Tianlong: Starting with Mantuo Manor as fertilizer

Xie Buruo was very familiar with the name Yan Longyuan.

This is one of Murong Bo's aliases.

He used this alias to buy land and do business near Dengfeng, becoming a local tycoon.

Of course, whether it's doing honest business or stealing other people's money is another matter entirely.

Seeing Yan Longyuan nod in their direction, Huijing was overjoyed and licked with extra zeal.

"Look, this is a true lay Buddhist, so well-mannered."

"He brought so many monks' hats and robes; he must have come to make offerings."

Xie Bu Ruo knew Murong Bo's background and had no intention of getting close to him.

Quietly retreat behind the monk, trying to avoid being seen.

But things didn't go as planned.

Yan Longyuan, along with a group of servants, was already walking towards them.

If they were to move aside at this moment, they would only attract attention.

Xie had no choice but to stay where he was.

Yan Longyuan approached the monk Huijing and bowed with his palms together.

With a wave of his hand, the servants behind him immediately presented him with medicine packets of various sizes.

"Master Huijing, I heard that your temple is suffering from a snake infestation. I have come to bring some realgar and snake medicine, hoping it will be of some help."

Huijing accepted it with a smile: "Master Yan, I've heard so much about you! You are the true believer!"

Xie Buruo couldn't help but tease, "Master, you couldn't remember Elder Yan's name just now."

Huijing said urgently, "How can I not recognize it?"

He then flattered Yan Longyuan, saying, "What a fine surname, Hermit Yan! Who in the world doesn't know the Yan of the Yan Kingdom!"

Yan Longyuan smiled and nodded.

Huijing then said, "The Seven Warring States! This humble monk has also read history books."

He didn't notice the slight change in Yan Longyuan's expression, and continued to show off his knowledge, reciting with a swaying head.

"A dragon and a phoenix, flying together into the Purple Palace!" This refers to a story from the State of Yan during the Warring States period.

Xie Ruo silently moved a few steps away from him.

Fat monk, if you're looking to die, don't splatter my blood!

Yan Longyuan was truly a master of self-control; he did not get angry and continued to smile.

He exchanged pleasantries with Huijing for a while, and the conversation revolved around the snake infestation.

Huijing spoke eloquently, explaining clearly how to catch and capture snakes.

As he got into the conversation, he also talked about poisonous creatures, how to catch them, and how to raise them, all of which he did with ease.

Not only did Yan Longyuan show surprise, but Xie Buruo also listened with great interest.

Old Zhang and Xu Zhu were both frowning, one with a deep frown and the other chanting "Amitabha."

Yan Longyuan sighed, "I was truly blind to your greatness. I never imagined that Master Huijing would possess such talent."

Upon hearing this, Huijing laughed triumphantly: "Besides Young Hero Xie, only you, sir, truly understand me!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Longyuan smiled slightly and thanked Xie Ruo.

Xie Buruo returned the smile, but inwardly cursed, "Huijing, you damned bald monk, you're going to get me killed!"

Yan Longyuan then started chatting with Xie Buruo.

"I have been to Shanxi. Qingliang Temple there is a famous temple, and the abbot of Shenshan Temple is an extraordinary figure."

"The Boundless Northern Sect? Is your sect located near Yanmen Pass?"

Xie Buruo nodded: "It's not far from Yanmen Pass."

He was unwilling to talk much with Yan Longyuan, and basically only answered when the other party asked a question.

When the words "Yanmen Pass" were mentioned, Yan Longyuan's face remained expressionless.

He simply replied, "I have been there once; it truly deserves to be called the most formidable pass under heaven."

Xie Buruo scoffed inwardly, "That old guy has a good mentality. If I didn't know your background, I would have been easily fooled by you."

Yan Longyuan was extremely talkative, and he always had a friendly demeanor, regardless of the other person's identity.

"Young master, you are a disciple of Master Huilun, so you must have a profound understanding of Buddhism. I have some questions that I would like to ask you."

When the topic turned to Buddhism, Xu Zhu was overjoyed.

Yan Longyuan easily charmed him with just a few words.

After their conversation, he presented Xuzhu with a brand-new monk's robe and shoes.

Yan Longyuan was respectful and courteous to scholars. When he faced Old Zhang, a tenant farmer, he reached out his hand to shake hands and chatted with him about everyday matters.

Old Zhang was deeply moved and stood there stunned for a moment.

The servants nearby noticed that Old Zhang seemed to have something filthy in his hand, frowned, and stepped forward to stop him.

Yan Longyuan, however, harshly rebuked him.

The servant had no choice but to lower his head and retreat in embarrassment.

