Mountain. He had also found several books. But most of the stories had been made up by people after; there were few true records regarding Luofeng Mountain. Additionally, there was absolutely nothing on the Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain. If not for the fact that Jin Heguan had truly brought up this identity and the Ghost King seal really did exist, Yu Zhengdu was about to suspect that this identity had been made up by Shang Que.

Until today, after he heard about the long history of Qinglian Temple, did Yu Zhengdu come up with a thought in his heart. He realized that Qinglian Temple might have records regarding this matter.

Daoist priest Mu answered, “We do, but very few.”

After returning from his visit with Daoist priest Mu, Yu Zhengdu slowly walked back to his own room while digesting the information he had just learned. When he reached his door, he saw Shang Que leaning against the doorway, head lowered and looking at his phone. Upon seeing Yu Zhengdu, he immediately straightened and asked, “Where did you go? How come it took you so long to come back?”

Yu Zhengdu avoided his questions and asked in response, “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you want to go out tomorrow?” Shang Que questioned. “Shouldn’t we plan our schedule in advance?”

Yu Zhengdu hadn’t realized that he would be so diligent. He reflexively answered, “There’s no need for that, right? Aren’t we just going to go to the ferris wheel?”

“You only want to go to the ferris wheel?” Shang Que’s tone was a bit unnatural. “I did some research and found that there’s a park next to it. We can go to the park too after riding the ferris wheel.”

What a strange itinerary……

Yu Zhengdu even wanted to suggest adding public square dancing to the list too, but travelling wasn’t his true purpose anyways. He thought about it and replied, “Okay.”

The next morning, Shang Que excitedly went to find Yu Zhengdu.

Yu Zhengdu walked out with two giant dark circles. He had been bothered by the information about Luofeng Mountain the whole night and had only fallen asleep at daybreak. Now, his eyes seemed like dead fish eyes: completely blank.

He originally wanted to suggest giving up on this trip in favor of sleeping inside to Shang Que, but before he even managed to say anything, he heard Shang Que very excitedly saying, “I already preordered the tickets for the ferris wheel online. And I also made a reservation at a very popular restaurant by the park. When the time comes, we can simply head over and won’t have to wait in line.”

At a time like this, if he said anything, he would really be turned into a chicken.

Yu Zhengdu: “……Give me a moment to change.”

The ferris wheel was next to the park at the center of Diyang City. When Yu Zhengdu got there, he immediately knew why business wasn’t great. Their location was seriously too tragic. The old city district was nearby, so there were no additional recreational facilities in the vicinity. The park was rather large, but normally, the only people who visited were grandmas and grandpas on walks. Aside from couples on dates, there really weren’t many people who specially came.

Shang Que retrieved the tickets. While waiting in line for the next turn, he asked Yu Zhengdu, “Do you really like ferris wheels?”

“Just average,” Yu Zhengdu answered honestly. “Either way, on a normal day, I wouldn’t specially come to ride one.”

Shang Que suddenly tightened his grip on the tickets in his hand. He went, “Oh,” then said, “Is that so.”

Coincidentally, the ferris wheel stopped. The employee rushed them, “It’s your turn. Hurry and get on.”

The ferris wheel slowly started up again. As they climbed higher and higher, the entire view of Diyang reached their eyes. But Shang Que wasn’t interested in enjoying the view outside. He subtly turned his head to look at Yu Zhengdu, only to see Yu Zhengdu staring back at him, seemingly a bit dazed.

Shang Que: !

Shang Que faked composure. As if nothing was wrong, he pointed outside and dryly said, “The view is pretty nice.”

“Un.” Yu Zhengdu suddenly came back to his senses, but only took a single glance outside. Without thinking, he replied, “You’ve been alive for so long, so must have seen many different views, right?”

Shang Que froze. He didn’t know why the other was suddenly asking about this. Despite this, he still very seriously pondered the question before calmly responding, “Not really.”

The ferris wheel took a very short amount of time. When they got off it, it was still early. With nothing left to do, Yu Zhengdu followed Shang Que’s plans and started heading toward the park to take a walk.

Today was a workday. The park was the territory of grandmas and grandpas. Yu Zhengdu absentmindedly strolled along. Shang Que noticed that he had been this way since morning. After half a day of hesitation, he finally couldn’t help speaking up. “If you have anything to say, you can say it.”

Yu Zhengdu paused. He was a bit hesitant, only to hear Shang Que add, “I’m listening.”

Yu Zhengdu scratched his head. “It’s nothing much. I’m scared you’ll be unhappy……”

Shang Que’s eyes unconsciously widened. “I won’t be.”

