"Both of you, take a look. If you can worship under the True Buddha Sect, it would indeed be an unparalleled opportunity for these little ones."

"If not, no matter. Just command, my True Buddha Bodhisattva, with millions of people around Suzhou at your disposal to choose from."

...

As soon as the two of them finished speaking,

Tao Qian exchanged a glance with Yunrong, their hearts filled with greater shock.

Master Tao, who was treated as an important figure for the first time, muttered to himself at this moment:

"I must ask clearly later how Master managed to deceive that old baldy Kongchan."

"In just a single day, how did I, a monk from the South Sea, suddenly become a honored guest at the Demon Buddha Temple, in the Earthly Buddha Country?"

"You know, the Great Transcendence Bodhisattva that I snatched is still lying inside the People Species Bag, not yet returned."

As Tao Qian thought about learning how to deceive people like Duobao,

Zheng Yin in the crowd, seeing a group of nobles frantically flattering Tao Qian and his companion and ingratiating themselves to the extreme, tried to hide his feelings, but his heart couldn't help but breed loathing.

However, he was very good at enduring, so his face showed no signs of abnormality.

He even bent his proud figure a bit, showing a pleasing and respectful demeanor, hardly different from the other young men and women waiting to be selected.

Little did he know that Master Tao, with the power of the Bai Qin Relics, could borrow various Buddhist Divine Powers from several Buddha Bird Protectors.

One of which was telepathy.

And Yunrong also had other Sublime Dharma.

Thus, at this moment, the couple heard that prodigal son called Zheng Yin scolding them in his heart:

"Ptui!"

"What True Buddha? What Bodhisattva?"

"To mix with the Demon Buddha Temple, to be specifically greeted by that old bald thief Kongchan, must also be birds of a feather, clearly Evil Demons and Heretics and Fallen wicked people, yet insisting on cloaking themselves in Buddha Skin."

"As if by wearing that hypocritical outward appearance, they could pretend as if they have never consumed humans."

"That Hundred Treasure Buddha Chariot, the eighteen Dragon Beasts pulling the chariot, each one's food ration consists of the heart and liver of devout believers; the treasures and bead curtains on the chariot are woven from the drained essence blood of countless deceived believers in their sleep; the gold paint used for printing Buddhist Scriptures was made by boiling the fat and blood of tens of thousands of believers..."

"Riding in that chariot means elevating oneself above all people, becoming nothing but a two-faced blood-sucking monster."

"Just endure a bit longer, for now I still need to lie low."

"Last time Shipi passed by and almost saw through me, but this evil couple probably doesn't have that capability..."

Zheng Yin's thoughts churned vigorously, completely unaware that Master Tao and his wife's expressions were slowly turning strange.

Yunrong was okay, just following her husband's lead.

Tao Qian, on the other hand, became more intrigued.

In Yinping City earlier, Tao Qian's accumulated Human Dao Destiny became more powerful due to many past experiences, three days of spiritual wandering, and the existence of the Scripture of Salvation, eventually comprehending the first application of the wonderful method of Human Dao Destiny: Searching for People.

Zheng Yin!

He was the first person Tao Qian sought, hence Tao Qian was curious.

Why would Human Dao Destiny determine that Zheng Yin could solve the problems of Qiantang Province, and perhaps even larger dilemmas?

"This young man seems like a prodigal son on the surface, only practicing some basic spells."

"But in my Innate Spiritual Vision, there's an Abnormality; the mixed Source Qi in his body is actually forged by a personal treasure."

"His true body... does not possess any cultivation?"

"Let that be, why does this young man still give me a very dangerous feeling?"

"You know, even Master Shenxiu never made me feel threatened."

With this judgment, Tao Qian's interest grew even greater.

No need to guess, there must be some big secret within Zheng Yin.

And now was a perfect opportunity to make contact and investigate.

Tao Qian made up his mind and immediately responded to the Suzhou City Lord, the Monk Official named Zhou Xiangrui.

"Agreed!"

With that single word, expressions of joy appeared on the faces of everyone present.

Especially the group of young men and women, who quietly puffed out their chests, hoping to be favored by the True Buddha and Bodhisattva.

As a distinguished and influential family, especially being in Qiantang Province,

the first choice naturally was Demon Buddha Temple.

