Star Trace Gate

Chapter 978 The Power of Idols, Moro's Showdown

Nothing to say for a day.

The following evening, just as Ren was about to make a show of visiting Wang Anquan, who was suffering from severe poisoning, the Moro people finally couldn't resist coming to find him.

Inside the supply depot, the civil official Lao Lu poured a cup of tea for the monk Fu Lai, and then said softly, "My master Zhen is still busy with official business, please wait a moment."

"Hehe, no rush, no rush...!" Monk Fulai sat upright in his chair, his previous arrogant expression completely gone.

The fact that Zhenyi is the successor of the divine monk has not only been confirmed by Tianzhao Temple in 251, but even the current Broken Wall Divine Dynasty had its Heavenly King Hall's divine plaque knocked off with a single finger. Therefore, the "old monk" background that Monk Fulai had previously talked about so much could no longer be faked in front of Zhenyi.

In fact, ever since the last rebellion, Moro had sent more than one group of people to invite Ren Ye to a banquet, but the latter had always been too lazy to pay attention to them, seemingly still immersed in the anger of almost being killed, and always intentionally or unintentionally showing that he was very close to Niu Dali.

He deliberately wanted to provoke Moro, to make him regret his previous reckless behavior, and to make him compete with Niu Dali even more fiercely and try desperately to win him over.

Ren knew the other party's purpose in coming to see him, so he was not in a hurry at all. He not only dawdled and ate dinner in the inner hall, but also took a dump and took a bath, delaying for more than half an hour before finally showing up to see Monk Fulai.

"Tap tap...!"

He led Master Chu into the main hall of the supply depot, then looked at Monk Fulai with a smile and said, "Oh my, what wind has blown today?! The high monk from Brother Moro's side has actually come to my little yamen in person... Old Chu, hurry, hurry, quickly go and inform all the civil officials in the courtyard to kneel and welcome him. The posture must be standard... After all, the old monks are very particular about the order of rank."

Upon hearing this, Fu Lai's cheeks immediately flushed. He stood up and bowed, replying humbly, "Master Zhenyi, please don't make fun of me. Senior Brother Moro sent me to your residence to invite you to have a simple meal... You see, I'm just a messenger. If I can't handle such a simple task, I'll definitely get scolded when I get back."

"Eat?!" Ren Ye put his hands behind his back, his expression extremely sarcastic, trying his best to appear cool: "Oh dear, you're late, I just finished eating...!"

Fu Lai braced himself and bowed again: "Master Zhenyi, please give me some face, considering we are all from the same lineage of the old monks..."

"Damn it, who do you think you are? This main hall is no place for you to come here?!" Just then, Old Lu, the civil official who had been waiting outside the door, suddenly went berserk and yelled at a servant, "The master just finished eating, don't you know that? Why do you need to bring him fruit and snacks?! You're already scrambling to be his dog, so what am I supposed to be? You stupid thing, get out here and bend over!"

The servant, beaming with delight at the scolding, nodded repeatedly: "Yes, this servant is too stupid to see through the subtleties. This servant will get out of here right now!"

Ren was also stunned by these two. He glanced back and thought, "Damn, these old hands in officialdom are really good at this. I don't even need to tell them who to criticize."

Old Lu, the civil official, was previously just an insignificant clerk, but ever since he risked his life to inform Liu Wei, he has become a trusted confidant of Master Zhenyi, and thus can be considered a member of the "Divine Monk's lineage." Therefore, he now truly stands tall; it's said that when he returns home from his official duties at night, his wife even allows him to urinate standing up.

Monk Fulai was thoroughly berated, his face turning purple, but he harbored no resentment. After all, he knew he had overstepped his bounds earlier, forcing the disciple of the divine monk to reveal his identity and the secret of being a traveler. Therefore, he felt it was perfectly normal for the other party to hurl insults and criticisms at him.

The people in this chaotic faction are all extremely ambitious and envious of others. In their eyes, they are inferior to others in status and divine power, so they have to endure any resentment. Many of them use this as an internal driving force to become stronger, hoping that one day they can trample those who look down on them under their feet.

This style of behavior also has a hint of the cunning wolf in the mountains, which becomes arrogant and rampant when it gains power.

"Is it really absolutely necessary to go?" Ren asked, craning his neck, seeing that the time was right.

Monk Fulai clasped his hands in greeting and replied, "Lord Moro has already prepared a banquet and has been waiting for you...!"

"Alright, let's go then." Ren replied reluctantly, "It's just a simple meal, my Brother Niu... shouldn't think too much about it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the initiative to walk out of the courtyard.

"Okay, please, please...!" Fu Lai followed after him with great joy.

Master Chu glanced at the two of them sideways, and followed behind them in a furtive manner, transmitting his voice to Fu Lai: "I've noticed that you monks... always like to make things seem bland and tasteless."

As the saying goes, even a third-rank official has to stand before the prime minister's gate. Naturally, the monk Fulai did not dare to underestimate the lackey beside Zhenyi, so he politely asked, "What do you mean by that? What does it mean to act in a very bland manner?"

"Look at you," Master Chu whispered, "the two families already had a misunderstanding, and yet you come empty-handed to offer this invitation. As the saying goes, even an eighty-year-old bachelor who wants to marry a thirteen-year-old widow has to bring some gifts when he visits! Why don't you, a master of Buddhism, understand this principle? Where has your Buddhist practice gone?!"

"Hiss, that makes sense. But I think that Master Zhenyi is a successor of a divine monk, so he might not like worldly things...!"

"You should hold it in," Master Chu immediately interrupted. "Does the true Buddha of our Tianzhao Temple not need incense money? Don't think too highly of people... Lower your expectations, lower them even more, and things won't be so bland."

