Encounter

Back then, a zaibatsu funded the renovation of an old, dilapidated temple. During the process, they negotiated with the temple and local authorities, offering substantial compensation to relocate the ancient temple to New Star.

Ultimately, all parties reached a compromise and agreement. The entire temple complex was moved, from every brick and tile, to the ancient Bodhi tree and its roots, even the Buddha statues, all were transported away.

In its original location, an even grander temple rose from the ground, more magnificent than the previous one. It was bustling with worshippers, and from afar, it appeared solemn and sacred.

Wang Xuan sighed, realizing this was no longer a matter that money alone could solve. He could only marvel at the zaibatsu's incredible depth and strength.

"No wonder I couldn't find any Ascension Stones here, nor any rare artifacts..." he murmured, finally understanding everything. The true ancient temple had long been moved.

Did this mean the Bodhisattvas and others had also relocated to deep space?!

Wang Xuan soon thought of the situation at his own home. The Daoist temple in Great Black Mountain... not only were the roof tiles gone, but even the foundation had vanished. It was likely New Star's doing as well.

They weren't just excavating things from Old Earth's soil; they had also moved temples and Daoist temples that were steeped in rich mythological legends.

Wang Xuan was speechless. Old Earth was truly empty. Almost nothing he sought remained. This meant he needed to seriously consider going to New Star.

From the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips to thousand-year-old temples, to the ancestral homes of various religions, and all sorts of ruins related to Ascension, they had all been moved, becoming nearly extinct on Old Earth.

Everything Wang Xuan yearned for was on New Star!

"I need to prepare myself properly," he muttered to himself. He had no other choice; he had to set off.

Wang Xuan turned and left the temple grounds. Looking back now, the magnificent temple, though bathed in the morning glow, seemed to have lost its sacred radiance.

He felt a pang of emotion. First impressions, that psychological suggestion, had severely impacted his normal judgment.

As Wang Xuan walked away, he thought about the Old Monk whose eyes had bled. He had a general idea of what the monk was seeking.

"Was it because his dojo was moved, and the Ascension artifacts were taken to deep space, that he also wanted to follow?"

However, in the vague scenes the Old Monk had demonstrated late at night, there were clear images of Bodhisattvas taking flight, Arhats rising, and Bodhi trees uprooting themselves, all heading into deep space.

Why was he left behind? Was it because the Old Monk had made a mistake in the past and was locked onto a stone wall? Or were the residual spiritual energies of the former Buddhist Ascension-level powerhouses scattered everywhere, with the Old Monk being just a part of it? Now, as he revived, did he also want to go to the dojo on New Star?

Regardless, it was all connected to New Star.

"Old Chen, get a good night's sleep. You've had a tough time lately. You're the type who gets more work done because you're capable," Wang Xuan said to himself, a smile on his face.

He felt that since he was considering going to New Star, he needed to have a good talk with Qing Mu soon. However, he needed to keep Old Chen in check, or send him away, because Old Chen was too calculating and difficult to deal with.

"Old Chen, you were very dishonest this time, actually plotting against me!"

Wang Xuan suspected that since Old Chen couldn't get anything from the Female Daoist practitioner, he would use all sorts of methods to scheme against him. If he hadn't accidentally stumbled upon it, with Qing Mu's "divine assist," he would have had no defense at all.

"But I'm very honest. Aren't you tenacious and able to persevere? Since you like to ponder and scheme about the Ascension Immortal Method so much, I'll give you another chance this time!" Wang Xuan chuckled as he headed back.

It was Sunday, and he didn't have to work. It was still early after returning to An City, so Wang Xuan wandered around casually.

He had lived in this city for over four years and had developed some feelings for it. He would likely be leaving soon. He walked through familiar places, looking at them again and again.

Unconsciously, he arrived at Cloud Lake, a relatively famous scenic spot in An City. The lake was clear, and along the shore stood a few ancient buildings. Waterfowl circled at low altitude. In the midst of the noisy and restless city, such an elegant lakeside view was indeed pleasant.

People ran along the lake or rowed boats here every day. It wasn't sparsely populated.

"What's going on? Is someone filming a movie?" People ahead complained about the crowd.

The bluestone path along the lake was blocked, and people out for a stroll were stopped, all expressing their dissatisfaction.

"It's not a film crew shooting a scene, but it's similar. It seems like some celebrity is up ahead," someone said, mentioning a name.

A group of people exclaimed. It was a celebrity from New Star, who also had considerable popularity on Old Earth. As soon as the name was mentioned, many people recognized it.

"Make way!" someone shouted loudly, pushing aside passersby by the lake, wanting everyone to clear a path.

Immediately, someone expressed their displeasure, "What right do you have? It's not your road, so why should we move?"

"Don't push! I'm about to fall into the lake!" someone shrieked.

A group of men in black were walking ahead, their movements somewhat aggressive. They directly extended their arms to block or push people to the side, their movements too large. They all looked like bodyguards.

Behind them was a woman wearing sunglasses. Although they covered most of her face, she seemed truly beautiful. However, her way of traveling caused dissatisfaction among the passersby.

"What right do you have? This is everyone's road, so why must others make way for you when you travel!" someone yelled.

