Both men wore monks' robes. The one in front held a Buddhist Staff, his eyebrows and beard white and his face etched with suffering; the other held a Wooden Staff, his complexion sallow and his beard sparse, yet his bearing was exceptionally martial.
"Benefactor Meiji, this humble monk, Duku, greets you!" "This humble monk, Duhai, greets you!" The two monks stopped a hundred meters from Meiji, coming no closer, and pressed their palms together in greeting.
"Duku, Duhai, why aren't you enjoying your blessings at the New Bell Tower? What do you want with a little woman like me?" Meiji's delicate brows drew together, as though she deeply resented the interruption. Her gestures were utterly natural, without a trace of affectation, and her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze brushing willow branches. Everyone already under her spell glared at Duku and Duhai as though the monks were their mortal enemies.
"Ha!" Duhai's eyes widened in anger, and his shout rang out like thunder, jolting everyone awake.
"Oh!" Meiji seemed to realize something and smiled sweetly. "So you came for these people! In that case, I'll be on my way!"
Her smile bloomed, and everyone who had just regained their senses for the second time became utterly entranced again. Seeing her about to leave, they cried out anxiously, "Don't go!"
"Benefactor Meiji, please stay!" Seeing Meiji pick up the Fairy Plate to leave, even Duku's careworn face betrayed a hint of urgency, though his voice remained measured. "The Fairy Plate shares a karmic bond with our New Bell Tower. That is why we have come! Please return the Fairy Plate, Benefactor Meiji. The New Bell Tower would be most grateful!"
"Return the Fairy Plate?! Master, are you saying I stole something of yours?" Meiji looked pitiful, as though Duku