Signing In At The Civil Affairs Bureau, I Was Rewarded With A Gorgeous Wife

All these street vendors were villagers from the surrounding temple areas.

There's a saying that you live off the mountain if it's nearby, and off the sea if it's close; stationed by the temple which is such a gold mine, how could they not be tempted?

"Enough of this quarreling! Behaving so rudely in front of the pilgrims, aren't we just making a spectacle for outsiders?"

An elderly man wearing a long robe and round spectacles slowly approached with the aid of a walking stick.

"Old Qin! I didn't want to argue either, but this brat insists his offerings are better than mine! On what grounds?"

"Who doesn't know about the source of your goods? Is that stuff even usable? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution when that goes into the incense burner!"

"You, you, you! I'm gonna fight it out with you!"

They say cutting off someone's livelihood is akin to killing their parents!

There are thousands of visitors here every day, and just the purchases of offerings like incense could amount to hundreds of thousands!

This bastard slanders my family's products, what if nobody comes to buy them in the future!

Just as the two were about to resort to fisticuffs, Old Qin heavily planted his walking stick, and his long eyebrows fluttered in the wind, "Enough! If you don't stop now, you'll be banned from this market in the future!"

"Damn it, I'm not afraid of you! If it weren't for respecting Old Qin, I'd have beaten the crap out of you today!" Continue your journey on empire

"Afraid of whom? Seeing your annoying face every day makes me sick! With your pathetic abilities, I could beat you to death with one hand!"

The two vendors continued hurling deadly threats at each other, but obediently made their way back to their respective stalls.

It seems that this Old Qin holds quite a status in the local area.

"I'm sorry for the spectacle, folks."

Old Qin stroked his waist-length beard and smiled kindly, "May I know if you have come today to pray to Buddha or to seek divination?"

"We're here just to look around and relax a bit."

Ye Qingqing said with a sweet smile, "If possible, I'd also like to light some incense for blessings for my child in the womb."

"I see."

Old Qin nodded and said, "Wanfo Temple has always been effective for seeking marriage partners and safety. I suggest that after you go in, pray more to the Goddess of Mercy, it might benefit the child in your belly."

"Thank you."

Song Yun said with a smile, "You seem to hold a high position here; do you know which vendor sells the best quality incense? After all, when seeking favors, one shouldn't offer shoddy gifts."

"Hahaha, what an interesting thing to say, young man."

Old Qin laughed heartily, "Indeed, our people have always valued practicality—you help me, I offer tributes, and what's that called nowadays..."

"The spirit of the contract."

"Hahahahaha, yes, that's it! Don't feel embarrassed; it's perfectly normal. In our time, during severe droughts, we would pray at the Dragon King Temple for rain, and if it didn't rain within three days, the temple priests would threaten the Dragon King by whipping and exposing his statue in the sun!"

Old Qin remarked with sentimentality, "These lofty deities are nothing but clay in the mortal world; they shouldn't be indulged. The more spoiling, the less they help."

"Hahaha, you talking like this at the temple gates, aren't the monks going to come out and beat you up?"

Ye Qingqing covered her mouth and giggled, "You, being so respected, they wouldn't dare to touch you, but don't let them drive us out later."

"Let them try!"

Old Qin puffed up like a child, his whiskers bristling, "Once the temple gates are open, that signifies the welcoming of devotees from all directions. If they drive you away over such a trivial matter, then whatever cultivation they've done over the years has gone to the dogs, hasn't it?"

"You make a good point, sir."

Song Yun flattered, "You seem to have a deep understanding in this area. Could it be that you're a relative of that master in the temple?"

"I'm just a minor character," he replied, "I help the surrounding villages with their affairs on a daily basis and have some contact with these monks."

Old Qin said modestly.

The so-called 'seeing affairs' refers to a group of people rooted in the local soil. Unlike the singular faiths of Taoism and Buddhism, these people use whatever they find effective.

In the eighties and nineties, they would roam the villages, exorcising evil spirits and determining feng shui sites, similar to barefoot doctors of the time.

However, it's undeniable that the majority of these individuals were charlatans, with only a very few possessing genuine abilities, often handed down through family traditions.

"So you're a geomancer, then. I've only seen them in movies before. I never thought they existed in reality,"

Ye Qingqing covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Are the things depicted in those movies real?"

"You're quite curious, little girl."

Old Qin chuckled and said, "They say art imitates life but also exaggerates it. Many scenes in movies are exaggerated, yet some parts are indeed based on reality."

"Wow! That's awesome!"

Ye Qingqing said admiringly, "Can you actually see things like ghosts and spirits?"

"What are you thinking, haha."

Old Qin gently tapped Qingqing on the forehead, "Knowing too much is not good for the child in your womb. Don't you still have to go and pay respect to the Goddess of Mercy? You should be going."

"Aww, you're not satisfying any of my curiosity!"

Ye Qingqing pouted and complained, "Besides, you haven't told us which brand of incense is good here~"

"Look at my memory, I'm getting old and forgetful."

Old Qin reached into his bosom, fumbled around for a bit, and pulled out a small box. Upon opening it, a fragrance wafted out, and Song Yun looked closely to see a brown incense stick inside.

"We're fated, so this incense stick is a gift to you."

"This won't do, just looking at the materials, I can tell this incense stick is valuable. Name your price; we'll consider it as asking for it from you."

When offering incense to gods or providing offerings, one must not say 'buy' but use 'ask' instead, as a sign of respect to the deities.

"What's all this talk of money? Take it and be quick about it."

Old Qin feigned anger, "I'm over eighty now, what use do I have for more money at this age?"

"I see..."

Ye Qingqing reached out to accept it and said, "Thank you very much. After we come out, we'll treat you to a meal. No turning it down this time!"

"Hahaha, sure, go on, go on. If you're late, it'll be so crowded inside that you won't be able to reach the statue of the Buddha at all."

Old Qin waved them off and left with the aid of his walking stick.

"Husband, this old man clearly has experienced many unimaginable things!"

Ye Qingqing said, hugging Song Yun's arm, "Do you think Old Qin could subdue a zombie just like Taoist Lin, with a few quick moves?"

"Hahaha, why are you curious about that?"

"I'm just curious~ I've been interested in this stuff since I was little. Feng shui masters, taoist priests, I think those with real skills are so impressive!"

Ye Qingqing said coquettishly, "After we come out, we must invite Old Qin for a meal. I want to ask him more questions!"