Stranger Danger

Chapter 553: Easy To Enter, Difficult To Leave

“Do you need help, warrior?”

As soon as Ye Qing crossed over the threshold, a female disciple immediately came over to welcome him.

Ye Qing asked, “Can you guide me to the Blissful Hall, please?”

“The Blissful Hall?” The female disciple looked surprised, but she quickly arranged her expression into something deferential and respectful and asked, “May I take a look at your invitation letter, warrior?”

“Sure. Here you go,” Ye Qing replied and handed the invitation letter to the female disciple. After she took a look at its contents, she looked even more respectful as she handed the invitation letter back to Ye Qing and bowed. “My deepest apologies for not anticipating your arrival beforehand, warrior. Miaoyin begs for your forgiveness.”

“Huh?” Ye Qing was confused by her reaction and rubbed his nose. “It’s fine. Just take me to Blissful Hall, will you?”

“Of course.” Miaoyin rose back to full height and gestured for him to follow. “This way please, warrior.”

“The Blissful Hall isn’t here?” Ye Qing asked. Miaoyin was acting to climb up the mountain, but he noticed that the large majority of the disciples were guiding the guests toward the pavilions next to a public square in the area. They had to be the jianghu warriors participating in this Trueman feast, so why was he moving in a different direction?

Miaoyin replied respectfully, “This is where the ordinary guests stay, but you are no ordinary guest. That is why you will be staying in the Blissful Hall, the place where we host our most esteemed guests, and it is located at the peak of Blissful Mountain.”

“Oh, I see,” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. Now he understood why Miaoyin’s attitude had changed so suddenly and drastically. “Got it. Let’s go then.”

“As you wish.” Miaoyin nodded and led the way.

The higher they climbed, the bigger and more luxurious the buildings became, and the more beautiful the scenery was. It was also a lot more quiet and peaceful since the number of guests had declined drastically.

“This is the first time you’re visiting our Buddhist Hall of Joy, am I right?” Miaoyin said after noting Ye Qing’s behavior.

He stopped looking left and right and said, “Yeah. It’s my first time here.”

Miaoyin nodded. “In that case, please allow me to act as your tour guide. There are plenty of scenic spots in the Buddhist Hall of Joy and Blissful Mountain, and there are some that you may never find an equal in a lifetime.”

Ye Qing’s curiosity was piqued. “Sure. Tell me.”

Miaoyin began, “Blissful Mountain is known to have Five Sceneries and Three Wonders. The Five Sceneries refer to Joy Forest, Buddhist Voice Cave, Fallen Moon Pond, Lotus Lake and Cloud Cliff.”

“The Joy Forest is a forest with three thousand Buddha and Bodhisattva sculptures in it. They come in all shapes and sizes, and one may study to be enlightened in the wonderful ways of the Buddha.”

“The Buddhist Voice Cave is a unique cave where Buddhist chants could be heard when the wind blows into it. It is quite the calming and meditative experience.”

“The Fallen Moon Pond is even more special. Every day during midnight, the moon in the sky would disappear and reappear inside the pond. It is almost as if the moon itself had fallen into the pond. That is why we call it the Fallen Moon Pond.”

“The Lotus Lake is a lake where rainbow lotuses are blooming across all seasons. You will never find a wilted flower in this lake.”

“Finally, the Cloud Cliff is a massive cliff that is shrouded by clouds all year long. When you stand on top of the cliff and look down, you will witness a sea of clouds rolling by like an actual sea.”

“Sounds amazing. What about the Three Wonders?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

“The first Wonder is the Blissful Kingdom of Buddha. Every time it is a special day, a blissful miracle would take form at the peak of Blissful Mountain. The Buddhas would manifest into existence, the Bodhisattvas would show themselves, the Arhats would align in formation, and the Vajrapanis would descend to the earth. It is like a reflection of the Kingdom of Buddha.”

“Our second Wonder is the Blissful Spring. A single drop of spring water will make you feel like you’re in the heavens and enlighten you on the essence of our blissful ways.”

“Finally, our third Wonder is the Myriad Red Dust. As you know, we cultivate the Joyful Way of the Buddha, but you may not know that we have a pavilion named the Joyful Pavilion. In there, you may enjoy our gifted sons and daughters of heavens and cultivate the Joy Way of the Buddha as well. If you wish, you are more than welcome to experience our Myriad Red Dust.”

“Cough! Cough!” Ye Qing coughed violently before he managed to rein in his reaction. “Ahem... it’s fine. I would rather attend the Bodhisattva’s Trueman feast first. Business before pleasure, am I right? Right!”

He hadn’t expected the Buddhist Hall of Joy to offer such benefits, like, at all. Holy mother of heavens. This world is insane in more ways than one.

“As you wish, warrior.” Miaoyin covered her mouth and giggled.

Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Ye Qing immediately began inquiring into other things. The two would continue to chat with each other until they arrived at the Blissful Hall.

