Chapter 60: The Great Lotus Temple, Renowned Far and Wide with Countless Devotees (Part I)

Yi Beidou did not enter the Grand Baolian Temple immediately. Instead, he casually found a breakfast shop on the street, sat down, ordered a table of local specialty breakfast items, and began to eat unhurriedly.

As for money, it was never a problem for him. Along the way, he had casually dealt with a minor gang involved in illegal businesses, easily acquiring enough funds for his journey.

While eating and savoring the flavors of the local cuisine, he observed the pedestrians on the street.

It was currently August or September, and since many schools were on summer vacation, it was peak tourism season. Consequently, quite a few tourists from Donghua could be seen, especially young and pretty girls dressed in fashionable outfits.

The climate in Siam was hot, so these girls were dressed very coolly, exposing vast areas of fair, tender skin and slender legs, which made them quite eye-catching.

With such attire, if they were in northern Myanmar where Yi Beidou had been not long ago, they would probably have been consumed down to their very bones.

However, this was Siam, where the tourism industry was highly developed and public security was countless times better than in northern Myanmar. Although illegal industries still existed, as long as one wasn't extremely unlucky, the probability of encountering danger was relatively low.

Overall, it was fairly safe—though, of course, incomparable to being within the borders of Donghua.

Tour groups arrived one after another by bus, and the streets were filled with people holding mobile phones or cameras to take pictures. Yi Beidou even spotted a few people who appeared to be short-video bloggers, talking while filming.

To him, this was a rather novel experience.

Unfortunately, no one knew how long this bustling liveliness and harmony could last. After all, he hadn't come here for sightseeing, but to smash through the gates and exterminate the temple.

Eat one's fill, then kill and burn.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the street.

A luxury sedan stopped by the roadside. Two tall, cold-faced bodyguards in sharp business suits stepped out from the front seats and opened the door for the passenger in the back.

A mature and graceful short-haired woman emerged from one side of the car, while from the other side stepped out a fair-skinned, cute girl dressed in casual clothes.

The girl was holding a selfie stick, seemingly filming a vlog.

"Hello, friends! We have now arrived at the famous Grand Baolian Temple in Qingshui, Siam~ Look, there are so many people, and the temple is resplendent and magnificent, so pretty! It's a pity that photography isn't allowed inside the temple, but I heard that this temple is very responsive to prayers. I'll draw fortune sticks for everyone and wish all friends watching this a smooth and successful journey in everything~"

Jiang Yanxin spun around with her selfie stick, capturing the exterior of the temple and the street scene before finally putting away her phone and the stick.

"You, oh you! Whenever I go out with you, half the time is spent filming videos. How many followers do you even have, and how much money can you make? I think you should just listen to your dad and go home to inherit the family business."

Tian Peijun looked at Jiang Yanxin with a helpless expression.

"Aha, young people must have dreams! How can I always think about inheriting the family business? Besides, I'm recording my life. If I don't record it now, I'll be old soon. Oh well, you old ladies wouldn't understand."

Jiang Yanxin rolled her eyes at Tian Peijun.

"You brat, who are you calling an old lady?"

Tian Peijun was furious and pinched the soft flesh by Jiang Yanxin's ear, making her beg for mercy immediately.

She was only in her early thirties, right in the prime of her youth.

Screech!

Right at that moment, another car pulled up to the roadside. Several bodyguards in black suits and a middle-aged woman resembling an assistant escorted a young woman out of the vehicle.

The woman wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with her long hair cascading down, a beret on her head, sunglasses, and a face mask—looking like someone heavily guarded and strictly avoiding the public eye.

Escorted by the crowd, the woman did not linger and walked quickly toward the Grand Baolian Temple, catching the sideways glances of many passersby.

Some tourists seemed to recognize the woman's identity and wanted to swarm over, apparently to ask for autographs or the like, but they were all blocked away by the bodyguards beside her.

"Looks like some domestic celebrity?"

Jiang Yanxin gazed at the woman walking away, feeling that her figure and silhouette were somewhat familiar.

"What's so strange about that? This Grand Baolian Temple is notoriously responsive. Several famous masters in the temple possess clairvoyant abilities and miraculous methods. Not only celebrities, but even renowned tycoons and wealthy businessmen from the mainland come here to draw fortune sticks and request talismans to ensure smooth fortunes."

"I've heard that even the royal family of Siam comes to pay respects from time to time. Do you realize now how difficult it was for me to secure this opportunity to meet the master? Isn't your dad's health not too good? Later, when we meet the master, you can ask him for a peace talisman for your dad to carry; perhaps his condition will improve."

Tian Peijun said with a smile.

"Is it really that magical?"

Jiang Yanxin was a philosophy major and had never quite believed in these profound and mystical things.

"You'll see for yourself when the time comes."

A trace of awe flickered across Tian Peijun's face.

She had experienced it firsthand before. When she originally entered the hall, she hadn't seen anyone at all, but the next moment a voice sounded, and a figure suddenly appeared behind the table in front. Later, when drawing fortune sticks, that master formed hand seals, and she actually seemed to see lotus flowers growing from his body and under his feet, flashing away in an instant.

That miraculous and shocking experience was hard to describe to others in mere words.

Ever since then, she had held an unwavering belief in this place and sent large amounts of incense offerings every year.

She had heard through the grapevine that the masters she had seen weren't even the truly ruling figures; the genuine master of the Grand Baolian Temple was an unimaginably high-ranking and virtuous monk to whom all political, military, and business factions in Nanyang had to show respect, treating him like a god.

She didn't even possess the qualifications to meet a person of that caliber.

This was the method the Grand Baolian Temple used to win people over. Relying on these tactics and centered around the Supreme Grand Lotus Master, the temple had woven a massive network of relationships across Nanyang, exerting influence over the underworld, the legitimate sphere, and the gray areas alike.

"Let's go. Let's head inside first; maybe we can still check out which celebrity that person was just now."

Tian Peijun urged.

Thus, the two of them walked into the Grand Baolian Temple.

Inside the temple, people came and went in a dense crowd of tourists, with tour guides leading the way and giving explanations, making it appear somewhat noisy.

Jiang Yanxin observed curiously for a long time, failing to spot anything peculiar about the monks here.

"They always say Buddhism is a place of serenity and purity, but this place looks more like a scenic tourist spot to me. Will there really be an enlightened master in such a noisy place?"

Jiang Yanxin couldn't help asking doubtfully.

"This is indeed a scenic spot; you can think of it as being specially built for tourists. In reality, the inner courtyard is the true core area of the Grand Baolian Temple, only general tourists aren't allowed in without permission."

"Look over there. See those guarding monks? That's the entrance to the inner courtyard."

Tian Peijun motioned with her eyes toward a certain direction in the temple.

Jiang Yanxin looked over and sure enough, she spotted an entrance on the high wall of the temple. The heavy red wooden doors were tightly shut, and several tall men dressed in monk robes and holding long staves were guarding the front, turning away any approaching tourists.

As they were speaking, the two suddenly felt a breeze sweep past them, briefly shrouding their vision in shadow.

A tall young man walked past them, his broad shoulders seeming to block out the sunlight, making him quite eye-catching.

Looking at this retreating figure, Jiang Yanxin had an inexplicable sense of familiarity.