Chapter 26
As Liaowu stepped aside, Heng Yu finally understood why he had so readily invited her into his room, without worrying about being alone with a woman.
The young monk Liaonian was inside, performing his evening prayers.
“Little Monk, why are you doing your evening prayers in your senior brother’s room?” Heng Yu sat down beside Liaonian and asked with a smile.
Liaonian snorted softly: It was a good thing he came.
This little monk was childish, and Heng Yu didn’t mind his reaction.
She turned over an overturned teacup and pushed it forward.
Liaowu closed the door and walked over, noticing her action.
He had developed a habit of pouring her tea. He filled the cup and sat down.
The tea was still warm, freshly brewed.
Heng Yu held the teacup in her right hand, waiting for it to cool down. “While we were eating downstairs just now, did you notice the storyteller in the restaurant?”
Liaonian closed his scripture and nodded repeatedly. “I did. He was telling a love story about Elder Xiao of the Sword Sect. It sounded quite tragic.”
Even cultivators gossiped : )
The “Continental Records” began by describing cultivators as such —
— Stealing the essence of heaven and earth, treading the path of immortality.
Most cultivators were just more capable mortals with longer lifespans.
They had their own loves and hates.
They were all intelligent people. Heng Yu had only mentioned it briefly, and Liaowu already understood her meaning.
“Lord Luo means to use the restaurant storyteller to spread our Buddhist stories?”
Heng Yu snapped her fingers.
It was easy to talk to smart people. A simple hint was enough for them to understand her true intentions.
“I thought of this while we were eating. We only have a thousand copies of the booklet. It’s difficult to distribute them to everyone. But if we pay the storyteller and the restaurant to tell these stories, the effect will be completely different.”
Restaurants were open for business, with at least a hundred customers coming and going every day.
And Ping City was so large, with at least dozens of restaurants.
A small amount of money could achieve a much better promotional effect than the three of them running around and shouting themselves hoarse.
Liaowu pondered for a moment and had to admit that Heng Yu’s idea was good.
He had never thought of such a promotional method.
“Then let’s try it tomorrow.”
Heng Yu nodded and took a sip of tea. “I’m actually curious about what Xiaoyaozi will do.”
“What if they do the same thing as us?” Liaonian scratched his head and asked.
Heng Yu frowned.
This method wasn’t difficult to think of.
Xiaoyaozi’s disciples had arrived in Ping City earlier than them. If they had already contacted the storytellers, they would be at a disadvantage.
Liaowu looked at Liaonian. “Liaonian, go ask the restaurant owner if any Daoist cultivators have approached them.”
“Alright.”
Liaonian jumped off his stool and ran out.
After a while, the slightly closed door was pushed open, and Liaonian entered with a worried expression.
“Senior Brother, Lord Luo, the owner said that Daoist cultivators contacted him two days ago and paid a hefty price to have him tell Daoist stories starting tomorrow.”
As expected, the worst-case scenario had happened.
In this era of limited information dissemination, Xiaoyaozi and his disciples had accurately grasped the easiest way to spread information.
Heng Yu pursed her lips, not panicking.
She looked at Liaonian. “Did you find out what kind of Daoist stories they’re telling?”
“Just some well-known stories. They also left a pile of Daoist scriptures, wanting the storyteller to read them aloud.”
Heng Yu swirled the teacup in her hand. “I think they must have made arrangements with all the restaurants. Since they’ve already used this method, it would be pointless for us to do the same.”
After thinking for a moment, Heng Yu said, “I have a somewhat unconventional idea. Let’s wait until tomorrow and see.”
Leju Restaurant, premium room.
Xiaoyaozi and his four disciples sat together.
Xiaoyaozi looked at Zhou Chuang. “How are the things I asked you to do coming along?”
Zhou Chuang cast a Daoist spell and reported, “Rest assured, Master. After receiving your message, I immediately brought my junior brothers to Ping City. We contacted the major restaurants before checking into Leju Restaurant to await your arrival.”
Xiaoyaozi stroked his long beard, satisfied with his eldest disciple’s efficiency. “Good. This poor Daoist will definitely defeat that Buddha-son and enhance the prestige of the Void Alliance and Daoism!”
Millennia ago, Daoism was more prosperous than Buddhism.
