After Zhao Anming finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Ce. At this time, Su Caier was hiding behind him, avoiding the attention of everyone's gaze.
Zhao Ce raised his eyebrows slightly, showing no panic. He said from a position of superiority to Zhao Anming, who just stood up, "Zhao Anming, praying to gods and Buddha is not something you just do for the sake of it. If your heart is not sincere, it's better not to pray at all. Don't you agree, Zhao Anming?"
Zhao Anming snorted, "It's just because mud-legged people like you have never seen the Buddha manifest themselves, that's why your heart is insincere. The master has said that our family has a great Buddha nature and can be blessed by the Buddha. Naturally, our hearts are sincere." Zhao Ce smiled mockingly at him, "Oh? Blessed by the Buddha? I'm not so sure about that."
After speaking, he turned to the little girl behind him and pointed in a direction, saying quietly, "Caier, go over there and wait for me, my dear." Su Caier didn't know what her husband was going to do and said softly to him with some concern, "My dear, shall we leave?" "We're not going to worship the Bodhisattva anymore. These wealthy gentlemen in the city aren't people we rural folks can afford to offend."
Zhao Ce patted her head and said, "Don't be afraid. Just wait over there." Then he gently pushed the little girl's back. Su Caier, who had little strength, had to walk to the side. She happened to walk to the side of the scholar in a long robe and square scarf.
Seeing Su Caier walk over to him, he asked, "Everyone has worshipped, why don't you worship?" Su Caier glanced at him and quickly withdrew her gaze. "My husband said there's no need to worship, so we won't worship." The scholar drew out his words, "Oh..." Su Caier dared not speak anymore and just looked at her husband.
Zhao Ce saw the little girl walk to the corner and chat with the scholar next to her. He listened to their conversation, which was not unpleasant to hear. He then looked away and walked towards the crowd.
Master Yuan Kong saw him coming and furrowed his eyebrows, saying, "You are so impolite. What are you doing here? If your heart is not sincere, then just leave." "Anyway, Buddha's light shines everywhere, and the Buddha won't blame you." Zhao Ce deliberately walked up to Zhao Anming and looked down at him. He said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "To be honest, I think I'm quite Buddha-natured. Maybe I even have Buddha's protection. I just don't know if your heart is sincere, Zhao Anming."
Zhao Anming knelt on the ground after reprimanding Zhao Ce, while Zhao Ce stood upright. Zhao Anming had to look up to see Zhao Ce, making him seem shorter than everyone else. Though he wanted to stand up, his father and grandmother were still kneeling, so he remained on his knees, feeling frustrated.
"You think you can rely on Buddha to protect you, you mud-legged peasant? Don't talk to me while standing!" Zhao Anming said, annoyed.
Zhao Ce retorted sarcastically, "Didn't you just say that my heart is insincere? Let me show you how Buddha protects me." He then picked up a pig bone from the offering table and said, "Let's test if Buddha's light really shines everywhere." To everyone's shock, he plunged the bone into the boiling oil pot, causing screams from the onlookers.
"That's boiling oil! Is he crazy? He'll lose his hands!" the crowd exclaimed.
"Only a true master with Buddha's protection can do this," said others.
Soon, they noticed that Zhao Ce's face showed no signs of pain or discomfort, causing some to wonder if he also had the protection of Buddha. The monk Yuan Kong, who was watching nearby, turned green with envy since he had planned to perform a similar stunt earlier.
Su Caier, who was hiding in a corner, watched her husband's actions with fear, and her face turned pale. She was about to rush over to stop him, but the scholar in a long robe and square scarf spoke up and said, "Your husband seems to be doing just fine. He's quite impressive." Su Caier looked again and saw that her husband's face remained calm, and he even mouthed the words "I'm fine" in her direction. Nonetheless, she still looked worried as she watched her husband's hand in the boiling oil.
Zhao Anming was completely stunned and could no longer kneel quietly.
With a "swoosh," Zhao Anming stood up and walked over to Zhao Ce, looking incredulous. "Your hand doesn't hurt?" he asked.
Zhao Ce calmly replied, "Buddha's light shines everywhere, so I guess it just happened to shine on me."
"Now, Zhao Anming, do you think I am sincere?" Zhao Anming looked at Zhao Ce with a strange expression, not knowing what to say.
Suddenly, they heard a strange sound. Zhao Anming looked at the oil pot with a look of horror. At this moment, Zhao Ce felt the temperature in the oil pot slowly rising.
The bone in his hand emitted a terrifying ghostly scream, causing the crowd to be shocked. Soon, strange ghostly screams began to sound from the oil pot.
The sound was piercing and extremely frightening. Everyone retreated in fear, afraid of being attacked by the evil ghost.
Zhao Anming also quickly retreated a few steps, feeling weak in the legs. The sound became increasingly miserable, but Zhao Ce remained calm and stood in front of the oil pot as if he were not afraid at all.
The Zhao family all knelt in shock and fear. "Is this the hungry ghost in our house?" Zhao Anming's father knelt, trembling with fear.
Zhao Ce then pulled his hand out of the oil pot, leaving the bone inside. The bone in the oil pot continued to emit screams and ghostly howls.
Zhao Ce said to Zhao Anming, "If my heart were insincere, I wouldn't be able to bring this evil ghost up for deliverance."
"Since your heart is so sincere, it's up to you to deliver this evil ghost that has undergone the punishment of the oil pot." "Please do."
Zhao Anming's face turned pale.
"This is an oil pot. I am just a mortal..." He suddenly realized that if he was just a mortal, what was Zhao Ce?
Zhao Ce chuckled lightly, "Even with my insincere heart, I am still protected by the Buddha."
"If your heart is so sincere, then Buddha will surely bless you."
"Why are you afraid of this mere oil pot?"
Monk Yuan Kong whispered, glancing at the oil pot, and his eyelids twitched.
Zhao Anming's father quickly said, "This young man, no, this master..."
"This ghost has been screaming all along. It's too scary. Is there any way to stop it?"
Zhao Ce suggested, "Why don't you let the young master fish out the bone from the oil pot?"
Zhao Anming's father looked at his son. Zhao Anming did not have time to glare at Zhao Ce and immediately said to his father, trembling, "Dad, please don't joke. This is an oil pot."