Old Zhang then realized he was still holding insect eggs in his hand and quickly threw them away.

As he wiped his hands, he said, "My hands are dirty; I mustn't soil them, sir."

Yan Longyuan laughed heartily: "The Buddha said that all beings are equal. You and I are both Buddhist believers, so how can we have a discriminatory mind?"

As he spoke, he grabbed Old Zhang's hand.

The latter was moved to tears.

He was quite knowledgeable about farming and casually asked about the harvest in previous years.

"Just now, I saw what looked like grasshopper eggs in your hand."

Upon hearing this, Xie Buruo thought to himself, "How come you, a wealthy landowner from Suzhou who's now fallen on hard times, can recognize him? So I'm the only one who can't?"

Old Zhang laughed and said, "Exactly."

Yan Longyuan glanced at the grasshopper hopping around on the grass and sighed.

"Although these grasshoppers are small, once they swarm together, they become a locust plague. The locust plague during the Yuanfeng era still sends shivers down my spine when I think about it now."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang also showed fear.

It seemed to remind me of the scene when locusts covered the sky and caused a complete crop failure.

Yan Longyuan spoke a few more words with the crowd, then went to greet the monks beside him.

Seeing the other man leave surrounded by his entourage, Huijing looked on with envy: "This is how a true man should be!"

Xu Zhu disagreed, saying, "Master Yan is a devout Buddhist, and I suppose he is more envious of us Buddhist disciples."

Upon hearing this, Huijing and Xie Bushuo both shook their heads vigorously.

Huijing glanced at Xie Buruo and smiled, "Young Master Xie is usually very talkative, so why are you so reserved today when you meet Master Yan?"

Xie immediately denied it: "Master is joking. I am not good with words."

Huijing, however, didn't believe it at all, and laughed, "Young hero, why be so modest? You often chat and tell stories in the temple, and the monks listen with rapt attention and are all delighted. How can you be considered not good at talking?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhu nodded repeatedly: "I have also heard the story that Young Hero Xie told me, and it was very interesting. However, the orphan of the Zhao family was too tragic and lacked the compassion of Buddhism. It was my Grandmaster Uncle Xuan Bei who quite liked this story."

Shaolin monks spend their days either fighting or reading Buddhist scriptures; they have very little entertainment.

When Xie Bu Ruo chatted with the Shaolin disciples, he would casually tell a few stories, which would attract everyone to listen.

He didn't say anything too outlandish.

It's nothing more than common stories like the Orphan of Zhao, the story of beheading Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm, the Battle of Changban, and the story of Ximen Qing.

As soon as Xu Zhu finished speaking, Hui Jing seized the opportunity and immediately refuted him.

"Nephew Xuzhu, a Buddhist disciple must not speak recklessly!"

"No one understands Uncle-Master Xuanbei better than me. He hates idle gossip and stories the most, so why would he like to listen to these?"

Xu Zhu, who was always honest and kind, was speechless after being refuted by Hui Jing. He lowered his head and dared not speak again.

Xie Buruo had no interest in whether Master Xuanbei liked it or not.

He was even thinking of catching that yellow cobra so he could practice his skills properly.

Thinking about this, he and Huijing started fiddling with the boulder again.

This time, instead of trying to move it by force, the two took weapons and dug along the soil, intending to force the poisonous snakes hidden underneath to reveal themselves.

Seeing this, Lao Zhang and Xu Zhu had already run far away.

After digging for a while, a yellow shadow suddenly flashed under the boulder, and the venomous snake lunged at Huijing.

Seemingly sensing the medicinal scent emanating from Huijing, the snake suddenly turned its head and lunged at Xie Buruo instead.

Xie was quick-witted and nimble. He extended two fingers and secretly used the Great Vajra Pestle Divine Skill. The venomous snake was clamped by the immense force and could no longer move.

Huijing already knew that Xie Bushuo had a strong resistance to poison, and she also saw that his snake-catching skills had greatly improved.

A thought struck him: "If this person could go to Kunlun Mountain with me to capture ice silkworms, he would be a great help."

Thinking of this, he subtly invited Xie Buruo.

Xie Bu Ruo only wanted to reap the benefits without lifting a finger; he had no intention of traveling with him to Kunlun Mountain.

He claimed that he would soon be going to Dali to participate in a sect sword duel.

Huijing was determined to leave the sect, but he could not say it outright. He could only sigh that he feared they would never meet again.

Xie Buruo thought to himself, "Let's meet at Minzhong Temple."

He happily took the yellow snake back to collect its venom to replenish his strength.

Suddenly, he remembered that Lao Zhang and Huijing had thrown away the two insect eggs. He looked down and searched under the grass, but couldn't find them.