But since the emergence of the demonic threat, because Buddhist methods were effective against demons, the Buddhist sect attracted many disciples. Countless Buddhist cultivators sacrificed themselves in the fight against demons, but through these trials, they gained experience, and talented individuals emerged, ultimately leading to the flourishing of Buddhism.
Xiaoyaozi, as a Daoist cultivator, had always been resentful of this.
After congratulating his master, Zhou Chuang asked softly, “Master, how is Junior Brother Fan?”
Mentioning Fan Changping, Xiaoyaozi’s expression darkened.
He patted Zhou Chuang’s shoulder and said gently, “I know you and your junior brother were close, but this matter is complicated. You were too impulsive today.”
Zhou Chuang’s eyes reddened.
He clenched his fists and slammed them on the table. “That female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect is truly hateful.”
“Those direct disciples of major sects are naturally arrogant,” one of his junior brothers said sarcastically.
Xiaoyaozi didn’t have many direct disciples, and they were all close.
Seeing their resentment over Fan Changping’s death, Xiaoyaozi felt comforted.
He stroked his beard and said soothingly, “She’s with that Buddha-son, so it’s inconvenient for me to act. After the competition, I’ll find an opportunity to teach her a lesson and crush her arrogance!”
Night turned to dawn, and then to daylight.
Liaowu and Liaonian went downstairs and found a table in a corner.
After ordering breakfast, Liaowu sent a message to Heng Yu, asking her to come down for breakfast.
Heng Yu came downstairs and drank several sips of soy milk.
Although this restaurant wasn’t as large as Leju Restaurant, it was still one of the best in Ping City. A small platform was set up on one side of the first floor, presumably for the storyteller.
It was still early, and the storyteller was already sitting there, reading a book, but he hadn’t started yet.
He was probably waiting for more customers and a livelier atmosphere.
Heng Yu wasn’t in a hurry. After finishing breakfast, she wanted to take out some pine nuts from her storage ring.
However, after searching, she couldn’t find any.
She realized she had eaten them all.
Withdrawing her divine sense, Heng Yu looked at Liaowu. “Senior Brother Liaowu, do you have any more pine nuts?”
“I should have some,” Liaowu replied.
He searched his storage ring and took out a handful of pine nuts.
He offered most of them to Heng Yu, keeping a small portion for himself and Liaonian.
Liaonian: “…”
Liaowu glanced at him and said calmly, “Craving food is also a form of desire.”
Buddhist cultivators often practiced asceticism.
They had to control their desires, even for food.
Liaonian quickly composed himself and agreed.
Heng Yu found this amusing.
But since Liaowu was teaching his junior brother, she didn’t interfere, silently eating her pine nuts.
The three of them waited patiently while eating.
By the time they finished the pine nuts, the restaurant had become lively.
A regular customer sat beside the storyteller and asked with a smile, “Anything new to tell today?”
“Yes, we’re tired of the old gossip. Tell us something new.”
“I thought the love story of Venerable Cang and his Dao companion was quite interesting.”
“Can’t you tell us something other than gossip?”
The storyteller, an elderly man with white hair, smiled good-naturedly. “Don’t worry, everyone. Today, I’ll tell you some interesting stories. I’ve been diligently researching the stories of Daoism’s sages and great figures.”
After this brief introduction, the storyteller coughed lightly and began. “Speaking of the founder of the Dao Sect…”
Heng Yu listened for a while and realized that the shopkeeper hadn’t lied. Xiaoyaozi and his disciples had indeed arranged for the storyteller to tell well-known Daoist stories, mainly focusing on the positive aspects of Daoism, hoping to attract believers.
The stories weren’t particularly interesting or gossipy, but they were novel.
Most of the customers in the restaurant, unless they had specifically studied the history of Daoism, hadn’t heard these stories before.
After telling two stories, the storyteller would open a Daoist scripture and read a few passages aloud.
Heng Yu listened to the entire thing.
She tapped her finger on the table and commented indifferently, “The content is rather dull.”
Liaonian nodded vigorously.
Indeed, their illustrated Buddhist stories, with their engaging narratives, were far superior.
But now, the most effective channel for dissemination was controlled by the other side. What could they do to spread their Buddhist stories?
“Let’s set up a stall,” Heng Yu snapped her fingers. “To save time, let’s get started. I’ll explain the details later.”
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