My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

But when he tried again, he felt his fingertips were empty. The power of perception that should have flowed along some mysterious trajectory seemed to have fallen into the void, and he could not get anything.

He maintained the posture of calculating and tried three more times.

Each time, the thumb lands precisely on the corresponding knuckle, with no missteps.

But the result was always the same—nothing.

No response. No echo.

Ye Qingfeng stopped and opened his eyes.

His brows were still furrowed.

This wasn't his first attempt.

When he returned to the village today, he tried to calculate the true nature of the Golden Light Temple.

Four attempts, four failures.

With his current level of cultivation, even if an ordinary immortal stood in front of him, he would not be completely unresponsive.

It's impossible to predict; there are only three possibilities.

Firstly, the monk Huiming's cultivation was far superior to his, and he concealed his secrets. It was normal that he couldn't figure it out with his superficial divination skills.

One could refer to the old coin from the Wild Boar Forest, but such an existence cannot simply run to the front of the stage; the heavens and earth greatly limit it.

Secondly, the other party may have practiced some kind of technique that conceals the secrets of heaven, or possess a magical artifact that can obscure cause and effect.

This is more likely. If there is such an arrangement in the secret room, it would not be difficult to isolate, calculate, and investigate.

If that's really the case, then the depths of Jin Guang Temple are probably more complex than he anticipated.

Thirdly...

Ye Qingfeng paused, then didn't continue thinking about it.

There is a third possibility, which he doesn't want to think about.

Unless that being has transcended the Three Realms, is outside the Five Elements, and is not subject to cause and effect.

Of course, this is the least likely thing to happen; such a person would be out of their mind to hide in a brothel.

The wedding ceremony was scheduled for Shen Shi (3-5 PM).

The villagers were quick and efficient; in less than two hours, Cui Gu's cramped main room had been transformed into a festive space.

A double happiness symbol cut from red paper was pasted on the lintel; it was Gou Dan who crookedly cut it while lying on the table.

It was rare to get a fire going on the stove, so I borrowed half a pig from my neighbor and stewed it in a pot. There were more radishes than meat, and it was served piping hot.

Not many people came.

Cui Gu's family was poor and couldn't afford a banquet, so only a few close neighbors came to help, along with the village chief and two aunts who accompanied her to the wedding.

Ah Niu was wearing an indigo long gown that he had borrowed from someone, with the sleeves a bit too short, revealing half of his forearm.

He was surrounded by several men, one patting his shoulder and the other urging him to drink. He held the bowl but didn't bring it to his lips.

"Ah Niu, don't look so dejected." A middle-aged man flicked his sleeve. "It's too late to dwell on it now."

"Yeah," another said in a low voice, "we can't afford to offend the people above us. Just bear with it, it's not a big deal."

"Once Cui Gu comes down from the mountain, you can get married and live your lives as usual. This matter... will be as if it never happened."

Ah Niu gripped the bowl tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't look at those people, but stared at the direction of the main room.

There, Ye Qingfeng had already changed into the clothes that Aunt Li had sent him.

The so-called "clothes for going up the mountain" were nothing more than a half-worn red jacket and skirt, faded from washing, with a white tinge in the red.

The fabric is coarse and stiff, and the collar is worn and frayed; it must have been worn by countless women.

Aunt Wang helped him comb his hair; her skillful hands quickly tied it into a woman's bun.

She took out a thin silver hairpin from her bosom, with a small plum blossom at the tip, and handed it to Ye Qingfeng.

"This is what I had back then... Never mind, you can wear it."

Ye Qingfeng took it and put it into her hair.

Aunt Wang took two steps back, examined the scene for a moment, then suddenly turned her head away and quickly wiped the corner of her eye.

Aunt Li said from the side, "It's almost time to go out."

Ye Qingfeng stood up.

Aunt Wang picked up the red veil, unfolded it, and placed it on his head.

Suddenly, everything turned dark red, with only the soil beneath one's feet remaining visible.

At 3 PM, the ceremony began.

There were no best men and women, no music or ceremony, only the village chief standing in the center of the main room, holding a piece of red paper with a poem written on it, reciting it haltingly:

"Bowing to Heaven and Earth—"

Ah Niu knelt down, his back straight, his forehead touching the ground.

Ye Qingfeng also knelt down.

The red veil obscured his vision, so he couldn't see Ah Niu's face, only his fingers gripping the ground, knuckles white.

"Bowing to the parents twice—"

Cui Gu's father sat at the head of the table, his hands resting on his knees, his head bowed, never raising it.

Standing next to him was Gou Dan, a twelve-year-old boy who didn't understand what the ceremony meant. He just looked around curiously, but his father pulled him down to kneel.

"Husband and wife bow to each other—"

Ah Niu turned around, his forehead pressed against the yellow earth, and remained there for a long time without getting up.

Ye Qingfeng saw blood seeping from between his fingers; he was clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

The village chief paused, swallowed hard, and turned the red paper to the next page:

"The ceremony is complete—enter..."

He didn't finish reading.

According to normal wedding rites, this is the time to "send them into the bridal chamber".

But in Niujia Village, those last four words are never uttered.

The village chief rolled up the red paper and winked at Aunt Wang and Aunt Li.

Two women stepped forward and helped Ye Qingfeng up, one on each side.

"It's time to go up the mountain."

The main room fell silent.

Ah Niu remained kneeling on the ground, watching Ye Qingfeng being helped to the door.

There was a small sedan chair parked there, old and dilapidated, without any side railings, just two bamboo poles tied to an old chair, on which a red cloth was laid.

This is the sedan chair used to transport the bride to Jinguang Temple.

Ye Qingfeng was helped to sit down, and the red veil was lowered to cover everything in front of her.

Aunt Wang and Aunt Li stood on either side of the sedan chair.

Ah Niu suddenly stood up and rushed forward two steps.

"Ah Niu!" Several men held him back tightly.

"Don't go! What good will you do if you go!"

"Just bear with it, it'll pass, just bear with it..."

Ah Niu was pinned to the spot, unable to break free, and could only watch helplessly as two villagers lifted the sedan chair, the bamboo poles creaking as it swayed and wobbled out of the courtyard gate.

His lips moved, but no sound came out.

But Ye Qingfeng's eyes saw through the red veil and understood.

"We hope the Immortal Master will grant us justice!"

In the distance, the sedan chair had already turned onto the dirt road west of the village.

That road leads up the mountain.

Leading to Jinguang Temple.

The sedan chair moved very slowly.

The mountain road was rugged, and the bamboo poles weighed down the shoulders of the sedan chair carriers, their coarse cloth shirts soaked with sweat.

They didn't speak, just walked silently, skillfully avoiding ruts and gravel.

Aunt Wang walked to the left of the sedan chair, carrying incense, candles, and yellow paper in her hands.

Aunt Li walked to the right of the sedan chair, carrying a plate of vegetarian fruit.

These are offerings for "respecting the Buddha," and are also a customary practice for sending off a bride.

Ye Qingfeng sat in the sedan chair, her red veil remaining perfectly still.

He didn't look back, nor did he say anything.

The sedan curtain was lifted by a corner by the wind.

He saw the mountain path getting narrower and narrower, and the trees on both sides becoming denser. Moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Further away, gray tiles and red walls can be faintly seen.

The bell tolled from there, long and deep, like an invisible hand pressing on the hearts of everyone in the village and along the mountain path.

Ye Qingfeng withdrew his gaze and listened quietly to the sound of the wind.

He thought, "It'll be soon."

He wanted to see just who this Golden Light Temple was!

If there isn't a suitable explanation, then today, the Samadhi True Fire in his hand will be Ye Qingfeng's explanation!