Fanan had been watching Yuanhui throw himself into the matter, wondering how best to put Guishan Temple's strength to use. Then he heard those words and froze.
"What do you mean, Senior Brother?"
Yuanhui gave a bitter smile. "If it were anyone else, I might not be certain. But since it is the Marquis of Linru County..." He shook his head. "Possession by an evil spirit is impossible!"
"Does he have ties to Guishan Temple?" Fanan looked baffled. "Even so, you cannot decide that so rashly. Brother Yu's nightmares began after he read an essay by the Marquis of Linru County."
Yuanhui sighed. "That lord entered the Way through incense offerings and built his foundation through writing. Perhaps Benefactor Yu unwittingly sent a stray thought his way, and that caused the nightmares."
"Entered the Way through incense offerings?" Fanan paused. "A county marquis of the Imperial Clan is a cultivator?"
"Indeed!"
"But even a member of the Imperial Clan..." Fanan tried to continue.
Yuanhui spoke first. "The Marquis of Linru County is a Reincarnated True Immortal!"
"Mm!"
The words caught in Fanan's throat. It took him a while to recover enough to ask, "Is that... truly so?"
The old monk said, "Not only our temple. Longhua Temple, Chongfu Temple, Qixia Temple, and Vulture Peak Temple all know."
So many temples know, yet Jianyuan Temple hasn't heard a thing?
Fanan drew a deep breath and steadied himself. As a Buddhist monk, his powers of composure were second to none, but he still felt they should not be so certain. "Even a Reincarnated True Immortal might be coveted by others..."
Halfway through, Fanan could not bring himself to continue. At last he asked, with a note of displeasure, "Why did so many Senior Brothers know, yet none told me?"
Yuanhui grew awkward.