But Yu Zhengdu still couldn’t make up his mind. He instinctively kicked at a pebble by his feet. At this time, the shrill sound of arguing suddenly sounded from beside them. An old lady shouted, “You’re not allowed to go. You’ve gone crazy——”

And then that old man said, “You’re the dumb one. Bhanaka Jue Yin said I’m one of the fated. Do you know how many people wish they were so but aren’t——”

Yu Zhengdu turned his head to look. He saw an elderly couple tugging at each other as they walked in his direction. The old lady and old man were fighting over a small bag in their hands. The old man decided to be harsh. He suddenly pushed the old lady onto the ground and ran off with the bag. “When I go to the Land of Bliss in the future, you’ll know that this was all worth it.”

The old lady landed on her butt on the ground. She slammed her fists against the dirt and wailed, “What Land of Bliss. You’ve given all our money to him, we don’t even have enough to survive on now——”

But the old man completely disregarded what she said. He had long since run off into the distance.

Upon seeing this, Yu Zhengdu hurriedly rushed over and helped the old lady up. He asked cautiously, “Auntie, are you okay?”

“Can’t live anymore, I can’t live like this anymore!” The old lady stood up, shaking. She didn’t seem injured by the fall at all. Instead, she only kept hitting her chest and crying, “What will I do in the future——”

Yu Zhengdu originally didn’t want to ask about others’ family matters, but after seeing how hard the old lady was crying, he couldn’t help but inquire, “Auntie, did something happen in your family?”

As soon as he asked this, he successfully managed to open up the chatterbox that was the old lady. She instantly grabbed onto his arm and started complaining while crying, “Just now, that person was my husband, Lao Liu. He’s been brainwashed by that Bhanaka Jue Yin. He keeps saying that he’s fated to be with Buddha and that he’ll be able to go to the Land of Bliss in the future. Now he’s gone crazy, adamant about donating all of our money to Bhanaka Jue Yin!”

“Ah?” Yu Zhengdu hadn’t expected that this story would be so astonishing. For a moment, he was a bit confused and couldn’t casually respond. He could only carefully state, “Then Uncle is a bit too impulsive.”

“Not even. He’s not the only one.” Auntie Liu resentfully ground her teeth. “There’s so many people who believe in that Bhanaka Jue Yin. Several of my neighbors’ families have been in a mess because of this situation too.”

Yu Zhengdu was shocked. “So bad?”

“You must be from out of town, right? You haven’t even heard of Bhanaka Jue Yin?” Auntie Liu asked.

Yu Zhengdu nodded. “Yes.”

“No wonder.” Auntie Liu cussed while she spoke, “Bhanaka Jue Yin only came to Diyang to preach recently. He propagates his teachings in this park. Apparently, he’s some eminent monk for some kinnara sect. As soon as he got here, he gained so many worshippers. My neighbors all used to be Qinglian Temple’s worshippers, but now, they don’t even go to Qinglian Temple anymore. Every day, they go listen to Bhanaka Jue Yin give lectures. They also say something like, if they can be blessed by Bhanaka Jue Yin, they’ll be able to go to the Land of Bliss after death. Right now, they’ve all gone crazy, one by one, fighting to donate money to him……”

Yu Zhengdu’s mouth kept twitching upon hearing this. “Why does it sound so much like a cult?”

“It is a cult!” Auntie Liu responded, grinding her teeth.

“Kinnara?” Shang Que seemed to have found the crucial detail. He slightly furrowed his brows, “Isn’t that just a small god that dabbles in music? Even it has a following?”

A small god that dabbles in music……

Yu Zhengdu wasn’t very knowledgeable on the gods in Buddhism, but that didn’t stop him from being shocked by Shang Que’s word choice.

Only to see Auntie Liu immediately start nodding. “Yes yes yes, their promotional technique is saying that only the fated can hear the music of the Land of Bliss. But I say that’s all a load of bullshit!”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got. She brushed off Yu Zhengdu and started running. “This won’t do. I need to try and stop him again. Otherwise, how will we survive in the future!”

Yu Zhengdu asked Shang Que, “Let’s go check it out too?”

Shang Que stared at him for a bit. His face was expressionless, but his tone seemed a bit cold. “Then let’s go check it out.”

Yu Zhengdu actually strangely managed to sense, quite rarely, that Shang Que was unhappy. He seemed to feel something, but temporarily couldn’t tell what it was.

But, there was one thing he was very sure about.

It would be best for that Bhanaka Jue Yin if he could truly broadcast the music of the Land of Bliss.

Otherwise, Shang Que would most likely directly send him to the Land of Bliss.

The author has something to say:

Bhanaka Jue Yin: Ascends on the spot……