Qin Yu closed his eyes, and the figure in the scene was undoubtedly Zhuge Liang. All of this was a transmission from the Seven Star Sword, and he could feel Zhuge Liang's sorrow, the regret of unfulfilled ambitions and the guilt of failing to fulfill Liu Bei's last wishes.
"In battle unrewarded, the hero dies first, leaving tears of grief behind. Ah!" Qin Yu let out a long sigh and spoke to the Seven Star Sword in his hand, "A famous sword possesses a spirit. Since you have accompanied Mr. Zhuge for many years and have your own sword spirit, I can understand your sadness. However, as Mr. Zhuge said, life and death are predestined. So why hold onto regrets?"
Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, a golden light shimmered on the blade of the Seven Star Sword, and it emitted a clear resonance, seemingly responding to Qin Yu's statement.
"I fortuitously obtained Mr. Zhuge's inheritance, making me his disciple across generations. If you are willing, you can follow me from now on," Qin Yu proposed.
"Yiya!" A childish voice echoed in Qin Yu's mind, filled with joy as if a child had found a home, expressing deep attachment.
"You are the sword spirit of the Seven Star Sword, and you have also followed Mr. Zhuge. Mr. Zhuge called himself 'Liang,' and Liang and 'Shadow' accompany and give birth to each other. So, I shall name you 'Chasing Shadow'," Qin Yu gently caressed the blade of the Seven Star Sword and said softly.
"Yiya, yiya!" The Seven Star Sword responded with a cheerful tone, evidently satisfied with the given name. Suddenly, the sword rotated, and a cold light flashed, cutting a small wound on Qin Yu's finger, with a drop of blood landing on the blade of the Seven Star Sword.
"Recognition of the artifact's master!"
Qin Yu didn't show any urgency when his hand was cut by the Seven Star Sword. High-quality artifacts possessed their own spirits, and when encountering an acknowledged individual, they often required a blood pact. From then on, unless the master died, the artifact would not be controlled or used by anyone else.
Of course, the recognition had to be initiated by the artifact's spirit. Otherwise, even if you dripped your entire body's blood on the artifact, it would be ineffective. The Seeking Dragon Disk in Qin Yu's hand also had a spirit, a golden dragon. Unfortunately, the golden dragon paid little attention to Qin Yu, so activating it required a tremendous amount of mental and spiritual energy. The relationship between the two was like an employer and an employee. However, if it were the Seven Star Sword, once recognized, Qin Yu wouldn't need to expend such a massive amount of energy to wield it.
"Let's go. I will take you away from here," Qin Yu placed the Seven Star Sword back into the wooden box. He then bowed three times to the Nine Heaven Fairy and turned to leave the main hall, walking towards the courtyard gate.
"Squeak, squeak."
As Qin Yu opened the courtyard gate, he saw Master Zhiren and Master Jiankong standing at the entrance. Seeing him come out, Master Zhiren approached with a smile upon seeing the wooden box tucked into Qin Yu's waist. He said, "Amitabha, being able to retrieve this item, it seems that Mr. Qin is indeed a descendant of Nanyang."
"Thank you, Masters. I have a question that I would like to ask," Qin Yu said.
"Oh, Mr. Qin, please go ahead and ask. If I know the answer, I will tell you," Master Zhiren replied.
Qin Yu lifted the wooden box in his hand and asked, "I want to know why this item is present in your temple and why it has been kept in this courtyard."
"Mr. Qin, this question is difficult for me to answer. This courtyard has existed for several hundred years, and ordinary monks are not allowed to enter. As for why this item appeared in our temple, I have no clear knowledge. Please don't laugh at me, but even the contents of this wooden box are unknown to me," Master Zhiren explained.
"Master, you don't know what is inside this box?" Qin Yu's pupils contracted, feeling somewhat incredulous. If they didn't know what was inside the box, then why did they bring him here?
"This item has been stored in our temple for several hundred years. Apart from the senior master who originally built this courtyard, no one knows what is inside this wooden box. If it weren't for the secret technique performed by Abbot Mingjue before his passing, this item would likely have remained here forever."
"Oh, so none of you are curious about what's inside? Why don't you open it and take a look?"
"Amitabha, as ordained monks, we strive to cultivate detachment and not harbor curiosity. Moreover, the former master left specific instructions that this item does not belong to our Buddhist tradition. Therefore, it is forbidden for any Buddhist disciple to open and examine it without proper authorization."
"In that case, I bid you farewell. This item was used by the ancestors of my Nanyang lineage. I am grateful to your temple for safeguarding it. If there is ever a need for my assistance in the future, I will do my utmost to help."
Zhiren's eyes gleamed with interest, as Qin Yu's words aligned perfectly with his intentions. The reason he had gone to such lengths to find descendants of Nanyang was precisely because of Abbot Jueming's words: "Guangxiao Temple will face a calamity in the future, and it requires the intervention of Nanyang descendants to resolve it."
After bidding farewell to Masters Zhiren and Jiankong, Qin Yu called his cousin. They were just about to finish their tour of the temple, so they agreed to meet at the entrance.
Before long, the three figures appeared in Qin Yu's sight. Upon seeing him, Mo Yongxing teased, "What's up? Did those two monks say you have no spiritual potential and wanted to ordain you under the Bodhi tree?"
"The two masters did say that I lack spiritual potential, but I can recommend a few individuals with potential to them. If you're interested, I can turn around and talk to the masters right now," Qin Yu replied.
