Brave Hero 72

  According to the "Kaogongji" which was written in the Spring and Autumn period, a long time ago, Huaxia had established a strict set of craftsmanship for manufacturing bows and arrows. That is, in winter, analyze the bow's wood; in spring, treat the horn; in summer, treat the tendon; in autumn, assemble all materials; in winter, determine the shape; wait until the weather is extremely cold before starting to work on the bow body. Even in the most ideal production environment, a craftsman would need to spend three years from start to finish for the bow material to continuously adapt to external environmental changes, thereby reducing the bow's deformation, and only then can a top-notch bow like the Huangxia bow be made.

  It is often said: goods sell themselves to connoisseurs. This saying is not even half false.

  When Chen Liang, who was skilled in archery, saw Lin Xu take out this yellow birch bow from the inner room, his eyes widened and his expression was like that of a 40-year-old old bachelor peeking at a woman bathing.

  Chen Liang's hands involuntarily trembled as he took the precious bow from Lin Xu's hand, stroking it repeatedly with a look of reluctance to part with it. Even so, after fondling it like a treasure for a while, Chen Liang sighed and handed the bow back to Lin Xu with both hands.

  When asked why he refused to accept this bow, Chen Liang hung his head and said:

  "Lin, this bow of yours is truly a treasure. I saw one that wasn't as good as this in the pawnshop in the county town a few years ago, and it was selling for 200 taels! Your gift is too valuable, I can't accept it. If you really don't want it anymore, take it to the city and find someone to sell it to, then use the money to marry a wife and start a family!"

  Just as he saw the fish on the hook, Lin Xu couldn't let it get away easily, so he immediately put on a fierce face and said:

  "Brother Chen, it's not what you think. This bow is just for decoration at home, and I gave it to you as a token of gratitude for saving my life. If I were to take the bow out and sell it, that would be disrespecting our ancestors. Although my days are not easy, have I fallen to the point of selling off our family's house and land?"

  Thus, under Lin Xuwei's repeated persuasion and temptation, Chen Liang finally changed his mind and reluctantly nodded in agreement to accept this valuable treasure bow.

  Suddenly, Lin Xu turned his anger into joy, and the two of them continued to drink and toast each other, savoring the roasted tiger meat and several cold dishes. It was clear that by this time, Chen Liang had already regarded Lin Xu, who was still a stranger before today, as a lifelong friend.

  After having enough wine and food, Chen Liang insisted on leaving the tiger skin, as well as the tiger meat and bones that were still on the mountain, to Lin Xu. He also said that if Lin Xu did not agree, he would never take this bow even if he died.

  Through contact, Lin Xu also roughly understood Chen Liang's temperament. This guy has a standard cannonball temper, likes to praise when he likes it, and scolds when he dislikes it. The word "scheme" is at least currently incompatible with him. Lin Xu guessed early on that Chen Liang wouldn't want his things for free, so he didn't argue with him at the time and readily accepted this material compensation. Later, the host and guest parted ways happily.

  Seeing Chen Liangmei walking away with Huang Yubow's back, Lin Xu muttered to himself:

  "Hmm, this move is made, what will be the outcome in the future? Heaven knows!"

  After some twists and turns, Lin Xu sang a good show of "Bao Gong Gives the Hero" with Chen Liang. Lin Xu did not use this incarnation to explore further forward, but instead found a nearby village and cast a spell to modify the memories of the local people.

  Using divine power to alter human memories is a very delicate matter. As long as it doesn't conflict with the core memories of humanity, corrections within a certain range are relatively easy to make. For example, making a woman forget her own child would be extremely difficult, but on the other hand, modifying trivial details that people consider insignificant is quite simple. This time, Lin Xu made the locals develop a sense of false familiarity, and from now on, they will vaguely remember that there has been a family with the surname Lin living at the foot of the mountain for a long time.

  This move can be said to have truly solidified Lin Xu's identity as a woodcutter, and in the future, he will need to continue interacting with Chen Liang. This fixed location and disguise are both indispensable external conditions.

  "On the mountain peak, one temple, one pot of wine, and joy..."

  Lin Xue, dressed as a fortune teller, walked alone in the desolate mountains and ridges, with an air of being above the world. As he saw a little monk carrying a bucket to fetch water by the creek ahead, Lin Xue unconsciously recited this poem teasing pi.

  Lin Xu walked a few steps forward and waved his hand in greeting, saying to the little monk who was bending down to fetch water:

  "Little master, please stay."

  At the sound, the little monk in front of him, who was not tall and had a prominent cheekbone that made his face look yellow and thin, tilted his head and looked up and down at Lin Xu. Then he put his hands together and said:

  "Amitabha Buddha, sir, did you call me for something?"

  It was unavoidable that when Lin Xu walked closer, he found that the little monk had a long face with distinct facial features, which wasn't ugly at all. However, he was frighteningly thin, with sunken cheeks and prominent cheekbones. His complexion also subtly revealed a hint of greenish-yellow color. The little monk's appearance naturally reminded Lin Xu of Ben Shan Shu, who always liked to boast that his face resembled a genuine pork jowl.

  Lin Xu, who had been silent until now, suddenly broke into a warm smile and said:

  "Oh, I'm a traveler in a hurry, and seeing that it's getting late, I'd like to find a place to rest my feet. I wonder if the young master's temple can accommodate me for the night?"

  In ancient society, there was no such complete travel accommodation system as in modern times. Travelers who ran to the wilderness for camping were not something fun.

