"Amitabha. Patron, please stop."
Yue Changlong and Yue Xiaofei had barely taken a few steps after getting out of the car when a shifty-looking middle-aged monk, who looked more like a businessman than a monk, blocked their path.
The monk first looked the father and son up and down. When he saw their clean but ordinary, unbranded casual clothes, a barely perceptible trace of contempt flashed in his eyes.
But when his gaze caught the imposing Maybach S680 parked nearby, his expression instantly turned warm and ingratiating.
"You two look unfamiliar. Is this your first visit to our Great Thunderclap Monastery?"
He pressed his palms together, a practiced smile plastered across his face.
"Today, Abbot Yuan Zhen will personally deliver a sermon and pray for our honored guests, granting blessings and warding off misfortune."
"To arrive at such a time, you two must truly be blessed with great karmic fortune and good luck!"
The monk's abrupt shift from arrogance to fawning made Yue Xiaofei sick.
He said nothing, merely turning his gaze toward a spot nearby.
At the monastery entrance stood a long table draped in red cloth.
Several monks were bustling about behind it.
A group of lavishly dressed men and women glittering with jewelry stood in line, stuffing stack after stack of banknotes into an enormous donation box.
"Mr. Huang, you truly are devout! A hundred thousand in one donation! The Buddha will surely bless your business with prosperity and abundant wealth!"
"Oh, not at all. What is my little contribution compared with Chairman Li's? He donated a million just to secure the 'first incense offering'!"
"Ah, money is beside the point. What matters is sincerity! Once your heart is in the right place, the Buddha will naturally sense it!"
As he spoke, a portly middle-aged man with