Ye Qing realized immediately why the Blissful Hall was the place where the Buddhist Hall of Joy hosted their most esteemed guests. The buildings were luxurious and exquisitely built, the environment was quiet and tranquil, and each “room” was its own house. Hell, they even came equipped with a courtyard. This made sure that the guests would not be bothering each other unless they went out of their way to do so.

Not only that, each house was attended to by a household of servants and attendants. They would handle all trivial matters for the guest and even carry certain instructions.

After they arrived at a residence, Miaoyin said, “This is the Flying Snow Garden. It is not appropriate for someone of your stature, but give me some time, and I will arrange a better accommodation for you.”

“There’s no need. This is good enough,” Ye Qing rejected her offer.

Flying Snow Garden was a snow-themed residence. It had plants named Edelweiss planted in the courtyard, though it only bloomed during cold weather. Its flower was shaped like a snowflake, and when a gust of wind carried an entire bundle of it into the sky, they looked just like falling snow. Not only that, they gave off a quiet, soothing scent that made them feel like a better version of actual snow. So yes, Ye Qing liked this place a lot.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied with this place,” Miaoyin said smilingly before looking at the two female attendants standing at the gate entrance. “If you need anything, simply give them an order. They will carry it out to their fullest capabilities.”

“I guess this is it then. Thank you for acting as my guide, Miss Miaoyin.” Ye Qing thanked her.

“It is no trouble at all. I assume you’ve had a long journey, so I shan’t disturb you any longer.” Miaoyin gave him a bow before ordering the attendants, “Make sure you take good care of our guest. Do not disappoint me.”

“As you command,” the two female attendants responded deferentially.

“Until next time, warrior.” Miaoyin bowed to Ye Qing again.

“Until next time,” Ye Qing replied cordially.

After Miaoyin was gone, the two female attendants led Ye Qing into the house and asked, “Would you like to rest now, or would you like to enjoy a meal first, warrior?”

“I’ll rest. I am a little tired,” Ye Qing answered. It was the truth. He had been on the road the whole day, and he could definitely use a quick rest.

“In that case, would you like to take a bath? Our bathrooms draw water from a mountain hot spring, and the water can soothe the muscles and invigorate your blood. There is nothing better to eliminate your fatigue,” a female attendant suggested.

“You have a hot spring? That’s awesome! Please take me to the bathroom!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up.

“This way please.”

The two attendants quickly led Ye Qing to a separate building located next to the main house. Then, they began disrobing.

“What are you two doing?” Ye Qing was not expecting this.

The attendants answered, “We wish to help you disrobe and give you the best bathing experience, warrior.”

Then why are you taking off your clothes? I’m the one who’s bathing here, not you!

Ye Qing ranted inside his head while stopping the duo in a hurry, “It’s fine. Please leave me alone.”

“Are you not satisfied with our service, warrior?” The two female attendants hurriedly dropped to their knees and asked pitifully. They weren’t the most beautiful women Ye Qing had ever seen in his life, but they definitely fell under the cute and comely category. This was especially true since they were acting like they had been wronged. Anyone would naturally want to comfort them.

If he was a weak-willed man, he might have succumbed to the temptation. Thankfully, he wasn’t. “Of course not. I’m just not used to being... serviced. So please, leave me to my devices. I will call for you if I need anything.”

“Very well. We’ll just be outside. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call for us immediately.” The two female attendants weren’t stupid or bold enough to insist, so they rose to their feet and left the premises.

When the girls left through the door though, Ye Qing could clearly see them shooting him aggrieved glances. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that he was a scumbag who dumped his girlfriend—no, girlfriends—after he got tired of them.

Ye Qing let out a sigh of relief after they were finally gone. Heavens, there is no end to the “pleasant surprises” Buddhist Hall of Joy has in store for their guests.

He had heard rumors that it was easy to walk into the Buddhist Hall of Joy, but difficult to leave. They also said that most guests who left the premises were usually weak-kneed and sloppily-dressed. At the time, he thought it was simply because the Buddhist Hall of Joy was one of the most powerful sects in Bei You and, you know, a demonic sect? But now, he knew it was a different kind of danger. If he dropped his pants every time one or more beautiful women offered to “service” him, he would be walking out of their gate with shaky knees and loose clothings as well.

Ye Qing had a feeling that a lot of boys would be turning into men after this Trueman feast. Heck, a lot of girls were going to turn into women after this.

But of course, this didn’t happen everyday. It was mainly because the Trueman feast was happening. By the time the event was over, a good number of guests were going to turn into guests of honor in various positions. This was also one of the Buddhist Hall of Joy’s main methods of increasing their recruits and guest warriors.

This all had nothing to do with him though. A fine woman was fine, but he did not have the luxury to enjoy them.

A moment of lamentation later, Ye Qing focused on washing the day’s fatigue away and relaxing in the bath. After he was done, he rejected the two female attendants’ request to sleep with him, sat on the bed, and entered a meditative state.

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