“I have learned a lot, I have truly learned a lot. Don’t worry, I will make arrangements after Master Zhenyi finishes his meal.” Monk Fulai nodded knowingly.

Master Chu deliberately paused for a long time before asking in return, "You, a high monk, can't just arrange for Master Zhenyi alone, can you?"

Monk Fulai was slightly taken aback: "Of course not. As for that lowly civil official who insulted me with such sarcasm, I will naturally make arrangements for him... After all, as the old saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings!"

Upon hearing this, Master Chu remained silent for a good ten breaths before stammering, "I can see that you're just plain indifferent! Believe me, you have no future as a monk...!"

……

Half past the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the North Wind Town was located within the palace grounds.

Moro greeted Ren Ye with a broad smile as he came out of the main hall, then bowed respectfully to him, saying, "Junior Brother Zhenyi, come, come, the food and wine are all ready, please come in...!"

Ren nodded slightly and stepped into the main hall.

Behind him, the monk Fulai glanced at Master Chu and then gestured invitingly: "Let's go, let's choose a gift for that minor official, after all, I don't know his preferences..."

Master Chu was so angry he almost broke his teeth, and he said in a muffled voice, "Master Fulai, have you heard of a new word that is circulating in the migration area?"

"What word?"

"You're such an idiot!" Master Chu imitated Ren Ye's tone of voice as he cursed and then left.

The monk Fulai quickly caught up with him: "Sir, what do you mean by this? Please teach me!"

At the entrance to the main hall, Moro personally closed the door, then pointed to the octagonal table and said, "The preparation was hasty, and there aren't any rare delicacies, but the taste is still quite authentic. Come, Junior Brother Zhenyi, please sit down...!"

Ren Ye circled the octagonal table once, then replied with a smile, "Senior brother, there can't be any poison in this food, can there?"

Moro paused, then said with an extremely helpless expression, "Brother, please stop teasing me. I know I was wrong, okay?"

“I swear to heaven, if I had known beforehand that you were the successor of the divine monk, I would have definitely expressed my feelings to you first when we were traveling together in Tiandu. Let me put it this way, the job in Beifeng Town is certainly very important, but if you need anything, even if it means I have to give up this job, I will definitely help you first.”

His words were sincere and deeply moving.

"Hehe, Senior Brother Moro, your words have brought tears to my eyes...!" Ren Ye bent down to sit down, reached out and picked up his chopsticks, which was a formal way of indicating that he accepted the dinner invitation.

“I’m not just saying this out of flattery or hypocrisy.” Moro sat opposite Ren Ye, pouring him wine as he sighed, “You should know that… ever since the collapse of the migration grounds, we old monks have lost our former glory. Now the Wallfacers are in charge, ruling the chaos with an iron fist, while we, no matter how you look at it, are nothing more than warlords fighting for a single goal.”

"In the Broken Wall Divine Dynasty, we now have to be mindful of the Wallfacers' opinions in every aspect."

“Even so, even if I, Moro, were to be the divine successor of the Wall Man in person, or even an ancient prince… I would never show the obsequious or humble demeanor I would when facing you.”

He poured Ren Ye a full glass of wine and said with unusual candor, "Why?! Because those divine inheritors and ancient princes all came from the Land of Heavenly Prison. They are not of the same lineage as us former monks, and therefore have no camaraderie. Now that the prosperous age has arrived and the flames of war have reignited in the migration area... no matter how many of us die or are injured, it will not make them feel sorry or sad."

"In the end, only those who are family, those who share the same lineage, can truly understand how much we, the old monks of yesteryear, have silently sacrificed for this chaotic situation and for the arrival of misfortune...!"

Moro raised his wine cup and said, “For us old monks, the Divine Monk is an insurmountable mountain, a legendary leader who once opened the gates of eternity with his own power. You are his direct disciple, which means that among us old monks, the most outstanding bloodline has been continued, the lineage has been passed down… In the future, those who keep watch over the year will have successors of the Human Emperor, those who face the wall will have successors of the Divine Emperor and the Ancient Emperor… and we old monks… will also have successors of the Divine Monk, peerless geniuses.”

"From this perspective, I was overjoyed to learn of your identity. I also hope that... the Venerable Monk will once again grace this world with his presence during the final battle in Tiandu, so as to ensure the glorious continuation of the old monk lineage for five hundred years."

Little Bad King did expect that after he revealed his identity, these remnants of the bald monks from five hundred years ago would definitely be on good terms with him; but he did not expect that the words "successor of the divine monk" would carry such weight in their hearts.

It's not that he's that awesome, but that Mumu was just too awesome back then, doing so many amazing things that even 500 years later, he still has a huge number of fans, and they're incredibly crazy about him.

"For the sake of the emergence of the divine monk's successor, we two should drink this cup to the brim!" Moro raised his arm with a slightly excited expression.

"Master... there are things Master has to do, but... I'm not entirely sure about the specifics." Ren Ye replied with a solemn expression, deliberately giving an ambiguous answer.

"Does he... have no intention of contacting the Broken Wall Divine Dynasty?" Moro cautiously probed. "If he could return to the world, even in the current Broken Wall Divine Dynasty, he could still stand above the Heavenly King Hall and stand shoulder to shoulder with those... true leaders."

Ren thought for a moment, then decided to reveal a little bit of the truth: "Master is searching for fortune... You must not tell anyone about this."

"Luck?!" The usually mature and composed Moro's eyes widened, and in a very short time, he had already imagined a grand, earth-shattering drama: "Is he... preparing to conquer the Fallen Gods?! This search for luck... is probably to defy the Heavenly Dao. After all, there are far too few in this world who can rival him...!"