"Forget it. What's so great about being a monk? Eating vegetarian meals and reciting Buddhist scriptures, and you can't even get close to women," Mo Yongxing scoffed.
"Well, you know, it's not as easy to become a monk these days. I read a news article last time. To enter a temple, you need at least a bachelor's degree and have to take some Buddhist studies exams and interviews to have a chance of starting as a novice monk," Zhang Hua chimed in.
"Indeed, the treatment for monks nowadays is quite good. Some say that being a monk for ten years can earn you a salary equivalent to working for ten years in a regular job. After ten years, if you decide to return to secular life and start a family, you can live a worry-free life," Qin Yu shared.
Qin Yu had seen many news reports stating that monks nowadays, even as novice monks, could earn a salary comparable to that of a white-collar worker. And for higher-ranked monks, it was even more impressive. They were almost like celebrities, often accompanied by several novices as assistants when traveling outside the temple.
"Have you all seen that video? The one with Monk Yancan from Mount Emei and his famous quotes," Tong Min asked.
"Yeah, I saw it. It was hilarious, especially the monkey. It was so funny," Mo Yongxing slapped his thigh. That video garnered billions of views and became popular for a long time. Monk Yancan's standard Mandarin pronunciation of "Life is so wonderful..." was even imitated by a show on Mango TV.
"Monks don't tell lies, and everyone has an iPad," that's what Monk Yancan said during his appearance on Mango TV. It shows how well-treated and well-off monks are these days.
"Qin Yu, where did you get the wooden box around your waist, and what's inside? It's so long," Tong Min asked.
"Hehe, I can say that this thing brought me an unexpected surprise," Qin Yu's face revealed a satisfied smile. He never expected to obtain Zhuge Liang's Seven-Star Sword within Guangxiao Temple.
"What is it? Show me," Mo Yongxing reached out to take Qin Yu's wooden box, but Qin Yu sidestepped, avoiding his grasp. The Seven-Star Sword had its own spirit and wasn't something to be casually shown to others, especially not in public.
"Why so secretive? Did those two monks give you some treasure to safeguard? Don't forget, the Dragon-Seeking Disk still belongs to me. I have the right to reclaim it at any time," Mo Yongxing threatened Qin Yu. It was a tactic that never failed.
Helpless, Qin Yu had no choice but to say, "If you want to see it, I can show you when we get back."
"That'll do for now," Mo Yongxing smirked, satisfied with his successful threat. He hummed a song and took the lead, guiding the way. Qin Yu shook his head and followed suit.
Just as they got into Mo Yongxing's car, Zhang Hua's phone rang. He looked down at the number, then said to Qin Yu, "It's Director Li." He answered the call.
"Hello, Director Li. What's up? Oh, right, he's with me now. Should we come over now? Okay, okay, we'll go there and give you a call when we arrive."
After hanging up the call from Li Weijun, Zhang Hua turned to Qin Yu and said, "Director Li called. He wants us to go to Jingxiu District. He's waiting for us there and said he wants to introduce you to someone."
"Where is Jingxiu District?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
"I don't know where it is either. Let's check the navigation," Zhang Hua shook his head. With so many residential areas and streets in Guangzhou, he couldn't possibly know them all.
"No need to check. I know where Jingxiu District is. Qin Yu, who is this Director Li taking you to Jingxiu District? He seems well-connected to be able to bring you there," Mo Yongxing interjected.
"What's special about Jingxiu District?" Qin Yu was puzzled.
"Jingxiu District in Guangzhou is like the Zhongnanhai of the capital. It's quite prestigious," Mo Yongxing replied. On his first day in Guangzhou, he visited someone in Jingxiu District, so he was somewhat familiar with the area.
"Since you know the way, then take us to Jingxiu District," Qin Yu suggested.
Mo Yongxing didn't reply. At an intersection ahead, he made a sharp turn, changing direction and driving towards another side.
As the car traveled, the number of vehicles on both sides gradually decreased. Finally, they stopped at the entrance of a heavily guarded residential complex. Several armed policemen were stationed at the entrance.
When the car stopped, two armed policemen approached and quickly scanned the people inside the car. They spoke, "Parking is not allowed here. Please leave immediately."
"Call Director Li and let him know. Without proper authorization or a pass, no one can enter," Mo Yongxing reminded them.
"Hello, Director Li. We have arrived at the entrance of Jingxiu District. Yes, alright, we'll wait for you here," Zhang Hua said into his phone.
"Director Li will be here shortly. He asked us to wait here for a moment," Zhang Hua informed Qin Yu.
"You are not allowed to park here. Please leave immediately," the armed policeman outside the car reminded them again.
"Here's the plan: my cousin and I will wait here. Mo Yongxing, you can take Miss Tong back," Qin Yu suggested after considering Mo Yongxing's earlier comment. According to Mo Yongxing, Jingxiu District is inhabited by important figures, so it's not suitable for too many people to go inside.
"Alright, I don't want to go to this place anyway," Mo Yongxing nodded. If he went to Jingxiu District and entered someone's house, it might give others the wrong impression about the Mo family's intentions.
"Give me the wooden box as well. Remember, don't open it until I return," Qin Yu decided to entrust the Seven-Star Sword to Mo Yongxing to take back. Carrying around a long wooden box would look strange.
"Got it, you've become quite cautious. When did you become so feminine?" Mo Yongxing impatiently opened the car door and gave Qin Yu a look to get out. Qin Yu chuckled, touched his nose, and got out of the car along with Zhang Hua.