Mingchen pressed his palms together, frozen in place.
The treasure he had almost gotten was like a cooked duck that had flown away!
Feeling indignant, he followed behind Liu Zhanggui, wanting to see what kind of person Chen Gongzi was.
“Dong dong—”
There were a few more sounds of footsteps descending the stairs.
When Liu Zhanggui saw Chen Ming sitting in the front hall, holding an oil-paper umbrella, drinking morning tea, and looking completely at ease, he burst into laughter.
“Chen Gongzi, long time no see.”
Liu Zhanggui walked up to Chen Ming and bowed respectfully.
Chen Ming glanced at Liu Laosan, then at the Monk Mingchen behind him, and understood.
They were kindred spirits, so they must be there for the same reason.
“Liu Zhanggui, it’s been a while.”
Chen Ming finished his last sip of tea, stood up, and greeted him.
“Go! Tell Chef Luo to use all his signature skills and prepare a feast! Tell him not to try to cut corners this time.”
Chef Luo, relying on his culinary skills, had made the vegetarian meal quite perfunctorily. Liu Zhanggui had observed him with cold eyes, long seeing through his tricks, but out of respect for Master Mingchen, he had forced himself not to expose him.
“Understood.”
The servant boy took the order from the side and swaggered off to the back kitchen.
As soon as Liu Zhanggui saw Chen Gongzi, a smile immediately bloomed on his face, but then he caught sight of the Monk Mingchen behind him, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. After a brief thought, he said loudly, “Chen Gongzi—” He then turned to the Monk Mingchen and made a gesture of invitation, “Elder Mingchen, please move to the private room on the third floor!”
Chen Ming followed closely, with Mingchen behind him, and together they ascended to the third floor.
After they were all seated, Liu Zhanggui diligently poured the best Cloud Mist Tea for both of them.
“Chen Gongzi, let me introduce a fellow practitioner to you. This is Elder Mingchen from Yuhong Temple. Elder, this is my savior—Chen Gongzi.”
Mingchen was startled at first, then softly chanted a Buddhist prayer, muttering, “No wonder, no wonder.”
Chen Ming felt that since the monk had the same objective as him, there was no need to be secretive. He directly asked, “Liu Zhanggui, I heard that three jars of Lanling wine were stolen from your wine cellar?”
Liu Zhanggui quickly nodded in affirmation, “That’s right. A few days ago, I posted a reward notice. This morning, Elder Mingchen came to my shop and said that there was a demon in the shop and he could help me subdue it.”
Chen Ming nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
“But Elder Mingchen said that the demon was in my stomach!”
Liu Zhanggui was a bit embarrassed, but also wanted to laugh. If the demon was really in his stomach, wouldn’t he have died long ago?
“Heh—”
Chen Ming said solemnly, “Elder Mingchen’s words are not false; that demon is indeed in your belly!”
At these words, Liu Zhanggui was first stunned, “Chen Gongzi isn’t joking, is he?”
Chen Ming shook his head.
“Thump—”
Liu Zhanggui instantly turned pale, his legs went weak, and he was about to fall to his knees, but the Monk Mingchen was quick-witted and grabbed Liu Zhanggui’s arm.
“Amitabha!”
Mingchen uttered a Buddhist chant, and the strength in his hand did not diminish, actually lifting the brawny Liu Zhanggui, who weighed over a hundred pounds. Liu Zhanggui felt a great force coming from his arm, and he involuntarily stood up, his heart even more astonished: This monk has such great strength!
Mingchen was also astonished in his heart: So heavy!
“Donor Liu, don’t be afraid. This humble monk has come specifically to subdue this demon!”
The Monk Mingchen’s Buddhist chant was like a cleansing spring, and Liu Zhanggui’s pounding heart immediately calmed down a few points. He pressed his palms together, his voice trembling: “I beg the Elder for mercy! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda!” As he spoke, he was about to kneel again, but Mingchen held him steady.