  In the vast wilderness where no human smoke can be seen, there are often tigers, leopards, wolves and other ferocious beasts lurking about. Moreover, those small but highly venomous insects and snakes are also numerous. Needless to say, camping in the wild is not only a test of one's courage, but also requires exceptional skills. To be a traveling peddler in this era, one must have the bravery of Wu Song who fought tigers and the expertise of Li Shizhen who could identify hundreds of herbs. Therefore, in ancient China, temples and monasteries often served as substitutes for hotels, as these religious buildings were usually built in remote mountainous areas, making it convenient for travelers to seek lodging when they reached a place where there was no village ahead or shop behind.

  The little monk was also accustomed to being asked for directions and accommodations by others. He didn't ask a single extra question, but directly said:

  "Please follow me, sir."

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu couldn't help but feel a little strange. Monks usually refer to themselves as "poor monks", but this young monk referred to himself as "I". Lin Xu immediately opened his mouth and asked:

  "When did the little master become a monk?"

  "...last month."

  At the sound, Lin Xu suddenly enlightened and nodded, saying:

  "Oh, I see."

  A monk and a layman, two people walked one after the other on the muddy mountain road. Lin Xu started chatting with this little monk. But he seemed reluctant to talk, Lin Xu asked him two or three questions before he responded with just one word.

  After a while, Lin Xu suddenly had a heart of blood, and for some reason he only felt that the little monk in front of him was quite strange. With the spirit of having killed wrongly, but not letting go, Lin Xu mobilized his divine power to open the heavenly eyes of his transformed body. This look was not trivial, and he almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

  Lin Xuan's luck has been quite strange lately, as if he was destined to run into these unremarkable guys. Who knows what's going on, but this unassuming little monk turned out to be the host of the true dragon purple energy. In the field of vision presented by Tianmu, Lin Xuan clearly saw the purple energy swirling around the little monk, its color as deep and rich as a dye vat filled with purple grass juice, its aura rising and billowing like flames burning fiercely. Judging from this momentum, the dragon energy should have already started to take effect.

  The little monk in front of him, as well as Chen Liang, the hunter, who is still walking backwards, are all big BOSSes who have not yet made a name for themselves, collectively referred to as "hibernating dragons".

  It seems that just a few days ago, Lin Xu's incarnation had just toasted with a literate hunter who possessed the five-colored aura, and today his other incarnation encountered an even more extraordinary and rare true dragon purple energy owner. Even though Lin Xu himself was a god, he couldn't help but wonder in his heart. Is it that people with the emperor's fate are now so numerous that they're everywhere? Or is it that the Great Qin Empire is about to collapse, so suddenly there are so many people with great luck on their side, and everyone is preparing to fight for the throne together?

  Just as Lin Xu was lost in thought, the young monk who rarely spoke suddenly opened his mouth and said:

  "Master, we're almost there."

  Waking up with a start, Lin Xu looked ahead and saw that behind the clump of trees in front of him was indeed a temple with bright red walls and yellow glazed tiles.

  At this time, Lin Xu hesitated for a moment and asked:

  "Oh, little master, what should I call you?"

  "I'm just a young apprentice monk, my master didn't give me a Dharma name, you can just call me Fourth Son."

  Two people chatted idly as they arrived at the entrance of a small temple, where a red-faced old monk stood at the door. As soon as he saw Lin Xu, this guest appeared, he immediately smiled and came forward to greet him.

  People who are used to dealing with others and handling matters, their eyelids aren't that shallow. They don't just look at clothes when they look at people; what's more important is observing a person's spiritual bearing. Although one incarnation can't possibly embody Lin Xu's true strength, it's still possible to discern some clues from his gestures and movements. At the very least, the kind of gaze he directs at others, along with the oppressive feeling that comes with it, is not something an ordinary person can possess.

  "Amitabha Buddha! I am Gao Bin, the abbot of this temple. May I ask, sir donor, are you here to offer incense or to fulfill a vow at our temple?"

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu bowed and returned the courtesy, saying:

  "I'm just a traveler, and now that the sky is getting dark, I find myself in a desolate place with nowhere to stay. May I ask if you could provide me with some temporary accommodation? Don't worry about the cost of incense oil, it will be taken care of."

  Although the temple has the function of a hotel, it accommodates traveling merchants and travelers, but as a monk openly doing business for profit, this is also too disrespectful to the Buddha. So, the great monks made some adjustments to the charging system, and it seems that the Buddha did not say that people who stayed in the temple overnight could not give more incense money when they left, so collecting money became reasonable.

  Currently it is near the end of the dynasty, bandits and thieves are rampant everywhere, even in the pure land of Buddhism one has to be careful not to be targeted by local ruffians.

  To know, the Buddha statues in the temple are mostly made of bronze, with a surface decorated with gold plating. Such a Buddha statue weighs at least several hundred kilograms. If calculated by weight, it would be equivalent to how many pieces of silver coins!

  Guarding such a large golden mountain, it is indeed not easy to be careless. Moreover, with the increase in thieves nearby, pilgrims naturally dare not approach. The originally cold and deserted incense offerings have become even more difficult to sustain. Nowadays, guests who come to stay overnight have become one of the main sources of support for the temple's economy. As the abbot, Gao Bin naturally has to warmly entertain Lin Xu, who has come to stay.

  Old Master Gao Bin's face was all smiles as he said:

  "Amitabha Buddha, since the donor has a connection with our Buddha, how could I dare to turn him away? Please come in. Fourth son, what are you standing there for? Quickly go and sweep the Buddhist hall, as the donor may want to burn incense later!"

  Watching this scene unfold beside him, Lin Xu subtly curled his lip in disdain at the monk's preference for wealth over poverty.

  The old saying goes, "Rather deceive the old to get rich, don't deceive the poor youth!" If this old monk, Gao Bin, lives long enough, he might see the day when this little monk, whom he scolded like a dog, becomes famous. Who knows what kind of face he will have then? Lin Xu couldn't help but think with a bad taste, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face, which seemed very mysterious to others.