CHAPTER 1348: CHAPTER 1326: DO YOU BELIEVE IT?

The four of them were having a lively conversation when Daoxu ran over from the front hall. After happily greeting Manbao and the three others, he grabbed the tea in front of Daohe and took a sip.

He frowned completely from the bitterness but didn’t mind, and commented after putting it down, "I’ve been talking so much my throat is almost on fire, Senior Brother, why are you so leisurely here?"

Daohe replied, "I don’t talk much with Master."

Daoxu scoffed, then happily turned to the three, "Is the capital fun?"

Manbao nodded, "It’s not bad."

Daoxu was envious, "I wish I could go to the capital too."

Daohe said, "The monastery doesn’t have money."

Traveling expenses are considerable, not everyone can afford to go out.

Bai Shan, however, suggested, "If you really want to go, you can travel with us. We have a carriage and horses, and we’ll be on hand on the road. But have you thought about where you’ll go once you reach the capital?"

Daoxu paused and said, "I was just saying, I’m not planning on going."

Daohe also refused on his behalf, "Once he’s learned properly, he can go. Even if he wanted to go now, the Masters wouldn’t allow it."

Speaking of which, Manbao went inside to find Ms. Qian and brought a wrapped book to Daohe, "This is the book you wanted to find before; we found it in the bookshop in the capital."

Daohe took it, opened it, and asked, "How much does it cost?"

Manbao didn’t say it was free, instead quoting the price directly, "Two taels and two qian."

Daohe nodded, took the book, and went to his room to get the money.

Daoxu was stunned, "What book is so expensive? It’s almost eight qian a book."

Bai Shan explained, "It’s an explanation of Zhuangzi, an annotation of the I Ching, and an essay on the interaction between Heaven and Humans. These are hand-copied; we found them among a pile of old books. If you buy printed editions, the explanation of Zhuangzi alone would cost two taels of silver."

That’s why books are expensive; two books can be swapped for a cow.

Especially these less popular books; because the cost of a single print is high, they’re typically priced higher. Commonly used books tend to be cheaper.

For example, the printed edition of Zhuangzi only costs nine qian a book, but various explanation editions, due to different translators, have varying prices—some annotated editions are unique or limited editions, only kept in the Book Collection Tower of certain families, hardly ever seen.

The two annotated versions found by Bai Shan are still circulating on the market, hence not too expensive. Some unique annotated editions might sell for over a thousand taels.

A single book could fetch the price of a house in the capital.

Daohe handed the money to Manbao, and Daoxu instinctively patted his chest and asked, "Senior Brother, do you have any money left?"

Daohe shook his head, "None."

He glanced at Daoxu, "Don’t always spend money on food, save some. When you buy ink and paper in the future, you won’t have to reach out to the Masters."

Daoxu rolled his eyes toward Manbao, chuckled, and said, "Manbao, have you encountered any supernatural events recently? I heard from some well-off families in the county that you even treated nobles at the palace. Is that true?"

Bai Shan frowned, blocked in front of Manbao, and asked first, "What do you want?"

Daohe poured himself a cup of tea and laughed, "Don’t bother with him; he’s into the mysterious and ghostly things now."

Daoxu didn’t mind, "Manbao and I are helping each other. Senior Brother, even Uncle Master Shoucai said our cultivation is about fulfilling ourselves, others, and all things in the world."

He pointed at Manbao, "People outside believe she’s a reincarnated fairy. It’s beneficial to her and her family and advantageous to our monastery too. Isn’t this fulfilling others, ourselves, and the laypeople outside?"

Manbao pointed to her nose and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

"How is it not related?" Daoxu quickly said, "Did you not know, ever since your reputation as a reincarnated fairy spread, the incense at our monastery has become much more popular?"

Manbao nodded, acknowledging this as something she knew, but it was from several years ago.

"Ever since the stories of your biological father spread, our monastery’s incense offerings grew even stronger, spreading even to neighboring counties, with a big landowner willing to donate a statue of the Deity..."

The three of them widened their mouths in surprise. Why would wealthy people believe such obvious nonsense?

Bai Shan pondered carefully. Actually, Manbao’s reputation as a reincarnated fairy wasn’t necessarily bad; she’s accompanied by Uncle Zhou.

It turns out the spread of such stories was due to First Lady Qian.

Bai Shan’s gaze shifted, deep in thought, it seems the Zhou Family isn’t completely unaware of the extraordinary matters around Manbao.

He looked up at Daoxu, then at Daohe, and smiled, asking, "Do you two not believe Manbao is a reincarnated fairy?"

Daohe and Daoxu: ...

Both of them are three years older than Manbao and were adopted by the Masters from outside.

A matter of fact, they knew Manbao before Bai Shan did; she hadn’t mastered walking when Ms. Qian carried her to pay homage to Taishang Laojun and sought medical help from their Masters, and even requested talismans from their monastery.

So, who wouldn’t know who? They grew up together; who believes she’s a reincarnated fairy?

The most important point is, what are they?

They themselves are Taoist priests; if anyone were reincarnated, it would be them, not Zhou Man. What part of her resembles a Daoist fairy?

Daoxu was dumbfounded, speechless for a while, and Daohe, after a brief silence, looked at Bai Erlang with a smile, "Bai Cheng, do you believe Zhou Man is a reincarnated fairy?"

Bai Erlang glanced at Manbao, somewhat dismissively shook his head, "I admit she’s smarter than me, but not a fairy."

He pointed at Bai Shan, "If she’s a fairy, then Bai Shan, who’s equally smart, would be a celestial child? There are plenty in the capital who are just as smart, are they all reincarnated fairies and celestial children? Wouldn’t there be too many reincarnated deities on earth?"

Daohe chuckled toward Bai Shan; this sums up their feelings.

Manbao mumbled, "I didn’t say I was the reincarnated fairy either."

Bai Shan addressed Daoxu, "See, even you don’t believe it; how can you make outsiders believe Manbao is the reincarnated fairy, with your monastery having great merits to oversee the descending fairy?"

He said, "If you’re thinking of making money from this, it’s difficult!"

Manbao scared him, "Be careful you don’t get caught and beaten."

"Even if you get beaten, don’t drag Manbao into it," Bai Shan said sternly, "If you want people to believe Manbao is the reincarnated fairy, you need to believe it first. Look at Abbot Shouqing; he very much believes Manbao is the reincarnated fairy."

Daoxu was left stunned, "I just wanted to earn some pocket money."

The monastery’s sources of income are limited, and theirs is even more so because the ten surrounding villages are poor; other than when people come up to offer some food during worship, most of the time, they earn some money by performing rituals, but still need to farm for sustenance.