Although many people here were fans, shouting the New Star actress's name, many others were very displeased, feeling it was going too far.

"What era is this? Are celebrities so great? Acting so high-profile, they'll eventually fall!" someone shouted.

But the group of men in black remained unmoved, continuing to forcefully push through the crowd, isolating a path.

Wang Xuan happened to arrive at this spot and was slightly surprised to see another person standing by the lake.

It was a woman. Her long dress fluttered in the breeze, making her tall figure appear even more curvaceous. A lock of her hair was lifted, revealing a fair and beautiful face. With Cloud Lake as a backdrop, she exuded a certain charm.

It was Wu Yin. Wang Xuan's deepest impression of her was her fiery temper, and her figure was indeed impressive. The last time she was angry, her evening gown had almost ripped. Today, he saw her on Old Earth again.

Soon, Wang Xuan understood why she was there. The female celebrity from New Star was clearly heading towards her, seemingly knowing her and having an appointment.

Wu Yin frowned. She didn't want to be noticed like this. She waved at the female celebrity, unwilling to meet there and become a spectacle. She turned and walked away into the distance.

Objectively speaking, her gracefulness was even more outstanding than the female celebrity's.

When Wang Xuan reached this point, he intended to turn back, but he heard a cry of alarm. Someone had almost been pushed into the lake, and he immediately frowned.

Especially when a little girl was pushed by a tall, burly man in black and stumbled backward. Wang Xuan couldn't stand it. He squeezed past several men in black, cutting through them, and picked up the little girl. With so many people around, if she were trampled, it could easily lead to an accident.

Wang Xuan's action of barging through and pushing aside the men in black clearly displeased them. A line of men in black squeezed forward, wrongly accusing him of provoking them.

Wang Xuan pulled the little girl back a few steps, intending to get her out of the crowd and prevent her from being pushed or bumped.

"Stay away from me!" he said calmly.

But several men in black thought he was escalating things and continued to push forward, squeezing towards them with the crowd.

Wang Xuan didn't want any trouble originally, but he couldn't stand by and watch them. However, if he were to directly confront these men in black, it would likely lead to a messy situation. With the idea of educating people from the source, he retreated towards Wu Yin by the lake with the little girl.

"Don't push it too far. What era is this? Still acting like a county princess is making an appearance? The Qing Dynasty is long gone!" Wang Xuan shouted.

His original intention was naturally to have Wu Yin step in and educate the female star, whom she clearly knew, to correct this kind of behavior from the root today.

Because he could tell that Wu Yin seemed to want to keep a low profile and had already waved at the female star, wanting to leave.

However, when he squeezed over, although Wu Yin was displeased with the female star, she became even more unhappy upon seeing Wang Xuan. As he approached, she immediately crossed her arms, looking wary and defensive.

Wang Xuan was speechless. Was it that serious? He figured this woman still held a grudge, as he had truly offended her quite a bit last time when he analyzed her condition.

Wu Yin glanced at him coldly, her arms crossed, and turned her body away. It was a clear move to create distance, showing she didn't want to greet him, let alone have any contact with him.

"Wu... Wu Yin!" Wang Xuan corrected himself mid-sentence. In his mind, besides her bad temper, the most striking impression of this woman was her "broad-mindedness." He had almost blurted out the wrong name.

Wu Yin was very sharp. From the moment he uttered the first syllable, she immediately judged what he had intended to call her, and her eyes immediately blazed with anger.

"Don't misunderstand. I saw you and that female star greeting each other secretly. You should know each other, so quickly persuade these people to stop being so high-profile. They're about to push me into the lake."

Wu Yin had originally intended to greet the female star and tell her to leave, but she felt that Wang Xuan was deliberately moving towards her. She immediately became displeased, didn't want to deal with him, and turned away with her arms crossed, ignoring him.

The men in black rushed over, looking at Wang Xuan with ill intent, appearing as if they thought he was causing trouble.

"Don't let your hand touch me!" Wu Yin warned.

Wang Xuan didn't retreat anymore. They were already by the lake. With the goal of "healing and saving people," he decided to teach everyone a lesson. He kicked the men in black towards the lake, one by one.

This immediately seemed to stir up a hornet's nest, and all the men in black rushed over.

Wang Xuan held the little girl and looked at Wu Yin. The implication was that if she didn't step in soon, they would all be pushed into the lake.

Wu Yin ignored him, trying to move aside, and even shot him a glare.

Seeing her still crossing her arms and acting defensively, Wang Xuan decided to teach them all a lesson. As the men in black charged, he dodged with the little girl. His hand didn't actually touch Wu Yin, but he unceremoniously kicked her in the backside.

Then, anyone among the men in black who moved forward received a kick from him. Soon, the vicinity was cleared, and the surrounding people cheered loudly, having long been fed up with these bodyguards.

Finally, the female star was also pushed forward by the crowd. Wang Xuan didn't know how it happened, but he saw the female star also fall into the lake.

"I don't think I kicked her in," Wang Xuan said to everyone.

"Uncle, it seems like it was you," the little girl beside him said softly and honestly.

The surrounding people burst into laughter.

Wang Xuan sighed and immediately contacted Old Chen, saying, "Old Chen, I agree. I'll give you a great fortune, but you need to come over and resolve some issues first."