In fact, after the Demon Buddha took over Qiantang, activities such as disciple recruitment events had occurred, and any child with rare talents had been picked long ago.

Now, these were considered inferior.

In the forefront stood a youth of imposing height, broad and robust, with a face full of whiskers, more a bandit than a gentleman.

Born with such a figure, his mind belonged to the sly; his constantly shifting eyeballs betrayed him.

Tao Qian had just looked over when Zheng Shiliang introduced him:

"Master Wu Gou, this boy is named Wang Chao, a long-time friend of the Zhen family, and the eldest son of the prestigious Wang family of Suzhou. He possesses a 'Red Fire Dao Body,' but for some reason, he has been unable to develop its power, and has temporarily cultivated a volume of the Fire Attribute Secret Manual that came from the Canxuan Sect."

"Should the master be fortunate enough to take interest, this child would willingly destroy his current cultivation and convert to the South Sea Buddhism."

As Zheng Shiliang spoke, the youth called Wang Chao also harbored much hope.

"My foolish younger brother was lucky enough to be accepted by Demon Buddha Temple, and now, he has surpassed me in status at home, which I detest."

"These two Bodhisattvas from the South Sea, even if their backing isn't as great as the Demon Buddha's, are not too far off, and these two hold obviously high positions. If I could enter their sect, my path could be promising."

This person, he thought splendidly.

Unfortunately, Tao Qian was not particularly benevolent either. With his spiritual vision activated by his fortune, he saw many wrongdoings committed by this man, not only him but several others of the same bloodline in the area, revealing a jumble of auras and wrapped in resentments; various unsightly mutations were evident in Tao Qian's eyes.

Thus, hearing this wishful thinking, Tao Qian responded by pouring cold water over it.

He not only shook his head in refusal but also cruelly added insult to injury.

"This child, has no fate with Buddha."

"As for why he cannot unleash the power of the Dao Body, it appears because this child is not a true Red Fire Dao Body."

"The poor monk observes that this child might have accidentally consumed some fire-element spiritual object in his youth, or possibly a Poison Fire Elixir, causing a thread of Red Fire Source Qi to blend with his essence blood, leading to his misidentification."

"This child originally possessed remarkable talent, but alas, it was ruined by a single Spirit Pill."

"It's the timing and fate, truly pitiful."

"Phew!"

Tao Qian had just finished speaking.

Wang Chao of the Wang family, who had harbored secret hopes, suddenly changed color, quickly turning pale, then blue, and finally a dark red, before spitting out a big mouthful of foul-smelling fresh blood.

He then abruptly turned his head, glaring deathly at another elder in brocade, crawling over while wailing:

"Father! Father!"

"You must stand up for me, father! I knew it, why could Wang Ming, born of the same father as me, join Demon Buddha Temple, while I couldn't even properly cultivate a mere volume of Fire Scripture."

"My child… my child has been harmed, surely that wench took advantage of my ignorance in childhood, fed me a Poison Elixir, and completely destroyed my path for the sake of paving the way for Wang Ming."

A moment before, he was a rough, strong man.

Now, he cried like a mistreated child.

The elder, whose trouser leg he was clutching, looked extremely embarrassed.

His instinct was to deny it, but as if thinking of something, he found himself at a loss for words.

The surrounding families, watching, didn't even think twice, directly believing Wang Chao's claim.

There was no special reason, except that such things were as common as eating and drinking among these influential families.

"Alas, Brother Wang fails to manage his household strictly, thereby inviting this disaster. Fate decreed it, what can he do?"

Zheng Shiliang, twisting his wooden fish, watched as the head of the Wang family dragged Wang Chao away, sighing righteously.

He then promptly introduced the next candidate to Master Wu Gou.

This time, it was a fairly handsome young man in a white robe.

Not waiting for Zheng Shiliang to speak, Tao Qian, already determined, shook his head first: "This child, too, has no fate with Buddha."

Had he heard this earlier, the young man in the white robe might have felt discontent.

But with the unfortunate "Wang Chao" as a comparison, he found it easier to accept.

In fact, he even breathed a sigh of relief, muttering:

"At least nothing worse was said, my Dao Body may not be much of a talent, but at least it's better than the common folk. If it were fake, I might as well not live."

ps: First update, two more chapters to come, I urgently need your double monthly tickets, brothers. Now, one counts as two. Fat Fish needs it.