Mingchen then explained, “Donor Liu, don’t panic. This humble monk has traveled many places and knows something about this demon.”
“This demon loves wine, looks like a red fleshy worm, probably only two or three inches long, with complete mouth and eyes, and will wriggle in the body like a swimming fish.”
“Everyone calls it a wine worm!”
Liu Zhanggui trembled all over at the words and quickly asked, “Is the Elder saying… that the wine worm is causing trouble inside me, and all the wine I drank was swallowed by it?”
Mingchen stroked his white beard, a look of approval on his face: “Precisely. You haven’t touched a drop of wine recently, so it went to find wine on its own.”
“Then—then what will happen to me with this wine worm inside my body?”
“Amitabha!” Mingchen’s expression was solemn, “At best, your vitality will be greatly damaged; at worst, your life will be in danger! Donor, you must remove the wine worm as soon as possible, otherwise…” He drew out the end of his sentence meaningfully.
“So, Donor Liu, you must remove the wine worm from your body as soon as possible, otherwise, you will regret it too late!”
Chen Ming sat to the side, carefully sipping his tea, without expressing any opinion.
No matter what was said, the fate of this wine worm was not up to the monk to decide!
This Monk Mingchen was only at the First Fruit stage, not much different from himself.
He had also heard a little about the Buddhist realms.
They are mainly divided into ordinary people, First Fruit (Sotapanna), Second Fruit (Sakadagami), Third Fruit (Anagami), and Fourth Fruit (Arhat). Beyond that are Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.
He had Earth Fiend spells, paper-cutting techniques, and many talismans…
Chen Ming observed with cold eyes, already understanding in his heart.
This Monk Mingchen must have heard about the strange theft from the wine cellar and came to investigate. Now that he discovered a wine worm, such a strange creature, was nurtured within Liu Zhanggui, he became greedy.
A wine worm is not actually a worm, but the essence of wine.
It's just that over a long time, absorbing essence, it became powerful. Such an anomaly, if eaten, would incur divine punishment, so it can only be raised. But it's not raised for nothing; if you can provide it with fine wine, it will give you the essence of the wine, which is its “body.”
The essence given by a wine worm can not only turn clear water into fine wine but also increase cultivation speed.
It can generate wealth and help with cultivation, killing multiple birds with one stone.
“Please, Elder, use your methods to remove this worm from me!”
Liu Zhanggui thought it over and over. Although he wouldn't be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk in the future, his life was more important.
“It’s not difficult, but this spell is extraordinary and cannot be seen by others!”
“Amitabha!”
The Monk Mingchen said no more, but his meaning was clear: Chen Gongzi, hurry up and leave, don’t stand there being an eyesore!
At this moment, Liu Zhanggui’s face showed difficulty. Chen Ming was his savior, so how could he be considered an outsider?
But…
For a moment, he hesitated, not knowing how to speak to Chen Ming.
“I also know the worm-attracting spell that the monk uses! There’s no need to be secretive!”
Chen Ming thought to himself: It’s just taking advantage of the wine worm’s craving for wine to lure it out with fine wine. Why be so mysterious?
The Monk Mingchen’s thoughts were exposed by Chen Ming, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, then he resumed his solemn Buddhist demeanor.
He pressed his palms together and said, “Since Donor Chen has such keen insight, this humble monk will not say much more. It’s just…”
Liu Zhanggui’s face was bitter, and he pleaded, “Elder, please speak quickly! Take this worm out of my belly soon!”
He turned to Liu Zhanggui and said earnestly, “After this wine worm is removed, it must be immediately sent to Yuhong Temple for salvation, otherwise it will surely harm others.”
Seeing the Monk Mingchen’s confident words, Liu Zhanggui believed him deeply and quickly said, “I will send the Elder a swift horse to return to Yuhong Temple!”
“Amitabha!”
Mingchen softly chanted a Buddhist prayer, a hint of triumph flashing in his eyes.