NOVPUBChapter 1343: 630 Withered and Flourishing_1 Chapter 1343: 630 Withered and Flourishing_1 Enceaf Town was bustling with street vendors selling snacks, handicrafts, incense sticks, and joss paper.
Tourists were coming and going and the market was thriving with life.
The streets were too crowded for vehicular traffic, forcing Dallyn to park her car under a large pagoda tree at the entrance to the town and then she and Aubree Groove made their way into the busy assembly.
Enceaf Town is the only pathway leading to the Magead Temple.
As suggested by the name, the roads connecting the town and the temple were lined with willow trees, which were swaying gracefully in the gentle spring breeze at this moment.
The Magead Temple, with its majestic golden roof, perched atop 999 steps.
All pilgrims wishing to pay their respects had to ascend these 999 steps alone as a demonstration of their sincerity, thus earning these stairs the title of Stairway to Blessings.
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At this moment, the staircase was thronging with a swarm of people, looking, from afar, like a moving dark cloud.
Dallyn exclaimed in surprise, “Why are there so many people?”
Aubree Groove smoothed her dress and ascended the steps, “Today is the first day of the lunar month.”
The first and fifteenth of each lunar month were sacred pilgrimage days.
All the more so for Magead Temple, the foremost ancient monastery, that could boast of a countless number of faithful devotees.
The temple was always abuzz with activity. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Dallyn quickly followed suit.
The 999 steps didn’t seem that high, but climbing up them was genuinely punishing.
The increased height between steps made the climb particularly exhausting.
Soon, Dallyn was drenched in sweat, while the other devotees, equally fatigued, were gasping for breath and resting by the side.
Aubree Groove, on the other hand, seemed to float up the stairs with grace and ease; her behaviors a stark contrast to those around her.
She easily moved ahead, leaving everyone behind.
The young lady was wearing a long white skirt that trailed to her ankles that day.
As she walked, her silver lotus-patterned dress rustled, creating ripples of beauty under the sunlight.
The slender silhouette of her back was naturally straight, just like an aloof winter plum blossom standing upright in the snow, embodying a unique, pure and unrestrained elegance.
Among the crowd of people scrambling towards the top, the young lady’s figure was especially eye-catching.
Everyone’s amazed eyes fell upon her, but before they could clearly see her face, their gazes were filled with her swaying silver waves.
“Granny, be careful.” The young lady helped an old lady with a limp to avoid an accident.
The old lady expressed her gratitude in surprise, “I have grown old and my legs are no longer agile.”
“There’s a special receptionist monk in the town to assist the elderly and children to enter the temple via another passage.
Why didn’t you go there?”
The old lady wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, “My grandson has fallen seriously ill, and the doctors say his surgery has a high risk.
The surgery’s due tomorrow.
People say that the Magead Temple’s Buddha is very efficacious, and as long as I climb these steps, Buddha will sense my sincerity.
I hope he protects my grandson during his surgery.”
Aubree Groove helped her ascend the last step, and the grand old gates of the Magead Temple loomed up before them.
The old woman’s eyes sparkled with joy and she clasped her hands together and bowed, “At last, I’ve made it.
May the Buddha bless us.”
“Young lady, did you come here seeking a marriage partner?”
Who came to the Magead Temple without any wishes?
Aubree Groove spoke in a soothing voice, “My sister has fallen grievously ill, and I hope that she wakes up soon.”
“Young lady, you have a kind face.
May the Buddha bless you, your sister will be fine.”
The temple was bustling with incense burning and a continual stream of devotees.
The chant from the Mahavira Hall echoed between heaven and earth, soothing the anxiety and unrest of the pilgrims.
The old lady noticed that Aubree Groove was young and probably unfamiliar with burning incense.
She hence took out the stick incense she had prepared earlier, shared some with Aubree Groove and guided her through the process, hand-in-hand.
Aubree Groove joined the old lady in kneeling on the meditation cushion, with the statue of Guanyin (The Goddess of Mercy) above them, its compassionate eyes looking down upon them.
Aubree Groove closed her eyes and fervently prayed in her heart, and then got up with the old lady’s help and put the incense stick into the censer.
Next to the hall, a middle-aged monk was sitting behind a table interpreting kau cim (fortune-telling).
As Aubree Groove passed by the table, the monk squinted and said, “Young devotee, please stop.”
The hall was bustling with people coming and going, but no one dared to make a noise, hence the surroundings seemed unusually quiet.
As soon as the monk’s words concluded, everyone around cast curious glances at Aubree Groove.
Aubree Groove turned around and smiled, “Master, what’s the matter?”
The monk had initially given her a casual glance.
However, when he clearly saw the young lady’s face, the peacock fan in his hand slipped and dropped.
He looked at her in utter disbelief, as if he had been struck by lightning.
“You…
you’re…”
Caught in the throes of excitement, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He took a long, hard look at Aubree Groove’s face, fetched an urn and said, “With such rare facial features, you are someone with great virtue and fortune.
However, I sense some gloom between your brows, suggesting that you are afflicted with worry these days.
Why not draw a kau cim stick to clear away your doubts?”
Aubree Groove shook the urn.
The monk’s gaze was continually fixated on her face, making him appear creepy and perverse, if not for the fact that he was a highly esteemed monk of the Magead Temple.
A kau cim stick slipped out of the urn and fell onto the table.
The monk picked up the stick and shook his head, “An empty fortune.
Whether it’s your past or future, I can’t see clearly.”
It wasn’t due to a lack of skill, but rather a lack of qualification.
Just then, there was a commotion at the entrance.
A young, handsome monk was walking in, with two younger monks following him.
As he walked, the crowd moved back.
The look in their eyes, filled with devout respect and fervent admiration, was reserved for him.
“Master Ichsan Groove….”
The monk walked over to Aubree Groove, first nodding at the monk behind the table, “Uncle Kujin.”
Then, turning to Aubree Groove, he joined his palms and said in an extremely calm voice, “My dear Junior, you’ve come a long way.
Our Master has been awaiting you.”
A collective gasp echoed around.
The young monk, with the Buddhist name Ichsan Groove, was the cherished disciple of Abbot Master Kurong of the Magead Temple and was highly respected among the younger generation.
The Magead Temple had always been a royal monastery in ancient times, with each host being a Master of the Vennesy Temple entrusted with the responsibility to protect the state.
During the Yue Dynasty, Buddhism flourished and it is said that thirteen imperial family members renounced the world and became monks, including princesses and queens, with records of many taking monastic vows.
Therefore, Vennesy Temple enjoyed a unique and venerable status throughout history.
Even in modern times, its status hasn’t diminished.
In fact, its reputation among the local people has grown as a result of the increasing number of followers.
In particular, the current Abbot of Vennesy Temple, Master Kurong, was indeed an enlightened high monk.
People had never witnessed the real Buddha, but in their minds, Master Kurong was an incarnation of the Buddha.
Furthermore, Master Kurong’s cherished disciple, Ichsan Groove, was perceived as an unattainable figure by the people.
Seeing him now treating a young lady with courtesy, even addressing her as his Junior and mentioning that the mysterious Master Kurong was awaiting her, was simply incredible.
Just who was this young lady?
