Mo Do Zu Shi React

Chapter 16: Arrogance IV

A/N: this chapter resumes from chapter 14 and not 15, so if you do not recall what had happened there, I suggest you read the last few paragraphs as this is a direct continuation from there.

Enjoy.

...

The Jiang disciple who'd asked the question didn't really get what his dashixiong meant, but just nodded and looked back at the screen seeing how sad the boy looked.

He was new in the sect, having joined only a few months before Wuxian went to Gusu, and he was the kindest and most selfless person he knew, he hated the cold shoulder the others were giving him and the distance the boy was putting between them, and talking to hm made him hate it all the more..

On the other hand, Lan SiZhui and the other disciples did not find anything in the area of the ancient tombs, and had moved on to search for clues in Goddess Temple.

In Dafan Mountain, aside from the tombs of the Buddha’s Feet ancestors, there was also the Goddess Temple. The being of worship was neither Buddha nor GuanYin, but the statue of a “dancing goddess.”

A few hundred years ago, a hunter from Buddha’s Feet ventured into the mountains, and found an extraordinary stone in a cave. It was around three meters in height, formed naturally, and appeared strangely like a human, with four limbs making a dancing pose. The more peculiar thing was that human features could vaguely be seen on the statue, appearing to be that of a smiling lady.

The townspeople of Buddha’s Feet were all astonished, and thought that it was a magical stone formed by gathering the energy of Heaven and Earth, making up a series of legends about it. Some told the story of an immortal falling in love with the Goddess of the Nine Heavens, and carved a stone statue from the goddess’s appearance to convey the hardships of being lovesick. After discovering this, the goddess was furious, so the unfinished statue had to be left alone. Others told the story of the Jade Emperor and his beloved daughter who died young. The emperor’s longing for his daughter had, supposedly, turned into this statue.

Some Rural and small sect cultivators understood the thought process behind it, but it was easy to see the confusion behind the eyes of those from bigger sects - they couldn't put themselves in the shoes of commoners, smaller or poorer cultivators can.

Anyhow, there were all sorts of myths, able to make anyone gawk. In the end, the townspeople themselves also started to believe in these legends which came out of their own mouths. Hence, someone turned the stone cave into a temple, and the stone platform into a holy seat. The statue was named “Dancing Goddess,” and there were worshippers all year round.

The inside of the cave was spacious, similar to the size of an erjin temple, with the statue of the goddess set in the center. At first sight, it did indeed look like a human—the maiden’s waist could even be considered lithe and graceful. However, after taking a closer look at it, it would seem rougher. Then again, a naturally-formed statue being so similar to an actual human was enough to make most people gasp in awe.

Lan JingYi lifted and lowered the compass of evil, but its pointer still didn’t move. A thick layer of incense ashes covered the table for offerings, and disordered candles lay on there as well. A sickly sweet scent came from the plates for holding fruits. Most of the people from the GusuLan Sect had some degree of minor mysophobia.

"What is that?" Asked a Nie sect disciple.

"Fear of dirt" responded a Jin a bit too seriously

"Not fear!" Retorded a Lan feeling a bit offended by the wording choice.

He fanned at the air in front of his nose and spoke, “The locals said that it is quite effective to pray at Goddess Temple, but how can it be this ruined? They should at least come and clean once in awhile.”